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Taylor Lorenz -- a controversial journalist formerly of the Washington Post -- is clarifying some of her comments about the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... and she says his brutal killing isn't the real tragedy here.

Taylor joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked her what she meant by two social media posts that have gotten a lot of attention in the wake of Thompson's killing ... including one that lots of folks interpreted as her calling for more violence against healthcare executives.

She says she wasn't calling for murder when she shared a photo of the Blue Cross Blue Shield CEO Kim Keck above a post about BCBS announcing it wouldn't cover anesthesia for the entirety of some surgeries.

A former bodyguard for Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO who was shot and killed in NYC, is in complete disbelief the exec didn't have security when he was murdered.

Philip Klein, whose Texas-based security firm Klein Investigations previously provided bodyguards for Thompson in the 2000s, tells TMZ ... he is "shocked and baffled" to see the high-profile CEO didn't have a "detail" (at least 10 security guards) with him while out and about in Manhattan -- given the malevolence the insurance industry often faces.

He also says Thompson should've been wearing a vest in addition to having guards by his side, but adds ... he likely didn't have it on due to personal preference.

Daz Dillinger doesn't feel he's going out on a limb declaring the West Coast had the best rhythm and flow over hip hop this year ... Kendrick Lamar reached another stratosphere, Snoop Dogg was all over the globe and Tha Dogg Pound reunited!!!

TMZ Hip Hop linked up with Mr. Daz Dilly at LAX this week and we asked how 2024 stacks up to the Death Row Records days ... in short, Daz calls the vibes nothing short of a resurgence.

Daz was an invaluable fixture in Suge Knight's former operation, where he co-produced on classics such as Snoop's "Doggystyle" and Tupac Shakur's "All Eyez On Me" ... his validation on the West Coast's year speaks VOLUMES!!!

Lil Durk is facing a legal slugfest, with the feds claiming he's the mastermind behind a murder-for-hire plot ... and his attorneys are convinced it's a classic example of prosecutors grasping at straws with some street-savvy rap lyrics because they don't have a real case against the rap star.

The Chicago rapper's attorneys -- Drew Findling and Marissa Goldberg, of The Findling Law Firm, P.C., along with Jonathan Brayman, and Christy O'Connor -- tell TMZ Hip Hop ... "When you see an artist’s rap lyrics quoted as 'evidence' against them, it is a glaring indication that there is no real evidence against that person."

According to the feds, Durk detailed the steps that led up to the August 2022 murder of rival Quando Rondo's cousin Saviay'a Robinson on Babyface Ray's song "Wonderful Wayne & Jackie Boy" when he rapped ... "Told me they got an addy (gooo) / Got location (gooo) Green light (go, go, go, go, go) / Look on the news and see your son, You screamin’, 'No, no' (p***y!!!)"

Tyler Perry is all about one leading lady -- calling it a dream come true to work with Oprah!

We caught up with Tyler Wednesday, and he couldn’t stop gushing about directing Oprah for the first time in his new Netflix film, "The Six Triple Eight" ... making it clear that teaming up with the cultural icon is nothing short of incredible.

While Tyler’s a talented director in his own right, we had to ask if Oprah would crush it as a director herself -- it’s one of the few things she hasn’t tackled yet. Check out the video to hear his take!

BigXthaPlug had zero tolerance for a couple of fightin' fans disrupting his show in Los Angeles last night -- and had security swiftly throw both of the dudes out, so fans could enjoy the show!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained footage of BigX on his sold-out Take Care Tour at The Regent in DTLA … performing the fan-favorite track “Law & Order” -- you know, the one that borrows its bounce from the series Ice-T helped build.

The Dallas-born rap star didn’t even get to his “woo-wop” rhymes when he spotted a couple guys scrapping and immediately stopped the show for some law & order on his terms!!!

Barron Trump isn't soaking up the spotlight while attending New York University, and he's using video games to socialize with his peers ... this according to current students.

TMZ spoke with several students at the prestigious Manhattan university, who tell us Barron spends little time on campus ... quickly moving in and out of buildings while surrounded by Secret Service agents and transported in an SUV.

Basically, playing hacky sack in the quad ain't his thing.

Rihanna and A$AP Rocky have been dating for years, and it certainly shows because they're now super comfy and very loving with each other in the public eye.

Just check out video, obtained by TMZ, which captures the singing icon and the rap star attending Wednesday night's 38th Footwear News Achievement Awards in NYC.

The event celebrates the most influential people in the footwear biz — and A$AP snagged a Collaboration of the Year Award with Puma for their work together.

Ty Law is lovin' Ryan Day at Ohio State -- after all, his Wolverines have beaten the coach four straight years -- but he tells TMZ Sports even if he weren't a Michigan alum ... he'd seriously encourage the school to keep the guy on its sidelines.

Law made it clear on Wednesday -- just a few days after the Buckeyes dropped another game to its hated rival, 13-10 -- that despite Day's recent inability to defeat UM, he would still rather roll with the 45-year-old for the foreseeable future.

"You really think about it," Law said, "when you peel the onion back, do you really want to fire a guy who's always competitive, who's always in the hunt for the national championship?"

Kris Jenner might have met her match in the cougar department -- a real mountain lion is prowling around her and her daughter Khloe Kardashian's Hidden Hills neighborhood!

Folks in the community tell TMZ ... the big cat was hanging out in a tree Wednesday morning, just a few houses down from Kris' pad, and it casually weaved in and out of tree branches before scaling down in a split second.

Mountain lion, which are native to the nearby Santa Monica Mountains, can hit speeds of up to 50 mph -- and this one wasn't shy about showing off. After a quick hangout on a neighbor's lawn, we're told it darted right back up the tree.

OnlyFans model Sophie Rain shocked people with the claim she's made more than $40 million so far this year ... but 2 adult stars are saying her math is just not mathing.

Here's the skinny ... Sophie made international headlines when she said a boatload of money has been dropped on her this year thanks to OnlyFans ... claiming at least one fan tipped her $4 million!

Farrah Abraham tells TMZ ... she is all about supporting other women on OnlyFans and in the adult-film industry -- but she just does not buy what Sophie is selling.

Diddy will be getting his freak on over Christmas -- but it's not what you think -- his federal jail is giving him several options to play sports and games ... with a special holiday spread.

Our sources in the federal government tell us inmates at MDC Brooklyn -- where Diddy is being held as he awaits trial in his sex trafficking case -- will be able to participate in some friendly competition on Christmas Day ... including card games and dominos.

In addition to a Spades tournament and a dominos competition, Diddy and his fellow inmates will also be able to take part in a 3-on-3 basketball tourney ... and a soccer competition.

Haliey Welch is getting into Harvard ... or, at least, a famous humor magazine founded by Harvard undergrads way back in the day.

We got the "Hawk Tuah" girl on Beverly Boulevard in Los Angeles on Wednesday and our photog asked her about the rumor she was getting inducted as an honorary member of the organization ... an honor previously bestowed on Aerosmith, Winston Churchill, Billy Crystal, Leon Kay, Elon Musk, Adam Sandler and more.

Haliey says the rumors are true and she's thinking about heading up to Cambridge, Massachusetts to accept the honor.

The family of late TikToker Jiare Schneider is facing harassment as they mourn the Internet personality ... from fraudsters making threats about Jiare's well-being, despite his recent passing.

The TikToker's sister, Jasnique Woods, tells TMZ ... before and after the confirmation of Jiare's death, the family received a number of threats from swindlers -- who claim they're holding JS hostage, demanding a ransom for his release.

Remember, Jiare was missing for 10 days before he was found dead last week in Georgia after an extensive search. His family posted missing-person flyers in an attempt to get information on his disappearance ... which is how crooks got ahold of Jasnique's phone number.

Leonardo DiCaprio is on the hunt for some new artwork, but it appears he isn't consulting a very important person in his life ... model girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti.

The Oscar winner hit up an Art Basel event in Miami Tuesday evening, where he flew noticeably solo while checking out the wide array of art offered up.

While Leo and Vittoria have been seen together on dates and vacations across the globe, LD found himself at the center of quite the sausage fest ... mingling with a group of art bros instead of his usual brunette arm candy.

Vicki Gunvalson clearly can roll with the punches ... even the jabs that came with her recent hot mic moment on Nick Viall's podcast, The Viall Files, that has fans buzzing.

"The Real Housewives of Orange County" OG tells TMZ … she gave her blessing for Nick's podcast team to use the now-viral recording where she forgot to hang up the call after their interview. She tells us Nick's side reached out before making the clip public ... and she played it cool. She says she honestly couldn’t remember what she said because she thought she’d already hung up ... so, go to town!

But Vicki has a condition. In exchange for the use of her momentary mishap, she had her team reach out to Nick's team on Wednesday, asking him to now appear on her podcast, "My Friend, My Soulmate, My Podcast."