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Before J. Cole was smoking his rap competition, he was regularly smoking cigarettes in elementary school -- but he credits his mother for setting him straight!!!

Cole made the shocking confession on Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers' "Lead By Example" podcast and admitted to taking his first tobacco puffs at just six ... attempting to impress the older kids in his Fayetteville, N.C. neighborhood.

Cole says he didn't have a strict upbringing but when his older brother, Zach, got wind of his shenanigans, he told their mom ... and she immediately smelled the cigs on his breath and proceeded to give him a "life-changing" ass whooping!!!

The Dreamville rapper recalls immediately growing remorseful for initially lying to his mother about smoking and changed his ways, which brought him to his true love for making music. Obviously, that panned out for him.

After five platinum albums, he's been hinting at retirement but still oversees his stable of Dreamville artists, who all just combined forces for the "Creed III" soundtrack last month.

Chaeyoung -- a member of the K-Pop group Twice -- is apologizing for wearing a swastika on her shirt ... saying she didn't realize what the symbol was.

The singer took to IG for her mea culpa, writing ... "I sincerely apologize regarding the Instagram post. I didn't correctly recognize the meaning of the tilted swastika in the t-shirt I wore."

She adds, "I deeply apologize for not thoroughly reviewing it, causing concern. I will pay absolute attention in the future to prevent any situation similar from happening again."

Unclear when she wore the top in question, but there's a photo that shows her posing at a restaurant with a Sid Vicious graphic tee, where he's depicted in black and white ... and baring a swastika on his own shirt.

You could argue she's just a Sex Pistols fan, but some called it antisemitic -- and she obviously felt a correction was needed. As for her explanation ... some aren't buying it.

Jonathan Bennett is offering up a slice of paradise ... he's selling his fun house in Palm Springs and he's looking to walk away with some change in his pocket.

The "Mean Girls" star listed the charming home, which he playfully calls Mai Tai Manor, for $1.15M ... after snagging it back in 2020 for $625K.

The 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom pad has a modern feel ... it comes with some nice touches, like french doors, bedrooms that open out to a colorful backyard with a pool ... and a patio area for sipping those mai tais!!!

Joe Chung of Compass holds the listing and tells us, Jonathan and his husband Jaymes Vaughan scooped up the 1970s-built ranch home a few years ago and even got engaged in the backyard.

They've since put a lot of work and money into the home since purchasing it, adding their own finishing touches on the getaway home.

Between TV gigs and expanding their LGBTQ+ cruise company OUTbound, we're told the couple will have less leisure time to spend at Mai Tai Manor -- hence they're putting it on the market.

Fun fact ... Mai Tai Manor has been featured in a ton of publications like Design Network, Celebrity Homes Unlocked, MTV and more.

Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka showed off a new fashion accessory while hanging around her home country of Japan this week ... posting a few pics of her growing baby bump!!

25-year-old Osaka -- who announced back in January she was expecting her first child -- was smiling from ear-to-ear in her Instagram post on Tuesday ... which is a rare public appearance for the athlete as she prepares for the baby.

In fact, Osaka recently poked fun at herself for being an introvert throughout the pregnancy ... saying, "Only Rihanna would get me to come out the house," after attending the Super Bowl in Arizona last month.

Naturally, Osaka's new post is getting a ton of positive feedback ... with followers praising the mom-to-be.

As we previously reported, Osaka and Cordae are expecting their first child together ... although it appears the talented M.C. is electing to keep this part of his life off social media so far.

"1000-Lb. Sisters" star Amy Slaton's hubby Michael Halterman is callin' it quits on their marriage -- he recently filed for divorce.

Michael filed last week in Union County, Kentucky, TMZ has confirmed ... starting the process to officially end their 6-year marriage.

Fans of the hit TLC series remember the couple eloped 2 years before their 2019 wedding, which was a highlight of the show -- Amy and Michael had been longtime lovers, and as kids, they grew up together.

Amy and her sister Tammy were gunning for weight loss surgery, with Amy getting medical approval -- and losing over 100 pounds -- with the goal of being able to have a kid with Michael, which eventually came to fruition.

The Weeknd is officially the G.O.A.T ... at least, according to the folks at Guinness World Records, whose data shows he's officially the most popular artist on the planet!!!

Weeknd just broke 2 new records on Spotify ... one for most monthly listeners in Spotify history by breaching the 111-million mark, and another for being the first artist to breach the 100-million monthly listeners' mark in general.

He recently joined Michael Jackson as the only artist with multiple No. 1 songs from 3 of his albums ... thanks to his recently released "Die For You (Remix)" with Ariana Grande.

The 2020 track "Blinding Lights" is also the biggest song EVER ... achieving the most Spotify streams, and it's also the longest charting song on the Billboard Hot 100 of all time with a total of 90 weeks on the chart.

Amazon Prime’s new mega-hit show "Swarm" grabbed viewers’ attention when it aired Chloe Bailey's steamy sex scene, and has now taken a firm hold of the audience with a full-frontal viewing of Rory Culkin.

Macaulay and Kieran's little bro made an unannounced cameo in a March 17 episode of the series, in which he and Dominique Fishback’s character, Dre, have a one-night stand after meeting at a club. The next morning, a completely nude Rory delivers a sleeping Dre a glass bowl full of strawberries … with his flaccid penis squished up against the side.

Fans of the psychological horror series lost their minds, filling social media with every measure of reaction, with most super impressed by the physique Rory is packing in the scene.

But it wouldn’t be the Internet without haters, and some folks thought the scene was "unnecessary" and "gross."

According to IndieWire, the plotline came from a real-life experience of co-creator Donald Glover, who said he once presented a hookup with a post-coital bowl of cherries. It apparently went well enough he included it in "Swarm."

Since its premiere, the show has been all the rage ... with huge ratings and tons of online buzz.

Seems about right.

Amanda Bynes' parents aren't viewing her recent psychotic episode as a reason to put her into another conservatorship ... but that doesn't mean her episode hasn't set off alarm bells.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... Amanda's parents, Lynn and Rick, are deeply concerned about their daughter's well-being and health after her latest ordeal -- but another conservatorship isn't on the table, at least for now.

Amanda had been living independently in her own house and taking cosmetology classes and until fairly recently seemed to be doing fine, so Sunday's episode seemed like an anomaly.

We're told her parents are also taking comfort in the fact Amanda was self-aware enough to recognize she was in trouble ... flagging down a car for help and calling 911 herself.

TMZ broke the story, Amanda was placed on a 5150 psychiatric hold after being spotted walking naked near Downtown L.A. Sunday morning.

She was taken to a nearby police station and a mental health team felt a psych hold was necessary. Typically, 5150 holds last only 72 hours, but they can be extended.

As you know, Amanda was in a conservatorship for almost a decade, starting back in 2013 while struggling with her mental health. The plug was pulled on her conservatorship a year ago tomorrow.

Two star high school athletes from Illinois -- who were enjoying their spring break in Colorado -- were tragically killed in a horrific sledding accident over the weekend.

They were only 17 and 18 years old.

The Summit County Sheriff's Office said the crash happened at Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Frisco at 8:35 PM on March 19 ... after Dylan Bazzell and Drew Fehr's sled launched off of a massive snowbank at the bottom of a half pipe.

"The two individuals came down hard on the hard ice below," police said, "causing blunt force trauma."

Emergency medical personnel raced to the scene to tend to the two teenagers ... but they were pronounced dead a short time later.

The school district in Illinois where the two attended high school said counselors would be available to help students cope with the loss.

"As we know, 'it takes a village' to raise a child," Prairie Central school district officials said in a statement. "And it will take all of us working together to comfort and support our children through this tragic event."

Bazzell and Fehr, both high school seniors, played for Prairie Central's basketball and football teams. Bazzell had just been named to the Associated Press All-State First Team earlier this month.

Fehr, meanwhile, was a football team captain who logged 1,439 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns this past season.

Police said the deaths are under investigation ... and are urging spring breakers and other thrill seekers "to always practice safe on snow activity habits and to be aware of the risks associated with these activities."

Lance Reddick's tragic absence was felt at the "John Wick: Chapter 4" premiere this week -- but his costars made sure to pay tribute to him with a notable symbol ... including Keanu Reeves.

The cast and crew members who were on hand for the film's debut Monday night were all wearing a blue ribbon ... several of which were passed out before the screening in honor of Lance. There was even a little note everybody got that gave a nod to LR by name.

It read, "We kindly ask you to wear this royal blue ribbon in honor of our dear friend Lance Reddick." The color is actually in line with Lance's taste -- the guy loved blue, so they picked it with his preference in mind.

Like we said ... just about everybody in the 'JW' world was rocking this. Not just the stars themselves -- like Keanu, Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and the rest -- but it looks like just about everyone who went to the premiere was able to wear the ribbon too.

Of course, Keanu and co. also got a chance to talk about Lance with the media.

Their interviews are touching -- you can tell how much Lance's passing has affected them. Keanu called him a beautiful person and a special artist, going on to say it was the honor of a lifetime to work with him. Laurence was even more emotional ... almost tearing up.

Lance had been in all 4 'John Wick' movies, playing Charon ... the concierge at the Continental Hotel, a home base of sorts in the flicks where JW would check in, get guns and have conversations with other characters ... including Lance's, who was a fan fave.

TMZ broke the story ... Lance died last week unexpectedly. A cause of death is yet to be confirmed, but we're told it appeared to be of natural causes.

Noah Schnapp showed he was the life of the party on St. Paddy's Day at the University of Pennsylvania -- and he did a little Spider-Man routine to prove it.

The "Stranger Things" star was caught on video climbing up to the top of the PIKE fraternity house at the Ivy League school in which he's enrolled as a freshman ... studying business.

The footage, obtained by TMZ, started off with Noah scurrying on his hands and knees along the edge of a brick wall leading to the roof.

Noah then jumped to his feet and went into Spider-Man mode, scaling a portion of the façade before his buddies grabbed him and hoisted him to safety onto the roof. Once there, Noah cracked a big smile as he apparently beckoned someone to follow his lead.

He's obviously having a blast at college. You may recall, we also got video of Noah at a bar with a dirty swimming pool after he first arrived at the university in September. He was seen jumping into the pool filled with beer cans and cigarettes. All of his friends loved it and went totally nuts.

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton's Broadway outing turned into a real stinker last week -- 'cause someone pooped near them ... and it may be a thing.

The former First Lady and First Kid attended a production of "Some Like It Hot" in the Big Apple, and according to Page Six -- staffers claim there was crap found within eyeshot at intermission ... it sounds like it was in the same aisle in which they were sitting.

Unclear if HC and CC reacted or even noticed, but Page Six says they stuck around for the second act ... and that the doo-doo was cleaned up swiftly and without issue.

As for the culprit ... the outlet reports, citing sources, it was an elderly person who let it blow.

Now, here's the crazy thing ... a source is telling PS it was just a one-off and an accident -- but other sources they're talking to say this might be a repeat offender. Someone they talked to says it's the 4th such time it's happened.

It's a mystery for now, we suppose -- and it doesn't seem anyone's doing much to get to the bottom of it.

BTW, Hillary and Chelsea are far from the only celebs hitting this play -- other stars who've swung by include Martin Short, Kristin Chenoweth, Hank Azaria, Spielberg and more. Here's hoping their shows weren't as crappy.

A deadly car wreck captured on video looked like a wild scene straight out of a Hollywood movie, but the scary thing was ... it was all real.

Check out the insane footage showing a driver barreling through an NYC intersection and crashing into another vehicle. Two people were killed and five others were injured.

Police say Vitaliy Konoplyov was in a Toyota Camry cruising through a traffic light at the Brooklyn intersection on Monday afternoon, when he T-boned a Honda crossing in front of him in the opposite direction. It was not clear who had the right of way.

The impact from the collision sent the Toyota spiraling onto the sidewalk as people ran for cover. The Honda spun around in the street as shrapnel was flying everywhere.

The NYPD says both vehicles also hit a pedestrian and the Toyota struck an occupied Chevrolet Equinox.

Cops say the Honda driver and pedestrian died at a local hospital.

A passenger in the Honda was in critical condition at the hospital. The Equinox driver was in stable condition.

Konoplyov and his two passengers were also injured, but all were expected to survive.

Hundreds of Argentina fans flooded the streets of Buenos Aires just to get a glimpse of their hero, Lionel Messi, out at dinner Monday night ... and the scene was absolute insanity!!

The Paris Saint-Germain superstar is back in his home country ahead of an international friendly against Panama later this week ... and once word spread he was with his family at the Don Julio restaurant in Palermo, he was met with a massive crowd of crazed fanatics.

Videos show Messi needing a police escort just to make it out of the establishment shortly before 2 AM ... with folks screaming, reaching out and grabbing, and trying to take pictures with the footballer.

Despite the overwhelming amount of people, Messi appeared to take it pretty well ... smiling as he made his way through the sea of fans.

Of course, Messi was already beloved in Argentina ... but once he won the World Cup in December, his supporters' passion was multiplied by a billion.

Leo might be numb to all the love at this point -- after all, he also faced millions of backers who showed up to their World Cup parade.

Heath Ledger's Manhattan home has sold for a ton of cash -- the same place the late actor was found dead more than 15 years ago.

Heath rented out the swanky loft for around $25K a month. It sold for $14.25M last month .. per the NY Post.

The 4,400+ square foot penthouse has an open floor plan and was sold fully furnished. It's also got some great architecture, including cast-iron columns.

TMZ broke the story, Heath was found dead in this NYC home back in 2008 after an accidental drug overdose involving prescription meds. Fans of the actor quickly flocked to his loft after the news spread, holding a vigil out front.

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova says her recent battle with cancer has paused her plans for adoption with her wife ... even though she revealed she's now, thankfully, free of the disease.

Navratilova recently sat down with Piers Morgan to talk about everything she's been through since she was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer earlier this year ... and she admitted that despite beating it all -- it sadly led to her putting an indefinite pause on ideas of adoption with Julia Lemigova.

The 66-year-old, who also previously beat breast cancer in 2010, explained in the interview for Morgan's Talk TV show, "We were thinking about adopting but that's definitely put on hold, and I don't think it's going to happen."

She added, according to the Daily Mail, "I think it's just too complicated and the energy, I only have so much right now."

Navratilova then told Piers, "I'm not really the youngest anymore and I don't want to be the grandmother on the playground."

Lemigova, a 'Real Housewives Of Miami' star, said during a reunion show for the Bravo TV hit earlier this year that the couple had, at one point, actually been very close to adopting ... before Navratilova's battle took precedence.

At times during her interview with Morgan, Navratilova got emotional over everything ... wiping away tears.

She did, though, ultimately deliver some great news regarding her health ... saying doctors recently told her, "as far as they know I'm cancer-free."