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Jeff Lowe -- Joe Exotic's ex-business partner and mentor -- raised eyebrows on 'Tiger King' over his search for a nanny and has folks speculating it's all a stunt ... but the nanny in question tells TMZ -- she's legit, just not full-time.

Masha Diduk is the hot nanny Jeff and his pregnant wife, Lauren, wanted to hire on the Netflix docuseries, and Masha tells us ... she was indeed hired by the couple in September to care for their daughter.

She says she actually met Jeff and Lauren 4 years ago in Las Vegas -- where she lives and works as a model -- back when they drove to Sin City with a few tiger cubs ... as those who have seen 'Tiger King' recall.

We're told Masha's agreement was to work part-time as their baby girl's caretaker during business hours at Jeff's Oklahoma zoo -- mostly on weekends -- which she's been doing recently.

The nanny recently appeared with Jeff, Lauren and the baby on "Lights Out with David Spade," and rumors began swirling she was paid by Jeff to be there simply for the TV interview ... but she says that's not true.

Masha tells us her Vegas work has dried up because of the pandemic -- and Jeff's been busy moving the zoo to a new location -- so she really has been with the family taking care of baby Sarah.

Granted, the timing with the release and popularity of 'Tiger King' is suspicious at best.

As for 'Tiger King' ... Masha says it's entertaining, but she feels the producers twisted some things about Jeff. She says it made it seem like Jeff mistreated animals the way Joe Exotic did, but that's wrong ... and she wouldn't work for him if he did.

"Love is Blind" contestants might be blindsided by their fiance's sexual orientation, but the shot callers sure won't ... they're already asking potential cast members how they identify.

Here's the deal ... the popular Netflix reality dating show was recently renewed for a second season and is currently casting in the Chicago area, with producers asking a pretty personal and important question: What's your sexual orientation???

Remember, it became a huge deal first season ... Carlton didn't tell Diamond he was bisexual until AFTER they got engaged, leading to an epic spat and some much-needed therapy.

The questionnaire asks potential cast members if they consider themselves straight, gay, bisexual or other.

The other casting questions are pretty standard ... age, ethnicity, hair color, eye color, occupation, hobbies etc. Casting also wants face photos and complete body shots.

There's also questions about dating status, where the applicant meets prospective mates, what qualities they look for and deal-breakers like religion, ethnicity and cultural differences.

The casting call also asks about cigarette and alcohol use, desired and undesired physical traits in a partner, and descriptions of current dating history and longest relationships.

Interesting ... no questions about politics, which has become a tried-and-true dealbreaker.

The big question now ... do producers want another Carlton situation or not?!?

The 'Tiger King' leading man, Joe Exotic, was done dirty by vultures and snakes in his inner circle, and shouldn't be the only one suffering ... so says his role model, Doc Antle.

We talked to the owner and founder of Myrtle Beach Safari -- heavily featured in the documentary -- and he gave us his hot take on how everything played out for Joe ... his one-time friend and comrade in cats.

Doc tells us Joe was taken advantaged of and set up by Jeff Lowe and his cronies, who came into the picture once Joe was desperate amid ongoing lawsuits between himself and his nemesis, Carole Baskin. He says that was a bad idea, 'cause it ended up with the 'King' himself paying the price, while everyone else walked away clean.

Doc says, yes, Joe ultimately achieved what he wanted -- fame and glory -- but he can't even enjoy it while behind bars. He also says others were just as bad, or worse, than Joe and shouldn't be let off the hook just because they ratted out their buddy.

On a lighter note, we also asked about his, um, lifestyle ... ya know, the multiple wives thing and the commune, of sorts, he's set up for himself. Doc says he's been getting BLOWN UP by people wanting to join, men and women alike.

Unfortunately for them -- and all three of his wives, apparently -- Doc says his heart belongs to one woman and one woman only ... and she ain't even human. Sorry, folks ... the harem is closed.

Joe Exotic's actually way more disturbing than the 'Tiger King' documentary makes him out to be, at least according to the guy who lived at the zoo for a year and helped make Joe a star.

Producer Rick Kirkham joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and said the wildly-popular Netflix series is frighteningly accurate -- but still only scratches the surface of Joe's crazy lifestyle.

Check out the video ... Rick recalled the time "a poor old woman drove in with a horse trailer" asking Joe to take over caring for the horse on the grounds of his zoo in Oklahoma. He claims Joe told her he'd offer the horse lots of green pasture -- but as soon as she left, he instead did something horrifying.

If you've seen the documentary, you'll recall Rick produced Joe's online reality series and even gave him the nickname Tiger King. He says Joe even wanted him to record the horse incident. As fans know, almost all of Rick's footage burned up in a mysterious fire at the zoo.

Rick also has some strong feelings about Carole Baskin ... and the allegations she was involved in her husband's unsolved murder.

Safe to say, after everything he saw firsthand, Rick's no fan of Joe or Carole.

Joe Exotic has bitched and moaned about lots of things but this rant may -- or may not -- shock you the most ... he was once pissed he couldn't use the n-word. Still love him, Cardi B?!

Some old footage from 2015 resurfaced showing the "Tiger King" star complaining ... "What's going on in this country? It's absolutely pathetic. I can't say the n-word but you can get on YouTube and watch any black man's video and they're calling each other the n-word. What the hell?"

Joe went on to theorize, "Is this discrimination? I'm white, I can't say the n-word and they can?" The footage appears to be from his old online reality series "Joe Exotic TV" but it's only now hitting the fan ... due to the popularity of the Netflix documentary.

Joe Exotic, of course, is the tiger breeder featured in the wildly popular Netflix docuseries "Tiger King." The former owner of a once-popular zoo in Oklahoma has been behind bars since he was found guilty in a 2019 murder-for-hire plot.

He recently filed a lawsuit claiming there's a huge conspiracy behind him getting locked up. Cardi B vowed to start a GoFundMe to help free Joe Exotic. She has since said she was just kidding about the GoFundMe but added she still loves him.

Awkward?

It would be incredibly cruel for Kate McKinnon to use real cats for her new show ... so says "Tiger King" star Carole Baskin who implores the actress to choose a different route.

A rep for Carole's Big Cat Rescue tells TMZ ... the org would very much feel like it would be cruel to use real big cats in a television series about cruelty to big cats. The org suggests Kate to instead utilize computer-generated imagery (CGI) of cats in the show rather than forcing real big cats to suffer just to entertain the audience.

ICYMI ... Kate -- who plans to star as Carole -- has had a project in the works since November based on the popular Wondery podcast, "Joe Exotic." The enormously popular Netflix doc "Tiger King" has since turned Kate's project a hot commodity, but she's also now in the crosshairs of wild animal conservationists.

The rep for Big Cat Rescue says, "We hope McKinnon has a passion for animals and that her series will focus on the horrible lives captive big cats lead when exploited by breeders like Joe Exotic. We further hope she urges the public to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act that would end the cub petting abuse in America."

PETA, which for years had been working to shut down Joe Exotic, has also come out echoing Big Cat Rescue's sentiments ... pleading with Kate and her producers "to use only CGI, animatronics, or even existing footage of big cats and other animals."

The folks at "American Idol" tried to make it work, but ultimately they had to jettison plans to produce the show in the studio, but TMZ has learned the show may still go on.

Producers sent an email to the crew, saying, "As we continue to monitor advice from federal and local agencies, it seems unlikely we are going to be able to make it back into the studio for this season of American Idol."

The email, obtained by TMZ, goes on ... "We will continue to monitor and provide updates should any changes occur."  BTW ... we're told the crew will not be paid.

Our production sources tell us the plan is still to produce the show ... but the judges will be at their respective homes and viewers will ultimately decide who wins and who ends up packing.

'Idol' joins an ever-growing list of productions that have had to pivot in the wake of the pandemic.

The email ends on a positive note ... "In the meantime, please stay safe and healthy. We are looking forward to the day we can all work together again."

Bob Barker's life is not in upheaval under the coronavirus quarantine -- like most of us -- because he's already skilled in the art of self-isolation.

Sources connected to Bob tell us the former 'Price is Right' host is doing okay at home as he quarantines in Los Angeles. Fact is, Bob was already steering clear of others for his own health, so the new normal for most folks is just another day for Barker.

Our sources say Bob's isolation is way more strict due to the outbreak though. His family was already barring people with colds from getting close to him -- his immune system is not what it once was -- and now, no one is allowed over to the house aside from those in quarantine with him.

We're told 96-year-old Bob's family is making sure he eats and tends to all his medical needs, but so far it's pretty much business as usual.

There is one major change ... our sources say Bob would normally watch sports at home, but now he's watching a lot of old movies, especially anything related to the military. Remember, Bob was in the Navy and is really into war flicks.

You'll recall ... Bob slipped and fell at his home last year, and was transported to the hospital twice in 2018 with back issues.

But, so far, Bob's doing just fine in quarantine.

John Callahan of 'All My Children' fame has died.

The longtime soap star passed away Saturday after suffering a massive stroke at his Palm Desert, CA home ... according to his rep. On Friday, paramedics were called to his home and he was transferred to a hospital in Rancho Mirage, where he was put on life support.

Callahan's rep says his death is NOT related to COVID-19 -- but notes that nonetheless, some of John's family members were only able to see him for a short while due to hospital restrictions currently in place all over the country because of the coronavirus.

His ex-wife and former 'AMC' co-star, Eva La Rue says ... " We are extremely saddened and distraught over the loss of John." She continued, "He was my great friend, co-parent and an amazing father to Kaya. The absence of his bigger than life, gregarious personality will leave a hole in our hearts forever. Words cannot express the shock and devastation we are feeling at this time. The Yankees just lost one of their greatest fans."

John played Edmund Grey on the hit show for years, starring in his role from 1992 all through 2005. He also acted on the daytime drama "Santa Barbara" for a couple years in the '80s as well as 'Falcon Crest' in the early '90s. He also had recurring roles on 'Days of Our Lives' dating back to the late '80s all the way up until 2010.

The guy had 34 acting credits to his name. He's survived by his daughter, Kaya.

Peter Weber's season of "The Bachelor" is over, but he's still getting around ... putting in time with another contestant -- Kelley Flanagan, at least for now.

Pilot Pete was seen playfully slinging Kelley over his shoulder Wednesday afternoon in Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan. Folks who saw them tell us Pete was super-flirty and very handsy with Kelley.

Peter can't make up his mind ... remember, his season was marked by his flip-flopping ways. He got engaged to Hannah Ann, called it off months later so he could get with Madison.

Now, he's apparently moved on to Kelley -- making for a pretty impressive trifecta.

'Bachelor' fans are gonna go crazy for this latest twist in Pete's complicated love life. Rumors were swirling about something brewing between Kelley and him, but this is visual confirmation. It's the first time they've been seen together since she was eliminated from the show.

We can't confirm Pete's favorite song is Tupac's, "I Get Around" ... or The Beachboys "I Get Around," if he's really OG -- but it's a good bet.