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John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan, is convinced he's the reason Jodie Foster is sexually attracted to other women.

John tells TMZ he has a theory that his failed Reagan assassination attempt in 1981 traumatized Jodie to the point where she turned away from men and became a lesbian. He believes Jodie's trauma also stemmed from him bringing her into his assassination attempt with his public fascination of her.

He says Jodie was dating men in the early 1980s and only became a lesbian in the years after he tried to shoot Reagan dead. Jodie first came out publicly as gay during the 2013 Golden Globes Awards. John says this is the first time he's ever revealed this theory publicly as he promotes his new memoir, "John Hinckley Jr.: Who I Really Am."

Kendra Wilkinson is a long way from her days at the Playboy Mansion ... because now she's a realtor.

We got the former "Girls Next Door" star at the Supermodels Unlimited Magazine Cover Party and our photog asked her about her transition from Playboy and reality TV to real estate.

Kendra says she's still got a lot of baggage from her days in Hollywood and that is playing a role in her new life as a celeb realtor ... but she's got no other choice than to make deals to feed her family as a single mother.

Todd Bridges and his wife, Bettijo, are calling it quits and heading for divorce ... TMZ has learned.

The "Diff'rent Strokes" star tells TMZ ... "After much thought and mutual respect, we have decided to end our marriage. During our time together we shared meaningful moments, but have chosen to go our separate ways. I ask for privacy and wish her nothing but love and happiness moving forward."

The split comes just over three years after the couple tied the knot in a low-key Beverly Hills ceremony with about 40 guests.

Howard King, the attorney representing a family accusing Michael Jackson of abuse, spoke to TMZ after a dramatic day in court in their fight with Jackson's estate ... and he explained what caused the family's flip from ally to enemy.

Frank Cascio and his siblings reportedly settled for millions of dollars in 2020 with Jackson's estate amid allegations the late King of Pop sexually abused them as children. But in 2024, Frank alleged he signed the settlement under duress.

Today, the Cascio family was back in court with Jackson's estate, represented by attorney Marty Singer ... who claims the Cascios are trying to extort MJ's estate.

This presents a complete reversal from Frank's days as a staunch Jackson defender. So why the change of heart? King says years of therapy helped Frank stop drinking "the Michael Jackson Kool-Aid."

Journalist Laura Jedeed should be considered a domestic terrorist, according to the Donald Trump administration's warped metric ... but she tells "TMZ Live," she was hired by ICE anyway!

This is a wild story ... Laura was curious about how diligent the Dept. of Homeland Security is about screening ICE candidates during the agency's current hiring surge ... so she took a skills-based resume to a jobs event to find out how she'd fare.

Despite maintaining an online portfolio chock-full of Trump hate and anti-ICE sentiment, Jedeed -- who says she has her own page on an Antifa watch website -- passed ICE's shoddy screening process with flying colors.

Kiefer Sutherland was arrested for allegedly threatening an Uber driver who refused to pull over and let him out of the vehicle ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Kiefer told police he was having dinner with a friend Sunday night. Late in the evening, he called for an Uber Black, the driver arrived, Kiefer jumped in and they were on their way to Kiefer's home.

For some reason, during the drive, Kiefer told the driver to pull over and let him out. Kiefer told cops the driver refused, and Kiefer twice more asked the driver to pull over, to no avail.

1/14 -- 12:42 PM PT -- V. Stiviano joined us on "TMZ Live" and took us through her alleged incident at The Ritz-Carlton in MDR.

She mostly repeats what we first reported but says she talked to hotel security and was told there was 2-3 minutes of missing security footage that may hold the key to what happened to her.

1:27 PM PT -- V. Stiviano has officially filed a police report in Los Angeles and we're told police are now actively investigating the potential hit-and-run.

V. Stiviano the woman who recorded former NBA owner Donald Sterling's racist rant about Magic Johnson, which led to the NBA forcing him to sell the Los Angeles Clippers -- says she completely blacked out leaving a swanky hotel recently ... and she thinks she was targeted!!!

A manager for V. tells TMZ ... she went to The Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey in L.A., visited friends in the bar area for about 30 minutes, walked back to her car ... and completely blacked out crossing the street, injuring her face.

Thing is ... we're told V. did NOT have any alcoholic drinks, not even water at the hotel. She woke up face down in the middle of the street with chipped teeth and asphalt burns on her face.

Timothy Busfield is doubling down on his denial that he sexually abused a couple of child actors ... because his lawyer says his client took a lie detector test and passed with flying colors.

The actor/director's attorney, Larry Stein, tells TMZ ... "Tim Busfield denies the allegations in the criminal complaint and maintains they are completely false. As a voluntary step, he submitted to an independent polygraph examination regarding those allegations and passed."

As you know ... Busfield is accused of sexually abusing two boys who were child actors on "The Cleaning Lady" while he was directing the show in 2022 in New Mexico. Prosecutors say the child actors were 7 and 8 at the time of the alleged contact, and their parents reported the alleged crimes to the Albuquerque police two years later, leading to a criminal investigation.

2:45 PM PT -- White House Communications Director Steven Cheung tells TMZ ... "A lunatic was wildly screaming expletives in a complete fit of rage, and the President gave an appropriate and unambiguous response."

Donald Trump turned into Donald Grump during a Tuesday appearance at a Ford plant ... launching into an F-bomb attack on a worker who appeared to yell "pedophile protector" at the Prez.

47 toured the Ford F-150 plant at the Detroit Economic Club before giving a speech ... while walking the factory floor on his tour, someone began shouting at Trump. It's hard to make out the full sentence shouted at Trump, but it seems to have included the words "pedophile protector."

The angry worker is obviously referencing Trump's association with late convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein ... and the Dept. of Justice's slow release of the infamous Epstein Files.

Officials say video shows ex-NBA player Elden Campbell went out on the waters in the middle of the night before his tragic drowning ... but he seemingly took some safety precautions, as he was wearing a "partially unzipped" life vest when his body was found on the shore.

TMZ Sports has obtained the investigation report on the NBA champ's death ... which states 57-year-old Campbell left a nearby boat ramp alone around 12:37 AM on Dec. 1.

The docs say Campbell's body was found in the sand along the water's edge in Pompano Beach, Florida ... and he was tethered to a Sea-Doo Fish Pro watercraft, which was registered to him.

TJ Sabula, the Ford plant worker who yelled "pedophile protector" at President Donald Trump during his visit, has the full backing of his powerful union amid a paid suspension ... and they're fighting to keep his job.

United Auto Workers Union Vice President Laura Dickerson tells TMZ ... "[TJ Sabula] believes in freedom of speech, a principle we wholeheartedly embrace, and we stand with our membership in protecting their voice on the job."

Dickerson adds ... "The UAW will ensure that our member receives the full protection of all negotiated contract language safeguarding his job and his rights as a union member."

Fresh off her Golden Globe win for best supporting actress, Teyana Taylor wasted no time celebrating her next hit movie, "The Rip" -- with none other than her costars Matt Damon and Ben Affleck!

TMZ obtained exclusive video of "The Rip" after-party at The Glasshouse in NYC following the film's premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Tuesday night.

As you can see, Teyana first chats with Ben off to the side, and they seem totally at ease with each other. In fact, at the end of their discussion, Ben gives Teyana a little hug and a pat on the back.

Then Teyana has a convo with Matt, and their unmistakable chemistry is on full display. During their exchange, the two are chuckling and give each other a big embrace before going their separate ways.

Matt Prokop did not go down easy when police came to arrest him on Christmas Eve ... cops say he slammed the door in their face -- and resisted arrest -- but was ultimately taken away to a Texas jail.

TMZ obtained an incident report in which the arresting officer said police arrived at Prokop's apartment in Victoria, Texas, on December 24.

According to the report ... the former child actor was immediately uncooperative after cops said he was under arrest for violating the conditions of his bond in a separate case, the details of which were unclear.

The report states Prokop answered the door and quickly slammed it in the faces of the cops ... but officers were ultimately able to get inside the apartment.

Willie Parker admits he was shocked at Mike Tomlin's decision to step away from the Pittsburgh Steelers after 19 seasons ... but tells TMZ Sports he has no doubt the Super Bowl-winning head coach will once again roam an NFL sideline!

We spoke to the former Steelers running back star shortly after Tomlin made the tough decision to resign ... bringing an end to his reign as the NFL's longest-tenured coach after nearly two decades without a losing season.

"Man, it was surprising," Parker told us on Tuesday.

Fentanyl has killed another American ... and this time it's Jackson Browne's son Ethan Browne, an actor, model, and musician.

According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner, Ethan died from the toxic effects of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and lidocaine.

The medical examiner says the manner of death was accidental.

The Fisk University Bulldogs will not be playing this Thursday ... after sophomore forward, Andre Bell, was shot and killed on a highway in Nashville, Tennessee, on Sunday.

The HBCU's Assistant Athletic Director, Scott Wallace, confirmed the decision to TMZ Sports on Tuesday ... just two days after the Metro Nashville Police Department said Bell was tragically shot in the head on 1-65 North at the I-40 Interchange.

The Bulldogs' game against Voorhees University has been postponed ... but they will play Saturday against Talladega College.