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Jamie Lynn Spears says she went through hell when pregnant at 16, and her parents and team were a driving force behind her misery ... pushing adoption, abortion and going to great lengths to hide her from the public.

We've obtained several snippets from Spears' upcoming book "Things I Should Have Said" where she lays out the events that followed her telling her parents and management she was pregnant in 2007.

In one passage, Spears says people from her inner circle, "... came to my room trying to convince me that having a baby at this point in my life was a terrible idea … 'It will kill your career. You are just too young. You don’t know what you’re doing. There are pills you can take. We can help you take care of this problem … I know a doctor,'" adding, "everyone around me just wanted to make this 'issue' disappear."

Jamie Lynn says flatly, "...everyone was certain that termination would be the best course of action."

Spears says her phone was taken away to stop her from communicating with people outside her immediate circle ... the goal being to keep everything on the down-low.

Jamie Lynn claims she wasn't even allowed to tell Britney she was pregnant, saying, "I needed her more than ever and she wasn’t able to help me in my most vulnerable time … To this day, the hurt of not being able to tell my sister myself still lingers.”

At one point, Jamie Lynn says she and her dad Jamie got into a fight over the unborn baby, "slinging words and tossing insults" when he pushed adoption.

Spears says eventually her team made an exclusive agreement with OK! Magazine to break the pregnancy story, and give them the first images of Jamie Lynn's baby.

Jamie Lynn says she and her mom went to some cabin in where she thought was Connecticut to hide until the article came out. The two spent Thanksgiving there together, where "Momma wore her disappointment like her favorite jacket."

Jamie Lynn has come under a lot of heat lately from Britney fans who feel she's taking advantage of Britney's current situation to make a buck off the book, but if the snippets we've obtained are any indication ... she's also got a lot to say about how she was raised and her parent's tactics.

The book comes out January 18, 2022.

We talked about it on the latest episode of the TMZ podcast.

President Biden is dead wrong about the effectiveness of community policing and the need to bolster police numbers and budgets ... at least according to author Derecka Purnell.

Derecka, who has a new book on abolishing the police, joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and laid into the Prez over his pro-police rhetoric during Thursday's Biden Town Hall.

She says Biden's trying to distance himself from the 1994 crime bill, but is regurgitating some of what she sees as the same failed policies this time around ... and she's not buying what Biden's selling in terms of community policing.

The way Derecka sees it ... community policing doesn't work like most folks might think, and she says the fatal interaction between Derek Chauvin and George Floyd is a perfect example of why it doesn't make much difference if cops know those in the community they're policing.

Derecka is a bit of an expert on the topic ... she's got a new book out called "Becoming Abolitionists: Police, Protests, and The Pursuit of Freedom."

The woman killed on the set of Alec Baldwin's film "Rust" once described herself as a "restless dreamer" and "adrenaline junkie" -- but it was her "brilliant talent" that stuck with those who worked with her.

Halyna Hutchins, the 42-year-old Director of Photography, hailed from Ukraine and grew up as an "army brat" on a Soviet military base "surrounded by reindeer and and nuclear submarines" ... according to her website. She was also named one of American Cinematographer magazine’s “rising stars” in 2019.

Most recently, Halyna worked on the film "Archenemy" as the DP. The project starred Joe Manganiello, who praised her talent in a touching tribute, saying, "... she was the kind of cinematographer that you wanted to see succeed because you wanted to see what she could pull off next."

Adam Egypt Mortimer, who directed "Archenemy," also paid tribute, calling Halyna a "brilliant talent who was absolutely committed to art and to film."

As we reported, Halyna and "Rust" director Joel Souza were both struck -- either by a bullet or shrapnel -- after a serious mishap from a gun fired by Alec Baldwin. Halyna was airlifted to a local hospital in Santa Fe, New Mexico where she died from her injuries. Souza is expected to survive.

Baldwin was spotted shortly after the accident looking distraught ... he had also recently posted a photo from set, which was later deleted.

Halyna leaves behind a husband and a son.

Queen Elizabeth's condition is a mystery ... and there are now allegations the Palace lied about it to keep everything under wraps.

The Queen was back at Windsor Castle Friday after being hospitalized for an undisclosed condition. The palace says doctors have a "preliminary investigation" underway to get to the bottom of the Queen's ailment.

As for the lie ... the Palace said Wednesday the Queen had canceled a trip to Ireland after doctors ordered her to get some rest. They had strongly intimated the problem was just that, the 95-year-old Queen had been working too much.

There was no mention that she was actually hospitalized until Thursday, after The Sun broke the story. At that point the Palace fessed up and acknowledged it.

Brian Laundrie was extremely upset when he left home for good about a month ago and his dad tried but failed to stop him ... so says the family's lawyer.

Steven Bertolino said on MSNBC Thursday Brian's father, Chris, tried to stop Laundrie from leaving the day he took off for the woods, but Brian was determined and there was nothing his dad could do.

The most interesting part of the conversation ... whether Laundrie's parents will reach out to the Petito family ... presumably to offer condolences and discuss what happened.

Bertolino hedged, saying certain conversations must happen first before there's any communication between the two families. He never amplified on the nature of those conversations, but he offered a hint ... that Bertolino needed first to have a discussion with the Petito family attorney.

This sounds like Bertolino is worried about a wrongful death lawsuit, which is definitely in the cards. The other fairly obvious concern ... whether cops have Brian's parents under a microscope to determine if they in any way helped him escape ... something Bertolino has dismissed as hogwash.

As we reported ... the remains found Wednesday at the Carlton Reserve -- a portion of a skull -- was positively ID'd as Laundrie's.

One thing that could be highly relevant in determining what happened to Gabby Petito -- the contents of Laundrie's backpack, which was found near the remains. The question ... did he leave a note detailing what happened to her.

Great news for "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan ... the wrestling legend has been discharged from the hospital following emergency surgery, the wrestler announced.

"After 2 nights in the hospital and emergency surgery yesterday, guess who just came home? Thank you to the amazing doctors and nurses at Kershaw County Medical Center which is now, MUSC," Duggan's wife, Debra, wrote on Instagram.

As we previously reported, the 67-year-old WWE Hall of Famer underwent the emergency surgical procedure on Wednesday in a South Carolina hospital.

It's not clear what medical condition the docs were treating.

Thankfully, the surgery was successful ... and after recuperating for a night, Hacksaw was allowed to go home.

FYI, It's not the first time Jim has dealt with health issues over the past few years. Back in 2018, he spent time in the ICU after his heart went into atrial fibrillation (aFib), an irregular heartbeat that can lead to a bunch of serious heart-related health issues.

At the time, Duggan told us he feared he was going to die ... and felt fortunate for doctors who he said saved his life.

Duggan ended his post by thanking the hoards of WWE fans, family and friends who reached out and showed love to the wrestler while he was recovering.

"Thanks to Brittani for wheeling Jim out! Thank you for your prayers, vibes, texts, calls and messages. Now home to fully recuperate."

During his days in the ring, Hacksaw was one of the biggest wrestlers in the world ... even winning the first-ever Royal Rumble in 1988. Duggan was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2011.

Robert Durst will finally stand trial for allegedly murdering his wife, Kathie Durst, in 1982 -- that is, if he survives COVID-19 and his already incredibly frail condition.

A grand jury in NY state heard testimony last week, and the murder charge was filed Tuesday in Westchester County. The D.A.'s Office is confirming the charges were filed, but won't comment any further.

It's unclear when he would stand trial, but the former real estate tycoon -- featured in the HBO documentary, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst" -- is already at death's door. As you know, an L.A. jury convicted Durst last week for the murder of Susan Berman, and sentenced him to life in prison.

Two days later, 78-year-old Durst was placed on a ventilator after contracting the coronavirus.

Remember, Durst seemingly confessed on an open mic while recording an interview for 'The Jinx' ... saying, "What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course."

YouTube stars Charles & Alyssa Forever went on a huge shopping spree at a Spirit Halloween store in Arizona ... but after they got what they wanted for a video, they returned the merch.

The YouTubers strolled in to the Spirit Halloween costume store in Tempe earlier this month, and we're told they spent over $1,000 on costumes and accessories.

The store's employee, Tracy, tells us she recognized the couple when they came in ... and she helped them shop for several hours and even gave them a 20% discount on one of the items.

Tracy says she asked the YouTubers if they needed the costumes for a party and Charles told her ... "Something like that."

Not long after, we're told staff at the store noticed the couple posted 2 videos wearing the costumes ... and then they were shocked when Charles' sister came in and returned almost $900 worth of used gear.

Some of the costumes worn and returned by the YouTubers include ... Chucky, nun, priest, escaped convict, policeman, nurse and hospital gown costumes. They also purchased a flask.

We’re told store staff decided not to put the flask back on shelves because of the obvious ... someone may have already put their mouth on it.

While it sounds like this may rub some folks the wrong way at Spirit ... fact is, the store can't do anything or investigate because it’s not illegal, and the return policy is very flexible.

Charles and Alyssa tell TMZ ... they used the costumes for a video about cheap Halloween costumes for couples on a budget, and they wore the costumes for a couple minutes and never stepped foot out of the house in them.

The couple says they specifically asked about the return policy when they were shopping, and felt comfortable returning what they paid for ... not thinking it would be a big deal.

The YouTubers say there was no wear and tear and it was like trying the costumes on in the store ... only they did it at home and took them back.

Charles and Alyssa say they didn't use all the items, never touched the flask with their mouths, packed the costumes back nicely and returned a lot of items that didn't fit.

They say they followed the return policy and don't think they did anything wrong ... and point out Spirit should benefit from getting a video shout-out.

Elton John says his childhood traumas can still control him today and, in addition to shaping his parenting style ... they can make him erupt in anger without warning.

Sir Elton had already revealed in his 2019 memoir that his parents had beat him as punishment for things as simple as taking off his school blazer the wrong way, and he's now revealing that influences his and his husband David Furnish's parenting choices.

The icon told The Guardian, "We never hit them or lose our temper with them. When they’re bad, they lose their pocket money, or their electronic stuff for a week – but they don’t get punished physically or mentally."

He added, "I was always afraid of my parents, and I didn’t want my children to ever be afraid of me." Elton and David have 2 sons ... 10-year-old Zachary, and 8-year-old Elijah.

Of course, Elton famously had a short fuse, especially in the heyday of his legendary career. He says David's support and 30 years of sobriety help him control it now, but he also admits, "My behavior was so erratic and so unpredictable. And it’s still in me, to explode at any moment."

Star boxer Teofimo Lopez took down Vasiliy Lomachenko ... but could he do the same to the 6-foot-9 beast from "Game Of Thrones"??

Turns out ... he couldn't -- 'cause the two traded body shots during an epic training sesh this week, and Hafthor Bjornsson, AKA "The Mountain," appeared to be the winner!!

The two put down the weights and decided to do the body shot challenge in the gym for some reason, and Thor (who's entered the celeb boxing world this past year) REALLY stung Teofimo.

The footage shows Lopez -- who is a foot shorter and about 200 pounds lighter than "The Mountain" -- wasn't exactly KOed by the punch ... but he was winded and admitted, "That was good!"

When it came time for Lopez's turn ... the 5-foot-8 champ who's 16-0 with 12 knockouts on his resume -- threw a nasty right hook, but Thor appeared to absorb it well.

"That was nice!" the legendary strongman said.

The two then hugged it out -- with Teofimo raising Thor's arm.

"David vs Goliath!" Lopez said of the punch-off. "Went punch for punch with the World’s Strongest Man!"

Lopez will return to fighting people his own size later this year ... he's scheduled to get in the ring with George Kambosos Jr. in November.

As for Thor -- he's still eyeing a celeb match with his strongman rival, Eddie Hall, once the guy gets healthy again.

Ivan Douglas -- the left tackle for Ohio State's famous 2002 National Champion football team -- has died after a battle with COVID-19, his family and friends announced.

He was just 41 years old.

Douglas -- who helped block for Craig Krenzel and Maurice Clarett in the Buckeyes' epic upset win over Miami in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl -- contracted the virus last month and was placed in the hospital shortly after.

According to a GoFundMe set up in his honor, Douglas was "purple in color and his oxygen level was at 63%" when he entered the medical facility -- and he needed to be placed into a medically induced coma a short time later.

Tragically, after weeks of fighting, Douglas' family and friends said he passed away on Thursday.

"Our family is devastated and ask for your continued love, support and prayers," a statement on Douglas' GoFundMe read.

Douglas' former teammate at OSU, Chukwuemeka Nnamdi Onyejekwe, AKA Mekka Don, also confirmed the news on Twitter ... saying, "Our good brother Ivan Douglas has passed away. Please keep his family in your prayers!"

Douglas leaves behind a wife and two children.

Swedish House Mafia is back in the house ... they're going out on tour for the first time in nearly a decade, and they've got a new single featuring The Weeknd!!!

The supergroup just announced plans for their first arena tour since 2012, and they just dropped their new track with Abel ... "Moth to a Flame."

Yes, Swedish House Mafia is back in a very BIG way ... the song with The Weeknd is their first new single since announcing their reunion, and it's going to be on their upcoming album, "Paradise Again."

The EDM hitmakers will kick off their rare tour next July down in Miami, the first of 44 stops around the United States and Europe.

But, before they go back on tour, SHM will make its grand return to live performing in April at Coachella -- which was already gonna be insane after the 2-year pandemic hiatus.

The same thing that's hurt Kate Beckinsale's career is helping Ross Butler's take off in Hollywood, and that thing is ... brain power!!! Lots of it.

We got the "13 Reasons Why" and "Riverdale" star Thursday at LAX, and considering his collegiate history, he's the perfect person to address Kate's recent reveal about her high IQ.

ICYMI ... KB told Howard Stern her intelligence has hurt her career. She wasn't specific about why, but added that doctors have said she'd be much happier if she were less brilliant.

Well, Ross -- who studied biomolecular and chemical engineering -- says he's had a much different experience. Check out his explanation for why his smarts are making him a better actor. BTW, it's not like he's playing brilliant scientists on camera.

The heartthrob also opened up about another hot topic ... his dancing session with "Outer Banks" star Madelyn Cline! Y'know, the one that had everyone thinking she'd broken up with her costar Chase Stokes?

The Philadelphia Sixers need to trade Ben Simmons ASAP, so says Charles Barkley ... telling TMZ Sports it has to happen now that the All-Star is acting like a complete "jerk" around his team.

Simmons was suspended for the team's season opener on Wednesday after 76ers head coach Doc Rivers kicked him out of practice for "detrimental conduct."

We spoke with Barkley the same day of the disciplinary action --- and he tells us that the one-game suspension won't solve the issues.

"They should've suspended him longer," the Hall of Famer says, "he's not going to be better Friday."

"Today is Wednesday, they only suspended him for a day. They should suspend him for longer. Plain and simple."

In fact, Chuck believes the Sixers should ship his ass outta town -- and is contemplating why Simmons even bothered showin' up to the Sixers' facility if he was gonna "be a jerk."

"I'm disappointed. If he wasn't gon' play, he should have never came to training camp," Chuck says.

"You don't come to work and then be a jerk. You don't practice with a cell phone in your pocket!"

Well, that trade might not come anytime soon -- 76ers GM Daryl Morey said this spectacle can last four years unless they get a "difference-maker" type of trade.

Before this costume cutie was dazzling audiences with her performances in film and television, she was just another cute kid clowning around on Halloween in Charleston, West Virginia.

This dressed-up darling is best known as an electric, award-winning actress whose roles throughout her career have ranged from heart-warming romantic comedies to action-packed dramas. Just in time to get you in the mood for spooky season, you can catch this lovable lady dancing along to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' in one of her most popular movies.

Now, this little jokester will be trick-or-treating with three kids of her own!

The hunt for Gabby Petito's fiance, Brian Laundrie, is officially over ... the FBI says dental records prove the remains found on a Florida hiking trail match those of the 23-year-old.

Brian's remains were found Wednesday at the Carlton Reserve in North Port, FL ... only hours after the FBI uncovered some of Brian's belongings during an initial search at the Myakkahatchee Creek Environmental Park.

The Laundrie family attorney tells TMZ, "Chris and Roberta Laundrie have been informed that the remains found yesterday in the reserve are indeed Brian’s. We have no further comment at this time and we ask that you respect the Laundrie’s privacy at this time."

As we reported ... Brian's parents led the FBI to the previously unexplored trail, where the feds found some articles of clothing and a backpack they believed might belong to Brian. The Medical Examiner went to the location, as well as the Pasco County Sheriff's Office's Human Remains Detection Team and a K-9.

The news comes about a month after authorities said the body they found in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park was indeed Gabby's body. The Teton County Coroner conducted an autopsy and ruled her death a homicide, with authorities saying she was strangled to death.

As you know by now ... Laundrie went on the run and had so far eluded the FBI and Dog the Bounty Hunter during a nationwide manhunt.

The Petito case, of course, gained national attention after Brian returned to his Florida home without Gabby on September 1 ... despite the fact they had taken a cross-country trip together and documented the trip on social media.

Adding fuel to the fire ... there had also been an alleged domestic disturbance while on the road in Utah and a public blowout in Wyoming that got so bad they were booted from a restaurant.

Gabby's parents said they had not heard from her since August 25 and they reported her missing on Sept. 11. Laundrie was named a person of interest just 4 days later but then came a huge twist -- he did not cooperate with authorities and his family reported him missing on Sept. 17 ... adding that they had not seen him in days.

Gabby's family called for Laundrie to turn himself in during an emotional news conference in her home state of NY.

Along the way, there were tons of alleged Brian sightings ... all over Florida and even as far as Canada. Someone alerted authorities they spotted a man on their trail camera that fit Brian's description ... albeit around 450 miles away from his North Port home -- which would be quite a journey on foot over 4 days.

The Okaloosa Co. Sheriff later said they searched the area where the image was taken but didn't find anything, or anyone, of interest. The FBI also paid Laundrie's parent's home a visit to collect some of his items for DNA matching.

Then there was this ... Dog joined the manhunt too, and he even alerted cops about a possible lead.