SNL

Every so often a man finds himself at a crossroads, where the choice he makes will forever alter the course of his life. Or, in Matt Damon's case -- he has 2 awesome choices and really can't lose.

Here's the deal -- Damon's a huge UFC fan and, on Saturday night in Las Vegas, Conor McGregor will take on Khabib Nurmagomedov for the lightweight championship at UFC 229. It's a highly-anticipated fight and will be a huge draw, and Matt's got a seat Octagon-side for the action.

But as we all know ... Damon also KILLED as Brett Kavanaugh on last weekend's "Saturday Night Live." Almost everyone wants and expects Matt to play the role again this weekend ... especially with the full Senate vote on Kavanaugh expected on Saturday.

Apologies to Lorne Michaels ... but sources close to Damon tell us he's decided to go to Vegas for the fight.

We're told the lure of McGregor's return to UFC outweighed a reprise as Kavanaugh.

1:22 PM PT -- Finally, some true clarity from Kanye. He just tweeted ... "not abolish but. let’s amend the 13th amendment We apply everyone’s opinions to our platform."

1:10 PM PT -- Kanye just tweeted out what appears to be a clarification about his 13th Amendment remark, saying "the 13th Amendment is slavery in disguise meaning it never ended We are the solution that heals."

It seems like he might be talking about a specific part of the 13 Amendment that refers to people who are convicted of a crime, who can then be forced to work. Section 1 reads ... "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction."

Unclear if this is exactly where Kanye's head is on the issue, since he didn't offer more context to his tweets. But, if we're giving him the benefit of the doubt ...

Kanye West made a shocking comment Sunday ... "Abolish the 13th Amendment" ... the Amendment that outlawed slavery.

Kanye has been tweeting about his support for Donald Trump ... this in the face of his 'SNL' appearance last night where he wore his MAGA hat on stage, and delivered a pro-Trump rant toward the end of the show.

Kanye tweeted ... "This represents good and America becoming whole again. We will no longer outsource to other countries. We build factories here in America to create jobs. We will provide jobs for all who are free from prisons as we abolish the 13th amendment."

He added a footnote to that ... "Message sent with love."

It's hard to imagine what he means ... abolishing the 13th Amendment would at least, in theory, allow states to once again enslave human beings.

Matt Damon went off the rails Saturday night, perfectly capturing Brett Kavanaugh for the cold open of Saturday Night Live's Season 44 Premiere.

The show spoofed the Supreme Court nominee at Thursday's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing ... and it was spot on. Damon guzzled water, contorted his face and had full-on agita.

Senators Chuck Grassley (Alex Moffat), Diane Feinstein (Cecily Strong), Amy Klobuchar (Rachel Dratch), Thom Tillis (Mikey Day), Cory Booker (Chris Redd), John Kennedy (Kyle Mooney), Sheldon Whitehouse (Pete Davidson) were all represented.

Kanye West has been hard at work finishing his album, doing a massive shoe release and practicing for his gig on 'SNL' ... a performance that'll feature some serious star power.

Sources on set tell us Ye's been in NYC all week putting the finishing touches on Saturday's show. We're told the mood at 'SNL' has been relaxed, collaborative and Ye's been treated like a part of the family.

Our sources say Kanye's working with Spike Jonze to put the finishing touches on the performance's creative direction. Kanye's also bringing some heavy-hitters out to join him on stage. We're told Lil Pump, Kid Cudi, Teyana Taylor and 070 Shake -- all of whom have songs with Ye -- are all set to hop onstage.

Adam Driver is tapped to host the show -- Ye posted a pic with him and Kenan Thompson Thursday during rehearsals while sporting a MAGA hat.

Kanye's also had a meeting with an 'SNL' show honcho, who we're told has put his faith in Kanye to deliver an unforgettable performance for the season premiere.

Peyton Manning says he really DIDN'T want to fire footballs at kids' faces during his famous 2007 "Saturday Night Live" skit -- but changed his mind when a parent begged him to peg his kid.

The sketch is pretty famous -- Peyton was spoofing his United Way ads by teaching kids how to get tattoos, steal cars and play real, hardcore park football.

But, a key part of the skit featured Peyton nailing kids in the face with footballs -- HARD -- and the QB says he was so nervous about tagging the youngsters, he almost quit the bit.

Peyton told the story at the 2018 Indianapolis Colts kickoff lunch on Wednesday -- saying he didn't feel comfortable with the scene at the time and told producers he wanted to shut it down.

But, right before they called it off, one of the parents of the child actors approached Peyton and the director and said, "I want him to hit my kid in the face!"

So, Peyton -- being a people pleaser -- said, "I will do it. I will knock your kid out."

And the rest is history ... hilarious, hilarious history.

Ben Affleck's latest sighting shows all the signs of a bachelor lifestyle, which has us wondering ... has he broken up with GF Lindsay Shookus?

Ben was spotted Thursday night leaving Nobu Malibu rocking a very casual single-guy look -- loose jeans, jacket, t-shirt with a cig in hand -- after having dinner with a very hot blonde who's not Lindsay.

The chick is Playboy's Miss May 2018, Shauna Sexton.

It's interesting -- Affleck celebrated his bday Wednesday with his kids, and had a dinner date with Shauna last night ... but no sign of any celebrating with Shookus.

Ben and Lindsay haven't been photographed together in nearly a month. And, what's also interesting ... there was a moving van in front of Ben's home on August 9. We don't know if someone was moving in or moving out of his $19 million Pacific Palisades mansion.

We reached out to the "Justice League" star to see if perhaps Batman went through a pre-birthday breakup ... so far, no word back.

Kenan Thompson's living his best life in 2018 -- he turned 40, earned his first-ever acting Emmy nomination and now he's become a father for the second time to a baby girl. Sweet trifecta!!

The 'SNL' star's wife, Christina Evangeline, gave birth to Gianna Michelle Tuesday night in Florida. Little Gianna weighed a healthy 6 pounds, 6 ounces. The couple already has another daughter, Georgia Marie, and the two are already inseparable and obsessed with each other.

Christina posted a video on social media announcing her pregnancy only days before she was ready to give birth. TMZ broke the story ... Christina gave birth to their first child back in 2014.

Congrats!!!

3:00 PM PT -- Sources close to the couple tell us there is no trouble in paradise. Davidson covered up the ink temporarily for a movie role.

Pete Davidson appears to have wiped a symbol of his fiancee, Ariana Grande, off his body ... and now the question is ... why?

The 'SNL' star was spotted Sunday in L.A. without Ariana by his side -- but, more importantly, WITHOUT his jet-black neck tattoo of her trademark black bunny mask.

Pete got the Ariana-inspired ink behind his ear early last month by tattoo artist London Reese, who posted a shot of his work on social media at the time. Now, you can still see traces of the tattoo ... but it definitely looks more faded than what it once was.

He also got a thumb tat with Ariana's initials, but you can't tell here if he's still rockin' that.

Here's the thing ... Pete's in the middle of shooting a movie with Machine Gun Kelly right now, and it's quite possible that he simply had the tat covered with makeup for the job.

Pete and Ariana just recently got engaged, and he already reportedly covered up another forearm tat that was dedicated to his ex.

Mac Miller's new song is seemingly about relationship troubles, but it has nothing to do with his split with Ariana Grande ... TMZ has learned.

Mac dropped "Self Care" Friday ... a single with lyrics that include, "Well, didn't know what I was missing. Now I see a lil' different. We play it cool. We know we f***ed up, yeah. You keep on sayin' you in love, so? Tell me are you really down?"

Fans and reports were quick to connect the lyrics to Mac's split with Ariana a couple months ago. However, our sources say Mac wrote, produced and completed the track last year.

As we've reported -- Ariana is engaged to SNL comedian Pete Davidson -- the two even went in on a massive NYC condo together.

Another day, another Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande sighting out in NYC ... capped off with some more PDA.

The lovey-dovey, practically inseparable couple headed out for some shopping Thursday afternoon with friends, and looked happy as ever as they snuck in a few pecks. Pete's right -- being engaged really is f***in' lit.

What's more interesting, though, are their outfit choices as they left their $16 million digs -- Pete went for some sort of sweatsuit incognito look ... equipped with shades and a face mask.

Ariana, on the other hand, couldn't have drawn more attention to herself -- or her rock -- by opting to complement her ripped jeans and chunky shoes by wearing just a bra for a top.

The smiles on Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande say it all ... they're ecstatic together, and anyone hating on that, well, Pete's got a special message for ya too.

Pete and Ariana were hanging out in NYC over the weekend ... and they're practically inseparable at this point. The happily-engaged couple were all smiles and Pete had a little fun with paps ... cheerily flipping 'em the bird.

Pete Davidson is clearly over the moon to be engaged to Ariana Grande -- and he let Jimmy Fallon know it.

Davidson was on 'The Tonight Show' Wednesday and was asked straight-up about his engagement. Pete held nothing back, saying "it's f***in' lit."

It's the first time either Pete or Ariana has spoken publicly about their engagement ... and, given the way Pete opened up, we're guessing it won't be the last.

Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson have been moving fast since they hooked up, and now it's onward and upward in the form of a super deluxe apartment in the sky.

The newly engaged couple just moved into a $16 MILLION apartment in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood ... it's a new luxury complex designed by famed architect Zaha Hadid.

Their unit is more than 4,000 sq. ft. with 5 beds and 4.5 baths, and features amazing views of the city and the Empire State Building. The complex has a fitness center, a 75-foot sky lit pool, a private IMAX theater ... and Sting as their neighbor.

It's unclear if Pete and Ariana dropped a ton of cash to buy the place or if they're just renting, but all signs point to a move over the weekend when she shared a SpongeBob meme with the caption, "Us in our new apartment with no furniture 1 speaker and red vines."

As we reported ... they were arm-in-arm Monday in NYC while out furniture shopping for their new digs, as she flaunted a huge rock on her finger.

Pete Davidson and Ariana Grande are battling over who's better at showing off -- Pete proudly parading around his smoking hot fiancée, or Ariana flaunting her massive engagement ring.

Pete and Ariana were arm-in-arm Monday in NYC -- shopping for furniture, btw -- and she made sure to keep her hand at the perfect tilt for photogs. Pretty obvious, she's thrilled with Pete's choice of ring.

TMZ broke the story ... Pete dropped $93k for the 3.03 carat diamond. As they say ... if ya got it, flaunt it -- especially when ya got 3 carats of it!

Pete Davidson was technically single when he started dating Ariana Grande ... TECHNICALLY, but "Friends" fans might not agree.

Sources close to the newly engaged couple say Pete and his ex-gf, Cazzie David, were "on a break" in early May -- but not necessarily broken up for good -- when his relationship with Ariana sparked. But they hit if off, and it quickly became clear Pete was serious about moving on with Ariana.

The good news -- it seems all parties involved are happy with the end result. As we reported, Cazzie's not upset or dwelling on her ex's quick rebound. Hey, if it's good enough for Ross and Rachel.

As for Ariana and Pete -- they're still in full PDA mode with Davidson posting a pic wrapped up with his fiancee, captioned ... "u know what you’d dream it be like ? it’s better than that."

Pete Davidson's ex isn't moping after their breakup and his lightning fast rebound/engagement to Ariana Grande.

Multiple sources tell TMZ ... Cazzie David is already moving on post-breakup from the 'SNL' comedian. We're told she's not dwelling on the drama surrounding Pete and Ariana's instant engagement -- namely the timeline of his breakup from Cazzie and his hookup with the singer.

Cazzie took off for Africa shortly after she and Pete split in early May, but we're told the trip had been booked with friends long before -- and was in no way a spur-of-the-moment distraction from the breakup.

Oh, and that June 1 IG post -- after getting home -- saying, "what'd I miss ??"

It seems to be dripping in sarcasm aimed at Pete, but our sources say that ain't so. We're told she was fully aware about Ariana at that point, but the post was a genuine shout-out to friends ... letting them know she was back from a safari, where she'd had no Internet.