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Meredith Vieira and Matt Lauer loved sharing a good joke and she had no problem when Matt leered at her and asked her to bend more so he could see her cleavage ... so says Meredith's husband.

Richard Cohen -- a noted journalist and author -- tells TMZ he's aware of the 2006 video TMZ posted Wednesday and said it was not inappropriate. Cohen says they had that kind of relationship where such comments were not off limits.

Richard says during Meredith's 10-year run at "Today" she was never aware of any sexual misconduct allegations lodged against Matt. He was emphatic ... Matt never did anything untoward with his wife. Richard goes on to say he and Meredith occasionally had dinner with Matt and he was nothing but a great guy.

As we reported ... Matt and Meredith had another now-cringeworthy moment last year when she confronted Matt about a "huge bag of sex toys" in his office. As you know, he allegedly gave a sex toy to a female staffer as a gift.

"Rick and Morty" star Spencer Grammer is headed for divorce court ... her husband filed this week in L.A. Superior Court.

Spencer, who also happens to be Kelsey's daughter, was married to James Hesketh for 6 years. James filed Wednesday ... citing irreconcilable differences. The couple has a 6-year-old son, and James says he wants joint physical and legal custody.

Looks like they're trying to avoid a messy court battle -- according to the divorce docs, obtained by TMZ, they are currently in mediation and hope to resolve all property and custody issues there.

Stand down, judge -- and wubba lubba dub dub.

12:54 PM -- DMX's lawyer Murray Richman tells TMZ ... X told the court he knowingly did not pay taxes on royalties and other monies. He goes on to say the rapper is worried about the possibility of going to jail, but took the deal anyway.

DMX just struck a sweet deal in his tax evasion case, but he's not out of the woods just yet.

The rapper entered a guilty plea to 1 count of tax evasion, according to prosecutors with the US Attorney's Office Southern District NY, and now faces up to 5 years in prison. He initially was looking at more than 40 years.

Sentencing is scheduled for late March.

TMZ broke the story ... X was slapped with 14 counts of tax evasion after prosecutors said he dodged paying $1.7 million in federal taxes by concealing income.

Arianny Celeste and her equally hot homegirls are knocking out the beaches in the Bahamas right now ... and tops are optional.

Unclear where the UFC Octagon Girl's hangin' loose in the video ... but Arianny and friends are clearly feelin' themselves, jammin' out to Manu Chao's old-school track about loving life (and weed).

If you like what you hear, Celeste -- an aspiring recording artist -- says you can cop her new single that drops on Friday.

Or ... you can just drink in her other talents. Your call.

Meredith Vieira brought up a "bag of sex toys" she once found in Matt Lauer's office -- and you gotta see how Matt expertly tap danced out of the awkward convo.

The now-cringeworthy moment went down in 2016 when Matt and Savannah Guthrie were guests on Meredith's talk show. She put Matt on blast by bringing up the bag she says she found back when she was co-hosing the "Today" show with him.

Matt was quick on his feet, and blamed a sex therapist who had appeared on "Today" -- although Meredith and Savannah don't seem to be buying his memory of it.

The anecdote is interesting now after one of Lauer's accusers told Variety he once gifted a sex toy to a female employee.

Not mentioned during Matt's guest spot on Meredith's show ... the video TMZ posted of Matt creepily whispering to Meredith, "Keep bending over like that. It's a nice view."

Al Franken's infamous groping photo briefly co-starred with Zendaya on a movie billboard ... in the name of art. Street art.

The cropped image of Franken reaching his hands out -- over Leeann Tweeden breasts in the original image -- showed up Thursday morning on an L.A. billboard for Zendaya's upcoming movie, "The Greatest Showman." You can see ... the end result was just creepy.

Street artist Sabo took credit for the job ... showing a before and after of his "art" on Twitter.

The billboard, just off the 405 freeway, was Franken-free again by 10:20 AM Thursday. We're sure Zendaya's glad to be flying solo again.

Aaron Carter will be heading to court for his Georgia DUI bust -- prosecutors have filed multiple charges against the singer ... just as he's ending his rehab for substance abuse.

Law enforcement sources in Habersham County say a DUI refusal charge was filed earlier this month. Prosecutors also added charges for possession of less than an oz. of marijuana and possession of drug-related objects. All the offenses are misdemeanors.

TMZ broke the story ... Aaron was arrested in July after cops stopped him and he bombed field sobriety tests. He refused a breathalyzer or blood tests.

Since then, Aaron's had other drug-related issues -- and actually just checked out of rehab after 2 months of treatment. He posted a photo of himself working on music, saying he's now "focused."

Matt Lauer is out and about running errands on his second day of unemployment ... and, outwardly at least, didn't seem too despaired over his firing.

Lauer surfaced Thursday for the first time since getting canned from NBC's "Today" show. He was driving around town, near his home in the Hamptons, and made at least one stop to smile and chat with a friend ... before hugging it out.

Worth noting ... Lauer was still wearing his wedding ring. He's been married to Annette Roque since 1998.

Jim Nabors, who starred in the massive '60s hit, 'Gomer Pyle,' died Thursday.

Nabors became famous as the bumbling mechanic on "The Andy Griffith Show" and then went on to do his own show, which ran for 5 years.

He also appeared in movies, including "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" and "Cannonball Run II."

He also was an accomplished singer, who recorded dozens of albums and scored 5 gold and 1 platinum records.

One of his iconic songs is the staple of the Indy 500 ... "Back Home Again in Indiana." He last appeared at the race in 2014.

Nabors was gay and long before social media there was gossip -- which was false -- that he secretly married Rock Hudson.

In real life, Jim was married to his partner of more than 40 years. They lived in Hawaii.

Nabors was 87.

RIP

Mark Hamill's no longer two-wheeling it ... and he's even got a pep to his step.

Luke Skywalker was back on his feet Thursday on his way to 'GMA' to promote 'The Last Jedi.' Mark stopped on his way out to sign autographs, took a pic with a fan and even struck a pose.

It was a huge difference from when we saw him at JFK Monday ... slumped in a wheelchair and doing his best to cover his mug. As we reported, Mark said he was just trying to avoid autograph seekers who "gouge true fans later on eBay."

No doubt it's good to be the Prince's fiancée, but Meghan Markle still won't get special treatment when it comes to becoming a citizen in the United Kingdom ... TMZ has learned.

Prince Harry's betrothed announced she intends to apply to be a legal Brit -- a process that can take up to 5 years for commoners. You'd think Meghan could get on some kinda Royal fam fast track, but Kensington Palace tells us no dice.

Official word is Meghan will have to go through the process like any "normal" subject of the crown.

Don't panic ... this won't delay the wedding, but here's how it could have an impact. Presumably, Queen Elizabeth will bestow a title on Harry and Meghan on their wedding day -- just like William and Kate got on theirs. It's still unclear if Meghan would be allowed to use her title before she's a UK citizen.

Matt Lauer has a new job -- cleaning up the mess he's created in his personal and professional life.

The fired "Today" show co-host says he's "embarrassed and ashamed" ... but also claimed that some of the allegations against him are "untrue or mischaracterized."

Lauer's ex co-workers, Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb, read his statement at the top of the "Today" show Thursday morning -- and in it, he said his new full-time job was doing some "soul searching" in order to repair the damage.

He did not specify which of the myriad of allegations of sexual misconduct were untrue, in his eyes.

Meanwhile, Lauer's former cohorts soldiered on without him Wednesday night -- Al Roker, Hoda and Savannah looked tense during a break from taping the annual Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting special.

Jennifer Hudson is returning to work while still in the middle of the custody battle with David Otunga, and if nothing else ... she's determined to feel cozy.

J Hud was in Manchester Thursday, wearing big puffy slippers, sweats and a knitted hat. She's there to shoot her second season as a 'Voice UK' judge.

As we reported, Jennifer lifted the protective order against Otunga on Monday ... allowing him to have David Jr. while she's working overseas.

Russell Simmons is stepping down from his multimedia empire as a new woman, Jenny Lumet, comes forward claiming he raped her in the early '90s.

Jenny, a filmmaker and daughter of director Sidney Lumet, says the alleged incident happened when Simmons offered her a ride to her Manhattan apartment. But instead, she says the Def Jam founder locked the SUV doors and took her to his place, despite her repeatedly asking to be taken home.

She claims he first forced himself on her in his elevator, and then once inside his place ... he took her to the bedroom and raped her. Jenny told The Hollywood Reporter, "I made the trade in my mind. I thought, 'just keep him calm and you'll get home.' Maybe another person would have thought differently, or not made the trade."

Simmons says he has a different memory of that evening, but acknowledges Jenny's "feelings of fear and intimidation are real." He apologized saying he's "been thoughtless and insensitive in some of my relationships over many decades." He says he's stepping down from his companies, which include Rush Communications, several clothing lines and part ownership of his baby, Def Jam.

Larry King saw some smoke he liked, decided to take a puff and it was a horrible idea ... according to the ex-cable news guru himself.

We got Larry leaving Craig's Wednesday where he was talkin' possible Matt Lauer replacements -- but quickly got sidetracked by a woman with a vape pen. She told LK it was cucumber flavored -- which was more than enough to peak Larry's interest.

Just one puff is all it took to launch him into a coughing fit. Watch what happened when she tried to talk him into puff #2.

Justin Bieber's bodyguard is in a heap of trouble after allegedly driving drunk, smashing into a police car, badly injuring the cops and then fleeing the scene before he was corralled and arrested.

Michael Arana, the head of Bieber's security, was driving in Miami at around 3 AM Thursday when his SUV tore into the police car. One of the cops was so badly hurt he was airlifted to a nearby hospital. The other officer was also taken to the hospital.

Arana booked it, but another cop happened to be near the crash scene and apprehended him. He refused a blood test at the scene.

Cops found receipts in Arana's pocket showing he paid for various alcoholic beverages after midnight.

He faces a slew of charges ... 3 separate DUI charges, and 3 charges of leaving the scene of an accident.

One of the cops has been released from the hospital. The other is still there.

As for Bieber, he was in L.A. No word yet on whether he'll keep Arana on the payroll.