TMZ.com Home

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are all in on being a couple ... because now they're wearing matching clothes ... yes, the dreaded matching clothes!!!

Check out these pics of Ben and J Lo hitting up Westfield Mall in L.A. for a Tuesday afternoon shopping spree ... they're dressed up super nice for a midday adventure, and it looks like they're coordinating outfits.

To be specific ... Ben and Jen are both rocking dark sunglasses, black tops, grey bottoms, ice on their wrists and black shoes. Even J Lo's black bag is matching her boo's look.

Bennifer 2.0 is also walking in lockstep, holding hands ... almost like they've done this whole couple thing before.

Matt Damon is tired of playing hardball - the dude wants out of California ... and is offering his house at a significant discount toward that end.

Matt slashed the asking price of his massive Pacific Palisades mansion -- which sat on the market since January at $21 million. Now, he’s taken $3.1 mil off the top ... and is listing it for $17.9 mil.

Here’s hoping the reduction helps, ‘cause the dude and his fam seem to wanna get a move on with their lives in NYC -- where they recently snapped up a luxury duplex ... and where they seem to be restarting.

The house itself is a beaut -- and at $17.9M ($3 million more than what MD paid in 2013) ... it's a gotta have, right?

The house has 7 bedrooms and 10 bathrooms, and all the special touches you can imagine. There’s a climate-controlled wine cellar, a wine-tasting room, a massage room, a private gym, a pool and even a children’s den.

Billy Crystal and his wife's public support for Gov. Gavin Newsom was halted after a thief made off with a yard sign outside the actor's home ... and now police are investigating.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... there has been a rash of political signs being stolen from homes in Pacific Palisades, and Billy's place was among those that got hit.

We're told the signs being yanked out of lawns were all in support of Newsom and against the recall effort.

Our sources say Billy's wife, Janice, was pissed about the sign being stolen and told neighbors about it ... and they eventually got the case looped into a larger investigation by the LAPD.

The good news? We checked out Billy and Janice's place on Tuesday, and they've got a new sign proudly displayed outside.

As you know, Newsom is facing a recall effort, squaring off against a wide range of candidates including celebs like Caitlyn Jenner. The Republican leading the pack is conservative talk show host Larry Elder.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are chipping in to help those in the hardest-hit areas of Haiti following the devastating earthquake earlier this month.

TMZ's learned the couple sent a donation of $10,000 to Hope for Haiti to aid in the country's quake relief efforts, which has been an ongoing struggle in Southwestern Haiti since the 7.2-magnitude quake hit on August 14.

We're told Blake and Ryan's donation will be used to set up mobile clinics in the communities where there's the most need, as determined by the Ministry of Health.

In addition ... the org will use the money to cover distribution costs to continue to deliver dry food and warm meals -- donated by World Central Kitchen -- to families in these hard-hit areas in Southern Haiti.

There's also a big push to get emergency kits packed up and distributed soon ... so more donations are needed. The good news is Hope for Haiti is awaiting some big shipments of emergency relief and medical supplies from large U.S. companies like Amazon and Americares very soon, but distributing to those who need them remains a challenge.

Maitland Ward's railing on OnlyFans for "cowardly" banning porn from its platform, but despite the impending move, she's still raking it in big time.

We got Maitland leaving The Maybourne Hotel in Bev. Hills Tuesday and she told us business is booming -- she's been making six figures a month since the subscription-based platform announced it's banning sexually explicit content October 1.

Fact is ... Maitland says her subscribers are willing to support her and others in her situation who are now wondering what they'll do to supplement the bulk of their income.

Maitland's advice ... stay put. She says while folks in situations like hers are exploring alternatives, the only move to make right now is ... don't.

Maitland's pissed at OnlyFans ... calling them cowards for caving to pressure from banking partners and payout providers. She, like many others, can't fathom how OnlyFans is now punting sex workers out of the platform built on their backs. Maitland is convinced ... OnlyFans will regret the move ... big time.

Pennsylvania native Billy Blanks was only a kid when he began his life-long dedication to martial arts ... but it wasn't until he started selling the wildly popular VHS workout series "Billy Blanks Tae Bo" that his career really started to kick into high gear.

Blanks didn't stop there ... he worked his way into some epic action films including "Lionheart," "Bloodfist," "The Last Boy Scout" and many more!

BB continues to motivate people to get up and move with both in-person training sessions and online workouts like Boom Boxing and even 1-on-1 private lessons.

Sonya Curry -- Steph and Seth Curry's mom -- says estranged husband Dell Curry cheated on her with different women while married ... and she had no choice but to divorce the ex-NBA star.

But, Dell's telling a different story ... saying Sonya cheated during the relationship.

TMZ Sports broke the news ... 55-year-old Sonya filed for divorce on June 14 in North Carolina, citing Dell's "marital misconduct."

Dell responded with a court filing of his own, accusing Sonya of "acts of illicit sexual misconduct" prior to their separation, and then lying about the alleged incidents.

He also says she is now living with another man ... claiming that should prevent her from collecting alimony.

But, now Sonya is firing back ... admitting she's in a dating relationship with another man, but saying it didn't start until months after she and Dell agreed to legally separate.

She also notes she is NOT living with the man ... but rather alone because Dell refused to allow her to stay in their home.

And, then she dropped the hammer ... saying it was actually Dell who was unfaithful, hooking up with different women while married.

To make matters worse, Sonya says Dell's infidelity was known to family and close friends ... saying it was basically an open secret.

Sonya claims she didn't initially expose the lurid details "in one final act of trying to protect [Dell] and family from possible public exposure and scrutiny."

Sonya says once Dell publicly accused her of being unfaithful "she was left with no choice" but to fire back in defense of herself.

Letitia Wright is still part of the 'Black Panther' franchise despite her anti-vax controversy and rumors she wouldn't be in the sequel ... and she's already filming scenes.

Letitia and Danai Gurira were on location this weekend at MIT campus in Cambridge, MA shooting scenes for the upcoming movie, "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever."

The duo was in full costume, chatting in between scenes as they leaned up against a black sports car.

The pics put to bed speculation Letitia was getting left out of the sequel in the wake of her recent controversy.

Remember ... she was accused of being an anti-vaxxer just this past December, and folks wondered if there was bad blood between her and Marvel, or perhaps Disney at large.

As we reported ... rumblings Letitia was being left behind grew louder last month, when Michaela Coel joined the cast for the sequel.

Kanye West is no more -- that is, if he gets his way, and a judge grants him an official name change ... to something much more to the point.

KW just filed legal docs in L.A. ... asking a court to give him a new moniker in the books -- going from Kanye Omari West to simply, "Ye." Yes, the nickname he's gone by for years and years now ... dude wants that to be what Uncle Sam knows him by going forward.

Unclear what might go into the review process for this ... but it seems pretty clear. If a judge signs off, then Kanye as you know him is a goner. It'll be all Ye ... all day.  Fact is, in California, unless there's evidence a name change is designed to commit fraud or other shenanigans ... the judge will approve it.  So, this will get a sign off by the judge.

It's interesting -- Kanye also wants to drop the "West" from his persona altogether too ... which is kinda odd, considering he's shown pride in his family heritage -- and has often even called himself (both in person and in song) Mr. West. That too will be nixed if he gets the green light.

Funny enough ... Kim still has "West" in her own surname -- this after the couple filed for divorce.

Andrew Cuomo is no longer the Governor of New York, and now ... he's no longer an Emmy Award winner either.

The disgraced ex-governor has been stripped of his special 2020 international Emmy in wake of the sexual harassment scandal that led to his recent resignation.

The decision to rescind the award was handed down Tuesday by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, in wake of him leaving office following the New York AG's report that substantiated allegations of Cuomo's misconduct.

The International Academy adds ... "His name and any reference to his receiving the award will be eliminated from International Academy material going forward."

Cuomo -- who officially resigned as Gov. Monday -- was bestowed the Founders Award at the 48th International Emmys in November for his daily, almost ubiquitous COVID-19 press briefings beginning in March 2020 ... in recognition of his "effective use of television during the pandemic."

He's not the first person to lose such an award for similar reasons -- the same thing happened to Kevin Spacey following allegations of sexual misconduct in 2017.

However, on the movie side of things, Roman Polanski won an Oscar for Best Director in 2003 for "The Pianist" after he pled guilty to having sex with a 13-year-old girl. Polanski received a standing ovation for winning the award, yet wasn't even allowed in the country to accept it. It was never taken away.

As we reported ... Cuomo resigned following NY State's harassment probe but denied any criminal activity.

One of the two women interviewed by Gayle King back in 2019 is now on the witness stand in R. Kelly's criminal case ... and she's claiming he was controlling them right then and there during the interview.

The witness -- who's only being ID'd as Jane Doe right now -- testified Tuesday in a federal court in Brooklyn as his case gets underway ... telling the jury that Kelly was pulling the strings as Gayle asked both her and another live-in GF questions.

She says Kelly would cough on set that day to keep them on script as the taping went on -- all in an effort, she alleges, to make sure they backed his denials.

The woman also claims Kelly made sure they weren't allowed to watch the "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries. She says they had to immediately change the channel anytime it came on TV.

Not just that, but the witness went on to testify Kelly promised to promote her music career when they first got together but offered nothing in the end. She claims he once punished her by making her have sex with a guy nicknamed "Nephew" as Kelly watched in the room. The woman says Kelly told her "Nephew" had been "groomed" from a young age too.

Megan Thee Stallion claims her own record label is trying like hell to block the release of her newest song ... and she's running to a court for help.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Meg claims her label, 1501 Certified Entertainment, and its honcho, former MLB star Carl Crawford, are doing everything they can to stop her from putting out a new song with BTS.

In the docs, MTS says she's the featured artist on a remix to the K-pop group's popular "Butter" track ... saying it's supposed to drop Friday, unless her label is able to block it.

Meg believes if released, "Butter" will help to expand her international fanbase, thanks to BTS' massive brand. She claims 1501 told her they don't believe the song would be good for her recording career -- but she says that excuse is just a cover -- and deep down the label is trying to shake her down for 6-figures and force her to pay them to sign off on the song's release.

Megan's been down this road before ... she's pissed about the contract she signed with the label back when she was only 20, and just last year she accused the label of blocking her from releasing new music because she wanted to renegotiate the deal.

She ended up getting an order from the court to prohibit 1501 and Crawford from blocking the release of her new music ... and she says they're violating that order.

In the docs, Megan claims her label is putting up roadblocks to stifle her artistry and hurt her career ... and she wants a judge to step in so she can release the track on time.

They say opposites attract, but one woman has taken that too far, and is banned from a Belgian zoo after the owners felt her relationship with one of their primates had gone too far.

The lady's name is Adie Timmermans, and she just got the boot from the Antwerp Zoo after a 4-year "affair" she'd carried on with one of their chimpanzees, a male named Chita ... per reports. Apparently, she'd stop by weekly and interact with the thing behind glass.

As for why she got banned ... turns out, Timmermans' affection for the little guy was screwing with his ability to socialize with the other chimps in his habitat. The zoo reportedly said Chita was being isolated after visiting hours ... which is something that happens, it seems, if one starts to get too close to humans. Makes sense -- word is Chita used to be an actual pet, so his fondness for people isn't really his fault, we suppose.

Don't worry ... this unrequited passion didn't get physical -- they say it amounted to blowing kisses and waving and whatnot. So, no monkey sex or anything ... thank God.

Still, Timmermans is pretty pissed about it ... saying it ain't fair that she can't come see Chita, while scores of other people will continue to do just that. She genuinely seems upset -- as she's on record as saying this is "all" she has in her life ... SAD!

Chopmaster J -- co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop group Digital Underground -- was told to stay the hell away from an event honoring the group and its late co-founder Shock G ... and he certainly isn't happy about it.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Chopmaster J was ecstatic when he found out the city of Oakland would be honoring the group and Shock G at a city-wide event last weekend. The day included a Digital Underground Day of Proclamation.

Problem is ... we're told a former band manager reached out to CJ and told him he was NOT welcomed at the event. Making matters worse ... we're told the city of Oakland's Digital Underground Day of Proclamation is only to highlight Shock G, and not CJ.

Digital Underground broke up in 2008 after a fallout between Chopmaster J and Shock G ... but we're told while they didn't speak for years following the breakup, they still considered each other brothers outside the group. Shock G died in April.

Chopmaster J -- along with his son, who goes by SOTU -- formed a new group ... D.U. Next Generation.

We're told Chopmaster J is bummed his contributions to the group's legacy are not even mentioned in the proclamation. The language's exclusive to Shock G's contributions ... even though August 25, 2021, is slated to be Digital Underground Day in Oakland.

Charlie Watts, The Rolling Stones' only drummer for nearly 6 decades, died Tuesday in London ... TMZ has learned.

Charlie was in London's Royal Marsden Hospital when he passed away, and we're told Shirley -- his wife of nearly 57 years -- was by his side. The Stones announced earlier this month that Charlie, their eldest band member, would not be able to play during their upcoming tour because he needed time to recover from a procedure.

A rep for the group tells TMZ, "It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts ... Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation."

The band did not reveal what the procedure was. Watts had been diagnosed with throat cancer in 2004, but after treatment it went into remission, and he and The Stones immediately launched into a 2-year-long world tour.

In fact, in the band's 58 years, Charlie's never missed a tour ... so it was already a big deal he wouldn't be with his mates -- Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood -- in September when they kick off their latest U.S. tour. As Charlie joked in a statement, "For once my timing has been a little off."

Charlie -- along with Keith, Mick and Brian Jones -- is a founding member of the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band. They all met in 1962, while playing London's blues clubs, and first came together as a band in 1963.

He occasionally toured with his own band too, the Charlie Watts Quintet ... which was more of a jazz act. Charlie's first love was jazz, and he learned to play drums while listening to Charlie Parker records.

Over the years, he's also become famous for being the stylish Stone -- he would commonly wear sharp suits onstage and off. Vanity Fair named Charlie to its International Best Dressed List Hall of Fame in 2006.

Of course, he's also in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the Rolling Stones ... who now have the unenviable task of carrying on without the guy who's been called the soul of the band. Steve Jordan was already sitting in for Charlie, but it's unclear how Watts' death will impact the band's schedule. Their first show is set for Sept. 26 in St. Louis.

Charlie met Shirley before the Stones formed, and they got married the year after that. They have one daughter, Seraphina, and a couple of grandkids.

His passing is the first death for The Stones since Jones drowned in 1969.

Charlie was 80.

Celebs and retired fight stars beating the hell out of each other in boxing matches is GOOD for the sport ... so says Nigel Lythgoe, who claims the spectacles are reviving interest in the sweet science in a big way.

The former "American Idol" producer broke it all down for Harvey and Charlie on "TMZ Live" on Tuesday ... explaining the Jake Pauls and the Bryce Halls of the world are breathing life into a sport that he says was struggling.

"[Boxing] needed something," Lythgoe said. "Because mixed martial arts really took over a little bit and we'd lost a lot of heroes like Muhammad Ali."

"We're losing heroes," he added. "So, we've got to find some other way of attracting young people to boxing again."

And, Lythgoe says he's got the perfect formula for that -- by continuing to help grow the celeb boxing game.

Lythgoe is currently producing Triller Fight Club's "Legends II" event ... which will feature an Oscar De La Hoya vs. Vitor Belfort fight, along with a ton of big-time musical performances in the leadup to the Sept. 11 tilt.

Lythgoe is also in the process of creating a new competition show called "So You Think You Can Fight," which is hoping to ultimately inject even more celebs into the fight game.

"I think it is the way of the future," Lythgoe said of the new-age fight nights. "We've just been to Madison Square Garden with Triller Verzus and that is the Triller Fight Club and Verzuz."