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There will be no Rob Gronkowski-like return for Julian Edelman -- not now nor ever -- so says the former Patriots star, who claims he's REALLY retired.

Rumors of a possible reunion with Tom Brady in Tampa at some point in the future have still swirled despite the 32-year-old's retirement announcement last month ... but JE insists he's seriously done.

Edelman -- who still certainly appears to have game left in his body -- broke it all down for Michael Irvin on The Michael Irvin Podcast this week, explaining he simply doesn't want to push his body any further.

“My knee's breaking down," he said. "I’m not going to sit here, you know, I got everything I want. I got three rings. Played in a magical dynasty with an unbelievable franchise, coach, best quarterback of all time, like, yo, I’m not a greedy guy."

Edelman continued, "I'm not going to sit out there and look like some old dude in an old BIKE knee brace and ankle braces -- you know the old guy? I don't want to look like that, man. I can't do that."

Some of Edelman's closest friends clearly are having a hard time believing him ... Gronk told TMZ Sports just a few weeks ago there was a "69% chance" Edelman joins him on the Bucs eventually.

And, even Brady joked about an Edelman reunion in Tampa during the NFL draft weekend last month too.

But, Edelman -- who's taken a gig as an analyst on Inside the NFL since announcing his retirement -- swears that just ain't happenin'.

Morgan Wallen's clawing his way back from the racial slur controversy ... and he's got Kid Rock to thank for getting him back on a stage to perform live.

Morgan was at Kid's Big Ass Honky Tonk bar Wednesday night in Nashville and got on the mic in front of what looked like a packed house. This was his first time singing since he was seen in January casually dropping the n-word at the end of a drunken night with friends, and you can tell he had some nerves.

Of course, the crowd went nuts when Morgan was introduced ... folks were screaming his name as he walked on stage, and almost immediately acknowledged he might be a little rusty.

He seemed to work it all out though ... as he performed a couple of his hits, "Wasted On You" and "Whiskey Glasses."

TMZ broke the story ... Morgan was recorded by a neighbor after a wild night out in Nashville back in January casually calling a buddy the n-word.

The fallout from the video was swift -- award shows, merchandise websites and radio stations banned Wallen. However, his album sales actually skyrocketed and he continued dominating the charts.

Morgan's had folks in his corner in the wake of the controversy ... with billboards popping up last month in Nashville pushing for him to win Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards, even though the Academy banned him from the competition.

Paul Hogan insists he didn't put up a sign on his house warning homeless people to scram ... in fact, he says the house isn't even his and he has empathy for people living on the streets.

The "Crocodile Dundee" star was getting lots of unwanted attention after a sign was plastered on his garage that read ...'THIS IS MY HOUSE NOT YOURS." Hogan is renting a $3.5 million house on the sand in Venice ... an area that has been completely overrun by the homeless. It's become both dangerous and heartbreaking to see people living in horrible conditions.

Hogan says he did NOT write the sign, although it's weird he was seen with a red marker in his hand and the sign is written in red.  He does say when he saw the sign, he took it down.

Paul calls the homeless situation in L.A. sad, awful and embarrassing. State and local government have done little, if anything, to curb the problem up to this point, and it's become a full-blown crisis.

The 81-year-old Hogan has said he's homesick for his native Australia and can't wait for COVID-19 issues to be resolved so he can leave L.A.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker seem to think Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott have the right idea about where to have some low-key family fun ... 'cause they, too, hit up the Happiest Place on Earth.

Kourtney and Travis took all of their kids to Disneyland and California Adventure Wednesday for a little modern family fun. Kourt's kids, Mason, Penelope and Reign, were there, along with Travis' teenagers, Alabama and Landon. Atiana De La Hoya, Shanna Moakler's daughter with Oscar De La Hoya, was also there.

They also had a Disney escort and massive security guards -- although, that's probably not as necessary these days because the park's only at 25 percent capacity. Translation: less normies looking for autographs.

Kourtney and Travis managed to keep things PG in Anaheim as far as PDA goes ... just some hand-holding. No biting this time around, but maybe some screaming while on the Incredicoaster.

Nearly 70 cats from Jeff Lowe's "Tiger King" Park alleged to be endangered and abused have been seized by the feds.

The massive operation corralled 68 animals, including lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar from Jeff's zoo in Thackerville, Oklahoma. The feds say the seizure was part of an ongoing probe for Endangered Species Act violations.

According to the feds ... the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducted 3 inspections of the park since mid-December 2020, and during those inspections, the Lowes "received citations for failing to provide the animals with adequate or timely veterinary care, appropriate nutrition" and shelter that allows for normal behavior and protects them from bad weather.

What's more ... the feds say Lowe was supposed to employ a qualified veterinarian and establish a program of veterinary care that meets the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act, but Lowe's been found in contempt after months of non-compliance with court orders requiring him to do so.

The feds say they'll work "to ensure that [the animals] go to responsible animal preserves where they can be safely maintained rather than exploited."

TMZ broke the story ... the feds descended on Jeff's park earlier this week with a search warrant. During the raid ... Jeff was told to stay inside his house or he'd be arrested.

The long-awaited, highly-anticipated "Friends" reunion is suffering from a major case of buzzkill ... at least for fans who don't like James Corden ... or are worried about Matthew Perry's health.

News that "The Late Late Show" host will be hosting the "Friends" special on HBO later this month has many on social media miffed ... mostly because he has no known connection to the popular sitcom.

Fans pointed out that there are so many other notable celebs -- Brad Pitt, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon and Bruce Willis for instance -- who had roles on the show and would have made way more sense to host ... but HBO honchos went with Corden.

Of course, some of the criticism is also coming from folks who seem to simply dislike James for other reasons ... and you can't win 'em all.

There's another issue putting a damper on the reunion fun too -- Matthew, AKA Chandler, appeared to be unwell during a recent interview promoting the upcoming special.

In the video, sitting with Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, some fans felt Perry sounded like he was slurring his speech, and appeared to be gazing off into the distance at times. He's been open about his struggles with addiction in the past.

As we reported ... Perry's the cast member who officially confirmed the reunion show was filming back in April in a now-deleted Instagram photo which whipped fans into a frenzy.

Jake Paul is following in the footsteps of boxing legends like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao ... he just signed a multi-fight deal with Showtime Sports.

Both Jake and the network have confirmed the deal -- which also means Paul's run with Triller is over for now.

No word on how much money Paul will pocket from his new contract with Showtime -- or when he's expected to get in the ring.

But, ESPN's Marc Raimondi reports the two sides are in "advanced talks" about locking in Paul's next opponent -- as well as a date and location.

Also, no word on how much cash Paul will make from the contract.

But, it's huge news for the 24-year-old YouTube sensation who's been destroying opponents like Nate Robinson and Ben Askren since turning his focus to the sweet science a few years back.

Paul -- who's now 3-0 as a pro -- was the main event for the Triller Fight Club PPV event on April 17, when he knocked out Askren in the 1st round.

Paul bragged the event pulled in more than 1 million PPV buys -- which is massive ... begging the question, why would Triller let him walk?

Triller honcho Ryan Kavanaugh told The Athletic's Mike Coppinger there were NO plans for Paul to headline a card moving forward and the April event was simply a novelty.

"Paul being anything other than an undercard for us would change it from novelty to unacceptable,” Kavanaugh told Coppinger.

He also commented on Showtime signing Paul -- "Imitation is the ultimate form of flattery."

As for Jake, he's fired up about the move -- saying, "BOUTTA PUT ON ANOTHER SHOW."

Paul Mooney's death has created some urgency on the part of the Oakland City Council to figure out how to honor the comedic legend ... but TMZ's learned the idea for a tribute was hatched even before he passed away.

Several officials in Oakland -- where Mooney was raised and sadly died -- tell us the topic is already on the agenda for the June 1 City Council meeting.

The councilmembers we spoke with say some of the ideas for honoring Paul's life include an annual or regularly scheduled comedy event that puts the spotlight on Oaktown's best up-and-coming comedians ... following the path Mooney trailblazed.

There are also talks of creating a plaque with his face on it to be displayed somewhere in the Black Arts District ... or developing a college scholarship fund in his name.

The city officials tell us they also want to hear from Oakland citizens about what they want for a Mooney tribute ... something Councilmember Loren Taylor says has been discussed in his district well before the comedic legend died.

That's because they all believe Mooney's legacy is more than comedy -- he also provided insight into social issues and politics.

As we reported ... Paul died at his Oakland home Wednesday morning after suffering a heart attack.

Count Sen. Martin Heinrich among those who think there's something otherworldly about the UFO sightings in our skies ... he says the technology is too advanced for humans.

We got the Senator from New Mexico on Capitol Hill Wednesday and asked him about the UFO sightings pilots in the Armed Forces say are becoming very common.

Sen. Heinrich is definitely intrigued by the new UFO footage, telling us it's something Congress needs to investigate, because everything he's seeing tells him the crafts aren't being built or piloted by people.

It's interesting ... the Senator says if foreign governments had this kind of advanced technology, there would be other indications of their capabilities, and he says that's just not the case.

As we reported ... Sen. Marco Rubio says UFOs pose a risk to our national security and it's an issue that needs addressing. He says some senators aren't taking UFOs seriously, but Sen. Heinrich is definitely not in that boat.

Heather McDonald thinks Melinda Gates will be gettin' it now that she's divorcing Bill, but she can't understand why she gave him that hall pass in the first place.

The former "Chelsea Lately" star hit up Craig's in WeHo Wednesday night and she actually laid some of the blame at Melinda's doorstep, saying, "You don't allow this weird s*** to happen on day 1." Heather's referring to Melinda giving Bill a pass to spend a weekend once a year with his ex-GF. As Heather says, if Melinda thinks they were reading science books, she's fooling herself.

Heather's awesome ... funny but really thoughtful. She thinks Melinda hatched her divorce plan long ago ... possibly around the time Bill had an affair around 2000 with a Microsoft engineer.

Bombshell news out of Argentina where SEVEN people have been charged with homicide in the death of soccer legend Diego Maradona.

Maradona passed away back in November from heart failure -- just 2 weeks after undergoing brain surgery. He was only 60.

The Maradona family had suspected there was something fishy behind his death -- which led to a special investigation into the situation.

Police in Argentina raided the house and private clinic of Dr. Leopoldo Luque (the surgeon who performed the brain operation) in the days following Maradona's death -- and clearly, they believe they found enough evidence to prove criminal wrongdoing.

Now, prosecutors in San Isidro, Argentino have announced 7 people -- including Dr. Luque -- have been charged with "simple homicide with eventual intent," according to ESPN.

The other 6 people facing charges include Maradona's psychiatrist Agustina Cosachov -- along with 2 nurses and other medical professionals.

If convicted, they each face up to 25 years in prison.

According to reports, prosecutors believe there is evidence showing Maradona received insufficient medical care following the brain surgery.

In other words, they believe Maradona's death could have been prevented had the medical team performed their jobs correctly.

It's unclear WHY prosecutors believe the medical team, failed to perform their duties -- some have suggested a nefarious motive.

Courtney Stodden says the non-binary community got a huge ally in their corner when Demi Lovato came out as a member ... and Courtney has zero doubt DL's announcement will save lives going forward.

Courtney tells TMZ ... a celebrity of Demi's caliber coming out as non-binary will help the community feel validated, and make those still struggling to come out feel strong and confident enough to do it -- and that decision, ultimately, could help to prevent suicide.

Courtney -- who also recently came out as non-binary -- says they haven't yet reached out to Demi, because they want to give them space and time during what can be a scary experience ... but Courtney plans to try chatting with Demi about it in the near future.

Courtney knows the importance of young people being able to relate to celebs, especially in a community at risk for suicide.

The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention org for LGBTQ youth, just released a new national study that found LGBTQ youth of color and transgender, along with non-binary youth, have a much higher risk of suicide than their peers.

ABC News recently reported that 42% of LGBT youth surveyed said they considered attempting suicide in the last year alone, and more than HALF that tally was for transgender and non-binary youth.

As we reported ... Demi came out Wednesday saying they are now identifying as non-binary and changed pronouns to they/them.

Demi said the switch best represented the fluidity they feel in gender expression.

Torah Bright says her handstand breastfeeding wasn't meant to bring anyone down -- and despite some mothers apparently feeling that way ... there were even more who were supportive.

The Olympic gold medalist snowboarder will be on "TMZ Live'" Thursday to clear up her M.O. behind the now-viral photo -- which shows her balancing herself upside down topless, with her baby boy latching on to her breast and sucking away.

There were A LOT of reactions to it ... including good old-fashioned, pearl-clutching indignation -- but as Torah explains here, there were also some moms who genuinely felt they were being shamed for not being as fit and/or capable of doing something similar.

For anyone who might've perceived it like that ... Torah's here to set the record straight, telling us that was NOT her goal in posting this, noting everyone's breastfeeding experience is different -- and that she was simply sharing her own in a way she thought was fun. She also says it's a testament to the bond between mother and son.

That leads us to her next point ... which is that as big of a "backlash" she got from this, there was more love she says she got that toppled it -- which is great to hear.

The man who bleeds Denver orange and Colts blue is now throwing his support behind Green Bay ... with Peyton Manning telling TMZ Sports he'd REALLY like to see the Packers resolve the drama with Aaron Rodgers.

We got the future Hall of Famer out at Dulles on Wednesday ... and he explained to us that he'd prefer it if Rodgers stayed put with the Packers.

"When I think of Aaron, I think of him as a Green Bay Packer," Manning said. "Hopefully they can get it worked out."

Of course, things currently aren't looking super promising for GB in that department ... because while Packers head coach Matt LaFleur has been begging for a Rodgers return, the star QB has been vacationing in Hawaii, seemingly dug in on his trade demands.

Manning -- who had to famously leave the Colts for the Broncos at the end of his career -- told us he knows a move could happen, but he'd really rather not see it.

"He's done such a great job there in Green Bay," Peyton said.

As for if Rodgers could -- and perhaps should -- leave it all behind to host "Jeopardy!" full-time ... Manning didn't seem to love that idea, explaining he thinks Aaron could do both!

By the way, when it comes to Manning's own off-the-field endeavors ... he still doesn't sound ready to jump into a broadcast booth or an NFL general manager role -- telling us he's content just coaching kids in baseball and flag football for now.

Though he did admit, he's had to do some explaining to parents given his history as a leader of children ...

New York City native Terence Trent D'Arby (real name Terence Trent Howard) was in his 20s when he shot to fame after he released his breakout album "Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby" in 1987 ... which included the singles "Sign Your Name," "If You Let Me Stay" and the classic chart-topping pop song "Wishing Well."

Since his success in the '80s, D'Arby changed his name to Sananda Francesco Maitreya and continues to make music including his latest single "One Horse Town" from earlier this month.

Mel B's ex-husband is giving her recent video made to raise domestic violence awareness a big thumbs down, because he says it's been very traumatic for their daughter.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Stephen Belafonte says their 9-year-old daughter, Madison, wants a hiatus from Mel because she's so turned off by the video.

In the docs, Stephen says Madison found the video online and was distraught, upset and started crying -- and he claims she told him she doesn't want to see her mom at all or travel to be with her this summer.

As we reported ... the Spice Girls singer co-stars in a short film, "Love Should Not Hurt," by classical composer Fabio D’Andrea, with Mel playing a character who appears beaten, broken and trapped by a relationship.

Remember ... Mel and Stephen have been embroiled in a custody war, and they're still bickering over several issues in court filings. For instance, Mel had filed docs requesting Madison be allowed to travel by herself through a Lufthansa program.

Part of Stephen's response to that filing included Mel's role in the short film, and how he says it's impacted Madison. For what it's worth, the court approved Mel's request for Madison to travel alone.

Now, the question is whether she even wants to fly to see her mother. Stephen says that's a no, but we'll see if he raises that in his own request to the court.