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The financial institution appointed by the judge to become co-conservator of Britney Spears' estate is bowing out before it even gets started ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Bessemer Trust has decided it does not want to get involved because it's become gun-shy over all the controversy surrounding the conservatorship.

As one source put it ... Bessemer feels the circumstances surrounding Britney's conservatorship have become a "hornet's nest" ... so it's bailing.

Our sources say Bessemer doesn't want to deal with Jamie Spears, but there's more. It has issues, we're told, with Britney's lawyer, Sam Ingham, along with all of the public outcry over her case ... especially after Britney's courtroom cry for help last week.

That means, at least for now, Britney's dad will remain sole conservator of her estate.

We broke the story ... the judge denied attorney Ingham's request to suspend Jamie from estate conservatorship duties back in November. However, the judge did approve Bessemer being made co-conservator along with Jamie, but it still hasn't taken effect yet because Ingham waited until a few days ago to file the necessary documents for that to happen.

It'll all be a moot point now ... because Bessemer's getting out.

Bill Cosby is huddling with his legal team Thursday, and a potential lawsuit against Montgomery County will be the hot topic on the table.

Sources close to Cosby tell TMZ ... the comedian and his wife, Camille, are angry he's been incarcerated for the last 3 years, and they're exploring his options for legal recourse, including potentially suing the county in Pennsylvania where he was tried.

We're told Cosby and his lawyers are looking into a possible lawsuit for abuse of process, and that's just one of several potential options they're discussing.

Legally speaking ... abuse of process refers to the improper use of a civil or criminal legal process for an unintended, malicious, or perverse reason. In other words, it means Cosby could argue the prosecutor deliberately misused the criminal justice process to prosecute him, despite the fact it meant breaking a promise to Cosby from the previous District Attorney.

As we reported, Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after Pennsylvania's Supreme Court overturned his conviction ... in part because it ruled he should have never been criminally prosecuted based on the agreement he made with former Montgomery County D.A. Bruce Castor.

"Jackass" is jumping the shark -- like, for real -- by joining Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" spectacle, and based on this first look ... we'd say someone's bitten off more than they can chew.

Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius and a couple new jackasses are returning to TV later this month for the "Jackass Shark Week Special," and as you can see ... they are up to their same old antics.

Steve-O's said the guys "went all out" for the special, adding "there were consequences" for doing so, and based on our sneak peek, those consequences were pretty severe.

Check it out ... a new 'Jackass' member named "Poopies" appears to get attacked by a shark after a jump attempt. Someone's heard yelling for medical assistance and a tourniquet as the teaser ends.

Yikes.

Meghan McCain is leaving "The View," and the reason why is absolutely because of a series of nasty back-and-forths with her cohosts ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources tell TMZ ... Meghan felt it was too hard for her being the only conservative voice on the show and it had become too challenging, as she felt she was getting ganged up on every day.

We're told McCain will address her departure Thursday on the show. It's unclear exactly what reason she'll give the audience for her departure, but make no mistake ... it's about the politics. Remember, she gave birth to a daughter back in September, so it's possible she may also mention wanting to spend more time with her baby girl.

The news comes a little over a month after Meghan and Joy Behar's last major on-air blowup -- the one that prompted ABC News President Kim Godwin to step in and call a last-minute meeting demanding all of the 'View' cohosts chill with personal attacks.

Our sources at the time also said ABC was getting flooded with pleas to fire Meghan over her latest tantrum and attacks on Joy ... which is what sparked the virtual meeting.

We were also told Godwin told the staff their personal attacks are coming off as toxic to the audience. The issue, we were told, weren't the debates ... but the attacks between the cohosts.

This is the latest shakeup in daytime talk shows. Remember, their competition over at "The Talk" just had to blow up their show, firing Sharon Osbourne after her very personal on-air battle with Sheryl Underwood.

Patrick Beverley wasn't the only one acting up after the Clippers got booted from the playoffs on Wednesday ... 'cause several L.A. fans got into an all-out brawl in the stands!!

The footage is wild -- at least 3 dudes decked out in Clippers gear appear to go after a tall man in a black shirt at Staples Center ... with one of the fans using what looks like a beer can during his attack.

Of course, there's a bit of violent history between both teams' backers -- as we previously reported, Suns and Clippers fans threw haymakers in Phoenix after Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

And, even before that series, the "Suns In 4" guy went viral for getting into it with a pair of Denver Nuggets fans in the semifinals.

NBA writer Farbod Esnaashari posted footage of the newest brawl from Wednesday night ... claiming the guy in the black shirt is a Suns/Lakers fan.

The man in the black shirt impressively takes on multiple guys punching at him at once ... before being pushed down into the row below him.

Thankfully, it looks like no one was badly injured ... the guy in black is well enough to give the Clippers fans 2 BIG middle fingers while on the ground.

Howard University says it stands with survivors of sexual assault, but it's also standing by Phylicia Rashad following her controversial tweet about Bill Cosby ... which it acknowledges "lacked sensitivity."

As we reported, Rashad -- who was recently named Dean of Howard's College of Fine Arts -- responded to Cosby's stunning prison release Wednesday by saying, "FINALLY!!!! A terrible wrong is being righted- a miscarriage of justice is corrected!"

Her comment swiftly drew backlash and outrage, and although she followed up by saying she fully supports sexual assault survivors ... she did not apologize or back down from her support of Cosby.

Howard University seems to be okay with that, while also distancing itself from her comments. A University rep tells TMZ ... "Personal positions of University leadership do not reflect Howard University’s policies."

Howard U. says "Survivors of sexual assault will always be our priority," adding ... "We will continue to advocate for survivors fully and support their right to be heard. Howard will stand with survivors and challenge systems that would deny them justice."

As for Rashad, the school says "her initial tweet lacked sensitivity towards survivors of sexual assault." That's it for admonishment ... at least so far.

Rachel Dolezal has no problem with Oli London's decision to identify as Korean after having surgeries to look Asian, but her bigger point is live and let live ... something that didn't happen to her.

We talked to Rachel about what Oli calls "coming out as transracial" ... asking her on "TMZ Live" how it landed for her when Oli said they felt trapped in a white man's body.

Check out her response -- it's a very interesting take from someone who's been through the wringer for making a very similar claim. Remember, Rachel is a white woman who infamously identifies as Black.

The long and short of her answer here is ... doesn't society have bigger fish to fry than someone -- whether it be her or Oli -- claiming to be transracial? Specifically, she says our time would be better served stamping out institutional racism.

Rachel also makes a distinction between cultural appropriation, and just being true to oneself. For her, the difference lies in one's intentions. You can see our full interview with Rachel on Thursday's "TMZ Live" (check local listings).

While she doesn't feel she's owed an apology, Rachel says she just wants to be treated with kindness and compassion, instead of being mocked and ridiculed for the choice she's made ... and, clearly, continues to make 6 years after her story blew up.

Interestingly enough ... Oli, who now goes by Jimin -- after the BTS singer they attempted to emulate through surgery -- has a bit of a different take on the Dolezal comparison.

The LAPD bomb squad's attempt to detonate illegal fireworks turned into a catastrophe when one of its trucks exploded ... injuring 17 people and obliterating a neighborhood.

According to the LAPD, its bomb squad officers were in the process of seizing over 5,000 pounds of illegal fireworks Wednesday night in South L.A. Cops say some of the fireworks were being stored in its bomb squad semitruck for precautionary reasons.

It's unclear why, but when the bomb squad detonated the fireworks inside the iron chamber of its semitruck, LAPD chief Michel Moore said there was a "total catastrophic failure of that containment vehicle."

Moore added, "Clearly protocols were followed and pursued, but something happened in that containment vehicle that should have not happened and we don't know why."

The blast was caught on video, and you can see it wreaked havoc. At least 17 were injured -- 10 officers and 7 civilians ... including 3 with serious, but not life threatening injuries. The blast also damaged several homes and displaced as many as 9 families.

Bill Cosby's surprising release from prison means he's free to live his life again, and -- according to one expert in the booking industry -- free to cash in on showing his face in public again.

TMZ spoke with a major player in the booking biz who tells us ... even though the market will be very limited for Cosby, he believes the disgraced comedian will eventually be able to bank $10-15k per public appearance -- and possibly up to $20k for speaking engagements.

Our booking source points to O.J. Simpson as a precedent, saying that despite what he was accused of and found liable for -- killing 2 people -- he still made cash for events afterward. Same will be true for Cosby, according to our source.

Of course, it's not likely to happen right away, but the feeling is there will be a certain demographic of people -- likely older fans who loved "The Cosby Show" -- who are either willing to forgive, or truly believed Cosby was innocent all along.

We're told these people, along with organizations sympathetic to the man once known as "America's Dad," might be willing to shell out dough to see and hear from him.

Not everyone's enthusiastic, though -- Darren Prince of Prince Marketing Group tells us there's no way he'd book someone like Cosby, for any reason. He tells us the guy is just off-limits ... he needs to take some serious steps toward retribution and rehabbing his image ... things he's refused to do, up to this point.

As we reported ... Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after Pennsylvania's high court overturned his sexual assault conviction.

The unveiling of a Princess Diana statue at Kensington Palace should be cause for a royal celebration, but instead, the tension leading up to the event between Prince William and Prince Harry caused it to be a much smaller, somber affair ... so claims a famous photographer.

If you hadn't heard ... Diana would have turned 60 today, and her 2 sons just unveiled a statue in her honor in the gardens of Diana's home ... the home where Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement.

The ceremony was originally planned as a large gathering, but the royal brothers recently decided to cut the guest list down to a handful of close relatives ... blaming the change on renewed COVID concerns.

But, Arthur Edwards, Royal Photographer for "The Sun," is calling BS -- he says the ongoing friction between the princes is the real reason for the scaled-down event.

Edwards says the garden area is quite large, so if they wanted to have a nice-sized crowd that could still socially distance ... they could have easily figured that out.

The photog points out that 40,000 people were packed into Wembley Stadium recently to watch England beat Germany in the Euro ... so he says it's sad so many people who were close to Diana -- including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Charles and Edwards himself -- can't attend the unveiling.

Elton John reportedly was also axed from the guest list ... but there are plans for a later tribute for Diana in September.

Britney Spears's lawyer asked the judge in her conservatorship case to boot her father Jamie Spears as the conservator of her estate, but a judge just shot that down and says Jamie stays -- at least for now.

Britney's lawyer, Sam Ingham, actually asked the court to suspend Jamie from conservatorship duties back in November and the judge denied the request back then. We're told Ingham wanted Jamie replaced by Bessemer Trust, which would have become the sole conservator of her estate, but the judge wasn't having it.

Ingham, for whatever reason, just let things sit for months -- he was supposed to file certain papers for Bessemer's new role to take effect. Finally -- just recently -- Ingham filed legal docs that Bessemer be made co-conservator. The judge just approved that, but also said Jamie will stay as co-conservator himself. The judge also reiterated that Ingham's request to suspend Jamie was denied.

It's important to note, the judge signed this order keeping Jamie in place AFTER Britney's testimony last week.

As you know, Britney wants Jamie out entirely, so it's pretty clear her lawyer will file another motion to remove Jamie.

By the way, everyone has been assuming Bessemer has been acting as co-conservator of Britney's estate for months, but turns out that's not the case. Actually, Bessemer still isn't a co-conservator -- certain documents must still be filed before the judge's order takes effect.

Bottom line ... Jamie has been and continues to be the sole conservator of Britney's estate.

Allen Weisselberg -- the chief financial officer for The Trump Organization -- has surrendered to authorities in NY to face criminal tax evasion charges.

Weisselberg turned himself in Thursday morning ... though we're told his team has not received a copy of the indictment so they're not sure about the charges.

The indictment will be unsealed in NY State Supreme Court later in the day when Weisselberg and lawyers for the org appear in court.

The charges stem from unpaid taxes on perks that include bonuses, cars and school tuition for Trump Organization execs. Weisselberg is the first top exec to be indicted in a long-running probe by the Manhattan D.A.'s Office and NY Attorney General. The Trump org will also be charged, though no members of the Trump family are expected to face charges.

Weisselberg's lawyer has made it clear up to this point ... he will not cooperate with prosecutors, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the end game here is not Weisselberg. The D.A. has set his sights on Donald Trump for years now, and it's pretty clear his end game is to get Trump's longtime accountant to flip on him

Weisselberg has worked for Trump since the 1980s and has a treasure trove of knowledge about the business ... something that could be problematic for the Trump family.

"I most definitely can knock Logan Paul out, without a doubt."

That's "Suga" Rashad Evans throwing down the gauntlet ... challenging 26-year-old YouTube star turned pugilist Logan Paul to a BOXING match.

41-year-old Evans -- inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in 2019 -- hasn't fought since taking an L to Anthony Smith at UFC 225 in June 2018.

But, in case you forgot ... Suga's beat Rampage Jackson, Chael Sonnen (still undefeated), Dan Henderson, Forrest Griffin, Michael Bisping and Tito Ortiz -- just to name a few.

Back to Logan ... rumors have been swirling that a fight between LP and Evans could be in the works -- and Rashad says he's 100% down to scrap.

"I don't know what [Logan's] looking for, for his next match. But, I'm gonna tell you right now what he needs. What he needs is a taste of 'Suga.'"

Of course, Paul is only a few weeks removed from his exhibition fight with 44-year-old Floyd Mayweather ... a bout that went the full 8 rounds.

Mayweather wasn't able to drop Logan -- who was about 50 lbs. heavier than Floyd -- something Evans says will NOT be the case if they fight.

Child actor Justin Shenkarow was only 12 years old when he took on the role of his life as the older of the two sons Matthew Brock -- who navigated the bizarre town in Wisconsin while his parents try to keep the peace in the madness -- in the classic '90s American drama "Picket Fences."

Justin was cast alongside some epic actors including Kathy Baker as the medical mom of three kids, Dr. Jill Brock, Holly Marie Combs as the eldest sister, Kim Brock and Tom Skerritt as the straight-nosed Sherriff, Jimmy Brock.

Bill Cosby's conviction has been overturned and he will go free.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court just ruled ... there are 2 reasons why the conviction could not stand -- the judge allowed prosecutors to call 5 other accusers during the trial, and Cosby should never have been criminally prosecuted based on an agreement he made with the former D.A.

As for the first reason ... the Pennsylvania high court ruled it was unduly prejudicial to allow 5 women with stories similar to Andrea Constand to testify, trying to show Cosby had an M.O. for drugging women and then sexually assaulting them.

The second reason was fought hard during trial ... former D.A. Bruce Castor cut a deal with Cosby that if he testified in a civil deposition he would not face trial criminally. During that deposition, Cosby made incriminating statements about drugging women, and it was presented at trial. The Supreme Court ruled the deal was broken by prosecutors.

The judge vacated both the conviction and the sentence and ordered the 83-year-old comedian discharged -- presumably immediately.

The Court ruled not only is Cosby now a free man ... he cannot be retried.

Cosby had served more than 2 years of a 10-year sentence.

Cosby's team is on its way to prison to pick him up.

Trevor Bauer's assault accuser says the MLB star choked her unconscious and then had non-consensual anal sex with her ... in court docs obtained by TMZ Sports.

The extremely disturbing allegations are all part of an 84-page temporary restraining order application filed by the alleged victim's attorney ... where she documents 2 meetings that she claims started as consensual sex -- but morphed into a violent attack.

The 21-year-old accuser says she met Bauer on Instagram ... before ultimately driving from San Diego to Los Angeles on April 21 to meet the Dodgers star.

The woman says she and Bauer were having sex ... when he began to aggressively put his fingers down her throat. The woman says she asked him to stop and he complied.

But then, according to the docs, the woman claims Bauer "wrapped my hair around my neck and choked me." The alleged victim says she "lost consciousness."

When she awoke, the woman says she was face down on the bed ... and Bauer was having anal sex with her. An act to which she says she did not consent or even want.

Later that evening, the alleged victim says she was in pain and bleeding from her anus. However, she didn't believe TB was an imminent threat to her, so she spent the night at his place.

In the morning, she claims Bauer attempted to joke with her, asking ... "You feeling a little sore this morning?"