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Stephen A. Smith says the folks upset over his recent Jeffrey Epstein take are just like him -- they're allowed to have their own opinions. Only difference?? He makes millions for his.

TMZ Sports caught up with SAS in New York City this week following his appearance on Chris Cuomo's "NewsNation" show ... which resulted in some flak for saying he didn't care if the dead financier's rumored "client list" ever came to light -- nor should the public.

His take on the Epstein "list" -- which some folks believe included names of clients to whom underage girls were trafficked -- upset a lot of viewers ... and Smith gave us his response in three parts.

Bad news for those hoping Dustin Poirier has one more fight in him after this weekend ... he tells TMZ Sports he's REALLY hanging up the gloves for good Saturday night.

We chopped it up with the 36-year-old ahead of his retirement match against Max Holloway in his home state of Louisiana. Before we got to that, we had to ask him if next year's potential July 4th card at the White House had him rethinking things.

But Diamond made it clear ... even the thought of throwing hands at one of the most iconic landmarks in the country isn't changing his mind.

Former Washington pass rusher Jason Buck would love to see his old team get its prior moniker back ... and he tells TMZ Sports he'd "give anything" to sit down with Donald Trump to try to ensure it happens.

The ex-defensive lineman -- who won a Super Bowl with Washington -- chopped it up with us in the days after Trump told the world he wants D.C.'s NFL team to go back to its former nickname ... and he said he couldn't agree more with POTUS.

Buck told us when the former name got the boot in 2020 due to concerns surrounding its controversial origins ... he felt like someone had just uprooted his household.

Patrick Surtain II ain't jealous one bit that Sauce Gardner's new contract topped his ... in fact, he told TMZ Sports this week the $120 million deal the Jets star just inked is "great" for the future of their position.

The Denver Broncos cornerback chopped it up with us as he got ready with Raising Cane's for Wednesday night's ESPYS ... and when the topic of Sauce's big-money pact came up, he made it clear, he wasn't envious at all.

Surtain II -- who signed a four-year deal worth around $24 million less than Gardner roughly nine months ago -- explained he thinks it's "good for the position, for sure."

The "Hawk Tuah" phenomenon seemed inescapable across the country last year ... and now we know it was even penetrating the water as well, thanks to a vessel currently for sale christened with the viral TikTok phrase.

Rob Worth, 52, a software developer in Alpena, Michigan, tells TMZ ... he's listed his 1996 Tempest 152 -- dubbed "Hawk Tuah" -- for $4,200.

The boat has been on sale for about two weeks ... and RW tells us he has been entertaining offers -- but so far, they have been lowballing him.

Raekwon released his "Emperor's New Clothes" album today, but there will be no release parties at his HashStoria cannabis dispensary -- it's been shut down over alleged failure to pay rent.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, a judge ruled in favor of the building's landlord, BMHC LLC, forcing HashStoria to vacate the premises by July 1 ... where it's just been collecting dust ever since.

Raekwon tells TMZ Hip Hop … "We were hoodwinked, and while it's a very sad outcome, we will have our day in court!"

Robbie Pardlo, lead singer of the Grammy-nominated R&B group City High, has tragically died at the age of 46, a rep for the singer confirms to TMZ.

Robbie passed away yesterday, July 17, surrounded by his family and close friends in Willingboro, NJ ... leaving behind a lengthy musical legacy.

No cause of death has been determined yet ... the family is currently grieving but will be planning Robbie's memorial services and tributes in the upcoming days and will share details with the public.

The "TMZ After Dark" tour is rolling back through Hollywood ... and guess who’s riding shotgun Saturday night? Yep, Ray J's crashing the party as your host!

Ray popped on "TMZ Live" Friday to hype the epic ride, cruising through L.A.'s hottest spots -- Sunset, Hollywood and Santa Monica Blvds., with stops along the way and free shots at bars!

Ray told Harvey and Charles he's all about letting the good times roll with the best bash in Hollywood.

Tom Bergeron's hosting a new dance competition ... though the new contestants are a whole lot more dangerous than your average group of celebrities -- these are some of the ocean's most dangerous predators.

The former "Dancing with the Stars" host joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday to discuss his new show for Shark Week titled "Dancing with Sharks" ... where professional shark handlers are training with a choreographer, hopping in the water and teaching the animals how to boogie!

Bergeron jokes sharks like to lead -- after all, they're some of the scariest fish out there, so they certainly ain't afraid to forge their own paths -- but, he adds, it's pretty safe ... 'cause the shark handlers have worked with creatures like these for years and know what to do.

The couple supposedly caught cheating at a recent Coldplay concert are inspiring a lot of people in their alone time ... 'cause "cheating" porn interest is blowing up on Pornhub.

We've got some internal data from the good people at one of the country's premier porn sites ... and, they tell us they're seeing a massive spike in searches for the keywords "cheating" and "affair."

Check out this graph ... search traffic grew as erect as the people looking up the videos -- up more than 19% from the previous day. Worth noting ... interest sat at around just 2% for much of the weeks leading up to the Coldplay catastrophe -- but, it's really exploded all over the site in recent days.

A friend of the late Annabelle investigator Dan Rivera is super concerned about the other staff working on the "haunted" Raggedy Ann doll's tour -- 'cause he thinks the whole damn thing is CURSED!!!

Philip Siracusa -- the former owner of the "Haunted Horsefly Chronicles Home" -- tells TMZ ... he became buds with Rivera when he stopped by to check out paranormal activity inside the alleged haunted house in 2020.

Siracusa says the ongoing tour of Annabelle should promptly close up shop because it's "cursed" following Rivera's untimely death at a hotel in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, last week. He says he believes the tour is a bad idea and will open up a can of worms that may affect other people if it continues.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Vittoria Ceretti are one of Hollywood's hottest couples ... so, they decided to go for a dip to cool off in a rare vacation for the pair.

The actor and his model GF hit the water off the coast of celebrity vacation hot spot Saint-Tropez in a couple revealing outfits ... with Leo wearing board shorts and VC baring her buns in a thong-style bikini.

Leo was dripping with water while having a chat with Vittoria on deck ... and, the two were spotted standing at the edge of the deck, looking down into the waves.

Denise Richards and Aaron Phypers weren't always at each other's throats ... in fact, Aaron showed some public support for her back in 2023 -- calling her a "great wife."

The 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' star and her now-estranged husband were spotted back in 2023 at the Hollywood Christmas Parade ... sitting on the back of a convertible together -- and, they chat with a fan standing beside the vehicle.

Watch the clip ... the fan congratulates Denise on stealing Aaron from Nicollette Sheridan ... and, he steps in to compliment Denise.

Joey Bada$$ feels he's both at the top of the rap game and has more to prove, so anyone considering themselves competition --  Top Dawg Entertainment artists, current or former -- will be regarded as food!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Mr. Beast Coast in Burbank on Thursday ... Joey's arming himself with a bold new album title, "Lonely At The Top," which he explains to us outlines being at the "top" of all his success.

Joey tells us he keeps God close to combat loneliness but has been occupying his studio time much of the year, looped in a battle rap between West Coast rappers, mainly Ray Vaughn of TDE ... Joey's ultimate goal is to face off against Kendrick Lamar!!!

It sure seems like everyone is talking about the viral Coldplay concert moment when the kiss-cam seemingly exposed a CEO's alleged affair with his staffer -- and now fans can rock hilarious merch ... thanks to Etsy.

The popular online marketplace was flooded with items shortly after Astronomer CEO Andy Byron was allegedly caught canoodling on camera with his human resources chief, Kristin Cabot, at Coldplay's Boston concert Wednesday night.

Spreading through social media like the "Speed of Sound" ... their horrified reaction made national headlines -- so of course, it was just a matter of time before someone cashed in on the moment.

Troy Ave. ain't out of the woods yet after his "fake" shooting video surfaced online ... 'cause the police are now investigating to see if the incident was actually real.

The San Diego County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ they received a copy of the video Wednesday, which depicts Troy and his buddy, Geoff Cole, getting out of a vehicle outside Geoff's home as a gunman sneaks up on them. Troy quickly reacts, pulling out his own pistol and firing several shots at the supposed assailant before the clip cuts off.

Geoff uploaded the video to his Instagram page Tuesday -- and 45,000 people liked it, with many believing that Troy was a real-life hero standing up to an alleged attempted robber.