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Former NFL player, Greg Hardy started his new career in the boxing ring Friday night ... but he wound up getting his ass whooped.

Hardy was duking it out with Josh Watson in the "Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship: Knucklemania 3" and, by the second round, he was eating the canvas.

Hardy's nightmare started at the end of the first round when he got punched so hard by Watson, he went flying into the ropes, nearly crumbling to the ground.

Then, in the second round, Watson landed a crushing left hook that put Hardy flat on his back. He tried to get to his feet, but he couldn't as the ref counted him out.

Last year, Hardy signed with BKFC, which promotes boxing without gloves. He previously had a deal with the UFC, but his contract was not renewed.

Kyle Jacobs seemed upbeat and happy in his last social media post -- giving no hint whatsoever he would take his own life just one day later.

The husband of American Idol alum, Kellie Pickler posted a message to Instagram Thursday celebrating the success of country music star Lee Brice's fifth album, "Hey World." Jacobs produced the album and played guitar on it.

Jacobs wrote, "Platinum?! SWEEEET!!! An amazing crew of incredibly talented peeps put this one together."

He continued, "Deeply honored to be a creative part of it…Thank you Jesus!!!"

TMZ broke the story ... the next day, Jacobs died by suicide after shooting himself inside the home he shared with Pickler in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville PD said Pickler got worried when she awoke and couldn't find Jacobs. She and an assistant searched and came upon an upstairs bedroom door, which they couldn't open. After they called 911, police gained entry and discovered Jacobs' body inside.

Kellie Pickler's Nashville home is the center of a tragic crime scene, as a man has shot and killed himself on the property.

A rep for The Nashville Police Department tells us they got a call to Pickler's home Friday afternoon for an apparent suicide after a male shot himself.

It's not yet been revealed who the man is, but we know Pickler and her husband, Kyle Jacobs, live at the address.

Pickler placed 6th on Season 5 of "American Idol" back in 2006 ... but went on to have a fairly successful country career of her own. She currently hosts SiriusXM's "The Highway" radio show throughout the week.

Story developing ...

Bill Maher did it again ... he didn't just call out politicians for being increasingly hateful toward each other, he offered a solution -- do it like the movies!!!

The "Real Time" host made a compelling point ... it's only a matter of time before we see fistfights on the House floor. After all, we've seen video after video of brawls erupting in parliaments around the world, and the trajectory of Washington D.C. leads right to that doorstep.

As for evidence ... it started when Obama was interrupted during a State of the Union address.  Then look at Biden's recent address ... Republicans, especially the crazy ones, were acting like it was a football game ... booing, jeering and so on.  How long before that contempt becomes physical?

So Bill's solution -- take a page out of Hollywood. He gives enough evidence to win a trial -- stars who were paired in some of the greatest movies of all time despised each other, wouldn't even look at each other, yet when it counted they delivered and no one was the wiser.

T.I.'s had enough of being the "King of the South" and he's touting his next album -- "Kill the King" -- as the official funeral for his famous tagline!!!

TMZ Hip Hop chopped it up with T.I. this week and, for now, he's adamant "Kill the King" will be his last solo album.

The ATL rap icon explains he adopted that regal label after hearing Mystikal refer to himself as "Prince of the South" on the 2001 album "Tarantula." Tip says he spotted a void for the throne and claimed it.

He then got the blessings of legendary peers Outkast, Scarface, 8Ball and MJG ... but Big Boi warned him the "Kang" title would come with a supersized can of worms, which T.I. admits it did.

The royal title sparked a short-lived beef with Ludacris' camp, among other debacles, and T.I. says he's fully confident with deflating his own ego.

There's no timetable to rush greatness, but he revealed Jermaine Dupri just blessed him with a banger so the album is coming along as we speak.

In addition to recording his last hurrah, T.I. has plenty of other projects in the works.

He recently signed on as a brand ambassador for Cignature, a lifestyle brand that provides smoking products to adults, and is also looking ahead toward the 20th anniversary of his classic breakout album "Trap Muzik" ... which will coincide with the Hip Hop 50th celebration in August.

For the 15th anniversary, T.I. and Grand Hustle debuted the now monumental, Trap Museum in Atlanta, but he's keeping details for the upcoming celebration under wraps for now.

There's no question A-lister, Brad Pitt has put in his time and earned a top spot in Hollywood. Now is YOUR chance to roll up your sleeves and see if you can work your way to finding the differences between these two shots!

The Hollywood hunk was recently snapped in NYC on the set of his most recent project "Wolves." Swagged-out from head to toe, the actor was lookin' like quite the cozy king. Your sole purpose here is to find the minor changes in the two BP shots ... you've got this!

Tiger Woods is being called out by a women's empowerment group for his tampon prank at a PGA Tour event ... saying how dare he, especially with a daughter at home.

Kara Sugar, CEO of the Women's Global Empowerment Fund, tells TMZ ... Tiger's tampon moment was not only misogynistic but also tone-deaf and straight-up disrespectful to women and girls all over the world.

Sugar ripped the golfing legend, wondering if he's intimating "periods are embarrassing or shameful or a sign of weakness?"

As you know ... Tiger was playing his Friday round at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles with Justin Thomas when he hit his ball further than Justin and handed a Tampax to his friend and competitor. The misguided sentiment -- Justin hits "like a girl."

The women's group says it's sad to see Tiger do this because he's a grown man with a daughter ... and they feel the joke distracts from the serious issues involving mental health and periods, which women and girls around the globe face.

Tiger gave an apology/non apology, saying "It was supposed to be all fun and games. Obviously it hasn't turned out that way. If I offended anybody in any way, shape, or form, I'm sorry."  In other words, not really an apology."

Jen Shah's now spending her next 6.5 years behind bars, and TMZ has learned just how she'll be occupying her time ... and let's just say, she won't be working on her glam.

Jen's now locked up at FPC Bryan in Texas, and according to the prison camp's handbook, obtained by TMZ, inmates have a seriously rigorous schedule day after day ... starting with a 6 AM wake-up call.

In addition to bein' an early riser, it looks like Jen will have to keep her cell in tip-top shape ... which includes making her bed, removing trash and sweeping the floor.

A majority of each day will be focused on work ... stuff like food service or factory jobs. Unclear which job Jen will have to do, but we assume it won't be anything remotely close to the telemarketing scheme that landed her in prison.

Inmates are also prohibited from wearing anything that isn't government-issued -- AKA nothing designer. The only jewelry allowed is a wedding band and a religious necklace, but those can't be worth more than $100 each.

Based on the show, we're comfortable in saying none of Jen's jewelry qualifies.

With the atmospheric river rolling right over Hollywood -- and leaving quite the frosty glow on the Western region -- these icy stars took it upon themselves to bust out their winter skills and shred some gnar!

From skiing to snowmobiling, there's no winter sport these stars haven't shied away from ...  Kim Kardashian and daughter North West prepped to hit the slopes with a chairlift photo-op, while Alicia Keys put her back into it, skiing for her first time and David Beckham took his athletic skills (and good looks) straight to the mountain!

Positive K, best known for his '90s hit "I Got A Man", is turning his hip hop roots into humor -- he's getting onstage to tap into the world of comedy.

The rapper's team says, Positive K's still in the biz of putting out new music, but now he's also using the stage for stand-up comedy, and his career is already taking off!

As a rapper, he's best known for his breakout 1993 top 20 single "I Got A Man" ... and he also had memorable collabs with hip hop legend, MC Lyte.

His debut album "The Skills Dat Pay Da Bills" has become highly regarded as a certified classic, especially for his ability to deliver a different rap style on each track and for adding humor ... and we're told that's exactly what planted the seed for his comedy career.

Positive K's Comedy Experience is already making the rounds in ATL ... having played the Uptown Comedy Corner, Atlanta Comedy Theater and the Laugh Factory. Earlier this year he put on a show to remember at the ATL Punchline.

He's even opened up for comedian Mike Epps, in addition to performing on some of the most legendary stages for comedy.

Travis Scott's Cactus Jack Foundation hosted a celebrity softball game yesterday ... and he scored big by carving out loads of opportunities for Historically Black Colleges in honor of Black History Month.

The star-studded game went down Thursday inside Houston's Minute Maid Park -- home to MLB's Astros -- and raised awareness for the Waymon Webster HBCU Scholarship Fund and Cactus Jack HBCU Classic.

LaFlame put out the call and a huge list of famous athletes answered to help in the effort: 9-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis, Ken Griffey Jr., Reggie Jackson, Jose Canseco and his daughter Josie, Gary Sheffield, Andre Dawson, Shane Victorino and Nick Swisher. Plus, NFL and NBA greats Terrell Owens, Adrian Peterson, Robert Horry, Vince Young, and Tracy Mcgrady.

Travis' fellow artists came out too ... folks like Scarface, Bun B, Metro Boomin, Slim Thug, Sheck Wes, Trae Tha Truth, Paul Wall, and Dominic Fike.

Following the match (which T.O.'s team won), Travis and his family were presented with the Vanguard award by Daniel Moss, Executive Director of the HBCU Foundation, for their dedication to higher learning within the Black community and the scholarship opportunities they've provided.

To date, Travis' efforts have raised about $1 million for 100 graduating HBCU seniors ... who were all celebrated during Thursday's game.

"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah is getting processed for intake at the federal prison where she just arrived to serve her sentence for a telemarketing scandal.

Jen surrendered to begin her 6.5 years behind bars ... arriving at FPC Bryan in Bryan, Texas. Her lawyers had previously requested that she report to FPC Bryan, so it all worked out.

As we reported, the reality star pled guilty in July to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing. Prosecutors said she was targeting and scamming people out of cash with the scheme.

Feds wanted her locked up for 10 years, listing off numerous reasons why she's the "most culpable person charged in this case."

She was sentenced in January -- along with 6.5 years in the pen, Jen will also do 5 years of supervised release once she gets out.

She got emotional in court, apologizing for what she did, adding ... "With the proper medication I can now see what happened."

Her sentence came with some special conditions post-lockup ... most notably she'll have to participate in a mental health treatment program.

Jen did an interview with White Collar Advice shortly before reporting to FPC Bryan. She talked about why it took her a year to admit she was guilty, what she's going to bring to prison with her and her plans to document everything she experiences.

BTW, Jen got tatted up Wednesday before surrendering ... inking the names of her husband and sons on her arm. Her son Omar also got one -- the Hawaiian word for "child."

Mark Wahlberg has closed the deal on his beautiful compound in Beverly Hills ... and while the sale came in lower than his OG asking price, he's still walking away with a fat chunk of change.

We've learned Mark's insane property sold Friday for $55 mil ... quite a markdown from his past asking price of $87.5M -- but impressive nonetheless.

As we reported, Mark listed the estate in April of last year with mega-realtor Kurt Rappaport of Westside Estate Agency and Carl Gambino of Compass ... after the actor picked up the land back in 2009 for only $8.25M.

The compound comes with a 12-bed, 20-bath mansion, plus a sweet guest house ... overall it's got 30,500 square feet of living space -- and the amenities are to die for.

The new owners are gonna live the high life with a waterfall pool, grotto, tennis, and basketball courts, and a private spa ... not to mention the movie screening room and 5K-bottle wine cellar!

As for Mark ... he's said he's headed to Vegas, where he plans on creating a new escape for him and his family.

The heroic Florida woman who bravely fought off an alleged sexual predator during her workout is keeping her head up, and not allowing the violent incident to derail her lifestyle ... even in the gym.

Nashali Alma joined "TMZ Live" Friday to talk about the terrifying moment she had to fight off the guy in the gym of her Tampa apartment complex.

She says he was a good 6 inches taller than her, but as we've seen in the video ... Nashali gave him all he could handle. She told us exactly what she did to fend him off.

She says she has gotten an outpouring of love and support in the last few days, since cops released the surveillance footage of the January incident -- and it all has her feeling really good.

As we reported, Nashali was working out in her gym when Xavier Thomas-Jones came to the door and she let him in, thinking he forgot his key.

Minutes later, he charged at her, but the nursing school student wound up giving him a major beatdown ... before eventually breaking free.

Xavier was arrested the next day and charged with sexual battery and kidnapping.

A family dealing with the fallout of the toxic chemical disaster in Ohio say their health and their property are in decline with no end in sight ... and they're pissed at the fed's response.

Nathan Izotic, whose family owns a home two miles from the train derailment that unleashed toxic chemicals into the air, water and ground, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and shared what life is like for folks in the area ... and it ain't pretty.

Despite getting the green light to go home, Nathan says he and his family are still suffering from headaches, confusion, tiredness, vomiting and difficulty breathing ... he says the air smells like burnt plastic, there's a chemical sheen and rainbow coloration in the creek running through their backyard and everything reeks of chemicals.

In perhaps the most damning sign of what's happening ... Nathan says there's absolutely no sign of wildlife anymore ... and his dog keeps throwing up.

Of course, it's been two weeks since the Feb. 3 train derailment that started the environmental disaster, and Nathan says folks are fed up with a lack of relief from the feds.

The way he sees it ... authorities and the EPA are "pissing down our backs and telling us it's not raining."

Nathan wants to see investigations and accountability from railroad operator, Norfolk Southern ... and he and his wife are planning to take legal action.

The NFL has a real issue with representation in the head coaching ranks ... and Skip Bayless says he knows why -- old, white NFL owners just aren't comfortable socializing with Black coaches and their wives.

"These older white owners just aren’t that comfortable with a Black head coach because they need to interact, they need to go to dinner with the wives or the [significant others] or whatever," Bayless said on FS1's "Undisputed" this week while discussing 53-year-old Chiefs OC Eric Bieniemy's failure to land a gig as HC.

"[White owners are] just not that comfortable. When they do have an interview, it’s gonna be a quicker click with a young white hot candidate."

Of course, the NFL only has four Black head coaches ... Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh, Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay, newly hired DeMeco Ryans in Houston and Mike McDaniel in Miami.

Despite a majority of the players in the league being Black, people of color have long had issues getting hired, especially as head coaches.

The NFL has instituted guidelines like the "Rooney Rule" -- dictating front offices must interview a minority candidate before making a hire.

Still, only four of the 32 teams feature a Black man in the top job, and it doesn't appear change is on the horizon.

As for how to fix the glaring issue, Bayless admits it may not be a repairable problem ... 'cause, how do you change how the owners think?

“It’s just culture, it’s just the way life is. And, I don’t know how to defeat it, because each of these guys is an independent owner in the umbrella of the NFL and it’s hard to legislate ‘you must hire a black coach’"

"You can’t unless it’s in the man’s heart to do the right thing, and every once in a while we have the Rooneys in Pittsburgh who did the right thing.”