TMZ.com Home

Russell Wilson and Ciara spent time inside a prison last week -- singing and dancing with over 300 inmates -- and the trip was so emotional ... Ciara actually appeared to be moved to tears.

The Denver Broncos star and the "Level Up" singer headed out to Everglades Correctional Institution in Florida to help lead a prayer with incarcerated men ... and you can see in video of their visit, the couple immersed themselves fully with the inmates right away.

Wilson read the group a bible verse ... before Ciara sang to the crowd. God Behind Bars, the org. that helped facilitate the trip, said it was all very powerful.

"The voices of the incarcerated were so loud, it felt like it could be heard by the entire prison," org. officials said in a social media post. "In a place so easily filled with so much division, there was a moment where Incarcerated men put their arms around each other and prayed for those struggling with anxiety and depression."

Wilson also shared his own video from the visit, showing him singing along loudly with inmates -- some of whom are serving life sentences -- to a popular gospel song.

Joe Exotic says the hit Netflix series surrounding his life is the worst thing that's happened to him, because it made the public believe he tried to kill Carole Baskin -- and yet, he's forgiven everyone, including Carole, as he faces the possibility of dying in prison.

We spoke to Joe Friday, he called in from federal prison in Fort Worth, TX ... and said what "Tiger King" became is what ruined his life. He says all the content he filmed was for a separate project -- years before 'TK' -- and after that producers used his interview, and added everyone else in the series to create a fake "conspiracy to kill Carole."

He says it was all done to get TV ratings, and he maintains he's the innocent victim of that production plot.

As we reported, Joe's currently battling cancer that's believed to have spread from his prostate to his bladder ... and as he faces his own mortality -- he recently signed a do-not-resuscitate order -- he says he's found a way to forgive Carole and even Jeff Lowe.

When it comes to Carole, Joe chalks their rivalry up to good business maneuvers -- he says it's common in the animal rescue industry -- and admits both he and CB benefitted from going after each other.

Joe gave us some insight into his day-to-day behind bars -- saying depression is yet another struggle for him. He also says he's shacked up with some interesting characters over the years ... including cartel leaders and Ted Kaczynski, AKA the Unabomber.

As for what's next, he says he's still holding out hope he'll be released from prison, and wants to tie the knot with his fiancé Seth Posey. He also talked about the fact he's officially running for President in 2024 as a Libertarian, and told us why he's the man for the job ... even though he's behind bars.

Bill Walton may be the king of out-of-the-box analysis, but he crossed the line while calling a college hoops game on Thursday ... dropping a derogatory word for little people -- twice.

The Hall of Famer and broadcaster used the m-word when calling the Arizona State vs. USC matchup ... when he was attempting to show praise for the Pac-12 Tournament's in-game host.

"He does not need a little chair because he is a giant in a world full of shriveling m*****s," Walton said during halftime.

Walton then turned to his broadcast partner, Dave Pasch, and cracked a joke ... saying, "Speaking of shriveling m*****s, what is your name again?"

Pasch responded by asking, "What is wrong with you?" He then did his best to move on from the awkward interaction to talk about the game -- but Walton interrupted.

"I'm guilty of having fun in Las Vegas, fun with a purpose," the 6'11" former center said ... before finally getting back to talking about the contest.

Pasch is heard chuckling as Walton goes through his analysis ... and fires off a zinger of his own as the focus gets back to the game.

"I don't know what you consumed at halftime."

If you're unfamiliar, the m-word has been deemed a derogatory slur by the Little People of America, which has urged people to stop using the term.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones found himself in hot water as well recently ... after using the term on the first day of his team's training camp last year.

The LPA fired off a response to Jones at the time ... calling on the NFL legend to apologize. He later issued a statement saying he was sorry.

As for the tourney matchup -- ASU beat USC, 77-72.

Versace's fashion show was an absolute hit -- despite a last minute call to move it up one day -- with some of the biggest names in Hollywood dressing to the nines to attend.

The fall/winter show wound up getting rescheduled from Friday to Thursday due to rain -- it was an outdoor event on the roof of the Pacific Design Center in WeHo. Based on the turnout ... everyone cleared their schedules.

Among folks in the building ... Dua Lipa, Miley Cyrus, Channing Tatum, Anne Hathaway, Lil Nas X, Allison Williams, Pamela Anderson, Matt Bomer, Ke Huy Quan, Lily James, Gabrielle Union and hubby Dwyane Wade, and Jeff Bezos and partner Lauren Sanchez.

Paris Hilton attended with her sister Nicky and mom Kathy ... as well as Demi Moore and  her daughter Rumer Willis -- and Elton John, Cher and her fiancé Alexander Edwards had front-row seats.

The models for the highly-anticipated show were also A-list ... Gigi Hadid opened the runway action, while Naomi Campbell, Emily Ratajkowski and Kendall Jenner also did their thing.

Ariana Madix isn't in the mood for her ex-bf Tom Sandoval's apologies for his affair with fellow "Vanderpump Rules" castmate Raquel Leviss ... because she's still steaming mad.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ariana's nowhere close to being able to process Tom's explanations and mea culpas, and she has no interest in speaking about it with him right now.

Instead, we're told Ariana's mood's been more like "screw you" ever since finding out her boyfriend of nine years was cheating on her with Raquel ... who AM used to consider a close friend.

As we reported, it took Tom a week to apologize to Ariana for the affair, fessing up to his mistakes and saying he was too selfish.

So far, it's fallen on deaf ears ... our sources say Ariana's down in Mexico for a friend's wedding, which was planned before the scandal rocked her world. Sounds like divine timing.

BTW, Tom was invited to the wedding too, but had bowed out due to a prior engagement ... again, a decision made before the cheating came to light.

We're told Ariana knows she's going to have to sit down with Tom and hash things out at some point -- they do have a house together -- but that's simply not a priority for her right now.

Denise Russo, known from VH1's "The X-Life," has died, TMZ has learned ... and we're told drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Denise was found unresponsive Sunday on the floor of a friend's home in San Diego. First responders arrived and attempted to resuscitate her, but she eventually was pronounced dead.

We're told drug paraphernalia was found at the scene. The cause of death is still pending, and San Diego PD is currently investigating.

Fans of the 2011 reality series remember Denise was part of one of the three couples on the show that followed the lives of extreme sports athletes and their partners. Denise was dating professional skateboarder Pierre-Luc Gagnon at the time. They had a son together, but had since broken up.

Susie Stenberg, Denise's friend and former "The X-Life" castmate, tells us Denise, unfortunately, was homeless and living in her car when she died ... adding Denise reached out to her just the night before to tell her she loved her.

Susie says Denise was "the most loving and loyal person."

Denise was 44.

Kristen Doute, one of Tom Sandoval's exes, is absolutely DRAGGING Tom Schwartz in the midst of her ex-beau's affair with Raquel Leviss ... saying the guy's silence is speaking volumes about who he is as a person.

The former "Vanderpump Rules" star didn't hold back on Friday's episode of Scheana Shay's "Scheananigans" podcast ... calling Schwartz a "f***ing p****" for not speaking out publicly about how he feels regarding the so-called "Scandoval."

She tells Scheana and Lala Kent that Schwartz has been texting her behind the scenes, allegedly claiming he's not cool with what went down ... but adds his lack of actions is what's messed up. For what it's worth, Lala seconds that emotion.

For those unaware, Kristen and Sandoval were quite the item way back in the day, before he moved on to Ariana Madix -- but their relationship went south when they both cheated on each other. Go figure.

Tom shared a kiss with Ariana, while Kristen slept with Tom's BFF, Jax Taylor, twice.

BTW, Kristen's one of many supporting Ariana during this mess, and she made sure everyone knows it by posting about her love for her pal.

Jane Fonda's looking phenomenal months after announcing her cancer went into remission ... and she's giving us some hilarious advice on how to look as great as she still does.

We got the legendary actress Thursday in NYC as she was heading into "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" ... she said she's doing okay, and tossed up a peace sign for fans and photogs.

We asked the obvious question, in light of how great she's looking ... "What's the secret?" Newcomers gotta see this, because JF kept it 💯!!!

She told us all ya need is, "Good genes and a lot of money."

Yeah, you can tell her spirits are up after revealing last September she had non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She underwent chemotherapy for 6 months, and then announced the cancer's in remission.

As she described the good news, at the time, "BEST BIRTHDAY PRESENT EVER!!!"

Siegfried & Roy's former Sin City estate is changing hands ... the palace where they famously lived alongside their tigers and lions is being sold to circus owners.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the new owners went under contract Wednesday on the Las Vegas mansion, which is going for the full $3 million asking price.

Brett Carden, owner of the Carden International Circus, tells us he and his father George are the folks buying the property ... and they've got big plans for the estate known as the "Jungle Palace."

Brett says he met Siegfried & Roy back in the day in Las Vegas when their circus was in town, and when he saw the home on the market he grew concerned someone might purchase the property and tear it down ... so he and his father swooped in.

We're told the Cardens view the home as an investment ... and they're thinking about turning the property into a tourist attraction or short-term vacation rental.

Remember ... the late Roy Horn lived on the property and raised the magic act's jungle cats there, even swimming with the animals in the estate's biggest pool and sleeping with them in the same bed.

The Moroccan-themed compound was built way back in 1954 before Siegfried & Roy bought it in 1982 ... and it includes an 8,750-square-foot main house, three guest houses, three pools, two detached studios and a jacuzzi.

There are amenities fit for a circus owner too ... the home also includes several animal enclosures and a bird sanctuary.

Kanye West's bringing his wife Bianca Censori around at least one of his children ... because they took his daughter North with them to a theme park.

Ye and Bianca spent some quality time with North at Universal Studios Hollywood on Thursday, the first time we've actually seen Kanye's new wife with any of the children he shares with Kim Kardashian.

The trio stopped by the carnival games at the park ... and played one of the basketball games.

Kanye bringing Bianca around his oldest kid is a sign their relationship is growing ... remember, when Kim was dating Pete Davidson he was spending time with North as well.

Of course, neither Kanye, Bianca or North are smiling in these pics ... guess Bianca is no Ice Spice.

The family theme park outing with North capped off a busy day for Kanye and Bianca ... as we told you, they went shopping earlier in the day on Melrose Place with a famous fashion designer.

Ja Morant was investigated by cops for assault after allegedly clashing with a high school student back in September ... TMZ Sports has learned -- but the NBA star was never charged over the incident.

According to a Germantown Police Dept. report, the interaction between the teenager and the Memphis Grizzlies point guard happened at Houston H.S. in Tennessee on Sept. 22 at around 7:10 PM.

In the docs, police say at an after-school volleyball game, Morant's sister -- who attends Houston H.S. -- got into a verbal argument with another student.

Witnesses on the scene, according to the docs, told officers both parties had called each other "bitch" -- prompting Ja's sister to contact Ja about it all.

A short time later, cops say Ja, Ja's mom and dad, Ja's baby daughter and "a group of" adult males all came into the gym together. According to the documents, most of the group -- excluding Ja's father -- went to confront the student in the stands at the game who had been quarreling with Ja's sister.

"Which one of ya'll called her a bitch?" Jamie Morant, Ja's mother, allegedly said.

Cops say in the docs they told Jamie she "can not come upstairs and confront the students and they did not need to make a scene at the school." But, officers say while they were talking, one of the men with Ja moved past police and walked toward students.

According to the report, witnesses on the scene said the man slapped a phone out of a student's hand who had been attempting to take a picture of Ja in the stands ... and then said, "I don't care about none of that, I will beat y'alls ass."

A witness later said that man "was about to pull a gun" -- though cops on the scene said in the documents they never observed a firearm during the incident.

Police say everyone eventually left the gym without further problems.

The next day, cops say the mother of the student who had been in the spat with Ja's sister wanted to press charges against all parties, including Ja, for intimidation and harassment. Cops say Jamie Morant also wanted to press charges against the student who had been in the tiff with her daughter for threats and intimidation.

Cops investigated Ja for simple assault, intimidation -- no physical contact, but no charges were ever filed.

The mother of the student, meanwhile, tells TMZ Sports her son was also investigated, but did not end up being charged either.

According to the police report, the Grizzlies' head of security -- ID'ed as Kevin Helms in the report -- came to the school to discuss the incident with authorities. Cops say Helms "was asked to give a verbal trespass warning to all parties per the request of the Principal."

We've reached out to the Grizzlies for comment on the situation, but so far, no word back yet.

The situation was one of at least three times in the last calendar year that Ja has been investigated by cops. In the summer, police probed into allegations that he roughed up a teenager during a pickup basketball game at his home. Earlier this week, cops looked into video he posted where he brandished a gun at a Denver-area nightclub. He was not charged in either incident.

Ja -- a 23-year-old, two-time All-Star who's considered one of the best young players in the NBA -- is currently away from the Grizzlies in wake of the gun video.

American actress Julie Michaels was only 19 years old when she was cast as the blonde beauty Denise -- who spends her nights dancing topless at The Double Deuce dive bar and in quarrels with her abusive boyfriend Jimmy -- in the 1989 spin-kicking Patrick Swayze action film "Road House."

While Julie's character sided with the crooked politics of Brad Wesley -- played by Ben Gazzara -- there were lots of good guys worth noting ... like Sam Elliott as the wily bar-brawling vet, Wade Garrett, Kelly Lynch as the quick-stitching love interest, Elizabeth "Doc" Clay ... and of course Patrick Swayze as the cool and calm bouncer with a hot bod, Dalton.

Take your best shot, Jake Gyllenhaal!

Robert Blake, the actor whose life was just as talked about off the screen as it was on, has died.

According to a statement released to the Associated Press on behalf of Blake's niece, Noreen Austin, Blake died Thursday from heart disease at home surrounded by loved ones.

Blake was infamously charged with the murder of his second wife, Bonny Lee Bakley, after she was found dead outside Vitello's restaurant in Los Angeles in 2001. Bakley had been shot in the head while sitting in Blake's vehicle.

Blake told investigators he had gone back inside the restaurant to retrieve a pistol when Bakley was shot and killed. It was later determined his pistol was not the murder weapon.

Blake's trial lasted about three months, but he was eventually found not guilty of murder and not guilty of one of the two counts of solicitation of murder ... the second solicitation of murder charge was also eventually dropped.

Blake's career in Hollywood spanned more than 50 years, starring in movies like "In Cold Blood," "Lost Highway" and "Treasure of the Sierra Madre." He also played Tony Baretta in "Baretta" ... a role that won him an Emmy in 1975.

Kanye West appears to be out and about, searching for inspiration ... because while he was out shopping with his wife, he was joined by a famous fashion designer.

Kanye and Bianca Censori went shopping Thursday on Melrose Place, with 424 designer Guillermo Andrade serving as the third wheel.

Ye hanging out with a fashion designer is interesting -- as you know, he's been dropped from Balenciaga, Adidas and Gap -- and it hints at a potential fashion collab down the line.

Kanye was back in a brown jacket, similar to the one we last saw him in a few weeks ago when he and Bianca stopped at a gas station ... another departure from his typical all-black look.

Meanwhile, Bianca was in black spandex and black boots ... with a beanie over her signature bleach-blonde short hair.

The shopping excursion seemed fruitless as the stars came up empty-handed ... aside from Bianca grabbing a bite from a food truck.

It will be interesting to see if anything comes out of this ... at least fashion-wise.

"Vanderpump Rules" star Scheana Shay isn't holding back on Raquel Leviss after she accused her of punching and injuring her ... calling Leviss a "liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her."

Scheana's attorney, Neama Rahmani, sent out the blistering statement Thursday, telling us, "This case is a fabrication by a known liar and a cheat who has betrayed everyone close to her. Scheana never punched Rachel [Raquel], period."

TMZ broke the story, Raquel was granted a restraining order against Scheana earlier this week, accusing Scheana of punching her in the head, leading to injuries around her eye.

Rahmani addressed the photos Raquel included in her court filing of the alleged injuries, saying, "The supposed dark markings around her left eye have been there for months."

As for what led to the alleged attack, Raquel says Scheana lashed out after the 'VPR' cast learned Tom Sandoval had cheated on Ariana Madix with Raquel. The judge granted a temporary restraining order until a hearing later this month.

Rahmani continues, "Neither Scheana nor other cast members want anything to do with Rachel going forward. The judge has only heard a one-sided account of what happened, and we look forward to presenting the full and true story at the March 29 hearing."

A third concertgoer has died following the massive confusion after GloRilla and Finesse2tymes' recent show in Rochester, NY ... and, it now appears that will be the venue's last event ever.

35-year-old Aisha Stephens died Wednesday night, according to the AP. She'd been critically injured at the Main Street Armory concert after fans mistook loud sounds for gunshots, and bolted for the door in unison.

Rhondesia Belton, 33, and Brandy Miller, 35, were named as the other 2 fatalities, prompting local police to revoke the Armory's license ... in order to ensure public safety.

Both GloRilla and Finesse had left the building before the stampede happened, but they've expressed remorse for the catastrophe.

Neither artist is under investigation for the incident.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Finesse in NYC, and he scoffed at being blamed for the tragedy -- nor is he concerned a lawsuit is coming his way.