TMZ.com Home

Barbara "Babs" Thore, known to many as Whitney's mom on "My Big Fat Fabulous Life," has died.

Whitney broke the news to fans Thursday ... saying her mom died Wednesday "just as the credits rolled on her favorite movie." She says the time she passed -- 10:32 PM -- was also the exact time Whitney was born back in 1984.

Whitney says her mom suffered from cerebral amyloid angiopathy ... an unfortunately untreatable condition that can cause brain bleeding, strokes and dementia. She says Babs had been having strokes since 2017.

She goes on to share her love for her mom, and her pain about the tragic loss -- she ends the post directed at the fans, "We are unbelievably thankful that we've been able to share her with you and it is our hope that her memory will continue to be a source of comfort and happiness for the rest of your lives ... I love you, mommy."

Fans of the show remember Babs in all 10 seasons of the TLC show ... as the series progressed, a portion of the show began focusing on her health struggles with her condition.

The 10th season saw Babs' road to recovery, and release from the hospital after suffering one of her strokes. TLC has yet to announce whether the hit series will return for the 11th season.

Babs is survived by Whitney, as well as her son, Hunter, and her husband, Glenn.

She was 76.

Two Kansas high schools say they've launched an investigation after several students at a recent basketball game allegedly yelled the n-word -- while waving around a Black doll.

The incident went down Saturday -- when the Topeka H.S. boys basketball team took on Valley Center H.S. in Valley Center, KS.

During the contest, according to Topeka players, several VC students hurled racial slurs and offensive language at them. They also say some of the spectators taunted them with a Black baby figurine.

One video shot by a Topeka student shows the doll being held up by some fans in the stands as the action was unfolding on the court. Another clip appears to show students calling one of the players a "p***y."

Topeka head coach Geo Lyons said in a change.org petition that despite the "racial slurs, threats and disgusting taunts" -- Valley Center officials "did not address any of these actions while play was taking place although they were very aware."

On Tuesday, Valley Center officials said they hadn't found any evidence of racist language being used at the game ... but on Wednesday, they, along with Topeka admins, released a joint statement explaining they've launched a probe into it all -- and investigations are ongoing.

"As both districts work in a unified manner to investigate matters related to the athletic events on Saturday, we as superintendents are both committed to ensuring a safe and respectful climate at school events," the statement read.

"Incidents that occurred when individuals did not conduct themselves in ways that reflect our commitment to supporting students have been handled, and there are investigations that are ongoing. We will work together to ensure the appropriate individuals are held accountable and work together to prevent such incidents in the future."

The American Girl doll brand is standing its ground after getting a ton of backlash for a book that encourages young girls to explore their identity, and offers info about transitioning.

The company tells TMZ, "We value the views and feedback of our customers and acknowledge the perspectives on this issue. The content in this book, geared for kids 10+, was developed in partnership with medical and adolescent care professionals and consistently emphasizes the importance of having conversations and discussing any feelings with parents or trusted adults."

AG continues, "We are committed to delivering content that leaves our readers feeling informed, confident, and positive about themselves."

The franchise is known for promoting self-esteem among young girls, but it had a lot of folks up in arms for selling its book, "A Smart Girl's Guide: Body Image Book". Some social media users accused the company of promoting puberty blockers to children ... and convincing them they're born the wrong way.

One of the specific sections that got a lot of pushback reads, "If you haven't gone through puberty yet, the doctor might offer medicine to delay your body's changes, giving you more time to think about your gender identity."

Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout crossed paths on a UAE airport tarmac in the hours after the United States and Russia agreed to a prisoner swap ... and the moment was all captured on video.

The footage, shot by Russian state media outlet TASS, was released on Thursday afternoon.

In the clip, you can see Griner, wearing a red jacket, walking along with officials outside of private planes ... before coming into contact with Bout.

The men in the video all shook hands once they got within feet of each other. It's unclear if Griner and Bout did the same -- the video cut out as the WNBA star appeared to step toward the arms dealer.

In the footage, you can clearly see Griner's signature dreadlocks have been cut off. The last time we saw her at a court hearing in late October, her hair had still been long.

Further video released on Thursday shows Griner was in great spirits after the trade between the two countries was made ... telling someone on a plane that she was "good" -- and "happy."

Griner had been detained in Russia since February -- following allegations she brought hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport. In August, she was sentenced to nine years behind bars in the case.

Her wife, Cherelle Griner, said Thursday morning at the White House she was ecstatic her wife was on the way home ... explaining she felt her family was "whole" again.

Kanye West has lost friends, business deals and billions of dollars for his hatred, and now he can add losing an honorary college degree to his woes ... cause the School of the Art Institute of Chicago has taken it away.

According to a school letter, obtained by TMZ, honchos decided to rescind Ye's degree, stating, "His anti-Black, antisemitic, and incendiary statements, particularly those directed at Black and Jewish communities, are disgusting and condemnable".

The letter, written by President Elissa Tenny, continues, "As a community, we know that there are varying opinions on what our School’s response should be––even as we all agree that his behavior is indefensible."

The disgraced rapper was awarded an honorary doctorate back in 2015 for his accomplishments and contributions to art and culture, but Tenny notes, "his actions do not align with SAIC's mission and values."

As we reported, Kanye was on "Infowars" last week claiming his love for Hitler and Nazis.

Courtney Clenney, the OnlyFans model accused of murdering her boyfriend, has been denied bond ... mostly because the court doesn't buy her claim that she killed him in self-defense.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a Florida judge isn't allowing Clenney to be released on bond while she awaits trial -- saying her description of how her BF, Christian Obumseli, got his fatal stab wound "is not supported by the evidence."

Specifically, the judge didn't buy Clenney's claim that she threw a knife at Obumseli from more than 10 feet away ... noting the medical examiner's testimony indicated the wound was too deep and required more pressure than could have been applied from throwing the blade.

The judge also ruled that releasing Clenney was not warranted because there are worries Clenney could leave the country ... noting she's got a ton of cash to do so if she wanted.

Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter is being sued for sexual battery, after an alleged incident with a minor back in 2001 ... an incident our Carter sources say is totally false.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Shannon Ruth -- who says she was 17 at the time of the alleged assault -- was invited by Carter to his tour bus after a Backstreet Boys concert in Tacoma, WA while waiting in the autograph line.

The docs say Ruth, who has autism and cerebral palsy, was asked if she wanted a drink ... she asked for apple juice, and Carter allegedly told her he had cranberry -- giving her a "red-colored drink."

Ruth says the drink tasted off, and Carter called it "VIP juice" ... but drank it to not be rude. She now believes it was a mix of alcohol and cranberry juice.

According to the docs, Carter then brought her to the bus' bathroom, and ordered her to perform oral sex on him ... Ruth claims she was crying during the ordeal, but he kept instructing her.

She then says Carter took her to a bed on the bus and continued to sexually assault her ... and after the incident, she allegedly said she'd tell people about what he did, but he threatened to turn others against her -- calling her a "r******* little bitch" that no one would believe.

The docs say Ruth, who claims she was a virgin before the alleged assault, had contracted HPV afterward ... and she's now seeking damages.

A source close to Nick tells us, "This accusation is categorically false, Nick is focusing on his family and mourning the death of his brother."

As we reported, Nick's faced rape allegations in the past, but has never been charged with any crimes.

Paul Whelan ain't happy that he's still behind bars in Russia ... saying Thursday he's "disappointed" with Joe Biden and his administration after he wasn't included in the Brittney Griner deal.

Whelan spoke with CNN from a penal colony in Russia just hours after the U.S. successfully swapped arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner ... and he expressed angst that he's still behind bars -- while the WNBA star is on her way home.

"I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release, especially as the four year anniversary of my arrest is coming up," said Whelan, who's been locked up in Russia on espionage charges since 2018.

"I was arrested for a crime that never occurred," he continued. "I don't understand why I'm still sitting here."

It should be noted, Whelan is obviously a prisoner ... and certainly could've been coerced into expressing disappointment in Biden.

The retired Marine did, according to CNN, say he was "very happy" for Griner ... but he noted the conditions he's in, and the way he's being treated by Russian authorities, couldn't be further from ideal.

"It's quite obvious that I'm being held hostage," he said.

Whelan added that he hoped the Biden administration "would do everything they could to get me home, regardless of the price they might have to pay at this point."

"My bags are packed," he said. "I'm ready to go home. I just need an airplane to come and get me."

Whelan is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence.

Biden said Thursday that Russia would not budge when the U.S. tried to include Whelan in the Griner swap ... but he insisted that he and his administration are doing everything in their power to get him back.

Brittney Griner's on her way back home ... and plenty on U.S. soil are celebrating her freedom -- including Barack Obama, the NBA and the WNBA.

All three released statements following the news of the 32-year-old's release from Russian custody -- with Obama saying he's "grateful" ... while praising Joe Biden for helping facilitate the trade.

"Kudos to @POTUS and his administration for the difficult diplomatic work involved to make it happen," Obama said. "We’re looking forward to having Brittney back home."

The commissioners of the NBA and WNBA, meanwhile, both said they, too, are "thrilled" with Thursday's prisoner swap.

"The WNBA is grateful beyond measure to the Biden Administration, the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, and all those who played a role in bringing BG home today," Cathy Engelbert said.

Added Adam Silver, "We thank the members of the NBA and WNBA community who never wavered in their efforts to raise awareness of Brittney's unjust circumstances."

Griner had been detained in Russia since February ... after authorities accused her of having hashish oil in her luggage as a Moscow airport. She was slated to remain in a Russian prison for the next nine years -- but after the U.S. agreed to trade arms dealer Viktor Bout, she was allowed to return home Thursday.

Biden said he spoke with the WNBA star after making the trade, saying she was "in good spirits." Her wife, Cherelle Griner, said she felt like her family is now "whole" again.

Kyrie Irving and Hillary Clinton were among other celebs, athletes and politicians who shared their joy over the news on their social media pages Thursday.

Not all, however, have been thrilled with the prisoner swap -- with some, including Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons, upset that wrongfully imprisoned Marine Paul Whelan was not included in the deal.

But, Biden and other U.S. officials said Thursday they're still working tirelessly to bring him home ... with the president saying in an address to the nation, "We are not giving up. We will never give up."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell Netflix documentary isn't just a shot at the royal family over racism -- it also reveals her perspective, as she says, people didn't treat me like a 'Black woman' before moving to England.

In episode 2 of "Harry & Meghan" ... she says she never thought race would play such a big part in her marriage with Harry -- because growing up in L.A. as a mixed-race woman, being different had not been an issue for her.

Meghan says, "Now people are very aware of my race because they made it such an issue in the UK."

She added that before that, "most people didn't treat me like a Black woman," and as a result, she and her parents never had "the talk" about racism in America ... as most Black parents do.

The couple also got candid about their engagement in November 2017 ... saying the proposal was anything but natural, with Meghan laughing about the "orchestrated reality show."

On a much more serious note, Harry addresses his infamous costume -- he dressed up as a Nazi for a 2005 party -- and calls it the "biggest mistake in my life.”

He details the steps he took to learn from that moment, but admits there was a chance he could've mistakenly ignored all the criticism.

After nearly 10 grueling months behind bars in Russia, Brittney Griner is finally heading back home.

U.S. officials said Thursday they've struck a deal with the foreign country ... agreeing to a prisoner swap to free the WNBA star.

It's a 1-for-1 trade ... with the U.S. slated to send over Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout -- AKA the "Merchant of Death" -- in the swap.

President Joe Biden revealed Thursday morning that he personally spoke with Griner after executing the trade, adding, "She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home."

Griner has been detained in Russia since February -- after she was accused of bringing hashish oil in her luggage to a Moscow airport. In August, she was sentenced to nine years in prison. An appeal of that ruling was denied in October.

Last month, the 32-year-old had been moved to a prison in Mordovia ... where experts said she was facing homophobia, racism and 16-hour work days.

At the time, reps for Griner said she was "trying to stay strong."

At a news conference Thursday morning, with Griner's wife, Cherelle, at his side, Biden told the nation, "I'm glad to be able to say that Brittney is in good spirits. She's relieved to be finally heading home."

Cherelle added, with a big smile on her face, "Today my family is whole."

As for Paul Whelan, another American who the U.S. has classified as wrongfully detained in Russia, Biden confirmed Thursday they are still actively negotiating for his release.

"We are not giving up," he said. "We will never give up."

Pete Davidson is back on Instagram, but there's a catch ... it's a joint page with Eli Manning!!

Yes, the former Giants star quarterback and comedian joined forces to launch the IG page together ... debuting the account Wednesday night with an IG video in Davidson's apartment.

"Hello Instagram," Davidson said on his Giants-themed bed, "I have decided to come back, but only with the GOAT."

"Stay tuned for more photos on the gram!"

The duo shared a video and a couple of photos, including a pic of Davidson's small helmet tattoo. Eli captioned the post, "confirmed ... Pete's a Giants fan."

The guys also worked on one-handed catches (a la Eli to Odell Beckham Jr. vs. the Dallas Cowboys) ... and Davidson has hands!

Fans loved the idea of the joint account ... they flooded their comments with support, with one saying, "lmfao the link up I never knew I needed 🐐".

FYI, Pete -- who's been MIA from IG since 2018 (he occasionally returns before deactivating again)  -- and Eli already have over 17k followers, as of Thursday morning.

Kyrie Irving gave the middle finger to Nike with a message on his signature shoes Wednesday night ... covering the swoosh logo and etching "I am Free Thank You God I am" on a patch of tape after his breakup with the sneaker giant.

Irving hit the court at Barclays Center for the first time since becoming a shoe-free agent on Monday ... and while he decided to keep wearing his own kicks, he made sure to distance himself from his former partner.

Irving rocked the Nike Kyrie 3 PE in the "Raygun" colorway for the matchup against the Charlotte Hornets ... but if you look closely, the side logo is covered with black tape.

Kyrie switched kicks mid-game -- which is not uncommon for NBA players -- and the second pair also had the Swoosh scribbled out with black marker.

You'll recall ... the brand suspended its relationship with Kyrie after he tweeted a link to a film containing antisemitic content ... saying there was no place for hate speech at Nike.

Irving, however, continued to don Nike sneakers during games ... though it's unclear if he was contractually obligated to or if the decision was a personal choice.

Right after news broke that the Kyrie era was over at Nike, the 30-year-old tweeted out a GIF that read, "There's nothing more priceless than being free."

ABC is diving deeper into Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes' relationship to make sure the 'GMA3' co-anchors haven't violated any company policies during their whirlwind romance.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... ABC's human resources and legal departments are working together to look into all aspects of the high-profile co-workers hooking up. The goal is to determine if Amy and T.J. did anything to breach their contracts -- such as using company resources, like vehicles or drivers, to meet romantically ... or pressuring staffers to keep the relationship on the DL.

We're told some people at the network were upset about ABC News' President Kim Godwin's comments on Monday morning's editorial call -- when she said the couple did not violate company policies -- because the network hadn't yet taken a closer look.

Our sources say the review started to heat up internally last Friday when news broke of an alleged affair T.J. had with a former 'GMA' producer years ago.

We're told Godwin worked through the weekend with other executives before deciding to pull Amy and T.J. from the anchor's desk.

As we reported, Amy and T.J. were taken off the air Monday after Godwin called the situation an "internal and external distraction."

That part is clearly true, but again, other execs feel she went too far in telling the team there were no company policy violations -- we're told it was just too soon to know.

Celine Dion is coping with a serious disorder that makes people unable to talk or walk -- and as a result, she's forced to postpone her European tour once again.

The singer was very emotional early Thursday morning as she revealed her diagnosis, telling fans about the extremely rare neurological disorder called stiff-person syndrome.

Celine says it's the reason she's been suffering spasms lately, and it's affected "every aspect of my daily life" -- and it's made it difficult for her to sing at her full ability.

Celine then breaks the tour news to fans ... before adding she's got a team of medical professionals working on getting her back into performance mode, but it hasn't been easy.

Stiff-person syndrome only affects about one in a million people, and it can cause frequent muscle spasms due to heightened sensitivity to things like touch, emotional distress or noise. It can leave some unable to walk or, in severe cases, speak.

Celine's concert was set to kick off February in the Czech Republic -- but it's now slated for March 2024, according to her site. A handful of other shows were canceled, too.

Tia Mowry and her estranged husband are coming back together ... at least for the holidays, 'cause they'll be spending them together as one happy family.

We caught up with the "Sister, Sister" star and asked about her holiday plans this year ... now that she's filed to divorce her estranged husband, Cory Hardrict.

Tia tells us, she and their 2 kids, Cree and Cairo, will absolutely be spending the holidays with Cory -- because, no matter what, they'll always be family.

We gotta say ... she was wearing a huge smile as she spilled the deetz.

TMZ broke the story ... Tia filed for divorce back in October ... pulling the plug on their 14-year marriage. Soon after, she made it clear she and Cory would remain friends.

It was the kinda thing lots of divorcing celebs say, but now it looks like Tia and Cory are walking the walk. As she told us, "Family is family" and that's super important to her.

The holiday plans might not be a complete shock -- the last time we saw Tia, it was evident there's still a ton of love between them. She said they were doing "amazing" with co-parenting and she had no complaints.

As for reconciliation ... back then she said she was "taking everything a day at a time."