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Sean Combs isn't looking so puffy these days ... and not just because he changed his name from Puffy to Diddy ... he shed a bunch of pounds, but it's not a result of his time behind bars.

Diddy was looking thinner during his appearance in court Thursday and his face looked skinnier ... leading to lots of folks speculating he hasn't been eating in jail. Others thought the criminal case was finally getting to him.

However, sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Diddy lost the weight BEFORE he was arrested by the feds last month, and it's the result of healthy living.

Ashton Kutcher ran into some car troubles while tooling around in his classic Corvette ... and he needed a hand to get his ride running again.

The "Dude, Where's My Car?" star was out for a spin Thursday in Sherman Oaks when his Corvette appeared to break down.

Ashton pulled off into a driveway and had to get out of the car and literally push it to the curb so he could park and assess the issue.

Taylor Swift's not the only person making big money while performing ... 'cause even a T-Swift impersonator is raking in the dough -- saying she makes nearly $20K per performance.

Olivia Mojica -- a singer who shares starkly similar features to the pop star, and leads the Blank Space Tribute Band -- stopped by TMZ's "Swift-Tea Podcast" Thursday ... telling us she actually quit her day job because she's making so much tributing Swift.

Of course, we had to ask how much money she's been able to shake off during her performances ... and, she told us the most the band has made for one appearance is $18K.

Jessie J's singing the blues this week ... 'cause LAPD responded to her home after burglars broke in and stole a bunch of jewelry, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the singer-songwriter called the cops after she came back to her L.A.-area home earlier this week to discover it had been broken into and ransacked.

We're told the burglars smashed a back window to gain entry to the house and took off with more than $20k worth of jewelry.

Hip Hop icon Yo-Yo is shocked by the string of Diddy allegations ... she knew the guy back when he was Puff Daddy, and hates the thought of being an alleged victim!!!

Yo-Yo caught up with TMZ Hip Hop at LAX on Thursday and she tells us she believes there's been a mix of both true and fake allegations thrown in Diddy's direction.

She doesn't want to kick Diddy when he's down and hopes for the best ... but also wishes punishments if the worst turns out to be true!!!

Bath & Body Works is scrambling to remove a holiday candle off its shelves ... after the packaging was compared to hoods worn by the Ku Klux Klan.

The candle went viral Tuesday when an X user posted a screenshot of the product, which showed the "Snowed In" scent featuring a snowflake design set against a red backdrop.

However, it didn't take long for users to compare the print to the infamous KKK hoods, as they too are all white, with pointed tops and tiny holes cut into them.

3:50 PM PT -- Shortly after we broke the story, TraxNYC hopped on IG and copped a plea to 50 Cent ... requesting 50 drop the suit in good faith!!!

The way Trax sees things, holy crosses represent forgiveness and thinks all this legality is completely unnecessary.

We might be too far gone for bygones ... 50 has responded and says he's still gonna need that payout first thing on Monday!!!

50 Cent has zero tolerance for a jeweler allegedly using his name and face to sell knockoffs of his famous chain, insisting he's never bought jewelry from TraxNYC, or allowed it to capitalize on his fame.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained docs Thursday ... with Fif suing Maksud Agadjani and his TraxNYC Corp. for trademark infringement and violating his right of publicity. The G-Unit rapper believes Trax's string of TikTok posts about him are misleading consumers into thinking he's affiliated with the imitation trinkets.

Just a few days ago, Trax posted a pic of 50 and Drake together and proceeded to show off an array of shiny crucifixes and captioned the post, "Yo @50 Cent , you should be a jeweler. Hit traxnyc.com or call 212 traxnyc."

And, in an August TikTok post, Trax offered up a cross similar to one 50 was wearing saying, "We just jocked your style, I know you watch my videos and now I'm watching your s**t and jocking your s**t just like you jocked my s**t."

50 previously warned Trax on IG his antics would land him in hot water, and now he wants a judge to stop Trax in his tracks, and make him pay up at least $5 million in damages.

A rep for 50 tells TMZ Hip Hop, "Mr. Jackson takes the unauthorized use of his name and likeness for commercial purposes seriously.

The rep adds ... when 50 made it clear he was not pleased, Trax doubled down, replying, "Don’t you got better things to worry about."

Well, now it's TraxNYC that has a lawsuit to worry about.

Actress Theresa Randle was arrested for assault this week in Los Angeles ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ cops were first called to an L.A.-area home for an alleged assault on October 5. Officers responded and took a report -- Randle was gone by that time. Two days later, they got another call from the same location reporting a possible domestic issue and a potential restraining order violation.

Sources say when officers arrived, the "Bad Boys" actress was at the scene, and she was arrested for felony assault -- for the October 5 incident.

Jemele Hill says athletes speaking out about important issues wasn't a problem for centuries in the U.S. -- but when Black athletes started using their platform to talk politics, everything changed.

The veteran sports journalist and activist joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" ... and, she tells us even George Washington used sports to talk politics when he was running for office -- plying guests with alcohol and playing competitive games to win their votes.

Hill says that's just one interesting anecdote she digs into for the first episode of her new podcast "Spolitics" -- and adds, famous athletes are still just citizens, so they've got every right to speak their minds about how they're voting.

Elle King’s relationship with her dad, Rob Schneider, has had its ups and downs, and now she’s spilling the tea on where they stand, especially after his recent public apology.

We caught up with Elle in NYC on Wednesday, and she was super clear -- she accepted her dad’s apology ages ago and is all about moving forward from their family drama.

Pregnant Elle, already a proud mom to son Lucky, also emphasized that her main focus right now is on motherhood and just soaking up all the happiness that comes with it.

Donald Trump is getting trolled by the film he fought tooth and nail to prevent from being released ... and marketers for the flick are rubbing it in his face at one of his rallies.

Trump held an event Wednesday in Reading, Pennsylvania ... and midway through, the people behind "The Apprentice" pulled a publicity stunt that likely pissed him off.

A plane flew over the crowd ... with a banner reading, "TRUMP, GO SEE THE APPRENTICE FRIDAY."

Judge Greg Mathis is feeling confident about a possible reconciliation with wife Linda ... who filed to divorce the TV judge back in August.

Despite the marriage woes, Judge Mathis tells us he's on the road to a romantic reunion ... confirming he and Linda have been doing well in recent weeks.

As he puts it ... things are so much better now and he and Linda will "be reconciled shortly."

"Joker: Folie à Deux" is officially DOA -- even wildly despised by some theatergoers -- but the actor at the center of one of the biggest fanboy gripes has one question ... Why so serious?

Be warned ... there are major spoilers for 'Joker 2' below!

Here's the deal ... The highly anticipated sequel starring Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix only made a weak $20 million at the domestic box office opening weekend ... and even worse ... the Todd Phillips-led movie got slapped with a dismal "D" grade on CinemaScore.

Jayden Daniels has won over the Commanders' fan base with his play so far this year ... and clearly one of the franchise's all-time best players, too -- as Brian Mitchell tells TMZ Sports he's wildly impressed with Washington's new star rookie.

Through five games, Daniels has the Commanders at 4-1 and atop the NFC East ... and Mitchell says it's now apparent to him, the 23-year-old signal-caller's potential is enormous.

"The sky is the limit," the former All-Pro said.

Shocking new claim from Diddy and his legal team ... they believe the federal government "orchestrated" the leak of the Cassie beating video to the media.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy's attorneys accuse the feds of misconduct in his criminal case ... namely, by allegedly orchestrating the leak of the Cassie tape to CNN.

The video in question is from 2016 and it shows Diddy brutally beating Cassie in the hallway of a swanky Los Angeles hotel during their relationship.

The cast of the “cringiest” episode of "Date My Mom" has reunited nearly 20 years later, and they all agree on one thing -- despite their recently viral episode getting loads of social media love today, the episode would never fly in today’s climate.

TMZ's own Charlie Neff got the gang back together with Kasey Washburn and Heather Silva on "The TMZ Podcast" -- Heather felt she was weight-shamed by MTV after her 2006 episode aired, when cast member Nick Contes picked her in his search for love.

They agree that nowadays society's all about celebrating different body types and steering clear of mocking heavier folks ... adding the body-positivity shift can be seen more and more in mainstream ads -- so that episode would be a total no-go!