Joe Exotic may have just gotten a break, because the star witness who testified against him in his murder-for-hire trial may have just shown the kind of bias that gets some convictions reversed.
We interviewed Allen Glover and many others for Monday night's 9 PM FOX primetime special, "TMZ Investigates: Tiger King -- What Really Went Down?" Glover made it clear ... he wished he could do more to hurt Joe as payback for, as Glover said, all the misery he caused people and animals. He even says he was gunning to pay Joe back.
As you probably know by now, Joe gave Glover $3k -- Glover says it was money to kill Joe's nemesis, Carole Baskin, but Joe says it was for him to get the hell out of the zoo.
Glover's testimony was critical, because he's the only person Joe actually gave money to, and that shows the overt act that the jury clearly felt proved Joe was out for blood.
But, what he told us -- that he wished he could do more to hurt Joe -- is the kind of bias that defense lawyers love, and juries look at with suspicion.
There's something else ... Jeff Lowe and others tell us about the number of people Joe spouted off to, saying he wanted to have Carole killed and even offered some as much as $50k to do the job. A lot of people felt those who are serious about murder for hire don't tell the world.
Tonight's special also gets into the new investigation into the death of Carole's second husband, Don Lewis. The Sheriff tells us he's suspicious of Carole and others, although he points out she's neither a suspect nor person of interest. Carole has denied any involvement in Don's disappearance.
And, we have exclusive information about various new federal investigations that are targeting people prominently featured in the series. We know the nature of the investigations, and why some federal agencies didn't give a damn until 'Tiger King' dropped.
We have lots of new videos, exclusive interviews and new information. Check it out tonight at 9 PM ET.
Howie Mandel is back judging "America's Got Talent" ... and while it's gonna be much different, he's hoping everyone is getting on his level when it comes to getting touchy-feely!!!
The comedian and famed germaphobe joined us Monday on "TMZ Live" to talk about 'AGT' getting back to work, shooting the show remotely. That seems to suit Howie just fine, considering the coronavirus scare they had on set last month.
You gotta see his description of the moment Heidi Klum coughed, throwing Howie into a tailspin. As we reported, 'AGT' lost its studio audience shortly after that, and then shut down altogether.
You'll recall, that was around the time Howie showed up in a hazmat suit to shoot the show. We all laughed, but he says the fear was real for him ... although, thankfully, Heidi ended up testing negative for COVID-19.
As for adjusting to life in the middle of a pandemic -- he's taking social distancing to the extreme, and has one major takeaway. The man who quit handshaking many years ago, says it's time everyone else realizes, "There's no reason to touch anybody!"
Howie and his wife just celebrated their 40th anniversary, but check out his prediction for making it to 41 ... if this lockdown continues much longer.😅
The XFL -- Vince McMahon's pro football league -- has officially filed for bankruptcy ... just days after folding the league, TMZ Sports has learned.
A league spokesperson tells us, "The XFL quickly captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people who love football."
"Unfortunately, as a new enterprise, we were not insulated from the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis."
"Accordingly, we have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code."
"This is a heartbreaking time for many, including our passionate fans, players and staff, and we are thankful to them, our television partners, and the many Americans who rallied to the XFL for the love of football."
Sources tell us ... the COVID-19 pandemic, which essentially shut down the league -- caused the XFL to lose "tens of millions in revenue" since it wiped out regular-season games and playoff games.
We're told ... despite the financial blow, employees were paid full wages up until April 12 as well as any accrued vacation days.
We're also told the XFL will refund ticket holders, and are currently in that process.
As for the filing, we're told the timing was to maximize the return investors.
Among the creditors ... XFL lists head coaches Bob Stoops ($1,083,333.33), Mark Trestman ($777,777.78), Jonathan Hayes ($633,333.33), Winston Moss ($583,333.33) and others.
A Florida man coughed on cops during his arrest, wishing them death from the novel coronavirus ... and it's all on police bodycam video.
The Volusia County Sheriff's Office says deputies were responding to a domestic violence disturbance Saturday after the suspect, Brent Smith, allegedly came home drunk and threatened his mother with a butter knife, leading to his arrest and some nasty threats towards cops.
In the video, Smith is sitting handcuffed in the back of the patrol car when he tells a deputy, "I hope you die. I hope you catch corona. I hope the coronavirus, I hope it latches on to you, I hope it makes you puke." Then the guy starts coughing again.
During his arrest, cops also say Smith started coughing and threatened to bash "their f***ing brains in."
Smith was booked with a slew of crimes ... threatening and assaulting a law enforcement officer, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery on a person 65 or older, tampering with a witness, robbery by sudden snatching, grand theft and violation of probation on an original charge of aggravated battery on a pregnant person.
As if threatening your own mother, allegedly, wasn't bad enough -- this guy had to go throw coronavirus in the mix, as Florida is reeling. The state has at least 19,895 confirmed cases of COVID-19, and over 460 people have died.
Rita Wilson going viral for spittin' "Hip Hop Hooray" -- and the remix that followed -- is giving Naughty By Nature a new lease on life ... one they're using to help others.
The rap trio came on "TMZ Live" Monday to tell us about the coolest part of their collab with Rita -- all the money from it is going to the MusiCares COVID-19 Relief Fund. Treach, Vin and Kay Gee told us exactly who will benefit from the fund ... and turns out, his timing couldn't be any better.
Fact is ... several people working behind the scenes on some of the biggest records and musical performances we all enjoy are struggling immensely right now, and NBN wanted to make sure the proceeds from their remix with Rita went directly into those folks' pockets.
Of course, this all comes after Rita posted a video of herself rapping to the classic '90s tune -- which then turned into a full-fledged collaboration between her and the boys here. The remix features Rita rapping in place of Vinnie ... and she plugs in seamlessly.
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As for how Rita got this good at rapping the song, well ... the fellas get into that story too. Turns out, she had to learn it for a movie role -- and the rest is hip-hop history, as they say.
There's another silver lining too in this joining of forces -- Naughty By Nature tells us the renewed interest in their music couldn't have happened at a better time, when people are at home and have nothing but time on their hands to discover old gems.
Might we recommend ... their entire discography? It's all gold 😎
Vanessa Bryant is reflecting on one of the most special days of Kobe's career ... wishing she had more time with the NBA legend on the 4-year anniversary of his retirement.
After 20 seasons in the NBA, Kobe finally hung it up on April 13, 2016 -- Mamba Day -- and went out in true Bryant fashion by dropping 60 points on the Utah Jazz.
Vanessa went to social media Monday to explain why the special day was more about family than basketball.
"My husband worked his ass off for 20 years," Bryant said on Instagram. "Gave it his all. All he wanted was to spend time with our girls and me to make up for lost time."
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"He wanted to be there for every single milestone and special moment in our girls lives."
Vanessa goes on to list how many accomplishments Kobe had in the 3 years and 9 months they shared of his time away from basketball.
"We had 2 more daughters, he won an Oscar, he opened Granity studios, he became a 5x best selling author and coached Gianna’s basketball team in that time."
Kobe and Gianna -- along with 7 others -- were killed in a helicopter accident back in January ... and Vanessa wishes she could change what happened that fateful day.
"I wish I could back to that morning, every day. I wish they had a normal local game on 1/26. Life truly isn’t fair. This is just senseless."
Since his passing, Kobe has been voted into the Basketball Hall of Fame and will be formally inducted later this year.
Joe Exotic's antics on 'Tiger King' have already made him a pop culture icon, but don't forget ... he's also a musician -- sort of -- and the popularity of his tunes is soaring too.
A rep for Spotify tells TMZ ... ever since Joe's track, "I Saw a Tiger," was added to the platform on March 30, he's gained listeners in every single one of Spotify's 79 markets.
As for which market's clamoring for the song the most ... the answer is Denmark!!! Yeah, go figure. We're told the Danish folks are streaming it at a higher rate than any other country, followed by people in the UK, Ireland and Iceland.
Americans, however, have listened to it the most times ... primarily thanks to a much larger population, but ya gotta believe it's because Joe is one of our own.
North Dakota's ranked as the state listening to Exotic at the highest rate, followed by Mississippi, Montana, Kentucky and West Virginia. For what it's worth ... Nevada, Hawaii and California are listening the least.
Spotify says along with his vast reach increase over the past 2 weeks, Exotic's averaging an 18 percent DAILY increase with his share of streams. We're told millennials are his biggest fans -- ages 25-29 are consuming Joe's music at the highest rate, followed by the 30-34 age range.
Of course, all of this is besides the fact the infamous imprisoned tiger breeder doesn't even write or sing his own songs ... that's all done by The Clinton Johnson Band. As we first told you ... the band's hoping to cash in on Joe's success too.
For more on 'Tiger King' ... check out a 'TMZ Investigates' special tonight on FOX at 9/8c.
Danny Goldman -- the actor best known for voicing Brainy Smurf in "The Smurfs" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.
Goldman died at his home Sunday night in front of friends and family while in hospice after suffering a couple of strokes around New Years ... this according to his longtime agent, Doug Ely. His death is not related to COVID-19. Ely took to Facebook to give his decades-long friend a touching tribute.
Ely wrote, "Danny was truly one of a kind. He always had strong opinions and didn't mind telling you about them. He was incredibly funny. He loved to root for the little guy and help wherever he could. He had a huge heart. We lost a good one today. He will be missed."
Goldman's acting credits date back all the way to 1963 with a stint in "General Hospital." He later landed roles in "Young Frankenstein" as a young medical student who questioned Gene Wilder.
Goldman also landed roles in "MASH" and "Busting Loose" but he reached stardom voicing Brainy Smurf when "The Smurfs" debuted in 1981 as a Saturday morning cartoon series on NBC. Brainy Smurf -- easily one of the most identifiable characters with his trademark thick glasses -- was known to never back down from sharing his smarts.
He'd hold on to that role until the series ended in 1989 but the show's popularity kept the series on the air via USA Network, the Cartoon Network and now the Boomerang channel.
Goldman would go on to land a ton of small roles on other shows including "Criminal Minds" in 2012. He was 80. RIP
Kate Beckinsale is proving she's got a type -- spry, strapping lads, 30 or younger -- and in this case, her new fella's on the younger end of the spectrum.
The actress was spotted out Sunday in Brentwood, where she was holding hands with Goody Grace ... a Canadian musician. Who also just happens to be 22. Heyo!!!
They seem pretty cozy here, and the PDA almost certainly signals dating. It seems they've been an item for at least a few months now -- Kate and Goody were also seen hanging out together back in January, and they definitely looked like a bit more than just pals.
Also of note, Kate's newest boo thang follows a trend of her going after young dudes -- especially lately. We're talking, of course, about Pete Davidson and comedian Matt Rife ... both in their 20s.
Kate's also been romantic with Jack Whitehall, who's in his 30s. Kate, BTW, is a smoking hot 46.
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Speaking of that, it's worth mentioning Kate seems to be doing what LOTS of older successful men often do ... date way below their respective age group.
So, more power to her! Congrats to Goody ... ya got a great one. Don't screw it up, bro.
The biggest mystery in Netflix's 'Tiger King' is whether Don Lewis was murdered and, if so, who did him in.
Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister tells TMZ, he's convinced one person could NOT have committed the 1997 murder ... he says someone must have helped and someone got paid.
Although Hillsborough says Don's wife, Carole Baskin, is NOT a suspect or person of interest, he tells us he's suspicious of her and he's also suspicious of others. Watch FOX Monday night at 9 PM for our special, "TMZ Investigates, Tiger King: What Really Went Down?" He explains exactly why he's suspicious.
The Sheriff's looking for someone to come forward -- maybe someone who helped who wants to clear his or her conscience -- and spill the beans.
Sheriff Chronister also makes it clear ... he's willing to deal with anyone who has info, and immunity is on the table.
Carole has strongly maintained she had nothing to do with Don's disappearance.
3:07 PM PT -- Two major sponsors have just cut ties with Larson ... with McDonald's and Credit One Bank blasting the driver for his actions while terminating their deals with him.
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"We were extremely disappointed and appalled to hear about this incident," McDonald's announced Monday. "The comments made by Kyle Larson are insensitive, offensive and not reflective of our inclusive values and will not be tolerated. McDonald’s is taking immediate action to terminate the relationship with Larson."
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Added Credit One, "Credit One Bank denounces the highly offensive language used by Kyle Larson during Sunday’s iRacing event. In addition to the quick actions taken by NASCAR and Chip Ganassi Racing, Credit One Bank is terminating its sponsorship of Kyle Larson."
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9:26 AM PT -- Larson just issued a video apology -- saying, "I just want to say I'm sorry."
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"Last night I made a mistake and said the word that should never ever be said and there's no excuse for that."
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"I wasn't raised that way and it's just an awful thing to say. I feel very sorry for my family, my friends, my partners, the NASCAR community and especially the African-American community."
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"I understand the damage is probably unrepairable and I own up to that. I just want to let you all know how sorry I am and I hope everybody is staying safe during these crazy times."
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8:05 AM PT -- Larson's team, Chip Ganassi Racing, just suspended the driver without pay while it investigates the situation.
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“We are extremely disappointed by what Kyle said last night during an iRacing Event," the team said in a statement ... calling Larson's comments "offensive and unacceptable."
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"As of this moment we are suspending Kyle without pay while we work through this situation with all appropriate parties.”
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7:25 AM PT -- A rep for NASCAR tells TMZ Sports ... "NASCAR is aware of insensitive language used by a driver during an iRacing event on Sunday, and is currently gathering more information."
Justin Botelho: “Oh, damn! He did not just say that.”
Yeah, BAD.
By the way, Larson is half Japanese and has talked about how the NASCAR "Driver for Diversity" program helped him get to the big show.
He is the only active NASCAR driver of Japanese descent.
FYI, the race itself was called Monza Madness -- at the famous Autodromo Nazionale Monza in Italy -- and featured top drivers from NASCAR, IndyCar, NHRA and the eSports world.
Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompsontrolled their daughter, True, for her 2nd birthday ... no, really, it was a 'Trolls'-themed birthday bash!!!
Khloe and Tristan surprised True Sunday morning as soon as she woke up with tons of presents all over Khloe's crib. Not to mention balloons and not one but TWO birthday cakes. After all, True was turning 2 and it was Easter Sunday.
Mom and dad aren't quarantining together -- Tristan just pops in for visits -- but they were in sync for True's day, taking turns blowing out her candles.
Tristan dedicated a couple of posts to True on Instagram and captioned it, "Happy Birthday to my sweet baby True. You have no idea how much daddy loves you. I can't believe how fast time has flown by. You will always be daddy's little girl. I love you soo much Tutu. Happy birthday day #DaddysTwin."
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Khloe's bday shout-out, "You are all of my unforgettable memories of the past few years, the precious magical moments of the present and the promise of a happy future. You are literally my entire world!"
True's gifts included 'Trolls' toys and a pretty badass ice cream stand. The rest of the Kardashians may not have been there but they sure chimed in virtually and through social media.
Auntie Kim Kardashian said, "I wish we could all be there to celebrate you today" -- and Grandma Kris wished her "angel bunny" a happy birthday.
George Stephanopoulos says he's tested positive for coronavirus -- a few weeks after his wife contracted it -- but says, so far, he's not suffering.
The 'GMA' anchor made the revelation Monday morning ... telling his cohosts, Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan, that his spouse, Ali Wentworth, was on the mend and getting better after a recent bout with COVID-19 that left her with a high fever and other symptoms.
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In the same breath, George -- who is working from home -- said he too had recently tested positive. The somewhat good news is GS says his case of coronavirus appears to be asymptomatic ... he says he hasn't shown any of the typical signs of illness.
In fact, George even goes so far as to say he's feeling great. It also sounds like George is gonna keep working. He shares two daughters with Ali, and he's been their primary caretaker while his wife has been under the weather.
As we've reported ... NBC, CBS and CNN -- all based in NYC -- have had staffers test positive, including Chris Cuomo ... who has been battling symptoms.
That's more a sign of how badly NY has been hit by the pandemic, than anything else.
7:52 AM PT -- TMZ Sports has obtained photos of the scene of the crash ... and they're horrifying.
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You can see in the pictures, Jackson's Camaro was overturned next to a tree on the side of the road ... and the car was severely mangled.
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The rear of the vehicle as well as the front of it appeared to have been heavily damaged in the crash ... while debris was scattered all over the road.
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7:14 AM PT -- According to law enforcement, Jackson's vehicle hit a tree just before 9 PM on Sunday -- causing the car to overturn. It was a single-car accident.
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Jackson was rushed to a local hospital where he was ultimately pronounced dead.
We're told Jackson was involved in a wreck late Sunday night in Alabama, where he grew up.
Russell Wilson tweeted about his former teammate early Monday morning -- saying, "TJack... you will be missed. Praying for your family...Love you man."
Recently, he had been working as a quarterback coach for the Tennessee State football team.
"My heart is so heavy with hurt hearing of the passing of Coach Jackson,” said TSU's athletic director, Teresa Phillips. “We were blessed with him for a short time but he did make an impact with our young men in this one season at TSU."
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to his young family and all who knew and loved him."
Added TSU head coach Rod Reed, "We are devastated. He was an awesome young man and he will be missed by our players, our staff and the TSU family."
Jackson was a stud football player in high school -- and later played at Arkansas before transferring to Alabama State, where he balled out for 3 seasons.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Jackson in the 2nd round of the 2006 NFL Draft, with head coach Brad Childress calling the QB a "diamond in the rough."
Jackson spent 4 years in Minnesota before signing with the Seahawks, Bills ... and then a 2nd stint with the Seahawks, where he served as Wilson's backup until 2015.
We spoke with Jackson's former Vikings teammate, Bryant McKinnie -- who spent 5 seasons with TJ -- about the passing of his longtime friend.
8:11 AM PT -- The fundraiser pulled in over $3.7M in total. We're told CÎROC joined the Combs family by donating the first $1,000,000 to the cause as part of the #WeAintGoinNowhere social movement.
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6:48 AM PT -- 4/13 -- Before the night was over, Drake jumped on Diddy's fundraiser to perform his viral "Toosie Slide" dance with Diddy and family. The two have come a longggg way since 2014 when Diddy punched Drake at a night club in Miami. The beef started over Drake's single "0 to 100 / The Catch Up" ... which Diddy allegedly had first, but never released ... the song was a massive hit for Drake.
Diddy's virtual dance-a-thon for coronavirus relief is going swimmingly -- so much so, he ended up cutting a digital rug with his ex,Jennifer Lopez, and her current fiance, A-Rod.
The Bad Boy boss got his Team Love dance-a-thon fundraiser started on Sunday -- which is meant to raise money for healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus fight -- and he hosted a slew of celebs who hopped on briefly and boogied with Sean.
One of the most notable cameos came from a former flame of Diddy's ... J Lo logged in at one point and danced with her old boyfriend, all while sitting in the company of her current boo, Alex. It made for a sweet moment -- no awkwardness that we can sense.
Jen tells Diddy that A-Rod is his biggest fan, and is apparently always asking her to slap some of Diddy's old hits, especially the ones with Mase on them. Well, Diddy obliged that fix right then and there in person, and all three of them started to get down. Eventually, it was just Diddy and J Lo dancing -- all with Alex's blessing, we have to assume.
Megan Thee Stallion doing the Savage challenge on Diddy’s story is the best thing on the internet right now pic.twitter.com/5I6kFvRtrY
Jonny Fairplay -- one of the most notorious "Survivor" contestants -- is pimping hard-to-get BUFFs for hardcore fans, who can use 'em as protection from the coronavirus.
The BUFFs were already for sale on Amazon and CBS' website but they've been sold out. Enter Jonny, who already has a well-earned rep as a scoundrel, with a stockpile of the merch that's signed by some of the show's biggest stars.
Check out the video ... Jonny says season 34 winner Sarah Lacina and "Arrow" star Stephen Amellare some of the signed BUFFs in his possession. He's selling them for $150 to $200.
We know what you're thinking, but Jonny swears 100% of the proceeds are going to a charity that builds Christian schools in South Africa.
As you know by now ... the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending the use of cloth face coverings to help slow the spread of COVID-19. It should be noted ... on CBS' website it explicitly says BUFFs "are not intended to be used as medical-grade face masks or as effective measures to prevent disease, illness, or the spread of viruses."
But, Jonny says something is better than nothing. 🤷🏽♂️
