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Meghan Markle's friend is speaking out about her state of mind after the shocking child porn allegations made against her father, Thomas Markle Sr. ... saying she feels a "real sense of relief" over the investigation.

A friend of the Duchess -- who reportedly gave her blessing to her pal to speak on the matter -- told The Sun ... "As a mum of young children herself, she is utterly devastated by all of this. Above all, her thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed. Their welfare and protection have to come first."

The pal added ... "After so many years of living with deeply troubling concerns, there is also a real sense of relief that these matters are now being properly investigated."

Drake was very much in his feelings as he discovered that the Backstreet Boys would be performing at his 40th birthday ... and video shows him totally geeking out while singing alongside the legendary boy band.

In one clip ... the rapper exclaimed, "Oh my God," as the Backstreet Boys walked on stage ... before smiling wildly, laughing and pointing at the boy band as they took the stage.

In another clip obtained by TMZ ... Backstreet Boy Kevin Richardson described how he connected with the rapper before this special performance as the rapper embraced the bandmates.

9:58 AM PT -- Podcast host Brandi Kruse tells TMZ that she and others were at the Portland Thorns game last night to protest another person they say was previously kicked out for wearing the XX-XY apparel. Brandi claims that she was assaulted, hit with flag poles, had beer poured on her, and screamed at.

She said ... "One woman, a 57-year-old, was pushed over two rows of seating by a male fan."

She added ... "I am stunned over how the stadium handled it. At no point did they offer an explanation as to why we were being removed."

Brandi Kruse claims she was forcibly kicked out of a National Women's Soccer League game ... all over an XX-XY logo emblazoned on her shirt.

The confrontation went down at last night's Portland Thorns game ... where the "unDivided" host said she was asked to leave because of the shirt.

In a video she posted on Instagram Friday night ... Brandi was told by a security guard she had to leave and Brandi flat-out refused.

Karoline Leavitt came to the defense of recently fired White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, calling it a "very tough job" and giving her credit for trying it out while comparing her situation to an episode of President Trump's former TV show, "The Apprentice."

Leavitt -- who was Trump's press secretary before Zacharia -- sat down with Bill Maher on his show, "Real Time With Bill Maher," ... and at one point during their convo, they turned to the subject of Zacharia's firing.

Leavitt pointed out that being a press secretary is a "very tough job" ... and that some say, "it's one of the hardest jobs in Washington."

Jeffrey Epstein, a college dropout with marginal social skills, ingratiated himself with the richest, most powerful men in the world by using the almighty dollar ... along with extravagant perks.

Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, former Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz, and many others were seduced into Epstein's orbit, and in a new documentary -- "TMZ Studios Presents Jeffrey Epstein: The Devil's Rolodex" streaming on YouTube -- we dig deep to expose his masterful con.

Of course, good ol' fashioned blackmail was also a tried-and-true tool Epstein used.

Drake started from the bottom ... now he's hit the big 4-0! And what better way to celebrate the iconic artist's major milestone than with some absolutely shredded shots?!

As you know, the rapper loves showing off his ripped physique ... so this felt like the only appropriate way to ring in his big day!

Come on ... check out those abs! We can't wait for another year of Drizzy's sexy selfies.

When stars step out in eerily alike looks this spooky season, it’s time to settle the ultimate style showdown: Which celeb rocked it best?!

Valkyrae and QTCinderella .... and Kalita Hon and Sophie Silva are four fierce celebs who nailed their princess 'fits, but which duo is getting your vote?!

The Victoria's Secret Angels were the talk of the town this month, and Sami Sheen and Adelaine Morin brought their own angelic energy to the runway ... but who served up their wings best?

Chuck Liddell's seen enough of fighters throwing punches at the podium ... The Iceman tells TMZ Sports it's time for the athletes to grow the hell up!

"Someone's gonna get hurt. The problem is there are a lot of capable fighters there. The wrong thing happens to the wrong person, someone's gonna get hurt," Liddell said. "It's not gonna be good."

Of course, Chuck's referencing the wild incident with Arman Tsarukyan and Dillon Danis at a RAF 14 presser in Sin City on Thursday ... which quickly got out of hand.

President Trump goes to bat for Vivek Ramaswamy's outrageous political ad, and calls out Lebron James for dissing the National Anthem. Plus, Christina Applegate's shocking MS revelation and Diddy's new prison life. So, we gotta ask ...

Ain't nothin' wrong with a lil' friendly family competition -- especially when it's between "The Terminator, Arnold Schwarzenegger and stallion of a son, Patrick Schwarzenegger.

The father-son duo hit the kitchen counter for a pumpkin carving competition -- both dudes rockin' hats and cozy-wear.

If you watched "White Lotus" you may recall Patrick showin' some stem.

Can you spot the sneaky switches made to these two pumpkin pics?!

Drake celebrated his milestone 40th birthday in a big way, taking over New York City with an extravagant bash featuring a surprise performance by the Backstreet Boys, luxury giveaways, and massive cash prizes ... TMZ has learned.

Sources at the party tell TMZ ... the rapper hosted more than 400 of his closest friends and family at the exclusive Cipriani 42nd Street in NYC Friday for an unforgettable night, with the iconic boy band taking the stage to entertain the crowd.

We’re told Drake spared no expense when it came to his guests … with attendees treated to luxury giveaways, including designer handbags from Chanel and Hermès.

Charlotte Flair is putting fans at ease after her dad, Ric Flair, took a nasty tumble.

The wrestler took to social media to give a lighthearted update on his condition, writing ... "Not my dad telling the doctor he fell bc of warrior dropping him on his head... (p.s. he's going to be okay)."

The good news comes after Ric had a troubling incident in Florida Friday ... he got up from the bar at Wagamama, walked across the street, and fell on his face.

My Chemical Romance better not mess with Texas ... because the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders are dragging them to court ... and it's all because the rock band is trotting out dancers who are dressed like the famous cheer squad.

Powerhouse lawyer Alex Spiro beelined it to court Friday and filed for an injunction against My Chemical Romance ... he's repping the company that owns the DCC brand -- Pro Silver Star -- and he wants a judge to put the kibosh on one major aspect of their tour performance -- backup dancers dressed up like Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders.

Footage from recent concerts shows My Chemical Romance performing as backup dancers dressed in DCC's famous getup, waving pom-poms on stage. The cheerleaders arm themselves with prop guns and pretend to protect the band from militarized forces -- they engage in a fake firefight.

Meghan Markle said police had shared a disturbing letter with her in 2018 about allegations against her father, Thomas Markle Sr. ... but Metropolitan police say they never investigated him.

A Met spokesperson told Page Six is "aware of media reports" that their Royalty and Specialist Protection Command passed along the letter to Meghan, but they're "undertaking inquiries internally in an effort to confirm this."

Essentially, they seem to be saying they're just looking into the letter now because they didn't know about it.

Actress Olivia d’Abo says she’s having a not-so-wonderful year … she just filed for a restraining order against her neighbor, claiming he’s been harassing her over her trash cans.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ, the “Wonder Years” actress says her neighbor’s been harassing her since June, claiming she believes he’s been him her garbage bins from the street to halfway up her driveway.

She claims the neighbor’s been intentionally positioning the bins across her driveway to block her from leaving, forcing her to get out of her car and move them out of the way.

Collin Gosselin believes his sister Hannah Gosselin is trying to get ahead of damaging revelations about their mom, Kate Gosselin, in an upcoming Netflix documentary ... claiming Hannah has already backed up his allegations of abuse.

During a Thursday appearance on "The View," Collin claimed Hannah opened up about their childhood while filming the documentary, including allegedly corroborating his claims against their mother and sharing her own experiences.

Collin says he believes Hannah is now attempting "pre-damage control" ahead of the documentary's release because of pressure from Kate.