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Disgraced FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried must be worried about serious prison time for his multiple fraud charges ... but have no fear -- because "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli's advice is to listen to some rap before hitting the slammer.

Shkreli, the once-pharmaceutical exec and hedge fund manager, offered his questionable tips and tricks to Bankman-Fried while on Laura Shin's "Unchained" podcast ... saying he should be educating himself about gang culture and "the streets" -- claiming a good dose of rap music should do the trick.

He also thinks shaving his head is a must to ft in ... adding Bankman-Fried comes off as pretty effeminate. Shkreli says deepening his voice while locked up could do him some good, too.

As we reported, Shkreli was released early from prison this year ... after being convicted on securities fraud charges back in 2017 -- and raising the price of the life-saving drug Daraprim, an antiparasitic medication commonly used by AIDS patients and others with suppressed immune systems, from $13.50 per pill to $750.

And as for Bankman-Fried, he was arrested in the Bahamas and charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and more ... and he reportedly could be facing 115 years behind bars if found guilty on all counts.

Kim Kardashian broke down in tears while opening up about her struggles co-parenting with Kanye West amid their split ... and says she's gone to great lengths to keep the drama away from their kids.

Kim got candid on the "Angie Martinez IRL" podcast ... saying hiding the noise from her kids while trying her best to co-parent with Kanye is a serious struggle -- but jumps through hoops to make sure the negativity isn't brought to their kids.

She sheds some tears while reflecting on her dad, Robert ... and hopes to give her kids the same great memories Robert gave to her -- but admits it's tough during multiple waves of controversy.

As Angie points out, Kim ain't co-parenting with a nobody ... and Kim sheds some more tears -- hoping North, Chicago, Saint, and Psalm will thank her later in life for not bashing their pops.

Kim also opens up about her experience during Balenciaga's backlash ... saying her response to the controversy didn't come quick enough to the public -- even though she claims she was in the dark about the ordeal at first.

An organization that helps people bail out of jail -- and supported by big celebs -- has shut down after getting sued by a man who was shot days after the shooter was released on bail ... bail posted by the org.

The Bail Project has a list of big celebs behind it, including John Legend, Danny Glover and Richard Branson.

The Bail Project posted $3,000 bond for Rashawn Gaston-Anderson last December. He had been arrested on burglary charges and had a long rap sheet, including attempted grand larceny, carrying a concealed weapon, felony burglary and auto theft ... this according to 8NewsNow.

Six days after being released on the $3,000 bond, Gaston-Anderson shot a Las Vegas man, Chengyan Wang, 7 times.

Gaston-Anderson copped a plea on charges of attempted robbery, mayhem with enhancements for using a deadly weapon. He was sentenced to 7-18 years.

Wang, who apparently has permanent injuries, is now suing The Bail Project, claiming it did not do due diligence before posting bail for Gaston-Anderson. The Clark County D.A. who prosecuted Gaston-Anderson said, "One can say, in a sense, they are vouching for the person."

The Bail Project, which has posted bond for 51 people in the Las Vegas area since 2021, called the incident "an absolute tragedy."

LeBron James fans are going to go crazy over this ... the shoes he wore during his first-ever H.S. championship are about to go up for sale -- but if ya wanna own 'em, there better be a whole lot of zeros in your bank account.

TMZ Sports has learned ... the black and white Jumpman Swift 6s that James wore when he won a state title as a freshman on the St. Vincent-St. Mary hoops team in Akron, Ohio are hitting the auction block in just a few weeks -- and they're so incredibly rare, they could land over $200,000 when the final gavel hits.

According to Heritage Auctions, which is hosting the impending sale, the sneakers were gifted to LBJ's stepfather, Eddie Jackson, back in 2000.

Jackson says 'Bron signed the kicks and handed them over following his huge game (25 points, nine rebounds) in the 1999-2000 Ohio High School Division III Championship against Jamestown Greenview.

James -- who was 6-foot-2 as a freshman -- added an inscription on both of the size 14 shoes, writing his jersey number "23" as well as "1999-2000 State Champs."

The auction house says the shoes will come with their original box as well.

The Js are obviously ultra rare -- they're one-of-a-kind after all -- but Heritage Auctions officials say they're also the earliest James game-worn material known in existence.

Ex-NBA hooper Mark Jackson is calling on the WNBA to give its players the money they deserve ... telling TMZ Sports he hopes it gets to a point where they no longer have to play overseas in the offseason in order to live comfortably.

WNBA salaries have been a big topic of discussion recently ... after superstar Kelsey Plum pointed out how the revenue shared with female players is drastically different than that of the NBA.

Considering the reported average WNBA salary is $102,751 a year, many players end up playing for leagues in Europe and Asia to earn more cash ... which is exactly why Brittney Griner went to Russia prior to her 10-month incarceration.

Jackson wishes players didn't have to resort to international ball ... saying "Hopefully, financially, we put these women, professional athletes specifically the WNBA women, in a position where they don't have to add additional income to their accounts."

For those who continue to play overseas, MJ thinks it's important players are "more aware" of where they're going ... and says they should be well-versed with all the laws and regulations that are in place when they visit.

Several players have verbalized their frustrations with WNBA checks ... including Angel McCoughtry, who told us she was making her WNBA salary "in one month in Russia."

Jackson says the players are long overdue for a raise ... and he's on their side in their fight with the league.

Cher is either engaged, or trolling ... and we're not sure which it is, 'cause the rock she's showing off certainly looks like something you receive when someone wants to marry ya.

The singer posted a photo Sunday of a massive diamond ring that she says her boyfriend, Alexander Edwards, gifted her for Christmas -- and while it could certainly go on any finger ... there's a lot of speculation this might belong on THAT finger.

Unfortunately, Cher isn't giving a lot of hints here. All she wrote was, "THERE R NO WORDS, ALEXANDER,A.E." She then noted those are his hands holding the box.

Of course, the internet is flipping out over the fact Cher may be engaged again. She hasn't been married since Gregg Allman way back in the mid-to-late '70s, and obviously Sonny Bono before that. She's dated a lot of people since then ... including some pretty famous men like Gene Simmons, Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Richie Sambora, Warren Beatty and others.

None of those relationships ever got to the point of marriage though ... and if she is, in fact, set to walk down the aisle with AE, it'd be pretty stunning -- especially since they've only been dating for a handful of months now.

Although we know they met in September, they only went public as a couple a month and change ago ... so a would-be proposal is clearly moving things along quickly, if that's what's actually going on. Then again, this could simply be a regular diamond ring ... right?

Pope Francis' Christmas message was loud and clear from the Vatican -- he condemned greed in all forms ... citing Jesus as the exact opposite of that, downright destitute.

The pontiff delivered his Christmas Eve homily in Rome on Saturday ... and the overarching theme was decrying what he sees as a power-hungry society that's far too focused on consumerism and collecting wealth ... especially at the expense of others.

PF said, "While animals feed in their stalls, men and women in our world, in their hunger for wealth and power, consume even their neighbors, their brothers and sisters. How many wars have we seen! And in how many places, even today, are human dignity and freedom treated with contempt!"

He added, "As always, the principal victims of this human greed are the weak and the vulnerable."

Pope Francis went on to invoke JC's humble beginnings to hit his point home, explaining ... "This Christmas, too, as in the case of Jesus, a world ravenous for money, power and pleasure does not make room for the little ones, for the so many unborn, poor and forgotten children. I think above all of the children devoured by war, poverty and injustice."

He also said that Jesus' birth in a manger proves that "the true riches in life are to be found: not in money and power, but in relationships and persons." The Pope said this to a group of about 7,000 worshippers who flocked to attend the mass that Francis presided over.

He ended with, "Dear brothers, dear sisters, at Christmas, God is poor: let charity be reborn!" PF also encouraged folks to “not let this Christmas pass without doing something good."

Adidas cutting ties with Kanye West has turned out to be a major gamble, because it has over half a billion dollars worth of the guy's shoes to sell, without his name anymore.

We already knew Adidas was planning to move forward with selling unbranded Yeezys post-split, but now ... we have a bit more insight into why. According to the Financial Times, insiders at the sneaker company claim Adidas is sitting on a huge mountain of Yeezys.

Per the report, the inventory the company has amounts to about $530 million ... and Adidas is apparently eager to hawk them to avoid taking an even bigger hit than what it's publicly disclosed thus far -- which was already looking quite grim for end-of-year numbers.

On top of the staggering amount of shoes it has to move -- which Adidas is reportedly scrambling to figure out how to do it -- the FT story goes into some detail about how deeply tied it was to Yeezys and to what extent Adidas was hinging its success on it.

In 2022 alone, Yeezys made Adidas upwards of $1.8 billion ... and made up around 7% of its total profits. The report also says Yeezy has stayed strong as a constant product in the Adidas wheelhouse since at least 2019, which might explain why Adidas took so long to finally cut ties with Kanye -- the dude (and his shoe brand) was literally its cash cow.

Adidas has reportedly already set a date for its first unofficial Yeezy release ... the company is calling it the Adidas 350 V2 “Granite," and it's supposed to retail for $230 -- dropping in January.

There's been a lot of debate online over whether people should (or will) buy what Adidas is trying to sell now ... but this report makes it clear -- it's banking on sneakerheads continuing to cop, because if they don't ... it could mean trouble for the shoe company.

Nicki Minaj has finally put down roots in L.A. after hunting for a home for several years ... and the place she chose is pretty spectacular.

Nicki plunked down $19.5 million for an estate in Kardashian Kountry -- AKA Hidden Hills -- this according to The Dirt.

The house is awesome -- 12,000 square feet, 8 bedrooms, a detached guesthouse, cabana, the obligatory pool (this one's salt water) and a Baja shelf.

Nicki and hubby Kenneth Petty have been renting for years as they searched for the right house. They've been renting recently in Calabasas.

A cocaine scandal that rocked the foundation of ESPN five years ago ultimately led to a HUGE windfall for the UFC ... this according to Dana White.

The boss of the fighting org. spelled out the wild tale in an interview with Grant Cardone this month ... insisting it was all "a true story."

White explained that back in 2017, the UFC's deal with Fox was running out ... and when they had initially turned to ESPN about consummating a new pact -- the org. wasn't interested.

"You ever hear of John Skipper?" White asked Cardone during the sit-down chat. "John Skipper ran ESPN. Now, I think he runs DAZN. Runs ESPN, beloved, looks like the squarest dude on the planet."

"Older guy," White continued. "Hates UFC. Hates it. Hates UFC. Big soccer guy. For whatever reason, different people like different things. And I'm not s***ing on John Skipper. But this is a fact, this happened and this is a true story."

White says Skipper essentially blocked talks on a deal from ever going through ... but suddenly, out of nowhere, the ESPN prez announced his resignation.

At the time, Skipper said it was due to a struggle with "a substance addiction." He later revealed in a 2018 interview with The Hollywood Reporter that he had been a user of cocaine, and that "someone from whom I bought cocaine attempted to extort me."

"They threatened me, and I understood immediately that threat put me and my family at risk, and this exposure would put my professional life at risk as well," Skipper said. "I foreclosed that possibility by disclosing the details to my family, and then when I discussed it with Bob, he and I agreed that I had placed the company in an untenable position and as a result, I should resign."

White said that decision paved the way for a massive ESPN-UFC agreement ... that's now taken his company to new heights.

"John Skipper's cocaine dealer is gonna rat him out," White said. "So he has to tell Disney 'My cocaine dealer is gonna go public' or whatever, so he has to step down from ESPN, right at the time we're trying to make a new TV deal."

"Who do they put in as the new president?" White continued. "Jimmy Pitaro, who ran Yahoo! Sports for years. I've known him a long time. He's a great dude, and he loves the UFC. Now you got him, you got a guy named Kevin Mayer, who is really close to [Endeavor CEO] Ari [Emanuel], and we ended up doing the ESPN deal when our deal was up."

ESPN and UFC ended up agreeing to a 5-year, $1.5 billion deal.

"Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Jen Shah should be behind bars for 10 years after pleading guilty in her wire fraud case -- at least that's what federal prosecutors want the judge to order.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds are seeking a 10-year sentence against the "RHOBH" alum, insisting she's the "most culpable person charged in this case."

The docs go through a laundry list of reasons why prosecutors think she's deserving of the lengthy lockup ... saying the reality star used the money from her fraud to "live a life of luxury."

Prosecutors say Shah attempted to "conceal her role in the scheme," but was very involved in the day-to-day operations. In the docs, prosecutors say Shah was upset with the amount of money coming in around June 2018, and texted her coworkers, "“I’m coming in to set appts for these guys tomorrow. Please get my 24 karat gold headset with diamond encrusted mouthpiece ready. Papi needs money for the weekend and [a co-conspirator] needs baby mama money.”

They also say her post-arrest conduct shows she deserves a long time in prison -- pointing out she went "on a public offensive against the charges and tried to profit off the charges by selling 'Justice for Jen' merchandise."

As we reported, Jen finally took a deal in July, pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing ... and as part of her deal, prosecutors dropped one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Bono's daughter is clapping back at New York Magazine's owners after putting "nepotism babies" on blast  -- because she says the president of the entire company fits the bill, too.

Actress Eve Hewson, daughter of the U2 frontman, took to Twitter Thursday ... pointing fingers at Vox president Pamela Wasserstein -- who is in charge of New York Mag and Vulture -- saying she's been informed Pamela "is a nepo baby herself. Her dad bought the magazine in 2004."

For those unaware, Pamela was appointed to CEO of New York Media LLC in 2016, years after her pops Bruce passed, before becoming Vox prez ... and Eve -- as well as many online -- are seeing a TON of irony in that.

Nate Jones, the writer of the trending Vulture article, wrote about how "A lot of the children of famous people are not good" ... but Eve played defense online -- saying the company blasted Lily-Rose Depp, for example, just "to get clicks."

FYI -- Eve wasn't among the other "nepo babies" in the article, but they sure as hell have her in their corner!

As we reported ... Lottie Moss, Kate's little sister, didn't defend herself on the subject of nepotism -- she instead embraced it, firing back a simple thought ... life isn't fair.

Lizzo has a rags-to-riches story right out of "Annie" ... from sleeping in her car to living in a mega-mansion in ritzy Bel-Air ... and she's more than proud to talk about it.

Lizzo got emotional when "CBS Sunday Morning" reporter Tracy Smith asked about her journey of couch surfing in search of a warm place to sleep. The singer said she's never really had a place of her own until recently, and it excites and fulfills her.

As for the $15 million home ... well, it's got a pedigree. None other than Harry Styles used to lay his head on a pillow in the same bedroom.

Lizzo's on a roll, she's already won 3 Grammys and her latest album, "Special," has been nominated for 4 more. She made history this year, playing a crystal flute once owned by James Madison. Unfamiliar ... plz Google.

Turns out ya can't keep Lamar Odom out of Los Angeles ... because we've learned the former Lakers star is settling back into California, and he's picked up a swanky bachelor pad after spending some time in ATL.

A manager for Lamar tells TMZ ... he moved into his $15K-a-month rental Wednesday, just in time for the holidays. We're told he signed a 1-year lease on the home, located in The Oaks in Calabasas -- aka Kardashian territory.

The 4,445 square foot home is decked out with custom walk-in closets, a built-in BBQ area, a spa and waterfalls. The common areas are pretty awesome ... a gym, tennis courts and a clubhouse.

The house is big enough for Lamar's security and his kids, and he's excited to start a new life in this new place. FYI, when he and Khloe Kardashian tied the knot in 2009, they moved into a $4M home in Tarzana, not far from his new place.

Lamar was in Georgia for about a year ... and we're told he came to LA and was living with a friend the past few months, finally planting roots back in Cali.

Fans all wanted a piece of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe memorabilia in the hours after the two soccer stars put on a show in the World Cup final ... with auction officials telling TMZ Sports the demand for their items rivaled that of Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

Officials from PWCC Marketplace tell us that following the Argentina vs. France tilt on Sunday -- items associated with Messi and Mbappe became the most sought-after in their auction space.

Per a rep from the auction house, searches for Messi rose 345 percent from his normal average. Mbappe queries, meanwhile, rose 363 percent.

"Messi was searched nearly three times more than Michael Jordan, more than four times more than LeBron James, and more than five times more than Tom Brady," PWCC exec Jesse Craig said.

"Messi gilded his career with this victory, and demand for his cards clearly rose in concert with the achievement. The numbers highlight how important an exciting game is for demand in player assets."

According to a rep for the org., Messi items that were sold on Sunday following the thrilling W.C. finale finished with prices that were "an average 93 percent higher than their insurance value." As for Mbappe, the rep said the French star's items "finished an average 17 percent higher."

One of the most notable sales from the two? A 2017 Topps Messi card fetched $14,400.

Justin Bieber is about to get a massive holiday bonus ... and he's already spending some of the money that's seemingly coming his way.

The singer and his wife Hailey splurged on Thursday, going shopping on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills ... on the heels of reports emerging that Justin is nearing a roughly $200 million deal to sell his entire music catalog.

Justin's looking like someone who is about to cash in big-time ... evidenced by the huge grin on his face. The couple chowed down before going shopping, and Justin brought a coffee along with him.

Remember ... the Wall Street Journal is reporting Justin is closing in on a deal to sell his recorded music catalog to Hipgnosis Songs Capital for about $200 million.

So the Biebs has money to spend ... just in time for some last-minute holiday shopping.