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Forget Russell Wilson, Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye ... JuJu Smith-Schuster says he wants Mac Jones to return as the Patriots' starter in 2024.

"Honestly, man," the New England wideout told TMZ Sports out at LAX this week, "my boy Mac, that's my guy."

"I know at the end of the day," he continued, it's "whatever the coaches decide to do. But I think Mac's still got it."

Of course, there are plenty in Foxborough who vehemently disagree with JuJu ... as Jones was only 2-9 in the 11 games he started last season.

In those contests, he threw for just 2,120 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. His quarterback rating dipped all the way to 77.0 too.

To make matters worse for the former first-round pick, it was the second straight year he appeared to regress ... leading plenty in Patriots Nation to urge the team to move on to a draft pick or a veteran like Wilson. In fact, NFL Network inside Ian Rapoport reported Friday the team itself is exploring trading the 25-year-old.

But, Smith-Schuster made it clear to us he's hoping the ex-Alabama star -- and his backup, Bailey Zappe -- get another chance in '24.

"I'm riding with Mac," said the receiver, who signed a three-year deal with the Patriots last offseason. "I'm riding with my boy Zappe. Those are my boys. I came in throwing with those dudes."

"But, whatever happens, happens."

Just because Paul Heyman is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year doesn't mean he's slowing down anytime soon ... 'cause the wrestling legend tells TMZ Sports in reality, he's just getting started!!

The big news was announced earlier this week ... stating the "Wise Man" would receive top honors when WrestleMania 40 goes down in Philadelphia next month.

Heyman says he turned down several attempts to get into the Hall sooner ... but everything lined up perfectly to get it done this time around -- especially with it being in the City of Brotherly Love, where WCW was based.

Despite the nostalgic aspect of the ceremony, Heyman admitted it's not his style to look back on his journey ... 'cause he's always thinking about what's next.

"I never dwell on the past, I'm always looking into the future, which is another reason why I've never accepted it before," Heyman tells us. "I kind of really look at this as my 'Rookie of the Year' award because I think it's taken 40 years to kind of really figure out this industry and the art of presentation."

Heyman says he really feels like he's firing on all cylinders now ... and he has no plans of slowing down anytime soon -- unless, he jokes, WWE has something to say about it.

As for the day the news broke, Heyman hilariously described it in one word -- "bothersome."

Jake Paul and Mike Tyson may not be the only boxing stars fighting on July 20 ... legendary pugilist Antonio Tarver says he wants to settle the score with rival Bernard Hopkins at Jerry's World before Iron Mike and The Problem Child go to battle!

55-year-old Tarver -- a multiple-time world champion -- joined Babcock on the TMZ Sports TV show on Friday (airs nightly on FS1) where he threw out the challenge to The Executioner.

"If they want to put two other old guys on the undercard, I got a name in mind too, so we can all have fun with this," The Magic Man said.

Naturally, we asked ... who?!

"Everybody knows I got a bone to pick with Bernard Hopkins, ya know what I mean? He's a vegan, so he always stays in shape. So maybe we can support this big fight!"

Of course, Tarver and Hopkins famously fought in Atlantic City in June 2006 ... a fight Antonio was heavily favored to win.

But, that's not how it went inside the squared circle -- Bernard dominated the fight.

Antonio is looking for some revenge nearly two decades later.

FYI, Hopkins last fought professionally when he faced Joe Smith Jr. in December 2016. Tarver's last bout was in August 2015 against Steve Cunningham. Together the two legends have over 100 pro fights.

We also talked to Tarver about Jake and Mike ... and while many people have made the case that a near-60-year-old couldn't beat a guy in his mid-20s, that's certainly NOT how Antonio sees things.

B.G.'s long-awaited prison release has done NADA for Cash Money Hot Boys reunion talks -- it's actually moving things in the opposite direction!!!

During our convo with Juvenile, the OG of the bunch assured TMZ Hip Hop their reunion tour is still going down, as he plans to put his "big brother" peer mediation skills to work.

Juve believes the CMB crew just needs time to cool off -- but, as for how long that will take ... whoadie that's another story!!!

Turk was confident in telling TMZ Hip Hop a few months ago that the original Cash Money cartel would be taking over like they did in '99 and the 2000s ... but B.G. kicked off the year throwing shots at Lil Wayne and apparently, Turk needs a make-good himself.

Birdman's brother Terrence "Gangsta" Williams recently speculated to DJ Vlad that Turk would have to distance himself from Birdman if the tour happens, as the CM boss is still upset over Turk's bean-spilling "Drink Champs" interview from a couple years back.

Returning to the basics could potentially squash the posse infighting ... Juve's re-releasing his "400 Degreez" on March 29 with a pair of new tracks named "Party" and "We Be Blowing Money" and fondly recalled memories of making the classic album.

Juve didn't have an explanation for why there are several variations of his breakout single "Ha" on the project, but he's happy he took a gamble on rapping over a Latin track where he won big with his "Follow Me Now" hit.

Kevin Holland is usually trying his darnedest to stay off his back, but the UFC star will be playing a different role Saturday night, according to Michael Page, who is making his promotion debut ... 'cause Venom tells us he's going to turn Trailblazer into a wrestler!

"Any intelligent mixed martial artist, any smart mixed martial artist, 100% we've got our egos, we've got that tough bravado, but at the same time we want to win, and if it gets further and further away from looking like you're going to win, you have to change tactics," 36-year-old Venom Page told TMZ Sports.

"So, we're prepared for [Kevin] to become a wrestler. I've turned many strikers into wrestlers before, and I'm sure at some point he's gonna want to do the same."

Of course, fans who have watched 31-year-old Holland fight throughout his MMA career know he's a dangerous striker, and his opps have done nearly everything to get him off his feet and on his back ... which is what makes MVP's prediction so bold.

It's also worth noting the UFC isn't giving Page a cupcake of a first fight ... he's going straight into the fire, and that's how he wanted it!

In fact, Michael says he met with UFC execs before signing, and he expressed a desire to fight the best straight away.

"I just want to jump right in the deep end. I've been in the game long enough now to not need warm-ups. Just let me at them and let's see if I sink or swim and we go from there."

Venom, 21-2 as a pro, counts wins over the likes of Douglas Lima, Derek Anderson, and Paul Daley.

As for what he hopes to accomplish, MVP is gunning for nothing short of a title.

Page vs. Holland is far from the only big fight on the UFC 299 card ... the event is anchored by the main event, a rematch between Marlon Vera and "Suga" Sean O'Malley.

The woman who went viral after attending the Warriors game this week has experienced an insane surge of interest in her luxury girlfriend services ... and it's gotten so out of hand, she's had to nearly double her hourly rate.

Katherine Taylor caught the eye of many NBA fans after she was spotted cheering on the action during Wednesday's matchup between the Dubs and Milwaukee Bucks at the Chase Center ... largely in part thanks to her wardrobe choice.

TMZ Sports caught up with the stunning blonde following her newfound fame ... and she says being in the spotlight has resulted in some serious interest in her side hustle.

Taylor -- who offers her company for compensation -- tells us she can barely keep up with all the inquiries that have piled in over the past two days ... and her website crashed due to the increase in traffic.

Prior to her appearance at the game, Taylor (who's actually a Sacramento Kings fan) was charging 900 bucks an hour for her services ... but now, it'll set ya back $1,500/hr. Ya know, supply and demand.

Bad Bunny está enojado con un fan que, según él, publicó imágenes no autorizadas de un concierto suyo en una cuenta de YouTube y ahora está demandando al tipo.

Según una nueva demanda obtenida por TMZ, Bad Bunny afirma que un hombre llamado Eric Guillermo Madronal Garrone publicó actuaciones completas de sus canciones en el canal de YouTube que dirige, MADforliveMUSIC.

Bad Bunny afirma que Garrone fue a su concierto del 21 de febrero en Salt Lake City, Utah y grabó múltiples videos de su actuación, que luego subió a su canal de YouTube.

Bad Bunny dice que el problema es que él posee los derechos de su música en vivo y Garrone no tenía autorización o consentimiento para grabar y publicar esos registros en línea para que la gente los vea de forma gratuita.

Bad Bunny dice que Garrone está utilizando el nombre del famoso cantante y su música para atraer la atención hacia su canal de YouTube, y por ende, quitándole visualizaciones e ingresos por publicidad a la propia página oficial de Bad Bunny en YouTube.

En los documentos, Bad Bunny dice que trató de emitir avisos de retirada estándar en virtud de la Ley de Derechos de Autor del Milenio Digital, también conocida como DMCA, donde le exigía a YouTube que eliminara los videos de Garrone.

Bad Bunny afirma que YouTube quitó los videos, pero Garrone presentó una contrademanda para conseguir que los vuelvan a subir, haciendo que el cantante no tuviera más remedio que presentar la demanda.

TMZ hizo algunas indagaciones y encontró el canal de YouTube al que se refiere Bad Bunny y da la impresión de que todos los videos de sus actuaciones en vivo fueron eliminados de la cuenta por ahora, a excepción de este video de la orquesta que abrió el concierto de Bunny esa noche en Salt Lake City.

Claramente, Garrone tenía una gran vista del show y algunos equipos de cámara de alta calidad y este clip de la orquesta tiene una duración de 9 minutos en YouTube.

Si Garrone estuvo grabando y subiendo videos similares durante el resto del concierto de Bad Bunny, como él afirma, parece muy distinto a subir un video de un concierto con el celular a las redes sociales como hacen millones de personas. De hecho, en TikTok hay un montón de clips más cortos de su concierto de esa noche, pero ninguno es tan largo.

Bad Bunny is mad at a fan whom he claims posted unauthorized concert footage on a YouTube account ... and now he's suing the dude.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Bad Bunny claims a man named Eric Guillermo Madronal Garrone posted full song performances on the YouTube channel he runs, MADforliveMUSIC.

Bad Bunny claims Garrone went to his Feb. 21 concert in Salt Lake City, Utah and recorded multiple videos of his live performance ... uploading the footage to Garrone's YouTube channel.

Problem is ... Bad Bunny says he owns the rights to the live performance music and Garrone did not have his authorization or consent to record and post them online for people to watch for free.

Bad Bunny says Garrone is using the famous singer’s name and music to draw eyeballs to the YouTube channel ... thus taking views and ad revenue away from Bad Bunny's own official YouTube page.

In the docs, Bad Bunny says he tried to issue standard takedown notices under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act -- also known as DMCA -- demanding YouTube remove Garrone's videos.

Bad Bunny claims YouTube took down the videos but Garrone filed a counterclaim to get them back up … leaving BB no choice but to file the lawsuit.

TMZ did some digging and found the YouTube channel Bad Bunny has beef with ... and it seems all the videos of his song performances are deleted for now ... except for this video of the concert orchestra that opened for Bunny that night there in SLC.

Clearly, Garrone had a great view at the show and some high-quality camera equipment ... and this orchestra footage runs 9 minutes in the YouTube upload.

If Garrone was shooting/posting similar videos for the rest of Bad Bunny's concert -- as Bunny claims -- it seems a lot different than just uploading a cell phone video of the show to social media .... as millions of people do. In fact, lots of shorter clips of his concert from that evening are up on TikTok -- but none of them are all that lengthy.

DJ Paul is picking today's social media rap era as the toughest all-time to navigate but for argumentive purposes, he agrees with Nelly that the '00s were harder than the '90s!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the Three 6 Mafia star on Friday amid his jampacked week touring in Arizona and a quick ponder determined Nelly was on the money picking the '00s ... it wasn't much of a debate!!!

Nelly had social media in a frenzy all week after appearing on HBO's "The Shop." The Diamond-selling rapper argued for his own era ... he hit the 10-milly sales mark duking it out with Jay-Z, Eminem, 50 Cent and Ludacris ... the era was sprouting future hip hop legends like weeds.

Paul's the perfect guy to ask for the question ... he and Three 6 Mafia were an instant regional success in Memphis after debuting in the mid-90s, earning platinum plaques in both decades and even Oscar gold in 2006!!!

Despite the group's success, Paul also remembers having to take a backseat to Eminem on the charts after their '00s crossover but doesn't remember having to claw for attention in the '90s ... Master P and No Limit, Juvenile and Cash Money felt like their only Southern competition at the time.

It's the present day, Paul claims is kicking everyone's ass because of social media trolls!!!

He's still taking his rap career seriously... he and longtime collaborator RiFF RAFF released a new "Talky Talky" single just today and he plans on releasing joint albums with both Krayzie Bone and Young Buck.

Erik Huffman -- famous from 'Survivor' -- has been busted for domestic violence, with cops claiming he roughed up his costar-turned-wife, Jaime Dugan.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, cops responded to a disturbance call at a convenience store out in Spartanburg, SC way back in late January ... where they say they ran into Erik -- who told them he was trying to locate his spouse, Jaime.

The police say Erik relayed he was worried about Jaime after she'd taken off in their car following a spat over accusations of cheating -- namely, her accusing him of having an affair. In the report, the cops say Erik admitted they got into a grabbing match over his phone.

Cops say Jaime told them he just wanted to make sure she was safe and medically OK ... claiming she was saying she wanted to harm herself.

However, when cops finally caught up with Jaime sometime later ... they claim she was singing a different tune -- and telling a completely different story, one that alleged Erik was getting physical with her.

Police say Jamie blasted Erik for telling them she wanted to hurt herself -- and went on to say it was a blatant lie.

She proceeded to tell cops she had actually found his burner phone while they were in the car, but she alleges he twisted it out of her hand ... claiming he'd broken her middle fingernail and left her with a few small cuts on her hand as well.

Cops say she told them she drove off while he went into the store 'cause she didn't feel safe ... so quite the opposite of what Erik was saying.

Ultimately, cops determined Erik was the primary aggressor and they arrested him later that day on a third-degree domestic violence charge -- with him posing for this mug shot as he was being booked into the jail there.

Jeremih is sitting pretty these days after selling off a portion of his catalog for a pretty penny ... which begs the question, is the writing on the wall for music industry royalties???

Joe Budden seems to think so -- per the rants in his past pair of podcasts, and Jeremih had more riddles than answers when we caught the R&B wiz at LAX Friday to weigh in on this exact issue ... but we think we can read between the lines.

Back in January, Jeremih and HarbourView Equity Partners reached a deal that signed over a chunk of his publishing rights -- his discog booming with hits, starting directly with his debut single, 2009's "Birthday Sex."

Jeremih tells us he still maintains some ownership over his records but couldn't give his full endorsement if other artists should follow suit.

He notes the musical landscape was different back then -- release a hot track and the radio took care of the rest but in today's social media era, promoting music has become more volatile and every artist has to choose the best adventure for themselves going forward.

We tried to squeeze more advice outta him -- but the "Oui" singer took an infamous cue from his "Final Lap" tour headliner 50 Cent and copped a plea ... namely, that he's hurtin'.

Bella Hadid is still doing the cowgirl thing as she continues to date Adan Banuelos -- which is exactly why the stars of 'Farmer Wants a Wife' thought it'd be a good idea to grab a snap!

Check out this cool pic, obtained by TMZ, that shows the supermodel hanging out with the cast from this season of 'FWAW' -- which is currently airing on FOX -- down in Arlington, TX this week ... where they were all at a rodeo that the boys were participating in.

Pretty fortuitous run-in -- it's not every day you see A-list stars at this sort of event -- and obviously the fellas couldn't pass on getting a photo with Bella. If you're unfamiliar with these studs -- they're actually 3 of the dudes that are competing for love on the reality show.

There's Ty Ferrell, Brandon Rogers and Mitchell Kolinsky ... the only one missing here is Nathan Smothers -- who's also one of the four farmers in search of a bride on Season 2.

We should note ... our sources tell us the three 'FWAW' stars were not in production during this little meet-and-greet with Bella -- we're told they were just there for a promotional appearance.

As for Adan ... he was at this rodeo too, and we're told he was actually competing -- hence Bella's presence. It's pretty obvious that she and the professional horse rider are still going strong ... this after having first been spotted out in the Fort Worth area back in October.

They were looking hot and heavy then ... and now, all the way in March, it looks like Bella's fitting in quite nicely. No word on whether she's living out there with Adan -- but it seems like she spends quite a bit of time in the Lone Star State these days.

We'll say this ... the taxes are certainly better than they are in NY or L.A., FWIW.

Also ... she's killing these cowgirl looks lately. Then again, she's always sizzlin', regardless.

The self-described comedian who accused Matt Rife of performing oral sex to get ahead in Hollywood is walking back his salacious claim -- Nima Yamini says he was just joking.

In a video posted Friday, Nima says he was just doing a parody bit when he alleged Matt performed fellatio on a couple of Hollywood execs who promised fame in exchange.

TMZ broke the story ... Matt's considering legal action over the claim, and, interestingly, Nima didn't clarify the whole casting couch tale until after we posted about Matt's intentions.

However, Nima says that's not why he's walking it back ... instead, he says he's pissed at a conspiracy-pushing social media account that reposted his original video -- without his permission -- and made it seem like a serious allegation.

He insists that was never his intention.

Nima says the whole thing was meant as satire, and he doesn't know Matt personally and has never met him -- let alone ever being in the same room as him with Hollywood honchos.

What's more, Nima says the "joke" should not discredit Matt or how hard he's worked to become a famous comedian.

With Nima doing some serious backpedaling here, it will be interesting to see if Matt follows through with his legal threats.

¡Los pasajeros del tour de celebridades de TMZ estaban de suerte hoy, porque Andrea Bocelli andaba por la ciudad y se subió al bus para cantarle al afortunado piloto!

Nos encontramos con el legendario tenor italiano por las calles de Hollywood el viernes, donde por casualidad estábamos haciendo nuestro TMZ Celebrity Tour y uno de nuestros guías vio a Andrea en el corazón de la ciudad y se bajó a entrevistarlo.

Fue una conversación bastante épica, si podemos decir. Compruébalo tú mismo, Andrea Bocelli no solo nos prestó atención contándonos todo sobre sus próximos proyectos, sino que también se subió al autobús y conversó con los pasajeros.

El tipo fue súper dulce y una vez que estuvo allí, le hizo un gran favor a uno de ellos.

No cantó el "Ave María", pero sí el "Cumpleaños feliz" a uno de nuestros guías.

Esto demuestra que realmente se ve gente famosa en el TMZ Celebrity Tour y vale la pena en un 100%, sobre todo cuando pasan cosas impresionantes como estas. Vamos a admitir que incluso nosotros estábamos un poco sorprendidos con ver a la estrella Andrea por aquí, porque el tipo es un icono absoluto.

TMZ Celebrity Tour bus riders were in a huge treat to end the week -- 'cause Andrea Bocelli was in town ... and he came aboard to put his pipes on display for one lucky rider!

We ran into the legendary Italian tenor out in the streets of Hollywood Friday -- where we happened to be doing our TMZ Celebrity Tour ... and one of our guides spotted Andrea and his son, Matteo, in the heart of the city, opting to hop off and interview him.

It made for a pretty epic conversation if we do say so ourselves. Check it out ... not only did AB give us the time of day -- telling us all about his upcoming projects -- but he also obliged us by coming on the bus and chopping it up with the riders.

The dude was super sweet ... and once he was on the bus -- he did someone a huge favor.

He didn't do "Ave Maria" here -- but Andrea did sing the next best thing ... and that would be "Happy Birthday" to one of our tour guide guests. Of course, phones were out for this one.

Just goes to show ... you really do see famous people on the TMZ Celebrity Tour -- and it's 100% worth its weight in gold, especially when awesome stuff like this happens. We'll admit ... even we were a little star-struck with Andrea's pop-in here, 'cause the dude's an absolute icon.

John Mulaney's ex-wife is dropping a new memoir in the near future -- and while some think she's gonna torch John over their uncoupling ... those folks are s*** outta luck.

Here's the deal ... Anna Marie Tendler -- who was married to the comedian for 7 years before things fell apart and they divorced in 2021 -- announced this week that she's got a book coming out later this summer, and it's called 'Men Have Called Her Crazy.'

The title in and of itself seems to suggest she'll go to town on some dudes in her life -- and her caption seemed to further fuel that notion. She wrote, "I have been writing this book for two years. More accurately though I have been writing it for close to four decades."

AMT adds, "I have never been more proud of any work. It is a story about mental health; about being a woman; about family. And finally, about the endless source of my heartbreak and rage -- men."

Of course, people in her comments think she's bull-horning her intentions ... namely, taking John to task over what some characterize as a messy divorce, which Anna has said left her heartbroken. John started dating Olivia Munn shortly thereafter, and had a kid with her too.

John caught some flak over all this at the time -- and now, Anna seems primed to speak about it all. Here's the thing though ... we know for a fact she absolutely won't.

Sources with direct knowledge -- who've already read Anna's memoir -- tell TMZ that John is never mentioned in her forthcoming offering ... either directly or indirectly.

Not only are we told that he isn't named in the book, but there's no alluding to him or their marriage -- in other words, John makes no cameos in this whatsoever ... literally nothing.

In terms of what is in the book ... our sources tell us Anna mostly focuses on her mental health journey -- and she does, in fact, touch on men in her life, both explicitly and implicitly -- but we've been assured ... none of those fellas are John.

That might come as a bit of a shock to some ... and perhaps a letdown for others. We're sure Anna's book is good reading regardless -- but if you're looking for tea in this, you won't find it in her memoir.