TMZ.com Home

Former "Zoey 101" star Alexa Nikolas says moving forward with a reboot of the show is a slap in the face, given the alleged abuse she and others endured at Nickelodeon.

We got Alexa as she was protesting outside Tri Star in West Hollywood -- where she says she was traumatized while making the hit show -- and she got candid about her misgivings toward old costars participating in the new version.

Alexa tells us the fact the reboot's even being produced disregards those who have come forward to speak about alleged abuse, and it sends a poor message to survivors everywhere ... not just at Nickelodeon.

She didn't hide her contempt for those involved in the show, telling us they're supporting a network she views as complicit in childhood trauma.

She says she wishes her former castmates were protesting with her ... or at the very least, supporting her for speaking out. Now, she just hopes they'll eventually come around to advocate for survivors and safe working conditions.

As we've told you, Alexa has been religiously protesting alleged abuse from higher-ups at the company. She's alleged she was pressured to drink at 18, got unwanted massages from an exec and was offered hush money.

ICYMI, there's been talk about bringing the show back. And, Nickelodeon reportedly announced production for a follow-up "Zoey 101" movie that has started this month with Jamie Lynn Spears as the exec producer.

With winter and cold temperatures in full swing, celebrities are getting their real claim to flame by cozying up to the fire. And of course, they're putting their Hot Hollywood flare on each snap ... so gather around and see which stars are bringing the heat!

Kourtney Kardashian wore nothing but a furry blanket and curled up by her fireplace, while ex-housewife Lisa Rinna owned it like a true beauty in front of her fire, and Brooklyn Beckham posted up in front of the flame and enjoyed a glass of red wine ... looking fine!

Lil Meech, the star of 50 Cent's "BMF" TV series, is off the hook in his Florida gun possession case ... and TMZ has learned it was all just a mix-up involving luggage.

Here's what happened ... Meech was arrested in December at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport after TSA agents spotted a 9MM in a carry-on bag he put through the security scanner.

Turns out the bag and firearm belonged to Meech's bodyguard, who was with the actor and told cops the gun was his. But, police ignored the bodyguard and busted Meech, accusing him of illegally carrying a firearm into the airport because he placed the bag onto the scanner belt himself.

Meech's powerhouse attorney, Bradford Cohen, tells TMZ ... he presented indisputable evidence to Broward County prosecutors that proved the bodyguard owned the pistol, including the purchase receipt, gun case and permit for the firearm.

Cohen also explained to prosecutors that Meech and the bodyguard share the same taste in luggage. As a result, Meech accidentally picked up the bodyguard's carry-on while they were rushing to catch a flight, and Meech's actual bag was accidentally left behind.

Strap into your harness, kick off those stilettos and hold on tight, because Gigi Hadid is taking her job to all-new heights. In order to find the minor changes in these two shots, you may need to pull your hair back and slap on your best runway face.

The high-flying momma was recently photographed in action ... clearly not afraid of being suspended up in the air. Since NYC tends to be busy and loud at all times, it's a good thing Ms. Hadid was able to amplify her voice and show 'em who's boss!

Rep. Hakeem Jeffries doesn't think Rep. George Santos should set foot in the Capitol again -- but he says it's on Republicans to give the freshman legislator the ol' heave ho after getting caught in so many lies.

The new Democratic leader in the House was on the west coast Friday ... we got him outside WeHo Bistro, and asked about all the heat Rep. Santos is getting, from both sides of the aisle.

Hakeem made it clear he views Santos as a GOP mess, and it's on them to clean it up after backing his campaigns, getting him to D.C. ... and "now the American people are stuck with this fraud."

As you know ... Santos has already been caught in a web of lies after winning the election in November -- he's admitted to lying about his education, work history and family heritage.

He's also accused of scamming a homeless Navy vet out of money earmarked to save his dying dog -- though the Congressman denies it, whatever that's worth.

Earlier this week, a person claiming to be an old friend of Santos posted a 2008 pic which they claim is him in drag at a pride event in Brazil.

Again, Santos denied he's ever been a drag queen and said the media "continues to make outrageous claims about my life."

Members of his own party are calling on Santos to step down, however, Republican leadership in Congress continues to back him.

Ex-3LW singer Kiely Williams is copping to being the ultimate B2K groupie/peer ... claiming she was once intimate with Raz B, Lil Fizz, and J Boog. Sorry, Omarion. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Kiely had no shame in her game as she made the revelation on the "Reality With The King" podcast, calling her relations with the B2K trio an "entanglement" -- a clever callback to Jada Pinkett Smith's famous description of her relationship with August Alsina.

3LW's popularity peaked in the early '00s -- the same time as B2K's glory years, so it wouldn't be uncommon for the groups to intermingle, especially while on the road doing shows.

Kiely says she's a grown-ass woman living her truth and continued to push the lines of TMI by further revealing there was one time she was with all three B2Kers at the same damn time!!!

Kim Kardashian's such a successful businesswoman, she's now teaching Ivy Leaguers a thing or 2 ... as some Harvard students just discovered.

Kim popped up for a speaking engagement Friday at Harvard Business School, and we're told she spent about 2 hours talking SKIMS with students.

Our sources say Kim and her SKIMS co-founder, Jens Grede, were invited to speak on the success of their biz ... sharing their knowledge and experience with the HBS' finest.

Yes, the underwear and leisurewear line is booming THAT much.

Kim and Jens gave their spiel to a course called Moving Beyond DTC ... which is taught by Harvard professors Len Schlesinger and Ayelet Israeli and executive fellow Matt Higgins.

Film crews were on hand to capture Kim's every move as she walked through the Cambridge campus. Naturally, the billionaire drew quite a crowd of students, professors, passersby and media wherever she went.

The SoCal native even got treated to some light snowfall.

Naughty By Nature's Treach and his "New Jack City" stage play costars are well aware of the real-life violence in hip hop today, and hope their production of the classic '90s film can scare the genre straight.

We got Treach, Gary Dourdan, Flex Alexander and the one and only Big Daddy Kane Friday in Burbank, CA -- they're putting on the play all weekend at L.A. Orpheum Theater, and they say the production doesn't shy away from violence ... even with the recent string of tragic headlines about slain rappers.

Treach says 'New Jack' highlighted the brutality of the '80s crack epidemic, and delivered the message "that wasn't the route to take." He's hoping today's generation will take that lesson and apply it to the rap game.

Flex says most of the cast has known each other for several decades, so it's been easy to mesh ahead of their live performances -- there's no "take 2" in theater -- and they all credit director Je'Caryous Johnson for getting them game-ready months in advance.

We recently got BDK 1-on-1 back in NYC, where he told us having Allen Payne -- who's reprising his role as Gee Money from the film -- was the cheat code the rest of the cast needed to stay in line with the original.

Speaking of those NYC shows, Gary tells us another OG star, Ice-T, showed up to put his stamp of approval.

For fans of the movie ... Treach plays Wesley Snipes' lead character Nino Brown, Gary steps into Ice's role of Scotty and Flex is Chris Rock's Pookie.

"Rust" actor Douglas Stewart is adamant about who's in charge of firearms on film sets, and says Alec Baldwin's getting a raw deal ... because actors are not typically responsible for gun safety.

Douglas shared his thoughts Friday on "TMZ Live" about the announcement Baldwin will be charged with involuntary manslaughter for the 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the "Rust" set.

Douglas says whenever he's been on a set with guns there have been strict procedures in place -- procedures that clearly state a stage manager or armorer is responsible for preparing and handing guns to actors.

As an actor, he says he's never been allowed to check a gun or open the chamber ... whether for TV, film, or stage play.

Most importantly, Douglas also says that's the industry standard -- that actors trust the professionals when it comes to firearms.

If so, that could become a crucial part of Baldwin's defense, should his case go to trial.

As for Baldwin's role as an executive producer ... Douglas says his understanding is that he was not involved in safety or day-to-day production in a hands-on way -- instead, he thinks Baldwin's title was more about finances and his compensation.

Douglas also told us the charges against Alec won't change his approach on film sets -- he still won't take it upon himself to check a weapon, but will ask the armorer to double-check in front of him.

He says he simply has no choice, but to be super cautious.

The filming of "Rust" with AB and the rest of the cast is set to resume this month with Halyna's widower Matt Hutchins now listed as an EP -- one of the terms of the settlement of his wrongful death lawsuit against Baldwin.

Authorities in Colorado say Derek Wolfe followed all the steps necessary in his hunt of a mountain lion this week ... confirming to TMZ Sports the former NFL player's killing of the animal was legal.

A spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife tells us ... Wolfe did all that was required of him in order to lawfully take down the big cat in Grant earlier this week.

According to the CPW, Wolfe obtained his mountain lion hunting license and is "in good standing" with the org. It also said Wolfe checked all the boxes necessary -- such as properly reporting the kill -- to make it all above board.

Wolfe himself insisted on his "The Drive" podcast that he did nothing wrong ... explaining, as he did in his initial post about the kill, that the male mountain lion was a menace to neighboring communities prior to its death.

"He was hiding under this lady's porch down the road," Wolfe said of what initially made him set out to kill the beast. "She told us, 'Please get rid of him. He killed my dog last year.'"

Wolfe added, "I love hunting deer and elk, and mountain lions kill deer and elk, and mature male mountain lions kill the cubs of female mountain lions to get them to go back into heat."

"I feel like I am doing my part by taking care of some of these Toms. It is not easy."

Wolfe said after an hours-long hunt for the animal, he eventually shot and killed it with a bow and arrow. He said the big cat was massive -- weighing around 200 pounds ... and spanning the entirety of his 6-foot-6 frame.

"That thing can kill anybody," Wolfe said.

Dakota Johnson is no fan of Armie Hammer, and made that perfectly clear when she dropped jokes about his cannibalism allegations ... and while the Sundance crowd seemed amused, she's also getting some backlash.

The actress took a few digs at Armie while presenting an award to "Call Me by Your Name" director Luca Guadagnino at the famous Park City, UT film festival.

Armie starred in the 2017 movie and Dakota joked ... "Luca had asked me to play the role of the peach, but our schedules conflicted. Thank God, because then I would have been another woman that Armie Hammer tried to eat."

In the movie, Timothee Chalamet's character performs a sex act on a peach, which Armie's character later discovers.

Dakota wasn't done there, she also told the crowd, "It's been 5 years since that film premiered here, and Luca hasn't stopped taking us to exciting places. Who knew cannibalism was so popular?"

Luca's latest film, "Bones and All," stars Timothee and it's about cannibalism ... and Armie's infamously been dogged by allegations he gets off on cannibalistic fetishes, which he vehemently denies.

Also relevant, is the fact LAPD has investigated some of those allegations for more than 2 years now, and Hammer has not been charged with a single crime. Dakota's getting online backlash from people who support Armie, and also from those who believe his accusers. The criticism is she was unfair to him, legally speaking ... or insensitive to the women.

A classic lose-lose.

Young Thug and one of his YSL co-defendants are accused of pulling off a hand-to-hand drug deal while in court, during jury selection for Thug's RICO trial ... and it's all on camera.

Courtroom surveillance footage captured the moment Wednesday in Fulton County Court ... Kahlieff Adams walks over to Thug and clearly hands him an object. Aside from the cameras, at least 2 bailiffs were just a couple feet away, saw the whole transaction, and immediately nabbed Adams.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, a deputy later discovered the object was a baggie of Percocet pills. While Adams is a defendant in the YSL RICO case, he is already serving a life-without-parole sentence for murder.

Thug's lawyer Keith Adams, no relation, denies his client had anything to do with the drug deal, as the state claims in docs. He says Thug complied after being instructed to hand over the pills to the deputy,

BTW, when deputies searched Kahlieff they say he had more percs, marijuana, tobacco and other contraband wrapped in plastic and food seasonings to mask the scent of the weed. He was taken to a nearby hospital, because authorities suspected he swallowed other drugs in an attempt to conceal them.

Both Thug and Adams are being blamed for delaying court … not the best impression for Judge Ural Glanville, who's had his hands full with the case before it even got off the ground.

Tyler Stanaland is warning "Selling the OC" fans ... don't expect to see his divorce from actress Brittany Snow play out in the show's upcoming seasons.

We got the reality TV star at LAX -- he's heading to Dubai -- and asked him if producers on the Netflix series are planning to make a big deal out of how things ended with his estranged wife.

TMZ broke the story ... Brittany filed for divorce Thursday after two years of marriage to Tyler.

He and Brittany announced their separation in September, but the pro-surfer-turned-real-estate agent says all his relationship drama is best left in the past.

Netflix just picked up "Selling the OC" for 2 more seasons ... so there's lots of air time to fill ... but Tyler says he wants the show to focus on what's happening in real-time once filming begins, instead of looking back on his marriage.

But, it's hard to blame fans for wondering if Tyler's split would be a major story line ... remember, the separation came amid rumors Tyler was hooking up with his costar, Alex Hall.

Eagle-eyed fans noticed Tyler and Alex are in Dubai together right now -- after she posted a video at the pool showing Tyler's leg tattoo.

Despite how it seems, sources close to Tyler say it's all business -- they were invited as influencers to attend the grand opening of Atlantis the Royal resort ... where Beyonce's performing this weekend. We're told the company that invited them booked separate flights and separate hotel rooms for them.

We're told there's nothing romantic between Alex and him -- they still insist they're just friends, and as Tyler told us at LAX ... he would never date someone from the show.

Lisa Marie Presley's family and closest friends will get their chance to give her a personal goodbye before the public descends on Graceland to pay respects this weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Lisa Marie's 3 daughters, her mother Priscilla Presley, exes Danny Keough and Michael Lockwood will all be a part of a small group gathering at Graceland before Sunday to mourn her loss.

We're told the ceremony will be extremely private, and those attending will be asked to sign an NDA to prevent details about the service leaking.

Our sources say in addition to the private memorial, the family will also attend Sunday's public service at Graceland. We're told the family is assuming Austin Butler -- who played Elvis in the new Oscar-buzz-worthy film -- will attend Sunday, but he has not yet confirmed.

As for Lisa Marie's twin 14-year-old daughters, Harper and Finley Lockwood, our sources say they've been staying with their dad, Michael, at his home since Lisa Marie died.

TMZ broke the story -- crews at Graceland got to work earlier this week preparing Lisa Marie's plot ... across from her dad, and next to her son, Benjamin, who died by suicide in 2020.

The L.A. County Coroner has not yet determined Lisa Marie's official cause of death ... and toxicology test results will take several months.

Yung Miami didn't hold back during a discussion about her bedroom fetishes on the latest episode of "Caresha Please," and now fans think her BF Diddy's running a streaming service!!!

Miami and her fellow 305 rap queen Trina were getting sauced while playing a drinking game called "Resha Roulette" ... when she revealed she's into getting peed on during sex!!!

Trina, who's been flipping foul lyrics since Miami was a toddler, was seemingly at a loss for words -- although she copped to making it rain on men, she was confused if her bodily fluid constituted a golden shower. 😅

As for Miami's love for water sports ... the internet soaked it up, immediately directing so many jokes at her man, "Pee Diddy" was a trending topic!!!

Miami and Diddy's relationship has been a big part of fan conversation as of late -- particularly after the Bad Boy mogul recently had a baby girl with another woman.

Idaho murders suspect Bryan Kohberger grabbed a bite or 2 at a restaurant where 2 of the slain students worked, and he did so not long before the murders were committed ... according to a former employee.

The restaurant's called Mad Greek, and the ex-staffer -- who wasn't identified -- told People Kohberger visited the downtown Moscow eatery at least twice. Madison Mogen and Xana Kernodle, 2 of the 4 victims, worked as servers there, but it's unclear if they ever had any direct interactions with Kohberger.

The employee says there wasn't anything suspicious about Kohberger at the time, although his order stood out, which is why they remembered him -- he reportedly asked for a vegan pizza, wanting to make sure no animal products were used in it.

Kohberger also "slid into one of the girls' DMs several times," according to a different source who told People the messages simply said, "Hey, how are you?" over and over again. The person didn't say which one of the 3 female victims Kohberger messaged.

As we reported, the search warrant for Kohberger's home, obtained by TMZ, noted there was a significant amount of blood spilled in the murder house ... and police seized items with dark red and brown stains from his apartment.