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Alec Baldwin rolled the dice by doing a TV interview about the 'Rust' shooting, so was it a good gamble? And, Jussie Smollett's freedom is on the line, because he could go to prison if convicted. So, we gotta ask ...

The chef who told the NFL that Antonio Brown faked his COVID vaccine card is now planning to sue the Buccaneers star ... saying the wide receiver still owes him $10,000.

Steven Ruiz spelled it all out to TMZ Sports this week ... saying after the NFL ruled he wasn't lying about Brown's bogus vaccine card --- he's planning to move forward with a lawsuit against AB.

"The game plan now is to file a lawsuit and take it from there," Ruiz said. "People provide a service and you've got to pay for it. That's it."

As we previously reported, Ruiz said he cooked for Brown regularly this past year ... but when it came time to pay a bill for it all, AB balked.

Ruiz said Brown owed him $10K, but he couldn't get the cash from the football player -- even after talking with Brown's attorney.

So, Ruiz ended up going public with his claims that Brown had sought and obtained a fake vaccine card and then later submitted it to the NFL.

The league investigated the claims ... and said it found Brown did misrepresent his vaccine status, and then suspended him three games without pay, costing him over $100K in lost salary.

Ruiz tells us if Brown had just paid up, he probably would've stayed quiet.

"If he had just probably paid me, you know what? He probably would still be getting paid in the NFL right now," Ruiz said. "He'd probably be playing the games that he could be playing and none of this would have even happened."

Some of Hollywood's hottest -- including Halle Bailey, Jasmine Tookes, and Bella Thorne -- are snuggling up with their warmest wool in order to avoid frostbite this winter season ... but a slight breeze won't be a good enough reason to stop these cozy celebrities from showing off some skin!

Bundle up while you scroll through this gallery of babes in big sweaters and see if you can guess the snug star among the ladies in this close-knit crew that have shared these sexy selfies!

Master P says he’s been separated from his estranged wife for over a decade and he's ready to start a new chapter ... so he wants the judge to step in and declare him single.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Master P says there's no reason he and his ex, Sonya Miller, should remain married any longer ... so he's asking the court to restore their single status ASAP.

Master P points out Sonya filed for divorce way back in 2013 after they separated in 2010, and he says they settled all their issues in 2016 and reached an agreement, but claims the paperwork was never submitted to the court.

So, to move things along, P has now filed legal docs requesting a bifurcation of his divorce ... legal speak for both parties getting single status now, and handling the rest of the divorce issues later.

Great news! UFC president Dana White is officially COVID-19 free ... telling TMZ Sports he tested negative for the virus, and he's crediting Joe Rogan's suggested treatment plan of monoclonal antibodies, NAD drip, vitamins, and Ivermectin for the swift recovery.

"I feel incredible! Today is day 5 since testing positive for COVID, and [Friday at 9 AM], I tested negative for COVID. Thank you, Dr. Joe Rogan!"

Dana tested positive for the virus after a Thanksgiving day family gathering ... and immediately contacted the JRE host for advice.

Of course, Rogan beat the virus in a matter of days ... but it wasn't without controversy.

He (also) took Ivermectin ... a drug that some media outlets incorrectly classified as livestock medication (there are animal and human versions of the drug).

But, Dana -- who is fully vaccinated -- says Joe is very well-informed ... and most importantly, his plan works.

"Joe Rogan is a brilliant guy and he talks to the most brilliant people out there. He studies, he does his homework on all this stuff, and it's a fact that this works."

And, work it did -- the UFC honcho tells us ... "Monday I did what Rogan told me to do. Tuesday I had my taste and smell back."

White says if you think his case was a fluke ... the treatment also worked on his wife, daughter, and 80-year-old mother-in-law!

We didn't only talk about viruses ... we also chopped it up about UFC 269 -- which is only a week away (Dec. 11).

Lightweight champ Charles Oliveira is fighting Dustin Poirier ... the man many believe is actually the best in the division.

Amanda Nunes is also fighting Julianna Pena (the "Venezuelan Vixen" told us "Lioness" isn't taking her seriously). "Suga" Sean O'Malley, Cody Garbrandt, and Geoff Neal are also on the card.

We asked Dana which fight he was looking forward to -- outside of the marquee matchups at the top of the card -- and he told us he expects a lot of violence when Josh Emmett and Dan Ige do battle on the prelims.

We also talked to White about Nate Diaz and Khamzat Chimaev ... and he told us he's working on booking the 4-0 fighter an opponent now that Diaz shot down the fight.

If you missed it, earlier this week the superstar from Stockton told us he wouldn't fight "Borz" because he was a rookie who wasn't on Diaz's level.

Jordan Belfort is the proud new owner of a piece of art history, because he bought it from the youngest person ever to have a booth at "Art Miami."

The "Wolf of Wall Street" dropped a fat stack on some artwork from rising artist Andres Valencia -- the 10-year-old responsible for a 29" x 11" work he's entitled, "King and Queen."

Jordan tells TMZ ... he paid $8,500 for the piece after being blown away by Andres' talent. He also says Andres sketched him something on the spot, a work Belfort describes as "shockingly interesting."

It's no wonder Andres is the youngest artist ever to have his work on display at the famous "Art Miami" gallery. Jordan says when looking at Andres' work he asked himself, "What on God's Earth is this kid seeing when he picks up his instrument to draw and paint?"

Art pieces are some of the hottest investments right now ... and Jordan says Andres' eye is "obviously something very different than the rest of us."

Channing Tatum also stopped by Andres' booth this week during Art Basel ... posing in front of his works the night before the Wolf swooped in to scoop some up.

Don't let these two almost identical images of Dan Levy leave you blinded! Put on your glasses and see if you can find all the sneaky switches!

The multi-talented actor and comedian -- who was just featured in GQ -- was seen bundled up as he stepped out for a stroll in New York City earlier this week ... and we have made a few changes to the original pic! Don't take Schitt from anyone and make it the 'Happiest Season' yet by finding the differences between these two super similar snaps!

Bizzy Bone says the on-stage brawl between Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three 6 Mafia is just how things go in hip-hop sometimes ... and 'Verzuz' honcho Swizz Beatz has his back.

We got Bizzy at the Ritz Carlton in downtown Los Angeles on Friday and asked him about Thursday's fight at The Hollywood Palladium, where fists and insults started flying early on in the highly-anticipated "Verzuz" showdown.

Bizzy, who seemed to instigate the fight by calling out Three 6 Mafia members for "mocking" him, says it's just a part of the hip-hop culture ... and he says no one from Triller or "Verzuz" was mad at him.

In fact, Bizzy says he even talked with Swizz about the incident ... and was assured everything was all good. Some folks thought SB was talking noise about Bone Thugs on the live stream, but Bizzy says they weren't the intended target.

As we reported ... there were signs leading up to the show things might get testy between both groups, with Bizzy calling Three 6 Mafia "devil worshipers" on social media and challenging them to "denounce Satan."

Meagan Good wants to become a gun owner ... and while she says she didn't always feel that way, the recent rise of home invasions in Los Angeles changed her mind.

Meagan explained her change of heart in tonight's interview with Charlamagne Tha God on his Comedy Central show "Tha God's Honest Truth" ... saying she would feel more comfortable with a gun after seeing home invasions on the rise in Hollywood.

The actress says she used to think she didn't need a gun at home because there wouldn't be time to grab the weapon if a situation arose ... but now she says she wants to be able to at least have the option.

While Meagan says she doesn't want to shoot or kill any potential home invaders ... she says she is willing to defend herself with a gun.

Meagan's fears are real.

TMZ broke the story ... Clarence Avant's wife, Jackie, was shot and killed inside the couple's Beverly Hills home Wednesday morning after at least one suspect made it inside during a home invasion robbery.

These cases are part of an alarming trend ... in the days before Halloween, Dorit Kemsley had 3 men (shown above) storm into her bedroom to threaten her life before fleeing with six-figures worth of valuables.

It's evening happening outside of homes ... Terrence J told cops last month he was pulling into his driveway when another car pulled up and the men inside ordered him out of his car, firing shots and giving chase when he refused their commands and drove off.

Bottom line for Meagan ... she's embracing the 2nd Amendment.

Willow Smith got some time on the beach, time with her friend and time making sure she was COVID-free all at once ... talk about multitasking!

The 21-year-old was on the beach in Miami Friday where a nurse grabbed a quick swab -- presumably for COVID -- while the singer sprawled out on a lounger chair.

Once the test was finished, Willow was free to hang out and even share some PDA with a friend, who looks like the artist DE'WAYNE, who she's recently been touring with across the U.S.

Willow and DE'WAYNE chilled out with a walk on the beach after their cuddle-shesh.

Alec Baldwin's claim he's not responsible for Halyna Hutchins' death is not echoed by the woman leading the "Rust" shooting investigation -- instead, she says Baldwin, and several others, could still be charged for their roles in the tragedy.

During his sit-down with George Stephanopoulos, Baldwin said he didn't feel guilt over what went down. As he put it, "Someone is responsible for what happened and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me."

Well, Santa Fe County District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies isn't ready to clear his name, criminally, just yet. She tells TMZ ... "Everyone involved in the handling and use of firearms on the set had a duty to behave in a manner such that the safety of others was protected, and it appears that certain actions and inactions contributed to this outcome."

Her Office, along with the Sheriff's Dept., hasn't completed their probe yet ... and she's making it clear no decisions have been made about exactly who could be charged. She says, "Once I have had the opportunity to review the complete investigation, certain individuals may be criminally culpable for his/her actions and/or inactions on the set of Rust."

And, there's this ... Baldwin's explanation for how he fired the fatal shot isn't holding water with weapons expert Steve Wolf, who says the "no trigger" theory IS possible -- but there were several other mistakes made on the set.

Steve's been working with munitions and props for TV and film for decades, so he was particularly interested in Baldwin's claim that the replica antique revolver he was holding fired without him pulling the trigger.

Steve was on Friday's "TMZ Live" when he held up a similar handgun and demonstrated exactly what Baldwin described. He pulled back the hammer on the weapon, but unlike Alec claimed ... Steve says it's just not possible for the hammer to strike and fire a bullet without the trigger getting engaged. Not normally, anyway.

He admitted there are 2 possible exceptions -- first, there could have been a mechanical flaw ... and the other possibility has to do with how the weapon was manufactured.

The Colt .45 Baldwin was using is a replica of an 1873 revolver, and it could have been made without a safety feature that is standard on such weapons now, but wasn't back in the 19th century.

Tiger Woods says the only lift he was able to do following his horrific car crash earlier this year was bench press -- and he claims he hit it so hard, he was able to put up 255 pounds!!

The golf superstar made the revelation to Golf Digest this week ... saying in the weeks after he busted his leg in the infamous L.A. wreck back in February, all he could do to stay fit was get underneath iron and bounce it off his chest.

"I got to where I was doing like 250, 255," Woods said.

Of course, that's not exactly Aaron Donald or James Harrison numbers in the weight room ... but, remember, Tiger only weighs 185 pounds -- and he's 45 years old!

To give even more context to how impressive the feat is ... Woods -- who was notorious for his weight lifting back in his prime -- says the most he's ever been able to bench was 285.

Tiger, though, says his bench numbers have gone down now that he's gotten healthier ... explaining he's able to incorporate far more lifts into his routine, so the bench has taken a back seat.

"Now that I'm doing other things -- more functional stuff," Woods said, "I've gone away from benching."

Ola Osundairo says he's not the homophobe Jussie Smollett claims he is, and we've got the photo he showed the court to prove it.

Both Ola and Abel Osundairo testified in the Smollett case Thursday, among questions directly related to the case, Ola also worked to fight Jussie's previous claims he was homophobic.

Ola told the court Jussie was full of it, and he has plenty of respect and experience with the gay community ... working as a bouncer at a gay club and even marching in a Chicago pride parade years ago "handing out condoms and flexing" as a Trojan warrior to promote Trojan condoms.

We've obtained the photo Ola shared with the court, and you can not only see him, but his brother Abel shirtless and decked out in Trojan gear.

Daymond John says Playboy is making its best move in years by joining forces with Cardi B ... because she'll bring her legion of young fans to the iconic brand, while also making much-needed changes to it.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and we got his reaction to Cardi coming onboard with Playboy as its first-ever creative director in residence.

Daymond says the move makes sense for Playboy on several levels as they move away from traditional print magazine and focus in on a digital rebirth -- he envisions Cardi breathing life back into a brand with a following that skews much older.

Cardi says her new role with Playboy is a "dream come true" ... and Daymond tells us why he wants to see more of those dreams becoming a reality before deciding if Playboy is a worthy investment.

Tristan Thompson is allegedly about to become a dad x3, this time with a woman out of Houston who claims she got pregnant after a brief fling with the NBA star ... and now wants him to pay up in the form of child support.

Maralee Nichols claims she's due to give birth to a baby boy today, December 3, according to new docs obtained by The Daily Mail. Nichols says the baby was conceived in Houston back in March ... around the time Thompson was in town to celebrate his 30th birthday.

The DM reports Thompson admits to having sex with Nichols several times at the hotel ... and previous to meeting up she had promised him a "birthday surprise" which he knew meant birthday sex.

If Nichols' timeline is accurate, Tristan was still publicly with Khloe Kardashian at the time he and the expecting mom hooked up.

One thing up for debate -- how long the fling lasted. Tristan reportedly says it was only a one-night stand, but Nichols says the two had been together off and on for around 5 months prior to the March hook-up.

As for Tristan and Khloe, they broke up in May, shortly after a woman named Sydney Chase made allegations she and Tristan had hooked up. Both Tristan and Khloe have publicly supported each other since the split and are often seen co-parenting their daughter True.

The baby boy would be Tristan's third known child.

Nichols is asking for child support and for Tristan to cover her pregnancy-related medical expenses.

"America's Got Talent" standout Jay Jay Phillips -- whose big hair gained as much attention as his talent -- has died from complications related to COVID-19.

A family member tells us Jay Jay was battling the disease at home Thanksgiving week. We're told family and friends were continuously checking in with him over the phone, and he took a turn for the worse the day before the holiday.

Jay Jay's family urged him to go to the hospital, but he just told them he needed more sleep ... and that was the last time they heard from him.

We're told Jay Jay's girlfriend and her mom -- who is a nurse -- went to check on him Thanksgiving Day and found him dead. The family member tells us Phillips was not vaccinated, but just before he got sick had started to tell people he planned on getting the shot soon.

Phillips' dad, who he lived with, is currently hospitalized and fighting for his life on a ventilator.

Jay Jay first made an appearance on season 4 of the talent competition, but was eliminated early. He came back during season 12, but was eliminated in the judge cuts just before the quarterfinals.

Phillips was 30.