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Ben Roethlisberger spent most of his career beating the Cincinnati Bengals -- but it turns out, The Tiger King is still a huge fan!!!

TMZ Sports has confirmed ... Joe Exotic has written a letter to Big Ben from prison, asking the Pittsburgh Steelers star for his autograph.

Exotic's lawyer, John M. Phillips, tells us the 59-year-old penned the note just recently.

In his letter, Exotic told the future Hall of Famer that he needed a signature from Ben so he could gift it to his stepson for a birthday present.

"I promised him an autographed jersey by you because he thinks you are the s*** and he holds you on a pretty big pedestal," said Joe, who's been in prison since 2019 after he allegedly tried to hire men to kill his rival, Carole Baskin.

"There is one on eBay, but I don't have the $600 to buy it for his birthday. My fans helped get everything else he wanted. I'm just missing your jersey."

Joe ended his note by pleading for Ben to honor his request -- saying, "Can you help a man out that is fighting for his own freedom? Every kid needs a hero and you are his!"

Chelsea Lazkani says she wanted to be the first Black realtor on "Selling Sunset" because she doesn't see enough women who look like her selling luxury homes in Los Angeles.

We got the newest cast member from the hit Netflix show outside The Oppenheim Group in WeHo ... and asked her about being the only Black woman in a predominantly white cast.

Chelsea says she wanted to join the show to be a role model for other Black women, whom she says are underrepresented in luxury real estate in L.A. She's comfortable being the trailblazer and hopes to encourage others to make the industry more diverse.

Folks could do a lot worse than Chelsea in the role model department ... she's worked successfully in real estate for 5 years.

The way Chelsea sees it ... it only takes one person to get their foot in the door and show others they can be successful in a world where not everyone looks like them.

Fun fact, they don't talk about it on the show, but there is one person of color -- Amanza Smith is half black.

Before this girl decked out in pink and flowers turned into a child actress and singer, she was just a southern gal brightening up the world with her two older siblings.

This little flower girl skyrocketed to fame when she landed a starring role on a Nickelodeon show centered around Pacific Coast Academy. After taking a hiatus from the entertainment industry, she recently jumped back into the swing of things, as she released a book, a country music album and even stepped back into acting.

Still not too sure who this young, blonde lady could be? You can catch her in Netflix's "Sweet Magnolias."

Will Smith tried cleaning up his Oscars moment, but it may not be enough for some studios who've got projects planned with him ... as his career seems to be getting halted, for now.

THR reports that at least a couple films of his (as an actor) that were supposed to be in the works are, for the time being, getting kicked to the back burner at both Netflix and Sony -- with the former quietly pivoting away from firing up production on "Fast and Loose," and the latter hitting pause on getting things going for "Bad Boys 4," per sources cited by the outlet.

For "Fast and Loose," Will is set to play the head of a criminal organization who suffers memory loss and has to put the pieces of his empire back together. Director David Leitch was originally attached, but he stepped away a week before the Oscars last week ... and Netflix was reportedly scrambling to find a replacement -- that is, until Will hit Chris Rock.

THR says other projects of Will's may also be put on ice, which presumably means other Netflix movies he's been attached to as well -- including "The Council" and "Bright 2."

On the Sony side of things, they've reportedly put production of his next 'Bad Boys' sequel on hold indefinitely too -- this after Will had apparently received 40 pages of the script recently, with the movie chugging along full steam ahead pre-Oscars.

There are other Sony-tied films of his (either as a producer or actor) that might see the same fate -- including a 'Hancock' sequel and a 'Karate Kid' sequel. He's got a production company now ... so beyond just starring in films, he's heavily involved in making them lately.

One film of Will's that's got movie watchers anxiously waiting on is his forthcoming Apple offering "Emancipation" -- which is in the can at this point, and due to be released this year. Apple has yet announce an official release date -- so it's unclear what they're going to do.

The movie has gotten a lot of buzz, and was expected to possibly earn Smith yet another Oscar -- as he plays a runaway slave from a Louisiana plantation, portraying the man who infamously posed for a photo in which he shows off the many scars on his back.

As the Will Smith-Chris Rock feud simmers down, so too has another long-standing beef in Hollywood -- namely, the one between Mo'Nique and Lee Daniels ... which is awesome.

The two stars officially buried the hatchet Friday night at the Mo'Nique's comedy show in Staten Island, where she brought out Daniels as a surprise guest ... and even more surprising tender moment between them, where they put their problems to bed, at long last.

Somebody filmed a portion of their reconciliation on stage, and LD uttered moving words ... "I am so sorry for hurting you in any way that I did," which made Mo'Nique tear up.

Daniels went on to say that they were best friends before their very public falling out -- and that them working on "Precious" together, for which Mo'Nique won an Oscar, was God working through them ... while also saying they were going to do it again, before embracing.

BTW, he's not kidding there -- Mo'Nique was cast to replace Octavia Spencer in Daniels' new Netflix film "Demon House" ... so it would seem her problems with them are also resolved.

Both Lee and Mo'Nique also posted the same photo of them hugging and kissing backstage, with each of them saying that no caption was needed -- and that it was all love now.

Unclear what exactly precipitated this come-to-Jesus moment, but all we can say is ... thank goodness, because their fight has been one of the ugliest back and forths in Hollywood in a very long time -- and it's absolutely fantastic to see they've set their differences aside.

A refresher ... this started in the aftermath of "Precious" winning big at the Oscars in 2010, with Mo'Nique claiming Lee, Oprah and Tyler Perry bad-mouthed her, allegedly saying she was difficult ... this after she refused to do extra press for the flick without more compensation.

In light of that, Mo'Nique firmly believed it got her blackballed from the biz. Now, we've spoken to Mo'Nique at length about this throughout the years, and she not only doubled down ... but tripled down time and again about what she thought had happened.

Lee himself refuted her characterization in very strong terms -- saying it was she who blackballed herself for the nonstop finger-pointing. Even Steve Harvey echoed that.

Like we said ... really venomous stuff. Which is why it's so great to see they've mended fences and are now teaming up again for what sounds like an awesome movie.

Joe Exotic is explaining why he finally filed for divorce from husband Dillon Passage ... he wants to get hitched to a new guy he met behind bars!!!

The Netflix star's lawyer, Autumn Blackledge, tells TMZ ... Joe's new love interest is a man named John Graham, and the prison romance is the reason Exotic recently filed divorce docs from jail.

Joe sums it up this way ... "God works in amazing ways." Yes, He does.

As we first told you ... Joe and Dillon were estranged for more than a year before Exotic filed for divorce, and Dillon's already got a new man in his life too.

Joe's attorney tells us he met John in February 2021 when they were both locked up at FMC Fort Worth in Texas ... and even though John's since been released from custody, it seems he's had a lasting impact on Joe.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, John was in prison for burglary and possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in 2012 to more than 12 years in prison, although prison records show he was released March 15 of this year.

Joe married Dillon on Dec. 11, 2017 ... only 2 months after Exotic's previous husband, Travis Maldonado, died after accidentally shooting himself.

"Love Is Blind" stars Kyle Abrams and Deepti Vempati are spending time together once again ... posing in a joint photo shoot!

Portrait photographer Josh Beaton tells TMZ ... Kyle reached out to him online a few weeks back, wanting to do a shoot. Kyle followed up, asking if he could bring Deepti as well.

The photos -- taken earlier this week -- were meant to play off masculine stereotypes, putting Kyle in a dress with some earrings. Josh -- who hasn't seen "LIB" -- said Kyle and Deepti didn't do anything romantic, but there was real chemistry. They arrived together but took photos separately.

Of course, Kyle inviting Deepti further fuels relationship rumors ... as we reported, the two were walking the streets of Wicker Park in Chicago a few weeks ago, following their reunion episode.

As they walked into a restaurant, Kyle briefly put his hand on her back ... it's not a lock, but it's a sign for sure.

While their season ended with each getting engaged to other people, both called off their weddings -- with Deepti taking a hard pass at the alter. The reunion episode revealed Kyle's biggest regret was not proposing to Deepti.

Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen is teeing off on Netflix's popular 'Drive to Survive' series ... saying the show unfairly makes fellow driver Lando Norris look like a "d***."

Many of the sport's biggest names have been critical of the series in recent weeks ... with producers getting called out for starting fake drama and taking comments out of context to stir the pot.

The Red Bull driver has avoided speaking with Netflix cams for several seasons ... and went in-depth this week about why he continues to take issue with the show in the 4th installment of the show.

"For me personally, what I didn't like -- and it isn't even about me -- it's about Lando and Daniel (Ricciardo), which I think are two great guys and are really nice, first of all, and it made it look like Lando was a bit of a d*** ... which he isn't at all," the 2021 champ said this week, according to WTF1.

Verstappen says new F1 fans who watch the show will get the wrong impression of the McLaren driver ... and he thinks that's completely unfair, as he knows Lando to be a good guy.

Verstappen claims the same thing happened to him in the early seasons ... saying, "You just immediately get a wrong picture of a good person, and that is exactly what I think happened to me in the beginning, and then I think I am someone that when you ruin it from the start, you don't fix it. That's it. you ruined it."

MV also spoke about the show with reporters ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday ... comparing the show to "Keeping up with the Kardashians" -- and not in a good way.

As for Verstappen's appearances in the show, he says he was surprised to see himself featured so much, considering he's declined interviews for years.

"It's probably stuff from 2018 or something they picked up and used again, [talking about] fighting and what I like to do, but that already, of course, is not correct. I could hear it in my voice. It was a bit different."

Bob Saget's fans will finally be able to see the touching, and sometimes hilarious, tribute his close friends put together for him -- and the list of celebs who memorialized him is seriously impressive.

Mike Binder, one of Bob's best friends, was the brains behind January's event at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, and he says it's coming to Netflix in June.

Mike made the announcement on the Dystopia Tonight! with John Poveromo podcast, and says he hooked Netflix when he showed a video of the star-studded event to the platform's head of comedy.

It's pretty easy to see why they decided to buy it as a stand-alone special. Mike shared one clip featuring Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, John Stamos, Jeff Ross and John Mayer.

The guys were jamming a bluesy tribute, and you gotta see the punchline Rock dropped!

There were only a limited number of Comedy Store tickets made available to the public, so very few fans have seen this ... another reason Netflix locked it up.

Mike says Carrey's appearance, in particular, is pretty special because these days he frequents The Store ... but usually just hangs backstage.

Sarma Melngailis, known as the "Bad Vegan" from the popular Netflix docuseries, is open to starting a new restaurant after she was convicted of stealing millions from her last one ... and her ex thinks she should go for it!

Chef Matthew Kenney wasn't just dating Sarma back in the early 2000s, they went into biz together, opening Pure Food and Wine. As "Bad Vegan" viewers know ... their relationship went south, and Matthew got bumped out of their restaurant venture.

Despite that, a rep for Matthew tells TMZ … he believes in second chances and wishes Sarma the best. If opening another restaurant is what she wants, he thinks she should pursue it.

Matthew hasn't seen the new series yet, despite being featured on it -- but it doesn't appear there's any bad blood between Sarma and her ex.

We're told Matthew spoke to her a few years ago, and actually wrote a letter in support of her.

ICYMI ... Sarma and Matthew opened Pure Food and Wine in 2004, but when they split up the next year, they asked investor Jeffrey Chodorow to choose which one to stay on board, and Sarma was picked.

SPOILER ALERT ... 'cause this is where "Bad Vegan" takes a real bizarre turn!!!

Sarma met Anthony Strangis through mutual friend Alec Baldwin in 2011, then tied the knot a year later. Anthony allegedly promised Sarma immortality for herself and her dog, but required large sums of money from her to prove she was worthy.

In the end, both were convicted for stealing nearly $2 million from the restaurant.

Restaurant employees protested outside the joint over unpaid wages, and the couple went on the run.

Gotta love how they got caught, though -- police got tipped off after Sarma and Anthony ordered chicken wings and pizza from Domino's in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Sarma served 4 months at Rikers Island, and was released in October 2017 with an additional 5 years of probation. In 2018, she filed for divorce from Anthony shortly after her release.

Peyton List and Jacob Bertrand are officially a couple -- TMZ got visual and verbal confirmation -- and neither's worried about the potential consequences of dating a coworker.

We got the "Cobra Kai" stars traveling together Tuesday at LAX, finally confirming their long-rumored relationship ... with Jacob joking we caught them red-handed.

Jacob tells our photog they've actually been seeing each other quietly for some time ... and they don't sound the least bit worried about their romance interfering with the show.

As Jacob put it, this is trial by fire ... but since he's been on the Netflix show longer than his girlfriend, he's not worried about being the one written off the show if things ever go south with Peyton.

He was pretty clearly joking.

And, get this ... Jacob tells us he and Peyton actually go way back. Watch the clip, he gives us the origin story of how they met way back in their teens.

The 'Love Is Blind 2' couples who got married in the season finale didn't just get together for the TV cameras ... they actually did it all legal and stuff.

Jarrette Jones and Iyanna McNeely, and Nick Thompson and Danielle Ruhl, all said "I do" on the show. But, the reality of reality TV is some things are just for show, though that's not quite the case in this instance. We checked with the Cook County Court in Illinois, and a rep tells us they have legit marriage records for BOTH couples.

Jarrette and Iyanna tied the knot on June 7, 2021 in Homewood, IL ... and the very next day they were followed by Nick and Danielle. Those couplings were, physically at least, shots in the dark, because they hadn't seen each other ... so, we know what you're thinking.

We also checked for divorce docs, and came up with zip.

As rabid "Love is Blind" fans surely know by now ... Jarrette, Iyanna, Nick and Danielle were the only couples who agreed to marriage when the show's second season wrapped up.

There's also been a reunion show, which made it look like both couples were still going strong in their relationships, and now we've got the receipts.

Netflix is giving viewers what they want -- and that would apparently be another taste of Volodymyr Zelensky's TV show that launched him into stardom ... and then the presidency.

The streaming giant announced Wednesday that 'Servant of the People' has been reintroduced to its library, saying ... "You asked and it’s back!"

It followed with a description of the show ... a teacher unexpectedly becomes President of Ukraine after a video of him complaining about corruption goes viral. Of course ... life ended up imitating art for Zelensky soon thereafter.

Netflix is running 2 seasons and change. This isn't the first go-round for "SOTP" on Netflix ... it was on its menu from 2017 to 2021.

There's intense interest in Zelensky, both with his ascendency to power and his evolution as a leader who now shows shades of Winston Churchill.

BTW ... the show is subtitled ... although there are moments when the cast breaks into English...

Tinder rolling out background checks isn't a response to Simon Leviev's alleged handiwork -- detailed in "Tinder Swindler" -- but if it prevents similar cases from happening, the app will be thrilled.

Tinder just announced this week it will require the new background checks for users, but we're told the program has been in the works for some time. A spokesperson for Match Group -- owners of Tinder, Match.com and Plenty of Fish -- tells TMZ ... the criminal background check feature was something users have been demanding for a while.

They say the company teamed up with non-profit organization Garbo back in 2020 to create a system that works for all users. The rep points out this partnership started well before the doc debuted this year on Netflix.

The process brings up offenses that are relevant to safety, and that includes financial crimes. They tell us it's a great way for women to get a deeper look into their matches. And, while they didn't create the system for him, they say someone like Simon would be flagged instantly.

As you know, 'Swindler' was all about Simon and some of his alleged victims, who claim he tricked them out of more than $10 million after meeting them on the dating app ... and then ghosted them once he got what he wanted.

Since the doc dropped, Simon's had quite the ride ... he got banned from most dating apps, allegedly earned $30K on Cameo, and got a criminal court complaint filed against him from the wealthy family to which he claimed to belong.

'Love Is Blind' stars Deepti Vempati and Kyle Abrams were spotted together after rumors spread the two were an item ... and the clip tells it all!

Kyle & Deepti were walking the streets of Wicker Park in Chicago Sunday. While they weren't holding hands or getting cuddly, people who saw them say they sure looked like a couple!

As they go down the sidewalk, a waitress calls out to them ... offering mimosas on the house. An irresistible offer apparently, as the reality stars beelined it into the restaurant -- his hand briefly on her back.

Season 2 of the Netflix series featured both Kyle and Deepti, as they ended up getting engaged to other people -- Shaina Hurley and Abhishek "Shake" Chatterjee.

As fans recall, Deepti said no to a marriage with Shake at the alter  ... after he constantly spoke about how he wasn't attracted to her. Kyle and Shaina didn't make it to the altar, breaking up in part because of religious differences.

On Friday's reunion episode, Kyle blew fans away when he said his deepest regret was not proposing to Deepti. The show did not highlight any of their dating interaction in the pods. In a recent interview, Deepti played it coy about her and Kyle's relationship post 'LIB' but said the two of them were "figuring it out".

"FBOY Island" star Garrett Morosky says his passport showing Russia as his birthplace just got his butt detained in a Mexican airport ... while trying to return to the United States.

We got the Netflix reality show star at Tocaya in WeHo and he told us he had all sorts of problems crossing the border ... an ordeal he's chalking up to his quirky passport and the Ukraine-Russia war.

Garrett says he was all set to board a flight from Mexico to Los Angeles this month when he was suddenly yanked out of line and detained ... with Mexican officials asking him all sorts of questions and even taking off his pants during a search.

Garrett has a U.S. passport, but he was actually born in Russia ... which is on his travel documents. "FBOY Island" fans will recall, Garrett was on a date with Sarah Emig when he told her he was adopted from Russia.

Given the increased tension between the U.S. and Russia -- due to the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent U.S. sanctions -- Garrett says he was scared he might not be allowed back into the U.S.

Ultimately, he was released and allowed to board a flight to L.A., but he says it was an eye-opening experience.