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Tucker Carlson interviewed someone claiming to be Kate Middleton's photo editor -- but who was actually just a prankster, something TC and co. caught onto, but not before talking to this bloke on camera.

Here's the deal ... Joshua Pieters -- a very popular prankster on social media -- sent an email to Tucker's team claiming to be the person who edited the photo of Kate Middleton and her three kids that went viral earlier this week.

Tucker's team replied, and Pieters got his partner-in-crime Archie Manners to stand in as the alleged photo editor who they named "George." Archie was asked for proof of employment and the original photo he said he edited.

Pieters used some quick Photoshop tricks to create the necessary documentation ... although, not before adding in a couple ridiculous additions to the employment contract -- like one clause about losing a limb for a failed probationary period -- to see how closely Tucker's team was checking the provided docs.

Ultimately, the duo was able to con their way into an interview with Tucker himself ... one they secretly recorded. Watch ... it seems like Tucker and Archie the imposter had a wide-ranging conversation about the photo -- a chat that clearly got TC super excited.

Tucker's people apparently told Pieters and his compatriot the interview would air next week ... though it seems the Goon Squad let them off the hook 'cause they posted the video clearing the air Thursday.

FWIW ... sources with direct knowledge tell us Tucker's team wasn't totally convinced the story was real to begin with, but decided to tape the interview anyway while continuing to look into the story.

We're told within an hour of finishing shooting, someone recognized Archie as a famous prankster, and they knew they weren't going to run the interview. It's a lesson in journalism -- but big picture, ya can't knock the team for at least talking to someone making this claim.

Not everything is bigger in Texas it seems ... 'cause the porn selection just got a heck of a lot smaller -- with Pornhub blocking access to would-be users in the Lone Star State.

The porn giant's not allowing users to hop on its site because of a new age verification legislation signed into law in Texas Thursday -- which went into effect immediately ... and, as a result, Pornhub.com is no longer available if users have a Texas IP address.

Thing is ... it's not because of the state -- Pornhub themselves are responsible for blocking out their site entirely.

The bill requires people to prove they're over 18 years old before watching explicit vids ... but Pornhub is petty -- instead of just complying with the new regulation and demanding people prove their age, they opted to shut down access to people in Texas altogether.

A new message appearing on the site to people in Texas says the company believes age verification infringes on the rights of adults to access protected speech, and the overly restrictive measure isn't a real solution. Therefore, the company says it made the difficult decision to completely shut down access to the site. So ... no porn for anyone!

Pornhub's team expressed fear in its statement that users would hop over to sketchy sites that don't check age verification ... clearly not practicing safe porn surfing, from their POV. From the outside looking in, it would appear they're punishing all Texans for what their lawmakers have enacted ... which probably sucks for all the horny people wanting to watch.

As for how the public's taking this ... obviously, the reaction's pretty split. Some people are happy it'll be harder for kids to access material they deem harmful while others are calling out Texas lawmakers like Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Greg Abbott over the new law.

In any case, the issue's got lots of people tense ... for a variety of reasons, we suppose.

Aaron Rodgers' VP bid won't last long, but the Democratic party's still taking him plenty seriously ... at least, according to some high-ranking party members.

Top officials of the Democratic National Committee tell TMZ ... they're not taking any chances with Rodgers, even though they're expecting his VP candidacy to last as long as his first season with the New York Jets.

Basically, sources at the DNC tell us they're not writing off Rodgers or any other celebrity candidate no matter what they may think of them ... just look what happened with Trump.

DNC members acknowledge third-party candidates can easily play spoiler in a close election ... so all the more reason to face Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and possibly Rodgers head-on.

Moving forward, we're told Democrats will be looking through old Rodgers interviews and dredging up the skeletons in the QB's locker. Essentially, they're welcoming AR to a whole new kind of gridiron ... one where Rodgers isn't likely to get an unnecessary roughness call in his favor.

As for how they feel about Kennedy and Rodgers teaming up ... our sources tell us it makes a lot of sense -- since they're both "self-important blowhards," as it was put to us. Sounds like the attack ads are already writing themselves!

Of course, RFK Jr. hasn't officially named Aaron Rodgers yet ... though he is at the top of the presidential hopeful's short list which also reportedly features WWE star Jesse Ventura, Rand Paul and Tulsi Gabbard.

TikTok's dancing on thin ice in the U.S. ... with the House voting to ban the popular social media app -- unless its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance sells its stake, that is.

A vote went down Wednesday and it was a landslide -- 352 to 65 -- in favor of the ban ... a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, with 197 Republicans and 155 Democrats giving it the green light, citing the app's Chinese ownership as a major national security threat.

The House didn't waste any time with the legislation -- dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act -- but TikTok's future still hangs in the balance ... as it still has to make its way through the Senate, and then over to Joe Biden.

This current bill gives ByteDance a strict ultimatum -- either sell off TikTok and its other apps within six months or face the chop from U.S. app stores and other web-hosting services.

Lawmakers have long been sweating bullets over fears the Chinese government could force ByteDance into handing over the data of its whopping 170M American users -- even though TikTok has vehemently denied it's snooping on U.S. citizens.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw didn't pull any punches before the vote, saying ... "TikTok is owned by ByteDance. ByteDance is in China and when you're in China, you have to do whatever the Chinese Communist Party tells you what to do."

He added, "If they want you to spy for them, you will spy for them; that's how that works."

However, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, is accusing the U.S. of running a smear campaign to bring down the China-based company -- adding in a statement the U.S "has not been able to give hard evidence to prove the so-called threats from TikTok to U.S. national security."

FWIW, Biden's promising to put pen to paper on the bill if it lands on his desk. Nonetheless, it's gonna be a nail-biter to see if this bill actually sticks, especially since TikTok's survived previous ban attempts. We're sure the influencers are shaking in their boots!

Donald Trump seemed to snub his own grandson at the UFC event over the weekend -- and the video is pretty brutal ... with the kid being left in the wind next to his mom and dad.

Different videos capturing the awkward moment have been spliced together into one clip -- and it makes for a tough scene for Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner ... who were on hand Saturday to watch UFC 299 in Miami, something DT himself also crashed.

As you can see, when Trump was making his entrance ... he was hand-shaking and hobnobbing with a lot of notable people -- including Dave Portnoy -- but when he finally landed at where Ivanka and Jared were standing, things got a little icy.

Check it out ... Donald kisses Ivanka and hugs Jared, but when they try to present their son, Joseph, to his grandfather -- DT appears to turn away without acknowledging him.

The ex-Prez continues on his way without even so much as saying hello -- and Joseph is seen standing still in the immediate aftermath ... looking pretty sad. His mom goes down to seemingly console him before the clip cuts out entirely -- but on its face, it looks harsh.

Unclear if Trump was just in a hurry or what the deal was -- but in any case, he didn't give his 10-year-old grandkid the time of day ... and it seemed to hurt the boy.

We should note ... Don has been fond of and friendly with his grandchildren, in general, in the past -- including with Joseph specifically. He's been photographed holding his hand while walking across the White House lawn on at least a couple of occasions.

Ya gotta figure he loves the kid, but might've been distracted considering everything that was going on in the moment. He was arguably the most important person in the room that night.

BTW, Donald has a massive brood thanks to his five children -- Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron. He has since become a grandfather 10 times over.

Jimmy Kimmel got into it with Donald Trump during the Oscars Sunday night ... with each taking major jabs at one another for all to see.

Jimmy was in the home stretch hosting the 96th Academy Awards and read a Truth Social post from Trump reviewing the comedian's performance.

Needless to say, Trump wasn't very complimentary, calling Jimmy the "WORST HOST" ever while crapping on his opening monologue.

Trump also wrote the Academy should "get rid" of Jimmy and perhaps replace him with "another washed up but cheap ABC talent George Slopanopoulos."

Of course, Trump was referring to ABC News political commentator George Stephanopoulos. He even took a shot at George's height, saying the TV anchor would make everyone at the Oscars look "bigger, stronger, and more glamorous."

But Jimmy didn't take the insults lying down ... he threw it right back at Trump, pulling out his cell phone and reading 45's post to the A-list crowd while on stage.

Jimmy first brought up the obvious ...  "See if you can guess which former president just posted that on Truth Social."

He then delivered the punchline, "Thank you, President Trump. Thank you for watching. I’m surprised … isn’t it past your jail time?"

Everyone laughed their butts off at Jimmy's joke, mocking Trump's four criminal indictments.

As everyone expected, Sen. Katie Britt was roasted in the 'SNL' cold open, but the surprise was Scarlett Johansson making a cameo to fill the role, and nailing the hilarious send-up of Britt's State of the Union response.

ICYMI .. the junior Alabama Senator went viral after her GOP response to President Biden's Thursday night SOTU address. The speech -- delivered from her kitchen for some reason -- struck most as oddly performative.

Scarlett still managed to take it over the top, saying, "I’ll be performing an original monologue called ‘This country is hell.’ You see, I’m not just a senator. I’m a wife, a mother and the craziest bitch in the Target parking lot.”

She also perfectly mocked Sen. Britt's facial expressions, hand movements and even some questionable fact-checking with lines like ... "I’m going to do a pivot out of nowhere into a shockingly violent story about sex trafficking. Rest assured, every detail about it is real except the year, where it took place, and who was president when it happened.”

On Thursday night, the Senator shared a story of a woman she met in Texas who told her about being sex trafficked by the cartels. While Britt blamed President Biden’s border policies, the Washington Post reported the woman’s experiences took place in Mexico during President George W. Bush's administration.

One of Scarlett's best lines in the skit imitated the QVC host tone of Sen. Britt's speech -- out of nowhere, she started hawking the diamond cross necklace she was wearing, saying, "Goes with anything, and you can wear it from da’ church to da’ club.”

President Joe Biden is not-so-privately expressing frustration with Benjamin Netanyahu and how he's handling the war in the Middle East ... saying Israel's PM needs to see the light -- as in Christ.

The Prez was talking to Senator Michael Bennet from Colorado on the House chamber floor Thursday after his State of the Union address -- which he didn't seem to realize was being recorded by a stealthy cameraman.

You can tell Joe was trying to have a private convo -- evidenced by what he said, which got picked up on a hot mic... "I told him, Bibi, and don't repeat this, but you and I are going to have a 'come to Jesus' meeting."

Joe obviously was using a phrase that means coming to some grand realization about something -- but the phrasing is raisin' some eyebrows ... y'know, since BN is Jewish.

It seems like his staff realized he was misspeaking -- 'cause an aide rushed over and got into his ear, seemingly telling him to zip it and move on. Joe did exactly that, or so it seems.

Biden was pressed about this on Friday when he was getting ready to board Air Force One for a campaign trip to Philadelphia ... with reporters asking him why he made the comment.

At first, Biden says he didn't say it in his speech -- but when reporters ask him about what he told lawmakers after the SOTU ... he blamed the media for "eavesdropping."

In his SOTU, Biden announced he's directing the U.S. military to install a seaside pier in Gaza that will allow for a massive influx of aid to Palestinians ... but take a listen, it sounds like he wants Netanyahu to do more in terms of humanitarian aid too.

President Biden invited a bunch of Gen-Z influencers to the White House to watch his State of the Union address -- and one person in the mix has the inside scoop on how it went.

Tiffany Aliche -- an author and renowned financial expert -- came on "TMZ Live" Friday to break down what it was like Thursday evening at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. with all these young whipper-snappers and Tiktokers around ... 'cause there were a crap ton of them.

Aliche -- who's built a massive following on Instagram and TikTok educating people about money -- tells us that she was one of over 60 influencers who attended the highly publicized evening ... and that there was a mix of internet personalities in attendance.

So, no ... it wasn't just political influencers -- fashionistas were there, too, it seems.

The message was clear for those in attendance ... Biden and his staffers wanted to reach Gen Z -- with Tiffany recalling that POTUS praised the content creators as "critical" to his campaign since they have a massive reach. Out with the old, as they say!

On whether this influencer effort will sway young voters to vote for Biden this fall ... Tiffany isn't certain -- but she does think it helped with raising awareness.

As for the vetting process required ... Tiffany says she was surprised that she wasn't asked about her political preference before being invited. The only conditions ... respect the White House as a historical building and a military compound.

She didn't even have to post if she didn't want to -- which sat well with Tiffany.

Other influencers invited to the White House ahead of the State of the Union included strategist Keith Edwards, activist Aaron Parnas, and "The Real Friends of WeHo" star Joey Zauzig.

Donald Trump mocked Joe Biden after Thursday's State of the Union address ... comparing him to a cartoon character in a filtered video he posted to his social media platform.

Perhaps unsurprisingly ... DT went the juvenile route in response to President Biden's hour-plus speech at The Capitol ... posting a brief compilation of Joe at the podium -- with the Veep sitting behind him -- that featured JB and her with a bunch of goofy filters.

Strangely enough, the 27-second clip DT uploaded to Truth Social used footage from Biden's SOTU address last year ... none from this year, which was weird.

In any case ... the clips Trump threw up spliced together four filtered and animated scenes featuring Biden delivering the 2023 speech with Kamala Harris behind them -- and he made them out to look pretty ridiculous ... the type of thing a 14-year-old might do in his free time.

Some of the images showed Biden and Harris with bulging eyes and frozen faces, as well as braided pigtails and hats. Another visual depicted Biden as a shaggy dog and Pinocchio.

Of course, this is relevant because DT is going toe-to-toe with JB in the 2024 presidential election. If DT's response here was any indicator, we're in for a lot of mudslinging this campaign season ... not to mention sophomoric jokes and jabs.

As for Biden's SOTU speech ...  most people in his Democratic party thought it was passionate and rousing. The 46th Prez talked about a range of issues, including the war in Gaza, Roe V. Wade, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and threats to democracy.

Biden also took a shot at his GOP rival without naming him. POTUS quoted his "predecessor" telling Vladimir Putin, "Do whatever the hell you want," in Ukraine.

Tan Mom is bowing out of the race for a U.S. Senate seat in Florida, and, oddly, Wendy Williams -- of all people -- played a role in her decision ... TMZ has learned.

The bronzed mother of 5, whose real name is Patricia Krentcil, says in a new video obtained by TMZ that she's dropped out of the running after watching the new Wendy documentary, and comparing it to her own reality series, "Tan to 10."

Tan Mom says she realized she could end up like Wendy, who struggles with alcohol abuse and a myriad of other health issues, if she continued with all the pressure that comes along with a political run for office.

Another factor ... mass layoffs at struggling and bankrupt Vice Media.

Tan Mom says she was filming a documentary about her campaign for Vice, but the media company pulled the plug and has not paid her or her team a dime, despite a contract she says she signed with Vice.

Patricia says the Vice staffers who were working on her documentary told her team a couple weeks ago their entire department was laid off, and would try to get her paid -- but Tan Mom says the whole thing has been a waste of time and effort and greatly hurt her campaign.

She also took time off the campaign trail in November to undergo a risky medical procedure ... bypass surgery to remove a stent separating her pancreas and liver.

When she announced her Senate bid last year, Tan Mom told us she was motivated to run because of Florida's hot-button issues ... like healthcare and drag show bans.

Even though she's waving the white flag, Tan Mom says she's proud of all the work she did on her campaign -- such as a Town Hall she filmed at Hamburger Mary's supporting the LGBTQ community.

7:25 PM PT -- President Biden announced he's directing the U.S. military to install a seaside pier in Gaza that will allow for a massive influx of aid to Palestinians. He emphasized that no U.S. troops will be on the ground in Gaza, and implored Israel to do more to allow for the flow of humanitarian aid.

6:50 PM PT -- Biden directly addressed the Supreme Court Justices seated in the front of the chamber, and issued what came off like a not-so-subtle threat regarding their overturning of Roe V. Wade -- "With all due respect Justices, the women of America are not without electoral or political power. You're about to realize just how wrong you are about that."

Biden's clear hope ... the line will prompt women upset about the loss of reproductive rights to vote for him. He vowed to restore Roe V. Wade if voters give the Dems control of the House of Representatives.

6:30 PM PT -- The Prez didn't waste much time going right after Donald Trump ... although he didn't say his name, just 3 minutes into the speech he started talking about Ukraine and Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion, and said, "Now my predecessor, a former Republican President tells Putin, 'Do whatever the hell you want.' That's a quote."

The remark drew jeers from the GOP, but Biden continued, "Bowing down to a Russian leader, I think it's outrageous, it's dangerous and it's unacceptable."

President Biden is giving his third State of the Union address since being in office ... and he's got a lot to talk about heading into his campaign for a second term.

POTUS is speaking to the nation from the Capitol, making his case to return to the White House as voters get ready for his election rematch with Donald Trump.

While lotsa folks are concerned about Biden's age -- he's 81 and Trump is 77 -- the Prez says his age is actually a positive as it gives him a wealth of knowledge and experience.

Biden's prepared remarks have him saying, "My lifetime has taught me to embrace freedom and democracy. A future based on the core values that have defined America: honesty, decency, dignity, equality. To respect everyone. To give everyone a fair shot. To give hate no safe harbor. Now some other people my age see a different story: an American story of resentment, revenge, and retribution. That's not me."

Other topics Joe is likely to address ... the war in Ukraine, Israel and Gaza, abortion, taxes, healthcare, immigration, inflation and prescription drug prices.

Biden's expected to highlight his accomplishments during his first 3 years in the White House, and draw a fine line between Republicans and himself ... possibly even getting some shots in at the GOP.

JB's been working on his speech for a minute now, but attempted to lighten the mood early on Thursday by posting a Zoom call with several ex-presidents from TV and film.

No one's seriously expecting him to borrow from Bill Pullman's famous "Independence Day" speech.

SOTU addresses are always important as they're intended to address all the issues impacting Americans -- but this one's even more critical as it's likely to be the single largest audience Biden will have between now and Election Day.

Check back in this post, as we'll be updating with all the standout moments from his speech.

Joe Biden's celeb-packed State of the Union address preview was a stroke of genius -- this according to political heavy-hitters, Lis Smith and April Ryan.

We spoke to both on 'TMZ Live,' Thursday ... with Lis telling us that whoever in Biden's camp came up with that idea deserves a serious raise, 'cause these speeches can be a major snooze-fest ... so making politics cool for those who might not care is a big deal!

Lis goes on to say that if more folks in politics injected a little fun and humor into the mix, maybe we wouldn't be so stressed out all the time.

She's also saying the positives of that clip and Biden's approach totally outweigh any negatives ... adding that people throwing shade at it were probably never gonna vote for JB in the first place.

April -- the White House Correspondent for TheGrio -- also backs Lis' sentiments ...  saying Joe's team dropped that video to connect with everyone and show he's in touch with people's everyday struggles despite sitting in one of the most important buildings in the world.

She also tells us it's a smart move on his part 'cause becoming the U.S. President ain't just about domestic policy issues ... it's about playing on the global stage, too.

By putting out that video of him hilariously seeking advice from former President actors Morgan Freeman, Bill Pullman, Geena Davis, Michael Douglas, and Tony Goldwyn ahead of his super serious speech ... he's painting a winning picture and showing confidence, rather than highlighting setbacks.

Of course, Joe's definitely had his fair share of criticism during his presidency -- especially when it comes to concerns about his age.

Joe Biden is going all out to make sure his State of the Union address resonates with Americans ... 'cause he's taking tips from former Presidents -- albeit, fake ones!

POTUS posted this video Thursday ahead of his SOTU later this evening, and he's zooming with a bunch of actors who've portrayed presidents in film or TV roles -- and yeah, he's got some big names here chatting with him.

Morgan Freeman -- who played President Tom Beck in "Deep Impact," as well as Pres. Trumbull in "Angel Has Fallen" -- reflects on his character having to deal with a looming meteor threat ... saying amid the crisis, people found solace in his message of hope.

Bill Pullman -- known for his role as President Thomas J. Whitmore in 1996's "Independence Day" -- looks back on his character's battle against invaders from outer space ... noting fear and chaos had a unifying effect on people.

As for Tony Goldwyn -- who played President Fitzgerald Grant III in "Scandal" -- he admitted his character behaved pretty badly while in office. But here's the kicker ... he advised Joe that if he just told the general public they made him a better man, they'd eat it up.

Michael Douglas, meanwhile, had some poignant advice to share ... emphasizing that love and compassion are strengths, not weaknesses, and urged Biden to utilize his first lady, Jill, to his advantage. He played President Andrew Shepherd in "The American President."

Geena Davis -- famous for her role as President Mackenzie Allen in the TV show "Commander In Chief" -- revealed that every week her character faced a new crisis, and the number one lesson she learned was that there's no crying in politics.

JB was clearly impressed by GD's portrayal, telling her she did one helluva job. And with a touch of humor, expressed his hope that his politics wouldn't make anyone else cry. The one big actor he was missing from the lineup is obviously Martin Sheen ... 'West Wing' anyone?

Nikki Haley just bowed out of the presidential race after taking a licking from Donald Trump during Super Tuesday -- but if you think she's gonna kiss the ring now ... you'd be wrong.

The former South Carolina governor -- who was the last remaining GOP candidate trying to win votes against DT in the Republican primaries as of late -- just announced Wednesday that she's suspending her campaign for the White House following a disappointing loss this week.

There were a lot of states that voted for their party's candidates ... and Nikki only won one of them against Trump, and that would be Vermont. Everywhere else, he won in a landslide.

During her exit speech, Nikki said she was grateful to have the opportunity to run for President ... and vowed to continue speaking on the issues she's passionate about.

More interestingly, though, was the fact she refused to endorse Trump, even now.

She says it's up to Trump to earn the votes of people who didn't back him -- and it sounds like she thinks he has a lot of work to do in that department, including for herself. NH says Trump should do a better job at embracing more Republicans/conservatives into his cause.

Hollywood once again is emptying its collective pockets this election season -- donating generously to the campaigns of several Democrats vying for a highly coveted U.S. Senate seat.

TMZ combed through the Federal Election Commission filings and found that most of Tinseltown's elite kicked their financial support toward the campaigns of Adam Schiff, Barbara Lee and Katie Porter ... who are facing off for the chance to fill the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein's seat.

Former MLB star Steve Garvey, who's running as a Republican, seemingly got no donations from people identifying with the FEC as an actor, musician or athlete. With that said, polls have him doing pretty damn well.

This cannot be said for Dems in the primary race. We should note ... this might not be a complete snapshot of donations, and some of the celebs may have donated more than the number listed.

For Schiff:
- Robin Dearden ($6600)
- Herb Alpert (at least $3,300)
- Barbra Streisand ($1500)
- Holland Taylor ($1,000)
- George Takei ($750)
- Lily Tomlin ($350)
- Jackson Browne ($400)
- Joan Jett ($275)
- Diane Lane ($235)

As for Barbara Lee ... Ben Affleck seems pretty passionate about her candidacy, as he dropped thousands on her run -- and even his daughter, Violet, shelled out a pretty penny too.

For Lee:
- Ben Affleck (at least $6,600)
- Violet Affleck ($3,050)
- Jackson Browne (at least $3,300)
- Graham Nash ($2,500)
- Kal Penn ($500)

For Porter:
- Graham Nash ($3,300)
- Bonnie Raitt ($2,000)
- Susan Sarandon ($500)
- George Takei ($500)

Several celebrities double-dipped ... with George Takei donating for both Porter and Schiff. Similarly, Graham Nash dropped some dough for Porter and Lee. Jackson Browne made sure to contribute to both Schiff and Lee's campaigns.

Some celebs are doing more than donating money ... some are lending support on social media -- like John Legend, who publicly endorsed Lee,

In fact, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is even narrating an ad that's running for Schiff.