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The incarcerated Joe Exotic has one new champion in his corner -- and it's someone with a big voice and a major platform ... one Cardi B, who says she wants him freed.

The NY rapper went on a Twitter rant late-Friday night, with a bunch of messages in support of the 'Tiger King' star -- who's currently locked up for allegedly attempting to facilitate the murder of his onscreen nemesis, Carole Baskin, who Cardi doesn't like either.

She wrote of Baskin -- who runs a big cat animal rescue out of Florida, seemingly on the up-and-up -- with contempt, saying ... "Carol you think you slick bitch 😑😑😑😑." CB went on to say, "Who you think is more wrong? Narcissist joe? Or Greedy Carol? And Why?"

Very Trump-like, eh? BTW, Cardi also retweeted a meme that perpetuated a theory floated throughout the entire docuseries ... that Carole might've had her multi-millionaire husband killed and fed him to the tigers they had. She's vehemently denied that several times, and no evidence ever suggested she did that. No arrests were ever made in the case either.

The biggest vote of confidence, however, came when Cardi tweeted that she was itching to start a GoFundMe account for Joe, adding ... "He shall be free." Seems like she sympathized with his side of the story -- even though he was convicted and ultimately jailed.

As we reported ... Joe filed a $94 million lawsuit from prison pretty recently, accusing different governmental agencies of railroading him and allegedly discriminating against him with the animal cruelty charges he got slapped with and for which he was convicted.

John Finlay -- one of the stars of the hit Netflix docuseries 'Tiger King' and Joe Exotic's ex-husband -- has a nice new set of pearly whites ... that almost make him look like a different person.

John tells TMZ ... he actually got his teeth redone in July 2019 all at once -- they're dentures -- and he's a little miffed at Netflix and the filmmakers because they never showed it.

We're told there's plenty of footage and photos of John fixing his smile but for whatever reason ... none of it made the final cut of 'Tiger King.'

Finlay also wants to clarify something about his gnarly teeth -- they weren't the result of meth abuse. Though John admits meth was a drug of choice for him in the doc, we're told his teeth were messed up before that, due to genetic reasons. He told us he has not touched drugs in 6 years.

John is currently working as a welder and living in central Oklahoma with his fiancee Stormey. We're told she's the one with John at the end of the series when he's getting his Joe Exotic tattoo reworked.

As for why Finlay's shirtless the entire time he's being interviewed on 'Tiger King' ... our sources say that was the idea of one of the producers, and John went with it.

For more on Finlay, ya gotta watch 'Tiger King' on Netflix, and also check out the podcast "Joe Exotic: Tiger King" by Robert Moor on Joe Exotic's story ... including more with John.

Linda Fairstein, the woman who helped prosecute the now-vindicated Central Park 5, is suing Netflix and director Ava DuVernay over her portrayal in "When They See Us."

Fairstein filed the federal suit Wednesday, saying she fired off a warning to DuVernay before her series was released. Fairstein says she was concerned she would be portrayed in a false and defamatory manner. She says it fell on deaf ears because Ava's only response was Linda had no right to object before seeing the series.

Once it came out in June 2019, Fairstein says every episode in which she appears portrayed her as a "racist, unethical villain who is determined to jail innocent children of color at any cost."

In the suit, obtained by TMZ, Fairstein objects to nearly every single aspect of the case ... as it's portrayed in the series. She denies taking any of the following actions: unlawfully interrogating unaccompanied minors, calling for a roundup of "young black" thugs, manipulating the timeline to pin the jogger's rape on the Central Park 5, referring to people of color as animals, directing NYPD detectives to coerce confessions, and suppressing DNA evidence.

If you've seen the critically acclaimed series, you know that's the entire plot. So, Fairstein is claiming it's ALL a lie, as far as her role in the case.

Fairstein says after "When They See Us" was released her career as a prolific crime author was destroyed. Her publisher and agents dropped her, she lost speaking appearances and was forced to resign from the boards of several non-profit organizations.

Fairstein is suing Netflix, DuVernay and her co-writer, Attica Locke, for defamation. She wants a public apology, removal of the scenes she calls false, and a disclaimer added that labels the series as a dramatization and NOT a true story. She also wants damages.

Brad Pitt's got one hell of an appetite ... for burgers and more friendly hangouts with gal pal Alia Shawkat.

The "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" star and Ali were spotted at In-N-Out in L.A. the day after they both also hit up a Thundercat show at The Wiltern. Brad, seen wearing the same hat he wore at the concert, used to be one party animal -- no word if he went animal style at the burger joint.

In any event ... here's hoping Brad's finally put an end to the whole In-N-Out vs. Shake Shack debate. But, one thing's for sure ... Brad and Alia really do enjoy each other's company.

As we reported ... Brad and Alia hanging out is nothing new for them. They've been going to concerts, comedy shows, museums and galleries together for months. As friends, that is.

Sources close to the Oscar winner told us Brad doesn't feel any need to get back on the dating scene right now. Until then ... more double-doubles!!!

The 2 "Love Is Blind" couples that got married on the season finale didn't do it just for cameras ... they're legit, 'cause we got receipts.

This is where we drop those magic words -- SPOILER ALERT -- just in case ya haven't gotten to the big finish yet for the Netflix series.

If you did, then you know Matt Barnett and Amber Pike, and Cameron Hamilton and Lauren Speed all said "I do". Of course, y'know how reality TV works ... sometimes they do things just for show -- but that's not the case here. We checked with the Fulton County Court in Atlanta, and a rep tells us they do indeed have marriage records for BOTH couples.

Matt and Amber got married on November 13, 2018. Cameron and Lauren followed 3 days later. We know what you're thinking -- considering the marriages are a shot in the dark, we also checked divorce records and came up with nada.

As rabid fans of the hit Netflix show know by now ... Matt, Amber, Cameron and Lauren were the only couples who agreed on marriage when the highly-anticipated season finale dropped. Sorry, Mark Cuevas.

Anyway, there's a reunion slated for March 5, which is likely when the foursome will reveal they've been real-life married people.

Rabid fans of "Love is Blind" practically BEGGED the star, Mark Cuevas, to dump his ruthless fiancee on the show ... but he couldn't let her go and his reason kinda makes sense.

BTW ... SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

We got Mark out Thursday in Atlanta and asked him what pretty much every fan of the hit Netflix series has been asking since Jessica Batten dumped him at the altar: why didn't HE dump her way before that after she put him through hell?!?!

Mark tells us the connection he made with Jessica was pretty deep, beyond what fans even saw on the show. The idea of losing that connection, he said, is what made it so hard to kick her to the curb. Heck, he even gave her one of his grandmother's bracelets. Don't worry, he got it back.

For the uninitiated ... the show features singles who get to know each other by talking through a wall inside a pod. If they make a connection, they can only meet face-to-face if they agree to get engaged and they immediately begin planning the wedding.

Mark and Jessica got off to a strong start but Messica -- as fans dubbed her -- became the villain when she two-timed Mark and started talking to Matt Barnett, who hinted he'd propose to Jessica ... but backed out.

Eventually, Mark proposed to Jessica, but the wheels quickly fell off ... capped by Jessica's drunken confession about the other guy, and her jilting Mark.

But, watch the vid, Mark tells us why he'll always have love for Jessica -- but he plays it pretty coy when we ask if he's dating anyone else these days.

NFL star Maurkice Pouncey was one of Aaron Hernandez's closest friends -- and tells TMZ Sports the Netflix documentary about the troubled NFL star is "all bulls**t."

The documentary -- "Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez" -- has made headlines for several claims about Aaron ... from gay sexual relationships to prison fights to alleged gun violence.

Both Maurkice and his NFL star brother Mike Pouncey were super close with Aaron for years -- and even visited him in prison -- and it's clear they don't believe ANY of the claims from the documentary.

When asked specifically about the gay claims, Maurkice echoed the comments from Aaron's fiancee ... who said they NEVER knew about that side of Aaron but would have loved him the same if it was true.

"What I know there ain't no truth to it," Pouncey says ... "We know nothing about that."

There's more in the clip ... including Pouncey's feelings about Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett.

Remember, it was Pouncey who first attacked Garrett after Myles swung a helmet at Pittsburgh Steelers QB Mason Rudolph during a game back in November.

Pouncey was suspended for 2 games and fined for going after Garrett -- while Myles was suspended indefinitely.

Taylor Swift's army of fans have great timing -- putting on an incredible display of support for her just as she was going public about battling an eating disorder.

We got Taylor and an absolute WALL of Swiftees Thursday night in Park City, UT ... where her "Miss Americana" documentary premiered. We're used to seeing her fans show out in force, but you gotta see this ... 'cause they outdid themselves for the Sundance Film Festival event -- and Taylor took selfies with scores of them.

T-Swift was smiling and clearly overjoyed -- moments before going into the theater, where fans got to see her open up for the first time about starving herself while she was on the road. In the Netflix documentary, she says seeing herself in paparazzi photos "where I looked like my tummy was too big, or someone said that I looked pregnant" triggered her to stop eating.

She says the lack of eating started to affect her live performances -- but adds she now understands she's gotta have food to have the energy to get through her shows.

As we reported, Taylor's actually pulling back on live shows this year -- doing fewer huge stadium dates -- partly so she can spend more time with her mother ... who's battling cancer and a brain tumor.

Gwyneth Paltrow is sliding right into promo mode for her new show about female wellness and empowerment, and as you can see -- she's highlighting vaginas. It's kinda her thing now.

GP was beaming Tuesday night in L.A. for a screening of her Netflix series, "The Goop Lab" ... which goes behind the scenes of her Goop biz, selling products tailored to make ladies feel good. Especially where it counts.

So, Gwyn striking a pose in front of a flower display that's a dead ringer for a vagina ... is no mistake. After all, this is the same woman hawking a candle that, allegedly, releases her own personal ... scent.

The whole idea of her biz is women shouldn't be afraid to take care of themselves in all respects -- especially when it comes to their sex lives. Clearly, she isn't scared of expressing her philosophy in creative ways.

Netflix's doc about a Texas cheerleading program lacks professional shots of THE big competition, and that's the studio's own damn fault ... so says the gatekeeper to the event.

Varsity Spirit -- which is briefly featured in the docuseries -- tells TMZ ... they did, in fact, shoot down Netflix's request to film the competition with their own cameras, but offered a compromise they insist Netflix wasn't interested in ... event footage from Varsity itself.

ICYMI, the streaming giant's new docuseries, "Cheer," is all the rave ... but at one point -- SPOILERS AHEAD!!! -- producers switched to iPhones to capture the Daytona cheer tournament that their subjects, Navarro College's cheer team, work toward through 6 episodes.

The reason (per Netflix) ... Varsity denied them access to film on the grounds. No official reason was offered, despite Varsity somewhat alluding to it.

They spelled it out for us, however, and basically say they don't allow outside production teams to film during the proceedings, mostly to avoid unnecessary distractions for the athletes. As for why Netflix and co. allegedly turned down Varsity's own footage ... unclear.

There is good news though for fans of the breakout series -- there seem to be signs of future installments. Varsity tells us they've been in talks with Netflix since this little headbutt -- and apparently, the two behemoths have already discussed working together again.

The real-life stars of Netflix's "Cheer" documentary want to put their newfound fame to good use ... and they've got ideas for potential movie adaptions and pitches for music videos!!!

We got the cheer squad from Navarro Community College in Texas after they touched down at LAX and asked how they're feeling about going Hollywood.

Coach Monica Aldama is hoping their story finds its way into a movie script ... and she wants Sandra Bullock to play her on the big screen!!!

As you know ... everyone is raving about the super fun doc, and the cheerleaders are getting shoutouts from all types of celebs and athletes.

Jerry Harris tells us his favorite famous fan, and his answer might surprise you ... sorry, JJ Watt, being the best defensive player in the NFL just ain't cutting it for Jerry.

Speaking of sports stars ... these cheerleaders say people better recognize -- they are definitely athletes.

A music video makes perfect sense for the cheer squad ... and while Lexi Brumback wants to collab with someone from the EDM world, her peers are pulling for Drake.

Aaron Hernandez killed himself largely because he was suffering from CTE -- and NOT because he was agonizing over his sexuality ... so says his famous attorney.

Jose Baez -- who repped Aaron and helped him beat a double murder case -- tells TMZ ... the new documentary about his client implies Aaron was in the closet, and might have even taken his life because of that alleged secret.

That's just not the case, though, according to Baez ... who says Aaron's death was triggered by advanced CTE -- a brain disease the tight end had developed since his youth. Baez insists Aaron's sexual orientation played ZERO part in his fate.

You'll recall ... Baez was intent on getting Aaron's brain studied at Boston University, and even accused the Worcester Medical Examiner of holding onto it illegally. He also downplayed rumors his client had a love affair with a fellow inmate.

Congressman Tim Ryan is firing back at haters who say Barack and Michelle Obama got lucky with their first Oscar nomination ... he says Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady went through the same process before folks finally woke up to their greatness.

We got the Ohio Rep. on Capitol Hill Wednesday and our guy asked if the Obama's were more lucky than good in getting their first film nominated for an Oscar.

The Obama's production company is behind "American Factory," a Netflix documentary that takes a deep dive into post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant and hires 2,000 blue-collar Americans.