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Diddy's lawyers are painting him as a loving father and pillar of the community during his sentencing ... and, we've got the video they plan to use to get that message across.

The defense released a nearly 12-minute-long vid they already submitted to the court ... which begins by showing Diddy sitting with his kids -- speaking softly to his twin daughters, D'Lila and Jessie.

The rapper plays with a paper puppet and sits on the floor while his kiddos try to steal his sunglasses ... looking every bit the attentive father.

Diddy's family is showing up to see the conclusion of the federal case against him ... appearing somber as they headed into a NYC courthouse to hear his sentence firsthand.

The rapper's mother, Janice, arrived at court first ... looking angelic in an all-white power suit -- and she gave a little wave to the assembled crowd of reporters and well-wishers.

Christian Combs and his girlfriend, Raven Tracy, strode in together ... before Quincy Brown, Jessie Combs, D'Lila Combs and Chance Combs walked up as a long human chain -- hands clasped tightly together.

Ray J has responded to Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner's defamation lawsuit ... and his rebuttal is as stunning as it is brazen.

TMZ broke the news ... Kim and Kris were fed up with Ray J claiming they're the subject of a federal criminal racketeering investigation ... and slapped him with a suit for defamation.

On a recent livestream, Ray went through the lawsuit ... and said they were trying to make him a "slave" ... and prior millions they allegedly paid him as hush money went unmentioned in the paperwork.

Diddy is staring down one of the biggest days of his life -- his prison sentencing -- and now just one day before that goes down, he’s been hit with two new sexual assault lawsuits.

In new court docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Lakeisha Ward and Dejoan Bledsoe ... both represented by attorney Tony Buzbee, who’s unleashed a flurry of cases against the hip-hop mogul -- claim in separate lawsuits they were sexually assaulted by the mogul.

Ward alleges Diddy drugged and sexually assaulted her at a pool party he hosted at his L.A. home in 2018.

6:10 PM PT -- Melissa's lawyer Bret Martin tells TMZ ... "I want to remind the public of the fundamental principle of our justice system…every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty. We, as a society, have gotten completely away from this fundamental concept. My Client was arrested  on the allegation of Driving While Intoxicated. An arrest is no indication of guilt."

He continues ... "It is imperative that we closely examine the circumstances of this case-including the conduct of law enforcement, the toxicology results, and the facts surrounding her arrest-before any conclusions are drawn. We respectfully request that the media and the public allow the legal process to unfold, and withhold any judgment whatsoever until all of the evidence has been properly analyzed and presented in a court of law."

Melissa Rycroft was arrested for driving while intoxicated this month ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the former 'Bachelor' star was busted for DWI in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on September 23. We're told she was taken into custody and booked into the local jail, where she sat for 8 hours before being released. She posted a $1,000 bond with a promise to appear in court.

The exact details of her arrest remain unclear at this point, but what is clear .. she's now facing a court date in connection with the charge.

Diddy is taking responsibility for his actions ... telling the judge in his case he's sorry for all the hurt and pain he's caused others through his actions.

The rapper filed a four-page letter Thursday ahead of his Friday sentencing hearing ... beginning with the apology before admitting the last two years have been the hardest of his life -- and there is "no one to blame for my current reality and situation but myself."

Diddy says he's learned a lot since he was incarcerated a little more than a year ago ... explaining pain became his teacher -- and going on to say his "downfall was rooted in his selfishness."

50 Cent's screwing with Diddy a day before the mogul finds out whether he's headed off to prison or if he gets to go home ... telling the judge to think of the general public's need for baby oil.

The rapper shared the message on Instagram Thursday afternoon ... kicking it off by addressing Judge Arun Subramanian directly and mentioning his longstanding beef with Puffy.

50 claims he's feared for his life multiple times over the years, and he wants the judge to think about the "safety of the general public" when it comes to his impending sentence.

Diddy's standing up for a pair of doctors who evaluated his sexual proclivities -- giving him 2 thumbs up -- and says they'll be in court ready to testify during his sentencing.

On the eve of his sentencing in federal court, Diddy filed docs with Judge Arun Subramanian, urging him to ignore the prosecution's pleas to disregard evaluations from 2 renowned doctors specializing in sexual disorders.

In the documents, he says Dr. Kreuger -- a Columbia University psychiatrist -- signed off on Diddy being "in complete control of his sexual urges and behavior."

1:55 PM PT -- Aaron Phypers' request was denied by the judge due to "Insufficient evidence of immediate loss or damage to property subject to disposition in the case." In the order, the judge reminds both sides to adhere to the terms of their respective restraining orders ... and writes Aaron may file a request "seeking attorney fees and or interim spousal support."

11:11 AM PT -- Denise Richards just filed a response to Aaron Phypers' request ... She does not consent to the order requested and wants it denied.

Aaron Phypers is asking a judge to order Denise Richards to give him access to their joint bank accounts ... because he says he needs $150,000 or he might end up homeless.

The actor filed the document earlier this week ... and, in it, he claims Phypers and Richards had millions of dollars in joint accounts before he filed for divorce, saying Richards "took control of the accounts and has not allowed me access to any of the funds."

Phypers acknowledges a good chunk of the money comes from Denise's OnlyFans ... though he also mentions he took many of the photos on the page -- and insists he owns the copyright to those pics.

Erik Menendez is on the mend after going under the knife for kidney stones ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation tells TMZ ... Erik was transported to an outside medical facility on September 26. They tell us he's since been discharged and is back at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, where he remains in good condition.

A source confirmed to us Erik received treatment for kidney stones.

Diddy is getting even more support from the woman who was supposed to testify against him at his federal criminal trial ... ahead of his sentencing tomorrow for his Mann Act convictions.

Virginia Huynh -- better known as "Gina" during Diddy's trial -- wrote a letter to the judge on behalf of Diddy, blasting prosecutors for pressuring her into becoming "Victim 3" in the indictment. As you know, Diddy was found guilty in July on 2 counts of the Mann Act -- illegally transporting individuals across state lines for the purpose of prostitution.

In her letter, Gina says she fully cooperated with prosecutors, sitting down with them 3 times and answering all their questions. She says she turned over every stitch of evidence ... notably photos, videos and text messages.

Judge Mathis is weighing in on Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner's defamation lawsuit against Ray J, saying the sex tape -- and all the money they made off it -- makes it tough to sue him now.

We caught up with Judge Mathis in Wednesday in NYC, and he thinks Kim's gonna have a tough time building a case against the guy who -- as the Judge sees it -- helped her launch her career.

You gotta see the full clip ... he claims KK would be better off trying to get a gag order or a cease-and-desist -- but he doesn’t see a defamation case.

Diddy’s ex-stylist is finally speaking out after filing a lawsuit against the disgraced music mogul -- saying he feared for his life the entire time he worked for him.

In a teaser for his full "CBS Mornings" interview dropping Friday, Deonte Nash -- who worked with Diddy from 2008 to 2018 -- alleges Diddy strangled him multiple times ... and he even told others on his team he’d end up killing them.

Deonte said he always kept a "go-bag" ready ... rattling off every item of clothing and cash he had packed so when push came to shove, he'd be ready to go into hiding.

Morgan Wallen didn't fess up immediately to tossing a chair off a rooftop bar ... instead telling officers he has no idea why he was being detained in newly released body cam footage.

The new footage from his April 2024 arrest shows Wallen attempting to leave Chief's on Broadway shortly after the furniture fell several stories down to the busy sidewalk below ... but, once he reaches the street, police officers tell him not to go any further.

A man who identifies himself as Wallen's bodyguard says he didn't see the country star throw anything off the roof ... while Morgan seems content to let everyone around him talk out the incident -- and, he tries to walk off again. An officer puts his hand on Wallen's chest and tells him he's straight-up not free to leave the area.

More evidence has surfaced of Celeste Rivas' troubled home life ... Riverside County Sheriff's deputies were called to her house 11 times in just one year, TMZ has learned.

Deputies repeatedly responded to her house in Lake Elsinore, California between February 2024 and April 2025, according to police records, obtained by TMZ. And get this ... cops say deputies visited Celeste's home THREE times in a single day -- March 19, 2024.

That's the same date on the surveillance video TMZ obtained from a liquor store on the same block as the family home. Celeste's sister went to the store after Celeste ran away, and checked to see if she was on the video.

There is a shot of Celeste running down the street, and going out of frame. A car pulls out -- it's unclear if she got in that car. Two of the 3 visits that day were at Celeste's home ... the third was to the liquor store.

Raymond Cruz's "Breaking Bad" character Tuco Salamanca might've done some hard time on the show ... but, the actor won't face a day in jail for spraying his neighbor with a hose.

The L.A. City Attorney’s Office tells TMZ … after reviewing the evidence of the case, they've declined to prosecute the misdemeanor battery case against him.

Cruz's agent tells us ... the actor's relieved after finding out yesterday he's off the hook -- but, he's incredibly frustrated it ever reached this point.