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Nia Long is "quietly fighting" Lionsgate over a pay discrepancy for her role in "Michael" ... at least according to a new report.

According to Puck News, the actress had a "favored nations" clause in her contract that ensured she'd make as much as her costars ... but she reportedly learned Colman Domingo and Miles Teller had higher payouts than she did.

So, Nia's reportedly "threatening to take the studio to mediation" for allegedly shorting her salary.

If Dakota Mortensen had any chance of returning to "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" with production looming on the horizon ... it was pretty much torpedoed after the recent court hearing with ex Taylor Frankie Paul.

A source with knowledge tells TMZ ... after yesterday's custody hearing -- where the judge extended the couple's restraining orders for three years -- it's highly unlikely Dakota will be appearing on future episodes of 'SLOMW.' We're told the door is open for TFP to come back ... but she's yet to commit.

It all makes sense ... Taylor is one of the stars of the popular Hulu series -- it's 'WIVES' after all -- so that makes Dakota her plus-one. For the moment, it's all moot because word is cameras are not even up yet after production was paused over the couple's drama.

2:15 PM PT -- Metcalf's attorney, Mitch Schuster of Meister Seelig & Schuster, tells TMZ Sports they are thrilled with the decision and all the hard work that went into the thorough investigation.

"We are confident that justice will also prevail in the civil claim involving Mr. Kennedy. As Mr. Metcalf’s counterclaim in the civil case makes clear, Mr. Kennedy’s hate-fueled conduct has no place anywhere, and especially not in professional sports."

DK Metcalf is in the clear following his Dec. 2025 fan altercation -- at least criminally, 'cause officials announced Friday they will not pursue charges.

The Wayne County Prosecutor's Office released a statement to local media explaining the decision ... saying the fan in question did not appear injured, nor did he seek any medical attention after the incident at the Detroit Lions vs. Pittsburgh Steelers game on Dec. 21.

They added the spectator, Ryan Kennedy, left his seat with a Metcalf jersey in hopes of getting an autograph ... and when he leaned over the front railing, he said something to the receiver.

Kara Swisher has a dire warning about A.I. ... despite the technological miracles it brings to your life, it's also fueling a worldwide loneliness epidemic, and it just can't replace human interaction.

The famed technology journalist is also hosting the new series "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever" on CNN, and she joined us Friday for a convo on "TMZ Live" about the rise of humans befriending A.I. chatbots.

Kara says she needs to remind people that A.I. isn't like human beings ... it's a synthetic sycophant desperate to keep users' attention, not a friend that exists in our three-dimensional world.

Celeste Rivas' father says he's never even met D4vd, much less received any money from him ... despite rumors floating around the family's home town that the singer was giving funds to the Rivas family.

There's been online speculation, including on Reddit and Facebook, springing up around Lake Elsinore, California -- located about 2 hours southeast of L.A. -- that the disgraced singer and murder suspect gave money to the family.

Jesus Rivas tells TMZ, through his attorney Patrick Steinfeld ... "I never had any contact with this guy and we haven't received any money from him or anyone in his family."

Sherri Shepherd won't be sitting around and twiddling her thumbs now that she's taped the final live episode of her talk show "Sherri" ... she's weighing her career options -- including turning her show into a podcast.

We caught up with the star in New York City Thursday ... and we had to ask what she's got coming up after she's officially completed "Sherri," which has been cancelled after four seasons.

Shepherd says she's not sure if she would start producing a version of "Sherri" for YouTube or make a podcast ... since the market is saturated with millions of other listening options.

Jimmy Kimmel will once again be appearing at upfronts for Disney's ABC ... just like he's done for the past 20 years, TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us ... Jimmy will be there -- news that would usually make for a ho-hum headline, but with all the drama in which he's been ensnared with President Donald Trump, interest in whether he'd be at the key TV advertising event was piqued.

It appears that Jimmy being there is status quo -- but of course, his most recent spat with Trump's White House has dominated media coverage -- even though it sure seems to already be dwindling.

Prosecutors say D4vd disposed of Celeste Rivas' personal items in a remote area of Santa Barbara County after he murdered her in his Hollywood Hills home ... her identification was found off a highway in the area described, and now we know how it was recovered.

Caltrans tells TMZ ... a maintenance worker performing traffic control on SR-154 east of Painted Cave Road on Jan. 7, 2026 looked down in the brush and discovered Celeste's passport card. That's about 100 miles northwest of the Hollywood Hills, in a wooded mountainous region.

We're told the Caltrans worker reported the finding to his supervisor, who contacted the California Highway Patrol.

Netflix reality star Louis Russell -- who is dating Huda Mustafa of "Love Island USA" -- has been in a court battle with his baby mama, Nicole Olivera ... who submitted alleged texts from Huda crashing out as evidence ... TMZ has learned.  

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Nicole showed the judge a ton of messages she claims Huda sent Louis ... showing Huda freaking out about her BF not answering. 

In one screenshot, Huda allegedly writes to her BF, "IM LOSING MY MIND. I CAN’T … LOUIS HOW CAN U DO THIS. HOWWW. U DONT POVE ME. YOU DONT LOVE ME. U WANT ME TO DIE. U WANTED THIS. I HOPE UR SORRY."
 

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro's recent rough press appearances have the "Jersey Shore" crew buzzing ... and now 'The Situation' is stepping in with a reality check.

Mike Sorrentino is finally breaking his silence on his costar, Ronnie ... after a string of concerning moments during the press tour for "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation."

"I want to be clear that I am not responsible for the actions of any other cast member."

That's the line Mike drew in a lengthy Instagram comment posted after fans noticed he hadn't initially addressed Ronnie's behavior -- despite highlighting his own rehabilitation facility in a post.

Chandra Levy -- the slain Federal Bureau of Prisons intern who went missing back in 2001 -- may have been killed because she knew too much about UFOs ... so say her parents.

Robert and Susan Levy talked about their daughter's death on NewsNation's "Jesse Weber Live" ... and they mentioned that Chandra indicated to them she knew information about UFOs because of her relationship with Representative Gary Condit shortly before she went missing.

The pair mentions the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and Marilyn Monroe's drug overdose as more possible examples of people being killed for knowing too much.

Kim Zolciak has temporarily lost primary custody of the kids she shares with Kroy Biermann ... the latest twist in their messy legal battle, TMZ has learned.

A judge just ruled on Kroy's emergency motion and gave him primary physical custody of the kids.  The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum will have limited parenting time with their 4 minor children every other weekend.

Kim and Kroy will continue to share joint legal custody of the children, but Kroy has final decision-making authority regarding educational, non-emergency medical, and religious decisions.

An elderly driver in Georgia pulled a smug mug shot last week ... after allegedly hitting some cyclists with his SUV ... and part of the road-rage incident was caught on camera.

Jerry Wayne Ross literally smiled as he was booked by Cherokee County Sheriff's officials after his alleged bout of road rage banged up one biker in particular pretty badly.

According to FOX 5 Atlanta ... the 72-year-old Ross had been driving behind North Georgia Cycling Association riders on their group outing, allegedly honking and following them for 2 minutes -- before allegedly clipping a couple of them with his Honda Pilot.

Greg Biffle's estate was hit with two multi-million dollar wrongful death lawsuits ... stemming from the tragic airplane crash that claimed the life of the NASCAR great and six others.

The estates of Dennis Dutton -- who was piloting the Cessna Citation II -- and his son Jack filed the suits earlier this week in Iredell County, North Carolina, claiming Biffle was ultimately responsible for the fatal accident on December 18.

The lawsuits allege the crash was caused, at least in part, by "inadequate maintenance and upkeep," which the Dutton estates claim fell to Biffle as the aircraft's owner.

Of course, the light corporate jet crashed just minutes after taking off from the Statesville Regional Airport ... erupting into a ball of flames as it impacted about a quarter of a mile before the runway they'd just taken off from 10 minutes earlier.

The plane experienced issues almost immediately, with cockpit voice recorder data indicating a thrust issue during the takeoff roll.

Sadly, the decision was made to press forward with the flight.

Preliminary information suggests that the lack of a qualified co-pilot may have contributed to the tragic outcome, as no one other than Dennis Dutton was rated on the Citation II, despite the fact that Jack and Greg were licensed pilots.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet released its final findings.

Jessi Draper has clearly changed her mind when it comes to Taylor Frankie Paul ... because she bashed her costar in a voice memo to Dakota Mortensen just two months ago -- but now she's providing a full-throated defense of Taylor instead.

Here's the deal ... we've obtained the voice memo Jessi sent to Dakota on March 5 ... in the wake of production pausing on 'SLOMW' over a new bout of domestic violence allegations involving Taylor and Dakota.

In the message, Jessi tells Dakota the cast is aligned in holding back on any public support for Taylor ... she says they know the "truth" about Taylor ... and she claims production and management on 'SLOMW' is gaslighting the cast by painting Taylor as a victim and Dakota as a liar.

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