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Jussie Smollett won't be the only "Empire" actor who'll soon be out of a job -- 'cause the next season is going to be the show's last ... and the chances of him coming back for it continue to be slim.

FOX announced early Monday morning in its Upfront conference call that the network was canceling "Empire" after season 6, which will air next year. FOX Entertainment honcho Charlie Collier said they were turning the final season into a "large TV event" in an attempt to go out with "guns blazing."

When he was specifically asked about Jussie possibly coming back, Collier stuck to FOX's talking points from last month -- when it first announced the show's renewal -- saying there's an option to have Jussie return to the series, but there's no plans for it as of now.

As we reported ... FOX negotiated an extension to renew Jussie's option for season 6, but said they weren't planning on writing him back into the show. They essentially tied up his character's storyline with a wedding this past season, and had him sail off into the sunset.

Remember, Jussie is still in hot legal water with the City of Chicago ... which sued him for staging the "attack" and costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources.

Based on the network's language, it sounds like they're waiting to see how that whole thing shakes out first before getting Jussie back on board for one last round. Until then though, he's out.

Damon Dash is in the money -- courtesy his settlement with Lee Daniels -- but he's not forking over any to his exes ... so claim the women who are now cutting out the middle man and suing Lee to get the dough.

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Rachel Roy and Cindy Morales are going after Daniels because they say the money he agreed to pay Dame to squash a $5 mil lawsuit ... is rightfully theirs.

Here's the backstory -- the rap mogul's ex-wife Rachel, with whom he has 2 daughters, claims he owes her $826,166.88 in back child support and other expenses ... and Morales, mother of his son, claims he owes her $244,721.43.

In the suit, both women say Dash has paid them less than 5 bucks in child support, so far in 2019 -- and that's despite the fact he and Lee reached their settlement at the end of 2018.

We broke the story ... there are also warrants out for Dash's arrest over unpaid child support to the 2 women, but he's said he plans to deal with them head-on and denied allegations of not taking care of his kids.

Conor McGregor is off the hook in his Miami phone smashing case -- prosecutors have dropped the charges against the UFC star after the victim stopped cooperating with authorities.

"The victim of the crime does not wish to return to the United States and prosecute this case," prosecutor Khalil Madani said during a hearing on Monday.

As we previously reported, McGregor was captured on video getting into an altercation outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami on March with Ahmed Abdirzak -- who was visiting from the United Kingdom.

In the footage, you can see McGregor snatch the guy's phone, stomp on it ... and leave the hotel with it.

He was arrested hours later and ultimately charged with felony robbery and misdemeanor criminal mischief.

But now, prosecutors say Abdirzak has left the country and doesn't want to come back to aid in Conor's prosecution ... which everyone saw coming from a mile away.

Here's why ... Abdirzak had filed a civil lawsuit against Conor -- which McGregor ultimately settled out of court.

Translation -- Abdirzak probably got a huge payday and wasn't exactly motivated to help put Conor behind bars.

This now clears the way for Conor to negotiate his next UFC fight without having to worry about being unavailable because of incarceration.

John Singleton will get one last official sendoff from his fans, friends and family ... and it's going down where he graduated film school.

TMZ's learned the late famed director will have a big memorial celebration at USC on May 21 from 11-2 PM. We're told details are still being worked out regarding which celebs may speak or perform ... but several have already RSVP'd they'll be there.

As we reported ... a private funeral and Celebration of Life was held last week for John's closest friends and loved ones -- like Ludacris, Ice Cube, Tyrese, Maxine Waters, Ving Rhames and Jim Brown -- but the USC event will be much larger.

We're told it's not going to be a total free-for-all for the public ... it won't be super small like the funeral, but a few thousand invites will go out.

The memorial will showcase Singleton's past work and pay homage to his life and career.

Singleton died on April 28 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. after being taken off life support following a massive stroke on April 17. The "Boyz n the Hood" director had been in a coma in ICU since then.

He was 51.

David Eason is quickly learning when it rains it pours ... 'cause in the wake of an animal cruelty investigation and child support case, TMZ's learned there's a looming court date over a stunt he pulled last year.

First, a little backstory ... Jenelle Evans' dangerous spouse got in hot water last December after the ex-"Teen Mom 2" star illegally towed a man's truck. The incident actually went down in June 2018 but, amazingly, cops weren't made aware until Eason uploaded a video of the incident on his YouTube page ... on Jenelle's 27th birthday, no less.

Eason captioned the video, "Learn the right way to deal with a$$holes who think it's cool to block you in a parking space." In the video, you hear Jenelle in the background laughing and egging him on.

The truck owner ultimately pressed charges, and Eason was charged with tampering with a vehicle and injury to personal property. He's due back in New Hanover County, North Carolina court June 3.

It's just the latest controversy that's practically forced Eason to have his lawyer on speed dial. As we reported ... the Columbus County Sheriff and Animal Control have launched a joint investigation into allegations of animal cruelty against him for shooting their family dog to death.

Blake Griffin tells TMZ Sports that Zion Williamson can "100 percent" be the NBA's all-time best dunker ... saying of the former Duke star, "He's going to be a monster."

Of course, Zion has been legendarily rattling rims since he was a high school prodigy ... and now that he's on his way to the NBA, we had to ask Blake if Z can be one of the best dunkers ever.

Blake's opinion? He says there's no doubt in his mind Zion can be up there with Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins, telling us, "100 percent. 100 percent."

"If he keeps playing like he is, he's going to be a monster."

In fact, Blake seems to be a huge fan of Zion's game overall -- not just his dunking -- saying, "He's a really good basketball player ... he can do a lot of stuff. He's going to be really, really good."

As for Griffin's advice on how Zion should handle possibly participating in the dunk contest in his rookie season next year ... BG says the ex-Duke star should only do it if it feels right.

But, when Z eventually decides to compete ... Griffin says it'll be a show, telling us, "He's probably going to do some things that we haven't seen in a while."

#CantWait!

Remy Ma and Safaree derailed a benefit concert after allegedly breaking 2 simple rules -- but it's enough to get 'em sued.

The Circle Foundation -- which mentors Chicago-area youths -- is suing the rappers, saying they signed to perform at a fundraising concert back on April 21, 2018, at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago. According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the Foundation was forced to cancel the show after the rappers breached their contracts.

The Foundation claims their contracts specifically stated Remy and Safaree could NOT perform within 60 miles of the arena for 30 days before the event. It's called a "performance exclusivity" clause, and it's a common practice promoters use to make sure their concerts remain in hot demand.

In the suit, the Foundation says the rappers agreed and signed the deal ... with Remy getting a $35k deposit payment and Safaree getting $7,250.

The problem, according to the docs, is Remy performed on April 8 at the Black Women's Expo in Chicago -- and Safaree played the Rockin' Horse Saloon & Grill on April 14 in a Chicago suburb.

As a result, The Circle Foundation says it asked Remy and Safaree to return the dough but got the cold shoulder. It's now suing to get its money back, plus damages.

Remy's attorney Eric Sanders tells us she is "unaware of any purported legal action filed but, if such action is initiated she will respond accordingly."

English actress and model Martine Beswick is best known for her roles on two iconic bond films from the '60s ... Bewick played Zora the gypsy in "From Russia with Love" (1963) and the cyanide pill-popping Paula Caplan in "Thunderball" (1965).

Martine shared the screen in both bond films with Sean Connery ... who is credited with seven Bond films under his super secret utility belt including "Dr. No," "From Russia with Love," "Goldfinger," "Thunderball," "You Only Live Twice," "Diamonds Are Forever" and "Never Say Never Again."

Fun Fact: In the '80s Martine changed her last name to "Beswicke" but ultimately changed it back to the OG spelling in the '90s.

We wouldn't have Hollywood if it weren't for all the mothers who gave birth to such stars -- and their kids sure seemed to recognize that too on Mother's Day.

Tons of celebs posted touching tributes to their moms Sunday, throwing up some sweet throwback pics in the process. Some standouts -- Shaq and his mom, Lucille; Kris Jenner and her ma, Mary Jo; Jamie Lynn Spears and her mother, Lynne; and Tom Brady and Galynn.

A lot of other folks got in on the love too -- including Paris Hilton, Quavo, Ronda Rousey, Chris Hemsworth, Mariah Carey, D-Wade, Neymar and even Nas.

Even more of them shouted out the mothers of their own children -- such as Barack Obama praising Michelle, Kevin Hart doing the same for Eniko, Will Smith bowing down for Jada Pinkett ... and Chance the Rapper thanking Kirsten for being a mom for him at times.

Ben Affleck killed two birds with one stone by paying tribute to both Jennifer Garner and his mother, Christine. Looks like everyone was on that train today too.

Nothing could be more on the nose than breakout actor Darren Criss singing the signature song from Lady Gaga's "A Star is Born" at a bar. Seriously ... this dude's talented.

The lead star from the FX series 'The Assassination of Gianni Versace' -- a role that won him tons of accolades this past awards season -- took the stage early Saturday morning at Tramp Stamp Granny's in Hollywood ... a piano bar that he has an ownership stake in.

Check it out ... Darren takes on the role of Bradley Cooper with the first verse and does pretty damn well. Then, a female companion gets onstage for Gaga's verse ... and absolutely kills it. We're told Darren went on to sing "A Whole New World" too, all impromptu.

It's been about three months since the Academy Awards wrapped up, where "Shallow" won Best Original Song ... but people still seem to be completely enamored with the movie, and the tune.

Take the WWE wrestlers who sang it in the ring a couple months back, or Billy Porter taking a whack at it in January. Now, Darren and co. are doing their own rendition.

2:45 PM PT -- The Aventura Police Department -- which is a stone's throw away from Sunny Isles, where NBA YoungBoy was reportedly shot at -- tells TMZ ... another shooting happened in their jurisdiction, and investigators are looking to see if it might be related to what went down at the Trump Beach Resort.

NBA YoungBoy and his crew were reportedly on the receiving end of bullets on Mother's Day outside the Trump Beach Resort near Miami ... and at least one person was killed.

Shots rang out Sunday near the beachside hotel, where YB and his entourage were later identified as being on the scene. It's unclear at this point what NBA YoungBoy's exact involvement might've been -- but multiple eyewitnesses say someone opened fire on him.

We got video of the immediate aftermath, and it looks like a frenzied scene as people rush to attend to the alleged victims. We're told the prominent black vehicle seen here had NBA YoungBoy and co. inside. Our sources also say YoungBoy was staying at the Trump resort.

Lots of folks are reporting that YoungBoy was NOT shot himself, but many others suggest his girlfriend, Kay Marie, was injured with a gunshot wound. The only thing cops are saying at this point is that one person was left dead in the shootout -- we're working on getting more.

Other reports suggest that YoungBoy's security gunned down the alleged shooter. It's unclear if that's actually the case, but somebody was definitely taken away in a stretcher. It looks like YoungBoy was left standing on his own two feet by the end of it.

Crazy enough ... YoungBoy's in town to perform at Rolling Loud Sunday night. No word on if he'll take the stage at this point, we'll keep ya posted.

Elsa Patton -- the mother of 'Real Housewives of Miami' star Marysol Patton -- has died.

Patton passed away over Mother's Day weekend surrounded by loved ones after battling a "long illness," according to a statement put out by her family. It's unclear what illness she was afflicted with -- her family didn't elaborate beyond that.

They did, however, go on to thank the countless fans and friends who've asked about her condition as of late. The Patton family says private funeral services will take place in Miami.

"Mama" Elsa was a recurring star on the hit Bravo series when it ran from 2011 to 2013, having constant laugh out loud moments that made her a beloved character. Her one-liners and hilarious zingers were popular enough to get Elsa her own web series spinoff, "Havana Elsa" ... which covered her endeavors to start her own coffee chain.

Elsa is survived by her two children, Marysol and Thomas Anthony Jones, her daughter-in-law and her grandson. Elsa's husband, Donald, died in 2018.

She was 84.

12:51 PM PT -- Shams Charania of The Athletic is now reporting that the Mavericks are investigating the incident Kristaps was involved in. He says the current understanding by the team is that he was jumped at a club, assaulted and hit with objects.

The Mavericks have yet to release an official statement.

Dallas Mavericks star Kristaps Porzingis was reduced to a bloody mess in his home country of Latvia after he was apparently involved in a brawl that left him wanting more.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ Sports ... the Euro NBA player was in his hometown of Liepaja over the weekend, where we're told he was celebrating some occasion through a number of clubs and pubs in the area.

Our sources say that a handful of Russians confronted Kristaps, supposedly upset with the fact that he was traded from the Knicks to the Mavs ... and an all-out tussle broke out. It would appear to have been pretty violent, 'cause Kristaps was bleeding from his head.

This video appears to capture the aftermath of the fight ... which almost wasn't over if Kristaps would have had his way. You can see him -- again, bleeding and with a torn shirt -- being held back by a woman at first, who he shoves aside.

Kristaps charges another group that's off camera, but a couple police officers plead with him to calm down and stand down. The entire exchange seems to be going on in their native tongue, Latvian.

The Mavericks haven't said anything about the altercation, and Kristaps himself has been quiet too.

Kanye West is remembering his late mom, Donda West, with a very special Sunday Service ... and the tribute was truly touching on Mother's Day, from start to end.

Ye was live streaming his weekly spiritual event Sunday, which was being filmed in the same fisheye lens he used during his big set at Coachella a few weeks back. It began with the rapper making his way to the stage with Tupac's "Dear Mama" track as walk-up music.

Fitting ... seeing how he followed with his own shout-out to his mom in "Hey Mama." Kanye rapped the song all the way through, keeping his eyes closed through most of it.

Donda was a crucial part of Kanye's life until she passed away in 2007 due to complications from a surgery she'd undergone at the time. It left Kanye an emotional wreck for years to come -- and her death even served as a catalyst for his mental breakdown in 2016.

Of course, Kanye and Kim have had multiple children of their own in the years since ... and just welcomed their fourth kid -- a boy -- last week via surrogate.

Big Boi knows how to give his son -- and his fans -- what they want in one shot ... gifting his boy a new whip for graduation, and linking up with his OutKast counterpart to boot.

BB was celebrating his son, Cross "The Boss" Patton, for crossing the finish line at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, GA -- where he's leaving with a football scholarship to play at the University of Oregon as a running back in the fall.

To mark the moment, Big Boi handed Cross the keys to a brand spanking new Tesla ... which he was clearly ecstatic to be getting behind the wheel for.

That wasn't the only surprise though -- Andre 3000 showed up to get in on the festivities as well, even posing for a pic with the graduate and his longtime partner in rhyme.

Ben Affleck is killing two Mother's Day birds with one stone by, naturally, thanking his own mom, but also praising his ex-wife and the mother of his children ... one Jennifer Garner.

The actor posted a loving tribute to both ladies Sunday, saying ... "Happy Mother’s Day to the two incredible mothers who have shown me the meaning of love."

He continued by vowing to make two donations in their honor -- one to Cut50's Dignity for Incarcerated Women Campaign, which aims to reduce prison populations, and to National Bailout ... an org that works to bail out black mothers and caregivers who are locked up and detained in pre-trial detention because they can't afford to pay their way out of jail.

It sounds like both Jen and his mom, Christine Anne Boldt, are backers of those causes, so it's gotta mean a lot that Ben's gonna put some dollars toward them.

As to why Ben is shouting out his ex on Mother's Day ... it's no secret that she's been there for him through thick and thin, even in the wake of their drawn-out divorce.

Jennifer was the one who drove Ben to rehab last year as he was battling alcohol addiction, and they've continued to co-parent marvelously despite not being together romantically.