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John Ratzenberger -- the voice of Hamm in the 'Toy Story' franchise -- says there's an upside parents don't think about when it comes to all the heartbreaking scenes in the films.

The actor -- also known as Cliff Clavin on "Cheers" before his days as a talking piggy bank -- joined "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about the newly released "Toy Story 4" ... and he answered a serious question in an unexpected and hilarious way.

Damn, John!!!

He makes a good point, though -- sadness is part of life, so maybe it's best to have children learn to work through it before an inevitable death of a grandparent.

Parents who aren't so sure can take solace, though ... Ratzenberger says the 4th installment isn't that sad.

John also reveals how director Josh Cooley was able to keep Don Rickles in the latest movie as the voice of Mr. Potato Head despite Don's passing in 2017. Pretty cool stuff.

Famous tightrope walker Nik Wallenda admits he's nervous for his upcoming stunt above Times Square ... but the nerves are reserved for his sister's welfare, as she joins him for the first time since her near-fatal accident.

The daredevil came on "TMZ Live" Friday ahead of Sunday's tightrope walk, 25 stories above the bustling streets of the Big Apple ... and Nik told us why his biggest concern for the never-before-attempted stunt is focusing too much on Lijana's comeback attempt.

Nik and Lijana are attempting to meet in the middle of the tightrope, high above The Crossroads of the World ... her first highwire attempt since 2017, when she fell 30 feet off a tightrope during a rehearsal with Nik, broke a bunch of bones and slipped into a coma.

Sunday's attempt will be televised live on ABC ... and Nik says the stunt will offer some much-needed closure for his sister.

Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney can't confirm Pete Buttigieg's theory that the U.S. has already had a gay president -- because who the hell knows -- but he's got no problem with historians doing some digging.

The openly gay representative from NY tells TMZ it's impossible to know for sure if a past Prez was gay, but, like Buttigieg ... he says there's no doubt people have publicly served -- both in politics and the military -- while remaining in the closet, for various reasons.

As for whether it's right to out these historical figures ... Maloney's got no qualms about it. He says it's not really outing if the person's been deceased for a long time, and it's "completely fair game" to look into a person's sexual orientation for the purpose of better understanding.

He emphasizes this is for the sake of historical context and learning as much as possible about important people ... and compares it to studying up on Thomas Jefferson's relationship with slavery.

It's an interesting comparison, and SPM explains it better than we can ... check out the clip.

BTW -- Buttigieg's comments about a possible gay president have sparked interest in who is most likely, with Abraham Lincoln and James Buchanan being the frontrunners. Scholars widely disagree on Lincoln ... but there are signs that lifelong bachelor Buchanan was truly the first gay president.

Kobe Bryant has a new lady in the family -- his wife, Vanessa, gave birth to daughter #4 ... and her middle name is "Kobe."

"So thankful for our newest baby blessing," Vanessa said in a statement ... "Capri Kobe Bryant."

Yes! Baby Mamba has a Mamba middle name!!!

40-year-old Kobe also spoke out ... saying, "We are beyond excited that our baby girl 'Koko' has arrived #BryantBunch #4princesses #blessed."

Capri Kobe Bryant joins 3 older sisters ... Natalia (16 years old), Gianna (13 years old) and Bianka (2 years old).

Congrats!

Kobe isn't the first NBA star to give his name to a baby girl -- Iman Shumpert named his daughter Iman Jr. when she was born back in 2015.

10:05 AM PT -- Kim Foxx responded to the order, saying, "I respectfully disagree with the court's conclusion that, in the absence of any conflict, the appointment of a special prosecutor is required."

She continued, "As always, I remain committed to transparency, justice, and the public safety of the communities we serve."

Jussie Smollett could actually be prosecuted for allegedly faking the now infamous attack on the streets of Chicago.

A Chicago judge has ordered a special prosecutor to be appointed to review the way prosecutors handled the case and ultimately dismissed it.

The judge said in his order, "If reasonable grounds exist to further prosecute Smollett, in the interest of justice the special prosecutor may take such action."

This is a stunning turn of events ... as you know, the Office of State's Attorney Kim Foxx essentially dropped all charges against Jussie ... this after the grand jury indicted the actor on 16 felony counts of lying to cops. Jussie claimed he was attacked by 2 men who beat him and put a rope around his neck while yelling racial and homophobic slurs. Cops called BS.

The judge said, "unprecedented irregularities identified in this case" warrants the appointment of a special prosecutor. Some of the irregularities, according to legal docs:

The judge said the State's Attorney screwed the case up after Foxx recused herself, because of comments she had made about the case, there was no one in her office properly overseeing the case ... so says the judge.

The judge used a nautical metaphor to describe the screw-ups, saying, "There was no master on the bridge to guide the ship as it floundered through unchartered waters. And it ultimately lost its bearings."

Dwyane Wade is LOVING retired life ... at least judging by these pics of the ex-NBA star gettin' hot and heavy with his wife, Gabrielle Union, on the beach in Cannes!!!

Even though he's no longer playin' ball, Wade is still working -- he and Gabby are in France for the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, where they're both promoting various entertainment projects.

Dwyane and Gabby each spoke on various panels during the festival -- with Union pushing her new show with Jessica Alba called "L.A.'s Finest."

But, in the downtime, the couple took their kids to the beach for a family fun day ... where they splashed around in the super expensive sands of Cannes (and even threw in some P.D.A.).

They brought two of their kids on the trip -- their baby daughter, Kaavia, and 12-year-old son, Zion.

Wade recently gave an interview about his kids -- talking about why he feels weird accepting accolades for supporting the individuality of children because he feels that's his job as a dad.

Looks like he's having a lot of fun on the job!

Nicki Minaj is scoffing at the chorus of critics who are upset she featured her ex-con BF in her new music video, "MEGATRON" ... our Nicki sources say the public has spoken and they clearly dig it.

Nicki's boyfriend, Kenneth Petty, is all over the vid, in scenes that are scorching with sex.

People are griping she shouldn't have showcased Petty, because he was convicted of attempted rape as well as manslaughter. As for the attempted rape, he used a sharp object against a 16-year-old girl in an attempt to have sex with her when he was 15. He is a registered sex offender. And, as for the manslaughter, he shot and killed a man in 2002.

Sources close to Nicki say she's unmoved by the criticism, adding, "She's happy and in love and he's not going anywhere." They're also crowing that the video has millions of views just 12 hours in, and it's trending big.

The video is a testament to Nicki's relationship with Petty ... we're told it was meant to mirror the affection they have for each other.

Our sources say the love scenes were pretty much all first take ... because they say it was authentic.

At the time of this post, the video has 3.6 million views and it's only been up 12 hours. It's number 2 on trending.

Cardi B has been indicted by a grand jury on multiple charges -- including 2 felonies -- in connection with a brawl at a New York strip club ... TMZ has confirmed.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi was arrested in October for allegedly ordering an attack on 2 strip club bartenders -- Jade and Baddie G. The 2 women claim they were injured during the brawl when Cardi's people began throwing bottles and chairs.

The incident, which went down in August, was allegedly triggered after Cardi accused Jade of sleeping with Offset.

The grand jury has indicted Cardi on 12, charges including 2 counts of felony attempted assault with intent to cause serious physical injury. Other charges include misdemeanor reckless endangerment, assault, criminal solicitation, conspiracy and harassment.

She was initially charged with 2 misdemeanors ... assault and reckless endangerment, but that's all superseded by the grand jury indictment.

Cardi rejected a plea deal, which would have given her a conditional discharge in return for pleading guilty to a single misdemeanor. The problem ... if she misstepped during the conditional period, she'd be in big trouble.

Prosecution sources told TMZ last month they decided to take the matter to the grand jury because of information they discovered during their investigation. They would not be specific.

Barack Obama and the rest of his brood are having another helluva beautiful day in France ... this time palling around with U2.

Barack and Michelle Obama were all smiles as they enjoyed a walk in the medieval village of Èze, France ... with Bono and The Edge. The group -- that BTW, also included Malia and Sasha -- headed to the 2 Michelin-starred gourmet joint, La Chèvre d'Or for lunch.

44 and the former First Lady are seriously living their best life right now. They were out with friends at another high-end restaurant in Provence where the former U.S. prez and his family are vacationing.

Barack and Bono, BTW, have a special bond. For starters ... Bono's global campaign and advocacy group, ONE, worked closely with Obama's administration during his 2 terms in office. But, the bond goes even more way back ... U2's "City of Blinding Lights" was heavily used in 44's 2008 and 2012 campaigns.

Barry O also walked out to that very track when he gave his emotional farewell address in 2017.

Fake Ivan Drago tried to pick a fight with Justin Bieber in front of Craig's last night -- showing up to the restaurant in FULL BOXING GEAR ... and we got the whole thing on video!!!

The wannabe Russian was SERIOUS about trying to fight Justin -- he's the same guy who showed up to Logan Paul's home a few weeks ago to challenge the YouTube star to a fight.

Remember, Logan actually AGREED and the two threw down right in Paul's back yard.

The fake-Drago is an aspiring social media star ... but it's clear he'll do ANYTHING for clout.

So with Justin trying to get an MMA fight with Tom Cruise. the imposter-Ivan planned to call out Bieber first at Craig's where he waited for JB at the front door, pounding his chest and talking trash.

Bieber blew him off ... so, he stuck around for a few hours waiting for a second crack at the pop star -- but that didn't pan out either.

Bieber clearly knows his worth (and his weight class) ... he could make MILLIONS if the Tom Cruise fight comes to fruition -- so why give out hands for free on the street?!

As for doppelganger-Drago ... he'll continue to seek out other famous people to fight.

We hear Mike Tyson's in town!!!

Zion Williamson left the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn on Thursday like he was President of the United States -- only more popular -- flanked by police and swarmed by fans ... and we've got the crazy video.

Of course, Zion was the #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft and he'll be headed to New Orleans to lead the Pelicans ... but he still got mad love from the fans in Brooklyn as if he was playin' for the Nets.

You can see Zion is with his mom, step-dad and little brother as they leave the arena -- while everyone else in the area gathered around to catch a glimpse of the most hyped NBA rookie in years.

Regarding Zion's family, he's VERY close with his mom and credits his step-father for essentially raising him since he was 4 years old.

Zion's biological father, Lateef Williamson, was a college football player who attended N.C. State before transferring to Livingstone -- where he met Zion's mom Sharonda Sampson, a track athlete at the school.

Mally Mall thinks State Farm makes for a terrible neighbor, claiming the insurance company's screwing him out of big bucks ... like $300k for his saber-toothed tiger head!!!

According to a new suit ... the hip-hop producer went with State Farm for a policy to cover his property in 2016, but after an unfortunate series of events -- a house fire and 2 subsequent thefts -- it failed to pony up the money he thinks he's owed ... specifically for the extinct cat head he says he lost.

As for why State Farm's to blame -- Mally claims he trusted his agent to get him properly covered a few months before his Vegas home caught fire and damaged his master bedroom, master bath, safe room and media room ... but the guy vastly underinsured him.

Mall claims the fire caused him to cut power to his home, which disabled his security system, and led to 2 separate thefts in the months afterward ... so he filed claims for property loss for the fire and the thefts.

Here's how he says he got screwed -- Mally claims his agent set his policy limits way too low ... and as a result, State Farm paid well over a million dollars LESS than his actual losses. For the thefts, Mall says the company also refused to cover various luxury items he owned ... like the tiger head.

Nobody's having a happier Friday than Lil Durk ... who skipped and hopped his way outta jail after posting $250k bond in his attempted murder case.

The rapper couldn't have been more ecstatic late Thursday night after he was sprung outta jail. As we reported ... a judge granted him bond after a hearing Thursday and agreed Durk is NOT a flight risk. The release, though, does come with some restrictions.

For starters ... Durk will have a curfew from 11 PM until 7 AM. He'll also have to wear an ankle monitor at all times and he's prohibited from having any contact -- direct or indirect -- with gang members. He also can't be near nor possess any weapons and must stay at least 200 yards away from the victim.

As we first reported ... Durk turned himself in to authorities nearly a month ago, after an arrest warrant was issued in connection to a February shooting outside a restaurant called The Varsity.

Jordyn Woods wasn't thinking about the Kardashians when she promoted Ray J's new earbuds ... so she says it's not on her if people have misinterpreted her M.O.

Sources close to Jordyn tell TMZ ... when she popped in a pair of Raycon Headphones for a promo vid, it wasn't done out of spite or even as a subtle dig at her ex-bestie's family -- it was simply a favor for Ray.

We're told Woods was among 12 celebs backstage on the set of VH1's "Hip Hop Squares" earlier this week who Ray J enlisted to be part of his video for his new brand ... and she just went along with it like the rest of them.

The perceived shade, of course, is that Ray J was the other half of the Kim K sex tape ... something the family has steadfastly tried to put in their rear view.

Our sources say there was nothing pre-planned with Ray, and certainly no devious mission concocted to get back at the Kardashian-Jenner fam ... by either of them.

We were told Ray's manager made a substantial offer to Jordyn to promote more of his products in the future ... but our Jordyn sources say she's not doing that.

She's just doing her, we're told, and has no hard feelings toward the Kardashians ... so any perceived disrespect isn't her intention.

As we've reported ... Jordyn's been doing plenty of her own things since the Tristan Thompson cheating scandal, including music vids, Coachella gigs and promoting her own cosmetics products.

Jenelle Evans and David Eason are in the nation's capital on business, but there's NO gridlock for them -- they're dodging D.C. traffic, and having fun while they're at it ... on scooters.

Sources close to Jenelle tell TMZ ... the couple's spending some time in Washington D.C. because she's attending meetings about her upcoming cosmetics line. She's meeting with potential distributors -- the launch is set for August -- and Thursday, David was clearly along for the ride.

The duo was cruising around on rented electric scooters near the National Mall with David leading the way.

Jenelle and David's D.C. excursion's probably a little easier to pull off than normal, because they still don't have their 3 children ... as they continue fighting to regain custody. This is the first time we've seen them in public someplace other than the North Carolina courthouse where they've had court-monitored visits with the kids.

As you know ... the couple's custody issues began last month after David shot and killed the family dog. Since then we've learned police have been going to their home with alarming frequency.

TMZ broke the story ... there were 25 emergency calls to their home over the course of a year -- something that certainly can't help their child custody case.

Melissa Rycroft's mysterious illness in the Dominican Republic is triggering an investigation from the Nickelodeon Hotel & Resort in Punta Cana ... where the 'Bachelor' alum was vacationing with her family.

The Nickelodeon Resort tells us they've been in touch with Melissa ... and our sources say the hotel hired an outside firm to review the resort's cleaning and sanitary practices, to see if there's any link to Melissa's strange illness.

Sources close to Melissa tell TMZ ... the former "Dancing With The Stars" contestant NEVER left the resort the ENTIRE time she was on the island. It's uncertain what's caused her sickness.

Several Americans have been falling ill and dying in the D.R. recently, but Melissa is the first to get sick at the Nickelodeon Resort.

We're told Melissa was taking extra precautions by staying clear of the mini bar in her hotel room and staying away from tap water ... though she DID have a few drinks from the bar cart and imbibed at various bars on the property.

It's interesting ... Melissa is the ONLY one in her family feeling ill, and her husband was only drinking beer, so her camp thinks it's plausible tainted alcohol could be the culprit.

Melissa got slimed at the hotel but has since deleted a picture she shared on her social media. She got sick on her second day of vacay, started feeling better, but then experienced other symptoms, including cramps.

Other sources tell us ... the Nickelodeon Resort is FREAKING OUT and lots of people are canceling their reservations, though it's unclear if news of Melissa's mysterious illness is the reason for the cancellations, or simply the general hysteria involving tourist deaths on the island.

The Nickelodeon Resort says they're still treating this as an isolated incident. The hotel adds it's taking "all possible measures to ensure a safe and healthy vacation environment, exceeding preventative measures and enforcing strict sanitation protocols."