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Taylor Swift finally denied rumors she played the bear who attacked beau Travis Kelce in "Happy Gilmore 2" -- and turns out, the guy actually behind the costume has a surprise as well ... he had no idea he was acting opposite such a big name!

TMZ caught up with Brandon Alan Smith, the actor who hopped into a bear suit and ambushed a shirtless, honey-slathered TK for the recently released 'HG2' ... and he spoke to us about Taylor's recent praise while admitting he had absolutely no clue he was in the presence of an NFL star, let alone THE Taylor Swift's boyfriend.

Just check out our clip -- Brandon is shaking off his "blissful ignorance" regarding the situation ... and hopes Swifties will let him "Out of the Woods" on this one.

Amaya Espinal's "Love Island USA" win was a no-brainer, according to New York City Mayor Eric Adams ... after all, she's from the true love island -- The Bronx!

We caught up with the 110th mayor in NYC's history Friday afternoon ... and, we asked him how he feels about Espinal -- an NYC native -- finding love on the hit reality show and taking home the $100K cash prize along with Bryan Arenales.

Adams jokes that Espinal knows what love is because she's from the NYC borough ... a love island in and of itself.

Hulk Hogan fans will be introduced to never-before-seen footage of the late WWE legend at the massive New York City Slam Sports Bar he began creating before his sudden death earlier this month -- and so much more.

TMZ caught up with his business partner -- President & CEO of American Sports Bar Entertainment Rich Rosen -- who spilled all the deets on the upcoming bar ... and Hulkamania will certainly be running wild in this unique restaurant experience!

But back to the sentimental part -- Rich tells TMZ there will be exclusive video of Hulk walking through the spacious 9,000 square-foot entertainment and dining space, giving his thoughts on it and fondly remembering the rise of his career inside Madison Square Garden -- which is directly across the street and is where Hulk built his icon status.

Janeshia Adams-Ginyard might have voted for President Donald Trump in the last election, but she's not above him taking a few jabs from "South Park" ... 'cause she says they go after everyone!

We caught up with the actress and stuntwoman at LAX on Friday ... and, we had to ask her about the show going so hard after the prez and others in his administration, like Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, given that she supports the guy.

Adams-Ginyard -- who played the Black, female version of Eric Cartman in "South Park: Joining the Panderverse," which skewered the woke left -- loves it ... adding the show is an equal opportunity offender, going after left and right pretty equally.

Heidi Montag brought the party to Sunset Boulevard as she filmed for her new "Icon" music video ... and we've got a special peek!

Check out our clip -- Heidi is radiating confidence -- and looking nothing less than iconic -- as she lip syncs to her single while rocking a revealing 'fit.

She went all out for the statement of an ensemble ... wearing a super tiny skirt made of black belts paired with a long-sleeved plush crop top that just barely covered her cleavage.

We are sensing some K-Fed shade from Sam Asghari ... who hinted at his feelings about Britney Spears' ex-husband releasing a tell-all book when we caught up with him in Los Angeles Friday.

Check out the clip -- the grinning actor says Kevin is a "professional father" ... adding it'll be "great" for him to share the first-ever book instructing dudes how to be one.

ICYMI ... Kevin announced his upcoming memoir, "You Thought You Knew," earlier this month. It promises to detail the highs and lows of his time in the spotlight along with fatherhood and marriage to the Princess of Pop. He also calls himself "one of pop culture’s most misunderstood figure."

11:32 AM PT -- Drake Bell's attorney, Brittany Staggs, tells TMZ … "At this time, Mr. Bell and his wife would like privacy as they transition into this new phase of their life."

She adds they don't plan on releasing any documents related to the divorce filing at the moment.

Years after his wife filed for divorce in Los Angeles ... Drake Bell is following in her footsteps, filing his own divorce petition in Florida.

On Thursday, the former child actor filed for divorce from Janet Bell in Seminole County, FL, but his petition and its details were not immediately available ... according to online court records. We'll update you once we get our hands on the docs.

Meanwhile, as we first reported, Janet hightailed it to L.A. Superior Court in 2023 and filed for divorce from the "Drake and Josh" star after 4 years of marriage and one child, Wyatt Bell.

There's a new membership club taking applications, and it's modeled after Soho House ... but this club is only for OnlyFans models.

The club is called The Circle, and it's being billed as an ultra-exclusive private membership club reserved for the top creators on OF.

It's basically Soho House for OnlyFans ... and we're told the goal here is to provide networking and growth opportunities for models to expand their brands  ... and there's a bunch of events curated for shooting content.

There's an investigation underway in Idaho after videos purporting to show Bryan Kohberger pacing around his prison cell ended up on the internet.

The footage popped up on social media Thursday and they appear to show Kohberger in prison attire walking around his cell. It's unclear if the videos are legit or A.I.-generated.

The Idaho Department of Corrections tells TMZ ... "We are aware of the videos circulating online and are investigating the matter. While we cannot yet confirm the veracity of the videos, if verified, they are a clear violation of IDOC policy and the parties responsible will be held accountable, up to and including termination."

Mixed martial arts was BANNED in many places around the world not long ago ... but the sport has grown at an electric pace, and Henry Cejudo predicts it'll soon be the biggest sport in the world!

Triple C joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show (airs weekdays on FS1) ... where the former champ-champ was asked about the UFC's historic (and massive) $7.7 BILLION media rights deal with Paramount, and whether he could've ever imagined the sport reaching these heights.

"No, I didn't [imagine MMA could get this big]," the 38-year-old future Hall of Famer said.

If Jose Reyes were in charge of the Mets, he tells TMZ Sports he'd sign Pete Alonso to a career-long contract ... and not blink twice!!

The former New York shortstop chopped it up with us just after Alonso passed Daryl Strawberry this week to become the Mets' all-time home run leader ... and he made it clear, his old team should sign its star first baseman to a massive deal this offseason.

Pete's currently on a two-year, $54 million contract ... but he can become a free agent before the 2026 season thanks to a player option -- and Reyes is hoping that never becomes a reality.

Shedeur Sanders ... QB1 for the Cleveland Browns?? There's a good chance that happens sooner than later -- so says team radio guy Je'Rod Cherry, who tells TMZ Sports he wouldn't be surprised one bit if the rookie's name is called if things go south to start the season.

The Orange and Brown's fifth-round pick is probably the most popular first-year player going into the 2025 campaign ... and after a stellar preseason debut against the Carolina Panthers, some fans are already calling on Cleveland to hand him the keys to the franchise.

Sanders went 14-for-23 for 138 yards and two touchdowns ... with 19 rushing yards as well in the outing.

Former WWE Superstar and two-time RAW Tag Team Champion Matt Riddle is raking in serious cash outside the ring -- thanks to a side hustle that's turning plenty of heads.

Riddle joined the latest episode of TMZ’s "Inside The Ring" podcast and revealed his OnlyFans account is doing "a lot" for his bank account, crediting much of the success to gay men who watch wrestling and find him "extremely attractive."

He says he keeps it pretty tame -- nothing "too crazy" -- usually just rocking a Speedo and doing workouts on camera ... but the results have been a huge financial win.

Taylor Swift lives for Easter eggs ... so it’s no accident her new album’s dropping October 3, AKA "Mean Girls" Day -- and now, one of the movie’s stars is spilling to us what he thinks she’s really up to.

We bumped into Daniel Franzese in L.A. Thursday night, and he couldn’t resist playing detective -- joking Taylor’s probably dropping her 12th studio album, "The Life of a Showgirl," on his iconic movie’s official day as a possible dig at her old pal, Blake Lively.

Daniel’s quick to stress he’s just joking -- and you’ve gotta see the rest of the clip, 'cause he doubles down on the fact he’s actually a nice guy ... meaning he probably wouldn’t be part of it if Taylor really was turning "Mean Girls" Day into a shady album drop.

R&B star Givēon is going to give it to you straight -- but also make it sound good. His love anthems are extremely personal tales written by him -- and they just happen to be TOXIC.

TMZ caught up with Givēon outside "Jimmy Kimmel Live" this week, where he performed his new song, "I Can Tell" -- a sweet-talking burner where he tells the girl about her own heart.

Giveon admits his music can be toxic from time to time -- but says you gotta respect it comes from an honest place.

Kroy Biermann's asking a court to make his home the primary residence for his children he shares with Kim Zolciak ... claiming her living environment is no good for the kids.

The former NFL player filed documents in Georgia ... noting that, under the current parenting plan, he and Kim each have two kids at a time -- their two older sons go back and forth together as do their younger twins -- a girl and a boy -- every week.

However, KB says the four kids living essentially separate lives in different homes isn't good for their mental health ... and, he's now asking the court for primary custody to fix it.