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Jussie Smollett's new project will hit the streaming screen for his first time since the actor was allegedly attacked in Chicago ... and he's got a super-powerful Hollywood friend in his corner.

Jussie and Monami Productions head Mona Scott-Young were spotted out in NYC earlier this week. Sources with direct knowledge tell us the two met to discuss Smollett's upcoming "B-Boy Blues" -- which was announced will stream on BET+.

Mona tells TMZ, "“B-Boy Blues is a beautifully bold, funny, heartwarming bro-mance and I was thrilled to partner with Jussie to help this wonderful film gain greater exposure."

Believe it or not, Jussie had actually started work on the project prior to the 2019 hate crime hoax -- but it had been delayed for obvious reasons.

Our sources say Mona agreed to be involved in "B-Boy Blues" back when it first launched, and wanted to remain on through the end -- despite what Jussie had experienced personally.

We're told Mona has played a significant role in getting the movie onto BET+ and out to audiences for Jussie -- who directed and produced the project.

As for "B-Boy Blues" -- it's already won awards, including the Narrative Feature Fan Favorite Award at the 2021 American Black Film Festival -- and will be released as part of BET+'s Pride Month programming.

Josh Duggar has been sentenced to 12 and a half years behind bars after being found guilty in his child porn trial ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, the "19 Kids and Counting" star was found guilty on one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. According to prosecutors, some of those images were minors under the age of 12.

The possession charge was vacated because of an agreement between Duggar's legal team and the court, so he was only sentenced for the receiving child porn charge.

Duggar's legal team have previously stated they'll appeal.

The trial went on for two weeks and featured the testimony of digital forensic analysts and other witnesses. One family friend claimed Duggar confessed to molesting children, during tearful testimony.

You'll recall ... the feds raided his office at the car dealership where he worked in Arkansas, back in November 2019. Federal agents seized his computer, his iPhone and MacBook from inside the RV.

Duggar's lawyers asked the court to send him to prison for five years.

Colin Kaepernick could be back in the NFL as early as next month ... 'cause the quarterback has scheduled a workout with the Raiders -- and if it goes well, the team could sign him to a contract.

ESPN's Adam Schefter just broke the news ... reporting the tryout will go down in just a few days.

Kaepernick has been preparing like a madman for this for years -- but has recently ramped up his workouts in the last few months for this specific moment.

As we reported, the 34-year-old has toured the country since the end of winter a few months ago, throwing to wide receivers in various cities weekly.

And, at one of his most recent stops in Washington, he pleaded with NFL GMs to just give him a tryout ... explaining, "I think my talent, my skill set will speak for itself."

The Raiders' owner, Mark Davis, has always been open to giving Kaepernick that chance -- saying back in April he believed the guy could still play.

"If our coaches and general manager want to bring him in or want him to be the quarterback on this team," Davis said, "I would welcome him with open arms."

Beto O'Rourke just crashed a news conference on the deadly school shooting in Texas ... confronting Governor Greg Abbott and other Republican leadership, including Ted Cruz, and getting escorted out.

Beto showed up unannounced to Wednesday's press briefing in Uvalde, where 19 children and 2 teachers were shot and killed the day before at an elementary school, and went off on the state's GOP leaders.

Video shows Beto approaching the stage, where Abbott is sitting on the dais along with Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, and blames them for the tragedy, saying the blood is on their hands.

Beto says to the group, which includes Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn ... "This is on you until you choose to do something." He also says the incident was predictable.

Beto's been vocal about the school shooting on social media, mostly going after Abbott, but now he's literally taken the crusade to the Governor's feet.

Someone on stage shoots back at Beto, who is running for Texas Governor, telling him this isn't the time or the place to get political and calling him an "a**hole." There are reports the man is Uvalde Mayor Don McLaughlin.

Beto's then escorted out by law enforcement, but not before turning back to say his piece  ... while some folks in the crowd call for him to be able to speak.

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson joined us on "TMZ Live" and called for background checks on anyone trying to buy a gun in the country.

Eva Mireles, the 4th-grade teacher who was killed in the Texas school shooting, is being remembered as a hero in a touching tribute from her daughter, who says her mom used her body to shield students from bullets.

Eva's daughter, Adalynn, says her mom "selflessly jumped in front of her students to save their lives" and adds ... "I'm so happy that people know your name and that beautiful face of yours and they know what a hero looks like."

The teacher's daughter says she's heartbroken by the mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX, which claimed the lives of another adult and 19 children, expressing disbelief and saying she never imagined writing a goodbye to her mom.

Eva sounds like a great mom ... her daughter says they were best friends who laughed over TikToks, sang karaoke together, woke each other up from naps, talked on the phone every day after work and fought over the stupidest things only to laugh about it later.

Adalynn she's proud Eva was her mother ... and she's promising to take care of dad and the family dogs.

Kawhi Leonard isn't getting a ring this season, but his girlfriend certainly did -- the NBA superstar's lady was spotted wearing a massive rock on THAT finger at the airport on Tuesday.

Which begs the question -- did the longtime couple get engaged?!?

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures of the Klaw and Kishele Shipley arriving at LAX ... and the mother of two had a shiny, new accessory on her left ring finger.

Leonard and Shipley have been dating forever -- they first met at San Diego State and have been inseparable ever since. They have two children together, born in 2016 and 2019.

In other words, if wedding bells are ringing ... it shouldn't come as a surprise.

What's interesting -- we caught up with Kawhi and Kishele shortly after the pics were taken ... and it appears she removed the ring from her hand.

Kawhi missed the whole 2021-22 season with an injury ... so if they are, in fact, engaged, it's nice to see he made the most of his time off the court.

Johnny Depp is back on the stand for questioning in the nasty back-and-forth trial between him and his ex-wife Amber Heard.

Heard's legal team just called Johnny back to answer a series of questions, as we reported, he already testified a few weeks back ... but Amber's accused the actor of additional things -- including assault -- which he will now get to answer to.

Johnny's return to the stand may cause the trial to go even longer than expected.

As we've reported, the allegations leveled against both sides have been extreme ... during her testimony, Heard claimed Johnny had sexually assaulted her with a glass bottle.

Of course, both have very different stories when it comes to the infamous bed poop incident. Depp claims it appeared to have come from a person, and Amber blamed Johnny's dog -- who had an irritated bowel after getting into his weed stash.

Depp's fans have come out in waves to support the actor through the trial, camping out and lining up outside the Virginia courtroom hours before court starts. Things got so crazy, the local sheriff had to create restrictions on just how early fans could show up.

The man who gunned down 19 children and 2 adults in the latest shooting massacre was telegraphing his deadly plan to a random woman on social media ... weeks before his act.

The messages have surfaced online from what appears to be a female minor in Los Angeles -- who says the 18-year-old suspect DM'd her on May 12 out of the blue and for no apparent reason at all ... explaining she has no idea who he is or why he reached out.

The alleged shooter tagged her in a photo he posted of his guns -- including what seem to be semi-automatic rifles that resemble AR-15s -- and then proceeded to start a private chat.

Of the many disturbing DMs he sent, this one was the most chilling ... "I got a lil secret I wanna tell u. I'm about to..." Apparently, he never revealed his exact intentions -- dancing around the subject/playing coy as the girl engaged him ... totally confused and flabbergasted.

The man went back and forth with her for a while, telling her she oughta be grateful he tagged her -- and then on Tuesday, he said this ... "Ima air out." The girl clearly didn't know what he was talking about, and seemed to acknowledge as much with follow-up questions.

In the aftermath of the onslaught Tuesday ... the girl revealed these messages and defended herself -- insisting she had no idea what this guy would do, and explaining she only engaged him to try to deter him from committing a horrible act.

The shooter, who we're not naming, shot his grandmother before heading to Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, TX ... where he barricaded himself in classrooms and opened fire, eventually getting taken out by law enforcement.

He's said to have been armed with a rifle and a handgun during the bloodshed ... and apparently loaded up on a ton of heavy artillery on his 18th birthday, all of which seem to have been obtained legally.

Kate Moss took the stand in Depp vs. Heard Wednesday ... and squarely told a radically different story from the one Amber Heard told the jury.

Kate and Johnny Depp were a couple in the mid-90s, and Amber had said on the stand ... she was on a staircase with Johnny and claimed Johnny swung at her, and she says she immediately thought of a rumored incident between Johnny and Kate so she felt she knew what was coming and swung at him.

Amber was insinuating Johnny had gotten violent with Kate, but today, on rebuttal, Johnny's lawyer called Kate, who testified by video ... she's in the U.K.

Kate recounted an incident when she and Johnny were at a hotel. He left the room first and she followed. Kate said it was raining and she slipped down the stairs, injuring her back. She says she cried in pain and Johnny came rushing back, carried her inside the hotel room and got her medical attention.

Kate testified ... Johnny never got physical with her ... didn't push her or otherwise assault her. Kate says it was an accident and Johnny was there at the ready to help her.

You've heard of college grads on the 5 or 6, maybe even 8-year plan ... but Betty Sandison blows 'em all away -- it took her nearly 7 decades, but she's finally earned her bachelor's degree.

The 84-year-old just matriculated at the University of Minnesota with a degree in multidisciplinary studies, and all that stood in her way was a marriage, raising 2 children, a nursing career, one global pandemic and ... 67 years.

Ya can't knock Betty's hustle! She first enrolled at her now-alma mater in 1955, and got her nursing license after one year -- but once she got married, she dropped out less than 30 credits shy of her bachelor's degree.

Betty says it was always something she wanted to do, but once she had 2 daughters and started nursing ... it never happened. It wasn't until she retired in 2013 that she decided to start checking off her bucket list, which included getting that damn degree.

She enrolled in 2018 and immediately ran into a few, umm ... technological hurdles. She told WCCO, "That computer business just almost did me in." Still, she persisted, even through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Matthew McConaughey is pleading for gun reform following the tragic mass shooting in the elementary school in Uvalde, Texas ... which happens to be his hometown.

The actor shared his thoughts Tuesday, hours after the shooter went into Robb Elementary School and killed 21 people, including 19 students and 2 teachers.

He wrote, "As you all are aware there was another mass shooting today, this time in my home town of Uvalde, Texas. Once again, we have tragically proven that we are failing to be responsible for the rights our freedoms grant us."

Matthew's added, "The true call to action now is for every American to take a longer and deeper look in the mirror, and ask ourselves, 'What is it that we truly value? How do we repair the problem? What small sacrifices can we individually take today, to preserve a healthier and safer nation, state, and neighborhood tomorrow?'"

His post continued, "We cannot exhale once again, make excuses, and accept these tragic realities as the status quo. As Americans, Texans, mothers and fathers, it's time we re-evaluate, and renegotiate our wants from our needs. We have to rearrange our values and find a common ground above this devastating American reality that has tragically become our children's issue."

Clearly knowing the national conversation will turn political, Matthew also urged folks on both sides of the political aisle to do better -- "Action must be taken so that no parent has to experience what the parents in Uvalde and the others before them have endured."

Caitlyn Jenner didn't intentionally skip out on Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker's wedding, fact is, she just wasn't on the guestlist ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the couple tell us Caitlyn never got an invitation for the weekend affair in Portofino, but the couple has no hard feelings toward her. We're told Kourtney and Travis wanted a very small and intimate ceremony, and Caitlyn simply didn't make the cut.

Our sources say it's not that Kourtney and Caitlyn don't have a relationship -- they do, but don't see or speak to each other all that much, so Kourtney didn't feel the need to invite her.

As for what Caitlyn did over the weekend while the rest of the fam was celebrating the newlyweds? She was busy cheering on her newest passion, Jenner Racing. Driver Jamie Chadwick won her 5th W Series race in a row, taking the prize in Barcelona.

Shortly after Chapman's victory, Caitlyn tweeted a photo of the driver with the caption, "Win! Win! Win! No matter what!" So, she still found plenty of joy, just not wedding-related.

It's worth noting, Caitlyn did attend Kim and Kanye's wedding in Italy back in May of 2014 -- the year after splitting from Kris Jenner, and the year before announcing her transition.

Will Smith continues to lay low, missing out on an event to highlight the cast of "Bel-Air" -- the revamped version of 'Fresh Prince' -- which of course, was the launching point of Will's career.

NBC continued its FYC event in Hollywood Tuesday, a promo for the network's shows and to create some Emmy buzz. Jabari Banks, who plays a young Will Smith in the show, Coco Jones, Adrian Holmes and more all attended the event ... but Will, who is an Executive Producer on the show, was nowhere to be seen.

We should note ... Will, Jada and their son Jaden all attended the show's premiere back in February.

Brittney Griner's wife is urging Joe Biden to get more involved in the WNBA star's case in Russia ... hoping that'll ultimately help bring home the love of her life.

Cherelle Griner made the plea to the President during a sitdown interview with Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" this week ... explaining she believes Biden could be the key to getting Brittney back on U.S. soil.

"I just keep hearing that he has the power," Cherelle said of Biden. "She's a political pawn -- so, if they're holding her because they want you to do something, then I want you to do it."

Brittney has been detained in Russia since mid-February ... after authorities claimed they found hash oil in her luggage.

Cherelle told Roberts she initially found out about it all through a panicked, early-hours text message from Brittney.

"She started texting me around 2 AM that morning," Cherelle said. "'Babe! Babe! Babe! Wake up! They have me in this room, I don't know what's going on.'"

Cherelle said Brittney told her the authorities were taking her phone and not to text anymore -- and she said outside of written letters, she has not been able to speak to Brittney since.

Cherelle said she has been in contact with Secretary of State Antony Blinken about ways they can bring home Brittney ... but she clearly feels more can be done by the U.S. government.

"I was grateful for their call," she said of the talk with Blinken. "You say she's top priority, but I want to see it. And I feel like to see it, would be me seeing BG on US soil."

Cherelle added being without Brittney -- who's expected to remain in custody in Russia until at least her next court hearing in June -- has been difficult ... and she even broke down in tears during the interview with Roberts.

She did explain, however, that Brittney has told her to remain strong.

For Jay Ellis, flying commercial feels super boring after filming scenes in real fighter jets with Tom Cruise ... but he's already working on finding that cockpit thrill again.

When we got the "Top Gun: Maverick" star at LAX he made it clear he's laser-focused on getting his pilot license. Or, in 'Top Gun' speak ... Jay feels the need for speed!

He and the rest of the cast "pilots" trained for months in different aircraft, advancing to the F-18 Super Hornet and even getting launched from an aircraft carrier. Jay says it was Maverick -- aka Tom -- who cooked up the training program.

Tom is, famously, a licensed pilot himself, and Jay -- who plays "Payback" in the blockbuster -- wants to follow suit, and since he already has a head start on training ... he wants to go the distance.

It's safe to say Jay's hooked on flying -- you gotta see him light up telling us the experience of feeling all those G-forces while filming.

Jay's pretty confident he could fly our photog up the Cali coast, but it sounds like he needs more practice when it comes to getting back on the ground.