The fired Portland Trail Blazers announcer is apologizing for the offensive tweets that got him sacked.
Braiden Bell went on X to issue a brief, written apology, saying ... "I am deeply sorry for the language I used on Twitter. These tweets, while wrong, were written by me 14 years ago while I was only 15 years old and have no reflection of who I am today."
He continues ... "I regret this being my first impression to many of you online, but I can take solace in knowing that the people who truly know me understand that this is not the kind of person I am."
One of the men being sued over an alleged 2024 gang rape at Cornell University sued the college last March over the consequences he was hit with for the incident, TMZ has learned, and just days ago he lost his case.
John Doe sued Cornell over the investigation conducted into the alleged rape that took place on October 19, 2024, at the Chi Phi fraternity house.
According to legal docs, Doe says he received the Snapchat message -- "Free P***y" -- and he and one other frat brother went to the room ... he says because they were unsure if the message was a joke or not.
He also says he went there to get a new vape. He says "By no means were we going there to get free p***y." He says when they arrived "Everybody in there seemed fine."
Christa Pike's blood condition may have saved her life temporarily, a doctor says ... though he's making it clear she doesn't have a super resistance to pentobarbital -- the drug that was supposed to kill her.
Dr. Joel Zivot -- a respected anesthesiologist who previously examined Christa -- sat down with Jakson on TMZ's YouTube series, "In The Know," to discuss what happened during Wednesday's botched execution in Tennessee ... telling us he thinks Christa's thrombocytosis may have played a role.
Basically, Dr. Zivot says Christa has a high platelet count ... and platelets rush to the site of an injury to clot the blood -- keeping humans from bleeding out if they get a paper cut.
An IV punctures the vein ... so platelets rush to the area and, in a person like Christa with thrombocytosis, excessive clots can form inside the vein, blocking it off entirely.
Thomas Matthew Crooks -- the 20-year-old who clipped President Trump's ear during a 2024 rally -- allegedly texted with an "unknown contact" about 3D-printed parts ... a little over a year before the assassination attempt.
According to FBI Records obtained by Judicial Watch ... Crooks was texting with someone on February 9, 2023, who asked him ... "Did you 3D print the parts?"
The docs say the would-be assassin responded ... "Yes, except for the fan blades."
This exchange came after Crooks had sent something -- which was completely redacted in the records -- causing the mystery texter to say ... "woah that looks cool."
A group of Las Vegas showgirls traded feathers for fists ... throwing down in a wild brawl on the Strip.
TMZ obtained a crazy video from Wednesday afternoon ... several women decked out in barely-there showgirl outfits and massive feather headdresses are right in the middle of the chaos ... swinging, shoving, and going at it as tourists look on.
And this thing gets out of control fast ... at one point, one of the showgirls charges right back into the madness and starts throwing punches ... while a shirtless man gets tangled up in the melee and people nearby scramble around the fight.
Ryan broke his silence to podcaster Sarah Fraser, saying that while he and Ken "never really saw eye-to-eye," he was still shocked to hear he'd passed.
He says they'd never actually met in person, and their phone exchanges never started or ended well ... but he says in spite of that, "you still hate to hear that somebody passed away."
The TMZ Tour Bus got down and dirty Wednesday night ... packed to the gills with influencers to celebrate Urban Decay's Dirty 30!
Decked out in pics of UD's iconic Pocket Rocket lip gloss -- which the beauty brand brought back for the night -- our bus scooped up the socialites at Chateau Marmont before taking the party on the road.
DJ Coach West brought the vibes while the bus cruised through the Sunset Strip and WeHo ... before hitting Canter's Deli for the 30th anniversary celebration!
Porn stars Joanna Angeland Small Hands have been quietly battling in divorce court ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Joanna filed for divorce in New York in November 2024. The case is sealed.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the case has remained active for nearly two years as the parties try to divide their marital estate. We're told there's been a lot of back and forth over who gets what including the Los Angeles area home Joanna purchased during the marriage.
Donald Trump still hasn't decided who will replace Karoline Leavitt as press secretary ... but he's adding a reporter who’s caught his eye to his White House comms crew.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Beni Rae Harmony -- a 24-year-old White House correspondent for Real America's Voice -- has been hired as a new spokesperson and assistant press secretary for the White House. She starts on Monday.
Harmony has recently become a regular in the White House press pool ... traveling to Ireland with Trump, who was seen on September 13 holding a stack of papers with what appears to say "Beni Rae Harmony" printed in bold at the top.
Gypsy Rose Blanchardsent Ken Urkera birthday voice note just hours before he was found dead ... and the message apparently went unanswered.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Gypsy sent Ken the message around 2 PM Thursday, wishing him a happy birthday and talking about their daughter, Aurora.
We're told Gypsy apologized because a photo showing Aurora's face had leaked online ... and told Ken she planned to figure out who was responsible, believing the leak may have come from her private Facebook page where she had posted the picture.
John-Paul "JP" Miller's first wife, Alison Miller, claimed the pastor told her he was addicted to prostitution and confessed to sexual encounters with members of their church who were under the age of 16 ... TMZ has learned.
According to docs from the couple's 2016 divorce, obtained by TMZ, Alison described their marriage and JP's career as "less than stable at the time" ... saying JP's affair was discovered by their church congregation.
Alison said JP previously admitted to her and the congregation that he had an addiction to prostitution.
She claims he also confessed to her and other church staff members that "he had sexual encounters with young females from the church, who were under the age of sixteen."
Olivia Dean's got a copyright fight swirling around one of her songs ... with Bill Withers' publisher claiming her track sounds a little too much like his timeless classic, "Just the Two of Us."
According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Mattie Music Group -- which says it owns rights to the Withers classic -- is suing Capitol Records, Universal Music Group, Sony Publishing and Kobalt Music Publishing for copyright infringement.
The song at the center of it all is Olivia's "I've Seen It." The publisher claims her track copied significant portions of "Just the Two of Us" -- specifically, its distinctive melody.
Future's brother, FBG Casino, cut a plea deal in his fentanyl case ... after federal agents said they found 17 kilos worth of fentanyl in an Airbnb-turned-stash house.
FBG -- real name Rico Deville Buice -- pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to possess fentanyl with intent to distribute.
While the judge in the case has yet to sentence him ... the plea deal notes the mandatory minimum for the offense is 10 years -- with the maximum sentence being life in prison and up to a $10 million fine.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard's ex-fiancéKen Urker was found dead inside his Louisiana home after making suicide threats after cops were warned he owned a gun ... TMZ has learned.
According to law enforcement records obtained by TMZ, deputies responded to Urker's Raceland residence Thursday evening for a welfare check after family members said he wasn’t answering his phone or showing up for work.
The caller told dispatchers Urker had threatened to commit suicide and owned a gun. The caller also told cops he was in a "dark place." Later, another caller told authorities Urker had "killed himself" and wanted to know if he was okay.
10/2/2026 10:28 AM PT -- TMZ has obtained the police report detailing a troubling picture of the scene deputies walked into.
8:20 PM PT -- The Lafourche Sheriff’s Office tells TMZ ... “We responded to a residence in Raceland today after receiving a call at 6:15 p.m. Kenan Urker, 34, was found dead upon arrival. At this time, we are continuing the death investigation.”
Christa Pike was unconscious more than a day after officials screwed up her execution ... and she's not even breathing on her own, her lawyers say.
The convicted killer's legal team filed documents Friday asking a judge to preserve all evidence related to the botched execution ... and noted that, as of the night of October 1, Pike was "intubated, on a ventilator, and remains unconscious."
Her attorneys say her arms were swollen, burned, and blistered ... and they say hospital staff are working furiously to save her life and clear the pentobarbital from her system.
