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Before this posin' pip-squeak was building an entire empire from his success, he was just another sweetie wearing stripes while growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This little lad paved his own way into filmmaking by writing, producing, and starring in a majority of his projects when he was starting out in the industry. He is best known for his cross-dressing character who has been prominently featured in over 10 of his movies.

He has since become one of the highest-paid men in entertainment and was just recently awarded the 2020 Governors Award at the Golden Globes.

President Trump is in sunny California to raise some much-needed cash as he falls behind in the polls and in the money dept ... thus the trek to raise cash.

DT made his way to a private fundraiser in Newport Beach Sunday, rolling up to tech billionaire Palmer Luckey's home in his motorcade to bank on some generous donations ... with tickets for the event reportedly running between $2,800 to $150k.

The Beach Boys are providing entertainment for the shindig -- but not the OG band, it's just Mike Love and the touring group ... Brian Wilson and Al Jardine have disavowed the event. They say they hadn't even heard Mike was planning the gig until reading about it in the paper.

Sure enough, ML was spotted out there out as well ... looking groovy and ready to rock, sans his bandmates' approval.

Even crazier ... the sheer amount of fanboying Trump and co. spurred when they arrived. Check out how the guy who filmed this reacted when he spots POTUS in the backseat, if only for a second -- a complete starstruck freak-out. He claims DT waived at him.

Francia Raisa -- the woman who donated a kidney to Selena Gomez -- had a horrible experience on the 405 freeway in Southern California Sunday ... all because of Trump supporters.

The actress posted a tearful video on her Instagram story recounting the terror she encountered while driving ... saying a "rally" of Trumpers almost made her crash as they tried to box her in while she was driving. It sounds pretty intense, and Francia's quite emotional.

She likens the humiliation and mind games she endured to her being Mexican-American ... Francia claims people on the road were pointing at her, honking their horns and laughing the whole time. She goes off on people who support Trump for promoting that type of mentality.

Francia appears to be referring to a massive caravan of cars that are flooding the 405 right now ... apparently going south to Orange County, where Trump is hosting a fundraiser event in Newport Beach later today. To celebrate, it seems like a parade of Trump flag-waving drivers are clogging the lanes and cruising incredibly slow to take their sweet time.

While Francia doesn't appear to have captured the incident in question herself, several other clips of the caravan making its way along the 405 were posted online, including one from Republican congressional candidate Errol Webber ... who was thrilled to capture the scene.

The line of cars seems to go for miles and miles -- the distance from central L.A. to Newport is about 44 miles give or take -- and lots of people are posting shots of the traffic jam, either in the thick of it, or passing ... so it's clear Francia dealt with something wild out there.

President Trump became part of the church-going crowd this weekend -- and his presence moved a pastor to predict he'd get a 2nd win ... and Trump returned the favor by telling the pastors they were rough around the edges.

DT attended a service Sunday at the International Church of Las Vegas ... with Pastors Paul and Denise Goulet officiated. It was quite the sight -- Trump stood there awkwardly with his palms out, flanked by Hope Hicks and Kayleigh McEnany ... nobody wearing masks.

Right up Donald's alley, no doubt, but it's what Pastor Denise ranted and raved about that actually stole the show ... she says she got a sign from God at 4:30 this morning ... that Trump's getting another 4 years, but she had a funny and confusing way of explaining it.

First, she said his "second win" would come in the form of a victory at the polls; next, she said he'd get another "second win" with a fresh shot of energy ... like a runner near the finish line and who's out of breath, but still manages to power through to the end.

Finally, Pastor Denise said he'd get a second "wind," which she likened to the Holy Spirit. We believe she has a few of those "second win(d)s" mixed up, but whatever ... Trump was loving it all the same. Ironically, Trump has proven of late that he can, indeed, get pretty winded.

Anyway, the couple eventually invited to him to the stage to bless him -- which was just as awkward as their sermon from afar -- and eventually handed him the mic to share some words, and that's when he told the pastoral duo they were rough around the edges.

It's that time of the year again -- Halloween, of course -- which means the Pipers are dusting off their witch hats to ring in the holiday ... with a 2020 twist, of course.

'Halloweentown' star Kimberly J. Brown -- who played Marnie Piper in the Disney franchise -- posted a cool TikTok video of herself, now at age 35, busting out a witch hat and plopping it on her head ... reminiscent of the hat and costume she wore in the first film.

She writes, "Just wanted to see if it still fits...😏." As Kim finally makes the hat touch her noggin, the video cuts to her in the full "Halloweentown" witch costume, and the song changes too, of course.

The movie music turns into Cali Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie" ... with KJB dancing to the beat for a bit before walking off camera. That's where the video ends.

Definitely the light nostalgia fans of the films might've been looking for in these real-life dark times -- "Halloweentown" is a childhood favorite for many, and spurred three entries in total. And yes, Marnie -- the female version of Harry Potter, if you will -- is pretty badass.

Neil deGrasse Tyson is warning earthlings, an asteroid may be heading for our planet before election day, but it's probably not going to kill us ... but maybe something else will.

The famed astrophysicist posted a photo of the giant rock hurtling toward Earth, with the caption, "asteroid 2018VP1, a refrigerator-sized space-rock, is hurtling towards us at more than 25,000 mi/hr."

He goes on to say it could have a brush with Earth at an ominous time ... "It may buzz-cut Earth on Nov. 2, the day before the Presidential Election. But it’s not big enough to cause harm. So if the World ends in 2020, it won’t be the fault of the Universe."

Neil, who hosts the new Fox show, “Cosmos: Possible Worlds," didn't say what else could end the world as we know it, but we have ideas.

As for the asteroid ... NASA has confirmed it's on a trajectory to possibly hit the U.S. on Nov. 2. It's 6.5 feet in diameter and there's only a 1% chance it will hit somewhere in the country, but still ... it's 2020.

Well, Disney's now gotten into the politics of coronavirus ... well, not exactly Disney, but a parody of one of the most famous Disney movie's song is circulating online.

It's a COVID parody of "Be Our Guest" from "Beauty and the Beast" and it dives into the politicization of masks. The song ... is simply called "Wear a Mask."

The brains behind the song are encased in the heads of songwriters Noah Lindquist and Ashley Young, and without using Donald Trump's name, the duo takes direct aim at his laissez-faire attitude toward mask-wearing.

The lyrics include ... "Stop the lies, stop the fights, no one is taking away your rights." And there's this ... "You can shout, you can glare, but listen, Karen, I don't care!"

Favorite line ..."Try not to be so grouchy, have some faith in Fauci."

It weirdly sends a strong message about the folly of making masks a sign of weakness.

President Donald Trump gleefully told a crowd at a Michigan rally Saturday night ... it puts a smile on his face to see police push around protesters.

Trump told his cheering supporters there is "something very beautiful ... watching everybody get pushed around," referring to the way the National Guard responded to protesters in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd.

Trump gloated his comments were not "politically correct" but then dog-whistled to the crowd ... "You people get it; you get it probably better than I do even."

But, Trump wasn't done ... he went after Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who was the target of a right-wing kidnapping plot that many think Trump himself inspired with talk of liberating Michigan.

Trump brushed off the plot -- mocking the Governor by saying, "They said she was threatened" -- and groused that Whitmer partially blames him for the terror plot. The crowd loved it, chanting, "Lock her up." Trump seemed pleased.

John Fogerty is outraged President Trump is playing one of his very personal songs at campaign rallies, because the song actually takes aim at people like him.

Fogerty says he's issuing a cease and desist order ... demanding that Trump and co. refrain from playing Creedence Clearwater Revival's massive hit, "Fortunate Son."

Fogerty, who sang the song in both the group and as a solo artist, made it clear it's personal ... "I wrote this song because, as a veteran, I was disgusted that some people were allowed to be excluded from serving our country because they had access to political and financial privilege. I also wrote about wealthy people not playing their fair share of taxes."

John made it clear, he doesn't endorse DT. There have been other attempts to get Trump to stop playing other songs at his rallies, but the law allows it. Still, the artists can voice their displeasure.

As you may know, Trump never served in the military because he got a deferment -- first a student deferment, and then a 1-Y deferment after he was diagnosed with bone spurs. And, he grew up in a house of privilege, something Fogerty sings about. In other words, Donald Trump was a fortunate son.

University of Alabama football coach Nick Saban was back in the game Saturday when his team trounced the University of Georgia ... and the team celebrated the win in spectacular fashion with its formerly COVID-positive coach.

Saban tested positive for coronavirus Wednesday and immediately went home to quarantine. He says he stayed asymptomatic and subsequent tests on Thursday, Friday and Saturday were all negative. So Saban returned and led his team to a 41-24 victory. It was pretty spectacular ... in just 10 minutes in the 3rd quarter, 'Bama scored 3 TDs.

But, you gotta check out the locker room celebration ... Saban and his players are dancing wildly ... celebrating the victory and his return to the team.

"SNL" mocked the dueling Presidential debates, and it was pretty funny.

Jim Carrey played Joe Biden, who showed his numerical age with some dad/granddad references to pop culture and a penchant for reminiscing WAAY back.

The cold open ping-ponged from Biden to Trump, who of course was hilariously played by Alec Baldwin.

Kate McKinnon, who played Trump moderator Savannah Guthrie, challenged Trump for tweeting about white supremacy and such. His response, "I didn't tweet it. It was a retweet, which is short for a really smart tweet."

And then McKinnon reprised Guthrie's line about Trump's tweets -- "You're not just someone's crazy uncle," to which Trump [Baldwin] responds, "Really? Because this conversation we're having right now is a preview of Thanksgiving dinner," Baldwin's Trump shot back. "So crazy uncles, stand back and stand by."

Bobby Shmurda has big plans for when he gets out of prison, but he's gotta put 'em on the back burner because the parole board still isn't feeling his whole "I've changed" vibe.

The rapper told the board he wants to resume his career in entertainment, but also wants to do outreach programs with troubled youth who need guidance. According to a transcript of his September parole hearing ... he also told the parole board he thinks of himself now as a "leader" and not a follower.

Shmurda claims he got into a lot of trouble when he was younger because he felt he would look like a punk if he walked away from fights. He added that's all changed now, and said he feels too "grown" to be fighting and arguing.

As we first reported, Bobby was denied parole during the hearing, but the transcript reveals exactly how he made his case to be released. According to the docs, he said he's no longer impulsive, and takes time to think about others and walk away from bad situations when they pop up.

There's a good reason that didn't fly with the board. In denying Shmurda, board members pointed out he's had "multiple" violations while in prison, including allegedly having a shank, fighting and drug possession.

The super-prepared Texas voter who came equipped with her chair, her snacks and her "grown folks hair" to wait out a long poll line says her popular TikTok was actually an important PSA.

Belinda Varnado tells TMZ ... the purpose of her instantly viral clip was to make sure seniors, like herself, come prepared to make sure they don't miss out on their opportunity to vote.

She's seen all the news about ridiculously long lines for early voting -- where people have to wait for up to 15 hours -- and she knows all that standing doesn't work for folks up in age.

So, Belinda's encouraging her peers to pack the right gear, be prepared to hunker down ... but stay determined to cast their ballots.

She and her daughter, Chevelle Brooks, are also stressing the importance of voting early -- especially this year -- and Belinda's not shy about her ultimate goal either.

Shreddin' the gnar is taking off during the pandemic ... TMZ Sports has learned surfing has EXPLODED while people try to have fun while social distancing!!!

We spoke with several of the country's biggest surf shops and board manufacturers this week ... and each one told us the demand has been so huge, they can't keep boards in stock!!

"We're back-ordered and can't keep up with the demand," a spokesperson for C-Shapes in Florida says. "The surfboard industry is on fire right now."

Added a rep for Chilli Surfboards in California, "We're selling four times the amount that we usually do."

It all makes sense ... surfing's outdoors. It's socially distant. It's cheap. And, it's straight-up great exercise!

Here's how spokespeople from some of the other big shops and manufacturers around the nation explained the demand to us this week:

JS Industries -- "More beginners entered the market than almost ever before due to surfing being one of the few activities deemed safe and accessible during COVID."

Channel Island Surfboards in CA -- "Surfing has doubled this year because it's a social distancing activity and it's free."

Surf Station in FL -- "There has been a definite increase. I can't even put a timeframe for board requests."

Eastern Lines Surf in NJ -- "It is definitely a higher demand compared to the last couple of years ... More people in the water than I've ever seen."

But, perhaps Hawaiian South Shore's rep in Honolulu put it to us best ... saying, "It's pretty nuts over here!"

"The Hangover" star Rob Riggle got some sobering news to kick off his October ... his wife of 21 years filed for divorce.

Tiffany Riggle filed legal docs in Ventura County court to end her marriage to the comedian. She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split ... this according to legal docs obtained by TMZ. They got married back on April 13, 1999, and she lists May 2, 2020 as the date of separation.

They had 2 kids together -- 16-year-old daughter Abigail and 12-year-old son George ... and she's asking for joint custody with Rob -- a big football fan who now appears on FOX's NFL Sunday pregame show and once hosted the NFL Honors show in 2018. She also checked the box asking for spousal support.

She beats some ass. She shakes some ass. And, Hollywood is taking notice.

MMA rising star Valerie Loureda says her career has exploded over the past few months due to a combination of violence and sex appeal ... and she's loving every second of it.

Loureda blew up on social media back in August by obliterating Tara Graff at Bellator 243, which earned her a multi-fight contract with Bellator. She's now 3-0 as a pro, with 2 knockouts.

Loureda celebrated her new contract with a twerk video that also went viral ... and her popularity has been skyrocketing ever since.

Now, Loureda says Hollywood has come calling -- with talent agents knocking down her door and TV producers offering up a reality show.

22-year-old Loureda says she's flattered by the interest -- and wants to get involved in entertainment at some point -- but for now, her focus is on fighting.

"Several talent agents have reached out to me to try to get me to enter entertainment, and film different things, and honestly I love all of that and that’s my goal at the end of my career," Valerie tells us.

"But, right now, I'm really focused on fighting and winning fights comes first. But, yeah for sure, that’s a dream for me."

The big question ... when is Valerie getting back in the cage?

Loureda says she's currently recovering from an eye injury -- but she's hoping to fight again in 2020. Bellator is still working on an opponent.

In the meantime, Valerie continues to be a hit on social media. Here's one reason why ...