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Josh Flagg is defending himself after getting slammed online for what critics called a tone-deaf real estate flex in the wake of Malibu's deadly wildfires.

On Tuesday, the real estate power broker posted a photo of two beachfront homes reduced to rubble in the 2025 Palisades fires captioned "JUST SOLD!" and noting one sold for $5 million, the other for $4.65 million. The post quickly drew hundreds of comments accusing him of insensitivity toward victims.

The comments section lit up fast, with critics calling the post "in very poor taste," "horrific," and "triggering and heartbreaking for a lot of people."

Now, Flagg tells TMZ the image never should've gone up. "I'm not going to sit back while people question my character," he tells us. "The photo used in my recent post was a mistake. My marketing team posted it without my review or approval ... I was on a transatlantic flight when it went up. I'm sorry if it offended anyone."

Flagg, who has represented many of the beachfront sellers of the properties affected by the fires, says the criticism ignores his long history of helping Malibu recover.

"Anybody who knows me knows I worked hard to help -- placing families who lost homes, speaking out weekly on CNN and FOX, and pushing back on idiotic policies that slowed rebuilding," he said, adding he's fought price gouging, pushed for a fair process, and stayed vocal about recovery.

"Those sales aren't just transactions -- they're helping Malibu residents rebuild and restore neighborhoods," he explained. "Showing progress is a positive sign, because it means a faster recovery and a brighter future for the community."

Within hours of the Palisades fires igniting, Josh opened his home to everyone from casual acquaintances to close friends including Melissa Rivers who had been displaced.

Taylor Swift says her father Scott Swift came out of quintuple bypass surgery cracking jokes ... and was the funniest he's ever been during a 15-minute comedy routine from his hospital bed.

Taylor shared the positive health update on her father during her appearance on the "New Heights" podcast with boyfriend Travis Kelce and his brother, Jason Kelce.

She says Scott learned he had 5 blockages in his heart after doing a resting stress test ... and doctors scheduled the surgery for the next day ... and she, her mother and her brother rushed to his side, despite Scott saying they didn't need to be there.

JaNa Craig is getting all kinds of love after her split from costar Kenny Rodriguez and now she's reacting to getting it from one of her favorite artists.

Cameras caught up with the "Love Island USA" star at LAX on Wednesday, and she was all smiles when asked about Lizzo name-dropping her in a new song, saying it's so crazy she did that. She says it's cute because she's getting so much love, adding Lizzo has been one of her favorite singers for years.

JaNa says she DM'd Lizzo immediately after hearing the track telling her she's her queen and thanking her for the love and support. She hasn't gotten a reply yet but she made a TikTok in response to the new song which features her name in the lyrics.

Taylor Swift says she had absolutely no clue how football was played before meeting Travis Kelce ... admitting she didn't even know the difference between offense and defense.

The "Bad Blood" crooner opened up about her pigskin knowledge on the latest episode of her boyfriend's "New Heights" podcast ... and she made it clear, the gridiron game was far from her forte.

She said on her first date with Kelce, she actually asked him what it was like to line up against his big brother, Jason, during Super Bowl LVII -- not realizing the two were offensive players.

Bryan Kohberger was on the phone with his mom less than two hours after killing four University of Idaho students and investigators say the timing shreds his alibi.

Digital forensics expert Heather Barnhart told PEOPLE, Kohberger called his mom at 6:17 AM on November 13, 2022 -- shortly after getting back to his Washington State University apartment after carrying out the gruesome murders of Madison Mogen, Kaylee Goncalves, Xana Kernodle and Ethan Chapin.

According to Barnhart, he tried calling his mom at 6:13 AM, then called his dad when she didn't pick up. Kohberger and his mom talked for 36 minutes, and at 8:03 AM, Kohberger rang her again for 54 minutes right around when prosecutors say he drove back toward the crime scene.

Taylor Swift says she broke down in tears when she told boyfriend Travis Kelce she had gotten the rights to her entire music vault ... and she got emotional recalling the moment she knew the deal was sealed.

Taylor was on the verge of tears on the "New Heights" podcast as she took Travis and his brother Jason Kelce through the process of buying her master recordings.

She said she had intrusive thoughts every day about not owning her masters ... and revealed she was overcome with emotions this past May when she bought them from Shamrock Capital.

Taylor Swift is giving fans their first look at her new album cover ... revealing the front and back of "The Life of a Showgirl."

The singer-songwriter dropped the first look at the album on her website and on boyfriend Travis Kelce's "New Heights" podcast Wednesday. Check it out ... TS is channeling her inner showgirl while underwater in a glittery, bedazzled bodysuit.

Of course, we knew Taylor showed the album on the podcast ... 'cause a promo clip from the episode showed the cover totally blurred out -- driving fans into a frenzy of wonder about the artwork.

Diddy’s cooling his heels in jail waiting for sentencing ... but his ex-GF Daphne Joy is handing herself a life sentence of bikini time -- and damn, she's bringing the heat!

Daphne's absolutely owning it in her halter-neck bikini -- which was working overtime to keep her assets in check -- striking sultry poses and whipping her hair like a full-on Baywatch babe in her sizzling IG display posted Wednesday.

Daphne was modeling hard AF -- debuting new colors in her Daphne Joy Swimwear line -- and yeah, the heat was cranked all the way up!

Oops, Britney Spears did it again ... posting another wild dancing video -- with a fragrant digital surprise for her nearly 42 million followers.

The singer-songwriter posted a new clip to Instagram Wednesday afternoon ... featuring Brit in a sheer mini dress covered in glittery gold material -- slit open in the middle to reveal most of her ample cleavage.

Brit's swiveling her hips, bending over at the waist to throw it back and tossing her long blonde locks around to and fro ... it's a classic Britney dance clip for sure -- one that always has her fans screaming "Gimme More!"

Priscilla Presley's lawyer is firing back at the former business partners suing her and alleging she let Lisa Marie Presley die so she could take control of Graceland ... telling us their lawsuit is one of the most shameful, ridiculous, salacious and meritless things he's ever seen.

Priscilla's attorney, Marty Singer, tells TMZ ... the lawsuit against Elvis Presley's ex-wife is "nothing more than a sad and vicious attempt to falsely tarnish the reputation of an eighty-year-old woman."

Singer says Priscilla's legal foes here are on their fourth different set of lawyers and he says the lawsuit is a "disgusting publicity stunt."

David Geffen is firing back at his estranged husband ... he says the guy's claims that Geffen promised to financially support him for life are bogus and a textbook shakedown attempt.

The billionaire just responded to a lawsuit filed by his estranged husband, David Andrew Armstrong (AKA Donovan Michaels) ... and Geffen flat out denies ever making assurances to take care of Armstrong financially for the rest of his life.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Geffen says Armstrong's claims are ludicrous and part of a contrived attempt to humiliate Geffen in public and extract a financial settlement.

3:48 PM PT -- Bri Stern's lawyer Tony Buzbee tells TMZ ... "As expected, Andrew Tate filed a counterclaim against Brianna Stern. This follows the lawsuit Ms. Stern filed against Tate in March for violent sexual assault. The tone of Mr. Tate’s counterclaim isn’t a surprise. He has openly proclaimed himself a woman-hater. He had the audacity to tweet: 'Literally everything females say is r******d.' Tate brags about how he treats women. This is a quote from him: 'Slap, slap, grab choke, shut up b*tch, sex.' When they were together, Tate told Ms. Stern 'If you don’t start being good, . . . I will f***ing rape you. Because that’s what you deserve.'

"He also told her 'if you ever f*** with me, I will f***ing kill you. I mean it. I will kill you.' Tate’s delusion is that he’s so important that he’s above the law. He isn’t. His counterclaim is junk and will be dismissed. More importantly, I can’t wait to get him in front of a Los Angeles jury.  He will finally be held accountable for his years of his outrageous and harmful conduct. Although Tate has attempted to scrub his social media, unfortunately for him, we have it all. Tate is nothing more than a big mouthed bully, but this time he picked the wrong person. Ms. Stern won’t be bullied."

Andrew Tate is going on the legal offensive against his ex-girlfriend Bri Stern ... he's now countersuing her, claiming she defamed him with what he says are fabricated allegations of sexual assault and abuse.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Andrew claims Bri orchestrated a deliberate smear campaign against him based on false claims that he choked her during sex despite telling him to stop.

Andrew claims Bri spread the false allegations in the media and online ... and he says she was out for profit, fame, and the destruction of his reputation.

Priscilla Presley exploited her own daughter's health crisis to gain control of the Elvis Presley Estate, allegedly yanking life support from Lisa Marie when her heart stopped, according to a new lawsuit -- but Priscilla strongly denies the claim.

Elvis' ex-wife is being sued by her former business partners, and in the $50 million lawsuit, they lay out serious allegations -- claiming "Priscilla pulled the plug within hours of Lisa being admitted" in January 2023 after suffering cardiac arrest.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the plaintiff's claim Priscilla made that fateful decision before Lisa Marie's daughter, Riley Keough, was able to get to the hospital -- and, despite Lisa Marie having signed a directive to "prolong her life."

It's time to put your celebrity knowledge and skills to the true test, and for all you reality TV junkies ... this should be a piece of cake! Can you guess which Hollywood hottie put his summer bod on full display in this eye-popping shot?!

Okay, so he may not live in Hollywood, but he definitely got his start here ... When he's not workin' out and bulkin' up, he loves hoppin' on a boat in Florida.

Need one more clue? Kristin Cavallari kissed him for an 'Uncommon James' photoshoot.

Damar Hamlin just covered his back with a tattoo that will forever serve as a reminder of the tremendous adversity he overcame nearly three years ago.

A video of famed tattoo artist Ganga threw up on his Instagram page this week shows the Buffalo Bills safety recently got several homages to the in-game cardiac arrest he suffered against Cincinnati in January 2023.

Ganga placed the words "Did We Win?" on the NFLer's neck to signify the question Hamlin asked docs when he regained consciousness. On one of the football player's shoulders, the artist etched Bo Jackson's tweet that answered Hamlin's inquiry.

Anthony Mackie was playing Captain Smooch on the streets of London -- caught locking lips with a mystery woman who looked very pleased with her assignment!

TMZ got the pics -- and let’s just say the "Captain America: Brave New World" star was in full smooth-operator mode in Notting Hill Tuesday ... getting handsy and swapping spit in a steamy embrace with the blonde babe.

The PDA-packed makeout sesh was a two-person show -- zero cares given. At one point, the Hollywood hunk even copped a smooth handful of her dress as they really went for it!