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If Dakota Mortensen had any chance of returning to "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" with production looming on the horizon ... it was pretty much torpedoed after the recent court hearing with ex Taylor Frankie Paul.

A source with knowledge tells TMZ ... after yesterday's custody hearing -- where the judge extended the couple's restraining orders for three years -- it's highly unlikely Dakota will be appearing on future episodes of 'SLOMW.' We're told the door is open for TFP to come back ... but she's yet to commit.

It all makes sense ... Taylor is one of the stars of the popular Hulu series -- it's 'WIVES' after all -- so that makes Dakota her plus-one. For the moment, it's all moot because word is cameras are not even up yet after production was paused over the couple's drama.

Kara Swisher has a dire warning about A.I. ... despite the technological miracles it brings to your life, it's also fueling a worldwide loneliness epidemic, and it just can't replace human interaction.

The famed technology journalist is also hosting the new series "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever" on CNN, and she joined us Friday for a convo on "TMZ Live" about the rise of humans befriending A.I. chatbots.

Kara says she needs to remind people that A.I. isn't like human beings ... it's a synthetic sycophant desperate to keep users' attention, not a friend that exists in our three-dimensional world.

Sherri Shepherd won't be sitting around and twiddling her thumbs now that she's taped the final live episode of her talk show "Sherri" ... she's weighing her career options -- including turning her show into a podcast.

We caught up with the star in New York City Thursday ... and we had to ask what she's got coming up after she's officially completed "Sherri," which has been cancelled after four seasons.

Shepherd says she's not sure if she would start producing a version of "Sherri" for YouTube or make a podcast ... since the market is saturated with millions of other listening options.

Jimmy Kimmel will once again be appearing at upfronts for Disney's ABC ... just like he's done for the past 20 years, TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us ... Jimmy will be there -- news that would usually make for a ho-hum headline, but with all the drama in which he's been ensnared with President Donald Trump, interest in whether he'd be at the key TV advertising event was piqued.

It appears that Jimmy being there is status quo -- but of course, his most recent spat with Trump's White House has dominated media coverage -- even though it sure seems to already be dwindling.

Netflix reality star Louis Russell -- who is dating Huda Mustafa of "Love Island USA" -- has been in a court battle with his baby mama, Nicole Olivera ... who submitted alleged texts from Huda crashing out as evidence ... TMZ has learned.  

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Nicole showed the judge a ton of messages she claims Huda sent Louis ... showing Huda freaking out about her BF not answering. 

In one screenshot, Huda allegedly writes to her BF, "IM LOSING MY MIND. I CAN’T … LOUIS HOW CAN U DO THIS. HOWWW. U DONT POVE ME. YOU DONT LOVE ME. U WANT ME TO DIE. U WANTED THIS. I HOPE UR SORRY."
 

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's recent rough press appearances have the "Jersey Shore" crew buzzing ... and now 'The Situation' is stepping in with a reality check.

Mike Sorrentino is finally breaking his silence on his costar, Ronnie ... after a string of concerning moments during the press tour for "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation."

"I want to be clear that I am not responsible for the actions of any other cast member."

That's the line Mike drew in a lengthy Instagram comment posted after fans noticed he hadn't initially addressed Ronnie's behavior -- despite highlighting his own rehabilitation facility in a post.

Jessi Draper has clearly changed her mind when it comes to Taylor Frankie Paul ... because she bashed her costar in a voice memo to Dakota Mortensen just two months ago -- but now she's providing a full-throated defense of Taylor instead.

Here's the deal ... we've obtained the voice memo Jessi sent to Dakota on March 5 ... in the wake of production pausing on 'SLOMW' over a new bout of domestic violence allegations involving Taylor and Dakota.

In the message, Jessi tells Dakota the cast is aligned in holding back on any public support for Taylor ... she says they know the "truth" about Taylor ... and she claims production and management on 'SLOMW' is gaslighting the cast by painting Taylor as a victim and Dakota as a liar.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Jimmy Kimmel is continuing his war of words with President Donald Trump ... but this time, the late-night comedian is asking for a ceasefire!

That's right ... Jimmy came out in his opening monologue on Wednesday's episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" asking the 47th president to send a delegation to Pakistan -- or maybe just Hollywood -- to iron out their differences.

The comedian compared his ugly situation with Trump to Trump's war with Iran, pointing to 2 Truth Social posts Trump put out Thursday ... one of them was about how ABC needs to fire the "seriously unfunny Jimmy Kimmel."

Ciara Miller seems to have put the whole "Summer House" drama in the rearview ... the reality star was seen partying it up at the Guggenheim with other major celebs.

TMZ obtained exclusive video of Ciara dancing, laughing and posing for pics Thursday night at Cultured's CULT100 event at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. And did we mention that Ciara looked drop-dead gorgeous?

Check out the clip ... Ciara is just stunning in her form-fitting dress and is clearly having the time of her life. You would never guess she felt betrayed by her close friend, Amanda Batula, who started dating Ciara's ex-boyfriend, West Wilson, during Season 10 of "Summer House."

"General Hospital" star Kirsten Storms' claim that her phone was hacked is being investigated by police ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the Franklin Police Department in Tennessee tells TMZ ... "I can confirm that there is an active investigation as it pertains to her case."

We're told the investigation involves Kirsten's claim that unknown third parties are spying on her devices.

Daily Double ... this lawyer appears on "TMZ on TV" and "TMZ Live" and is now competing on "Jeopardy!" ... Who is Derek Kaufman!!!

That's true, our very own lawyer Derek is among the contestants on tonight's episode of "Jeopardy!" ... and everyone in the office is looking forward to ribbing him about his performance.

Derek and our other lawyer, Jason Beckerman, are huge 'Jeopardy' fans ... who may or may not have a running competition on who can answer the most final Jeopardy questions correctly.

Well ... Derek took a test, auditioned and then got picked for the game show ... and now's his big moment.

6:47 PM PT -- Taylor’s attorney Eric M. Swinyard tells TMZ ... "Today’s hearing was a significant step forward as the Court entered protective orders requiring that Taylor’s ex-partner stays far away from her.

He continues ... "Taylor was incredibly candid with the Court that she is not perfect and owned her faults, which is in direct contrast to how the other party presented their argument, despite evidence and input from law enforcement that showed otherwise.

He concludes ... "Taylor feels solidarity with the many survivors who have endured similar hardships behind closed doors and shared only part of their stories, and she remains grateful for the outpouring of support she continues to receive. She looks forward to continuing to cooperate with the Court to make progress in the custody case."

Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen finally came face-to-face as they fight for custody over their 2-year-old son -- and it got messy as their legal teams went back and forth for nearly two hours.

The 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' star and her ex had each filed protective orders following domestic violence allegations from both sides ... and were in Utah court battling it out for full custody of their kid, Ever.

The judge ruled to extend both of those protective orders for three years, but ultimately, no custody decision was made by the court -- the two parties were told to continue to work toward mediation.

They will reconvene on June 1 and in the meantime, will receive a recommendation in writing from the judge on parent time.

Nick Cannon dropped by the TMZ office on Thursday to chop it up with Harvey and Charles for a few ... and left the office howling with a light roast of our fearless leader.

The actor and TV host popped in with comic Rip Micheals to mostly talk about "Wild 'N Out: On the Road" ... which he's doing in partnership with the Netflix is a Joke Fest ... but he also talked a little about his kids, specifically how hilarious it is when ex Mariah Carey crashes Moroccan's Twitch live stream.

But, as you can see in the "TMZ Live" clip ... the best moment was when Nick said he would consider hosting our super popular TMZ Celebrity Tour ... if Harvey would be a guest on 'Wild 'N Out.' And that's when he and Rip gave HL a taste of what to expect on the show ... roasting the boss' shoes -- hitting him with the classic "What are those?!" It was gold, Jerry.

Looks like "Love on the Spectrum" fans are taking Abbey Romeo’s breakup with David Isaacman harder than she is -- because she’s out here looking completely unbothered!

Check the pics -- the newly-single reality star was spotted in L.A., soaking up the sunshine on a stroll with a friend Wednesday, smiling big and keeping it effortlessly cute in a laid-back outfit.

No signs of heartbreak whatsoever ... Abbey had a definite pep in her step, deep in convo and looking like life’s just fine on her side.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!