TMZ.com Home

Jay Leno clearly lives by the credo ... if you get injured doing what you love, you gotta get back in the buggy!!!

Jay, who was seriously burned when a fuel leak on a 1907 steamer triggered a fire that burned his face and hands, was back at it again Saturday, taking a spin in a vintage Bentley on the streets of L.A.

Some of the burns are apparent ... you see the scarring on his right hand. Jay suffered both second and third-degree burns.

Jay jumped in his Tesla a few days ago and went back to the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills ... cookies in hand to thank the medical staff for treating him.

The comedian then beelined it to a Chick-fil-A for a sandie.

It's pretty remarkable ... it seemed impossible Jay would bounce back so quickly, but people we know who are close to him were never in doubt.

We were told he'd be back onstage in a week or 2 and that's exactly what's gonna happen. Jay's scheduled to perform at The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach in the L.A. area on Sunday. It's a sold-out show.

"A Christmas Story" actor Yano Anaya is no longer welcome at the iconic home from the movie ... the homeowner made that more than clear in this video of an expletive-laden tirade.

Yano, who played Grover Dill in the 1983 film, was taking photos with fans on the Cleveland-area home's front steps on November 15 when all of a sudden ... owner, Brian Jones, comes out of nowhere and starts screaming at him to get off his property and never return.

In the video, obtained by TMZ, Brian and Yano get face-to-face ... with the homeowner accusing the actor of being a scammer, loser and "piece of s**t" and claiming Yano has somehow screwed him over.

As we first reported ... the iconic home from the movie recently hit the market and Yano told us he and other 'Christmas Story' cast members were interested in getting money together to buy the famous property.

Yano's business partner Emmanuel Soba tells us they have no idea why the homeowner was so upset. He claims the actor spoke to Brian on the phone the day before the incident and says they had a great conversation.

They also claim Brian told them he would be willing to sell the home to their group, and they were taken off guard by Brian's outburst. Yano did not want to comment.

Brian has a different story though, telling us, "I apologize for the way I expressed myself; however, it was out of concern that fans could be misled into contributing to a GoFundMe campaign that will not result in the purchase of the house."

Brian went on to say, "I have no association with any GoFundMe campaign. I am not selling the house through Go Fund Me, so fans should not contribute to that fund under false pretenses, thinking their money is going toward buying the house. I am entertaining offers only from qualified buyers through my real estate broker."

A 26-year-old man is the new Anna Delvey Sorokin ... because he assumed the role of an oil baron heir and chartered a slew of private jets, rented homes that went for $30k a night and a lot more ... until he was nailed by authorities.

Nicholas Bryant defrauded 50 people and maybe more, stealing around $1.5 million in his criminal scheme.

It was humming along nicely for Nick, until he stiffed one of the jet charter companies to the tune of $76k. The company called authorities and Nick was nailed. He pled guilty earlier this month to wire fraud, which carries a maximum of 20 years behind bars.

Bryant says he feels remorse for what he did, and admitted he never intended to pay his victims.

Bryant told The Daily Beast the allegations "are pretty much true."  He went on to say, "I took private jets and stayed at the most expensive AirBnbs and hotels. Went deep sea fishing and toured everything that was possible. I bought and drove five different high-end cars. By far my most favorite trip was to [Turks] and Caicos. I spent two weeks on the island from fishing to sailing yachts. I stayed in a $30,000-a-night house. It was amazing."

And he makes a pretty stunning confession ... "The serious consequences had zero impression on me."

The weather outside isn't exactly frightful in Hollywood ... nevertheless, a bunch of celebs and their families have bundled up and then snuggled up in matching PJs!!!

Not all are from H-Wood, but you get the point. Steph Curry's fam, LeBron James' squad, Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell, Chrissy Teigen and John Legend and a bunch of other broods are coordinating outfits for the season.

Didn't know it was such a thing, but apparently, it is. Gotta say it's pretty cool!

John Legend almost had his Porsche stolen, according to cops, who say a man hopped in the luxury sportscar while the singer was inside a recording studio ... and then got arrested.

The LAPD tells TMZ ... John's Porsche was parked outside a Los Angeles recording studio Monday afternoon when a man walked up to the vehicle, opened the door and hopped in. We're told the guy sat in the car for awhile, looking for the keys or another way of starting the car.

We're told security at the recording studio saw it all go down on surveillance cams, so they called the cops and then went out to confront him. They asked what he was doing, and the guy allegedly claimed it was his Porsche. He then got out and started walking.

When the cops found the guy, he took off running. After a brief foot chase, cops took him into custody.

The suspect was taken to jail and booked for a felony -- attempted grand theft auto. He's being held on $85,000 bail.

Tina Knowles tells TMZ Sports Jay-Z would crush it as an NFL owner ... adding to the ever-growing list of celebs who think the rapper has a real shot at success if Daniel Snyder would sell his Commanders.

We got Beyoncé's mom out at LAX earlier this month just after her son-in-law and Jeff Bezos had a secret meeting to discuss a potential bid for the Washington franchise.

And, while she didn't have any inside information for us regarding the meeting or a possible sale -- she did say she was confident her son-in-law would do a great job if Snyder opted to sell him the team.

"I have no doubt that anything that they put their minds to, they can do it well," she said.

Knowles is now the third celeb to share that opinion with us ... Mark Cuban and Shannon Sharpe both said in November that they, too, believed Jay-Z would be a great NFL honcho.

In fact, Sharpe said he thinks it'd be huge for the league as a whole -- not just the Commanders' org.

It's Bill Nye's 67th birthday and his looks over the years will have you questioning the relativity of gravity!

Here is a 50-year-old version of 'The Science Guy' looking spiffy and ready to experiment at The Planetary Society's Gala in Arcadia, California back in 2005 (left). This was more than a decade after he began sharing his quirky and educational personality on his hit show "Bill Nye The Science Guy."

And, 17 years later the TV personality recently fancied up at an environmental media event in Los Angeles (right). He may have ditched the lab coat, but he'll forever rock his signature bow tie look.

'Bill, Bill, Bill!'

The question is ...

Kathryn Hahn and her hubby Ethan Sandler want name changes for their 2 kids ... and it's all about giving Mama her due.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kathryn and Ethan filed a petition last week in Los Angeles ... looking to add "Hahn" as a second middle name before the last name "Sandler" for both 16-year-old Leonard and 13-year-old Mae.

Meaning the teens would now be going by Leonard Henry Hahn Sandler and Mae Marie Hahn Sandler! The couple didn't get specific about why they wanted the change for their teenagers.

Another celeb recently went through the name change process -- TMZ broke the story, Aaron Paul, whose last name is actually Sturtevant, was lookin' to officially get his last name changed to Paul a few weeks back.

This mashed-up star is here to count you down to Christmas and get you in that holiday mood! Before you look under the tree, can you pinpoint the unknown character that lies under this altered actor?

For those who need some assistance with holiday cooking, this guy's "Burn Cookbook" just may come in handy. If you're still thrown off by this image ... step away from his elf ears and travel back to 2004 when he famously asked what day it was at North Shore High School!

'Your face smells like peppermint!'

Kanye West says the Balenciaga scandal is proof that Hollywood's celebrities are muzzled -- and speaking of silence ... he thinks Elon Musk should let Alex Jones break his.

The rapper was leaving a Messianic church Saturday where he was met with a small crush of paps who were ready to record him ... but not question him at all. Instead, KW just started speaking freely about his antisemitism scandal/fall from grace -- among other issues.

Ye suggests more people were outraged by what happened to him than what materialized publicly -- which he says is also evident in the lack of celebs who've decried Balenciaga.

Of course, he's referring to a wildly inappropriate ad campaign featuring little girls posing with BDSM-themed teddy bears ... not to mention court docs referencing a child porn case snuck into the background. The company apologized, but is still reeling from the fallout.

After that thought, Ye transitioned to another one ... namely, Twitter's continued ban of Alex Jones' account, which Kanye says should be reversed by Elon immediately.

His rationale there boils down to ... Christ. Yep, you gotta hear how Kanye phrases this one -- because it has strong echoes of his new pal, Nick Fuentes, who has often called for America to get back to its Christian roots -- which he usually couples with white nationalism.

As you know, Kanye has cozied up to Fuentes in recent weeks ... who accompanied Ye to a dinner at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday where Trump was present. KW has also brought Milo Yiannopoulos onboard ... so a lot of alt-right guys, and now -- he's singing Jones's praises.

Freddie Roman -- an OG comedian from New York City, and a beloved figure in showbiz -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The actor/writer/producer and all-around funny man passed away Saturday afternoon at a hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida, this after suffering a heart attack earlier this morning at his country club home ... according to his daughter, Judi Levin.

We're told he died in bed with his family around, including his wife of 63 years, Ethel, who was with him until the end.

Roman might perhaps best be remembered as a Friars Club staple -- he was once at the helm of the famed NYC club, which has afforded membership to tons of comics/celebs over the years. FR was the dean dating back to the '90s until Larry King succeeded him in 2014.

A well-versed and seasoned comedian himself, Roman had performed at countless high-profile venues over the years ... including Caesars Palace in Vegas and Harrah's in Atlantic City, among others. Roman has also been part of several big-time roasts via Comedy Central.

Some of the stars he's chided on the past ... Drew Carey, Rob Reiner, Hugh Hefner, Chevy Chase, Jerry Stiller and many, many others who've had a Roman joke thrown their way.

Roman has also starred in a handful of shows and movies, including "Red Oaks," "The Comedian," "Bittersweet Place," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Finding North," "Sweet Lorraine" and more. He's also famous for writing and starring in a well-known revue, "Catskills on Broadway."

Freddie continued to perform well into his later years, and was a fixture in New York comedy for a long, long time. He's survived by his wife and daughter ... Roman was 85.

The comment section for Don Toliver's new music video reads like a Russian Bot Farm -- at least that's what the internet thinks ... accusing his label of attempting to juice his stats.

Here's the deal ... Atlantic Records is under fire on Twitter, with a ton of people reading into the engagement numbers for a bunch of its artists -- specifically, on YouTube, where some feel like the data ratios for new projects just aren't adding up (likes to views, etc.)

DT's video for his song "Do It Right" -- which was posted just a few days ago -- is the prime example being hoisted up on the bird app as supposed evidence of fakery that's alleged to be afoot ... most notably, in the comments, where many see telltale signs of phony fans.

You can go check it out for yourself -- there are a lot of strangely written comments that have flooded this upload in the past 48 hours, with more and more pouring in with odd spelling, unconventional capitalization and grammatical errors. Others make no sense at all.

Plus, there are a lot of comments that have posted nothing but emojis, which are also seemingly jumbled together at random. When you click on some of these profiles, it looks like their accounts are relatively new and have only one comment ... for Don's 'DIR' video.

Indeed ... it certainly comes across as bizarre, and some -- including media personality DJ Akademiks -- have made outright allegations of this happening on a mass scale at Atlantic.

There are other Atlantic artists who've been lumped into this phenomenon, and none appear to have addressed it just yet ... including Toliver. It's worth noting -- while some point to the comments and seemingly lopsided engagement stats on their own as proof, there's no real smoking gun that we can find. This mostly amounts to people speculating and theorizing.

Still, we've reached out to both Atlantic and Toliver's camp for official comment ... so far, no word back.

Matty Healy is back to planting his lips on people during live performances -- something that apparently needed to be clarified as unproblematic in 2022 ... by the kiss-ee herself.

The 1975 frontman was performing with his band in Vegas Friday to a packed crowd. At one point, he was singing their song "Robbers," during which he pulled up a female fan from the crowd and started to get all love-dovey with her in the middle of the show.

Soon enough, he went in for some suck-face ... and she kissed him back. It got a huge response from the audience -- mostly ladies losing their minds in jubilation.

On Twitter, the reactions are by and large joke-y jealous posts -- with tons of folks writing it should've been them, etc. But it would seem some on the bird app were offended on behalf of this gal who made out with MH, because she felt the need to clear something up.

She identified herself as the woman who was kissed and made sure to clear Matty's name of any perceived wrongdoing -- namely, kissing someone without their consent -- by writing, "On a real note I do want to state some facts before we get any farther, i had this on my phone because he mentioned at some point 'I can only make out with you'."

The woman added, "So I did this, he saw it and brought me up, HE ASKED before he kissed me!  Also I’m a grown age of 24." In other words, Matty boy had permission here.

FWIW, the eccentric singer has a bit of a history of smooching with people on stage ... female and otherwise. He's puckered up with men in the past too, notably in the UAE where homosexuality is generally criminalized. Dude just likes to spread the love.

Ron DeSantis just got a major endorsement from the world's richest man.

Elon Musk says he's throwing his considerable support behind DeSantis if the Florida governor decides to run for President in 2024. Elon's message was an obvious slap in the face to Donald Trump, who recently announced his candidacy to win back the White House.

Musk started the ball rolling Friday night when he responded to a question from a Twitter user, asking if he would back DeSantis. The new Twitter CEO simply stated, "Yes. But Twitter as a platform must be fair to all.”

Elon later posted another tweet ... “As a reminder, I was a significant supporter of the Obama-Biden presidency and (reluctantly) voted for Biden over Trump. My preference for the 2024 presidency is someone sensible and centrist. I had hoped that would [be] the case for the Biden administration, but have been disappointed so far.”

It's interesting ... Musk claims he's not a conservative ... but he directed his millions of Twitter followers to vote Republican in the last midterm elections. He has also come under attack from Democrats, including President Biden, who has asked the Justice Department to investigate Elon's foreign business practices.

Meanwhile ... DeSantis has shown Elon some love, too, publicly praising Musk for giving his Starlink internet satellite technology to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Elon was blasted on social media after he toyed with the idea of stopping the free-of-charge service, which was costing him a fortune.

Irene Cara, the singer behind huge '80s hits from "Flashdance" and "Fame" has died.

Cara passed away in her Florida home Friday, according to her rep. Details surrounding her death were not disclosed.

Irene won an Oscar for Best Original Song for "What a Feeling" -- the iconic song from "Flashdance" which made her a household name.

Irene also scored big with her monster hit, "Fame" from the movie of the same name. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for "Best Actress" for her work in the movie.

Cara went on to appear in other movies, including "City Heat," co-starring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. She also played opposite Tatum O'Neal in "Certain Fury."

In 2004, Irene was honored with a Prestige Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Her rep said, "It is with profound sadness that on behalf of her family I announce the passing of Irene Cara. Irene’s family has requested privacy as they process their grief. She was a beautifully gifted soul whose legacy will live forever through her music and films."

Irene was 63.

Kanye West has lost friends, fans and billions of dollars in business deals, but he seems to have picked up at least one amid his antisemitic rants ... white nationalist Nick Fuentes.

West and the former YouTuber -- who lost his account for violating the platform's hate speech policy -- were spotted together at LAX earlier this week. We're told they were heading to Miami, and video of the duo arriving at MIA confirmed as much -- indeed, they were shoulder-to-shoulder cruising through the terminal.

Kanye announced Tuesday he was making the trek to former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago home, tweeting ... "First time at Mar-a-Lago. Rain and traffic. Can't believe I kept President Trump waiting. And I had on jeans. Yikes. What you guys think his response was when I asked him to be my running mate in 2024?"

In a video posted Thursday, where West announced his run for President in 2024, he disclosed he and Fuentes both met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago -- and that things got heated between himself and 45 ... claiming Trump made disparaging remarks about his soon-to-be ex-wife, Kim Kardashian.

But, Trump fired back in a statement ... "Kanye West very much wanted to visit Mar-a-Lago. Our dinner meeting was intended to be Kanye and me only, but he arrived with a guest whom I had never met and knew nothing about."

It's curious because Fuentes is famous within right-wing circles and would have had to pass through security at Mar-a-Lago to attend the dinner.

As for 24-year-old Fuentes, he's been banned from platforms including Twitter, Twitch and Reddit for his hateful views. In 2017, it was reported he spoke positively of "a tidal wave of white identity" after he attended the Unite the Right rally.

He's denounced those who call him a white nationalist, calling the term an "anti-white slur."

Of course, Kanye's spewed antisemitic remarks, even doubling down on them on multiple occasions -- and in 2019, Fuentes compared the Holocaust to a cookie-baking operation -- prompting people to label him a Holocaust denier. Fuentes has since claimed he wasn't serious when he said it.