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Jay Leno could have died in the fire that erupted in his Burbank garage -- it was that serious -- and we've learned it was a friend of his who may have saved his life.

Jay tells TMZ from his hospital bed ...  he was working on his 1907 White Steam Car in his famed garage this past Saturday, fixing a clogged fuel line. He says there was a fuel leak and gasoline sprayed on his face and hands. Almost simultaneously a spark triggered an explosion, setting the comedian on fire.

Jay says his quick-thinking buddy Dave was right there and jumped on him, quickly smothering the flames.

TMZ broke the story ... the left side of Jay's face was badly burned. His hands were burned as well. He says he's now dealing with 3rd-degree burns and may need skin grafts. As we reported, the burns did not damage his eyes or his ears.

Jay, who was rushed to a nearby burn center by ambulance, says he expects to be hospitalized for somewhere between 5 and 10 days.

We're told Jay has canceled his various engagements for 2 weeks.

Andrew Garfield will turn 40 next year, but that hasn't stopped him from getting in the best shape of his life -- as evidenced by a new photo shoot.

AG flashed his abs in a recent GQ shoot ... and it's clear the 39-year-old actor's been recently putting in the work -- because it shows!

Of course, Andrew's always been in pretty great shape, most notably while playing 'Spider-Man' in his early 20s -- but despite reprising his superhero role last year, Andrew's been steering clear from physically-demanding performances -- starring in films like "Tick, Tick... Boom!" and "The Eyes of Tammy Faye."

Andrew left everyone's jaw dropped back in August when he snapped a shirtless pic with a fan while on vacay, showin' off just how ripped he's recently become.

Casey Anthony blames her father for the death of her daughter, Caylee -- going further than what she'd alleged about him in court ... now reportedly linking him directly to the act.

According to People mag, which has seen an early release of the new Peacock doc, "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies" ... Casey spills her guts on camera, accusing George Anthony of staging Caylee's death to make it seem like it was Casey's fault, all in an alleged effort to cover up what Casey claims might've been sexual abuse at his hands.

In the documentary, Casey reportedly claims she fell asleep with 2-year-old Caylee on top of her on June 16, 2008 ... only to be awoken by her dad in the middle of the night with Caylee missing and George asking where she was. Casey says it didn't make sense for Caylee to be gone, because she says the kid would never leave a room without telling her.

She claims George eventually presented her with Caylee's dead body, which was soaking wet and cold and allegedly told Casey she had caused this. Casey then claims he took Caylee's body and disappeared ... again, according to People's review.

Casey's theory, all these years later, is George allegedly smothered Caylee with a pillow to knock her out, and drowned her in their above-ground pool. Casey says she doesn't believe Caylee would be able to get in there on her own ... as she says there was no ladder.

Casey had already accused George of sexually abusing her when she was a child, and of disposing of Caylee's body -- claims he vehemently denied in court -- but now she's taking it a step further by suggesting he planned the whole thing ... Caylee's death included.

People reports Casey says she believes her father had moved on to her kid, and wanted to hide it by getting rid of Caylee and framing Casey. As for why it took Casey so long to report her missing ... she says she was under the delusion Caylee was still alive, apparently in denial she'd died, and allegedly following her dad's instructions in the aftermath.

Of course, you know the jury acquitted Casey of murder, manslaughter and child abuse. She was found guilty of lying to cops, but that's it.

Christopher Jones Jr. -- the ex-University of Virginia football player who's been accused of murdering three current members of the Cavaliers team -- had complained of bullying before the shooting, this according to Jones Jr.'s father.

Christopher Jones Sr. spoke with NBC12 just one day after his son allegedly shot and killed three UVA football players while on a bus on campus ... and he explained, for the most part, his son appeared normal during their last encounter about a month ago "and he was doing real well."

But, he did note that while Jones Jr. had stopped by his house to do laundry, the 22-year-old admitted he was having some issues while at school.

"He had some problems," Jones Sr. said of Jones Jr., a former UVA running back. "The last time I talked to him, he said some people was picking on him or whatever. He didn't know how to handle it. I just told him, 'Go to school. Don't pay them no mind. Do what you got to do.'"

Jones Sr. added, "He wouldn't tell me everything."

Jones Jr. allegedly opened fire on a bus full of students after it had returned from a class field trip at around 10:30 PM on Sunday night. According to authorities, the gunfire killed D'Sean Perry, Lavel Davis and Devin Chandler, and wounded two others.

Cops say Jones Jr. then fled the scene ... remaining on the run for about 12 hours -- before he was eventually arrested in Henrico County. He's now facing six charges, including three counts of second-degree murder.

Jones Sr. said he had no clue what could have caused Jones Jr. to pull the trigger.

"What happened?" Jones Sr. said. "Why did it have to get this far? He could have called me."

Jones Sr. then issued an apology on his son's behalf.

On campus, meanwhile, students participated in a candlelight vigil to honor the three who died in the tragedy.

"Celebrity Jeopardy!" may want to rethink some of its answers, because lots of fans are pissed off the show used killer Brian Laundrie as part of the game.

Actors John Michael Higgins and Wil Wheaton squared off against comedian Joel Kim Booster during Sunday's semifinal round when all the drama went down concerning Brian Laundrie. Laundrie, as you may recall, killed Gabby Petito in Wyoming in 2021 while the couple was on a cross-country road trip. His remains were later found in a Florida nature preserve after he committed suicide.

"Jeopardy!" host Mayim Bialik read the clue from "The A List" category in which all answers included the letter "A."

Bialik said, "In 2021 Fugitive Brian Laundrie Ended His Days Fla.'s Myakkahatchee Creek Area, Home to These Long & Toothy Critters."

Booster correctly responded, "What are alligators?"

Bialik then went on to the next topic as if nothing was wrong. But, fans of the show saw A LOT wrong and took to Twitter to voice their fury.

One person wrote, "This is the most tasteless and insensitive answer I've ever seen on any Jeopardy! What the hell were they thinking? Making light of that tragic situation is repugnant. Damn."

Another roared, "THIS, this is beyond offensive. It's appalling & completely insensitive, not to mention totally unnecessary. Shame on, @Jeopardy."

A third observer asked, "What in the hell is wrong with you? Have you no soul? I can't believe this question got past your lawyers."

A fourth angrily stated, "That Jeopardy! question mentioning Brian Laundrie and the answer was alligators?? What the actual hell, that was so … out of line. Not necessary! There was no reason to mention him at all!"

Barnes & Noble has pulled the controversial book "Hebrews to Negroes: Wake up Black America" off its shelves ... while Kyrie Irving continues to face backlash for promoting it.

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), commended B&N Tuesday morning ... saying the bookseller's decision to yank the book should set a precedent.

Greenblatt then turned his attention to Amazon, revealing he wrote to the company over a week ago, looking to have a conversation about the book/films presence on the giant retailer's website. The ADL CEO says he'd like a disclaimer added to the book and film, at the least.

Greenblatt added the book and film "will lead directly to the harm of Jews," adding Amazon needs to follow B&N's lead before it's too late.

Of course, Kyrie landed in hot water after tweeting a link to the controversial film.

The Nets eventually suspended Irving for an indefinite amount of time. He hasn't played since  November 1 ... and it's unclear when he will return.

Amazon is carrying the book and movie on its website.

Tim Hardaway was forced to issue an apology on Monday night ... after he disturbingly compared a player's rough defense to rape during the middle of a Warriors game.

The former Golden State superstar was in the TV booth for the team's special "Run TMC" broadcast -- which featured Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond instead of the Warriors' regular announcers -- and a little more than halfway into the game, Tim put his foot squarely in his mouth.

While trying to talk about how he felt a player crossed the line on defense during the Warriors' matchup with the San Antonio Spurs, he shockingly said, "See, ya'll thought that was great D, I thought that was just raping him."

He added, "I think he should have called the police on that."

The other members of the broadcast booth quickly tried to move on ... but viewers were so outraged and appalled by the remarks, Hardaway had to issue a mea culpa just a few minutes later.

"Hey everybody," he said as the game headed into the fourth quarter. "I used a poor choice of words earlier in the broadcast. I want to apologize for that. And, you know, let's get back to the game. And, let's finish this game off with a 30-point win and go home happy."

No word yet from the Warriors if there will be any punishment coming for Hardaway.

Of course, this is not the first time the 56-year-old former basketball player has offended with his words -- back in 2007, during a talk on "The Dan Le Batard Show," he infamously said, "I hate gay people."

Hardaway eventually apologized for those comments.

Chris Redd is about to enter the final stage of recovery after his brutal attack in NYC ... and this one will require him to go under the knife.

Sources close to the 'SNL' star tell TMZ ... Chris is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday in the Big Apple to finish the job of permanently repairing his busted nose. Now that it's been a couple weeks since the initial injury -- and the swelling's gone down -- our sources say a doctor will have a clear view to figure out how to fix it.

We're told the procedure will consist of breaking Chris's nose back into the correct place ... and then letting it all heal in hopes the structure returns to its original form. There's a lot of damage ... remember, one of the bones in Chris' face was cracked into 3 pieces.

Our sources say he'll be under general anesthesia for about 2-3 hours, and a plastic surgeon who specializes in this sort of thing will be overseeing the operation. While it might sound cosmetic, we're told Chris isn't aiming to change anything about his appearance.

Remember, this all started after a guy punched Chris in the face with brass knuckles in a failed attempt to steal his chain. It left the comic in bad shape, with stitches in place as a temporary fix. No arrests have been made and cops are still looking for the assailant.

NeNe Leakes' boyfriend is looking to close the book on his marriage ... all while his estranged wife remains embroiled in a lawsuit with his current girlfriend.

The 'RHOA' star's current SO, Nyonisela Sioh, just filed to divorce Malomine Tehmeh-Sioh -- who recently sued NeNe over her relationship with her soon-to-be ex-husband.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Nyonisela says he and Malomine have been married since 2016 and have a kid together ... citing their separation date as Sept. 19, 2021. The next part is interesting -- he says they lived separately and haven't resumed marital relations since then, noting the separation from the jump was meant to be permanent.

That could speak to her own legal battle with NeNe ... which boils down to her suing over what she claims was a homewrecker situation -- essentially, accusing NeNe of sleeping with her husband and ruining their marriage ... allegedly causing her emotional distress.

Nyonisela seems to suggest there was no overlap between his separation from Malomine and the new relationship with NeNe. It's unclear, though, when exactly he and NeNe officially hooked up ... they were photographed together as early as December 2021.

Frankie Grande was the subject of a scary situation on the streets of NY ... he got attacked and robbed by 2 teens.

NYPD sources tell TMZ ... Frankie was walking down an NYC street last week ... when he got punched in the back of the head -- the teens then jacked his bag and ran off.

A few hours after the attack, cops say a 17-year-old and 13-year-old attempted to use one of Frankie's credit cards at a nearby smoke shop.

Cops found out and beelined it for the shop, and swiftly arrested the 2. They were booked on assault, robbery, grand larceny and other crimes.

Billy McFarland, the man behind the infamous Fyre Festival, is apologizing to the Bahamas for the project gone wrong ... and he says he wants to right his wrongs.

Billy fired off an apology letter to the Bahamian government Monday, hours after Deputy Prime Minister Chester Cooper said his nation wanted nothing to do with Billy's next venture, which appears to be a treasure hunt in the Bahamas.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Billy doesn't mention Fyre Fest by name ... but he opens by saying, "I am writing to you to profusely apologize for my actions 5 years ago. I was completely wrong and I wholly regret my actions."

Billy mentions his prison release and time served -- he ended up pleading guilty to 2 counts of wire fraud over the disastrous failed event and served 4 of his 6-year sentence behind bars -- and says, "my main focus is how I can right my wrongs and how I can make the Bahamas and Family Islands, a region I care so deeply about, whole again."

BF says he's kept in contact with folks in the Bahamas over the years and writes ... "Their generosity and kind hearts have been a constant guide and motivation for me. I have been re-engaging with the families of the islands to see what I can do to begin making amends."

As we reported ... Billy recently teased his latest venture, which our sources said involved another festival, among other things in the near future. His TikTok video teasing the project showed a treasure map and made it look like he's planning something else in the Bahamas, something the government there is not taking kindly.

Billy's not offering any more specifics on what he's got cooking, though, writing ... "I don't have much right now, but I am committed to make these families whole as soon I am allowed. I ask for guidance on whom to speak with to begin my journey to do right by the incredible people of the Bahamas and Family Islands."

Billy ends his plea with another apology ... "I truly acknowledge the hurt I caused to the people, and region, and I will spend the rest of my life working to right my wrongs."

TMZ Sports has obtained Ben Gordon's mug shot after he allegedly attacked two McDonald's security guards in Chicago ... with the ex-NBA star appearing alert and wide-eyed.

As we previously reported, Gordon was being escorted out of a local Mickey D's on Nov. 4 when he allegedly hit a 29-year-old male guard in the face and threw him to the ground. He is also accused of shoving a second 21-year-old male guard during the altercation.

It's unclear what led to the altercation, but the former NBA lottery pick appeared to have a blank stare as he posed for his mug shot shortly after being taken into custody.

39-year-old Gordon was charged with two counts of misdemeanor battery ... and his first court date is slated for next month.

Before this relaxed kid in his button-down shirt turned into a singer, television host and actor ... he was just casually posing on the playground, hanging with his little bro and growing up in Harlan, Kentucky.

If you didn't listen to him and his fellow boy banders in the mid-'90s, you probably watched him on MTV about a decade later. In 2021, he won "The Masked Singer" and unveiled his face after stripping out of his piglet costume.

Need one more clue? Because of you, this cute kid has had 3 top 10 hits.

Post Malone's week is off to an incredible start ... as of Monday morning, "Sunflower" -- his 2018 collaboration with Swae Lee -- is now 17x platinum, and officially the most certified in recording history!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Posty in L.A., where the "Twelve Carat Toothache" superstar was absolutely floored by the RIAA announcement, and all the fan support. His immediate reaction was to shout out Swae Lee as the secret sauce behind their blockbuster record.

According to Post, Swae was heavily instrumental in arranging the melodies -- doing the "heavy lifting" as he puts it.

Originally released as part of the "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" soundtrack, the end result was one of the most favored harmonic duets ever recorded.

Post says throughout his experiences, he’s seen "Sunflower" bring sad people up and make happy people even happier. The song reigned supreme at No. 1 in several countries and almost has a whopping two billion views on YouTube to date.

"Sunflower" is also Post and Swae's second diamond certification behind "Congratulations" and "Unforgettable," respectively … and won’t be the last if they have any say so.

Post tells us he and Swae have been cooking, and should be finalizing at least one recipe very soon.

It’s a very big garden to fill … but yes, we’ll take a whole field of more "Sunflowers" ASAP!!!

Megan Thee Stallion isn't letting anyone screw up her shot at an American Music Award -- not even her own label, and a Texas judge is backing her up by granting a restraining order.

Megan filed legal docs to get the restraining order against her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and her distributor 300 Entertainment. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Megan claims 1501 made "threatening and retaliatory" moves to block Megan from using her own music in connection with the AMAs ... which will be handed out this coming Sunday.

Of course, Megan's been battling 1501 on a bunch of fronts -- most notably, they're in a legal war over her contract. As we've reported, Meg believes she's satisfied the terms and should be a free agent, but 1501 insists she still owes more recordings.

She doesn't specify what 1501 and/or 300 Entertainment allegedly said or did to mess with the AMA broadcast on ABC -- but a judge heard enough to grant the temporary restraining order. Both companies are now blocked from interfering with her music being used on the award show.

Megan is up for Favorite Female Hip Hop Artist, and voting for the award ends tonight. It's interesting, there is a court hearing scheduled where the label will have a chance to tell their side of the story. Of course, that date is next Tuesday ... 2 days after the AMAs will have aired.

Former MLB superstar Yasiel Puig is facing up to five years in prison ... after he agreed to plead guilty to lying to the feds during their investigation of an illegal gambling ring.

Federal prosecutors announced the plea deal on Monday afternoon ... saying the ex-Dodgers outfielder intends to make a guilty plea to one count of making false statements at a court hearing later this month.

The charge, according to the feds, carries a maximum sentence of five years behind bars.

Puig -- who's now playing baseball in South Korea after seven seasons in the MLB -- had been accused by officials of placing bets through an illegal gambling business beginning back in May 2019.

Officials say in a matter of weeks, he racked up $282,900 in gambling losses -- and then cut two separate $100K checks to the operators of the illegal gambling biz to pay off his debts ... and continue to make bets.

Authorities say following the payments, he went on to make an additional 899 more bets on the sites from July 2019 to September 2019 on tennis, football and basketball games.

According to officials, Puig was ultimately interviewed over it all -- and they say he lied through his teeth ... prompting the federal charge.