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Lil Wayne can display this next to his platinum albums and Grammy Awards ... his official pardon letter signed by former President Donald Trump.

The rapper's Presidential pardon was filed last week in federal court in South Florida, where Weezy pled guilty in December to a gun charge that could've meant serious time behind bars ... IF Trump hadn't come through for him.

The doc, obtained by TMZ, is embossed with the official seal from the Department of Justice and, of course, Trump's John Hancock.

As you know ... Lil Wayne received the pardon from Trump on his last full day in office. Tunechi was scheduled to be sentenced in March for illegally possessing a loaded weapon on a private jet.

That sentencing's off the books now with the pardon ... which came a few months after Weezy endorsed Trump for Prez.

Mike Pence has just gotten a dose of post-Veep reality, because Air Force 2 has a new leaseholder ... which is why he took a flight Monday -- IN COACH!!!

Pence and his wife, Karen, hopped aboard an American Airlines jet from Saint Croix to Charlotte, NC. They settled into their coach seats, with Secret Service agents nearby.

It gets even more real. There are reports the former Vice Prez is couch surfing while he and his wife look for more permanent digs. He has said his family will move back to Indiana come summer.

Big news for the Kansas City Chiefs ... two players have been placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list over a "close contact" with someone who tested positive.

The players are wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and center Daniel Kilgore, according to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

Moments ago, Reid told the media he's confident the players will "work through it" -- but obviously could not guarantee they will play in Sunday's game against the Tampa Bay Bucs.

Kilgore started 4 games in 2020 and has played in 7 total. Robinson started 9 games in 2020 and played in all 16 regular-season games.

Both guys played in the AFC Championship game on January 24 against the Buffalo Bills -- with Robinson getting the starting nod at WR.

The way the NFL's COVID protocol works ... both players will be forced to quarantine for 5 days, which means no more practice for the rest of the week.

If they continue to test negative, there's a chance they can play in the Super Bowl -- but ESPN's Adam Schefter says at the moment their status is "in question."

Neither player has returned a positive COVID test at this point, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.

Obviously, the bigger concern is ... were any other players exposed?

We spoke with Chiefs superstar Tyreek Hill just a short while ago who told us the team had been clamping down on COVID protocols to prevent this exact situation.

Dustin Diamond -- best known for playing the lovable Samuel "Screech" Powers on the hit NBC sitcom, "Saved by the Bell" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for Dustin tells us he died Monday morning. His condition had greatly declined since last week, and he was taken off of breathing machines in an attempt to get him to hospice care. His GF was by his side when he passed away, and we're told he did not suffer.

Dustin's death comes just a couple weeks after completing his first round of chemo after he was diagnosed with stage 4 small cell carcinoma ... which is commonly referred to as lung cancer. We were told the cancer started somewhere in Dustin's body and metastasized in his lungs.

He was initially hospitalized in Florida in January after feeling pain all over his body and a general sense of unease. Unfortunately for the kid star ... it turned out to be cancer.

Dustin, of course, is famous for playing Screech on four seasons of "Saved by the Bell" as Zack Morris' (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) nerdy sidekick who struggled to get any of Lisa Turtle's (Lark Voorhies) love and affection.

After the kids graduated from Bayside HS ... the show got a short-lived spinoff with "Saved by the Bell: The College Years." There was also "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" ... in which Dustin appeared as Screech from season 2 to 7 as Mr. Belding's assistant.

Dustin wasn't recast for the reboot of the show on Peacock. Back in January 2020, we talked to him about why he wasn't signed on for the new project. The short answer ... he didn't know why but argued for Screech's reprisal.

Dustin would appear in tons of other roles ... including as the groom in 98 Degrees' music video for their 1999 hit track, "I Do (Cherish You)." He also appeared in 2 episodes of "The Wonder Years." He became infamous for directing his own sex tape in 2006 but later admitted to Oprah Winfrey it wasn't him ... but a stunt double.

He also appeared in tons of reality shows ... including "Celebrity Boxing 2" and "Celebrity Fit Club" where he didn't make too many friends after becoming confrontational with numerous cast members.

There were other stunts too that pivoted his career from a beloved child actor to a controversial celebrity. Like when Dustin was supposed to fight the so-called angry bagel guy, Chris Morgan, before CM pulled out of the fight.

But, through it all ... Dustin got tons of love from fans and friends alike, including Insurance King president and CEO Dan Block, who wrapped NASCAR driver Josh Bilicki's car in Dustin's honor.

Dustin's team says they're aware his name is not necessarily the most reputable due to his history of mishaps, but they want the public to understand "he was not intentionally malevolent."

His team adds that he went through a great deal of turmoil in his life, but he was always "a humorous and high-spirited individual whose greatest passion was to make others laugh."

Dustin was 44.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger is fed up with today's Republican Party ... so he's starting a movement to reclaim the GOP ... and he's even open to becoming its standard-bearer.

The Republican Congressman from Illinois appeared on "TMZ Live" Monday and said he launched his Country First PAC because of the state of his party, which has embraced Donald Trump's big lie that the election was stolen ... and that's just for starters.

Kinzinger -- who is one of 10 GOP members who voted to impeach Donald Trump -- acknowledges there's a wrestling match of sorts within the party.  He thought eyes would open after the January 6th insurrection ... he uses the metaphor of a Friday night bender to describe what he thought would be a turning point for the party, but that didn't happen.

So the Congressman has made it clear ... he will be a leader in the movement he's starting, and turns out there are like-minded members of Congress who are quietly supporting his effort.  There are also lots of Republicans who are sick and tired of people like Marjorie Taylor Greene and others with crazy conspiracy theories ... who may find a home in Kinzinger's camp.

The Weeknd's gearing up for his Super Bowl Halftime Show performance, but for now he's shining the spotlight on other stars -- frontline healthcare workers.

The singer's kicking off Super Bowl week and Black History Month by teaming up with Postmates in a campaign that highlights Black-owned restaurants ... and delivers meals to healthcare heroes.

The Weeknd's first stop is the AdventHealth Carrollwood medical facility in Tampa -- not far from Raymond James Stadium, where SB 55 will be played. He donated 150 meals from Mama's Southern Soul Food.

The local, independent, Black-owned restaurant is a staple in Tampa ... and it will be one of many featured at the top of the Postmates app in February.

New York Attorney General Letitia James says her office is looking into the incident, which she called "deeply disturbing and wholly unacceptable."

The A.G. adds ... "Such use of force and pepper spray should never be deployed against a child, period."

James is also calling for "drastic reform" at the Rochester Police Department "to ensure that mental health professionals and child advocates are actually responding to people in need and when minors are involved, and that this type of behavior never occurs again."

Rochester Police are under fire for detaining and pepper spraying a child who'd been reported as suicidal, and body cam video of the incident is disturbing.

Officers had handcuffed the 9-year-old girl during the Friday domestic violence call. Police say her mother was worried the girl would harm herself or others. While walking the child to a patrol car, she fell to the snowy ground, began flailing arms and screaming she wanted to see her dad.

A nearly 10-minute struggle ensued ... as the girl resisted, 2 officers put the cuffs on her and attempted to put her in their car. The girl continued screaming and said she wouldn't get in until she saw her dad.

A female officer stepped in, trying to convince her to get in the backseat. A male officer, who was trying to pull the girl in from the other side yelled, "Sit up! You're acting like a child, stop" -- to which she responded, "I am a child!! What the f***?"

The female officer eventually warned the child the cops were getting impatient, and she would be pepper sprayed if she didn't get in the car. Less than a minute later, a male officer said, "Just spray her at this point" ... and that's what happened.

The full arrest video includes a disturbing interaction with the child's mother, and you hear the girl accuse her mother of stabbing the father ... which the mother denied.

Rochester PD initially said it was "required" to deploy pepper spray -- but over the weekend Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren said, "This video, as a mother, is not anything you want to see."

Civil rights attorney Ben Crump has taken notice of how police treated the 9-year-old, saying, "You cannot justify this!"

Police announced an internal investigation, but haven't said if any of the involved officers have been suspended. The child was treated at a hospital and released to her family.

Mariah Carey's estranged sister says she's suffered emotional distress from the singer's allegations about her ... so she's suing her for at least $1.25 million.

Alison Carey claims in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Mariah presented no evidence to back up the accusations of abuse in her 2020 book, "The Meaning of Mariah."

According to the suit ... Mariah's book alleges Alison "gave her Valium, tried to pimp her out and threw a cup of boiling hot tea on her causing third-degree burns" when Mariah was 12. Alison disputes these allegations and claims Mariah hasn't provided any evidence to support them.

Alison goes on to accuse Mariah of making these outrageous claims despite knowing Alison suffers from trauma herself from the alleged abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of their mother.

Alison claims their mother subjected her to satanic rituals and sexual activity at a young age ... allegations she previously made when she sued their mother for sexual abuse last year.

Mariah's estranged sister also says she suffered a traumatic brain injury during a 2015 home invasion, and suggests Mariah ignored her vulnerabilities and "used her status as a public figure to attack her penniless sister" to promote her book.

Rihanna is once again calling out Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron for his handling of the Breonna Taylor case ... dragging him on the first day of Black History Month.

RiRi ripped Cameron on social media Monday, responding to a Black History Month video he posted on Twitter. Her dig at him was short and definitely not sweet -- she simply said, "Sup n***a?"

In his video, Cameron -- the first Black man elected to statewide office in Kentucky and the commonwealth's first Black A.G. -- says he's standing on the shoulders of the great Black men and women who came before him.

Rihanna's not feeling it ... remember, 3 grand jurors in Breonna's case called for Cameron's impeachment after claiming he lied about putting possible homicide charges on the table for the Grand Jury.

As you know, no charges were filed for the killing of Breonna ... just one charge of wanton endangerment against Brett Hankison, for firing his gun into her neighbor's apartment.

Could Tom Brady REALLY play into the second half of his 40s?!

HELL YEAH -- so says the 43-year-old NFL superstar himself ... who just revealed he's "definitely" open to playing for several years to come, as long as he stays healthy.

Of course, TB12 has publicly shared his intentions of playing until age 45 ... which would make him the 3rd oldest QB in NFL history.

Now that he's playing in his 10th Super Bowl and hoping to win his 7th ring, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers signal-caller was asked if he'd consider pushing back his retirement ... and his answer is wild.

"Yeah, definitely," Brady told reporters Monday. "I would definitely consider that."

However, there are a few factors -- Brady says considering the nature of the sport, he'll have to re-evaluate how his body feels at the time ... and there "has to be 100% commitment from myself to keep doing it."

But, Brady says this is exactly what he's been working on with his personal trainer, Alex Guerrero, in order to stay competitive in his 40s. Ya know, pliability and stuff like that.

"(I've) been very fortunate over the years. Alex and I work really hard at making sure physically I can perform at my best, because you take different hits ... over the course of the year deal with different bumps and bruises, different injuries and so forth."

Brady is backing up Guerrero's talk from November 2019 ... when he claimed the QB was eying playing until 46 or 47.

"It's just gonna be me continuing to make that commitment to making it part of my year-round process to play football and continue my career so definitely."

BTW -- the Pro Football Hall of Fame says George Blanda was the oldest QB in NFL history at age 48.

Bad Bunny .... OFF THE TOP ROPE!?!

That's right ... the Puerto Rican rap star busted out a frog splash at the Royal Rumble, screwing over two WWE superstars in the process.

... and it was pretty awesome!!!

Here's the deal -- Bad Bunny was booked to perform his hit song "Booker T" (with the WWE legend Booker T) at Sunday night's Royal Rumble.

But during the show, he got into it with WWE superstars The Miz and Morrison -- who pitched Bunny on a musical collaboration.

Bunny shot those guys down ... and they responded by trashing Bad Bunny's DJ's gear before the Rumble started.

You following this? Okay, great.

During the Rumble, Bad Bunny decided to charge the ring to get even with Miz and Morrison -- but security stepped in and got in the way.

But, the chaos distracted Miz and Morrison for JUUUUUUST long enough -- allowing wrestler Damian Priest to toss M&M out of the ring, eliminating them from the match.

While they were down, Bunny climbed to the top rope and busted out a frog splash -- hitting both of his newfound enemies in the process!

Bunny's jump was actually pretty impressive compared to other celebs who've tried it ( ... lookin' at you Snoop).

Pretty cool moment for Bunny, who's a known wrestling fan --  who once had Ric Flair in one of his music videos.

Kevin Hart isn't letting that horrific 2019 car wreck hold him back from one of his passions ... he's about to add another souped-up whip to his collection, and it's a BEAST.

Sources familiar with the deal tell us Kevin recently bought a new muscle car from SpeedKore in Wisconsin, dropping several hundred thousand dollars on an old Dodge Charger that's been completely revamped.

SpeedKore calls the car the "Hellraiser" and it looks pretty sick, under the hood alone.

We're told Kevin's getting it delivered next week, so keep an eye out for the full unveiling. Unclear how much horsepower this one will be packing, but we know Kevin likes 'em fast.

As we first reported, Kevin was in the passenger seat, and a friend was driving, when they crashed in the Malibu Hills. Kevin's 1970 Barracuda was totally mangled. Ditto for his back ... KH needed spinal surgery, but fully recovered after a lengthy rehab.

Tony Bennett is revealing he's suffering with Alzheimer's Disease ... but he says he's been battling it since 2016.

The beloved singer revealed his diagnosis to AARP magazine ... and his family says there were warning signs well before doctors confirmed it. Like in 2014 when he and Lady Gaga got together to record "Cheek to Cheek." Tony's wife, Susan, said Tony was already showing clear signs of the disease back then. The duo went on to tour together in 2015.

Moments after AARP posted the article ... Tony tweeted, "Life is a gift -- even with Alzheimer's. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and @AARP The Magazine for telling my story."

Susan and Tony were open about some day-to-day struggles ... like when she had to tap Tony on the shoulder to remind him they were doing an interview while talking to AARP.

But, there's also reason to be optimistic. Dr. Gayatri Devi, the neurologist who diagnosed Tony back in 2016, says, "He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder."

Joe Giudice's about to have his mug back on TV ... the former reality dad is in talks for a new show ya might call, 'Real Single Guys of Italy.'

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Joe's currently in negotiations with a production company about creating the show, which we're told would focus on his new post-prison/post-divorce life in his homeland.

Nothing's been shot yet, and we're told neither Bravo nor his ex-wife, Teresa, are involved in the potential project. This is a Joe solo deal.

If Joe and the production co. can strike a deal, their next move would be shopping around the show to a network or streaming service to air it.

As you know, Joe was a central figure -- along with Teresa -- in "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."

He hasn't appeared on Bravo since October 2019, when he told Andy Cohen about his decision to opt-out of ICE detention and move to Italy.

Shawn Johnson -- the 2008 Olympic gold medal gymnast -- is not only dealing with the normal challenges of pregnancy, but she's also tested positive for COVID-19.

The former Olympic star -- who's expecting her second child with husband, football player Andrew East -- revealed she has coronavirus Sunday evening, saying her results came back positive and, "Not going to lie... I'm nervous."

Shawn added ... "my body is just exhausted." She's especially concerned about the virus because she's had asthma her entire life -- plus, she says a very close family member fought off a serious case of COVID-19 just last month.

So far, she's dealing with a cough, severe sore throat and a headache. She's also super tired, but chalks a lot of that up to pregnancy.

Shawn's family already had a rough stretch, as she says their 15-month-old daughter, Drew Hazel, just got over having RSV -- a different respiratory virus that can be incredibly scary for little kids.

Her husband had previously tested positive for COVID ... something the couple revealed last month when they announced they were expecting baby #2.

"Deontay Wilder, I’m gonna outbox him, I'm gonna outclass him, if I ever get that opportunity."

That's former NFL great WR Brandon Marshall talking about beating up arguably the greatest heavyweight knockout artist of all-time.

TMZ Sports talked to the 36-year-old, 6'5", 230 lb., 6x Pro Bowler turned boxing enthusiast about his desire to step in the ring ... and his friend Evander Holyfield comparing BM to the 42-1-1 (41 KO's) Bronze Bomber.

"You can't compare me to Deontay Wilder, I'm not Deontay Wilder. Deontay Wilder, obviously, we know him for his power. he's a freak athlete," Marshall tells us.

"But what I'd say, I would challenge Deontay Wilder to dive a little deeper into the sweet science, and that's where I think I separate myself from a lot of these heavyweights."

Brandon is serious ... and says just because he doesn't have a bunch of pro fights under his belt, you shouldn't sleep on his skills in the squared circle -- 'cause he's been boxing for over 30 years.

"You haven't seen me on Pay-Per-View. No, I don't have a win under my belt, or a loss, or a knockout. But at the end of the day, I know how to fight, I know how to box, I know the sweet science."

Marshall -- who says he likes Wilder and has learned from watching him box -- needs to fight this fall ... or he won't fight at all.

"If it doesn't happen before September, I'm gonna retire. I'm retiring from boxing. I'm retiring before I even step foot in the ring."

"If it doesn't happen, I'm just gonna move on to other things because I'm tired of chasing these guys."

Of course, Wilder hasn't fought since losing to Tyson Fury in February 2020 ... and has a list of potential big-time opponents he could face in his return.