The Miss USA organization and its CEO are firing back at former Miss North Carolina USA, Brittany Boltinhouse, who is suing after she was stripped of her crown ... TMZ has learned.
In court docs, obtained by TMZ, Miss USA's leader, Thom Brodeur, slammed Brittany's lawsuit, in which she claimed the pageant execs defamed her.
Thom and the organization argued their public statements about the matter didn't defame Brittany. They claim the statement did not name Brittany … and say, even if they did, it would still be an expression of opinion … and you can't sue someone for defamation over stating their opinion.
Miss USA and Thom also insist Brittany already admitted to using racist slurs in social media posts … and therefore her lawsuit is nonsense.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Riley Keough are taking their Hollywood friendship off the set and onto the streets of New York City ... grabbing dinner together after a long day of filming.
The stars were spotted strolling through the Big Apple together Wednesday, sharing laughs and animated conversation as they made their way to dinner.
A source familiar with the outing tells TMZ ... Aaron and Riley broke bread after wrapping filming for the day on their upcoming Netflix series, "Enigma Variations."
Body cam footage from Perez Hilton's shocking suicide attempt has been released ... showing the disturbing aftermath inside his home as first responders rushed to help him.
Much of the footage, obtained by TMZ, has been redacted ... with Perez blurred out as emergency crews place him on a stretcher and transport him to an ambulance. However, blood can be seen on the walls of his home as first responders attend to him.
As we reported ... cops rushed to Perez's home back in August after receiving reports of his actions in an alarming live stream.
Gavin Newsom is sparing hundreds of inmates from execution in California ... but Los Angeles County's top prosecutor says the governor can't wipe out the death penalty entirely.
In a statement Thursday, District Attorney Nathan Hochman acknowledged Newsom has the constitutional power to commute death sentences ... but stressed, "That power does not extend to eliminating the death penalty."
Hochman pointed out California voters have twice rejected efforts to eliminate the death penalty ... pointing out only voters or the state Legislature can change that law.
Melania Trump may have more influence over President Trump than people realize ... and Harveyhas a story from inside the Oval Office to prove it.
During Thursday's "TMZ Live," Harvey recalled visiting Trump at the White House in February 2017 ... when the president told him Melania had convinced him to delay his controversial Muslim travel ban.
According to Harvey, the meeting went down the day after Trump's first speech to Congress. It was tempered and well received, and Trump said Melania warned him he'd finally earned some goodwill ... and he shouldn't "f*** it up" by immediately imposing the ban.
Actress Kimmarie Johnson -- best known for her roles in "Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Dude, Where's My Car?" -- is dead after suffering heart issues ... TMZ has learned.
Rhonda Scott, Kimmarie's niece, tells TMZ ... Kimmarie had a "heart event" on October 27 at her home in Los Angeles and had to be rushed to Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where doctors diagnosed her with a "heart aneurysm condition."
We're told Kimmarie passed away peacefully Wednesday afternoon after her heart stopped beating.
Kimmarie launched her acting career in 1998 when she landed the role of Jane in one episode of "Beverly Hills, 90210." She later joined the TV series "V.I.P.," starring Pamela Anderson.
It's all come down to this ... one last chance to have your voice heard in TMZ's 24-Hour Las Vegas Takeover ... you've seen our staffers' hotel suites, daytime excursions and nightlife experiences ... and now it's time to vote for who had the best time in Vegas.
We need your help deciding who truly made the most of their short time on the Strip -- Cris, Talia or Luca.
For this vote we're asking you to weigh everything -- hotels, activities, nightlife -- and choose whose trip was the best overall.
This is your last chance to vote, so pick wisely ... because the winner gets a $20,000 trip to the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix!
Travis Kelce needs an Advent calendar, 'cause he's counting down the days to his first Christmas as a married man ... and describing what his perfect day looks like!
Spoiler alert: it includes Mom Donna Kelce in the kitchen, baking up her blueberry muffins.
The 37-year-old Chiefs tight end laid it all out in a Tommy Hilfiger ad for their winter campaign, "The Perfect Holiday," which dropped Thursday.
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And this year's a big one for the future Hall of Famer ... 'cause Kelce says he's "excited for my first holiday as a married man!"
The former Disney World Mickey Mouse impersonator arrested for trying to meet up for sex with an undercover cop posing as a 13-year-old boy is now out of jail ... and the judge isn't taking any chances while he awaits trial ... because the guy is barred from going to the library!
According to new court documents, obtained by TMZ ... a judge issued special pretrial release conditions for Collin Klaco that prevent him from going anywhere near a child under the age of 18. The judge also ordered Klaco to stay away from all electronic devices, including computers, with the exception of a phone he can use to make "call-ins only."
In addition, the judge says Klaco is prohibited from going within 500 feet of schools, childcare facilities, parks, playgrounds, and get this ... even libraries!
Rep. Don Beyer is ready to get arrested over President Trump's proposed arch in Washington, D.C. ... and he's already got his tent and sleeping bag packed for an upcoming protest.
Charlie caught up with the Virginia congressman Thursday ... and Beyer revealed he's planning a sit-in at the site of Trump's proposed 250-foot monument near Arlington National Cemetery.
Beyer says the project hits close to home ... his parents, grandparents and sister are buried at Arlington, and he believes the massive arch would disrespect the veterans laid to rest there.
Russell Brand was singing a very different tune before his rape and sexual assault conviction ... and newly released police interrogation videos show just how adamantly he denied the allegations against him.
London's Metropolitan Police released footage Thursday from interviews conducted between 2023 and 2025 ... showing the actor defending his past sexual behavior while insisting he'd done nothing wrong.
Russell admitted he'd lived a "very promiscuous life" ... but maintained he'd "never engaged in any non-consensual sexual activity."
Some of the guys from *NSYNC will be making appearances in Justin Timberlake's upcoming docuseries ... but don't get your hopes up for a boy band reunion ... TMZ has learned.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... several members of the iconic boy band sat down for individual interviews backstage at JT's show at The Wiltern in Los Angeles a couple of years ago.
We're told the guys were asked about their time together in *NSYNC, reflecting on their experiences as members of one of the biggest boy bands of all time.
However, our sources say the interviews had nothing to do with a potential reunion or future plans for the group ... and the guys weren't interviewed together.
After the Republicans' crippling midterm defeat, President Donald Trump may be on the lookout for a scapegoat to pin it on ... and he's got some interesting options.
Our teamdiscussed who will be feeling Trump's wrath on today's episode of "The Low Down," the new YouTube collab between TMZ and the New York Post, where we give you the inside scoop on the biggest stories that are gripping, outrageous, and scandalous.
Harvey came up with a few options, like Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ... with others debating if he would be on the chopping block due to backlash over the Iran War.
Among the other contenders were General Dan Caine -- the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman -- and Stephen Miller -- whom Trump reportedly chewed out over his immigration policies after First Lady Melania Trump complained that friends were getting deported.
Tennessee state attorneys have denounced Christa Pike's request to be transferred into a low-security prison unit after her botched execution.
The officials claimed in federal docs that the murderer "thinks she knows better than her treating providers and officials about how to treat her medical needs while keeping her safe and secure" ... according to the New York Post.
The docs were in response to Pike's legal team's Oct. 30 emergency motion that requested her transfer from solitary confinement to a low-security unit with other inmates.
