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Diddy is coming out swinging against former artist Shyne's continuous media campaign that he was scapegoated in their 1999 shooting trial!!!

Shyne's recent supercharged run of interviews featured him as "a sacrificial lamb" in a "demonic" plot ... but Diddy's legal team is slamming those claims once and for all.

A rep for Diddy tells TMZ Hip Hop ...  "Mr. Combs categorically denies Mr. Barrow’s allegations, including any suggestion that he orchestrated Mr. Barrow to 'take the fall' or 'sacrificed' him by directing witnesses to testify against him. These claims are unequivocally false."

Brooks Nader’s taking some big steps -- she’s in the process of getting rid of that matching tattoo she got with "Dancing with the Stars" partner Gleb Savchenko after their brief fling.

We caught up with Brooks ... and she cleared things up, saying that pic of her kissing Gleb backstage, and their hot chemistry, doesn't mean they were officially dating. At the end of the day, they were just colleagues, and the tattoo was merely a lapse in her judgment.

Check out the clip ... 'cause you can totally feel Brooks' discomfort as she tried to convince us they were never really an official thing.

JoJo Siwa is ready to face the world again after a controversial fall ... stepping out in Los Angeles for the first time in over a month for a few caffeine-fueled errands.

Check it out ... the "Dance Moms" alum is back to business after upsetting some Beyoncé fans who thought she mocked the singer at the Industry Dance Awards in October. Seemingly shaking off the backlash, JoJo hits up a local coffee shop in L.A., where she gets a little work done on her computer -- even making time for a sweet selfie with a fan.

JoJo seems pretty energized to get back out in the public eye ... and the massive coffee in her hand may have something to do with the pep in her step.

Kyle Richards says Teddi Mellencamp's divorce might not have been caused by "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" ... but the spotlight certainly doesn't help the situation.

We caught up with the reality television star in Los Angeles Wednesday ... and, we had to ask her about her costar Teddi filing for divorce from her husband of more than 13 years, Edwin Arroyave.

While Kyle says the pressures of the show itself didn't cause the split, public scrutiny isn't helpful to maintaining a relationship ... something she knows all too well.

Cynthia Erivo is a Grammy award-winning singer, but she still gets nervous when she has to show off her pipes ... admitting as much on camera.

We got the "Wicked" star Wednesday at ABC Studios in New York City and our photog asked her about her live, impromptu duet with costar Ariana Grande on "TODAY" ... when they sang Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" for Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie.

Cynthia says she still gets nervous every time she sings ... and it was no different live on air.

The attorney who is representing more than 120 alleged victims against Diddy says he's setting his sights on other high-profile people who attended "Freak-Offs" -- even if they did nothing illegal.

Attorney Tony Buzbee appears in our new Tubi documentary, "TMZ Presents The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs" ... and he is going full bore. Buzbee says if there were people at the freak-offs who watched people who were sexually abused after being drugged and they did nothing to stop it, they're just as guilty as the perpetrators.

That said, Buzbee tells us there are other celebrities, politicians and businesspeople in his crosshairs.

Erik and Lyle Menendez and their legal team are making a full court press for freedom at next month's hearing ... and we've learned their star witnesses are people inside the prison.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the Menendez Brothers lawyer, Mark Geragos, will call six key witnesses to the stand at their Dec. 11 resentencing hearing ... and they all work for the California Department of Corrections.

The witnesses are two correctional officers, one education officer, a prison guard, a correctional lieutenant and another employee from the Dept. of Corrections ... all of whom have crossed paths with Erik and Lyle during their three-plus decades behind bars.

Patrick Mahomes has taken steps to ensure he's not the victim of a home burglary again ... TMZ Sports has learned he's beefed up security at his massive Missouri property.

Our sources with direct knowledge of the situation tell us in the days after Mahomes' Belton mansion was broken into on Oct. 6 ... the Chiefs star heightened safety measures around his home.

In addition, we're told the gated community that Mahomes lives in also made some security moves ... in an effort to put its members' minds at ease.

Bianca Censori is getting in touch with her inner child ... hitting up the Happiest Place on Earth with a couple of her pals.

Kanye West's wife was spotted Wednesday at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, where she got the VIP treatment inside the theme park.

Bianca shelled out some major cash to have a Disney tour guide usher her around ... no waiting in long lines for BC ... and she had two male friends in tow.

Britney Spears' ex husband Sam Asghari looks like he's taking the next step with his rumored girlfriend ... because he's wearing a matching outfit with his potential new lady.

TMZ obtained a photo of Sam shopping for home furnishings with Brooke Irvine ... the Compass realtor who the fitness trainer-turned-actor has been spending a lot of time with recently.

As you can see, Sam and Brooke are keeping it casual in matching hoodies and sweatpants ... as they browse the aisles of a HomeGoods.

John Krasinski is People magazine's 2024 Sexiest Man Alive, and some people are pissed about the selection ... but one of JK's pals from "The Office" is firing back.

Here's the deal ... John graced the cover of People on Tuesday wearing a T-shirt and jeans, sitting on the bumper of a NYC Yellow cab ... and social media was instantly divided, with some loving the pick, while others bitched JK is cute, sure -- but NOT sexy.

Kate Flannery -- who played Meredith Palmer on the hit series -- tells TMZ ... she was thrilled when she heard John got the honor -- and had a feeling sooner or later he would be recognized for how hot he became for his roles in "Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan" and "13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi."

Piff the Magic Dragon is confirming he actually spent almost $60K to clone his late dog, Mr. Piffles ... telling TMZ he's "so glad" he did.

We caught up with the magician after the sad news his longtime performing companion and beloved Chihuahua had died ... with the "America's Got Talent" alum revealing he created a contingency plan for this inevitable day back when his pup first started getting older.

Though word of Piff's decision to clone the pup broke a while back, the British comedian assured us he "genuinely cloned" Piffles ... and even had Mr. Piffles 2.0 join him on camera for a quick hello.

Ariana Grande was in awe the first time she saw the Munchkins in the upcoming "Wicked" movie ... so much so that she stopped to take photos of them in costume.

Ricardo Ludgero Souza, who plays a Munchkin in "Wicked," tells TMZ ... Ariana went complete fan-girl before her first scene with the Munchkins, asking the actors for pics and chatting with them on set before cameras started rolling.

Ariana's reaction came as a complete surprise to the actors playing the Munchkins, Ricardo says ... she's by far the biggest celebrity on set, but geeked out over the littlest people in Oz.

George Lemore, who starred in the 1995 film "Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh," doesn't think anyone should pick up the villain's famous hook in the aftermath of Tony Todd's death.

We caught up with the actor a week after his former costar died of natural causes at the age of 69, prompting George to advocate to the powers that be to leave the 'Candyman' franchise alone.

As George put it ... the horror series, which dropped its first film back in 1992, should be left as a classic and shouldn't be rebooted again ... declaring it's comparable to other greats in the popular genre.

Retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Russel Honoré says Pete Hegseth doesn't know what he's talking about when it comes to women serving on the front lines ... telling us women are essential to our Armed Forces.

The 3-star general joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Department of Defense claiming women in combat complicate things.

Honoré says he was at first skeptical about women serving on the front lines when he was serving in the Army -- but once the change was made back in the day it turned out to be for the best ... and all the women he knows in the Armed Forces are serving admirably, no matter their rank.

Quincy Jones' cause of death has been revealed ... the legendary music producer died from cancer, TMZ has learned.

According to the death certificate released by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, obtained by TMZ ... the official cause of death is pancreatic cancer -- which happens to be the 4th leading cause of cancer deaths in the country.

According to the doc, there were no other contributing factors to his death.