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Shirtless J.R. Smith made his return Thursday night ... and we all have Baker Mayfield to thank for it -- 'cause the Cavs star WENT CRAZY after the rookie led the Browns to a win!!!

It all went down at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland ... where J.R. had luxury box seats to see the Baker-led Browns finally win a game for the first time since 2016.

You'll remember ... the last time J.R. celebrated a massive Cleveland victory -- he went topless in public for hours ... rockin' no shirt for the entire Cavs' championship parade.

Well ... about midway through the second half of the Browns-Jets game -- J.R. promised to make another shirtless appearance if they pulled out the comeback.

And then Baker did it -- AND OFF WENT THE SHIRT!!

"It's over! Let's go! Let's go!" a topless J.R. screamed after the win. "We outchya! No shirt shorty! We out here!"

President Trump's pissed off a bunch of canoers who say in a new lawsuit his excessive golfing's gotten them banned from the Potomac River.

The Canoe Cruisers Association of Greater Washington sued Trump's Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and the Coast Guard claiming an Administration rule prohibits canoers from accessing 2 miles of the Potomac River near Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia.

In docs, the canoers claim the Coast Guard and DHS initially had temporarily imposed restrictions but have created a "permanent security zone" in June 2017, and they've been turned away at least 32 times.

Carlos Hyde is about to have a hell of a birthday night ... 'cause dude's about to have a baby -- then play against the New York Jets!!!

The Browns star running back is currently at a hospital in Cleveland, waiting for the birth of his child -- NFL Network's Omar Ruiz reports.

Carlos' soon-to-be-baby-mama had labor induced last night ... so the little Hyde is expected to come out any minute.

The plan from there??

HEAD TO FIRSTENERGY STADIUM TO GET THE BROWNS THEIR FIRST WIN SINCE 2016!!!

Nick Cannon just fired back at Kanye West, who warned him to keep Kim Kardashian's name out of his mouth -- and his message to Ye is simple ... chill, bro.

The 'Wild 'n Out' host says he's got love and respect for Kanye, but also thinks the dude must be trippin' to think he can control what Nick says. He feels strongly he's never disrespected Kanye and Kim's marriage, but adds ... if he's asked a question about Kim he'll answer it honestly.

As we reported ... Kanye took shots at Nick, Drake and Tyson Beckford for talking about Kim -- sexually or otherwise. He called Nick out for discussing Kim's body in a recent interview with VladTV ... and accused Drake of fueling the rumor he slept with Kim.

Cardi B just gave us the first-ever look at her wedding day ... or night ... it's kind of hard to tell because it went down inside her bedroom.

TMZ broke the story ... Cardi and Offset got married on a whim the same day he proposed to her ... but there have been no photos of the secret ceremony. Cardi took care of that Thursday by posting a 1-year anniversary pic. Best #TBT of the day?

As we told you, the couple secretly tied the knot September 20, 2017 -- a good month before Offset proposed to Cardi onstage. The fake engagement effectively threw everyone off the scent ... until he started referring to Cardi as his wife in public, specifically at the BET Awards.

Once we did some digging, we found out they got a marriage certificate in Fulton County, GA the same day they got married.

One year later and they have their new baby Kulture, and fresh beef with Nicki Minaj.

Happy anniversary!

Conor McGregor says if Khabib Nurmagomedov stepped off that bus at Barclays Center, he would have MURDERED him and gone to prison for life.

Yeah, it was all part of the insane UFC 229 media event in NYC on Thursday -- where Conor pounded whiskey and fired off dozens of explicit slurs at his opponent.

Conor called Khabib every name in the book -- and made up some new ones -- including:

-- "Little rat, little weasel."

-- "You little fanboy bitch."

-- "You'll do nothing."

-- "You mad backwards c*nt."

-- Regarding the bus incident, Conor said, "When the person you were looking for showed up, you took a sh*t on the back of the bus, so shut your f*cking mouth!!!"

-- "You're a fake lying rat. I'm real."

-- "We don't have to lick no one's a**hole for a check, like f*cking you!!"

There's more about the bus incident ... Conor blames Khabib for the people who were injured in that attack -- saying everything would have been fine if Khabib had the stones to get off the bus and fight.

"I just thank the Lord Jesus Christ that that man doesn't have the balls to step off that bus ... this man would be dead right now."

"He would be in a box and I would be in a cell and we would not have this great fight ahead of us."

The woman who stole a Louis Vuitton bag filled with cash and jewelry from pro boxer Jermall Charlo just caught a huge break ... in part 'cause officials say she's a pediatric nurse!!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Charlo was partying at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan last March when he got into a fight with another group of people ... and left his bag unattended.

Sources say the bag had a $15,000 diamond bracelet, a $75,000 championship ring, a $10,000 Cartier ring and more in it ... and held around $40,000 in cash as well.

A 40-year-old Connecticut woman, Sarah Morin, nabbed the bag ... and after police asked the public for help identifying her -- she turned herself in.

She was facing felony charges of grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property ... but officials say they cut a deal with her on Thursday to let her off easy because the whole thing appeared to be a misunderstanding -- and because she's a nurse.

Officials say Morin was given the bag to watch by an associate of Charlo's ... and while she bolted from the club with the bag -- she did return it with the jewelry ... and appeared to try to do so even prior to being contacted by police.

Officials say even though no cash was returned ... they were unable to verify if there was even any in the bag.

Officials also say her status as a pediatric nurse who works with children with cancer influenced their decision to let her walk with just a disorderly conduct charge.

Kanye West is unloading on Drake and Nick Cannon for publicly talking, rapping or even suggesting anything about Kim Kardashian.

Kim's husband stood up for her with a series of videos where he shares a bunch of "things that were not sitting right with my spirit." The first of which being Nick talking about Kim's body in a recent VladTV interview. Nick and Kim dated back in their mid-20s, and Nick excitedly reminisced about her body, saying ... "That white girl got ass!!"

Kanye's demanding Nick show some respect for him in the future if someone asks him any questions about Kim.

As for Drake ... Kanye's in HIS feelings about "In My Feelings." Remember, there's a rumor the lyric about "Kiki" is a reference to Kim -- that's her family nickname, and everyone knows it from their show. Ye says Drake should've publicly stated the Kiki in his song is NOT Kim.

As Kanye puts it ... he wouldn't rap about a girl named RiRi.

He's also got beef with an unreleased Drake and Future song that featured lyrics saying, "I got 20 motherf**king Kylie’s ... I got 20 damn Kendalls." In a nutshell, Kanye says ... "So, period is like don't speak on nobody from my family, nothing that can be even mentioned on my wife, period!"

LeBron James is lashing back at Donald Trump -- saying he didn't give a crap when POTUS called him dumb because, "I'm not."

"That's like somebody saying I can't play ball," LeBron told The Hollywood Reporter.

"That doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is that he has time to even do that. He has the most powerful job in the world. Like, you really got this much time that you can comment on me?"

LeBron is referencing a tweet Trump put out on August 3 in the wake of LJ's interview on CNN, when the NBA superstar said the President is using sports to divide America.

Trump tweeted, "LeBron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon. He made Lebron look smart, which isn't easy to do. I like Mike!"

Antonio Brown says he does NOT want to be traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers ... just days after saying the opposite on Twitter.

Brown spoke with reporters on Thursday about his now-infamous tweet ... saying he "obviously" doesn't actually want to leave the Steelers after clapping back at a tweet suggesting Ben Roethlisberger is responsible for his success.

AB84 explained he fired back at the guy who sent the tweet -- a former Steelers PR guy -- because he thought it was a personal shot.

"I'm still grateful to put on my uniform, grateful to be a part of this organization," Brown said. "I don't take that for granted. Obviously it was a stupid remark."

Brown also said he's pissed the Steelers haven't won a game yet ... but wouldn't reveal why he missed practice on Monday.

He's still got another month on the bench, but fighters are already trying to book a fight with Jon Jones -- starting with UFC star Alexander Gustafsson!

Some history ... Gustafsson had a title shot with Jones back in 2013 at UFC 165 -- and the fight was AWESOME!!!

AG lost in a unanimous decision -- but Jones was sent to the hospital for injuries after the fight and later called it the toughest fight of his career.

Both guys got a Fight of the Night bonus for the spectacular brawl.

Now, with Jones expected to be reinstated to fight again as early as October -- Alexander is making his pitch for a rematch!

"Congratulations [Jon Jones]," the #1 ranked lightweight contender wrote on social media ... "I'm really glad u are back!"

"[Daniel Cormier] is aiming for [Brock Lesnar] ... so let’s give the fans another legendary fight for the belt."

Gustafsson made sure to tag the UFC and Dana White.

As we previously reported, Jones is currently serving a suspension after testing positive for PEDs surrounding the Cormier fight at UFC 214.

Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper is a free woman again -- Wanda Barzee got out of a Utah state prison, and was spotted chowing down shortly thereafter.

Barzee was carrying a salad and a banana on Wednesday as she walked into a halfway house. She was convicted for aiding Brian David Mitchell in kidnapping Elizabeth in 2002, and spent 15 years behind bars. Elizabeth says Barzee stood by and watched as Mitchell repeatedly raped her.

Not long after Barzee's release, Elizabeth reacted on Instagram saying, "Without [a] doubt the past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotion ... May we all remain vigilant in watching over our families, friends, and community from anyone who would seek to hurt or take advantage."

Despite the Utah parole board deeming she was unfit for release, there was nothing it could do to keep Barzee off the streets because state law requires her release by the time her sentence is complete. She got credit for time served in the federal system.

As we reported, Barzee is on supervised release, and one term of her release includes ZERO contact, of any form, with Elizabeth.

We're told the requirement that Barzee stay away from Smart will be for the full 5 years of her supervised release. When that ends, Elizabeth can file for a protective order.

6:25 PM PT -- Jones has responded to the news, saying ... "It’s difficult to express myself at this moment but I can definitely say my heart is filled with gratitude and appreciation. I want to thank all of you who have stood by me during the toughest stretch of my life."

He added ... "now is the time to shift the focus front and center to the road ahead. Greatness is what I’m chasing and the path to reclaiming my throne is now officially open. Comeback Season begins now."

Jon Jones has finally received his punishment for testing positive for a banned anabolic steroid last year -- a 15-month suspension -- but the good news is ... he could return to the Octagon in just a little over a month.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Jones' suspension Wednesday, but it's retroactive to the date of the test on July 28, 2017 ... which means he may be eligible to fight again by October 28.

As we reported ... Jones swore on God and his kids that he didn't use steroids before his fight with Daniel Cormier at UFC 214, but couldn't account for the banned substance in his system in his B test.

Due to the positive test, his knockout over Cormier was changed to a no-contest.

Jones was originally looking at a maximum of a 4-year ban, but the USADA changed its mind and only sought an 18-month suspension. However, an independent arbitrator ultimately reduced it to 15 months and said in his ruling ... "There was absolutely no intention to use prohibited substances on the part of the athlete."

Jones also got his license to fight revoked in California for the positive test, but he's also eligible for reinstatement now.

Looney Tunes Land will have the power of Wakanda in the newest 'Space Jam' sequel starring LeBron James ... 'cause the director behind "Black Panther" is officially joining the project!!

The follow-up to the 1996 classic -- slated to begin production 2019 -- has added Ryan Coogler to the movie as a producer ... and Terence Nance will be the director.

LeBron's got a lot of irons in the Hollywood fire, but this has been by far the most anticipated project since it was announced in 2016.

If Coogler's name doesn't ring a bell, you've probably seen one of his movies. He's directed other movies like "Creed" and "Fruitvale Station" ... both starring Michael B. Jordan.

Julie Chen just formally announced she's leaving "The Talk" and her departing message thanked both her fans and costars.

The longtime talk show host and CBS anchor appeared in a pre-recorded video Tuesday at the bottom of the show, where she said, in part, that she was leaving "The Talk" to spend more time with her husband, Les Moonves, and their young son.

Julie, who eventually became teary-eyed during her remarks, thanked all the hosts of "The Talk," singling out each one and quickly reminiscing on their friendship. She ended with "I love you all, and I know this show and the sisterhood it stands for will live on for many, many, many more years to come. You ladies got this, and I cannot be more proud to call you my friends. I love you."

The camera eventually cut back to the main set where all the ladies were in tears. Sara Gilbert quickly thanked Julie for her contributions to "The Talk" and the program ended from there without further discussion.

As we reported ... Julie was slated to make the announcement that she would be off of "The Talk" effective immediately. No word on whether she's leaving her "Big Brother" hosting gig just yet, but it appears she'll be sticking it out for the short term. She's hosting again this week.

Julie returned to "Big Brother" last week without mentioning the sexual assault allegations against her husband, Les Moonves. She also didn't talk about his forced resignation from CBS in the wake of several women coming forward to accuse him of past sexual misconduct.

She did, however, sign off on Thursday's episode as Julie Chen Moonves ... clearly showing her support for her husband.

11:40 AM PT -- A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop has countered Saltzman, telling TMZ ... "As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves."

They continue, "Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets™ do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation."

Frank Oz -- longtime puppeteer for the show and hands behind some of the beloved characters, including Bert -- also denounced Saltzman, saying, "It seems Mr. Mark Saltzman was asked if Bert & Ernie are gay. It's fine that he feels they are. They're not, of course. But why that question? Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There's much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness."

Bert and Ernie are finally out ... a "Sesame Street" writer is confirming the iconic characters are a gay couple.

Bert and Ernie have been on the show since it started in 1969, and there's always been speculation about the true nature of their relationship. Mark Saltzman, who joined the "Sesame Street" crew in 1984, cleared it all up by telling Queerty he wrote Bert and Ernie as a gay couple.

He says the 'Sesame' duo is a reflection of his own same-sex relationship and not about pushing an agenda.

Mark says he based Bert and Ernie on his relationship with film editor Arnold Glassman -- Mark was Ernie and Arnold was Bert.

Of course, Bert and Ernie have shared a basement apartment at 123 Sesame Street for the last 49 years ... although they've always slept in separate beds. Still, their chemistry -- while playfully arguing and bickering -- was always palpable.

Mark's revelation might be more of a formality -- the fact is, Bert and Ernie are longtime gay icons for many in the LGBT community.