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Ben Affleck’s peeling back the curtain on his messy relationship past -- but in true Ben fashion, he’s keeping it low-key and cryptic, using his latest movie role as the perfect smokescreen.

While doing a press junket for "The Accountant 2," Ben got into how his character, Christian Wolff, struggles with dating -- can’t flirt, super uncomfortable -- and then casually veered into real-life vibes, saying that’s how it is for most people ... including himself, it seems!

He said, "It's not easy for anyone figuring out relationships, particularly at the very early part, where you're trying to gauge, 'What does this signal mean? Is this person looking at me? Do they like me? Am I going to humiliate myself if I go over there?'"

Lizzo seems to be feeling "Good as Hell" about her 'SNL' performance Saturday night ... which included a jab at President Donald Trump's polarizing tariff plans.

The singer -- who advocated for Kamala Harris' run for the White House -- performed a medley of "Love in Real Life" and "Still Bad" on the sketch comedy series while proudly sporting a black crop top with red lettering reading "TARIFFIED."

There's no doubt Lizzo's shirt references Trump's tariffs, which include a newly announced 145% rate on Chinese imports that stunned -- and terrified -- many Americans.

Jason Oppenheim says fire insurance rates have skyrocketed since the Los Angeles wildfires burned through major neighborhoods in the city ... and, he says all Californians are going to pay for it for in the years to come.

We caught up with the "Selling Sunset" star outside LAVO -- a popular Italian restaurant in West Hollywood -- Friday night while he was headed out to his birthday dinner ... and, we had to ask him about the cost of fire insurance going through the roof.

Oppenheim says rates went way up in the immediate aftermath of the fires ... and, while they're coming down as the market corrects, they won't be returning to pre-fire prices.

"Minecraft" fans have been going absolutely ballistic in theaters thanks to a wild new trend that's even resulted in at least one police response ... and now some are trying to cash in!

Here's the deal ... "A Minecraft Movie" -- the video game film starring Jack Black and Jason Momoa -- has some teens going nuts ... trashing screenings when a baby zombie rides a chicken, AKA "Chicken Jockey."

Several videos have gone viral of crowds going berserk -- throwing popcorn, screaming, running, blowing airhorns, tossing confetti and even bringing in a freakin' live chicken! -- and now Etsy shops are getting a piece of the insanity.

Coachella is already proving to be a disorganized and chaotic mess for attendees ... an experience at least one festivalgoer is calling "literal hell."

The gates to the Coachella campground opened at 9 AM Thursday ... a change from past iterations of the event, several regulars at the famous festival in Indio, California told Business Insider.

Hailey Maxwell -- who is hitting Coachella for her fifth time this weekend -- told BI usually the gates are open much earlier ... and, the lateness of opening has led to a much longer entry line.

Barbara Corcoran says President Trump's new tariffs spell bad news for folks hoping to buy a new home for an affordable price ... especially those who are less advantaged.

We got the "Shark Tank" star in New York City and our photog asked her about the impact of the Trump tariffs on the real estate market, where Barbara's a bit of an expert.

Barbara says the tariffs are jacking up prices on building materials like lumber and steel ... and that means prices for homes are going up too.

Soulja Boy will have to break open a few of his penny banks ... a jury just found him liable in the sexual assault lawsuit filed by his ex-personal assistant!!!

A judge read the verdict on Thursday in a Los Angeles courtroom, and spelled out that the "Crank Dat" rapper would be responsible for coughing up the dough for millions of dollars in damages ... and the jury is still considering punitive damages.

The rap star was found liable for assault, sexual battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

A jury in New York just awarded $1.68 billion to 40 women who accused director James Toback of sexual assault, psychological abuse, false imprisonment and coercion.

The money breaks down like this ... $280 million in compensatory damages and $1.4 billion in punitive damages.

Toback was sued in December 2022 by dozens of women who claimed he coerced them into meetings they believed were auditions of job interviews ... only for the meetings to allegedly turn sexual.

Kevin O'Leary is going for the jugular ... he wants President Trump to hammer China with massive tariffs and force Chinese President Xi Jinping to the bargaining table.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us why slapping tariffs on China is not about bringing manufacturing back to the United States, but more about forcing a trade deal and getting China to finally play by the rules.

Kevin says China's been lying, cheating and stealing when it comes to technology and trade for years now ... and he wants Trump to hit them where it hurts -- with a 400% tariff.

Justin Bieber's not feeling good vibes heading into Coachella weekend, and he put the paparazzi on notice ... calling them out for trying to make a buck off him.

The singer snapped on the photogs as he and some friends hit up a coffee shop in the Palm Springs area Wednesday morning -- one photog merely said, "Good morning" ... and that triggered his rant.

JB marched right up to each photographer -- there were about 4 of them -- and repeatedly accused them of only caring about money, not people.

Liam Payne's friend Roger Nores -- who was with the One Direction singer in his final chaotic days in Buenos Aires -- is taking legal steps to drop a lawsuit he filed against Liam's dad.

Roger beelined it to court Wednesday and filed new legal docs to dismiss his defamation lawsuit against Geoff Payne.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Roger says he wants to dismiss the suit without prejudice ... meaning it could be refiled in the future.

Travis Kelce is setting the record straight after a viral report claimed he made a massive $3+ million donation to combat homelessness in Kansas City ...  saying he flat out "wasn't doing what was falsely claimed by the social channels or outlets."

The K.C. Chiefs tight end took time to address the rumor on the latest edition of the "New Heights" podcast ... talking about last month's Daily Mail article which touted the big donation.

"Some false claims were thrown out there that I was doing something in the community that I was not," Kelce said. "I'm not even going to talk about it specifically, I don't want to bring any more attention to that whole nonsense and article and all that stuff."

Days after Henry Cejudo subdued a would-be hit-and-run driver, the MMA star's Arizona studio was burglarized ... and one of his prized UFC belts was stolen, in addition to a bunch of expensive electronics.

Sources tell TMZ Sports that 38-year-old Cejudo's Phoenix-area spot was targeted around 4:30 AM ... and one of his two belts was taken in the haul. Henry's podcast producer also lost valuables ... including multiple cameras, computers, microphones, and even his wallet.

"Everything's gone," Cejudo's collaborator, Dylan Rush, said Tuesday. "It sucks. I want to give up, but I won't. It's terrible."

"The Queen of Versailles" star Jackie Siegel just lost another family member ... her sister died from an accidental drug overdose, only days after Jackie's husband died.

Jackie tells TMZ ... her sister, Jessica Mallery, died Monday after using cocaine laced with fentanyl.

JS tells us her sister's death "is another stark reminder of the drug epidemic and fentanyl crisis plaguing our country – and the urgent need to address substance abuse in order to save lives."

The iconic Victorian home in San Francisco, made famous by "Full House" exterior shots, has officially sold -- and its previous owners are walking away with a sweet few million in their pockets.

The 4-bedroom residence on San Francisco’s iconic "Postcard Row" -- also featured in "Fuller House" -- has sold for a cool $6 million according to online records, which is a little short of the $6.5M it was initially listed for when it hit the market in June last year.

The home’s front door and bay window are instantly recognizable from the show, though the interior scenes were actually filmed on a Hollywood studio set.

Rapper Slim Thug's apartment in Houston has been burglarized ... with thieves swiping jewelry, cash and more, TMZ has learned.

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department tells TMZ ... Monday around 11 PM, security at an apartment complex discovered the break-in.

Cops say security spotted a door that had been forced open, and multiple items from inside the apartment were taken -- including jewelry, cash and other valuables.