The lawyer for the 2 men who were arrested and then released in connection with the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett says the new evidence that has changed this case is something her clients told cops.

Attorney Gloria Schmidt was at the Chicago police station Friday night, after her clients, Ola and Abel Osundairo, were released from custody. Schmidt said the "new evidence" that triggered the release of her clients was something they knew and presumably told cops.

Our photog asked Schmidt flat out if the "attack" was staged, and she answered obliquely, saying there were moving parts and she didn't want to speculate.

As we reported, Ola and Abel both worked on "Empire," and Abel was especially friendly with Jussie.

And, something else interesting ... she wouldn't answer why her clients went to Nigeria the day of the alleged attack, but added it was a "great question."

She said she didn't want to speak for her clients because they had a story to tell "when the time is right." That clearly sounds like they have inside information about what went down at Jussie's apartment building.

A terrifying pile-up of vehicles on a Missouri interstate highway due to dangerous wintry roads was captured on video, and tragically resulted in the death of at least one person.

Unbelievable footage from the pileup on I-70 today. My jaw dropped to the floor first time I saw this video. pic.twitter.com/kKeauYDlfG

— Dante' Jones (@Dantej21) February 15, 2019

The chaos went down on I-70 outside of Kansas City Friday. The massive pile-up was reportedly a chain-reaction effect caused by a single crash around 11:30 AM ... but grew out of control as cars and trucks approached but couldn't stop because of the icy conditions.

A man in the video can be heard frantically yelling, "There's nothing we can do!" and telling another passenger it's best to stay in the truck.

One person was reportedly killed in the wreck and several others were injured.

Lee Radziwill, the sister of Jackie Kennedy who was a world famous socialite ... has died.

Radziwill -- whose daughter-in-law, Carole Radziwill, is a cast member on "Real Housewives of New York" -- died Friday at her home in New York City.

Jackie and Lee were the most famous sisters in the world in the early '60s. She went by Princess Lee Radziwill. The title was bestowed when she married Polish aristocrat, Prince Stanislaw Albrecht Radziwill.  

The joke in the U.S. for years was that Lee wasn't really a princess, or if she was no one knew the country associated with the title. Gilda Radner famously mused as Roseanne Rosannadanna on 'SNL' that no one knew what she was princess of.

Lee circulated in high society, with friends that included Truman Capote, Rudolf Nureyev and Andy Warhol.  

Lee and Jackie were extremely competitive growing up, and Lee often said it was hard for her to measure up to the future First Lady. She recounted in her autobiography her dad favored Jackie, adding, "That was very clear to me but I didn't resent it because I understood he had reason to."  

Lee was married 3 times. Her third husband was film director Herbert Ross. 

Lee had 2 children.

She was 85.

RIP 

Huge week as the Jussie Smollett plot thickens, and 21 Savage is fighting to stay in the U.S. So, we gotta ask ... 

Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox are living proof persistence pays off, because they finally made it to Cabo San Lucas after a failed first attempt.

Courteney, Molly Kimmel, Amanda Anka (Jason Bateman's wife) and 8 other women surprised Jen Friday with a trip to Mexico to celebrate her big 5-0. The party came to a grinding halt when their private jet lost a tire and had to circle for several hours to burn fuel before making an emergency landing in Ontario, CA.

The women stayed in the plane for almost an hour while another private jet was rounded up, and the ladies tried again and succeeded.

There was a buzz Brad Pitt was on the plane, which would have been awesome!!! Turns out he wasn't ... strictly a girls' weekend.  

The 2 men who were arrested, then released Friday night, in the Jussie Smollett case are pro-LGBTQ and anti-Trump, which has people on the "Empire" set scratching their heads. 

We've spoken with "Empire" cast and crew, and they say Ola and Abel Osundairo do not fit the profile of racists and homophobes -- not even close. As we reported, both men have been extras on "Empire" for years and both are friendly with Jussie, and Abel is especially close to him. We're told Jussie would frequently approach the brothers on set and chat about health and fitness.

Our Empire sources say Abel especially is an ally of the LGBTQ community, and neither have ever said anything positive about Trump. They're both big Obama fans.

We're told Abel worked as an "Empire" extra as recently as a month ago. They're considered family on the set ... well-known and well-liked by cast and crew.  

The folks we've spoken with say they find it impossible to believe Ola and Abel have the DNA of criminals who would carry out the acts that Jussie describes -- and obviously cops now believe that as well. 

Police arrested the brothers for battery Friday after cops raided their home Wednesday and seized a long list of items, including several bottles of bleach. However, late Friday Chicago PD released the brothers due to "new evidence" gathered from their interrogation ... and said they're no longer suspects.

As we reported, Jussie initially said his attackers were white -- yet another fact that just doesn't track with the Osundairos profile.

Colton Underwood's penis and virginity came under fire during his charity event in San Diego, leaving the 'Bachelor' star feeling deeply disturbed and violated. 

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... during Colton's meet and greet, a female fan approached him and grabbed his crotch in front of everyone, telling him, "I am going to take your virginity." 

As we reported ... Colton cut his appearance short and got the hell out of Dodge before apologizing to his fans for his early exit, saying he was touched inappropriately. 

Sources close to Colton tell us he needed a moment to compose himself after he was groped, so he stepped away into a VIP area, but then decided he'd had enough and left early. We're told he feels bad about leaving his fans hanging, but he just couldn't go on. 

As you know, Colton's virginity has become an endless punchline on "The Bachelor" ... but after Wednesday's encounter, we're told Colton feels the virgin jokes have finally crossed the line.

The good news for Colton fans ... we're told he's not going to let one bad apple stop him from doing meet and greets, and he hopes his social media post will dissuade fan from becoming copycats. 

7:30 PM PT -- Cops are releasing the Osundairo brothers and they won't be charged.

Chicago PD says, "Due to new evidence as a result of today's interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the 'Empire' case have now been released without charging."

Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi added that detectives have "additional investigative work to complete."Police have now arrested 2 men in the Jussie Smollett investigation -- 2 men with ties to "Empire" -- and TMZ has learned they were booked for battery.

The men are brothers from Nigeria named Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, and Chicago cops are now calling them "potential suspects" ... as opposed to persons of interest. We know it was their home cops raided Wednesday and seized a long list of potential evidence ... including several bottles of bleach.

As we reported ... cops picked up Ola and Abel, their nicknames, on Wednesday night at O'Hare Airport. 

A Chicago law enforcement source tells us the next step may be a lineup in which Jussie will be asked to identify the culprits. This raises a potential problem because, as we first reported, Jussie initially said his attackers were white and yelled "MAGA country."

The Osundairos, from Nigeria, just don't fit that profile.

As you know, Jussie has stated the men in the dark, grainy image released last month are definitely his attackers. Police are not confirming the Osundairo brothers are the men in that photo.

Ola played a prison inmate on season 2 of "Empire." It's unclear exactly how well they know Jussie, but we know Jussie follows their joint Instagram account. Abel also says he's worked on "Empire."

Both brothers describe themselves online as actors and models.

Originally Published 10:10 AM PT

It sounds like there's some serious buyer's remorse going on with the last Presidential election because people went wild for Hillary Clinton Friday night.

Hillary, Bill and Chelsea hit up "To Kill a Mockingbird" -- the hottest ticket on Broadway -- and we're told by others who attended when the crowd inside realized the former first fam was several rows back from the stage they all went crazy ... erupting in big applause.

Word quickly spread, and by the time the play was over, there was a big crowd outside waiting to get a glimpse of the woman who almost became Prez.