FBI Director Kash Patel is firing back at The Atlantic, threatening to sue after the mag published a bombshell report accusing him of boozing too much and acting paranoid.
Patel announced his intentions Friday night, telling The Atlantic and its journalist Sarah Fitzpatrick he'll see their "entire entourage of false reporting in court."
He then egged them on, adding ... "But do keep at it with the fake news, actual malice standard is now what some would call a legal lay up."
He also shared an apparent screenshot of Assistant Director for Public Affairs at the FBI Ben Williamson's initial response to Fitzpatrick's request for comment, in which he called her allegations "absurd" and slammed her for giving him a 2-hour deadline.
The manager of the nightclub where Ruby Rose says she was allegedly sexually assaulted by Katy Perry more than 15 years ago is weighing in on the claim.
A former manager of the since-closed Spice Market nightclub in Melbourne, Australia told the Herald Sun that he never saw the alleged incident ... but confirmed Ruby and Katy were at the establishment that night and both "had way too much to drink."
As we reported ... Ruby posted a series of messages Sunday on Threads, claiming Katy had "rubbed her disgusting vagina on my face" while they were at a nightclub in Australia. Ruby, who is 40, said she was in her early 20s at the time and vomited during the alleged sexual assault.
When Donnell Rawlings stepped onto the TMZ Comedy Crawl, it became immediately clear this wasn't going to be a typical night ... he wasn't just the host, he was the captain of the ship, steering the entire experience in real time!
The Hollywood Improv: From Casual Stop to Headlining Moment
Normally, the stop at the Hollywood Improv is just that -- a stop. But on this night, the Improv had something special lined up. They wanted Donnell to close out their early show, and the Comedy Crawl guests got exclusive access to watch him do what he does best ... own the stage.
The Comedy Store: Where the Night Started Getting Personal
Next stop: the iconic Comedy Store, where Donnell kept the momentum rolling. When a woman mentioned she did stand-up comedy, he handed her the mic! On the ride to the next stop, she performed in front of the entire bus, cheered on by a crowd of strangers who instantly became her biggest fans.
The Laugh Factory: Turning Up the Heat
By the time the Crawl hit the Laugh Factory, the energy was already through the roof, but Donnell wasn't done.
He brought out his cohost for the night, Brandon Broady, to kick things off, setting the tone with a killer set. Then Donnell stepped up again. Another 15-minute set, and the place went absolutely wild.
Saddle Ranch: Because Why Not End on a Bull?
At this point, the Comedy Crawl was already running a full hour past its scheduled finish time, but Donnell had other plans. Having too much fun to stop, he told the driver to make one more stop: Saddle Ranch Chop House.
His mission? Ride the bull. And of course, he delivered. Donnell told everyone to order whatever they wanted from the menu and he covered the entire bill!!! Watch the video to see how it turned out!
Raising the Bar For Everyone
Donnell Rawlings didn’t just host a Comedy Crawl. He redefined it. If you're in L.A., click here to see Donnell's Netflix Is a Joke show, May 4.
And if you're not in L.A., you can catch Donnell on tour during one of these upcoming shows:
April 24–25 -- City Winery New York City -- New York, NY
April 30 – May 2 -- Olsen Run Comedy Club -- Eugene, OR
Jennie Garth is getting brutally real about a dark chapter in her life ... admitting she drank and popped pills so heavily at one point, she landed in the hospital getting her stomach pumped.
In her new memoir, "I Choose Me," the "Beverly Hills, 90210" star reveals the spiral kicked in after her split fromPeter Facinelliin 2012 ... turning to booze and pills to cope with the fallout.
Jennie wrote it got so bad she ended up at Canyon Ranch Rehab after the stomach-pumping, trying to unlearn the self-medicating that had taken over.
Dominiq Ponder-- a quarterback at the University of Colorado -- had double the legal limit of alcohol in his system when he was involved in a fatal car crash that took his life last month in Boulder County.
According to the medical examiner's autopsy report, obtained by TMZ Sports, Ponder's blood-alcohol content was recorded at .167 g/100 mL -- the legal limit in Colorado is 0.08.
The medical examiner also listed his cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries the 23-year-old suffered as a result of the crash.
On Friday night, "Survivor" star Romeo Escobar hosted "TMZ After Dark" and transformed the bus into a full-blown "Survivor" challenge!
With DJ RachyRach dropping beats right beside him, Romeo -- who's now an entertainment producer at L.A.'s KTLA-TV -- brought the island to Los Angeles, hiding a “hidden immunity idol” onboard ... and the winning passenger scored a bottle of wine!
Romeo owned the night, strutting the aisle like a runway, breaking into Lady Gaga songs, and keeping the entire bus locked in. The energy carried through the all-out bar crawl, as the tour hit the Burgundy Room, Beaches WeHo, and Saddle Ranch.
WWE SuperStar Liv Morgan didn't wait until Monday Night Raw at Boston Garden to turn heads ... the 2026 Royal Rumble champ hit up a Celtics game with Raquel Rodriguez on Sunday, and the two women chugged beers on the jumbotron!
Morgan and Rodriguez were courtside in Beantown to watch the Celtics host the Minnesota Timberwolves ... a game the Timberwolves won, 102-92.
At one point, the two wrestlers were put up on the big, in-arena video boards at TD Garden, and as one must do when given the chance -- chug the drink in your hand!
Even when arrested for a serious DWI charge ... Justin Timberlakewas able to crack a joke with police -- namely, about his race!
Check out the body cam footage from the pop superstar's 2024 arrest in Sag Harbor, NY -- he acts confused that police labeled him as "white" when they handed him paperwork to review. He got some laughs when he told officers he was just playin' around.
The rest of the footage isn't a laughing matter -- you can see JT is shocked when he's told he must remain in his jail cell all night ... and totally disappointed -- even dropping his head -- when police confirm he's in custody for driving while intoxicated.
Saturday night wasn’t just another "TMZ After Dark" tour ... it turned into a full-blown reality show on wheels!
Ashley G from"Temptation Island" took over the bus and immediately raised the stakes, turning the ride into her own version of Temptation Voyage ... "Who out of you is getting the most lit tonight?!" she challenged couples and groups, setting the tone before the bus even left the curb.
Teamed up with West Hollywood favorite DJ Coach West, the duo had undeniable chemistry ... riffing, hyping the crowd, and keeping the energy sky-high all night long.
Donna Motsinger's lawsuit against Bill Cosby is taking yet another dramatic turn ... Cosby wants to use evidence her son, Jeff, is an alcoholic with childhood trauma to undermine his testimony ... but Donna's lawyers say he can't do that!
In court papers, obtained by TMZ, Donna says that because Cosby has no expert to say that Jeff's "alcoholism or childhood trauma" is in any way related to Jeff's memory, any evidence of a drinking problem or history of trauma can't be used in the case to discredit his testimony.
As we reported ... Donna claims Cosby drugged and raped her in 1972 ... and pointed to Cosby admitting during a deposition that he obtained recreational prescriptions for Quaaludes that he secured from a gynecologist at a poker game.
Britney Spears' inner circle is rallying behind her after her late-night traffic stop ... and TMZ has learned they're hoping a judge chooses treatment over jail time.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... people close to Britney want the judge to order her into a program rather than sentence her to any time behind bars after her Wednesday night DUI arrest. We're told those close to her believe this could be a pivotal moment ... one where the focus shifts to getting her help and support -- instead of punishment.
We broke the story ... Britney was pulled over by California Highway Patrol officers around 9:30 PM Wednesday in Westlake Village, CA, not far from her home. We're told she was alone in the car when officers initiated the stop.
Britney Spears was allegedly swerving from lane to lane prior to her DUI arrest ... this according to police dispatch audio.
According to the audio, a 2026 black convertible was driving in and out of lanes and speeding ... and an officer can be heard asking for the dispatcher to "send all units down towards this area please."
An officer later says they are speaking with the car's driver, who has stepped out of the vehicle.
Britney Spears is showing more signs of turmoil following her DUI arrest ... because her Instagram account has suddenly been deactivated.
Search for Britney’s page now and you’ll be met with the generic message, "Sorry, this page isn't available. The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed."
It’s unclear if Britney pulled the plug herself or if the account was taken down for another reason.
The disappearance is a big deal -- Britney’s IG has long been her main outlet, especially in recent years as she’s posted her signature solo dance videos from inside her L.A.-area home.
Kylie Jenner might be staging an intervention for her brand Sprinter ... because it seems she's trading vodka seltzers for nutritional shakes in the company's portfolio.
Here's the deal ... after fans began to speculate Jenner was breaking up with the brand -- which launched almost exactly 2 years ago -- the mogul came out and posted the brand's logo onto her Instagram story, writing, "We've been working honey." The company then scrubbed their social media.
Kylie doubled down on the mystery by dropping a video of her hand pouring a powdered substance into a water bottle and tagging Sprinter's account.
While Kylie hasn't officially said what she's doing with the brand ... we did some snooping and found the company has filed for a ton of trademarks in the last few weeks.
Former One Direction member Niall Horangave fans something to toast about for Valentine's Day last month during a trip to New York City ... and fans have been speculating this could be connected to potential new music!
Sources tell us the singer was in New York City doing promo when he cooked up a sweet surprise for couples celebrating the romantic holiday. We’re told Niall partnered with Brooklyn hotspot Dinner Party to treat unsuspecting lovebirds to complimentary bottles of wine.
We're told the vibe was intimate and low-key -- not some over-the-top stunt -- just a lighthearted way for Niall to share the moment and connect with fans IRL.
Shia LaBeouf is reflecting on his Mardi Gras morning arrest ... saying he doesn't have a drinking problem, but rather a Napoleon complex -- oh, and he's scared of gay people touching him.
The troubled actor said all this and more in a lengthy interview for "Channel 5 with Andrew Callaghan" published on YouTube Saturday. You can see it all in the clip -- he reflects on his Feb. 17 arrest and theorizes his outburst has more to do with his anger and ego than his use of alcohol.
Shia also looks back on what led up to him getting physical with a group of people before his arrest ... explaining "big gay people" are scary to him ... and he was frightened when they allegedly began touching his leg.
