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Leiomy Maldonado is very happy to see a trans woman rocking the house on "Jeopardy!" ... saying the visibility it offers the community is priceless.

We got the famous dancer/model Monday at LAX and asked about Amy Schneider's hot streak right now on the quiz show -- she's currently the third-winningest contestant ever with 33 consecutive victories and she's the most accomplished female player ever.

Leiomy, who's transgender herself, says she fully supports Amy gunning for the crown ... especially on a show like "Jeopardy!" which has somewhat of an older fanbase.

Check it out ... she says Amy's presence there, in and of itself, is opening doors and probably opening minds too. If anything, Amy's hot streak is likely winning over folks on just merit alone -- trivia fanatics can't deny a sharp mind when they see one, and Amy's smarts speak for themselves.

When we point out trans people are popping up on more mainstream platforms lately, LM points out this group has been around for a long time -- but agrees that getting a spotlight in 2022 shows just how far society has come in addressing the topic.

Of course, not everyone has welcomed Amy with open arms. She's made it clear during her historic run that she's gotten tons of messages from people telling her she's really a man.

During NYE -- right when she was in the thick of her streak -- Amy tweeted ... "I’d like to thank all the people who have taken the time, during this busy holiday season, to reach out and explain to me that, actually, I’m a man. Every single one of you is the first person ever to make that very clever point, which had never once before crossed my mind 🙏."

Kyle Richards and her hubby Mauricio Umansky have sold their Bel-Air mansion and are now $6.1 million richer ... TMZ has learned.

The 7 bedroom, 9 bath estate is all about luxury ... it's 6,229 square ft. and comes with a theater, office, pool and spa, multi-purpose sports court and much more.

Kyle and Mauricio bought the home in 2011, for $3 mil ... over the years, they have made lots of renovations. The house has been a backdrop over the years on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

The asking price was $6,495 mil, so they got somewhat close to asking. It's actually been on and off the market since 2017.

Kyle's 'RHOBH' co-star Sutton Stracke rented it from Kyle and Mauricio last year when they couldn't find a buyer. The home almost caught fire because of a fireplace mishap.

Charles Barkley has some pretty strong words for the Philadelphia 76ers ... telling TMZ Sports it's time they stop being stubborn and trade disgruntled star Ben Simmons already.

We spoke with Charles at LAX ... and asked whether he agreed with Doc Rivers' son, Austin Rivers, who told us he thought Simmons' Sixers career was over.

And it's safe to say Chuck agrees.

"He's never going to play another game in Philly," Barkley said. "The fans won't forgive him."

"They have to make a trade," he added. "You have to move on from a bad relationship. They're not using him and Joel Embiid has been playing great this year, so they're wasting his talents."

Barkley -- who spent 8 seasons with the Sixers -- is familiar with how ruthless Philly fans can be ... recalling times they were hard on him when he played for the org.

"I know those fans very well," Barkley said. "I thought my name was Charles Barkley Son of a Bitch for a long time when I was there."

CB offered some suggestions on how to end the Simmons saga ... saying Philly needs to hop on the phone and call the Boston Celtics, the Houston Rockets, or the Sacramento Kings to help get a deal done.

Speaking of the Kings, Barkley wasn't too fond of SAC trolling Lakers star Russell Westbrook for his shooting slump the other night ... telling us, "The Sacramento Kings should not be making fun of anybody."

Before this refreshing little kid was rising quickly into fame with her gemmed lifestyle and budding loves, she was just another thirsty girl making money by starting her own lemonade stand in New York City.

This business-savvy sweetie is a multi-talented star known for her reach across a variety of industries ... she's a noted actress, model, and artist.

Now, the recent mother has been making waves in the headlines due to her growing romance with one of the biggest names in the rap and fashion world.

When life hands you a bunch of lemons ... make lemonade!

Betty White was all smiles just days before she died, as seen in a newly revealed photo ... one of the last ones to document her life, in fact.

The late actress' assistant took to Facebook Monday with a post in honor of what would've been Betty's 100th birthday, and she threw up the pic of Betty she says was snapped 11 days before BW passed away on NYE.

The caption reads, "Hello Everyone! It’s Kiersten. Betty’s Assistant. On this special day, I wanted to share this photo of Betty. It was taken on 12/20/21."

Kiersten adds, "I believe it’s one of the last photos of her. She was radiant and beautiful and as happy as ever. Thanks to all of you who are doing kind things today and every day to make the world a better place ❤️"

If her date is correct, that would mean this was captured just a few days before Betty suffered a stroke, which is what ultimately led to her death nearly a week later, per the L.A. County Medical Examiner.

It's a pretty insightful snapshot if you think about it, as it seems to be one of the final times Betty appeared on camera. Funny enough, the very next day ... Betty is said to have filmed a little thank-you for fans as part of the new movie 'Betty White: A Celebration.'

The flick, which hits theaters on Monday, is a highlight reel of her life -- and the director, Steven Boettcher, said Betty recorded her message 10 days before passing on the 31st.

Kanye West's created a monster ... a super-fashionable one, who's taking every opportunity -- including her son's first birthday -- to show off her couture wardrobe.

Julia Fox jumped into fashion runway mode when photogs showed up outside Lucien in NYC's SoHo neighborhood -- posing her ass off (don't worry she's got plenty) in a head-to-toe black ensemble that included a black hoodie ... one of Ye's fave looks.

She was also rocking a black leather trench along with black leather pants and boots. Fact is, Julia's been draped in high fashion designs like Balenciaga -- often at Ye's behest -- ever since they hooked up on New Year's Eve.

Anyone walking past her sidewalk catwalk act Monday in SoHo would never have imagined this was all for a 1-year-old's party!

Yes, Mama Fox was there celebrating her baby boy Valentino's birthday.

We'll say this, her co-parenting seems to be going smoother than her BF's. As you know, Kanye was pissed over the weekend, claiming Kim Kardashian kept the location of their daughter Chicago's birthday party secret from him.

TMZ broke the story ... our Kim sources say she simply thought Ye was throwing a separate 4th birthday party for Chi.

Betty White's 100th birthday is here, and even though she's gone ... people are still honoring her by supporting animal charities -- but Trisha Yearwood's effort went over the top, as she raised a boatload of cash in record time.

The country star hopped on TalkShopLive Monday to contribute to the #BettyWhiteChallenge -- the movement calling on folks to donate to animal shelters and other pet charities ... causes that were near and dear to Betty.

During the 15-minute-plus webcast, TY made a massive impact ... raising more than $24k for an animal charity called Dottie's Yard. Unclear what her final figure will be, because donations were still pouring in toward the end of Trisha's time.

She was joined by her 2 rescue dogs ... who were very well-behaved. Trisha also talked a lot about Betty's life and love for pooches, explaining why she felt compelled to hop on the bandwagon.

Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul?! In a boxing ring?! Well, despite a report the men were deep in negotiations to fight, Iron Mike says it flat out ain't true.

The 55-year-old former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world took to his Twitter page to shoot down the news.

"This is new to me. I just saw Jake in St. Barths and he never mentioned it," Tyson wrote on the social media platform.

Mike was responding to a story published by The Sun on Monday ... where the outlet said Mike and Jake were in "advanced talks" for a $49 million boxing match.

Tyson and Paul do know each other. In fact, Jake became a boxing star on the undercard of an Iron Mike fight ... when the heavyweight stepped in and fought Roy Jones Jr. in November 2020.

That's the night the Problem Child flatlined former NBA star Nate Robinson.

Since, Paul's gone on to KO MMA champ Ben Askren in the first round of their fight ... before beating former UFC champ, Tyron Woodley twice (once by brutal knockout).

Not to mention, Jake just turned 25-years-old TODAY ... meaning Mike is more than 30 years his elder. Also, Paul fights professionally ... and any bout with Tyson would in all likelihood be an exhibition.

Shaquille O'Neal is putting his ass on the line with his latest bet -- literally -- saying if Phoenix wins the NBA title this year, he'll walk two blocks with the word "Suns" written on his butt cheeks.

Seriously.

The Big Aristotle came up with the idea on "The Big Podcast with Shaq" ... after his co-host, Nischelle Turner, claimed it wasn't a foregone conclusion that the Warriors would win it all in 2022.

"Place a bet on it," Shaq told Turner. "Let's do something crazy and embarrassing."

O'Neal then came up with the wild idea ... saying that if Phoenix were to win the championship this season instead of Golden State, he'd slap the team's name on his keister.

The Hall of Famer -- who played for several teams throughout his NBA career -- even said he'll post the footage of him fulfilling the bet live on his IG.

Of course, both the Suns and Warriors have been two of the best teams in the league all season ... so Shaq's bet could very well blow up in his face.

Phoenix and GSW have played each other three times already ... with the Dubs winning two out of the three matchups.

You might say Jim Belushi's hitting some high notes for the return of his marijuana farm docuseries ... in fact, ya might say the guy's got the blues over all his green!!!

"Growing Belushi" is coming back for a second season, starting Wednesday on Discovery, as Jim and fellow cannabis farmers try to spark up business, and based on this clip it sure sounds like they're buzzing ... about their potential success. 😉

Jim dips into his past "Blues Brothers" experience to freestyle a weed-influenced remix of the old gospel classic, 'This Train.' He can still blow a harmonica.

This season Jim's taking viewers behind the scenes of what it takes to build and manage his Oregon-based weed farm through lots of challenges ... like harsh weather, mold, pests and politics.

Belushi's farm started off with about 48 plants back in 2015, during Oregon's medical marijuana program... today that same farm takes up a hefty 93 acres.

Stephen A. Smith says his battle with COVID-19 included pneumonia in both his lungs as well as a 103-degree fever "every night" ... and things got so bad, he wondered if he was going to die.

The ESPN personality -- who returned to "First Take" this week after being away from the show to fight the virus the past several weeks -- spoke in-depth Monday about his bout with corona, and he revealed it was pure hell.

Smith said there were night sweats, fevers, headaches and a cough -- and he said it was all so awful, he was forced to spend New Year's Day in the hospital.

"I can't tell you how lucky and sincerely blessed I am to be sitting here with you guys today," Smith told his co-hosts, "because two-and-a-half, three weeks ago, I didn't know if I was going to make it."

Smith said doctors told him if he hadn't been vaccinated, he likely would be dead.

"That’s how bad it was," Smith said. "I had pneumonia in both lungs. My liver was bad. It ravaged me."

A Michael Jackson impersonator got the best of a dude on the mean streets of Las Vegas, and ... well, it's hilarious!

There's not a whole lot of info on what's behind the fight, but it went down on Fremont Street.

The fight looks almost slapstick ... MJ and the dude squaring off with fists raised, and then they tangle.

Michael's ground game is far superior to the guy in green, and he eventually gets the guy in a headlock and begins to squeeze. At a point, it's not funny anymore, and it looks like the guy might lose consciousness. Some passersby disentangle the 2 and no one seems worse for wear.

We don't know what started the fight, but the shirt on the guy in green reads, "CAN'T FIX STUPID."

It's the most entertaining lookalike fight since SpongeBob squared off with 2 women.

A famous pastor out of Oklahoma got very literal in his sermon this weekend about seeing God's hazy vision for ourselves in 2022 -- needing to hawk one to make his point.

Michael Todd, who leads the Transformation Church in Tulsa, conjured up grossed-out reactions from his congregation Sunday during his service -- which was being streamed for the folks at home. The reason ... he wiped his own spit all over the face of a parishioner, who was up there volunteering for the yuck fest.

Even crazier ... the guy just stood there and took it!!! Check out this video of the moment it happened -- it's surreal to see, because Mike really builds up to it with a lot of theater.

The whole purpose of doing this, it seems, was to emphasize his analogy about how "receiving vision from God might get nasty." We'll let him do the explaining -- 'cause, frankly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to us -- but he seems to be saying ... sometimes, you'll  have to go through some muck to fulfill God's will. Or ... something like that!

It's ironic ... as the audience gasps in horror at his weird stunt, MT fully leans into it ... arguing that's the exact sort of response one will get for answering God's call, no matter how counterintuitive it might feel ... like letting someone rub a bunch of loogies/saliva on your mug.

Of course, he's getting totally roasted online over this ... as is this poor guy who allowed himself to be the guinea pig. Y'know ... on account of the pandemic and all.

Just doesn't seem safe ... even if God cosigns. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Christina Haack isn’t married to Joshua Hall just yet ... but they sure look like they’re already in the honeymoon phase.

The HGTV star is down in Cabo with her fiancé, where they hit the beach on Saturday ... and packed on a lot of PDA while facing the waves. Doesn’t look like they ever fully made it into the water either -- as you can see, they were a little preoccupied.

Check out the pics ... you see CH hugging up on Josh from behind, from the side and just about every other direction ... all while showing off her massive diamond ring. Love birds, no doubt, and if this is any indication ... their “I dos” can't come fast enough.

Christina confirmed last year Josh had, indeed, popped the question and that she'd said yes ... which was already suspected after photos of her wearing the engagement ring leaked. They’ve been together for about a year or so now -- the couple reportedly first started dating sometime in 2021, and things obviously moved quickly ... because Christina is ready to be a bride anew.

Jamie Lynn Spears took a hard pass on doing a nationwide tour to promote her new book ... because she's not in it for the money ... so say sources connected to her.

Our sources say Britney's little sis was approached about doing a book tour but she was adamant it wasn't for her.

It's a departure from how most celebs do business ... they usually trek across the country promoting their books, encouraging folks to buy and doing meet-and-greets at book stores.

The sources say Jamie Lynn didn't write her book, "Things I Should Have Said," to make a killing. Instead, they say she wrote it to address her past, heal from it and move on.

We're told, "a portion" of the proceeds will go to a number of charities. They won't say which charities because Jamie Lynn tried to donate profits from the book to a charity last October, but the charity rejected her gesture because of all the backlash. So, our sources say Jamie Lynn doesn't want to name the charities this time around, to avoid a similar outcome.

That said, she'll still pocket some of the proceeds, but the sources insist that's not the motivating factor.

As you know, some excerpts are already being ripped by Britney ... with Jamie Lynn's older sister repeatedly lashing out on social media.

Britney's upset both by Jamie Lynn's interview on "Nightline" and a passage in the book where JLS claims Britney once locked them both in a room with a knife.

We're told Jamie Lynn is not shocked by Britney's reaction, because she knows her sister better than anyone and was prepared for such reactions from Britney and others.

Our sources say Jamie Lynn feels it's her story to tell ... and it's important to address what she lived through so she can move forward.

Jake Paul stripped all the way down to his birthday suit for his 25th cake day on Monday ... going buck naked for a sexy photo with his model girlfriend.

The Problem Child just posted the spicy pic to his social media page ... showcasin' his naked bod while a bikini-clad Julia Rose did just enough to cover up his junk.

Jake rocked a hat and some expensive jewelry -- and not a thing more -- while Rose had her hands draped all over him.

Jake captioned the photo with some of his goals for his next calendar year -- one of which included "go to outer space with Jeff, Richard, or Elon."

The b-day love for the YouTuber-turned-boxing superstar, meanwhile, has poured in all day ... with Rose writing on her social media page, "happy birthday dubba dubba…I can’t wait to feed you popcorn and kiss your nose until you turn 80."

Jake's older bro, Logan Paul, added, "happy bday @jakepaul love you bro."

By the looks of his social media activity, seems Jake is spending the special occasion in Utah -- and riding around in helicopters while there.

Of course, dude has every reason to celebrate this past trip around the sun ... he became a huge fight star -- and also reportedly made $45 million.