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"Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Hartley knows there are haters who doubt she and her castmates are legit in the real estate game, and now she's punching back ... with a velvet glove.

If you haven't seen it (what the hell ya waiting for?), the new Netflix hit series follows the super hot female agents of The Oppenheim Group real estate brokerage. Chrishell joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked her point-blank -- hardcore real estate agents or just pretty faces? What's the deal?

Chrishell says she understands why viewers might have doubts. We mentioned all 6 women on the show are super gorgeous, right?

But, she insists they don't just talk a big real estate game, they can all back it up in more ways than one. Even though she's low man on the totem pole, Chrishell -- whose husband is "This is Us" star Justin Hartley -- says she's quickly making a name for herself.

5:05 PM PT -- The spider monkey that was seized from another residence was taken from Swae Lee's crib. We're told the Cotton-top Tamarin listed in the search warrant for Mally's place was not found at his home.

3:45 PM PT -- Mally Mall tells TMZ he was never taken into custody ... never arrested. He was just detained at his home while police searched and then released him. Although law enforcement says the search warrant was for exotic animal possession and human trafficking, he and his lawyer say the allegations are bogus. His attorney, Steve Sadow, tells TMZ, "If they had real evidence they would have arrested him. They don't have evidence. It's bogus. Period."

12:05 PM PT -- Capt. Foy tells us a Serval cat was also seized from the property and a spider monkey that allegedly belonged to Mall was seized from another property in Los Angeles.

10:45 AM PT -- LAPD officers have arrested Mally and others, it appears.

9:40 AM PT -- Capt. Patrick Foy of CA Dept of Fish & Wildlife tells TMZ they've seized a Cotton-top Tamarin monkey from Mally's home. He says their investigation began 8-9 months ago when they started getting tips about photos of Mally with the monkey.

It appears Mally posted a video of the monkey back in January of 2018 when he was hanging out with Rae Sremmurd rapper Swae Lee.

9:10 AM PT -- We've learned the raid is part of a double-barreled investigation ... for human trafficking and trafficking of exotic animals.

Law enforcement tells us LAPD's Robbery/Homicide division, in conjunction with CA Fish & Wildlife, served the search warrant.

Mally's had several issues with exotic animals in the past. The Health Dept. launched an investigation when he brought a monkey to Ace of Diamonds strip club -- and he also gifted a monkey and an ocelot to Justin Bieber.

As for the human trafficking ... there were allegations in Nevada he was involved in an escort service.

LAPD is raiding hip-hop producer Mally Mall's home in the San Fernando Valley, and cops are going in heavily armed ... TMZ has learned.

A SWAT team surrounded the 'Love and Hip Hop' star's home early Wednesday morning before moving in to serve a search warrant. Our sources tell us the operation was in progress since before sunrise ... as cops prepped for the raid.

There are a ton of officers out there. More than 8 patrol cars, and at least one armored van are lining the block. It's unclear why cops are raiding Mally's place. We've confirmed he is home though.

Mally's been through this at least once before. Back in 2014, the FBI raided his Las Vegas home as part of a federal human trafficking investigation.

Britney Spears has been admitted to a mental health facility ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to Britney tell TMZ she has been distraught over her dad's illness ... something we're told is quite serious and not getting better.

Jamie Spears has now had 2 surgeries to correct major issues with his intestines and colon. The second surgery was recent but he's been suffering complications. Jamie's issues started late last year after his colon spontaneously ruptured.

As you know, Britney put her Vegas residency on hold to care for her dad, and we're told she's been having a really hard time. Britney posted a photo with the words, "Fall in love with taking care of yourself, mind, body, spirit" along with the caption, "We all need to take a little time for a little 'me time.'"

Our sources say Britney checked herself into the facility about a week ago where she will live for 30 days.

It was back in November when Spears announced her Las Vegas show, Britney: Domination, would be put on ice to deal with her dad's health issues ... saying, "A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalized and almost died. We're all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him. I had to make the difficult decision to put my full focus and energy on my family at this time."

As TMZ reported, Britney has been under a conservatorship since 2008 for issues relatied to her mental health.

As for how her dad's illness is affecting her ... remember, Jamie saved Britney's life by stepping in back in 2007 when he said he feared he would wake up one morning and get a call from the coroner.

Will Smith's kicking ass in Miami ... 'cause he wouldn't be a true bad boy if he let a stunt double handle all the fight scenes!

Will did a little shadow boxing Wednesday to warm up for this "Bad Boys for Life" shoot. The scene goes down on the balcony of a hotel ... and from the look of things, nothing -- and we mean NOTHING -- was stopping Will.

Well, maybe a little lint that got in his eye.

But, seriously ... dude's winning at life and putting all dad bods to serious shame with his sharp fighting skills. Those 'Ali' moves still seem fresh in Will's mind -- as his foe in the motorcycle helmet will attest.

Big Willie was still his fun-loving self, though ... taking time to goof around with his stand-in and the crew.

Joe Biden is promising to change his ways in the wake of allegations he's gotten way too close for the comfort of at least 2 women.

The former Veep -- and expected Presidential candidate for 2020 -- is addressing the handsy allegations head-on ... saying it's just who he is, or at least who he HAS been. Biden added, in a video posted Wednesday, he'll get himself in check going forward and be mindful of people's personal space.

Joe says he's always thought of politics as a way to connect to people ... and that he took that to heart quite literally, with handshakes, hugs, shoulder squeezes and other forms of embrace.

He doesn't mention kissing women's heads, though, as Lucy Flores claims he did to her back in 2014. Another woman accused him of pulling her in by the neck to rub noses at a fundraiser in 2009.

In his kinda-mea culpa vid, Biden acknowledges the boundaries of personal bubbles have been reset, and says he'll change too.

His video response couldn't have been better timed, as President Trump and the GOP lean into lampooning Biden for his touchy-feely tendencies.

Ryan Seacrest's gonna have to make time in his jam-packed schedule to get grilled like a cheeseburger for Blac Chyna's lawsuit against the Kardashians.

A judge ruled Seacrest -- the exec producer of 'KUWTK' -- can be deposed in the case because there's a good chance he has inside info on why "Rob & Chyna" was canceled. As the judge put it, Ryan likely has "superior and unique" knowledge.

We broke the story ... BC is suing the Kardashians, claiming they threatened to pull 'KUWTK' from E! if the network didn't put the kibosh on Chyna's spin-off reality show.

Ryan tried to avoid any deeper involvement in the case by fighting Chyna's legal team's efforts to depose him -- but no dice.

According to the docs, Ryan's deposition will be limited to 3 hours over a single day, and will be recorded on video.

Lance Bass has some choice words -- and a splash of sarcasm -- for the Sultan of Brunei on the day his country will start stoning gay people to death.

We got the 'NSYNC singer Wednesday leaving NBC in NYC -- where he was plugging his new doc, 'The Boy Band Con' -- and asked about the deadly law that takes effect Wednesday in the Asian country -- gay people can now be stoned to death for who they are.

Lance clearly has a POV, but it was tough for him because while we were talking to him a slew of fans were asking for selfies so whatever he said he had to say with a smile on his face.

Our camera guys also asks Lance if he was on board with George Clooney's renewed call to boycott hotels owned by Brunei's leader, including The Beverly Hills Hotel and the Hotel Bel-Air. Check it out ... sounds like he's been with it for a while.

12:11 PM -- Felicity's also gone up before a judge and said she understood the seriousness of the charges. She had already surrendered her passport. So with that, she's also done. That was fast.

12:01 PM -- Lori and Mossimo have just appeared before a judge and both have surrendered their passports. The actress reportedly said hi to the prosecuting team, smiled and shook their hands. Lori and Mossimo are now done with their part of Wednesday's hearing.

11:03 AM PT -- Lori Loughlin just showed up to the Boston courthouse, and was quick to get inside. She avoided answering any questions from reporters, but was also met by some fans cheering, waving, and carrying Lori cutouts with them.

Lori gave a quick wave before marching into court.

Felicity Huffman has just arrived to face a judge for her involvement in the massive college bribery scandal.

The "Desperate Housewives" actress appeared in a federal courthouse in Boston Wednesday where she -- along with other parents including Lori Loughlin -- will reportedly know more about the conditions of their release.

As we first reported ... Lori and Felicity could cut plea bargains but prosecutors wanna see the parents do time behind bars. As one official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Lori and Felicity face up to 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

As we reported ... Felicity and Lori -- recorded on wiretapped calls discussing the scheme with ringleader William Rick Singer -- are accused of paying bribes to help get their kids into elite schools.

Felicity and her husband, William H. Macy, allegedly paid $15k to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their eldest daughter, Sophia Grace, who was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students. The feds say the proctor corrected her answers. She scored 1420 on her SAT ... an improvement of approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Lori and her hubby, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying a whopping $500k to have their 2 daughters -- Isabella and Olivia -- designated as recruits for the crew team at USC ... even though they were never actually on any crew team. Mossimo allegedly sent Singer pics of the girls on rowing machines to make it look like they were indeed athletes.

On the morning the indictment was announced, 7 FBI agents showed up to Felicity's home with guns drawn and arrested her. The feds also showed up to Lori's home but she was in Vancouver. Mossimo was nabbed and later released. Lori surrendered the next day.

47 others were also caught up in the massive college bribery scandal the feds dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. The parents are accused of paying off Rick Singer ... the alleged ringleader who created a fake nonprofit, charitable foundation that served as a front to launder the payments.

The feds also said Singer -- who pled guilty to racketeering charges -- allegedly instructed the parents they could write off the alleged bribes as tax-deductible"donations" ... to his nonprofit.

According to court records, the actresses and others allegedly paid as much as $6.5M to get their kids into various schools ... including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and USC. In all, the feds uncovered about $25M in bribes.

Lori -- out on $1 million bond -- was mum when paps got her out the other day leaving a yoga session. The fallout from the scandal was immediate. Loughlin's girls withdrew from USC and Loughlin lost gigs with "Fuller House" and Hallmark.

NeNe Leakes is celebrating an important milestone in her husband's battle with cancer ... he's made it through 6 months of chemo!!!

The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star just shared a video update on Gregg's health, and he's looking good. NeNe's bae was banging a gong in a hospital to mark his milestone. He also got a well-deserved round of applause and tons of hugs.

Gregg was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer last May, and in October he started his chemo treatments. NeNe says it has been a long emotional ride for her entire family, and she says she's so happy for her man and the strength he's showing.

Gregg's diagnosis has been a storyline throughout the current season of 'RHOA' ... and NeNe is thanking all their family, friends, fans, doctors and nurses for the support, prayers and gifts ... including some recipes.

4/4-- Conor seems to want to put all this behind him and get back to fighting with his fists instead of his fingers ... tweeting, "I want to move forward, with my fans of all faiths and all backgrounds."

"All faiths challenge us to be our best selves. It is one world and one for all."

"Now see you in the Octagon."

4:00 PM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Khabib's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, who has a message for Conor if he continues to run his mouth.

"You're gonna get yourself f*cked up, your whole team f*cked up, your security f*cked up," Abdelaziz says.

"Get your sh*t together, boy, before you get everybody f*cked up. But, we don't want violence. We don't promote violence. We are promoting peace. Enough with the hate."

3:22 PM PT -- Conor and Khabib's boss, Dana White, is not happy with the 2 fighters ... saying he's aware of the social media back-and-forth and has reached out to them to handle the situation.

"The ongoing situation has escalated to a level that is unacceptable," White says.

"As such, we are taking the necessary steps to reach out to both athlete camps and this situation is being addressed by all parties internally

10:18 AM PT -- Khabib just fired back at his arch nemesis ... clearly alluding to the reports that McGregor is under investigation for sexual assault in Ireland (Conor's rep bashed the report as a "rumor," but did not address the allegations).

"Rapist, you are Rapist," Nurmagomedov tweeted.

"You are a hypocrite who is not responsible for your actions. Justice will find you. We will see."

Conor McGregor personally attacked Khabib's wife -- and seemingly mocked Muslim tradition -- tweeting a photo of the UFC champ and his bride ... and calling her a "towel."

McGregor went on a Twitter rampage Tuesday night ... unleashed a fury of Tweets directed at Paulie Malignaggi -- who slapped his good friend, Artem Lobov, earlier in the day -- and Nurmagomedov.

“Don’t be scared of the rematch you little scurrying rat" ... McGregor wrote.

Conor dug in, getting personal ... posting 2 photos from Khabib's wedding day -- along with the caption, "Your wife is a towel mate" -- appearing to make fun of Khabib's wife's clothing.

McGregor deleted the message minutes later.

Khabib and his wife are devout Muslims ... and his manager, Ali Abdelaziz, took the insult as a direct slight at Khabib's religion.

"Talking sh*t, this guy is insulting someone’s wife and making fun of her religion and belief. He doesn’t realize he’s insulting 1.5 billon Muslims. Religion and family is a no no. You’re fucked Connor, let’s see what the media is going to say now. He’s a rapist, and a bitch."

Conor's used racially and religiously charged rhetoric to sell fights and belittle fighters in the past ... so it's possible this entire incident is an attempt to goad Khabib into a rematch.

Nelly will NOT face criminal charges for an alleged sexual assault in the UK, and it appears it's because the accuser's no longer talking to cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Nelly will no longer be questioned, and police have told him no further action will be taken. While the investigation is not officially closed, we're told detectives are not actively investigating. If new information comes to light, Essex Police could review it and go from there ... but, as of now, Nelly's off the hook.

As for the why? The accuser's attorney, Karen Koehler, tells TMZ ... "We told the Essex police we would no longer participate in their shoddy investigation and shifted our focus to the federal lawsuit where we will wait on the judge to decide that outcome." The accuser filed a lawsuit as Jane Doe back in November.

We broke the story ... Nelly's accuser put Essex Police on blast claiming they dragged their feet on the case while treating her like a suspect instead of a victim. She accused him of masturbating in front of her and forcing his penis in her mouth after one of his concerts in 2017.

Here's a peek into Rob Gronkowski's retirement life -- Camille Kostek channeling Margot Robbie for sexy photo shoots -- and we gotta say, giving up being a Patriots star doesn't seem so bad!!

Gronk's GF threw on her best 'Wolf of Wall Street' costume for a smokin' hot photo sesh ... and if the pics come out as good as these vids -- they're gonna be great.

Spoiler alert: That's gonna happen.

Unclear what the shoot was for ... but Camille KILLS Naomi's famous scene with Leonardo DiCaprio -- slaying everything from the makeup to the dress to the accent!!

Of course, doesn't seem Gronk's in any danger of being in the doghouse like Jordan Belfort ... the couple's relationship seems to be going as strong as ever.

In fact, when the New England legend announced his retirement last month ... Camille wrote, "I love you with all my heart, you allow me to take the term 'proud girlfriend' to a new level."

Nipsey Hussle was in the middle of a good deed right before he was gunned down in front of his store ... where he was trying to help out an old friend who just got out of prison.

Sources connected to Nipsey tell TMZ ... the reason he was at his Marathon Clothing store Sunday is because he was trying to hook up his ex-con pal with some new gear so he could look good before meeting up with his own family and friends later in the day.

We're told Nipsey's friend had just walked out of the pen after 20 years behind bars.

Our sources say Nipsey didn't notify his team or his primary security guard he'd be going to the store solo -- it was a spur of the moment thing ... we're told no one in his camp was aware he'd left home.

Nipsey's friend is one of the other two people who were injured in Sunday's shooting -- we're told the third guy was the friend's nephew, who drove him to Marathon Clothing.

We broke the story ... a man walked up on Nipsey and co. and fired multiple rounds before fleeing in a waiting car. The shooter circled back to shoot Nipsey multiple times, not to mention kicking him in the head before leaving. Nipsey died from his wounds.

Police have identified 29-year-old Eric Holder as the suspected gunman -- who they finally brought into custody Tuesday after a 2-day manhunt.

Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman could cut plea bargains if they want 'em -- but they wouldn't be getting off easy ... because prosecutors want prison time, TMZ has learned.

Federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ, any plea would come with a recommendation by prosecutors that the actresses serve some time behind bars. The official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Prosecutors will not have the final word if the cases are plea bargained. The U.S. Attorney would make a recommendation to the judge, but the judge has the final word.

Lori and Felicity each face a maximum of 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Our sources say it is "likely" plea bargain discussions will begin, but we're told no plea deal has been made.

Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have been accused of paying ringleader Rick Singer $500,000 to get their daughters into USC by falsely claiming they would participate in the crew team.

Felicity is accused of paying Singer $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT test.

50 people have been charged in the alleged scams, and we're told more indictments are expected.

Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer, Eric Holder, is going to be behind bars for a long time, and he'll be there all alone -- 'cause cops are afraid he'll be offed in jail.

As you know, LAPD picked up Holder from the L.A. County Sheriff's Department station in Lakewood Tuesday and took him to a police station in South L.A. -- and law enforcement sources tell us he's currently being held in solitary confinement.

We're told police refuse to let Holder mingle with the general population, because they believe he's a target. As it is, cops were in a race to arrest him before someone on the street took him out. Our sources also say he'll remain in solitary once he's transferred to L.A. County Jail while awaiting trial.

BTW, if there's any doubt about him seeing the light of day before his trial ... a judge set Holder's bail early Wednesday morning at $7,040,000.

As we reported ... Holder -- who goes by the street name, Shitty Cuz -- was located and captured in the Lakewood area Tuesday, where he was cuffed by cops and later ID'd by the LAPD.

"Cheaters" is crowdfunding for its upcoming season ... and there are some career-changing perks for anyone willing to invest in the reality TV show.

We've learned the hidden-camera show is getting creative in order to fund its 19th season ... and it's looking to raise $1 million from fans and investors to help produce 40 to 60 episodes -- with directors and producers credits up for grabs.

Here's how far your dollars will stretch:

$100 -- signed photo of late host Clark Gable III

$250 -- "Cheaters" t-shirt and signed photo

$500 -- 2 t-shirts and signed photo

$1,000 -- Production Assistant credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

$2,500 -- Head of Security credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

$5,000 -- Ride along, Director credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

$10,000 -- Ride along for 2, Producer credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

$25,000 -- Ride along for 4, Executive Producer credit on IMDb, t-shirt and signed photo

"Cheaters" is still looking for a host to replace Clark, who died earlier this year in Texas ... but that's about the only gig on set that's not up for sale.

The sweet perks aren't the only return on investment ... after episodes air, we're told investors will be paid back up to twice the amount of their original investment over a few years.