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Justin Bieber fired his longtime "assistant" years ago, TMZ has learned -- this amid new reports claiming JB's team recently began shrinking due to concerns about his well-being.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... despite new reports suggesting Justin's assistant quit recently -- as Justin's inner circle gets smaller -- we're told JB's former estate manager, Mateo Caldas, was fired by the singer 5 years ago.

Our sources wouldn't specify why Mateo was cut loose in September 2020, but clarified he was never Justin's personal assistant -- his sole responsibility was to oversee Justin's Los Angeles estate.

Bhad Bhabie and her BF Le Vaughn might drop off the radar for a bit, on the heels of him getting shot at an L.A. strip club -- her dad says he's a little worried about someone trying to finish the job.

We talked to Ira Peskowitz Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and he says whatever went down last night at Sam's Hofbrau strip club in DTLA ... LV had concerns about individuals involved in the shooting possibly showing up at the home where he lives with BB, AKA Danielle Bregoli, and their kids.

As we reported, the suspects made a clean getaway after the early morning shooting incident, and Ira says he just wants to make sure innocent people -- such as his daughter Danielle, his granddaughter Kali, or LV's toddler son -- don't get hurt.

Katherine Heigl says her efforts to save animals from death row are being sabotaged by a rogue rescue group that's spreading a whole lot of dog s*** about her foundation ... TMZ has learned.

Katherine and her mom, Nancy, run the Jason Heigl Foundation -- named after Katherine's late brother -- which supports animal rescue efforts, particularly saving animals from kill shelters. Awesome work, for sure.

Now, according to a new lawsuit, the Heigls' org signed a deal to support The Pitty Committee, which is a Santa Monica-based dog rescue. The deal was Katherine's foundation would give TPC $5,000 per month to rescue a minimum number of pups of Katherine and Nancy's choosing.

Jay-Z is revealing how he found out the Jane Doe rape accuser allegedly lied about his involvement ... and how attorney Tony Buzbee allegedly pushed her to sue, anyway.

A private investigator named Charlotte Henderson filed an affidavit Wednesday stating she met with the Jane Doe on Feb. 21, 2025 in the anonymous woman's home in Alabama -- and, during the meeting, she claimed Buzbee "pushed me" to include Jay in the lawsuit.

According to the docs, Doe said she told Buzbee she'd been raped by Sean "Diddy" Combs in 2000, and wanted to sue him ... but "Buzbee brought Jay-Z into it." She added, "He was the one that kind of pushed me towards going forward with him, with Jay-Z."

Texas rapper G$ Lil Ronnie and his 5-year-old daughter were shot dead at a car wash Monday morning just as their post-birthday festivities were getting underway, the slain artist's videographer tells TMZ Hip Hop.

Mello Vision has shot dozens of music videos and social content for Ronnie, and he tells us he's generally confused about the murders. If there was a threat to Ronnie's life, Mello would have felt it because they were frequently together at the same locations.

Mello says Ronnie was out late on March 2 and woke up early in an effort to spend intimate time with his daughter on the morning of the 3rd, when they were both killed.

The woman run over by an Amazon truck -- caught on shocking video -- faces months of physical therapy to recover ... but she holds no ill will toward the driver who fled the scene.

David Ellin, lawyer for Chelsey Douglas, tells TMZ … his client is finally out of the hospital but has a long road ahead after being run over and dragged by an Amazon van in Baltimore on the night of February 18.

Shocking video showing the incident went viral after the alleged driver, Jerome Allan Young Jr., drove off moments after seeing he had clearly hit someone. The driver stopped the van, got out and hovered over Chelsey as she cried out in pain, then got back into the van and drove away.

Ben Affleck and Jen Garner are NOT getting back together romantically ... despite speculation and reports claiming the contrary ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to Ben tells TMZ ... headlines suggesting BA is interested in rekindling a romantic relationship with his ex-wife are "ridiculous" gossip. We're told there is no interest from Ben and he's happy they can be good friends in a great co-parenting situation.

This hammer-drop response comes after multiple reports surfaced suggesting the former couple was potentially getting back together as a romantic duo ... which, again, ain't the case. Our sources tell us Ben is NOT currently dating and it's not even of interest to him right now.

Diddy and his attorneys want one of the sexual assault lawsuits tossed out of court, but if they're successful it could change the game in dozens of the other civil cases he's facing.

Here's the deal ... Diddy's zeroing-in on New York's Victims of Gender-Motivated Violence Protection Law (GMVA), because that's the statute a Jane Doe used to sue him back in December for a sexual assault she claims happened at a charity basketball game in 1991 at City College.

The date is what's important here, at least according to Diddy's attorney Mark Cuccaro. In the docs, obtained by TMZ, he points out the GMVA was passed on December 19, 2000. Back in 2022, New York made an amendment that extended the statute of limitations for claims under the GMVA, from 7 to 9 years.

Mike 'Boogie' Malin is in hot water -- again -- this time, for hitting up Los Angeles pharmacies and allegedly leaving without paying for a bunch of stuff ... TMZ has learned.

The Burbank Police Department tells TMZ ... the '"Big Brother" season 7 alum was arrested on January 29 after officers were dispatched to multiple CVS Pharmacy locations in the San Fernando Valley regarding shoplifting incidents.

Law enforcement sources tell us an employee from the first CVS told cops he confronted Malin outside the store and told him he needed to pay for the items he'd stolen. Malin went back into the store with the items, placed them on the ground, and departed the premises in his vehicle.

Chaos ensued on the '80s-themed Royal Caribbean cruise when the fiancée of Faster Pussycat's lead singer went overboard ... and only TMZ has video of the rescue efforts.

We obtained this video from a passenger on the cruise, and you hear the public address system alerting passengers that someone fell off the ship into the waters below.

The frantic search effort is also featured in the video, with smaller boats racing around the cruise ship in an effort to find Kimberly Burch -- fiancée of Faster Pussycat frontman Taime Downe.

Shawn Stockman is heartbroken over Angie Stone’s shocking death ... telling us he’ll always remember her for fighting to make sure artists got paid what they deserved.

We caught up with Shawn shortly after he and Boyz II Men hit Capitol Hill, pushing Congress to make AM and FM radio stations pay for playing artists' music -- and he tells TMZ he respected Angie because she was fighting that same battle too.

Shawn said he’d run into Angie often but didn’t know her personally. What he did know, though, was that she was all about fighting for what’s right -- and that's giving artists the pay they deserve so they don't go broke. He pointed out the industry was basically founded on "criminal activity" by "gangsters."

Casey Anthony is only embarking on her new career as a legal advocate for two reasons -- money and fame ... so says the judge from her notorious 2011 murder trial.

Retired Judge Belvin Perry Jr., who presided over Casey's child-murder trial, tells TMZ ... Casey, for starters, is craving attention after being out of the spotlight for a while.

Perry also says Casey wants to make some cold hard cash ... that's why she's asking her fans to pay $10 a month or $100 a year to subscribe to her Substack, which offers to help people with legal issues.

Olympic medalist Omari Jones is steppin' into the ring for his boxing debut on March 15 ... and plans to make a powerful statement with a knockout victory!

Jones -- who won the bronze medal in boxing at the 2024 Paris Olympics -- spoke with TMZ Sports days before his six-round boxing debut at the Caribe Royale in his hometown of Orlando, Florida.

Jones -- who signed with Eddie Hearn's Matchroom Boxing promotion -- is eager to showcase his skills in front of his family, friends, and fans, describing himself as the complete package as an elite boxer.

Love is in the air for Tyga and Madelaine Petsch ... 'cause we've learned they're officially dating.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the rapper and "Riverdale" star have been seeing each other romantically, and the relationship is pretty fresh. We're told they've been close friends for a while, but around a month ago the friendship turned romantic.

Our sources say they're telling people who know them that the relationship is new and they’re enjoying each other's company and their time together.

Cynthia Bailey is pulling the curtain back on her mystery relationship ... and TMZ has the first look at her boyfriend ... a musician from Amsterdam.

We got the 'RHOA' star at LAX traveling with her boo and they finally went public ... with Cynthia's man revealing his true identity -- he's an artist who mixes reggae music with electronic beats, and he goes by the stage name LePrince.

Cynthia's kept her boyfriend's identity under wraps for months but has been gushing about him in the media ... but LePrince was willing to let the cat out of the bag here, thanks to some excellent work by our photog.

Curtis Stone is down to prepare a meal for President Trump ... and he's ready to bring a taste of Australia to the White House.

The celeb chef told us what he would serve Trump during an interview on our new TMZ podcast, "Big Down Under," with our camera guy Charlie Cotton.

Curtis says Wagyu beef would definitely be on the menu ... although it sounds like he's going to have to get creative with preparation, seeing as how Trump likes his steaks well done, with ketchup.