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An Arkansas dad accused of killing a man charged with sexually abusing his teenage daughter has scored a massive courtroom victory ... because he's off the hook in his murder case.

A judge on Thursday tossed the second-degree murder charge against Aaron Spencer, the Arkansas father who became a national headline after launching a campaign for county sheriff while awaiting trial.

The ruling stems from a lengthy fight over missing evidence. Spencer's attorneys argued investigators lost key materials during the case ... and the judge ultimately decided misconduct by law enforcement "was so egregious that dismissal of this case is warranted."

A longtime Hollywood character actor is dead after a shocking stabbing ... and cops say the man accused of killing him is his girlfriend's son.

According to LAPD, 81-year-old actor James Handy -- whose credits include "Top Gun: Maverick," "Jumanji" and "Arachnophobia" -- was found Wednesday morning in front of a Tarzana home with a stab wound to the chest. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Police say the suspect -- 44-year-old Michael Gledhill -- made a bizarre 911 call before officers arrived ... allegedly telling dispatchers, "I am the son of man, I just killed the man of sin."

Da Brat's firing back at Rep. Andy Ogles' explanation for an anti-gay post on his social media account ... making it clear she's got little patience for homophobia.

We got Da Brat and her wife, Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart, at LAX on Thursday and asked her about the Congressman telling TMZ DC his post about homosexuality having 'no place in America' was actually shared by a staffer, not him.

Da Brat didn't seem too convinced by the explanation, telling us comments like that are the kind nobody wants to own once the blowback begins ... and she's sorry for all the homophobes out there.

M.I.A. says Kid Cudi didn't have the guts to fire her directly ... claiming she found out she'd been dumped from his tour when her son called from school and told her she was out.

The "Paper Planes" artist revisited her fallout with Cudi during an appearance on the New York Times' "Popcast," claiming the two still haven't spoken about her removal from the tour. M.I.A. says she never received a call from Cudi or his team and even tried to speak with him after the controversy erupted, but says he wouldn't meet with her.

According to M.I.A., she was in another state when her son called and casually broke the news ... saying, "My son called me from school. He's like, 'Oh, I guess you're coming home.'"

Matt Brown's ex-girlfriend spent months trying to help him through his personal struggles before he took his own life ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... the former "Alaskan Bush People" star's ex did everything she could to support him as he battled personal issues.

We're told she repeatedly urged Matt to seek professional help and believed he needed support beyond their relationship, feeling she could no longer be his only source of strength during his darkest moments.

Despite the breakup, our sources say she still cared deeply about Matt and hoped they could eventually make the relationship work. We're told she remained committed to his well-being and wanted to see him get the help he needed.

Before this lil' kiddo rockin' a bowl cut turned into a 2026 Tony Awards' nominee, he was just growing up in London and dreaming of the big screen when he was just 5 years old ...

He's nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for his performance on Broadway's "Every Brilliant Thing."

Perhaps you best know him from "Harry Potter."

Madonna didn't wait for a sold-out arena to launch her new era ... she took over Times Square instead -- delivering a surprise performance that stopped tourists and commuters in their tracks!

The Queen of Pop turned NYC into her own giant dancefloor Thursday, teaming up with Grindr for a special Pride Month concert celebrating the upcoming release of her album, Confessions II.

When showtime arrived, Times Square was awash in Madonna and Grindr's branding as the pop icon emerged on a raised stage draped in a sheer pink-and-purple veil, mirroring the look from her upcoming album's artwork.

Music mogul Clive Davis is back home and on the mend after spending the past week hospitalized ... TMZ has learned.

A rep for the legendary music executive -- who molded the careers of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Kelly Clarkson, and more -- tells TMZ ... Clive was discharged from the hospital on Thursday and is now recuperating at home.

We're told the 94-year-old is in good spirits and happy to be out of the hospital following his recent health scare.

3:30 PM PT -- Adam22 confirms that there is no bad blood between him and his wife Lena the Plug, who he calls his "C----."

Lena the Plug says reports she's divorcing Adam22 are completely bogus ... claiming a mystery man has been trying to end her marriage for months by allegedly filing court paperwork in her name.

The influencer jumped on X Thursday to address what she called the "chaos" surrounding TMZ's report on her divorce filing -- and if you watch the full video, she insists the divorce filing wasn't her doing.

According to Lena, the drama started when she checked her mailbox and found rejected divorce paperwork that had allegedly been submitted using her name, address, and a forged signature. She says the filing included a $435 check from a man whose name immediately rang a bell.

Influencer couple Jesse and Ashley Ridgway are opening up about a devastating family decision ... revealing they terminated a pregnancy after learning their unborn child had Down syndrome.

Jesse -- better known online as McJuggerNuggets -- shared the news Wednesday in a series of emotional Instagram Stories, telling followers the couple recently ended the pregnancy after doctors diagnosed the baby with Trisomy 21 ... also known as Down syndrome.

The way Jesse tells it ... the decision came after extensive conversations with medical experts, friends, and family.

He says he initially felt optimistic about raising a child with the condition, but later learned more about the potential health complications and lifelong challenges often associated with the disorder.

Karamo Brown says he can finally speak freely about feeling used over the infamous and controversial "Queer Eye" traffic-stop prank ... but some are calling BS on his new explanation of events.

Here's the deal ... in the first season of the reboot in 2018, the guys were pulled over by a cop in the South ... they were all clearly freaked out, but it turned out the officer was a part of the show. At the time, KB said he wanted to be in the driver's seat and even though he got scared, he was more than grateful for the dialogue it started.

Flash forward to this week ... Karamo told PEOPLE producers forced him to drive that day because they wanted to see the look of pure fear on a Black man's face while being pulled over in the South ... and he wasn't actually grateful for any of it.

Duane Ollinger spent the final days of his life battling pneumonia in a Texas hospital ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the star of Discovery Channel's "Mystery at Blind Frog Ranch" had been admitted to a hospital in Amarillo and was in the ICU when he died.

Sources say Duane had also been battling ALS, which was an underlying condition. However, we're told pneumonia is what ultimately led to his death.

Charles Oakley and James Dolan aren't the only feud in Knicks nation -- the beloved hooper is also beefing with his former teammate, legend Patrick Ewing -- and Oak tells us there's no hope for salvaging the relationship.

"For Patrick not to be man enough to come and talk to me after having his back for 10 years, he's a coward," Oakley told Babcock of his longtime teammate and friend.

We followed up, asking if the relationship could be repaired.

Karmelo Anthony fought Austin Metcalf for four minutes under a tent at a Texas high school track meet before fatally stabbing him ... at least that's what prosecutors say the surveillance video shows.

Jurors were shown footage that appears to show one person shoving another person under the tent at the 2025 track meet where Austin was stabbed.

Prosecutors say it's Karmelo and Austin in the video ... even though you can't see their faces. They say this goes on for four minutes before a person -- who they claim is Karmelo -- is seen running from the tent, toward the exit.

Kelly Dodd is coming clean about a decision she would've never admitted during the pandemic ... she actually got vaccinated against COVID after all ... and she regrets the jab.

The former "Real Housewives of Orange County" star made the confession during a candid appearance on Jamie Kennedy's "Hate To Break It To Ya" podcast ... and you'll want to watch the full exchange for yourself, because Jamie's reaction is almost as shocking as Kelly's admission.

Kelly says her outspoken resistance to masks, vaccines and COVID protocols ultimately cost her dearly ... claiming she was fired from 'RHOC' after refusing to fall in line during the pandemic.

Then Kelly dropped the bomb ... admitting to secretly getting vaxxed.

Karen Read is suing the Massachusetts State Police and the Canton Police Department after being acquitted of her late cop boyfriend John O'Keefe's murder … claiming they hire and train "biased and corrupt" officers who she says are "virulent bigots."

According to Karen's lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, she claims MSP and CPD have created an "insidious culture of bigotry and misogyny" that "has likely resulted in other unconstitutional criminal investigations."

Karen specifically names former MSP Detective Michael Proctor -- the lead investigator in O’Keefe’s death -- and former CPD Sergeant Sean Goode ... claiming they had "entrenched and unrepentant hatred for women, Black Americans, Asian Americans, Jews, Hispanics, Arabs, and gay people."

The complaint claims Proctor once said … "Actually, take your time, I saw a n***** was involved, so I wouldn't rush if you're working. Let them die."