Fairly Legal

Diddy's apology video for his brutal 2016 assault of ex-GF Cassie Ventura has blossomed a ton of new opinions and commentary ... from Bad Boy associates and beyond.

Kelly Price -- who recorded with Diddy and the late Notorious B.I.G. several times in the '90s -- didn't cast the disgraced mogul out completely ... offering up prayers of encouragement on social media, while commenting underneath his upload this weekend.

The gospel singer's benevolence while the Cassie video is still on top of people's minds didn't sit well with many though -- and the intense backlash forced Kelly to clarify herself in a 12-minute rebuttal, with her message being ... hate the actions, love the man in a nutshell.

Drake Bell says he feared for his life while being sexually abused ... noting the presence of serial killer memorabilia at his abuser's home, making the situation all the more terrifying.

The former child star appeared on "The Today Show" Monday, where he opened up about the trauma he faced at the hands of former dialogue coach Brian Peck ... confirming BP owned a signed painting of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Drake says ... "[T]hings were happening to me in a room where there’s a painting by one of the most prolific serial killers who preyed on young boys staring at me. So, now that puts in my mind, 'How far is this really gonna go?'" Gacy killed 33 young men and boys in the '70s.

Britney Spears is in increasing danger of hurting herself or others, or even worse ... so say numerous people in and around her life, and they are scared for her and believe the only path for long-term survival is another conservatorship.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Britney's mental health has been in a tailspin since the conservatorship ended. They say she often is not taking the meds that stabilize her, and she is drinking and using various drugs which is especially dangerous, because she has substance abuse problems that sent her to rehab multiple times.

We're told Britney has radical mood swings and often goes into rages that end in physical violence. There are times we're told it's impossible to communicate with her because she can't engage in rational conversation.

Diddy isn't hiding from cameras in the wake of the Cassie video – if anything, he's making a point to be out in public ... stepping out into the wild and seemingly telegraphing a few things, if these pics are any indication.

The rap mogul looked unbothered as he smoked a cigar while taking a leisurely stroll through his Miami neighborhood Sunday. Dressed in an all-white outfit and wearing a medallion -- which featured a childhood photo of himself and his father -- Diddy appeared to be signaling something with his look ... although, he stayed mum when he ran into photogs.

Instead, the rapper offered up a one word response, "Love" ... which he supported by making the shape of the letter "L" with his hand. Hard to say for sure what he's trying to communicate – but on its face, he's showing that he ain't ducking out of the spotlight ... even at this point, with many in the public having turned on him.

Cassie's legal team is crapping on Diddy's apology over the leaked 2016 video that shows him assaulting her -- calling him a hypocrite ... and suggesting he misled the public.

One of Cassie's lawyers, Meredith Firetog, issued a statement Sunday -- saying, "Combs’ most recent statement is more about himself than the many people he has hurt."

She adds, "When Cassie and multiple other women came forward, he denied everything and suggested that his victims were looking for a payday." Of course, she's referencing Diddy's strong denial in December ... this after he'd been sued by yet another accuser, post-Cassie.

Diddy's former employees at Revolt, the media company he co-founded, are reacting to the horrific video of him assaulting Cassie.

The company posted a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened and disturbed by the recent video circulation of our former chairman, Sean "Diddy" Combs,”

It added, "Even with his recent separation from REVOLT, it is still our duty to address this matter, and recognize the direct impact it has on our staff, our audience, and the culture we represent."

Joe Budden's explaining a controversial cut to a recent episode of his podcast... diving into why he edited a segment about Diddy, and asserting he's not in Diddy's pocket.

The hip hop commentator says he was live on "The Joe Budden Podcast" Friday when CNN posted the video of Diddy assaulting Cassie from 2016. The episode was uploaded Saturday with the description promising Joe would discuss it.

But, he never touched on it ... completely editing out the segment. Upset fans demanded answers, and JB organized a discussion on Twitter Spaces to address the controversy.

Matt Prokop -- a former child actor who was the subject of a restraining order for allegedly abusing Sarah Hyland -- has been arrested in Texas, TMZ has learned.

Victoria PD Sergeant Dailey tells TMZ ... Prokop and his girlfriend were out together Saturday when she allegedly told someone Matt assaulted her. Police were called to the location, but say the two were gone when they arrived.

About an hour later, cops say they received a call about a disturbance at another spot in Victoria ... where they say they found Matt and his girlfriend.

Diddy's ex Cassie seemed to be sporting bodily injuries as they attended a glitzy L.A. film premiere just 2 days after his now-notorious 2016 beatdown of her that was captured on hotel surveillance cameras.

Check out these images from March 7, 2016 ... Diddy and Cassie were dressed to the nines while posing for pics on the red carpet for the opening of a movie she starred in called "The Perfect Match."

Like any normal couple, they were standing side by side and holding hands, but a closer look at Cassie's extremities showed well-hidden signs of what had happened to her -- although heavily covered by makeup, there were faint marks and bruises on Cassie's arms and legs.

Even more drama for the Kansas City Chiefs ... as two players -- Chukwuebuka Godrick and Wanya Morris -- were arrested for misdemeanor marijuana possession in Kansas.

According to the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, the offensive linemen were booked for the same charge early Friday morning ... and were released after posting a $2,500 bond.

23-year-old Morris is a former third-round pick out of Tennessee and Oklahoma ... suiting up for 14 games during the Chiefs' Super Bowl-winning season in 2023-24.

Roddy Ricch and his ex-girlfriend Alexandra Kiser have reached a custody agreement for their 3-year-old son ... finally putting an end to their parental tug-o-war.

"The Box" rapper will have joint legal custody and is getting physical custody of the kid for a couple days each week from Tuesdays to Thursdays.

He also has to pay Alexandra $8K a month in child support ... on top of their son's private school tuition, medical bills, any special-needs therapy, and additional extracurricular activities.

An ex-federal prosecutor is weighing in on Diddy's assault video -- and she says while this isn't necessarily a smoking gun in the investigation he's facing, it certainly doesn't help him.

We talked to Katie Cherkasky -- who's had years of experience with these sorts of legal matters -- on "TMZ Live" Friday ... where she declared that the now-viral video, in which Diddy can be seen beating Cassie -- should make him and his camp worried.

Katie says the tape gives credibility to Cassie on multiple fronts -- both in the public eye, but also with the feds who are drilling down into major allegations against Diddy right now.

Donald Trump took a break from his NYC criminal trial and presidential campaign to celebrate a major milestone ... his son Barron's high school graduation.

The former prez and wife, Melania Trump, were in attendance at the graduation ceremony for Oxbridge Academy in West Palm Beach Friday ... where they watched with pride as their son received his diploma.

Both Donald and his father-in-law, Viktor Knavs, were seen waving at Barron ... who towered above his peers and teachers while wearing a navy blue cap and gown, as well as a red stole.

Scottie Scheffler used at least some of his time in jail on Friday to prep for the PGA Championship ... admitting he actually got some stretching in while he was locked up.

The 27-year-old just addressed his arrest following the conclusion of his second round at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky. ... and he was frank with the gaggle of reporters who had gathered to talk about his early-morning run-in with cops.

He said repeatedly he was very confused as to what was going on during the encounter ... and he said, candidly, it all really rattled him.

Steve Buscemi's alleged attacker has been arrested in NYC -- and cops say they picked him up after responding to a call at a homeless shelter ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Clifton Williams -- the man police believe is the guy who walked up to the actor and punched him in broad daylight -- was taken into custody Friday after cops responded to a harassment call at a homeless shelter in Manhattan.

We're told cops say Clifton started making a lost property police report and showed officers ID ... when they recognized his name and then took him into custody. The NY Post broke the news first.

Zac Brown wants a judge to force his estranged wife to take down an Instagram post that he says is incredibly damaging to him ... and he went to court to make it happen.

The country singer filed documents Friday against Kelly Yazdi -- whom he married in August ... only to split up with her four months later through a joint statement, amounting to a complete 180 on their relationship.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Zac claims that an Instagram post Kelly has up on her feed is in violation of confidentiality agreements she has signed with him.