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The lawyer for the 2 men who were arrested and then released in connection with the alleged attack on Jussie Smollett says the new evidence that has changed this case is something her clients told cops.

Attorney Gloria Schmidt was at the Chicago police station Friday night, after her clients, Ola and Abel Osundairo, were released from custody. Schmidt said the "new evidence" that triggered the release of her clients was something they knew and presumably told cops.

Our photog asked Schmidt flat out if the "attack" was staged, and she answered obliquely, saying there were moving parts and she didn't want to speculate.

As we reported, Ola and Abel both worked on "Empire," and Abel was especially friendly with Jussie.

And, something else interesting ... she wouldn't answer why her clients went to Nigeria the day of the alleged attack, but added it was a "great question."

The 2 men who were arrested, then released Friday night, in the Jussie Smollett case are pro-LGBTQ and anti-Trump, which has people on the "Empire" set scratching their heads.

We've spoken with "Empire" cast and crew, and they say Ola and Abel Osundairo do not fit the profile of racists and homophobes -- not even close. As we reported, both men have been extras on "Empire" for years and both are friendly with Jussie, and Abel is especially close to him. We're told Jussie would frequently approach the brothers on set and chat about health and fitness.

Our Empire sources say Abel especially is an ally of the LGBTQ community, and neither have ever said anything positive about Trump. They're both big Obama fans.

We're told Abel worked as an "Empire" extra as recently as a month ago. They're considered family on the set ... well-known and well-liked by cast and crew.

The folks we've spoken with say they find it impossible to believe Ola and Abel have the DNA of criminals who would carry out the acts that Jussie describes -- and obviously cops now believe that as well.

Police arrested the brothers for battery Friday after cops raided their home Wednesday and seized a long list of items, including several bottles of bleach. However, late Friday Chicago PD released the brothers due to "new evidence" gathered from their interrogation ... and said they're no longer suspects.

Colton Underwood's penis and virginity came under fire during his charity event in San Diego, leaving the 'Bachelor' star feeling deeply disturbed and violated.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... during Colton's meet and greet, a female fan approached him and grabbed his crotch in front of everyone, telling him, "I am going to take your virginity."

As we reported ... Colton cut his appearance short and got the hell out of Dodge before apologizing to his fans for his early exit, saying he was touched inappropriately.

Sources close to Colton tell us he needed a moment to compose himself after he was groped, so he stepped away into a VIP area, but then decided he'd had enough and left early. We're told he feels bad about leaving his fans hanging, but he just couldn't go on.

As you know, Colton's virginity has become an endless punchline on "The Bachelor" ... but after Wednesday's encounter, we're told Colton feels the virgin jokes have finally crossed the line.

The good news for Colton fans ... we're told he's not going to let one bad apple stop him from doing meet and greets, and he hopes his social media post will dissuade fan from becoming copycats.

7:30 PM PT -- Cops are releasing the Osundairo brothers and they won't be charged.

Chicago PD says, "Due to new evidence as a result of today's interrogations, the individuals questioned by police in the 'Empire' case have now been released without charging."

Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi added that detectives have "additional investigative work to complete."

Police have now arrested 2 men in the Jussie Smollett investigation -- 2 men with ties to "Empire" -- and TMZ has learned they were booked for battery.

The men are brothers from Nigeria named Olabinjo and Abimbola Osundairo, and Chicago cops are now calling them "potential suspects" ... as opposed to persons of interest. We know it was their home cops raided Wednesday and seized a long list of potential evidence ... including several bottles of bleach.

As we reported ... cops picked up Ola and Abel, their nicknames, on Wednesday night at O'Hare Airport.

A Chicago law enforcement source tells us the next step may be a lineup in which Jussie will be asked to identify the culprits. This raises a potential problem because, as we first reported, Jussie initially said his attackers were white and yelled "MAGA country."

The Osundairos, from Nigeria, just don't fit that profile.

As you know, Jussie has stated the men in the dark, grainy image released last month are definitely his attackers. Police are not confirming the Osundairo brothers are the men in that photo.

Ola played a prison inmate on season 2 of "Empire." It's unclear exactly how well they know Jussie, but we know Jussie follows their joint Instagram account. Abel also says he's worked on "Empire."

Both brothers describe themselves online as actors and models.

WWE superstar Matt Riddle thinks a major change is coming ... saying 'NXT' is on a trajectory to explode and take over as the No. 1 show in the WWE Universe.

For years, 'NXT' has been viewed as WWE's developmental brand -- used to springboard up-and-coming wrestlers on to shows like 'Raw' and 'Smackdown Live' ... where the top stars play.

But, Riddle -- along with other young stars like Ricochet, Adam Cole and Johnny Gargano -- have turned 'NXT' into arguably the most must-see WWE show ... and it only seems to be getting better.

Riddle says 'NXT' is "different" and "fresh" -- and not "the same kind of watered-down child's product that WWE's kind of turned into a lot."

He adds, "People watch us, even though it's scripted a lot of the time, it's more real. It's more believable."

Riddle says he can feel the momentum behind 'NXT' -- and it's affected the way he sees his career with the WWE.

"Funny enough, I was thinking about that the other day. And, I want to get to the main roster, but then I was thinking, 'Maybe I'm thinking about it wrong,' because 'NXT' is so hot, maybe we should stay and try to build 'NXT' and make it bigger than 'Raw' and 'Smackdown' and just be the big guy, which isn't impossible."

There's more ... Riddle -- a former UFC fighter -- also says he'd LOVE a shot to go 1-on-1 with John Cena, but not in a traditional pro wrestling match ...

"I think I wanna fight John Cena. He might wanna wrestle, but I kind wanna fight him."

Lakers super fan Ice Cube says Scottie Pippen is WRONG when he says LeBron James doesn't have the clutch gene ... but RIGHT when he says LBJ is no Michael Jordan ... or Kobe Bryant.

Pippen took some shots at LeBron recently ... actually, he pretty much destroyed the guy on "ESPN First Take," saying the King turns into a peasant during crunch time in games.

We got Ice Cube at LAX and asked the lifelong NBA fan if there's any truth to Scottie's scathing critique, and the West Coast legend said no ... and yes.

"I think he does have the clutch gene, but not too many people in the world got the Kobe and Jordan gene."

So ... LeBron is clutch, just not Kobe or Jordan clutch. So, he's not like a high-priced Gucci clutch bag (no disrespect to T.I.) he's more like a Coach clutch bag (no disrespect to Coach).

Makes sense ... Cube went on to say LeBron shouldn't sweat Scottie's opinion, because he's got 3 rings and it doesn't matter, but we think Cube forgot one thing.

4:00 PM PT -- In a totally baller move ... Jen's party is moving to a brand new private jet. The backup PJ just pulled up in front of the damaged one and their luggage is getting transferred.

The 12 women onboard have been sitting patiently waiting for their plan B to arrive, but they're gonna have to get off now to stroll to the new jet.

Jennifer Aniston's private jet bound for Mexico was forced to make an emergency landing in California ... TMZ has learned, and now she and her guests are holed up onboard.

The flight took off from LAX at 11 AM Friday heading for Cabo San Lucas, but lost a wheel or a tire during takeoff ... according to the FAA.

The jet -- which also has Courteney Cox and Molly Kimmel onboard -- made it all the way down to Mexican airspace, but the crew decided it wouldn't be safe to land in Cabo.

The flight was diverted back toward the airport in Ontario, CA ... about 60 miles east of Los Angeles. However, they still had a very full fuel tank ... which ain't ideal for emergency landings.

The plane circled for hours to burn off fuel before it was deemed safe to land ... and the captain put it down safely at 2:05 PM. Jen, Courteney, and 10 other passengers have not de-planed yet, which is why we're watching the live stream.

There's a buzz Brad Pitt is on the plane. Not to be a buzz kill, but our sources say it just ain't so. We're told all the passengers are women -- including Amanda Anka (Jason Bateman's wife) -- and it's a surprise trip for Jen's 50th birthday which they sprung on her today.

It appears everyone aboard is safe, but clearly a harrowing couple of hours for Jennifer to wrap up her birthday week.

A bunch of Mark Wahlberg's old and seemingly forgotten stuff has been found in abandoned storage units, and now ... a lot of it's hitting the auction block.

"Storage Wars" star Rene Nezhoda tells TMZ ... his friend Kevin went to a storage facility in the San Fernando Valley a few weeks back and bought 3 small lockers for $3k, which turned out to contain the actor's gear from years ago.

We're told the units contained some personal items -- family photos, kids' handprints and a dog's ashes -- but fortunately, Kevin was able to track down Mark's management and return them as a good deed ... free of charge.

All the other stuff is up for grabs, though ... with Wahlberg's blessing. As you can see in the pics, it includes old trophies and awards, golf photos, mementos from his "Boogie Nights" days, and yes ... Marky Mark memorabilia. There's also some furniture.

As for why Wahlberg lost ownership of the lockers -- Rene suspects someone on Mark's team simply forgot to pay the rent, and after 3 months of not paying, the lockers can go up for sale.

Kevin swooped and it's looking like a solid move. The items go up for auction Saturday.

A key part of Jussie Smollett's story is not tracking ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

TMZ broke many of the details of Jussie's story just hours after the attack ... the rope, the bleach, the statement by the attackers, "This is MAGA country" and also that his 2 attackers were white.

We have now confirmed, the 2 Nigerian men who were picked up by police at O'Hare Airport are black. Police say the 2 men are the same ones who were captured on surveillance video around the time of the incident.

Jussie told Robin Roberts this week, he's positive the 2 men on the surveillance video are the same 2 men who attacked him.

When we first reported the details of the story -- including Jussie saying the 2 men were white -- we were told twice, after we posted, it accurately reflected Jussie's version of events. We also spoke with our Jussie sources Friday and they reaffirmed he had said that day the men were white.

One of the reasons why it's so important ... as we reported, Jussie says the men hurled a racist epithet and screamed, "This is MAGA country." As you know, Trump reportedly made hateful remarks about African countries, calling them "Shithole countries."

The 2 men were both extras on "Empire."

Did you know Ben Affleck made Warner Bros. stitch the No. 12 into his Batman costume during his entire run as the superhero as an ode to Tom Brady?!?

Neither did we ... 'cause it ain't true -- but Affleck joked it was Thursday on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' ... and the TB12 shout-out was hilarious!!!

Ben spoke with Kimmel on the late-night talk show and officially retired forever from playing The Dark Knight ... and to commemorate the moment -- Jimmy said they'd hang his costume in the rafters.

Guillermo -- Jimmy's ultra funny companion on the show -- brought out the bat costume (in his own Robin outfit) ... when suddenly, it was revealed the cape had "Batfleck 12" inscribed on it!!!

Ben said the number was a shout-out to none other than football's G.O.A.T., saying, "That’s Brady’s number. You can’t be a hero unless you wear number 12.”

Affleck added -- jokingly -- Warner Bros. "actually paid $80 million to digitally remove it from every movie.”

It was a funny moment ... but, it was hardly the best part of the skit -- that involved a Matt Damon thong and Affleck's nose.

Yeah, watch the clip.

21 Savage is not shooting down the buzz that he was targeted and arrested by ICE because of his music, some of which was critical of U.S. immigration policies.

21 appeared Friday on 'GMA,' and he describes in some detail how he was just driving down a street on Super Bowl Sunday when he saw guns and blue lights, and the next thing he knew he was being hauled off to a federal detention center.

21's lawyers have suggested it's no coincidence the rapper was picked up by ICE just days after he sang "A Lot" on national TV. The song criticizes immigration policies, especially with regard to children.

As we reported, his case curiously was sent up the flagpole last week to the Washington D.C. headquarters of ICE, and the honchos there decided he should be held without bond, despite the fact he was absolutely eligible for release.

Lolo Jones is unloading on Ryan Lochte -- fellow Team USA Olympian and 'Big Brother' housemate -- blasting him as an Olympic disgrace ... for no real apparent reason.

Lolo just wrapped up her stint on "Celebrity Big Brother" -- where she and Lochte seemed to get along for the most part. Lolo finished in 3rd place. Lochte was 10th.

But, when a couple of people on Twitter criticized her being a "sore loser" while praising Lochte, Jones fired back by ripping the swimmer and his arrest scandal in Brazil during the 2016 Games.

Here's how the exchange went.

Fan #1: "Who would’ve thought that Ryan Lochte would finish #CBB looking like the most mature and gracious Olympian on the show? I used to like Lolo as an athlete, but now I can’t stand #locoLolo"

Fan #2: "Maybe the difference is Ryan actually wins medals at the olympics while LoLo loses at the games. She needs anger management and to stop being a sore loser."

Lolo: "I also don’t get escorted out of the Olympic games either or lie about a whole country."

Boom.

Question is ... why? After Lochte was eliminated early in the show, she griped to other houseguests that Olympians should stick together. So, why turn on Lochte now?

George Lopez is ripping Sen. Ted Cruz to shreds over his idea to use money seized from El Chapo to fund President Trump's border wall.

We got the comedian Thursday at LAX, and asked him about Cruz's suggestion that the billions seized from El Chapo's drug cartel should be used to secure the southern border. Needless to say, George has very strong feelings about the wall, Ted and ... the senator's head and ass!!!

El Chapo was found guilty on 10 federal drug charges Tuesday, and the Mexican drug kingpin is now facing life in prison. Prosecutors are seeking $14 BILLION in drug profits and assets from El Chapo's Sinaloa Cartel.

3:30 PM PT -- Police raided the home of the 2 men who cops picked up at the O'Hare Airport Wednesday night ... this according to WBBM TV reporter Charlie De Mar, who says he spoke to the family of the 2 men. Both men are Nigerian and were extras on "Empire." Based on what the cops have already said, it appears these are the same men who were captured on the surveillance video.

According to the report, police seized 5 bottles of bleach, a red hat, 2 laptops and other items.

The family said the 2 men left for Nigeria the day of the alleged attack. This is consistent with what law enforcement sources previously told TMZ ... that the men left for Nigeria and returned Wednesday night, and the police tracked their travels and were waiting for them when they landed in Chicago.

By the way ... when we broke the story about the various details of the alleged attack, our Jussie sources said the actor identified the 2 men as white. We do not know the skin color of the 2 men from Nigeria.

Important to note ... the red hat may be a red herring, because Jussie never said the men were wearing MAGA hats ... rather, he says they screamed "MAGA country."

2:50 PM PT -- Chicago PD has confirmed ... the 2 men taken in for questioning are the same men in the surveillance video screen grab. The PD confirms transportation records, along with interviews with Jussie and other witnesses, led to the ID of the 2 men.

Jussie Smollett is being questioned again by Chicago PD ... and officers are also talking to another man, an actor who has also appeared on "Empire" ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the case tell us the actor, not Jussie, was picked up by Chicago PD Wednesday night right after he flew into O'Hare Airport. We're told Jussie was brought in Thursday morning for additional questioning. Another man who was with the actor at O'Hare was also taken in for questioning.

The two individuals are being questioned as "persons of interest." Police won't say if they are the same 2 people seen in the grainy image released last month. But, law enforcement sources tell TMZ, they believe the 2 people were at the scene of the alleged attack.

As for how cops ID'd the 2 people they're questioning -- we're told they used rideshare and/or taxicab records to track their locations the night of the alleged incident.

Jussie is on record saying he believes the 2 men in the grainy image are the ones who attacked him.

Story developing ...

Strongman and actor Hafthor Bjornsson -- aka "The Mountain" from 'Game of Thrones' -- picked up a barbell weighing 1,042 FREAKIN' POUNDS ... and it's straight-up ridiculous!!

Thor -- who's 6'9" and 400-ish lbs. -- is a legendary strongman. He won the World's Strongest Man, Europe's Strongest Man and Arnold Strongman Classic ... all in 2018.

So, he's literally the strongest person in the world (4x WSM winner Brian Shaw and '17 WSM champ Eddie Hall might disagree).

The lift went down earlier this week at Bjornsson's gym in his home country of Iceland ... and according to Thor, it's the heaviest deadlift ever done in a gym.

BTW, Thor ain't the only guy in the room with superhuman strength ... the ripped shirtless dude is YouTube star/powerlifter/bodybuilder/strongman Larry Wheels -- who was throwin' around 220 lb. dumbbells earlier this week.

Just watching this will make you stronger.

Tisha Campbell-Martin is cutting her estranged husband, Duane Martin, a huge break, but not for his sake ... TMZ has learned.

Tisha and Duane were both in court Thursday for a hearing on her restraining order, and she told the judge she wanted to drop it in the name of co-parenting. Tisha said she's still in fear of Duane, but for the sake of their kids wanted to make it easier for them to take care of them and attend activities.

She said they've agreed to give each other advance notice if they're both going to any events for their 2 sons.

As we reported, Tisha previously got a temporary restraining order against Duane, after accusing him of physical abuse.

She claimed he recently flew into a violent rage, and had been physically, emotionally and mentally abusive throughout their marriage. Duane is vehemently denying the allegations.