TMZ.com Home

Ticketmaster is firmly under the U.S. Senate's microscope as the ticket giant prepares to sell tickets to the upcoming Beyoncé tour ... and it's all because of the Taylor Swift disaster.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which just got finished grilling Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation, issued a thinly-veiled warning Thursday, the day after Bey announced her "Renaissance" world tour.

The committee's official Twitter account tagged Ticketmaster in a quote tweet for a CNN story about Beyoncé fans preparing for another potential Ticketmaster fiasco, saying ... "We're watching, @Ticketmaster."

Ticketmaster says they're making changes -- staggering sales and using Verified Fan technology -- for the Beyoncé tour after running into major issues with last year's rollout for the Taylor Swift tour, which pissed off Taylor and her fans and led to lawsuits and Senate hearings. Still, the Senate will be keeping a close eye on the process.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who grilled Live Nation execs during the recent hearings, told us on "TMZ Live" the Senate expects Ticketmaster to do better in the future.

"Euphoria" star Chloe Cherry is in some hot water back in her hometown after allegedly stealing a blouse from a local store and getting caught.

Cherry was charged with misdemeanor retail theft in January for an incident that reportedly happened back in December in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

According to sources with direct knowledge of the case, Chloe entered the Building Character shopping complex on December 27 and took a $28 blouse into a dressing room ... she then held onto the blouse and left without paying.

We're told Chloe paid for other items using a credit card, but is accused of not paying for the blouse. At some point, the police got involved, and cops say Chloe admitted to taking the blouse -- giving it back to an officer.

Chloe's rep, however, has a different take on what happened ... telling us, "In December, there was confusion over a blouse that wasn’t properly charged to my client’s credit card. In no way did she 'admit' to taking the blouse, since that was not the case. This story seems to be more about a local store trading on a celebrity’s name more than anything else.”

Lancaster Online was first to report the story.

Chloe is most famous for her role as Faye on "Euphoria" but has modeled and worked in adult films as well.

Of course, she's not the first celeb to become entangled in alleged shoplifting shenanigans. It was back in 2001 when Winona Ryder was accused of stealing more than $5,000 in designer items from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.

A warrant has been issued for Bengals star running back Joe Mixon's arrest in Cincinnati ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to court records, the warrant is for a count of aggravated menacing -- which is described as when a person knowingly leads another to believe they will physically harm them or their property, unborn child or member of their immediate family.

Aggravated menacing is a first-degree misdemeanor, according to Ohio's State Laws and Regulations. If convicted, Mixon could face up to 180 days in jail and a fine.

Mixon, 26, just completed his sixth season in the NFL ... and the Bengals were eliminated from the playoffs on Sunday.

As a member of the Oklahoma Sooners football team in 2014, Mixon was charged with misdemeanor assault when he punched a woman after she shoved him in the chest. He entered an Alford plea ... admitting there was enough evidence to convict him. He got 1-year probation, 100 hours of community service and behavioral counseling.

We reached out to Mixon's rep for comment ... so far, no word back.

Vanessa Hudgens and her MLB player boyfriend, Cole Tucker, have just taken their relationship to a whole 'nother level ... TMZ Sports has learned they're engaged!!!

A source close to the two tells us ... Tucker popped the question sometime at the end of 2022.

It's unclear when exactly the question was popped ... but the couple was in Paris in November -- a lovely place for a potential engagement to go down.

The "High School Musical" star and the Colorado Rockies utility man have been dating since 2020 -- and have been nearly inseparable since they initially became romantic.

Vanessa's been spotted at a ton of his baseball games over the past couple years -- and in Tucker's offseason, he's spent nearly all of his free time with the actress.

Just a few days ago, Hudgens proclaimed her love for the baseball player in a mushy social media post, writing, "I’ll stop the world and melt with you ❤️🥰."

Tucker's written similar messages to Hudgens on his Instagram too.

It was quite a 2022 for Tucker ... he started the year as a Pittsburgh Pirate before moving on to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He ultimately signed as a free agent with the Rockies this offseason -- meaning he and Vanessa are now going to be spending a whole lot of time together in Denver in 2023.

An Instagram model known for her out-of-this-world appearance says she's going back to a natural look ... because one of her massive implants popped!!!

The Canadian model, who goes by Mary Magdalene on social media, says the 5,000cc implant recently popped ... leaving her with an 11-pound breast she's calling her "uniboob," and a bunch of saggy, tattooed skin.

MM, who has dropped six figures on a wide array of plastic surgeries in her life, says she's going to take out her 38J implants and revert to her natural self ... openly wondering if the burst boob is a sign she needs to change her look.

Mary's mega boobs have gotten her in trouble before ... as we reported, last summer she claimed her 22-pound breasts got her booted from a flight from Canada to Dallas for looking "too explicit."

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are still fitting in with their Montecito neighbors just fine ... hitting a celeb-packed birthday party that included Ellen DeGeneres and Portia De Rossi renewing their vows.

The (former) royal couple were among guests at Portia's birthday party this week, an event that, unbeknownst to Ellen, doubled as a surprise vow-renewing ceremony.

You can see both Harry and Meghan looking on from the party crowd, both with huge smiles on their faces as Kris Jenner officiates. Ellen was clearly stunned, as Portia entered the room wearing a wedding dress ... Ellen called Portia the "greatest gift" for the surprise.

Not only were Kris, Harry and Meghan in attendance -- Brandi Carlile performed -- and had everyone in their feels. Ellen and Portia have been married since 2008.

Meghan's friendship with Ellen is no secret, she's appeared on her show in the past ... and of course, they now have the Montecito connection.

LeBron James' first-ever #6 Lakers jersey -- which he wore on the opening night of the 2021-22 NBA season -- is hitting the auction block ... and could sell for a ton of dough, TMZ Sports has learned.

A rep with SCP Auctions tells us the gold Nike "Icon" Edition jersey James sported against the Golden State Warriors on October 19, 2021, is up for grabs ... and it's a big deal, considering it's the first time he rocked #6 for L.A., instead of his Cleveland-era #23.

The bottom left corner of the piece of history shows LeBron's jersey size (54) and the date of the game, 10-19-21, handwritten on the tag.

The jersey has gone through several layers of authentication -- it was entered into the NBA and MeiGray Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program -- and was photo matched to the 1st and 2nd half of the contest against the Warriors.

Remember, James switched from #23 to #6 in June 2021 ... just four months before the NBA season started. LeBron previously wore the #6 when he was with the Miami Heat for four seasons (2010-2014).

"It's always been a part of me, to be honest," James said when asked about the switch. "Six has a lot of meaning to me, from my family and numbers and things of that nature to what I believe in and things of that sort, but my mentality doesn’t change."

King James finished the night against the Warriors with a game-high 34 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists -- but the Dubs spoiled LeBron's night, defeating the Lakers, 121-114.

Irene Cara, the singer most known for her '80s hits in "Flashdance" and "Fame", died as a result of hypertension and high cholesterol ... TMZ has learned.

In medical docs, obtained by TMZ, the medical examiner in Pinellas County has ruled Irene's official cause of death is Arteriosclerotic and Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease ... it was also noted Irene was diabetic.

As we reported, the singer passed away at the age of 63 in November inside her Florida home.

Irene's best known for her iconic song "What a Feeling" from the '80s flick "Flashdance" ... she won an Oscar for Best Original Song thanks to the hit.

Irene's also the woman behind the song "Fame" from the movie of the same name ... she received a Golden Globe nomination for "Best Actress" for her role in the film.

Fans will remember Irene from other films as well... including "City Heat," costarring Clint Eastwood and Burt Reynolds. She also appeared in "Certain Fury", playing opposite Tatum O'Neal.

Former wrestling star Lanny Poffo -- younger brother of the late Randy Savage -- has died ... his friend, "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan said Thursday.

He was 68 years old. A cause of death is unknown at this time.

Poffo made his in-ring debut with the All-South Wrestling Alliance in 1974 ... before joining multiple promotions affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance, where he won a Tag-Team Championship alongside his father, Angelo.

In 1985, Poffo joined the World Wrestling Federation ... where he would be known as "Leaping Lanny Poffo" and "The Genius."

Poffo competed against huge names like Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan, Jim Neidhart and The Ultimate Warrior over the course of his stellar career ... and at one point, teamed up with Mr. Perfect.

Poffo inducted his brother, Randy, into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2015 ... giving a touching tribute and attending WrestleMania 31 in his honor.

Out of the squared circle, Poffo also wrote several books ... and was known for writing poems.

"With a very, very heavy heart, I've been asked to let everyone know about the passing of our friend and colleague Lanny Poffo, The Genius," Hacksaw said on Instagram.

Nick Carter says the woman accusing him of sexual battery over 21 years ago -- when she was a minor -- is deliberately dragging his name through the mud with a series of lies ... and he's now going after her in court for the more than $2.35 million he says she's cost his boy band.

The Backstreet Boys member filed his countersuit Thursday against Shannon Ruth. TMZ broke the story, Ruth initially sued Nick in December, claiming he sexually assaulted her after a concert way back in 2001 when she was underage.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Nick says he won't allow himself to be smeared by Ruth's accusations, which he vehemently denies, and says her lawsuit is the culmination of a years-long conspiracy to take him down.

Nick says Ruth has been coached by a father and daughter, Jerome and Melissa Schuman, to make false claims about him as part of an extortion attempt. He also blasts all 3 for trying to take advantage of the #MeToo movement.

Carter says Ruth has changed her story over and over ... he says she initially claimed she was abused by someone else, then claimed Nick physically abused her, and ultimately accused Nick of sexual assault. Nick says the Schumans have been "coaxing" Ruth to "inflate" her allegations.

Nick points out Ruth waited years to report her sexual battery allegations, and he says an independent investigation resulted in no criminal charges. He says Ruth tried to extort him through civil attorneys, who abandoned her case when presented with the cold, hard facts.

Nick says as a result of Ruth's lawsuit, The Backstreet Boys had to cancel appearances and endorsement deals -- costing them more than $2.35 million.

And get this -- Nick says his late brother, Aaron Carter, was also dragged into the conspiracy. Nick claims Ruth and the Schumans preyed on Aaron before his death, when he was beefing with Nick and on drugs, exploiting "Aaron's fragile condition and family stresses to cloak their defamatory campaign with credibility, relentlessly and repeatedly using Aaron to try to legitimize their frivolous tales."

But, Nick says Aaron ultimately realized he was being used and manipulated by Ruth and the Schumans, apologizing to Nick and publicly stating the accusers were lying.

The day Aaron died, Nick claims Jerome Schuman tweeted ... "I am sad that the chess game we started together was never finished."

When TMZ called Nick’s attorney, Michael Holtz, he told us, "As our Counterclaim sets out in detail, Nick has been the target of a malicious and long-running conspiracy. He has never done the outrageous things of which he has been accused; in fact, he is the victim of a calculated and concerted disinformation campaign designed to destroy his reputation."

Holtz continues, "He looks forward to setting out the truth, vindicating himself in court, and putting an end to the smears and attempted shakedowns for good."

Latto's skivvy side hustle got derailed by eBay, but all hope is not lost ... her manager Cortez Bryant is considering -- perhaps jokingly -- a very unique merch idea.

We caught up with Tez at LAX, and he says Latto and the rest of the team were taken aback, just like everyone else, when bids for her used cheetah print panties nearly reached $100K!!!

The bidding war got hot with more than 100 entries, but before Latto could cash in, eBay shut down the auction.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Latto's underwear auction violated the company's "health and hygiene" standards and Tez doesn't disagree they made right the decision -- but he doesn't seem opposed to our idea of making additions to the "Big Energy" rapper's merch store!!!

Immediately after eBay's takedown, Latto got back to work in the studio to finish her newest record ... which Tez tells us is officially named "Lottery" and is dropping soon.

Tez says Latto made the eBay post in jest to fire back at the trolls but also isn't passing judgment on the highest bidder of her used bloomers!!!

Tom Brady has hundreds of millions of dollars coming in from Fox Sports, but that's not gonna rush him back to work, he's going to enjoy his first true break from football in a long time because his focus is elsewhere -- and not on dating -- TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Tom tell us he's going to spend the next few months just being a dad. We're told he's an extremely devoted father to his kids -- splitting his time with his kids in Miami and New York -- and is looking forward to spending extended time with them.

Tom's 15-year-old son Jack, who he has with Bridget Moynahan, plays high school football ... and Tom flies private to watch him play every week.

Page Six reported, "His kids ultimately were the reason why he made this decision."

What's more, Tom was recently spotted alone, scoping out schools in the Miami area for his kids he shares with Gisele -- Benjamin and Vivian. We're told Tom's plan is to stay in Miami for the kids.

As for his love life -- our sources say Tom hasn't dated anyone -- his interest right now is just living a life outside of the game.

Of course, he still has his several companies -- TB12, Autograph and Brady Brand -- all of which he'll still be hands-on with ... but without the stresses of football, it'll be much easier.

Tom's also got a massive deal with Fox Sports -- reportedly worth $375 million over the next 10 years -- a deal we're told he's not going to rush into starting, but one he's excited to take on when the time is right. That, we're told, won't happen for several months.

Gangsta Boo’s rap hustle was in full swing at the time of her death, and it was captured in 4K glory for her final music video.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained behind-the-scenes footage of Boo ... along with fellow Three 6 Mafia members Crunchy Black and La Chat for the filming of Drumma Boy’s “Imma Mack” video, directed by K. Cutta.

We’re told Gangsta Boo was excited about the shoot and went back home to Memphis during Christmas just to film her parts.

The late rap star's trademark charisma and enthusiasm can be felt throughout the clip as she examines the edit, bottle of Patrón Tequila in hand ... and later in the final video where she's cooking up in the kitchen and drops disses on her haters.

This song is from Drumma Boy’s “Welcome to My City Vol. 4” album -- which put several Memphis rappers on tracks together -- a project Gangsta Boo was passionate about because of her love for the 901.

The last time we spoke to Drumma Boy, he not only gushed over Gangsta Boo’s involvement, but also about the compilation bringing together artists all across the region.

Gangsta Boo’s love for Memphis was reciprocated at her funeral last month when hundreds of mourners turned out to pay their respects.

Gangsta Boo was 43 at the time of her death ... which cops suspected was a drug overdose.

Pamela Anderson has a fresh take on her widely criticized #MeToo comments from years back, clarifying the comments she made on her early view of the casting couch.

The "Baywatch" star sat down to chat with Ronan Farrow for Interview Magazine and, in the piece out Wednesday, she said her mom's advice was way off point.

Pam said, "I could even take it a step further. My mother would tell me -- and I think this is the kind of feminism I grew up with -- it takes two to tango. If someone answers the door in a hotel robe and you’re going for an interview, don’t go in. But if you do go in, get the job."

She admitted to Ronan that was "a horrible thing to say, but that's how I was."

As you may recall ... Pam caught a lot of heat when she told Megyn Kelly on the Today Show in 2017, "You know what you’re getting into if you go to a hotel room alone." Of course, Pam was referring to disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein, who preyed mostly on actresses at hotels. Pam also revealed to Kelly she survived sexual abuse as a child.

Harvey Weinstein was found guilty in December by a Los Angeles jury in his second sexual assault trial. Weinstein is also already serving a 23-year sentence for a rape conviction in New York.

Pam did give some props to the #MeToo movement during her sit down with Ronan. She said, "Thank God for the #MeToo movement because things have changed and people are much more careful and respectful."

With Travis and Jason Kelce facing off in the Super Bowl, fans are petitioning to get their mom, Donna, to do the coin toss before the big game in Arizona ... and it's already got more than 15,000 signatures!!

The petition was started by Chiefs fan Amber Smith -- who is lobbying the NFL to allow Donna to participate in the tradition since the big game has been dubbed the "Kelce Bowl," according to change.org.

"What a great way to show the Super Proud mama some Amazing Appreciation and Love while giving her a once in a lifetime opportunity!! ❤️" the petition page says.

The game will be a historic moment for Travis and Jason -- they will become the first brothers to ever face off in the Super Bowl.

However, the Kelce brothers want the "Kelce Bowl" storyline to stop ... as the two feel like the narrative takes away from their teammates.

"I kinda don’t like that we’re calling it the Kelce Bowl," Jason said on their New Heights podcast. "Appreciate the support, but there’s a lot of guys involved with this. There’s major organizations involved. Unbelievable storylines in this Super Bowl."

Travis added, "Appreciate you guys calling it the Kelce Bowl, but let’s focus on the Chiefs-Eagles."

Either way ... it appears fans want to see Mama Kelce on the field.

If you were thinking moving your spring clothes to the front of the closet, not so fast ... because a famous rodent may have torpedoed your plan.

Punxsutawney Phil emerged from the dirt Thursday morning at Gobbler's Knob, PA for Groundhogs day ... and this time around he saw his shadow ... which means 6 more weeks of winter.

Thousands of folks gathered for this year's celebration. Fact is ... this year it doesn't take a groundhog to tell you it's frickin' cold with no end in sight!