Music

Diddy's defense team may just play Bill Maher's closing argument to the jury ... because the way he sees it, Cassie had an option to leave but she decided to stick around.

The 'Real Time' host was blunt ... he says women now have options they never had before. Abusers are now going to prison, cops are listening to them, and they are emboldened. As Maher puts it, the solution is simple ... "If you're being abused, you've got to leave right away."

He acknowledges Diddy's a bad guy who should be behind bars, but not necessarily for his relationship with Cassie. Bill ticks off various texts from Cassie to Diddy in which she talks about being down for freak offs, calling it "enthusiastic consent."

And then Bill goes deep into defense territory, saying Cassie was getting something out of her relationship with Diddy so it was her choice to stay ... "If you want a #1 album on the charts so bad, you'll take a #1 to the face, and some of that's on you."

Taylor Swift is celebrating buying back her original recordings the best way she knows how ... by singing her heart out to one of her biggest hits!

In a clip shared Friday evening by Swift's close friend and longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff, the two are seen jamming out in a kitchen to "Getaway Car" -- soaking up the moment after she sealed the deal on her masters.

Swift clutches onto her cat Meredith as she lip syncs to the line "Put the money in a bag and I stole the keys" ... before passionately shouting, "That was the last time you ever saw me."

Robin Thicke and April Love Geary finally said "I do" -- and TMZ’s learned it's after the ceremony had a little plot twist thanks to some moody weather that made them shuffle things around.

Sources tell TMZ ... the vows went down beachside Friday, right outside Las Ventanas luxury resort in Cabo -- after a little rain threatened to overshadow their earlier spotlight. Geary stunned in beautiful white dress, while Thicke rocked a swanky tux.

We’re told their 3 kids were front and center for the big moment -- a full-circle vibe, since Robin and April always planned to wait until the little ones were old enough to soak it all in.

Diddy's prison outfit is going up for auction ... no, not one he's worn since being locked up in jail last fall, but the one he wore on set 25 years ago!

The rapper's iconic costume from his role as Lawrence Musgrove in the 2001 romantic-thriller drama "Monster's Ball" is going up for sale. It features a gray hoodie, jeans -- with one pant leg cut off -- and black shoes.

Diddy wears this outfit during the early parts of the film before his character is executed ... and, it's expected to fetch a decent price at auction when bidding starts on June 7.

So much for whenever, wherever ... Shakira is scrapping her third concert in as many nights ... and she says she's devastated.

Shakira was supposed to perform Saturday night at Nationals Park in Washington D.C., but the ballpark announced Friday that Shakira would no longer be taking the stage.

The "Whenever, Wherever" singer also had two shows in Boston abruptly canceled earlier this week -- she was supposed to perform at Fenway Park on Thursday and Friday -- and as we first reported, city inspectors canceled the shows after a routine pre-show check of the staging identified structural elements that were not up to standard.

Sam Asghari is heating up the beaches of L.A. for a photo shoot ... and you gotta check out the sizzling video we have to prove it!

The fitness model and "Traitors" star was at Zuma Beach in Malibu this week wearing a billowing white button-down shirt, soaking up the sun along the shoreline, as a photog circled him to get the perfect shot … which frankly doesn’t seem that hard to do with Sam.

And it looks like Sam just stepped off the cover of the latest top-selling romance novel, giving Fabio a run for his money.

Snoop Dogg is embracing NBA YoungBoy and Larry Hoover back into society's good standings following President Trump's federal pardons with open arms ... playas may mess up but 2nd chances are invaluable!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke to Snoop in Beverly Hills and he had nothing but positive vibes for both YB and Hoover ... and he also went into detail about hip hop culture's ongoing legal turmoil, including the state of African-American gangs.

There's a heavy debate right now that most gangs are stunted in childhood but Snoop says he's seen gang members -- such as himself -- go on to become successful businessmen.

Taylor Swift buying back her masters is music to Chiefs Kingdom's ears ... with Travis Kelce and Patrick and Brittany Mahomes celebrating the news on social media!!

The dominant QB/TE duo didn't issue any words about the pop superstar's announcement ... but both showed similar support for Swift -- with Patrick sharing a post on his X account and her boyfriend hitting the "like" button on Instagram.

Brittany, on the other hand, couldn't contain her excitement ... saying "Just so amazing" on her Instagram Story along with a picture of Swift with her first six albums.

2:50 PM PT -- Attorneys John Harris and Herbert Hayden, who represent Jane Does 1-4 in the current lawsuit, tell TMZ ... "The statement released by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office confirms that charges were not filed against Mr. Robinson due to insufficient evidence—not because the claims lacked merit. This underscores the significant challenges victims face when reporting incidents of sexual assault, particularly when the alleged perpetrator is a powerful and well-known figure."

They continue ... "Moreover, this latest development further affirms that at least five women have now come forward with allegations of sexual assault against Mr. Robinson. Together, they are united in their pursuit of justice."

Prosecutors in Los Angeles are revealing for the first time Smokey Robinson was investigated for an alleged sexual assault back in 2015 ... but the probe did not result in criminal charges.

The L.A. County District Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... they discovered that in 2015 the D.A.'s office was presented with a sexual assault allegation against Smokey, and that the case was kicked up to prosecutors by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

The D.A. says prosecutors ultimately decided not to charge Smokey with a crime due to a lack of evidence.

President Trump is weighing in on the Diddy federal criminal trial ... saying he would look into the case and consider a potential pardon if the jury returns a guilty verdict.

Trump just doled out a bunch of pardons and commutations this week to a slew of celebs ... and he was asked Friday if he would ever consider pardoning Diddy.

POTUS says he hasn't been following the Diddy trial all that closely and he would have to "look at what's happening" and "look at the facts."

Scooter Braun's not feeling any bad blood toward Taylor Swift ... he's actually stoked his former business partner purchased her masters!

The HYBE America CEO tells TMZ ... he's "happy for her" after she bought her entire musical catalog from Shamrock Capital -- the company Scooter sold them to back in 2020 after he bought them from Big Machine Label Group the year before.

If you don't know ... sources tell TMZ that there are verified emails -- some of which appear in "Taylor Swift vs Scooter Braun: Bad Blood" -- which confirm Taylor was offered the opportunity to buy her masters from Scooter before Shamrock Capital purchased them.

Snoop Dogg is breathing new life into the motto "one man's trash is another's treasure" ... with a full-scale sale of his half-smoked blunt roaches turned cannabis collectibles!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Snoop out in Bev. Hills this week for a sneak peek at his upcoming collaboration with artist Erica Kovitz -- "Rich N Infamous: The Joint Venture."

Kovitz preserved Snoop's roach tips with a plastic and chrome proxy atop pigment panels on acrylic ... and even fused in cannabis residue to enhance the designs!!!

Huge news from Taylor Swift -- and no, it’s not a Travis Kelce ring alert ... she now owns her entire music vault, after striking a deal to buy it back from a financial firm.

Taylor broke the news herself, cheesin’ with her masters on IG and captioning it, "You belong with me. 💚💛💜❤️🩵🖤 Letter on my site :)."

She also posted a letter explaining the details of her total Taylor takeover ... saying she now owns ALL of her masters, the recordings, the videos, and every note in between.

Taylor opened up about the two-decade fight to reclaim the catalog after Scooter Braun bought her OG masters in 2019 from Big Machine Label Group ... and without Taylor's consent. She's described that sale as a "carrot dangled and yanked away," because she's alleged she didn't have an opportunity to buy it herself.

Cardi B says the ripple effects from the TMZ Hip Hop report of Offset pursuing spousal support ruined her day -- so she's gonna wreck his life ... until it's over!!!

An enraged Cardi hopped onto X Spaces on Friday and proverbially dug a ditch for her estranged hubby to nosedive into -- wishing him dead!!!

Cardi says she hopes Offset dies a slow death in a bed ... haunted with the thoughts of the wife he left behind.

One of Diddy's former assistants says she had to ask the music mogul for permission for just about anything ... including taking time off to lay her grandmother to rest.

The witness, who is testifying under the pseudonym "Mia," told jurors Friday in her second day on the stand that she had to get permission to leave or do things ... saying she even "had to beg to go to my grandma's funeral."

This all came out during cross-examination ... with Mia getting grilled by Diddy defense attorney Brian Steel.

Rihanna's about to be a mom of 3 -- but she's hustling like she's got zero kids, turning up the heat with her latest Savage X Fenty drop that's less maternity and more lingerie.

The pregnant star lit up IG, serving serious heat in the lingerie company's new mosaic lace display -- showing off everything but that baby bump, which she clearly tried to keep under wraps with some sneaky camera angles.

Rihanna, who only revealed the Baby No. 3 news earlier this month, worked overtime to keep the bump outta sight with clever poses, back shots, and plenty of arms-over-belly action.