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It's an all-out war between Paula Abdul and former "American Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe ... and now she's producing alleged texts from him, which she says show some of the ways he sexually harassed her.

Paula's attorney, Melissa Eubanks, tells TMZ ... Nigel is victim-shaming Paula and is cherry-picking from years of communications between them as he tries to discredit the allegations she brought against him in her sexual assault lawsuit in December.

As we first told you, Nigel's legal response to Paula's suit included alleged emails she sent him ... with Nigel claiming the emails gave off a friendly and loving vibe between them ... after the time Paula alleged he sexually assaulted her

Now, Paula's firing back ... as her attorney says Nigel's response fails to appreciate the power dynamic in their relationship, where Lythgoe was a powerful exec/her boss and Paula worked under him as a judge on the reality competition shows he executive produced.

Abdul's attorney says ... "He held the cards to her career in his hand and he knew it." The lawyer also goes on to call Nigel's tactic classic victim shaming.

What's more, Paula's legal team says those emails Nigel referenced in his docs were just Paula placating his ego with "positive messaging and seeming adoration ... defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."

Paula claims to have some receipts from Nigel too ... saying she has text messages from him showing numerous instances of overt sexual harassment.

Abdul's camp claims Nigel texted her on March 8, 2014, writing ... "When you get back to LA will you please make love to me! Slowly and lovingly!" Paula says she didn't respond and Nigel double texted, "I'll take that as a YES then!"

Another alleged text, from April, 10, 2014, is a response to a message Paula sent Nigel about "So You Think You Can Dance" auditions in Las Vegas ... to which Nigel allegedly responded, "I'll come if you promise a big wet kiss! With tongues! Is a small grope of the ass asking too much?"

A few months later, in July 2014, Paula claims Nigel acknowledged he was being inappropriate when he allegedly texted her ... "You love me like a relation I love you like a girlfriend. I could easily be your f****** cousin? Ha Ha."

Remember ... Paula claims Nigel sexually assaulted her twice -- the first time during "one of Idol's initial sessions" in the early 2000s, and again at some point during her 2 seasons on 'SYTYCD' ... a gig she started in 2015.

Paula's attorney also claims Nigel verbally assaulted Adbul on multiple occasions as well ... which she says "are evidence of the frequent abusive behavior that Ms. Abdul was subjected to during her time on American Idol and SYTYCD."

3/6 -- 2:45 PM PT -- Paula Abdul responded to Nigel Lythgoe's latest barb, with her attorney telling Deadline ... "Mr. Lythgoe's answer to Ms. Abdul's complaint is classic victim shaming. These are the defenses that many women like Ms. Abdul had to adopt to deal with men who abuse their power."

Nigel Lythgoe is producing a slew of emails and posts from Paula Abdul which he says show they had a very friendly and loving relationship for years after she alleges he sexually assaulted her.

In the legal docs filed Tuesday, it's immediately clear Nigel's taking the gloves off with his former friend and coworker at "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance" ... calling her a "well-documented fabulist, with a long history of telling wild stories that are untethered from reality and are primarily designed to attract attention and make Abdul appear to be the victim of dreadful misfortune."

The scathing response includes several private emails Lythgoe says Abdul sent him, filled with flowery, kind and "adoring" language. For instance, a Sept. 12, 2014 email reads in part, "Hi sweetheart -- thank you for this lovely 'gift.' Please forgive me for not calling yesterday. Forever grateful to have you in my life! Love, love LOVE YOU! XO P."

Another, dated June 20, 2014, says, "Thank you for the beautiful flowers -- they were exquisite! But, I have to say the kicker was the birthday card last night. I am still howling! I truly appreciate our friendship and am looking forward to launching our project."

Lythgoe's filing also includes pages of Paula's public tweets at his @dizzyfeet handle, starting in 2009 and continuing through 2015 when they were both working on 'SYTYCD.' Many of them include photos of them together and captions like, "You know the crew loves you, too!! :)) xoxoP" -- and, in a Thanksgiving tweet, she wrote, "I'm grateful that I met you too, Nigel! Have a very Happy Thanksgiving! xoxoP."

TMZ broke the story ... Abdul filed a lawsuit against Nigel and FremantleMedia North America (producers of 'Idol' and 'SYTYCD') in December, alleging he'd sexually assaulted her twice -- the first time in "one of Idol's initial seasons" ... which would be the early 2000s, and the second at some unspecified point during her 2 seasons as a 'SYTYCD' judge. She started that gig in 2015.

According to the new docs, the pages of emails, messages and tweets "show how Abdul really felt about Lythgoe during and after the time she now alleges abuse occurred."

Lythgoe further attempts to impugn Abdul's character, claiming he championed her to be hired on 'Idol' and 'SYTYCD' ... "despite the opposition from other executives due to Abdul's already well-known erratic behavior."

He also claims her substance abuse issues were a frequent topic for 'Idol' execs, claiming ... "At her worst, Abdul was slurring her speech, unintelligible, drooling and passing out in audition rooms, having to be carried out on two separate occasions."

And, Lythgoe takes one other major swipe at Paula, saying her "credibility has been called into question on a serious issue" ... namely, the plane crash she says she survived in 1992.

In the docs, Lythgoe says, "There are no records whatsoever of the supposed plane crash. In one interview Abdul explained that she was able to keep the story under wraps with NDAs and because 'there was no internet at the time.' In another interview, she explained that at the time of the crash, there were 'no computers.'"

As we reported, Nigel dismissed her allegations against him as "false and deeply offensive" the day after she filed her lawsuit ... and he's, again, flatly denying the allegations in the docs.

He's asking the court to dismiss Paula's lawsuit, and he wants her to cover his attorney fees.

We've reached out to Paula's reps ... so far, no word back yet.

The sheriff for the area where 13-year-old Madeline Soto disappeared and died is under fire for seemingly posting a photo from the crime scene, and now the department is apologizing.

This debacle is playing out down in Osceola County, Florida -- where Madeline's body was discovered Friday by officials there in a wooded area after she went missing from her home in neighboring Orange County last week.

On Saturday -- a day after Madeline was found deceased -- a photo of human remains was reportedly posted to the official Instagram account for Osceola County Sheriff Marcos Lopez. The photo, believed to be a confidential image from the crime scene and since deleted, is said to show a body matching Madeline's description lying dead on the ground.

Now, the Osceola County Sheriff's Office is telling local news outlets the photo was accidentally included in a post about a community event for seniors. They add ... "We deeply apologize for any confusion or disturbance this may have caused."

The Sheriff's office is neither confirming nor denying the photo depicted Madeline's body.

Somehow, this all gets worse for the Osceola County Sheriff's Office ... because the same morning the alleged Soto photo was posted on IG, another member of the sheriff's office shared a selfie with Stephan Sterns, the boyfriend of Madeline's mother ... and the prime suspect in her disappearance and death, who has since been taken into custody.

Nirva Rodriguez, the OCSD executive director, shared the image on her personal Facebook page ... showing Sterns being led out of a building in handcuffs. She reportedly captured her post ... "If God’s love has been poured out over your life, don’t allow evil to keep you away from what He has prepared for you." Unclear what her intent behind the post/message was.

In any case ... the selfie was reportedly snapped after Sterns was booked on charges of child pornography and sexually battering a child.

Law enforcement has not specifically tied those charges to Madeline's case just yet ... nor have they officially charged him in her disappearance or death. He has yet to enter a plea.

Rodriguez's FB post with Sterns has also been deleted, FWIW ... and it's worth noting she oversees multiple divisions with OCSD, including media, outreach and community services.

Jenelle Evans has filed to separate from her husband David Eason ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us the former 'Teen Mom' star recently submitted court docs in North Carolina signaling her intent to formally separate -- although, it doesn't like divorce is on the table just yet ... but, from the sounds of it, that's the next natural step here.

The court filing, as reported by The Sun, makes several allegations against David in terms of reasoning for wanting to split -- including reported claims of erratic behavior, substance abuse and refusal to work ... among other problems Jenelle cites, including other disturbing things.

The Sun notes Jenelle points out DE taking out their pet dog in 2019 ... and more recently, she says he's currently facing criminal charges for allegedly abusing her teenage son, Jace.

We broke the story ... Jenelle and David were suspected of child neglect after her 14-year-old son Jace ran away multiple times last summer. After the third time he'd done so, Jace apparently told cops David assaulted him.

Our sources told us Jace had visible markings on his arms and neck when he was picked up, leading local police to investigate and eventually arrest David. Eason's currently facing two charges -- misdemeanor child abuse and felony assault by strangulation.

Just last week ... Jenelle was detailing a recent attempted break-in at her home there in NC -- but David's name was noticeably absent from her description of the horrifying incident.

Now, we know why ... The Sun reports that Jenelle is citing their separation date as Feb. 16 -- and this document was apparently filed sometime toward the end of last month, Feb. 23.

Jenelle reportedly goes on to make more allegations against David -- including the claim that he hasn't checked in on her since they officially separated ... and that he's living on their boat. She cites the fact they have kids together ... and that he's allegedly gone off the radar.

While these aren't divorce docs, per se, Jenelle is apparently already asking for primary physical custody of their daughter, as well as child support. David and Jenelle share 7-year-old Ensley. She also reportedly signals she wants control of the family home, and a majority of their marital assets for herself. In other words, it's shaping up to a messy uncoupling.

3/2 9:58 AM PT -- Rachel Leviss' rep is responding to Lisa's dig ... calling the comments, "A disappointing choice for an executive on the show since victim shaming is a defense mechanism often used by abusers and coming from a person in a position of power can cause even further harm to a person's mental health.”

Lisa Vanderpump is coming to the defense of her old friend Andy Cohen amid some new allegations -- and in the same breath ... she's taking a swipe at Rachel Leviss.

The former 'Housewives' star -- who obviously ended up getting up her spinoff show on Bravo -- was arriving at LAX at landing back in town Friday ... where our photog ran into her and asked her all about the latest drama going on in the reality world, and there's a lot.

For starters, our camera guy asked about Leah McSweeney's claims in a new lawsuit she filed this week against the Bravo honcho ... alleging he'd partaken in cocaine, not to mention claiming Bravo at large was a toxic hell hole that coaxed their stars into boozing/debauchery.

Well, Lisa has some thoughts on all that ... and she goes to bat for AC here, telling us she's never seen him do any hard drugs -- nor does she know him to be how Leah described.

On the notion that Bravo is pressuring 'Housewives' into drinking on set ... Lisa says what a lot of her contemporaries have already been making clear -- the stars are adults, and they don't have to do anything they don't want to. Bottom line ... she calls BS on Leah's suit.

Lastly, Lisa weighs in on the legal battle brewing in her own world ... namely, Rachel suing Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix over revenge porn, among other things.

She doesn't have very nice things to say about that either -- noting Rachel probably should've never compromised herself on camera the way she did if she didn't want it out.

We clarify, though, that Tom's alleged to have recorded her from his phone and circulated it with the cast ... but even then, she doesn't have much sympathy for her ex-employee.

Bottom line ... Lisa's good with Andy, not so much with Leah and Rachel. That much is clear.

Terrence Howard just got hit with a fat tax bill that he now has to pay back to Uncle Sam -- after ignoring a federal complaint against him ... a judge just ruled he's gotta pay up.

The actor was ordered to pay close to $1 million Friday in a federal tax evasion case out of Pennsylvania that he's been wrapped up in since last year -- when the feds came after him for what they claimed were hundreds of thousands of dollars in back taxes he owed.

Specifically, they were attempting to recoup a huge tab from him in the amount of $578,000 -- amounting to a huge tax bill they claimed had gone unpaid from 5 tax returns between 2010 and 2019.

And now, all this time later ... they finally got a federal judge to throw down the gavel in their favor. The weird thing ... it looks like Terrence blew all this off.

According to the legal doc, obtained by TMZ, the court notes Terrence failed to appear or otherwise defend himself at all in this case. That's odd ... 'cause he's somewhat active on social media -- posting promotional stuff for projects he's involved in, etc.

As a result ... he's now technically on the hook for $903,114.72. This whopping amount covers the unpaid federal tax income assessments, penalties and interest accrued.

Joel Souza recalled being rushed to the hospital after the "Rust" shooting ... and said he couldn't believe he'd been shot with a real bullet ... that is, until doctors showed him proof.

The director -- who was wounded in the same accidental shooting that killed Halyna Hutchins on the set of "Rust" back in 2021 -- testified Friday during Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's trial that he didn't understand he'd been shot even while standing in the hospital.

Souza explained he did understand something had hit him -- but he couldn't believe it at first when doctors told him a real, live bullet had hit him.

Joel said he told hospital workers repeatedly they didn't understand what happened, repeating often that the incident took place on a movie set -- so there's no way a live bullet could've struck him.

After much protesting, JS says docs showed him an X-ray of his back ... and a real bullet was right there nestled underneath his skin, and he finally accepted the truth.

Of course, all this and much more has come out during Hannah Gutierrez-Reed's involuntary manslaughter trial that kicked off last week.

A number of Hannah's former coworkers have testified on behalf of the prosecution ... with line producer Gabrielle Pickle even claiming she recommended a system to Hannah so she might keep track of the on-set guns better -- which she said Hannah turned down.

It's all part of the prosecution's argument that Hannah's sloppiness with guns and ammo on the set is to blame for the tragic incident.

For her part, Hannah's lawyers are claiming she was under an incredible amount of stress because she served as both armorer and prop assistant for the movie.

It looks like the trial will continue into next week.

The first assistant director on the set of "Rust" -- who handed Alec Baldwin the gun that was ultimately fired at Halyna Hutchins -- just took the stand in the armorer's trial, and he cried.

David Halls testified on behalf of the prosecution Thursday in New Mexico -- where they're going after Hannah Gutierrez-Reed on manslaughter charges ... and he gave a detailed description of his last interaction with Halyna before she died on set.

It's incredibly emotional ... he says Halyna told him she couldn't feel her legs before she passed -- and DH sheds some tears here.

The prosecution also had a producer on the film, Ryan Winterstern, testify Thursday. Prosecutors say Hannah previously claimed she spoke to 2 producers named Ryan and Nathan and told them she needed additional armorer time with Baldwin concerning his cross draw.

Remember ... Alec was working on his cross draw in the scene when his gun went off and shot a live round, hitting Halyna and ultimately taking her life. Prosecutors say Hannah shares at least some of the blame because she was responsible for the guns on set.

Anyway, Ryan was asked straight up if he remembers having that conversation with Hannah ... and he testified he didn't recall her ever bringing that to his attention, and said he probably would remember such a convo if it had occurred.

Meanwhile, in testimony from Wednesday, prosecutors asked line producer Gabrielle Pickle if she ever expressed concerns to Hannah about firearms being left unattended on set.

Gabrielle testified she twice raised the issue with Hannah ... in person and also via email.

Asked if she suggested a way of fixing the issue with unattended firearms on the "Rust" set, Gabrielle testified she proposed a logging system to Hannah, where the firearms would be checked in and checked out with each use.

Gabrielle testified Hannah shot down the suggestion ... allegedly telling Gabrielle it was "too complicated" and that Hannah was working with her own system for keeping track of the guns.

As we reported ... the prosecution's opening statement was all about Hannah being at fault for the live round that killed Halyna.

Prosecutors said Hannah did not follow proper gun safety protocols on set ... claiming she regularly left guns and ammo just lying around the set, and even allowed live ammo to infiltrate the production.

For her part, Hannah's lawyers have said she was tasked with multiple jobs on set -- armorer and prop assistant -- which was a lot to ask of her at just 24 years old.

Jenelle Evans is getting into the details of the attempted break-in at her North Carolina home -- and the story she tells is absolutely horrific ... making clear, she's lucky to be alive.

The former "Teen Mom" star hopped on TikTok Thursday to get into what she experienced last weekend -- and she says this all unfolded in the middle of the night while she was at home with her 14-year-old son, Jace.

Jenelle says this random guy -- who she says she's never seen before, and who was not her husband -- was all of a sudden on her property and attempting to get into the house.

She goes on to describe her waking up Jace, huddling together and calling 911 ... all while this unidentified man tried yanking her sliding glass door open, which she says was only prevented by a stick blocking it from the floor.

Jenelle does say she had a gun with her ... but notes, she didn't want to use it if she didn't have to -- not wanting to put her boy through that type of trauma. In the end, she says the guy only stopped once he realized she was with her teenage kid, and he apologized.

She says he told her he was at the wrong house -- but Jenelle calls BS, saying she lives out in the country on a 10-acre property ... and she suspects he was there to do her harm.

Jenelle also says she's got this guy on camera, and is working with cops as they investigate. She says she'll post this footage soon in hopes that people online can help track him down.

The one thing she didn't clarify ... where was her hubby, David Eason? No word on that.

The woman suing Diddy for an alleged sexual assault she claims happened when she was in high school has to reveal her identity ... the judge just ruled she can't keep her identity under wraps as a Jane Doe if the case moves forward.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Diddy's accuser can no longer remain anonymous if her case against Diddy survives his attempt to get it dismissed.

The judge in the case denied the woman's motion to proceed anonymously ... but her identity will remain a secret at least until after the court decides whether to dismiss the case.

Diddy is trying to get the lawsuit against him tossed, and Thursday's ruling means if Diddy loses his motion to dismiss the case, the proceedings will move forward with the accuser's real name on the documents.

As we reported ... this Jane Doe filed suit against Diddy back in December 2023, claiming she was only 17 years old when Diddy and others sex trafficked and gang raped her. The woman alleges this all occurred way back in 2003 ... and she was among many people who came forward with old accusations against stars in NY late last year.

Diddy and his co-defendants argued they would suffer prejudice if the accuser got to remain anonymous while their identities were widely reported ... and it looks like they were able to convince the judge.

Andy Cohen has been hit with a lawsuit by former 'RHONY' star Leah McSweeney ... and she's alleging the same sorts of things as Brandi Glanville.

According to legal docs filed Tuesday, obtained by TMZ, Leah -- who also starred on the 'Housewives' spinoff 'Ultimate Girls Trip' -- claims the producers ... along with Bravo, NBC Universal Media and others created a toxic work environment where her mental health and alcohol use disorder were exploited all in the "name of selling drama."

She goes on to allege Andy and others were pressuring her to consume alcohol during her time on the show -- despite knowing of her addiction struggles. As one example, Leah points to a text message she says she got from 'RHUGT' costar Marysol Patton saying, "I wish you were still drinking" -- which Leah took as a clear reference to her newfound sobriety.

The reality TV alum also claims that the "Watch What Happens Live" host uses cocaine with other Housewives and Bravo stars -- and allegedly rewards those who participate in the drug use with good TV edits.

A rep for Andy Cohen tells TMZ … "The claims against Andy are completely false."

Leah is suing for unspecified damages, claiming the production discriminated against her based on her known alcohol problem and other issues and failed to make any accommodations during her time on the shows.

This lawsuit comes amid other 'Housewives' drama for Andy -- who has been accused of sexually harassing "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" and 'RHUGT' alum Brandi Glanville.

ICYMI ... last week, Brandi's lawyers sent a letter to NBC Universal threatening a lawsuit -- in which the Bravo honcho was accused of inviting Brandi to watch him hook up with another Bravo personality over FaceTime.

Andy quickly responded to Brandi's claims ... writing on X that the whole thing was a joke that has been blown out of proportion. However ... he did acknowledge that the situation was inappropriate.

10:41 AM PT -- A spokesperson for Prince Harry announced he will appeal this decision.

Prince Harry has been waging war with the British government over the fact they yanked his publicly-funded security in the UK ... but a judge flipped him the bird once and for all.

A decision was made in the drawn-out case that's been going on since 2022 -- with the London High Court ruling Wednesday in favor of the Home Office after PH had attempted to overturn a decision made that downgraded his level of protection across the pond.

Remember ... when he and his wife, Meghan Markle, stepped down from their Royal posts -- the red coats turned their back on them too -- revoking top-level police officer security details a full-time working Royal might normally be afforded. Harry cried foul and sued over this.

Like we said, this has been going on for a long time ... but it's finally reached its conclusion -- and the Duke's walking away with an L.A. judge saying there was nothing unlawful or unfair about the way this conclusion was reached by the Home Office.

There doesn't seem to be much detail in terms of the rationale here -- all the judge reportedly said in the docs was that this move was reasonable and legal ... and that the alternative for Harry -- a tailored, less formal security detail if/when he's in the UK -- is also appropriate.

Mind you, Harry had already lost another battle on this security front -- he had tried arguing that he should be able to pay for high-level cop security ... but he got turned down there too.

Harry's whole gripe boiled down to him feeling like his family wasn't safe in the UK if they couldn't get the royal treatment in terms of security -- and now, it sounds like the government and the High Court are flatly telling him ... you're not a Royal anymore, bro. Deal with it. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Carmen Electra is bidding farewell to her birth name and embracing her iconic stage moniker for good ... 'cause her name change request has been officially granted!!

TMZ has confirmed that the iconic "Baywatch" actress/model was legally granted the name she sought about 2 months ago -- this according to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ.

Two months after she made her intentions known to the court, she's now legally recognized as "Carmen Electra" instead of her birth name Tara Leigh Patrick on government docs and all.

We broke the story ... CE made the filing on Dec. 29, 2023, and we were told at the time her reasoning boiled down to her wanting a fresh start for the New Year.

Of course, it's been absolutely ages since anyone's called her Tara as Carmen's been rocking her super cool moniker since bursting onto the scene back in the day.

If you didn't know the backstory to how she even got her stage name, it was actually late icon Prince who bestowed it upon her when she auditioned to be part of an all-girl group he was assembling in the early '90s.

Unfortunately, she didn't make the cut for Prince ... but she went on to blaze her own trail to stardom, making a splash on TV and beyond -- and obviously, the name Carmen stuck around.

Safe to say ... her cool moniker has become synonymous with her iconic status as a pop culture icon, so it's only fitting she made it the real deal.

Diddy was accused of sharing a sex tape that allegedly showed Stevie J with another man -- but a gay porn star is coming forward to say it's actually him seen in the now-viral image.

The photos that have been circulating online -- which show a Black man apparently having sex with another guy, and who was purported to be Stevie -- were included in Rodney Jones' lawsuit against Diddy that he filed Monday ... but adult film star Knockout is taking credit.

Knockout hopped on Twitter -- this amid mass sharing of the image and a lot of gossip/speculation about Stevie's name being invoked -- and he cleared the air definitively.

He wrote, "This is not him it's me yall really be trying it." Knockout has also been reposting/retweeting people responding to the images ... all of whom are pointing out this is from a well-known porno he was in from years ago, and which has been around for a while.

Knockout has also clarified that he was NOT at any of Diddy's parties -- as described in the lawsuit -- and he also adds that he doesn't appreciate Rodney using his image to make a salacious claim. He also retweeted someone who claims this image of Knockout has often been used to try and smear Stevie's name ... something Knockout appears to acknowledge.

Remember ... Rodney claimed in his suit that Diddy had shared this video with him and allegedly said it depicted Stevie -- with the whole point of this allegedly being Diddy attempting to "groom" Rodney ... something Diddy has come out and vehemently denied.

Stevie J, for his part, has also denied Rodney's allegations ... calling them false. He also seemed to allude to future legal action against him for roping him into this whole mess.

Reesa Teesa's ex is telling his side of a viral TikTok saga that's taken the internet by storm -- and while he's been painted one way, he's got a different story ... which might end in court.

Jerome McCoy -- who goes by "Legion" on Reesa's now-infamous 'Who TF Did I Marry?' video series, which is at least 50 parts deep at this point -- tells TMZ ... everything Reesa, whose real name is Teresa Johnson, declared about him in her lengthy video series is false.

While Reesa made many allegations against Legion -- including claims that he fibbed about his career, family and wealth, etc. -- he's hitting back with accusations of his own.

Legion claims he and Reesa were having trust issues at one point -- and goes on to claim she attempted to reconcile with him while allegedly threatening to "expose" him if he did not comply ... and he suggests him not budging is why this is all coming out.

It goes without saying ... Reesa's ex is feeling the backlash of the TikToks going viral and claims it's hurting his job in PR -- which he says he does for a hospital. Amid all this attention, Legion tells us he met with attorneys Monday at work to discuss taking legal action against Reesa -- on its face, it seems his company believes they mighta been damaged by her storytelling. Legion says he's supportive of any moves they might make.

Unclear if he's considering private counsel for himself at this point ... but he's certainly mulling his options right now. Bottom line ... Legion tells us the way he's been portrayed by Reesa is NOT who he is at all -- and he feels he's been wronged by the tale she's told.

There's no denying that Reesa's videos have been a huge hit online ... with one video garnering over 11 million views on TikTok. Reesa's account also boasts nearly 32M likes.

Actress Danielle Pinnock -- from the TV show 'Ghosts' -- has already pitched herself to play Reesa if the viral saga ever gets a small screen adaptation ... and something tells us this thing might just get made into a movie or show down the line. Indeed, it's that wild.

Kim Kardashian does great work in criminal justice reform -- but in trying to shed light on one important case ... she mistakenly highlighted a guy who's got nothing to do with this.

The reality star flubbed Monday when she posted the wrong photo of death row inmate Ivan Cantu -- accidentally uploading an image of Ivan A. Cantu ... a project manager from New York.

TMZ spoke with Ivan about the social media mix-up -- and the planner tells us he learned of the error from his family. Understandably, he initially thought they were kidding ... as it's his 60th birthday. We're sure this wasn't the birthday surprise he expected!

In any case ... Ivan says he understands that someone from Kim's team likely shared the incorrect image by mistake ... although, he wouldn't say no to an apology since his photo was sent out to Kim's 364 million followers -- that's what he told us anyway.

The SKIMS founder has since taken down the mistaken post and replaced it with a local newspaper op-ed shedding light on the case. The mother of four has spoken out in support of the imprisoned Ivan -- who is currently incarcerated in Texas -- on more than one occasion.

Back in January ... Kim shed light on Ivan's case -- highlighting that the prisoner has always maintained his innocence in the 2000 murders of his cousin, James Mosqueda, and his cousin's fiancée, Amy Kitchen.

He is currently set to be executed on Wednesday after a prior execution date in April 2023 was canceled amid an appeal -- so obviously, this is a very serious matter.