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ABC brass did NOT threaten to take "Good Morning America" anchor George Stephanopoulos off the air if he didn't apologize for taking a dig at President Biden's political future ... TMZ has learned.

Our network sources tell us George's ABC bosses never once threatened he would be stripped of airtime for telling a man on an NYC sidewalk he didn't think Biden could serve another term.

There is a report out claiming ABC threatened to bench the 'GMA' anchor if he didn't apologize for the Biden remark. Our network sources tell us George's conversations with network honchos never reached the point of threats about airtime.

Internet personality SteveWillDoIt went to a famous theme park in Florida and then ended up in jail, where cops snapped a funny mug shot.

The YouTube star -- government name Stephen Rocco Deleonardis -- was arrested by the Orlando Police Department on Wednesday afternoon for trespassing ... TMZ has learned.

Orlando Police tell us officers responded to Universal Studios in reference to a trespass call. Cops say theme park security told them Steve was previously removed from the theme park for trespassing back in August and warned not to come back.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann finally have a date for their divorce trial ... though the court's directing them to try and hash out a settlement through mediation before it kicks off.

TMZ has obtained legal documents setting the estranged couple's divorce trial for November 5 and November 6 in Atlanta's Fulton County Superior Court.

That said, the couple's been directed to try and hash out their issues regarding the split in a mediation session. They have until September 25 to do so, and it looks like they'll head to trial if something can't be worked out during the mediation.

Diddy's mother is hospitalized in South Florida after experiencing chest pains ... TMZ has learned.

Janice Combs was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday after she complained about discomfort in her chest ... according to sources close to Diddy. It's still unclear exactly what caused the pain, but we're told she's going to remain in the hospital for at least another day.

Our sources say Diddy was in Miami at the time, and at his mom's request, went to the hospital to be by her side. We're told Janice believes the pain is related to stress over her son's legal woes ... including the federal investigation and multiple civil lawsuits.

Britney Spears and Paul Soliz called it quits on their relationship almost a month ago, after she came to the realization he was riding her coattails ... and now she's got a new roomie.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Britney and Paul split around 3 weeks ago, and they were dunzo once the singer realized her former maintenance worker-turned-boyfriend was only using her for the luxurious lifestyle.

The reasoning here certainly jibes with what Britney alluded to in her recent Instagram post putting Paul on blast and declaring herself "single as f***."

Danny Trejo's infamous Fourth of July brawl is now with authorities as cops investigate it as a potential hate crime -- especially after the actor claimed he and his buddy were targeted because of their race.

LAPD sources tell TMZ a battery/hate crimes report has been filed to investigate the incident at the Sunland-Tujunga parade last week ... and authorities are aiming to get to the bottom of what happened.

We're told when cops arrived on scene, most people involved had already booked it ... and those who remained didn't want to lodge a complaint.

Riley Strain's mysterious death in Nashville is anything but cut and dry ... and the autopsy and video surveillance only add to the puzzle.

TMZ Studios has a new series, "Strange & Suspicious," now airing on a dozen FOX stations, where we explore unexplained and straight-up weird stories, and now we're looking into the circumstances surrounding Riley's death.

A college student visiting Nashville with his frat brothers, Riley left his friends behind at the bar and drunkenly stumbled through the streets before vanishing ... until his body was found floating in a river, without his shoes, pants or wallet.

If J.J. Watt wants to flaunt his new bod, one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time is willing to help ... 7x Mr. Olympia Phil Heath tells TMZ Sports he'd have the future Hall of Famer stage ready in 3 months!

"He actually looks pretty damn good," 44-year-old Heath said, adding ... "I think he would actually do well at the amateur level."

Not too shabby a compliment coming from a man who won the Olympia seven times straight (he also finished second in 2010 and 2018).

Sean Burroughs -- the ninth-overall pick in the 1998 MLB Draft -- died from a fentanyl overdose.

The late MLB player's official cause of death is listed as fentanyl intoxication and his death has been ruled an accident ... according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner.

As we reported ... 43-year-old Sean died back in May, when he was found unresponsive next to his car in a Long Beach parking lot outside his son's Little League baseball game. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Danny Elfman, a famous film score composer, is being sued by a woman accusing him of serving her a martini glass filled with semen ... she says his public denial paints her as a liar, and she insists it actually happened.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Nomi Abadi is suing Elfman for defamation ... she says he lied about her in a Rolling Stone article where he and his reps denied he engaged in sexual misconduct toward her.

In the suit, filed by attorney Eric M. George, Nomi says Danny invited her over to his studio in August 2016 and placed a martini glass filled with an off-white substance in front of her. She says she "sat in silence, terrified, gagging from the putrid smell coming from ... semen ejaculate."

5:50 PM PT -- A source close to Daphne Joy is providing some clarity, telling TMZ ... she deleted the rape allegation post in an attempt to smooth things over with 50 Cent, for the sake of their son. It appears 50 has also taken down his posts about Daphne.

We've learned Daphne's hired attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan, and reached out to him for comment ... but no word back.

Interesting development between Daphne Joy and 50 Cent ... she's scrubbed her social media post accusing him of rape amid the rapper's ongoing lawsuit over that very post.

Here's the deal ... Daphne, the mother to 50 Cent's son Sire, publicly accused the rapper of raping and physically abusing her in a March 28 Instagram post. 50 immediately denied the claim, and then in May he sued her for defamation.

Now, Daphne's post has been deleted from her official IG account. It's unclear exactly when she took it down, or why ... but it's gone.

Gaten Matarazzo's pushing for "Stranger Things" to pick up the pace ... feeling the urgency to wrap the final season 'cause all the actors are growing up faster than the Demogorgon's appetite.

We caught up with the actor at LAX Wednesday ... and he's making it clear maintaining the illusion of still being a teen for the sci-fi Netflix series is getting trickier, especially since he's now 21 -- compared to 13 when he first started filming the show.

But Gaten tells us despite past delays like the writers' strike and the pandemic, they're now powering through to bring fans an epic 5th and final season -- and hopefully, so they can all move on and explore new opportunities.

Benji Gregory -- best known as the child star on the sitcom "Alf" -- has passed away ... TMZ can reveal.

The actor's sister Rebecca tells TMZ her brother was found dead in his car at a Chase Bank parking lot in Peoria, AZ, on June 13.

His death certificate confirms that date, and the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office tells us Benji's cause of death is still pending.

A fan-favorite 'Simpsons' gag from nearly 30 years ago is about to become a real life event -- courtesy of Cypress Hill -- and the writer who came up with the joke tells TMZ, he's freaking out ... in a good way.

The west coast rap legends -- B-Real, Sen Dog and DJ Muggs -- just announced plans to perform with the London Symphony Orchestra ... a concert idea born from the 1996 'Simpsons' episode, “Homerpalooza.”

On the show, Cypress Hill forgets all about the gig, because, well ... the "Insane in the Membrane" crew got high, of course.

The gloves are off between George Clooney and President Biden -- folks involved with the campaign are firing back at Clooney over the Hollywood fundraiser the actor co-hosted ... saying he was anything but accommodating to POTUS.

As you know, Clooney fired the first shot with his NYT op-ed Wednesday, saying Biden can't win the election and called for him to drop out of the race. In the letter, Clooney referenced last month's record-breaking fundraiser, saying ... "The Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe 'big F-ing deal' Biden of 2010. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate."

Now ... a source connected to the Biden campaign, who is deeply familiar with the planning that went into the Hollywood fundraiser, is dismissing Clooney's critique and pointing the finger squarely at him.

D.L. Hughley is going scorched earth on George Clooney for calling on President Biden to drop out of the presidential race ... and he says Democrats are missing the big picture.

The comedian joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and ripped into George and his fellow Dems for asking for Biden to make way for a different candidate to run against Donald Trump.

D.L. says the whole tone of George's NYT op-ed letter calling on Biden to step down is "insulting" ... and he finds it alarming Clooney never mentioned Project 2025, a series of proposals D.L. warns will do serious damage to Americans, especially minorities.