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El guitarrista de Rascal Flatts, J.D. Rooney, ha estado fuera del radar durante mucho tiempo, pero ha vuelto para aclarar las cosas sobre su vida personal y hacerle frente a los rumores de que se estaba convirtiendo en una mujer.

El artista country publicó una larga actualización en X el miércoles, donde se abrió sobre dónde ha estado, lo que ha estado pasando y lo que no es cierto acerca de su viaje personal. Aquí es cuando desmiente el rumor de que se estaba sometiendo a cirugía de reasignación de sexo.

Rooney comienza su carta abierta a los fans pidiendo disculpas por haber estado desaparecido en los últimos años, y luego añade ... "En primer lugar, ¡estoy vivo! Ha habido muchos rumores y opiniones sobre mí, pero por fin estoy sano y listo para el mundo. Y NO, no voy a hacerme mujer.  Nunca se me ha pasado por la cabeza. No tengo nada en contra de la comunidad trans, pero necesitaba dejar las cosas claras."

El famoso guitarrista continúa diciendo que tocó fondo en septiembre de 2021 cuando fue arrestado por conducir ebrio en Tennessee, un incidente salvaje que TMZ cubrió con gran detalle en ese momento.

Rooney dice que después de eso se fue a Utah para desintoxicarse, un proceso que requirió mucho de su parte, pero del que salió sobrio y mejor que nunca. JDR reflexiona sobre lo que él dice es su alcoholismo causado por grandes rupturas en sus relaciones.

Como hemos dicho, J.D. está mucho mejor ahora, añadiendo: "Mi vida ha cambiado para siempre y estoy agradecido por el cambio. Llevo sobrio casi 28 meses desde el 13 de enero. Nunca creí que pudiera vivir mi vida sin beber. Se había convertido en una parte tan importante de mi rutina diaria y nocturna... Dios intervino y me ayudó a recuperar mi vida".

Él le agradece a los fans por las oraciones y los buenos deseos y a cambio espera que todo el mundo tenga un gran 2024.

Rascal Flatts' J.D. Rooney has been off the radar for a long while -- but he's back to clear the air on his personal life ... and addressing the rumors he was transitioning to a woman.

The country artist posted a lengthy update on X Wednesday, where he opened up about where he's been, what he's been going through and what's NOT true about his personal journey ... namely, he debunks a rumor that he was undergoing sex reassignment surgery.

Rooney starts his open letter to fans by apologizing for being MIA over the past few years or so, and then adds ... "First off, I am alive! There have been so many rumors and opinions thrown around about me - but I’m finally healthy and ready for the world. And NO, I’m not transitioning to be a woman.  That thought has never entered my mind. Nothing against the trans community whatsoever but I needed to set the record straight."

The famed guitarist goes on to say he hit rock bottom in September 2021 when he got busted for a DUI in Tennessee -- a wild incident TMZ covered in great detail at the time.

Rooney says after that, he went away to Utah to get clean ... a process he says took a lot out of him, but from which he came out the other side sober and better than ever. JDR reflects on what he says his alcoholism caused ... like major rifts in his relationships.

Like we said, J.D.'s doing much better now -- adding, "My life has been changed forever - and I’m grateful for the change. I’ve been sober now for almost 28 months come this Jan 13. I never believed I could actually live my life without drinking. It had become such a huge part of my daily and nightly routine ... God intervened and helped me to get my life back."

He thanks fans/supporters for the prayers and well-wishes -- and dishes those back to 'em in return ... hoping everyone has a great 2024, which he certainly seems to be having himself.

Iggy Azalea is calling it quits on the album she’s been working on for months -- most of them with Tory Lanez -- and she doesn’t know if she’ll return to music, because her heart’s no longer in it!!!

The Aussie-born rap star penned a lengthy note to her fans Wednesday ... blindsiding many in the process by declaring hanging it up was the best course of action for her in 2024.

Iggy denied she was bullied or pressured to drop the mic, but admitted she no longer loves expressing herself through music.

She says, "In truth what I’ve known for a long time is that I feel more passionately about design and creative direction than I do about song writing. To many of you that’s no shock to read. It shows in my work. 😢 ... Haha! Jokes aside, i do spend a lot more time on that part of things… because Im most confident at that."

The "Fancy" rapper then revealed she's no longer moving forward with her next album project -- she says production's been stalled for months, and there was 0% urge to finish it.

Iggy had been working with Tory in-studio throughout 2022 but their pairing obviously hit a skid when TL was found guilty of shooting Megan Thee Stallion, and sentenced to 10 years in prison ... a verdict Iggy did not like.

Without Tory steering the ship, Iggy spent much of 2023 teasing singles without delivering them ... which brings us to present day, and her waving the white flag.

1:53 PM  PST -- The family just posted a second video of the little girl ... saying despite what the internet might think, they were NOT the ones who gave her the Slim Tea. Instead, they say it was sent from a "supporter" of their video page.

A clip of parents hoping to motivate their young daughter to lose weight -- by gifting her Slim Tea for Christmas -- is repulsing people viewing the clip on social media.

Take a look for yourself -- the excited youngster unwraps the gift to unveil a box of the slimming aid ... she's clearly too young to understand what it is, though her older siblings immediately catch on, and throw their parents looks of disgust.

Despite the siblings knowing the gift is inappropriate for a young child -- the dad behind the camera is undeterred, as he urges his youngest to be grateful for the gift.

The video shared to X drew intense scrutiny ... with one person commenting the parents bullying the girl for her weight was disgusting, as they were the ones responsible for feeding her in the first place.

Others say they've taken her childhood away from her ... making her aware of her body from a young age, and entitling people to comment on it by sharing it on social media.

When it comes to slim teas, the FDA doesn't recognize them as being effective -- and its key ingredients like caffeine and senna, which claim to detox the body, also don't have much evidence in aiding weight loss.

So, the video's disheartening on several levels -- the parents providing misinformation and possibly poor nutrition, but also the psychological impact on their young daughter.

Un clip de unos padres que le regalan Slim Tea a su hija para Navidad, con la esperanza de motivarla a bajar de peso, está causando repulsión entre los usuarios de redes sociales.

Echa un vistazo tú mismo, la emocionada chica aparece desenvolviendo su regalo hasta que descubre que es una caja de té para ayudarla a adelgazar. Ella es claramente demasiado joven para entender lo que es, aunque sus hermanos mayores inmediatamente se dan cuenta y le lanzan a sus padres miradas de disgusto.

A pesar de que los hermanos saben que el regalo es inapropiado para una niña, el padre detrás de la cámara ni se inmuta e insta a la pequeña a ser agradecida por el regalo.

El video compartido en X atrajo un intenso escrutinio. Una persona comentó que era repugnante que los padres intimiden a la niña por su peso cuando son ellos los responsables de su alimentación en primera instancia.

Otros dicen que le han quitado su infancia, haciéndola consciente de su cuerpo desde ya y dándole derecho a la gente a comentar sobre ella al compartirlo en las redes sociales.

Cuando se trata de tés adelgazantes, la FDA tampoco los reconoce como eficaces y sus ingredientes clave, como la cafeína y el sen, que dicen desintoxicar el cuerpo, tampoco tienen mucha evidencia de que ayuden a perder peso.

Ian Ziering está repartiendo un poco de "Good Vibes", ya que fue visto por primera vez desde su encuentro aterrador con una turba de motociclistas despiadados en NYE.

La estrella de "Beverly Hills, 90210" parecía relajado durante un almuerzo en Bristol Farms el martes por la tarde, vistiendo una gorra de béisbol con el mensaje zen de positividad.

Sin embargo, su paz fue sacudida el domingo y TMZ publicó la historia... fue asaltado por un grupo de motociclistas cuando golpearon su carro mientras zigzagueaba a través del tráfico en Hollywood Blvd.

Las imágenes que obtuvimos muestran a los ciclistas dando violentas patadas y golpeando sus cascos contra el carro de Ian, todo mientras su hija de 10 años de edad, Penna, estaba sola en el interior mientras Ian peleaba al otro lado de la calle.

La experiencia fue bastante aterradora para los espectadores, por no hablar de la pequeña Penna, que fue vista llorando y siendo consolada por su padre poco después.

Ian Ziering's trying his best to keep a positive attitude on the heels of his terrifying encounter with a mob of ruthless bikers in Hollywood ... as he gets out and about again for the first time since the street brawl.

The "Beverly Hills, 90210" star looked relaxed during a lunch outing at Bristol Farms Tuesday afternoon in WeHo ... donning a baseball cap branded with the oh-so zen message of "Good Vibes."

TMZ broke the story ... Ian's peace was massively interrupted Saturday as he ended up going toe-to-toe with a group of bikers, who he claims sideswiped his car while weaving through traffic on Hollywood Blvd.

Video footage we obtained shows the bikers violently kicking and pounding their helmets on Ian's car ... all while his 10-year-old daughter, Penna, was alone inside as Ian fought off others across the street.

The ordeal was frightening enough for onlookers ... let alone little Penna, who was seen weeping, and was consoled by her dad shortly after.

Los angelinos se están tirando de los pelos, porque un terremoto de magnitud 4.1 acaba de sacudir la ciudad.

El epicentro del terremoto golpeó justo al lado de la costa de Palos Verdes a las 8:27 AM PT de hoy, pero la gente que vive entre Hollywood y Pasadena sintió un poco del temblor.

Al igual que con la mayoría de los terremotos, se detuvo tan rápido como empezó. Sin duda una manera singular de despertar luego de una noche de juerga.

Enormes olas han sido vistas en Ventura la semana pasada, hiriendo a ocho personas y causando que decenas tengan que huir.

No está clara la magnitud de los daños, pero no fue nada en comparación a los devastadores terremotos que se sintieron en Japón el día de ayer.

Tres potentes y sucesivos terremotos sacudieron el país isleño en Nochevieja, alcanzando el mayor de ellos una magnitud de 7.6.

Carreteras y puentes sufrieron importantes daños y el gobierno emitió rápidamente alertas de tsunami. Más de 97.000 personas se vieron obligadas a evacuar, según Reuters.

Superstitious Los Angelenos are pulling out their hair right now ... because a 4.1 magnitude earthquake just rocked the city.

The quake's epicenter hit just off the coast of Palos Verdes at 8:27 AM PT today, but folks all the way up in H'Wood and Pasadena felt a bit of shaking.

As with most earthquakes, it stopped as quickly as it started, but it's a jarring way to wake up people sleeping off late-night revelry.

Some wild natural occurrences have battered SoCal recently with huge waves bouncing over a seawall in Ventura last week, injuring eight and causing dozens to flee.

Unclear how much, if any damage, was done by our New Year's tremor, but it was nothing compared to the devastating quakes felt by Japan yesterday.

Three powerful, successive earthquakes hit the island nation on New Year's Eve with the biggest reaching a 7.6 magnitude.

Roads and bridges sustained major damage while tsunami warnings were quickly issued by the government. More than 97,000 people were forced to evacuate according to Reuters.

Scary moment for singer-songwriter Monica on Saturday night ... the "So Gone" singer appeared to pass out during her show in Houston.

TMZ's obtained video from one concertgoer first showing Monica, bleach blonde hair cascading down her back, belting out "Angel of Mine."

Later, a figure with those same light locks appears passed out at the side of the stage with a member of the crew quickly carrying them away from the spotlight.

And, then there's this ... several fans took to social media and alluded to some kind of incident at Monica's show in The Bayou City.

One X user asked "What happened to Monica at the Houston concert??" while another added, "The Houston streets are talking! They’re saying Monica left in an ambulance after passing out by the stairs."

Monica is no stranger to health issues. She's often talked about her mitral valve prolapse, a heart condition she was diagnosed with at 18 which impedes the flap between the upper and lower chambers of her heart from closing properly.

She's also suffered from, and been hospitalized for, high blood pressure in the past, a condition she's said she's worked hard to control, and she's had multiple surgeries for endometriosis.

43-year-old Monica has several shows coming up in the American Southeast on her tour ... perhaps heaping extra stress on the star's plate.

Britney Spears decided imagery was more powerful than words ... so she posted a couple of pics of her 2 sons without saying anything.

Sean Preston and Jayden James were front and center on Britney's last Insta posts of the year. The pics go back to happier times ... Britney and her kids holding some pups and looking super happy.  And then 2 pics just showing them goofing around.

It's going on at least 2 years since Britney's even seen her sons. They made it clear a while ago, they did not want to see their mom while she was acting out on social media, because they found it embarrassing.

Britney went after them after they suggested she needed mental health treatment ... she essentially called them ungrateful freeloaders.

The kids left for Hawaii several months ago with their dad, Kevin Federline ... a move to which Britney did not object. We're told the kids now text her occasionally, but there has been no face-to-face contact for 2 years ... maybe longer.

Britney seems ready to repair at least a few of her relationships ... Lynne Spears has visited Britney a few times recently, and Brit's in contact with Jamie Lynn.

As for her dad, Jamie, Britney posted a throwback pic of him with the kids the day TMZ broke the story Jamie had one of his legs amputated because of a terrible infection, but our sources say she has not reached out to him.

El nuevo presidente de Argentina es un tipo duro, pero no tanto como su novia, con la que estuvo acariciándose y besándose en el escenario delante de todo el mundo... y todo quedó en video.

Javier Milei aterrizó el viernes en la ciudad de Mar de Plata para asistir a la obra de teatro en vivo de su novia, la actriz Fátima Flórez, que al parecer se llama como ella, "Fátima 100%". El presidente se subió al escenario mientras la gente estaba aplaudiendo y felicitó a la actriz él mismo.

Después de lanzar un discurso sobre los tiempos difíciles que Argentina está a punto de entrar en el arranque de su presidencia -que acaba de comenzar a finales de este año- besó Fátima apasionadamente.

Empezaron con un simple besito, pero rápidamente la cosa se puso caliente. La multitud podía verlo todo y los vitoreaba y silbaba. Una vez que terminaron, Fátima dijo unas palabras, agradeciendole a su novio para posteriormente salir con él del lugar.

No es la primera vez que la pareja se muestra así de cariñosa en público, de hecho suelen hacerlo siempre, lo que concuerda con la personalidad de Javier en general, un poco salvaje.

Su victoria presidencial fue vista como un cambio de juego, pero sobre todo porque es un poco como Donald Trump, en que su objetivo es desregular gran parte del gobierno de Argentina y el anillo en una nueva filosofía económica. Básicamente, él quiere hacer Argentina autosuficiente y magra.

Él cree que ya está en camino de hacer precisamente eso, hace unas semanas, devaluó la moneda de Argentina por la friolera de 50%... Javier dice que esto va a ayudar a estabilizar su economía a futuro.

Argentina's new president is a handful, but not nearly as much as his hot girlfriend -- who he was feeling up and locking lips with onstage in front of everyone ... and it's all on video.

Javier Milei touched down Friday in the city of Mar de Plata to catch his actress GF Fátima Flórez's live play -- which is apparently named after her, "Fatima 100%." Anyway, afterward ... the prez hopped onstage while people were applauding, and congratulated her himself.

After launching into a speech about the hard times Argentina is about to enter as he kicks off his presidency -- which just started late this year -- he smooched Fátima ... passionately.

They started with just a peck ... but quickly launched into full-blown tongue wars, showing off a ton of PDA to the crowd as they cheered and whistled. Once they were done, Fátima said a few words of her own, thanking her BF and then leaving with him shortly afterward.

This ain't the first time the couple has shown affection in public like this -- they actually tend to do it all the time ... which jibes with Javier's personality in general, AKA a lil' wild.

His presidential victory was seen as game-changing -- but mostly because he's a bit like Donald Trump, in that he's aiming to deregulate much of Argentina's government and ring in a new economic philosophy. Basically, he wants to make Argentina self-sufficient and lean.

He thinks he's already on course to do just that ... a few weeks ago, he devalued Argentina's currency by a whopping 50% -- which Javier says is going to help stabilize their economy.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard se ha convertido en una gigante de las redes sociales, acumulando millones de seguidores y posiblemente preparándose para hacer una fortuna.

Gypsy tiene ahora la friolera de 4.7 millones de seguidores en Instagram. Acaba de publicar sus cuentas de Snapchat y TikTok en su página de Instagram. Además, ella tiene 1.4 millones de fans TikTok.

Ella publicó esto: "Acabo de unirme a SnapChat, estos avatares son impresionantes!" También realizó un especial de Lifetime.

Ella tenía una página de Instagram, pero no era nada fuera de lo común. De eso a 1.2 millones hay mucha diferencia, y lo ha hecho en un período de tiempo muy corto.

En cuanto al futuro... ella se está preparando para hacer un paquete en redes sociales, lo cual es interesante. Antes de que la encerraran casi nadie podía ganarse la vida en las redes sociales, pero los tiempos cambian.

También está trabajando en algún tipo de programa/documental/reality show para A&E.

Por ahora, Gypsy está disfrutando de las cosas simples de la libertad después de cumplir siete años entre las rejas por el asesinato de su madre. Se hace selfies y visita McDonalds y Burger King.

​Gypsy Rose Blanchard has become an instant social media giant since her release ... amassing millions of followers and possibly setting herself up to make a fortune.

Gypsy now has an eye-popping 4.7 million followers on Instagram. She's just pushed both her Snapchat and TikTok accounts on her Insta page. BTW she has 1.4 million TikTok fans.

She posted this ... "Just joined SnapChat. These avatars are awesome!" Also – she pushed the Lifetime special on there yesterday as well.

She had an Instagram page, but it was static at 1.2M upon her release, so she's gained millions in a super-compressed period of time.

As for the future ... she's setting herself up to make a bundle on social media, which is interesting. When she was locked up, almost no one could make a living on social, but times change.

In the money department, she's also working on some kind of show/documentary/reality show for A&E.

For now, Gypsy is enjoying the simple things of freedom after serving 7 years behind bars for the murder of her mother. She's trying her hand at selfies, and hitting up McDonalds and Burger King.

A couple of "Survivor" fan favorites gave show loyalists an update on their personal lives ... and whether it was a coincidence or not, both announcements came on the same day.

Parvati Shallow, considered one of the all-time best to hit the Survivor islands and winner of Survivor: Micronesia back in 2008, posted a set of cute pics of herself with comedian Mae Martin Saturday with the caption, "We’re here. We’re queer. Happy new year," followed by several emojis including a rainbow.

It's seemingly the first time there's been any indication the two were an item ... Parvati was previously married to Survivor contestant, John Fincher, but they separated in 2021. The two have one child together.

A few hours before Pavarti's post went up, Erika Casupanan, winner of Survivor 41 made a special announcement of her own thanks to a funny TikTok video.

In the video, Erika joked she attempted to do a viral challenge of eating grapes under a table in hopes of scoring a boyfriend, but instead chugged a bottle of wine ... leading her to realize she was a lesbian.

Both announcements have been getting a ton of love and support from Survivor fans ... and both contestants seem super happy.