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LeVar Burton might still be the fan favorite to take over as the permanent host of "Jeopardy!" following Mike Richards' exit, but he's never been seriously considered for the role ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us ... Sony Studios execs loved the "Reading Rainbow" star as a guest host, but they didn't think he was the right fit for the daily syndicated quiz show ... and the same can be said about almost all the other guest hosts.

As we first told you ... "Jeopardy!" honchos wanted Mayim Bialik to replace Alex Trebek as the sole host, but her busy schedule wouldn't allow it, so EP Richards got the daily gig. Of course, now they want her even more.

Our sources say Mayim and Mike were the ONLY guest hosts who had talks with Sony about hosting full-time ... so LeVar getting snubbed wasn't personal, and he wasn't alone.

However, we're told Sony did speak with LeVar about other projects outside of the "Jeopardy!" brand ... and those opportunities are still a possibility.

Sources close to LeVar tell us ... he has no hard feelings -- he got his shot at guest hosting, which is what he really wanted, and he gave it his all.

We're told he's fine with Sony's decision and is moving on ... which is a lot more than he had to say Tuesday about the "Jeopardy!" drama.

Our LeVar sources say he's had multiple other networks and Hollywood execs contact him about projects they can create with him ... including one with Ava DuVernay.

Dell Curry says his estranged wife, Sonya, cheated on him with a former New England Patriots tight end ... and then lied to him about it.

It's all spelled out in court docs, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which Steph Curry's father says Sonya is, and has been, dating Steven Johnson -- a 6th-round pick in the 1988 NFL Draft.

In the docs, Dell says Sonya "began her extramarital affair with Mr. Johnson during the marriage and prior to the date of separation, and she lied to [Dell] each time she cheated on him."

Dell, in the docs, says Sonya is actually living with Johnson in Tennessee ... and claims she should not be entitled to alimony because of it.

For her part, Sonya said in responding documents that she is NOT living with Johnson -- claiming she's currently living on her own because Dell will not allow her to live at their home.

Sonya added that she is, however, currently in a dating relationship ... but denied cheating on Dell, saying the relationship began "months after" she and Dell agreed to legally separate in March 2020.

Sonya also said Dell cheated on her during the marriage ... claiming he hooked up with different women, and that family and close friends knew about it.

As we previously reported, Sonya -- who married Dell in 1988 -- filed for divorce back on June 14.

Johnson, meanwhile, was a solid player for Virginia Tech from 1984 to 1987, playing in 44 games while piling up 1,058 receiving yards and 8 receiving TDs.

The 56-year-old went on to play just one year for the Pats, starting 3 games in the 1988 season.

According to Johnson's business page, he's a fan of "road racing, fishing, golf, and travel."

The baby from Nirvana's famous "Nevermind" album art is all grown up ... and now he's suing the band for child sexual exploitation.

A man named Spencer Elden claims he's the naked baby famously pictured in a swimming pool on Nirvana's groundbreaking 1991 album cover ... and he's suing the band, its surviving members and Kurt Cobain's estate, 30 years after the album dropped.

According to a new federal lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Elden claims he could not consent to his image being used on the album art way back in the day, because he was only a 4-month-old baby ... and says his legal guardians didn’t consent to it either.

Elden's going even further ... in his suit, he claims the image is actually child pornography. He also claims the band made a promise to cover his genitals with a sticker but it was never incorporated on the album cover.

According to the docs, Elden claims Kurt, Dave Grohl and the rest of the band failed to protect and prevent him from being sexually exploited ... and he says having his naked baby body plastered on a famous album caused him to suffer lifelong damages.

Elden's going after the band, Kurt's estate and others for damages ... and he wants them to each cough up at least $150,000.

We reached out to reps for Nirvana and Kurt's estate ... so far, no word back.

Well that was fast -- OnlyFans has reversed course and will no longer be banning sexually explicit content on its platform starting October 1 ... after outcry from its creators and the general public.

The content subscription service -- where many sex workers make their living -- just made the announcement, saying ... "Thank you to everyone for making your voices heard. We have secured assurances necessary to support our diverse creator community and have suspended the planned October 1 policy change."

As we reported ... OnlyFans blamed its planned porn ban on conflicts with banking partners and payout providers -- suggesting they'd no longer do business with the site due to the sexual content -- but it seems those issues have been resolved.

OnlyFans adds that it "stands for inclusion and we will continue to provide a home for all creators."

That's definitely good news to creators like Maitland Ward -- who called the porn ban a "cowardly" -- and Courtney Tillia -- a former teacher who's become an OnlyFans star -- who can keep raking in the big bucks for the foreseeable future ... and keep making their subscribers happy.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are all in on being a couple ... because now they're wearing matching clothes ... yes, the dreaded matching clothes!!!

Check out these pics of Ben and J Lo hitting up Westfield Mall in L.A. for a Tuesday afternoon shopping spree ... they're dressed up super nice for a midday adventure, and it looks like they're coordinating outfits.

To be specific ... Ben and Jen are both rocking dark sunglasses, black tops, grey bottoms, ice on their wrists and black shoes. Even J Lo's black bag is matching her boo's look.

Bennifer 2.0 is also walking in lockstep, holding hands ... almost like they've done this whole couple thing before.

Matt Damon is tired of playing hardball - the dude wants out of California ... and is offering his house at a significant discount toward that end.

Matt slashed the asking price of his massive Pacific Palisades mansion -- which sat on the market since January at $21 million. Now, he’s taken $3.1 mil off the top ... and is listing it for $17.9 mil.

Here’s hoping the reduction helps, ‘cause the dude and his fam seem to wanna get a move on with their lives in NYC -- where they recently snapped up a luxury duplex ... and where they seem to be restarting.

The house itself is a beaut -- and at $17.9M ($3 million more than what MD paid in 2013) ... it's a gotta have, right?

The house has 7 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, and all the special touches you can imagine. There’s a climate-controlled wine cellar, a wine-tasting room, a massage room, a private gym, a pool and even a children’s den.

Billy Crystal and his wife's public support for Gov. Gavin Newsom was halted after a thief made off with a yard sign outside the actor's home ... and now police are investigating.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there has been a rash of political signs being stolen from homes in Pacific Palisades, and Billy's place was among those that got hit.

We're told the signs being yanked out of lawns were all in support of Newsom and against the recall effort.

Our sources say Billy's wife, Janice, was pissed about the sign being stolen and told neighbors about it ... and they eventually got the case looped into a larger investigation by the LAPD.

The good news? We checked out Billy and Janice's place on Tuesday, and they've got a new sign proudly displayed outside.

As you know, Newsom is facing a recall effort, squaring off against a wide range of candidates including celebs like Caitlyn Jenner. The Republican leading the pack is conservative talk show host Larry Elder.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are chipping in to help those in the hardest-hit areas of Haiti following the devastating earthquake earlier this month.

TMZ's learned the couple sent a donation of $10,000 to Hope for Haiti to aid in the country's quake relief efforts, which has been an ongoing struggle in Southwestern Haiti since the 7.2-magnitude quake hit on August 14.

We're told Blake and Ryan's donation will be used to set up mobile clinics in the communities where there's the most need, as determined by the Ministry of Health.

In addition ... the org will use the money to cover distribution costs to continue to deliver dry food and warm meals -- donated by World Central Kitchen -- to families in these hard-hit areas in Southern Haiti.

There's also a big push to get emergency kits packed up and distributed soon ... so more donations are needed. The good news is Hope for Haiti is awaiting some big shipments of emergency relief and medical supplies from large U.S. companies like Amazon and Americares very soon, but distributing to those who need them remains a challenge.

Maitland Ward's railing on OnlyFans for "cowardly" banning porn from its platform, but despite the impending move, she's still raking it in big time.

We got Maitland leaving The Maybourne Hotel in Bev. Hills Tuesday and she told us business is booming -- she's been making six figures a month since the subscription-based platform announced it's banning sexually explicit content October 1.

Fact is ... Maitland says her subscribers are willing to support her and others in her situation who are now wondering what they'll do to supplement the bulk of their income.

Maitland's advice ... stay put. She says while folks in situations like hers are exploring alternatives, the only move to make right now is ... don't.

Maitland's pissed at OnlyFans ... calling them cowards for caving to pressure from banking partners and payout providers. She, like many others, can't fathom how OnlyFans is now punting sex workers out of the platform built on their backs. Maitland is convinced ... OnlyFans will regret the move ... big time.

Pennsylvania native Billy Blanks was only a kid when he began his life-long dedication to martial arts ... but it wasn't until he started selling the wildly popular VHS workout series "Billy Blanks Tae Bo" that his career really started to kick into high gear.

Blanks didn't stop there ... he worked his way into some epic action films including "Lionheart," "Bloodfist," "The Last Boy Scout" and many more!

BB continues to motivate people to get up and move with both in-person training sessions and online workouts like Boom Boxing and even 1-on-1 private lessons.

Sonya Curry -- Steph and Seth Curry's mom -- says estranged husband Dell Curry cheated on her with different women while married ... and she had no choice but to divorce the ex-NBA star.

But, Dell's telling a different story ... saying Sonya cheated during the relationship.

TMZ Sports broke the news ... 55-year-old Sonya filed for divorce on June 14 in North Carolina, citing Dell's "marital misconduct."

Dell responded with a court filing of his own, accusing Sonya of "acts of illicit sexual misconduct" prior to their separation, and then lying about the alleged incidents.

He also says she is now living with another man ... claiming that should prevent her from collecting alimony.

But, now Sonya is firing back ... admitting she's in a dating relationship with another man, but saying it didn't start until months after she and Dell agreed to legally separate.

She also notes she is NOT living with the man ... but rather alone because Dell refused to allow her to stay in their home.

And, then she dropped the hammer ... saying it was actually Dell who was unfaithful, hooking up with different women while married.

To make matters worse, Sonya says Dell's infidelity was known to family and close friends ... saying it was basically an open secret.

Sonya claims she didn't initially expose the lurid details "in one final act of trying to protect [Dell] and family from possible public exposure and scrutiny."

Sonya says once Dell publicly accused her of being unfaithful "she was left with no choice" but to fire back in defense of herself.

Letitia Wright is still part of the 'Black Panther' franchise despite her anti-vax controversy and rumors she wouldn't be in the sequel ... and she's already filming scenes.

Letitia and Danai Gurira were on location this weekend at MIT campus in Cambridge, MA shooting scenes for the upcoming movie, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

The duo was in full costume, chatting in between scenes as they leaned up against a black sports car.

The pics put to bed speculation Letitia was getting left out of the sequel in the wake of her recent controversy.

Remember ... she was accused of being an anti-vaxxer just this past December, and folks wondered if there was bad blood between her and Marvel, or perhaps Disney at large.

As we reported ... rumblings Letitia was being left behind grew louder last month, when Michaela Coel joined the cast for the sequel.

Kanye West is no more -- that is, if he gets his way, and a judge grants him an official name change ... to something much more to the point.

KW just filed legal docs in L.A. ... asking a court to give him a new moniker in the books -- going from Kanye Omari West to simply, "Ye." Yes, the nickname he's gone by for years and years now ... dude wants that to be what Uncle Sam knows him by going forward.

Unclear what might go into the review process for this ... but it seems pretty clear. If a judge signs off, then Kanye as you know him is a goner. It'll be all Ye ... all day.  Fact is, in California, unless there's evidence a name change is designed to commit fraud or other shenanigans ... the judge will approve it.  So, this will get a sign off by the judge.

It's interesting -- Kanye also wants to drop the "West" from his persona altogether too ... which is kinda odd, considering he's shown pride in his family heritage -- and has often even called himself (both in person and in song) Mr. West. That too will be nixed if he gets the green light.

Funny enough ... Kim still has "West" in her own surname -- this after the couple filed for divorce.

Andrew Cuomo is no longer the Governor of New York, and now ... he's no longer an Emmy Award winner either.

The disgraced ex-governor has been stripped of his special 2020 international Emmy in wake of the sexual harassment scandal that led to his recent resignation.

The decision to rescind the award was handed down Tuesday by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, in wake of him leaving office following the New York AG's report that substantiated allegations of Cuomo's misconduct.

The International Academy adds ... "His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy material going forward."

Cuomo -- who officially resigned as Gov. Monday -- was bestowed the Founders Award at the 48th International Emmys in November for his daily, almost ubiquitous COVID-19 press briefings beginning in March 2020 ... in recognition of his "effective use of television during the pandemic."

He's not the first person to lose such an award for similar reasons -- the same thing happened to Kevin Spacey following allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017.

However, on the movie side of things, Roman Polanski won an Oscar for Best Director in 2003 for "The Pianist" after he pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. Polanski received a standing ovation for winning the award, yet wasn't even allowed in the country to accept it. It was never taken away.

As we reported ... Cuomo resigned following NY State's harassment probe but denied any criminal activity.

One of the two women interviewed by Gayle King back in 2019 is now on the witness stand in R. Kelly's criminal case ... and she's claiming he was controlling them right then and there during the interview.

The witness -- who's only being ID'd as Jane Doe right now -- testified Tuesday in a federal court in Brooklyn as his case gets underway ... telling the jury that Kelly was pulling the strings as Gayle asked both her and another live-in GF questions.

She says Kelly would cough on set that day to keep them on script as the taping went on -- all in an effort, she alleges, to make sure they backed his denials.

The woman also claims Kelly made sure they weren't allowed to watch the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries. She says they had to immediately change the channel anytime it came on TV.

Not just that, but the witness went on to testify Kelly promised to promote her music career when they first got together but offered nothing in the end. She claims he once punished her by making her have sex with a guy nicknamed "Nephew" as Kelly watched in the room. The woman says Kelly told her "Nephew" had been "groomed" from a young age too.

Megan Thee Stallion claims her own record label is trying like hell to block the release of her newest song ... and she's running to a court for help.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Meg claims her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and its honcho, former MLB star Carl Crawford, are doing everything they can to stop her from putting out a new song with BTS.

In the docs, MTS says she's the featured artist on a remix to the K-pop group's popular "Butter" track ... saying it's supposed to drop Friday, unless her label is able to block it.

Meg believes if released, "Butter" will help to expand her international fanbase, thanks to BTS' massive brand. She claims 1501 told her they don't believe the song would be good for her recording career -- but she says that excuse is just a cover -- and deep down the label is trying to shake her down for 6-figures and force her to pay them to sign off on the song's release.

Megan's been down this road before ... she's pissed about the contract she signed with the label back when she was only 20, and just last year she accused the label of blocking her from releasing new music because she wanted to renegotiate the deal.

She ended up getting an order from the court to prohibit 1501 and Crawford from blocking the release of her new music ... and she says they're violating that order.

In the docs, Megan claims her label is putting up roadblocks to stifle her artistry and hurt her career ... and she wants a judge to step in so she can release the track on time.