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It's breathtaking ... Mike Richards, who was tapped 9 days ago as the man who would replace Alex Trebek as host of "Jeopardy!" has thrown in the towel.

Richards was criticized on Twitter for comments he made 8 years ago on a podcast. The Anti-Defamation League targeted him after comments surfaced in which Richards made disparaging remarks about Jews. Someone on a podcast made a comment about big noses, and Richards responded, "Ixnay on the ose-nay. She's not an ew-Jay."

Richards also called his female co-host a "booth slut." He also made comments about her friends' weight.

Richards said in his resignation, "I was deeply honored to be asked to host the syndicated show and was thrilled by the opportunity to expand my role.  However, over the last several days it has become clear that moving forward as host would be too much of a distraction for our fans and not the right move for the show."

The timing is interesting ... Thursday was the first day of shooting for the new season, and Richards shot 5 episodes before calling it quits.

He will remain as Executive Producer of the show.

Now the question ... if not Richards, who?

Mayim Bialik was tapped as the host of the primetime 'Jeopardy!' shows. As we reported, she was actually Sony's first choice to host the syndicated version, but her work schedule made that impossible. It will be interesting, however, to see if Sony makes accommodations for her.

In the meantime, Richards says they're bringing back guest hosts. Fact is, the show is under the gun in order to fulfill its production schedule.

Caitlyn Jenner may have inadvertently sparked more speculation that Kylie Jenner is pregnant ... because she says she just learned one of her kids is expecting.

The California gubernatorial candidate was visiting the The Toy Story in Quincy Thursday when she spilled the beans. Caitlyn was telling the folks there about her 18 grandchildren when she joked she wants 30 ... because it's a nice, round number.

That's when she revealed she just recently found out her 19th grandkid is "in the oven." Caitlyn also revealed she's not very good at math ... because she says that means there's only 10 more to go 'til 30.

Now, to be perfectly clear, this does not mean Kylie's pregnant ... it could be one of Caitlyn's sons who's expecting -- Burt, Brandon or Brody -- or her eldest daughter, Cassandra Marino.

To be fair, it could also be one of the Kardashians -- Kim, Kourtney, Khloe or Rob -- or Kendall Jenner.

As we've reported ... Kourtney says she's not pregnant, but the rumor mill's spinning about Kylie because she's back with Travis Scott and she never showed herself at her birthday party. Plus, she was super secretive about her pregnancy with Stormi ... so fans can't help but speculate.

Here's the official tally of Caitlyn's grandchildren -- 4 from Kim, 3 from Kourtney, 1 each from Rob, Khloe and Kylie, 3 each from Cassandra and Brandon, and 2 from Burt.

The 19th's a mystery for now, though ... stay tuned.

An iconic estate that once belonged to the late Katharine Graham has hit the market for the first time in 50 years ... and it's gonna cost someone a pretty penny.

The Martha's Vineyard property known as "Mohu" sits on 50 acres near the coveted Lambert's Cove. The estate includes a 5-bedroom beach house, 1-bedroom caretaker's cottage, tennis court and also an 860-foot private white sandy beach.

The whole shebang's going for $39,500,000 ... but this is some top-shelf real estate in prime location. The property's surrounded by 3,000 feet of water frontage on James Pond and a network of walking trails that snake through the woods and along the pond.

According to the Vineyard Gazette, which first reported the news, the "Mohu" property was the last piece of land belonging to the Graham family. The estate once spanned across more than 200 acres but, little by little, the family sold off pieces of the land.

Katherine bought the 200-plus acre property in 1972 for -- get this -- a sweet $1.46 mil.

No doubt there's plenty of room to build on the land ... if the new owner needs more living space. There's also tons of privacy. The estate is surrounded by the 186-acre estate that also belonged to the Graham family. That property sold for $32.5 million in 2019.

Katharine, of course, was the Washington Post's primary publisher for more than 2 decades and she played a key role in the Post helping bring down President Nixon in wake of the Watergate scandal. She died in 2001.

Sad and infuriating news out of SeaWorld where a 6-year-old female orca is dead, and the embattled San Diego marine park says it has no clue why.

SeaWorld says the orca, named Amaya, died unexpectedly Thursday with her animal care specialists by her side. The park says she'd shown signs of illness on Wednesday, but at this point they don't have a cause of death ... and won't until a post-mortem exam is complete, and that could take several weeks.

A spokesperson for the park said animal care specialists and veterinarians began treating Amaya immediately on Wednesday, but "despite her care team’s efforts, Amaya’s condition continued to deteriorate. Her death was sudden and unexpected."

The spokesperson described Amaya as "one of the most playful whales in our pod" and that she loved "interacting with her animal care specialists."

SeaWorld's no stranger to controversy over the treatment of its whales and other animals. According to the non-profit Whale and Dolphin Conservation USA ... at least 49 orcas have died at SeaWorld's 3 parks.

The park also came under heavy fire when the 2013 documentary "Blackfish" was released -- and the public pressure led to SeaWorld nixing its breeding program.

The documentary largely focused on the struggles of Tilikum, a male orca that died at 36 in 2017.

Amaya was crucial in helping the park research how a calf develops ... albeit in captivity.

The Weeknd is the proud, new owner of a massive Bel-Air estate, forking over an incredible $70 MILLION to convince the home's prior owners to give it up ... TMZ has confirmed.

Abel was in the market for a new home in the area, and agents Rayni and Branden Williams of the Beverly Hills Estates scoped out the 33,000-square-foot home before reaching out on the singer's behalf ... according to The Wall Street Journal.

We've confirmed the home's prior owners -- Reinout Oerlemans, a Dutch media mogul, and his wife, Danielle Oerlemans -- hadn't planned on selling, but the $70M was too nice to pass up ... and the deal was done off-market.

As for what $70M will get you in Bel-Air? The mega-mansion comes with 9 bedrooms, a spa, indoor and outdoor pools, sports court and a music studio where Abel can keep cranking out hits.

The singer was represented by Angele Salvador in the sale.

In fact the news of the new crib comes just after the singer broke the record for the most consecutive weeks (88) on The Billboard Hot 100 list with his single, "Blinding Lights." "Radio Active" by Imagine Dragons held the previous record.

Azriel Clary -- one of R. Kelly's former girlfriends -- remains steadfast in testifying against him in his federal sex crimes case ... despite what her family describes as attempts to scare her away from going through with it.

Azriel's father, Angelo, tells TMZ ... nobody's forcing his daughter to testify -- it's her decision based on her belief that what Kelly did to her and others is wrong, and she wants to do it for the sake of justice and to show what a monster he truly is.

Problem is, this apparently doesn't sit well with many of the singer's fans. We're told Azriel and her family are the frequent targets of online threats and attacks ... including people posting their contact info and even harassing them at work.

Even scarier ... Azriel's car was set on fire last year, and just months ago a man pled guilty in the case.

For all these reasons and more ... Angelo says his daughter's stress level is high as she prepares for her testimony, but he's adamant Azriel will not back down.

We broke the story ... in early 2020 -- after a falling out with Kelly's other girlfriend at the time, Joycelyn Savage -- Azriel fully removed herself from Kelly's corner and began working with the feds against him.

Now, the time is almost here for her to take the stand, and we're told Azriel's looking forward to showing her strength and telling her truth ... with Kelly watching.

Conor McGregor says he's absolutely crushing his leg rehab ... telling TMZ Sports he's three weeks ahead of schedule!!!

The UFC superstar shared the great news following a visit to the doc's office in L.A. on Thursday ... giddily explaining that he's been cleared to ride a bike nearly a month earlier than medical experts initially expected.

"Five weeks, five days since the surgery and they told me I wouldn't be able to cycle until eight weeks," Conor said. "And, he just told me just here today that I can cycle again!"

It's a very positive update from the 33-year-old ... 'cause back on July 10, he snapped his leg in gruesome fashion in his fight against Dustin Poirier that many believed could alter his life permanently.

You'll recall ... the leg bent in a way no leg every should -- and he needed hours of surgery just days later to repair the damage.

But, Conor's been in great spirits ever since going under the knife ... and he showed us again Thursday that he's genuinely pleased with how the injury is progressing.

"I can cycle again, my man!" Conor said before driving off from his doctor appointment. "Three weeks ahead of schedule!"

As for who he wants to fight when ultimately makes his return ... Conor clearly ain't ahead of schedule in that department -- telling us, "we'll see what happens."

Destiny's Child fans shouldn't lose their breath just yet over rumors the group's getting back together ... because their manager says there's nothing in the works.

Mathew Knowles -- Beyonce's father who's still DC's official manager -- tells TMZ ... as of right now, there are zero plans for the iconic group to reunite, make an album, tour or do anything of the sort.

Knowles says the recent social media updates to Destiny's Child's official accounts that sparked the speculation were just a routine revamping by the record label. If you missed it ... the group's header images were changed, which was enough to get fans going.

We're told Mathew never requested the change -- it was just a random, normal social media-type update.

Adding further fuel to the fire, however, is the fact Beyonce recently said in an interview that new music's coming ... but didn't specify if it would be solo, or with her old groupmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Based on what her Dad tells us it's likely solo, but he adds that the fan response to the Destiny's Child buzz shows there's a huge demand for them to make a comeback ... which he says is "great" and something they will take into account for the future.

An ultra-rare old school Nintendo video game sold for a record price ... and it's all for a good cause.

Here's the deal ... someone donated a factory-sealed copy of Nintendo's "The Legend of Zelda" to a Goodwill in Connecticut, and the nonprofit just sold it through its online auction house for a cool $411,278.

We're told the vintage video game is the most expensive item ever sold on shopgoodwill.com since the website went live way back in 1999, some 13 years AFTER 'Legend of Zelda' came out for the OG Nintendo console.

It's super rare to find a brand new version of a video game from 1986 and 'Zelda' has a cult following ... add it all up and it's a recipe for a record sale.

Gable Steveson could be one step closer to signing with the UFC ... 'cause Dana White tells TMZ Sports he's planning to meet with the Olympic wrestling superstar this weekend in Vegas.

21-year-old Steveson was one of the breakout stars at the 2020 Olympics ... and has expressed interest in everything from the NFL, to WWE, to the UFC.

So, we asked the UFC prez if he had interest in Steveson ... and that's when White revealed he planned to link up with the gold medalist.

"[Gable] will be in town this weekend, and I think we're gonna hook up and talk."

Steveson -- who recently got an offer to train from WWE superstar Seth Rollins -- is gonna be in Sin City for SummerSlam.

FYI, Gable is a BEAST on the mats. He won the NCAA title this year at the University of Minnesota, as well as the championship at the Pan American Games. Gable hasn't lost a single match in 2 years.

But, just 'cause Dana's meeting Gable, doesn't mean a signing is guaranteed.

"Obviously there's a lot of work for him to do before he could make it to the UFC, but we'll see what happens."

If Steveson does ultimately sign a deal with the UFC ... fellow Olympic gold medalist turned UFC double champ Henry Cejudo recently told us he believes Gable -- with 2 or 3 years training -- could beat top heavyweights like Jon Jones and Francis Ngannou.

Either of those fights would be HUGE. But, first step is White and Steveson's Vegas meeting.

Before this sweet smiling kid was shining bright with her talent on the big screen, she was just another brunette girl sittin' next to the seaside in Esher, Surrey, England.

This little lady is a prime example of how dreams really can come true when she starred as the rags to riches princess in the live-action reboot of a Disney fairy tale. Not only did she sing her heart out in this magical film, but she also took center stage in the sequel of a popular musical ... where she played the role of a young Meryl Streep.

Chris Brown's daughter is living the dream -- that's exactly how Royalty's describing the trip she and her mother, Nia Guzman, took to hang at a 'Tiger King' star's wild animal park.

Royalty and Nia hit up the Myrtle Beach Safari Wednesday, and got pretty cozy with the baby animals at Doc Antle's facility during a day and night safari.

Chris' 7-year-old little girl was pretty chill while petting a couple tiger cubs -- she even jumped in a pool with 'em, and was eventually joined by a baby hyena too.

Royalty and Nia both posted a bunch of photos and videos from their adventure, which included encounters with a chimp, some monkeys and an elephant. Royalty captioned one of her videos ... "Living the dream! #SaveTheTigersSaveTheWorld."

The post also gave a shout-out to Doc Antle saying, "We love what you are doing @docantle thank you for these memories!"

Doc, of course, is the same guy who was indicted in Virginia for animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking in October 2020. He called the charges bogus. Most recently ... PETA wanted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate Doc for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

This isn't Royalty's first rodeo with exotic pets. We doubt she remembers -- she was only 3 -- but her dad got into hot water back in 2018 after he posted video of Royalty hanging with a baby Capuchin monkey he owned.

A judge just ruled the woman accusing Trevor Bauer of sexual assault will NOT be allowed to have a permanent restraining order against the MLB star.

The decision came down Thursday morning in an L.A. courtroom after three-plus days of proceedings ... with a judge ordering the temporary restraining order against Bauer must be dissolved.

In announcing her order ... the judge said Bauer "did not exceed limits" that his accuser had set before their two sexual encounters in April and May.

"If she set limits and he exceeded them, this case would be clear," the judge said in the courtroom, according to L.A. Times reporter Steve Henson. "But he did not exceed limits she set."

The judge added, according to Henson, that the injuries the woman suffered during the sexual encounters were "not the result of anything she told [Bauer] she objected to."

The judge also said, per Henson, that Bauer did not pose any potential future threat to the woman.

The decision is obviously a huge win for Bauer -- who's been away from the Dodgers on administrative leave since the temporary restraining order was granted back in June -- though it remains unclear what it means for his potential future in the MLB.

Despite Thursday's ruling, Bauer is still being investigated by the Pasadena Police Dept. to see if he committed any criminal offenses during his encounters with his accuser.

Nicki Minaj's husband, Kenneth Petty, says having his name on New York's Sex Offender Registry has caused him a lot of problems, and the worst part is he never got his day in court to challenge it ... according to new legal docs.

Petty's suing the State of New York and its Criminal Justice Services division to have his name removed from the sex offender's registry, because he claims he never got notice of a hearing about it back in October 2004 while he was incarcerated.

According to the legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the hearing offered an opportunity to challenge the risk level assigned to him -- he was categorized as a level 2 sex offender at the time -- but problem is, Petty claims he never actually got notice of it.

Petty claims the notice of the hearing was sent to an address where he didn't live -- because he was in prison at the time -- and alleges the "Kenny Petty" signature on the bottom is a forgery.

Petty claims whoever did it also answered that he would not be attending the hearing. So, according to the new suit, Petty claims he never got his constitutional right to due process to challenge the risk level assigned to him.

Meek Mill's diving skills need some work. Check that, lots of work.

We're told the "Dreams and Nightmares" rapper took the plunge Wednesday night after he rented out DreamWorks Water Park ... the biggest indoor waterpark in the U.S., located at the American Dream Mall in East Rutherford, NJ. Meek's clearly not ready to take his talents even to a high school swim meet.

All good though ... 'cause Meek flashed a grin ear to ear after coming up to the surface ... laughing off his attempt at gracefully diving into the massive pool.

Meek rented out the space to celebrate rapper Vory's 24th birthday. He's currently signed to Meek's label DreamChasers and Vory's one of the featured artists on Kanye West's "Donda."

Britney Spears is under investigation for an alleged battery on one of her longtime housekeepers during an argument over Britney's dogs, but Britney and her camp say the housekeeper is making it up and the case will go nowhere ... TMZ has learned.

Ventura County Sheriff's deputies were alerted to the incident Monday at Britney's house. According to our law enforcement sources ... the housekeeper told cops she had taken one of Brit's dogs to the vet, claiming there were issues with the treatment of the pet.

We're told the housekeeper claims Britney confronted her when she got back from the vet, they argued about the dog's wellness -- and then Britney allegedly slapped the housekeeper's phone out of her hands.

The housekeeper initially called deputies to the house, but then went to a Sheriff's station to file a report. Our sources say deputies attempted to get in touch with Britney to get her side of the story, but she would not speak with them ... but that's not unusual. Most lawyers would advise a client not to have such a discussion.

Now, a source connected to Britney denies there was any physical altercation, and claims the Sheriff's Dept. assured Brit's camp the case would go nowhere.