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Jamie Lynn Spears says she tried to help Britney free herself from her conservatorship ... but the efforts went nowhere and pissed a lot of people off.

The former Nickelodeon star says Britney made it seem like she wanted out of the conservatorship during some late-night sister talks on a trip to Hawaii, and Jamie Lynn says she tried to get involved.

As Jamie Lynn explains on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, she took Britney's comments to heart and talked to her sister's lawyer ... but it blew up in her face big time.

What's more, Jamie Lynn says she and her husband had some judges look into Britney's conservatorship and told her all she needed to do was move out of California for 6 months and the conservatorship would end.

JL says she even offered to have Britney live with her in Louisiana in an effort to dissolve the conservatorship ... but she still doesn't know why Britney never followed through with that option.

Jamie Lynn doesn't give an exact time frame for when any of this was happening ... but says she was always going to support whatever Britney wanted to do.

A Wisconsin Badgers hoops fan has been banned from buying tickets to the school's sporting events ... after making disgusting slant-eye gestures toward Northwestern students during a game.

The incident happened during Tuesday's matchup at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Illinois ... when a man in Wisconsin colors was recorded on video standing up and taunting the Northwestern student section with the middle finger and anti-Asian gesture.

The fan recording the incident was in complete shock ... as well as the targeted students, who appeared to be of Asian descent.

The man was eventually kicked out of the arena by security ... and as he was leaving, the guy continued to make the racist gesture as the Northwestern students cheered for his departure.

The Univ. of Wisconsin thanked Northwestern for removing the Badgers fan after the offensive act ... and announced on Thursday that he's no longer welcome at Badger sporting events.

"We join with @UWBadgers and all #Badgers in condemning the abhorrent anti-Asian actions of an attendee at the Northwestern game this week," the school said in a statement.

Criss Angel could simply be celebrating his son's cancer going into remission, but instead, he wants to help other families feel the same hope and joy -- and he believes sharing Johnny's story is the best way to do that.

The famed illusionist got the great news Monday about 7-year-old Johnny, whose remission comes after he was first diagnosed at just 20-months-old. Criss captured much of his son's brave battle on camera, and joined us on "TMZ live" to talk about their new documentary "1095."

Criss tells us the 13-minute film documents the trials and tribulations his family faced with pediatric cancer ... and he knows it mirrors the experiences of so many other families. He says that's why he wants to use his platform to help people who are struggling but don't have the resources to raise awareness about this form of cancer.

Criss couldn't hold back tears as he admitted the ordeal has made him a different person. While he's still the same crazy guy onstage ... offstage he's focused on helping others in this dire situation.

After several streaming platforms rejected "1095" -- which is the number of days of chemo Johnny endured -- Criss simply posted it on his YouTube channel ... and we've included it above as well, so pass it on.

It's been seven years since Deflategate, but Aaron Rodgers clearly hasn't forgotten about it -- 'cause the dude is STILL taking jabs at Tom Brady over the scandal.

The Green Bay Packers superstar was doing an interview with Sportsnet when he unleashed the zinger ... commenting on the feeling of a football that was handed to him.

"This is too firm for the Patriots," Rodgers said.

Get it? 'Cause Brady (allegedly) deflated Patriots' footballs in the 2015 AFC Championship game in order to gain an edge on the Colts?!

Don't worry ... Rodgers clearly had no malice behind the comment -- he and Brady have a good relationship, and Rodgers even smirked toward the camera while making the quip.

It's still possible, though, that Brady gets the last laugh on Aaron this month ... because if both the Packers and Buccaneers win this weekend, they'll play in the NFC Championship Game the following weekend.

Sha'Carri Richardson won't be running to the "Big Brother" house any time soon, cuz reports the one-time Olympic favorite is joining the show's cast just ain't true ... TMZ has learned.

The American track superstar's name flooded "Celebrity Big Brother" message boards and then hit outlets Wednesday reporting she'd be an upcoming contestant on the popular show.

Unfortunately for Sha'Carri fans, the reports just aren't true ... her rep, Ashley Blackwood, tells TMZ, “Sha’Carri was contacted months ago to be on Big Brother and declined. All coverage on her participating are false and simply just rumors.”

You'll remember -- Sha'Carri was a favorite to represent the USA at last year's Olympic games ... but those dreams were dashed when she failed a drug test with marijuana in her system.

She later made headlines when she appeared in a Beats by Dre commercial which featured a first listen of Kanye West's song "No Child Left Behind."

Other possible contestant names that circulated this week were "RHOBH" star Erika Jayne and former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star NeNe Leakes ... sources close to both tells us neither will be on the show.

As for some celebs who actually might be on the show? Tiffany "New York" Pollard, Vanilla Ice and Todrick Hall are all names still floating around as possible houseguests.

Kelly Rizzo has no regrets about what she and Bob Saget discussed very shortly before he passed away in an Orlando hotel room, and says their final chat was totally representative of Bob's entire life.

Bob's widow told Hoda Kotb on "Today" she felt she'd finally reached a point where she was all cried out about her husband's sudden death -- and yet, moments later she broke down talking about how deeply Bob loved her and everyone in his life.

Kelly sobbed as she recalled his routine during road trips -- "Every time he would be out of town he would always try to ... he would work so hard, and he loved to sleep in, but when he was away, he would still go to bed at 2 and wake up at 4" to ensure he could get home on the first flight.

As we've reported, that's exactly what Bob intended to do after checking into the Ritz-Carlton around 2 AM on January 9. He was scheduled to fly home to Kelly early that Sunday, but when Kelly didn't hear from him, she notified the hotel ... and a staffer found him unresponsive around 4 PM.

We know Bob had spoken to Kelly after his final show, Saturday night in Jacksonville. She says, "It was all 'I love you so much.' I think I said, 'I love you dearly,' and then he said, 'I love you endlessly,' and then I said, 'I can't wait to see you tomorrow.' It was just all love."

Kelly told Hoda that final convo is pretty much how they always spoke to each other -- she says Bob was all about loving the people in his life, and letting them know about it.

In fact, she says she marveled at how he found the time to talk to everyone and tell everybody that he loved them ... all the time. When you see Kelly talking about Bob and how deeply he cared about his friends, it's easy to understand the outpouring of love we've seen for him since his death.

The Super Bowl is still a few weeks away, but you can start losing your minds for the halftime show now ... 'cause the official trailer for the big event just dropped -- and it's awesome!!

Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar are set to share the stage on February 13 ... which, understandably, has a ton of people hyped.

Pepsi just added to the anticipation by releasing a nearly 4-minute Hollywood film-style clip dubbed the "official trailer" ... featuring all the performers getting "the call" and preparing to hit up L.A. for the show.

The vid shows Em, Snoop, MJB, Kendrick and Dre all leaving their daily lives to join forces outside SoFi Stadium ... with Dre moving all the pieces in a big game of chess.

The visuals are nuts ... and if it's any indication as to how the real halftime show will go, we're in for a treat.

Jamie Lynn Spears is NOT intimidated by Britney's threat of a defamation lawsuit over her book ... in fact, she says if anyone has the facts wrong ... it's her big sister and her lawyer.

Attorney Bryan Freedman, who reps Jamie Lynn, sent a blistering letter to Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, who triggered this war of words with his letter Tuesday night threatening a lawsuit.

For starters, Freedman says, for all its bluster, Rosengart's letter doesn't show any mistruth on his client's part.

Freedman says it's rich Britney and her lawyer have attacked Jamie Lynn for mudslinging, claiming they took the high road. Freedman notes some of Britney's recent social media posts directed at Jamie Lynn ... she should have "slapped you and mamma right across your f***ing faces!!" And, "Whipped your ass." And, "popped the s*** out of your ass."

Freedman essentially says Britney has mobilized her fans to threaten the lives of Jamie Lynn and her family.

A few more points ... Freedman says it's ridiculous Rosengart didn't read Jamie Lynn's book before sending the cease and desist letter. He says if Rosengart would have read the book, he would have seen Jamie Lynn is kind to Britney, characterizing her as "kind, supportive and a protective sister."

He says it was also disappointing to see the letter plastered all over the media, and says it's no way to resolve a dispute and try to repair damaged relationships.

Cardi B's announcement she's covering funeral costs for all the victims of the historically deadly Bronx apartment fire has one man -- who lost 5 relatives -- calling Cardi an "angel."

Haji Dukuray's niece was killed in the blaze, along with her husband and 3 children ... and Cardi is making sure he doesn't have to worry about finding the money to bury 5 family members.

Haji, who used to drive 200 miles from his Delaware home to see his niece and her family in the Bronx, tells TMZ ... Cardi is an angel and his family can't thank her enough for what she's done.

He says it's a huge help to his family to not bear the financial burden ... and he's sending Cardi blessings for stepping up to help so many people she's never met.

As we reported, the inferno engulfed a 19-story apartment building in the Bronx earlier this month, killing 9 adults and 8 children -- the city's deadliest fire in more than 3 decades.

Cardi, a Bronx native, vowed to cover funeral expenses and worked with NYC Mayor Eric Adams' office to make it happen.

Haji says he got word of Cardi's gift from Mayor Adams' people -- and had no idea, initially, the rapper was their benefactor.

Remember, Fat Joe is helping rally celebs for relief efforts, and he told us most of the people living in the building were immigrants who lost everything in the blaze.

We got Jim Jones at Impact Zone Gym in New Jersey and asked him about Cardi's gesture ... and he praised her too, saying he would expect nothing less.

A reporter in West Virginia just earned some extra stripes ... because she got hit by a car during a live shot and didn't miss a beat!!!

It all went down Wednesday night, when WSAZ-TV reporter Tori Yorgey had started to report from the field when you see a car come from behind and strike her. Her body kind of lunges forward out of frame and she screams, "Oh my god! I just got hit by a car, but I’m OK."

Ever the trooper ... Tori hops back up, moves her camera and sluffs it off ... “That’s live TV for you. It’s all good." Tori said that wasn't the first time she had been hit either. It happened in college as well.

As for the driver who hit her, she apologizes during the live shot, and Tori is unbelievably gracious ... "Ma’am, you are so sweet, and you are OK."

This is 2022, so social media was looking for someone to drag, and they went after the anchor for not having what they felt was an appropriately horrified reaction. He defended himself in a tweet, saying he could only hear Tori and didn't see the actual impact. He says she was taken to a hospital as a precautionary measure.

And, get this ... this was her last week at the station. She's moving on to Pittsburgh.

Malik McDowell's high school football coach says the NFL player told him he "doesn't remember" a single thing from his naked altercation with cops on Monday.

"He said he doesn't remember anything," Reggie Wynns told cleveland.com on Wednesday, just hours after McDowell was released from jail.

"He doesn't remember nothing."

Wynns, who coached McDowell at Southfield H.S. in Michigan and later went on to be a mentor for the football player, said he spoke with McDowell shortly after he was arrested following the incident with officers in Deerfield Beach, FL.

Wynns said in their conversation, McDowell got "so emotional" over the arrest.

"I don't know if someone laced him or what," Wynns said. "I don't know. That's not him at all. All I'm hoping is that when they test him, they figure out that he had been drugged."

As we reported, shortly after a trip to the gym on Monday morning, McDowell stripped down at his hotel and roamed the streets near a children's learning center completely naked.

Video from the scene, shot by a bystander, shows when the 25-year-old was confronted by cops, he charged at one of them and appeared to throw punches.

Cops say they eventually tasered McDowell and arrested him ... and later booked him on three charges.

McDowell, who started 14 games for the Cleveland Browns this season without incident, has yet to publicly comment on the situation.

Chris Daughtry's daughter Hannah Price died from suicide by hanging, while under the influence of narcotics... this according to her family.

TMZ broke the story ... Hannah was found dead in her home back in November, although the cause of death was uncertain at the time. The Daughtry family now says Hannah took her own life.

Deanna and Chris said Hannah struggled with mental illness and later turned to drugs and found herself in abusive relationships, adding, "We did everything we could to support her and get her the help she needed to recover from these tragedies and get her life back on track."

Law enforcement told us Hannah's boyfriend Bobby was arrested the same day her body was found... at the time, police didn't reveal the reason behind his arrest.

Chris and Deanna now say the morning of her death, she contacted her parents in fear for her life... claiming her boyfriend had physically abused her. When officers arrived, they concluded she was fine. After her death, Bobby was arrested on an unrelated matter.

Chris Daughtry said he was absolutely devastated and heartbroken, in an emotional Instagram post... and canceled his concert tour.

Chris and his wife Deanna met back in 2000... Deanna had two children-- Hannah and her brother Griffin -- from a previous relationship. Chris and Deanna later had twins Adalynn Rose and Noah James.

Hannah was 25.

Farrah Abraham is apparently gearing up for a lawsuit against the venue whose guards made her eat dirt — but at the same time, her alleged victim is also showing off what she says are licks she claims Farrah inflicted.

The "Teen Mom" star's attorney, Kia Feyzjou, tells TMZ that she and their team are, at the very least, exploring a civil suit surrounding the events from last weekend ... which ended with Farrah arrested for battery. The reason, we're told, is because Farrah and co. believe she was wrongfully placed under citizen's arrest in the first place by the lounge's staff.

Feyzjou says that the initial citizen's arrest was unlawful so the real cops shouldn't have taken her into custody.

Not just that, but Feyzjou says the venue's security guards who had her pinned to the ground used excessive force in restraining her ... allegedly leaving Farrah in a lot of pain and distress after the fact. That's something else Feyzjou thinks might give her client grounds for a lawsuit.

Farrah, of course, has already spoken her piece in this ... insisting she was unfairly singled out and mistreated.

On the flip side, the security guard whom Farrah is alleged to have hit that night is also speaking out ... sticking to her story that Farrah, indeed, did strike her -- and posting photo evidence she says backs up her claim.

The woman, Megan Armstrong, has thrown up a few different posts on Instagram to air her grievances against Farrah, and the one photo she has of her mug appears to show her rocking a shiner.

A Tongan athlete is about to be known to the world for more than his greased-up chest and chiseled abs -- starting a GoFundMe to help the people of his country devastated by a volcano.

Pita Taufatofua, an athlete in taekwondo and cross-country skiing has raised about $400,000 in just 4 days. His fundraising page reads, "In preparation and through the recovery efforts we are seeking your donations to help our island Kingdom. My Father, the Governor of Haapai is on Tongatapu." Taufatofua says he has not heard from his dad since the eruption.

Taufatofua was on BBC's Newsday, telling anchors the money raised will be used for clean drinking water, and rebuilding hospitals and schools ... among other things.

The Olympian first rose to fame at the games in 2016 joining the opening festivities without a shirt and sporting an oiled-up chest ... he has competed in 3 Olympics.

Scientists say the underwater explosion of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano eruption on Saturday appears to be the largest on Earth in 3 decades.

Tonga is home to 170 islands and a population of around 100,000 ... Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni says a "volcanic mushroom plume" has covered each island since Saturday's blast.

On "Wheel of Fortune" you're either a winner or a loser -- but one contestant who many feel got screwed into taking an 'L' ... still managed to scoop up a brand new Audi.

That's right, on Monday Charlene Rubush finally got some justice when she took home a brand new Audi Q3 3, the SUV she would've won when she was on 'Wheel' ... if not for a technicality.

In case you missed it, Charlene lost during a final round last month after solving the phrase "CHOOSING THE RIGHT WORD." The problem is she paused too long before saying "word" -- well, at least that's what Pat Sajak and the 'Wheel' judges deemed. Watch the clip ... easy to see why viewers were outraged.

Anyway, she missed out on taking home a $40,000 Audi Q3 -- but now the Audi dealer in Henderson, NV came through for her. Charlene tells TMZ ... “The car drives so well. I'm loving it!! Much needed since my husband and I have been sharing one car since we moved here 3 years ago!”

After Charlene's episode, Audi actually tweeted that she was still a winner in their eyes. They tracked her down to gift her with the car anyway. And, yes they covered the entire cost ... including taxes!!!

In the beginning, man learned not to trust serpents — but even in the 21st century, they’re still biting us in the ass ... or in Maeta’s case, the face.

The 21-year-old R&B singer -- who's signed to Jay-Z's Roc Nation -- dished about what exactly led up to her viral snake bite — of which she shared in BTS footage last month, showing her get nipped on the chin — and apparently .... it wasn’t really her idea to begin with.

Check it out ... Maeta tells us the whole snake idea came courtesy of the directors who worked on the video to her single, “Habits,” which she says she just rolled with. And, as for the snippy snake itself, she actually says there’s no hard feelings!

Fortunately for her, the reptile wasn’t venomous ... nor were its fangs all that long. Still, Maeta says the little bastard’s bite did indeed draw blood — but she doesn’t hold anything against it. Sounds like it was just a freak thing from Mother Nature.

While she says it was scarier in the moment than after the fact — considering the sheer shock value of getting chomped on — Maeta does have this to say about the prospect of ever working with these slithering creatures in the future ... hell to the no.

She’s taking a page out of Adam and Eve’s playbook ... and ditching snake play for any other projects going forward.