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PETA's all about protecting animals ... even the manmade ones apparently -- 'cause they fired off a letter to a Kansas company imploring them to stop putting critters on carousels.

The notorious animal rights activist group directed the letter to Aaron Landrum, the president and CEO of Chance Rides -- one of the largest manufacturers of amusement rides in the U.S.

In the letter, PETA has one plea ... take animals off carousels and replace them with vehicles -- like your basic car or even a freakin' rocket -- or whimsical designs like shooting stars and broomsticks.

The org. argues that putting animals -- even fake ones -- in a position where children can ride them celebrates "the exploitation of sentient beings" though PETA recognizes it's an entirely unintentional consequence.

Their letter points to alleged abuse toward real-life animals they fear will be spurred on by the continued existence of animal-themed carousels ... basically concerned these carousels "reinforce the notion" that animals are here for our pleasure instead of holding any emotions or inner lives of their own.

PETA flaunts its record a bit in this correspondence as well ... saying Trader Joe's and Nabisco -- among other companies -- have changed branding in recent years to remove pictures of animals in captivity after similar pleas from them.

Tish Cyrus says she encouraged her ex, Billy Ray Cyrus, to star in "Hannah Montana" 'cause she thought it would bring them together -- a hope we now know didn't pan out in the long run.

The 56-year-old reflected on how the Disney Channel series impacted their family on a new "Call Her Daddy" episode, saying she saw the show as a double whammy ... a chance to move Billy's career forward -- it had hit a wall after his 1992 hit "Achy Breaky Heart" -- and a chance to make them a strong family unit.

Tish explained that a lightbulb went off in her head when 'Hannah' casting directors joked they "couldn't afford" Billy for the show during Miley's audition ... prompting her to jump in and tell them the idea wasn't too far-fetched.

She then turned to Billy, urging him to audition, and while she knew it would be a pay cut for him, it meant their family would be together again.

At that time, the whole Cyrus family, including their 5 children, had been living in Toronto, where Billy was filming another show -- and Tish was stressing over the thought of constantly traveling back and forth between Canada and L.A. for Miley's new starring role -- so getting Billy on the series was a golden opportunity.

Tish's reflection on "Hannah Montana" clearly appears to be more on the "what could have been" scale, but Billy Ray remembers it much differently ... telling GQ in 2011, the show "destroyed my family."

11:11 AM PT -- Leah Remini took to X to weigh in on the viral comparison saying, "I am screaming! And loving all the tweets! This perimenopausal woman will take any and all comparisons to the beautiful Beyoncé!"

Beyoncé reigns over her Beyhive ... but a new wax figure has social media thinking of Queens, New York, instead of the international pop sensation.

Here's the deal ... Madame Tussauds Blackpool, over in the UK, unveiled a statue of a pair of singer-songwriters Wednesday -- Beyoncé and Lady Gaga. While Gaga's recreation received little in the way of reaction, Beyoncé's had fans doing a double-take.

The general consensus ... Bey's life-size statue looks less like the 32-time Grammy winner and more like actress Leah Remini.

Check it out ... the statue's wearing a classic Bey outfit, and they captured her hair pretty well, but the face does seem to share some striking features with Leah -- and folks on social media were confused once they realized it's not supposed to be LR.

FWIW ... stuff like this happens semi-frequently with Madame Tussauds -- like Dwayne Johnson's statue racking up Vin Diesel comparisons or Lil Wayne blasting his own likeness.

Basically, it seems hella difficult to work with wax and even tougher to appease hordes of fans .... so, sometimes a Queen ends up looking like "The King of Queens" wife!

No word on whether Bey's seen the statue ... or if a Jay-Z/Kevin James wax mashup is on its way!

Mo'Nique made a lot of claims on Shannon Sharpe's podcast -- but one she followed up on with receipts includes a story about on-set movie trailers that she claims "blew up."

The comedian/actress told this alleged anecdote on "Club Shay Shay" Wednesday about the 2016 film 'Almost Christmas' that she filmed alongside Danny Glover, Omar Epps, JB Smoove, Kimberly Elise, and others ... a production she insisted was rife with danger.

Long story short ... Mo'Nique suggested producer Will Packer -- a Hollywood big shot behind tons of comedies/shows in recent years -- was cutting corners and ignoring warning signs during production of 'AC' -- even alleging he turned a blind eye when someone notified him the cast had been smelling gas near some of their trailers, where they got dressed, etc.

Obviously, it's a major allegation -- and in the moment of her recounting it on the pod ... she promised she'd post "evidence" of it afterward, which she then did later in the day.

Mo'Nique threw up a clip Wednesday that seems to show exactly what she was talking about -- namely, a movie set trailer all burnt up and damaged with firefighters surveying the scene. She didn't provide more details/info on whose trailer, specifically, this was ... or what exactly led up to the destroyed trailer, but on its face -- it appears to back up her story.

She writes, "HEY MY SWEET BABIES HERE ARE OUR TRAILERS FROM ALMOST XMAS THAT I SPOKE ABOUT ON CLUB SHAY SHAY DON’T TAKE MY WORD, SEE FOR YOURSELF. I LOVE US 4REAL." Based on the comments, it sounds like folks believe her.

This is just one of MANY allegations Mo'Nique floated on 'CSS' ... which dredged up old feuds between herself, Oprah, Tyler Perry, and others that she's been involved in for years.

Unclear if she's going to post more "evidence" -- like an alleged audio recording of TC that she says she has -- but ya gotta imagine she's ready to drop stuff at a moment's notice.

Patrick Mahomes has graced the cover of Sports Illustrated countless times, but it's his wife who's getting the shine now -- Brittany was just named a rookie for the publication's swimsuit issue.

S.I. and Brittany shared the big news on Thursday ... showing the Kansas City Chiefs partner sporting several red one-pieces and bikinis during a photoshoot in Belize.

S.I. Swim editor M.J. Day addressed the decision to feature the famous WAG this year ... saying, "Owner of the Kansas City Current NWSL team, former pro athlete, wife and mother, Brittany emerges as the epitome of a modern-day powerhouse."

"Founder of the world’s first ever dedicated stadium for women’s sports, Brittany’s journey has surpassed all expectations, inspiring others with her tenacity and unyielding determination. We are proud to welcome her to the SI Swimsuit family where she will undoubtedly continue to empower women worldwide."

Brittany -- who married Patrick in 2022 -- also spoke out on the honor ... calling it a dream come true and hoping her spread inspires women all over.

"I want people to know that they can accomplish anything, even things you never thought would be possible in your wildest dreams," the mother of two said.

It's huge for the family ... and comes just days before Patrick's huge Super Bowl matchup against the San Francisco 49ers.

Taylor Swift is pulling a Donna Kelce in the BS department -- telling her fans that she had a backup plan to announce her album if she didn't win at the Grammys ... OK, Tay Tay. 🙄

The singer relayed this sentiment to her Tokyo fans Wednesday night during performance #1 of her 4-show slate -- and yes, she claims she would've saved the news for Japan if things hadn't worked out for her at the award show this past weekend.

Taylor explains she'd only told a select few people about her album at that point -- including her producer, Jack Antonoff -- and then said ... "OK, if I’m lucky enough to get up there and win one thing tonight, I’m just gonna do it. I’m just gonna announce my new album."

She may well be telling the truth here ... but if we're being honest, it sounds like she's being a little insincere in the sense that she makes it seem like her winning at the Grammys wasn't a sure thing ... 'cause truth be told, it absolutely was, and T-Swift probably knew it.

In other words, Taylor is overplaying the modesty card -- which she actually channeled on Sunday night when she won Album of the Year for "Midnights" ... seemingly feigning surprise.

Anyway, TS continued to lay it on thick during Wednesday night's show ... telling the audience, "And luckily enough, that ended up happening ... thanks to you and your support, I was lucky enough to win a Grammy and tell you about it onstage at the Grammys. And now we can talk about it afterward, we can do like a debrief tonight."

Of course, her fans ate it up and cheered her on -- but again, this is very much so in the same vein as what Donna suggested just earlier in the day ... that she didn't know where she'd be sitting at the Super Bowl, and that she didn't think she'd be in a private suite.

BTW, Travis himself seems to be on this train too ... he made it seem like he didn't know what country Taylor was performing in ... before correctly saying it was in Tokyo.

An Ohio truck driver is lucky to be alive after his 18-wheeler got crushed by a speeding railroad train as he dashed away in a nick of time!

The dramatic, near-death collision involving the large train and big rig was captured on video Wednesday morning in the small village of Versailles, OH.

Check it out ... the driver of the semi-truck pulled up to the tracks, stopping in the path of the oncoming train. Simultaneously, the electronic safety barrier was lowering with its arm hitting the top of the truck in a jerky motion.

The driver suddenly realized the truck cabin was about to get hit by the train screaming toward him at a high rate of speed.

Quickly, he tried to put the truck in reverse to get out of harm's way, but it was too late.

So, he jumped out of the cabin, pausing for a moment next to the truck before turning and running for his life.

Moments later, the train barreled into the cab, completely demolishing the front end of the truck. As the train made impact, you can hear two men filming the incident react in horror, blurting out, "Oh no! Oh no!"

Miraculously, no one was seriously injured. The Village of Versailles Ohio Emergency Medical Service issued a statement, explaining that "all occupants of the semi and train were accounted for and uninjured." Paramedics evaluated two people at the scene and released them without further medical assistance.

Taylor Swift recently unloaded one of her private jets -- and at least one of the new owners is linked to a well-known company ... specializing in cars.

Here's the deal ... FAA records show that Taylor sold a Dassault Falcon 900 jet that's been in her possession for years -- since 2009, in fact -- and the transaction was completed at the end of last month ... with a new owner listed as some mysterious, soulless LLC.

As it turns out, however, this LLC that now owns Taylor's jet isn't so random after all ... it appears to be linked to CarShield -- specifically, a bigwig of the auto protection company.

The LLC in question is called Triangle Real Estate, and it's incorporated in Missouri -- dating back to 2006 -- with a man named Nicholas Hamilton named as a former officer of the company.

On its own, that info might not reveal too much about the new owner -- however, the FAA has the new owner's address listed as a CarShield call center out in St. Peters, MO.

And, as it turns out ... Nick Hamilton is the CEO of CarShield.

So, just to recap ... the new listed owner of Taylor's jet is an LLC linked to CarShield's CEO -- and the new listed address of the current jet owner goes right to a CarShield office. Coincidence??? Something tells us it ain't. One thing, though, Nick has a partner in the LLC ... so, she'll likely be enjoying some PJ flights, too.

The actual sale price isn't disclosed publicly, but a new one of these jets goes for around $40 million on the open market.

Elon Musk and Mark Cuban are far from friends, but they are united on one front, that's NOT betting on Super Bowl Sunday ... because, as you might've figured, they're not big on burning money.

TMZ reached out to both mega billionaires days leading up to the big game, and we got shockingly similar responses from each guy -- no, they won't bet on the Super Bowl ... and, in fact, they say they don't bet on sports at all.

Elon tells TMZ there are "plenty of other risky things going on" ... so it sounds like he might be taking other risks with his cash -- he did gamble $44 billion on X (née Twitter) after all.

As for Mark ... he told us he's not allowed to bet on NBA games because of his ownership stake in the Dallas Mavericks. While he doesn't know if that betting extends to the NFL, he'd rather skip any "potential hassle" altogether. Smart move.

Cubes noted that betting money, IF you can afford to lose it, can be fun and the uber-competitive billionaire does love to win ... it's just not something he'll be doing on Sunday.

MC also tells us he's not attending the Super Bowl, but he'll be watching and rooting for the Chiefs ... unsurprising, given how complimentary he was of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's relationship when news of it first broke.

BTW ... Elon and Mark being aligned on anything is pretty wild news in and of itself -- they've been in a very public feud, with Elon calling Mark a "racist" last month for supporting diversity, equity, and inclusion hiring practices and challenging him to a MMA fight.

Cuban defended his stance on DEI, and called X Elon's "little echo chamber" ... a savage blow, considering Musk touts the platform as a paragon of free speech.

Bottom line, Musk and Cuban are saving their money this Super Bowl Sunday -- bad news for bookies, no doubt.

Rick Harrison and his "Pawn Stars" crew are looking to capitalize on the Super Bowl coming to town -- their shop's hawking some championship rings from recent Super Bowls.

The good folks at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, featured on the reality show, tell TMZ ... they're selling a Super Bowl ring from the 2007 New York Giants for $77,500.

The '07 Giants beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII ... ruining the Patriots' undefeated season. This SB ring was owned by a team staffer, and it's made by Tiffany & Co.

Gold & Silver Pawn shop also has a ring from the 2021 Los Angeles Rams in its possession ... and it's going for a much more affordable $20,000. The Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in LVI on the strength of a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp in the final minutes.

The Rams championship ring is also from a team staffer, and we're told it's on sale for less than the Giants ring because there are way more NYG fans than Rams fans ... and Giants SB rings historically sell for higher prices than Rams rings.

Rick tells TMZ ... they get a lot of inquiries about their sports championship rings, but interest in Super Bowl rings is always higher around the Big Game.

With Super Bowl LVIII going down in Vegas, Rick is hoping Giants and Rams fans win big money gambling this weekend. He says, "I'm guessing we might find them at our door once they wake up from celebrating Sunday night looking to own a ring from their favorite team."

Gold & Silver Pawn is also selling AFC Championship rings previously owned by NFL players ... including one from the 2011 Patriots for $32,500, and another from the 1989 Denver Broncos for $40,000.

It's worth noting ... player rings are a little different than staff rings, and player rings are more valuable, and thus, come with higher price tags.

Brett Favre says he was concerned for his good pal Toby Keith in the days leading up to the country music star's death ... telling TMZ Sports that after speaking recently with the musician, he could tell the guy was simply exhausted.

The former Green Bay Packers quarterback said he gave Keith a ring just two weeks ago to check in on him ... after he noticed the 62-year-old didn't look so hot following some December performances in Las Vegas.

Favre -- who told us he would call Keith every three-or-so months following his stomach cancer diagnosis -- said the "Red Solo Cup" crooner complained about the damage chemotherapy had done to his body during ... before adding that Keith seemed fatigued.

"I think in the end," Favre said, "he was just tired."

"He did say that to me when we had our conversation," the Hall of Famer continued. "He said, 'Brett, whatever happens, I'm OK with it.'"

Keith ended up passing away days later, on Feb. 5, while surrounded by his family.

Favre -- who first befriended Keith at a concert near Lambeau Field back in the 90s -- was heartbroken over the news ... though he was clearly proud of how Keith battled in his final days.

"He handled it with grace and faith and family," Favre said, "and stood up to the cancer about as good as you can."

Favre then recalled some of his favorite memories with Keith -- which included several fun trips around golf courses.

"I can't remember a good or a bad shot he hit," Favre said of one of their outings, "I can just remember him smiling, and had everyone hooting and hollering and having a lot of fun."

We're almost at the finish line in the week, but we're just getting started at TMZ -- including on the TV front ... where the topics are only getting better by the day. Take a look!

Right off the bat on 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles tackled something Travis Kelce's mom said on the 'Today' show this week ... namely, that she didn't know where she'd be sitting at the Super Bowl come Sunday. That's what she claims anyway -- nobody's buying it.

Fact is, her son(s) are incredibly wealthy ... but there's a new billionaire in her orbit who probably has covered for a private suite seat -- despite what Mama Kelce's saying.

Over on the 'TMZ on TV' side of things ... we opened up about our feelings, but not nearly as much as Kumail Nanjiani -- who recently revealed what sent him to therapy recently.

As it turns out, some bad movie reviews for a film he was in did the trick ... and the staff wasn't all that nice about it. Tough crowd, indeed.

Finally, we get to 'TMZ Sports,' where Mike and Mojo discussed the fact that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy bears a passing resemblance to the guy who killed JFK.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

NFL player and 49ers running back Ricky Watters was 25 years old when he led his fellow 49ers to winning Super Bowl XXIX against the San Diego Chargers back in 1995. His running style and stellar receiving skills earned him the nickname Ricky "Running" Watters.

After playing in the NFL for 10 seasons ... Today Watters is a proud dad of 2 and is still very active in the sport of football. He's got quite the fan base, and you can find him signing autographs at meet and greets. He also attends the games and supports his team on the sidelines.

Usher's biggest hit single, "Yeah!" almost didn't happen, if not for his label boss L.A. Reid threatening him like a mob boss ... at least, that's how producer Rico Love remembers it.

The decorated singer/songwriter was a recent guest on Home Grown Radio where he looked back at his first big break -- writing the "Throwback" song on Usher's chart-topping "Confessions" album, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

Rico says he was on hand when Usher first heard the demo to "Yeah!," written by Sean Garrett, which initially failed to impress the R&B megastar ... who flat-out refused to record the track.

Rico admits he also thought the song was corny -- he says the opening lyrics, "Up in the club with my homies/Tryin' to get a little V.I./Keep it down on the low-key" ... made him fall on the floor laughing.

On the other hand, Reid -- who was the President of Arista Records at the time -- heard a hit and demanded Usher push the song out ahead of the original first single, "Burn."

When Usher pushed back further, Rico says Reid didn't give him much of an option and told him to "do the f***** song" and hung up on him immediately after!!!

The tough love paid off in plaques ... "Yeah!" topped the charts for 12 weeks straight, and "Confessions" went on to be certified Diamond. Rico calls it great A&R'ing.

Chuck Lorre's divorce has finally come to an end -- and for someone with a prenup, it sure feels like he's paying out the nose for a marriage that only lasted three and a half years ... but he still gets to keep his best 4-legged friend.

The "Two And a Half Men" creator recently finalized his divorce from Arielle Lorre after filing to end the marriage in 2022. According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, we know know Chuck will end up shelling out a small fortune ... to the tune of 7 digits.

Per the paperwork, CL agreed to cough up $5 million in the settlement -- $1 mil was paid as soon as the judgment was entered (last week) and he agreed to pay an extra $4 mil 30 days after Arielle moves out of the crib ... which she says she intended to do on Feb. 1.

The upside ... Chuck gets to hold onto to pooch, Harvey, so at least he's got that. Arielle does get "liberal visitation" with the dog though -- so he's gotta share.

What's interesting is the fact that Chuck is having to shell out so much to his now-ex-wife -- the third in his life thus far -- even though things were all spelled out in an ironclad prenup. In fact, we know he coughed up extra dough -- sources with direct knowledge tell us the $5 mil Chuck's paying is actually more than the OG prenup required.

Last interesting note ... there's a non-disparagement clause in this settlement that applies to both parties -- so no trashing the other in books or other media once the dust settles.

Again, these 2 were only married a few years -- and yet, Chuck's biting the bullet, or so it seems. Now, while what he's agreed to pay might sound like a lot to your average Joe -- the dude's considered the King of Sitcoms, with a crap ton of show credits to his name.

Not only does he have 'TAAHM' under his belt ... but other huge shows he's created include "The Big Bang Theory," "Dharma & Greg" "Young Sheldon" and lots of others. All told he's worth hundreds of millions of dollars ... so to him, this is probably chump change.

The owner of the only Chiefs-inspired bar in San Francisco is clearing up whether 49ers fans are actually "banned" -- as has been suggested -- and he's saying they're not, but also noting ... it might be hard to get in come game day.

Here's the deal ... Vlad Cood -- who owns the sports bar Buzzworks in SF, which has come to be known as a Chiefs-friendly haven for Kansas City diehards -- tells TMZ that recent reports he and his staff weren't letting San Fran fans into the establishment are false.

There were a lot of headlines locally that ran with that narrative, but Cood says his words were taken out of context -- although, he does admit ... it could be difficult for the 49ers faithful to actually get into the building, especially around Super Bowl weekend.

While he tells us his doors are open to any and all -- regardless of team affiliation -- Cood says that his bar tends to get packed with Chiefs fans on football Sunday early and often ... and that's just how it's gone for a while.

Cood says 49ers heads can certainly swing by anytime they want, but by the time kickoff starts -- he tells us Buzzworks is usually stuffed with Chiefs people ... and he doesn't expect that to change for the SB. In other words, come as you are ... but come with time to spare!

He also says this ... if 49ers fans are truly interested in coming to his business, he's got an alternative for them where they can congregate and pound booze among their brethren. As it turns out, Cood owns another bar across the street there called Butter, which he says has more than enough room for anyone who wants to file in and catch Super Bowl LVIII.

Here's the irony in all this ... Cood tells us he himself is actually a longtime 49ers fan -- so even though Buzzworks caters to Chiefs lovers, it sounds like he'd love to be with his own kind.