Big Brother

Former "Big Brother" star Christmas Abbott struck a pretty sweet deal in her criminal mischief case -- she has a hefty bill to pay ... but won't spend any time behind bars.

Abbott -- who finished third on season 19 of 'BB' back in 2017 -- has been sentenced to 12 months probation and 25 hours of community service for a violent altercation with her baby daddy's girlfriend last year.

As we reported ... Christmas was arrested in November for the August 2018 incident, in which she drove to a Tampa gym to confront the woman and ended up flying off the handle and ramming into her car in the parking lot.

The only reason Abbott wasn't hauled in on the spot ... she was 8 months pregnant at the time. She turned herself after she gave birth to a son in October.

Dina Lohan is taking her relationship with her online boyfriend to the next level ... because they're making plans to finally meet in person -- after 5 years of online dating!!!

Dina's love interest, 53-year-old Jesse Nadler, tells TMZ ... a face-to-face meeting is in the works, and it's going down the next time Dina is in Los Angeles!!!

Jesse says things are going great between them, now that Dina's out of the "Celebrity Big Brother" house ... and they're chatting on FaceTime almost every day.

We're told Dina's getting TV offers, so they're planning to kill 2 birds with 1 stone whenever she makes a business trip to Hollywood. Jesse's already living in Cali, and he's patiently waiting to meet his long-distance boo.

As you know … Dina and Jesse’s relationship has evolved from platonic to romantic … even though they've never met in real life.

But, that's all about to change.

Tom Green's counting down to November 3, 2020 ... because that's when he can finally vote for President, now that he's a U.S. citizen!!!

The comedian went through the naturalization oath ceremony Wednesday at the L.A. Convention Center along with hundreds of others. As you probably know, Tom was born in Canada but he's lived in the U.S. for two decades.

Check out the clip ... Tom couldn't contain his excitement as he proudly waves a U.S. flag. BTW, the same could NOT be said of President Trump who had a message for the newly naturalized citizens.

The obvious question ... what took so long? Tom tells TMZ ... being a standup comedian and commenting on society is great, but after living in America for 20 years now, he wanted the opportunity to vote and take part in the democratic process.

Make no mistake ... Tom bleeds Canada's red and white, and he's in no way turning his back on Canada. He's just now making room for America's red, white AND blue. And, he's showing both countries love ... 'cause now he has dual citizenship.

He knows his U.S. history too -- bet ya can't name every prez as Tom did while on "Celebrity Big Brother."

Lolo Jones is unloading on Ryan Lochte -- fellow Team USA Olympian and 'Big Brother' housemate -- blasting him as an Olympic disgrace ... for no real apparent reason.

Lolo just wrapped up her stint on "Celebrity Big Brother" -- where she and Lochte seemed to get along for the most part. Lolo finished in 3rd place. Lochte was 10th.

But, when a couple of people on Twitter criticized her being a "sore loser" while praising Lochte, Jones fired back by ripping the swimmer and his arrest scandal in Brazil during the 2016 Games.

Here's how the exchange went.

Fan #1: "Who would’ve thought that Ryan Lochte would finish #CBB looking like the most mature and gracious Olympian on the show? I used to like Lolo as an athlete, but now I can’t stand #locoLolo"

Fan #2: "Maybe the difference is Ryan actually wins medals at the olympics while LoLo loses at the games. She needs anger management and to stop being a sore loser."

Lolo: "I also don’t get escorted out of the Olympic games either or lie about a whole country."

Boom.

Question is ... why? After Lochte was eliminated early in the show, she griped to other houseguests that Olympians should stick together. So, why turn on Lochte now?

Dina Lohan's alleged catfisher-turned-real-life-BF has some bitchin' plans for his long-distance boo ... and we know this because, unlike Dina, we actually got the dude on FaceTime!!!

Dina's love interest, 53-year-old Jesse Nadler, tells TMZ ... he already has a real estate agent to help him hunt down the perfect condo in Westhampton Beach, NY ... so he can live closer to Dina.

As for why it took Mr. Charming so long to finally enter the 21st century and learn how to have a video chat -- Jesse says he's just an old school kinda guy. Truth is, we had to teach him how to do it.

As we first reported ... Jesse -- who is taking care of his mother in Northern Cali while she fights cancer -- surprised Dina with a FaceTime call Wednesday night as soon as she was released from the "Celebrity Big Brother" house.

You'll recall, Dina got roasted by her housemates for having an exclusively online relationship for 5 years. They called it a clear case of catfishing.

But, check out the vid ... Jesse tells us how his relationship with Dina evolved from platonic to romantic, and where they plan to spend their time together soon.

Happy Valentine's Day, you crazy kids!!!

Kandi Burruss is a boss, and those bagging on her for taking a month off from her son's life to do "Celebrity Big Brother" are a bunch of lame-os ... so says her hubby, Todd Tucker.

We got Todd and his whole brood Wednesday at LAX and he staunchly defended his wife for choosing to take part in the reality show.

If you didn't know ... the 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star caught some flak over the weekend when some fans called her out for missing her son, Ace's school recital.

Todd is having none of it ... and wanted to make it perfectly clear that Kandi's decision to join the CBS hit show only came AFTER she sat down and talked to the whole fam. In fact, her daughter, Riley was at the airport, too, and co-signed on that sentiment.

Check it out ... Todd has got a message for the haters.

He's also got a prediction on who is gonna win when the 2-hour finale airs Wednesday night.

Dina Lohan's alleged catfish boyfriend is going to prove he's the real deal, because he's planning to FaceTime Dina as soon as she gets out of the 'Big Brother' house ... TMZ has learned.

Dina's love interest, 53-year-old Jesse Nadler, tells TMZ ... he's going to surprise Dina with a FaceTime call Wednesday night, as soon as she's released from the "Celebrity Big Brother" house.

You'll recall, Dina got dragged by members of the 'CBB' house last week for having an exclusively online relationship for years, and she insisted he was the real deal.

Jesse confirms he's known Dina for 5 years, and they originally met on Facebook ... he says they had mutual friends because they're both from Long Island.

We're told Jesse was asked to fly out to the 'CBB' house, but he couldn't make it because his mother is battling cancer ... so he's going to use his new iPhone for his first ever foray into FaceTime.

Lindsay also got involved in the trolling, commenting about the episode and saying, "So proud of you mommy! But no more weird #catfish please."

Jesse says he's twice spoken to Lindsay over the phone, so he was pretty upset when he learned about her catfish comments ... and says Lindsay has him all wrong, telling us he would never take advantage of a woman and considers being labeled a "catfish" the worst insult imaginable.

Jesse also tells us he's full-steam ahead in his plans to pursue a relationship with Dina.

Lolo Jones and Tamar Braxton came thiiis close to throwing hands in the "Celebrity Big Brother" house ... after the Olympian called Tamar a "bitch" during a heated confrontation.

Tensions had been building between the two houseguests for days -- but things finally "popped off" Saturday morning when an argument exploded into real smack talk ... and threats of physical violence.

Tamar -- wearing a weird "Back to the Future" mask -- did NOT back down from Lolo ... telling her, "I am from Baltimore. You do not want that problem."

When Tamar got into Lolo's face, Jones flexed on Tamar and said, "I'm right here."

In a moment captured on the 'Big Brother' live feed -- you can see Tamar saying, "The next time somebody calls me a bitch, I'm just gonna' start yankin'."

Lolo hears the threat and responds, "Then do it."

Tamar replied, "Then say it."

The good news -- the women didn't ever come to blows ... but they're both still in the "Big Brother" house.

Question is ... who wins if they REALLY do fight?? The world-class Olympic athlete or the battle-tested Baltimore brawler??

Leave it to Anthony Scaramucci to leave the 'Big Brother' house in a surprise twist ... just like his shocking exit from President Trump's White House.

The Mooch wasn't really a house guest, because he bounced from "Celebrity Big Brother" after less than a week ... and, as it turns out, Scaramucci was actually part of a bigger plot twist.

Scaramucci revealed his true purpose Friday, surprising the rest of his celeb pals when he revealed he was never a real contender for the $250,000 grand prize.

With all the celebs gathered in the living room, Scaramucci appeared on TV -- rocking a suit in front of an American flag backdrop -- and delivered the shocking news.

The Mooch said he was leaving his mark on 'Big Brother' ... just as he did at the White House. As you know, Scaramucci was ousted as White House Communications Director after an infamous 11 days on the job.

While Scaramucci's exit was a shock to the 'Big Brother' house guests, everyone else knew it was coming ... because he made a surprise appearance Wednesday in Switzerland, where he talked about his experience on the reality show.

Anthony Scaramucci's time on "Celebrity Big Brother" ended up being even shorter than his White House tenure but still ... he says it still helped him feel like an Average Joe.

President Trump's ex-White House Communications Director -- for a now infamous 11 days -- made a surprise appearance in Switzerland Wednesday after mysteriously exiting the 'BB' house. The Mooch appeared on Tuesday night's episode ... but it was clear from the online live feed he had left sometime on Monday.

We know from the episode he wasn't voted out by housemates, but Mooch is keeping tight-lipped about his exit after just 6 days. In true reality star fashion ... he dropped a "make sure you tune-in" line.

There's a silver lining though -- Scaramucci says signing up for 'Big Brother' brought him down from his ivory tower of snobbishness and elitism ... and got him back in touch with his blue-collar roots.

He's not great at keeping a job, but at least he's entertaining about it!

Anthony Scaramucci keeps spilling White House tea in the 'Big Brother' house, and he says there's no way President Trump is going to be able to deliver on one of his biggest campaign promises ... draining the swamp.

Anthony, who worked in Trump's White House for 10 days before being fired, says the Prez won't be able to drain the swamp in D.C. ... and ya gotta hear his reason why.

The Mooch started talking politics with comedian Tom Green on Tuesday's episode of "Celebrity Big Brother" ... and they touched on a range of topics, from Scaramucci's potential return to the Trump administration to the government shutdown.

Watch ... the Mooch doesn't have a lot of good things to say about his brief stint in Washington.

The new batch of celebs who'll be living in the 'Big Brother' house for another season of drama are filling with one thing in common -- starting salaries ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the contacts for all 12 stars in season 2 of "Celebrity Big Brother" tell us each of them will rake in $100k ... just for entering the house. The winner can walk away with an additional $250k.

In other words, Anthony Scaramucci isn't more important than Dina Lohan this year ... at least not from the jump, money-wise.

Our production sources also tell us the houseguests had been sequestered in separate hotel rooms for 4 days prior to entering the house Wednesday. We're told CBS brass didn't want anyone in the cast knowing who else was set to appear until the premiere.

Other celebs set to appear on 'CBB' include Natalie Eva Marie, Ryan Lochte, Joey Lawrence, Kato Kaelin, Lolo Jones, Tom Green, Kandi Burruss, Tamar Braxton, Jonathan Bennett and Ricky Williams.

Side note ... the American version of 'CBB' doesn't pay nearly as much as its U.K. counterpart. Just look at what Speidi made, not to mention Ray J. Big difference.

"Big Brother" alum Christmas Abbott has some baby daddy issues ... because the guy she says fathered her kid is seeking a paternity test to confirm her story and, if he is, he wants joint custody.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Benjamin Bunn claims Christmas told him he was the father, and he took care of the reality TV star during her pregnancy ... but Benjamin claims Christmas has been keeping him from the child.

Benjamin claims Christmas has refused to voluntarily submit a genetic marker test, so he's seeking a paternity test to settle the matter once and for all.

Christmas gave birth last month in North Carolina, and Benjamin claims they were planning to raise the kid in Florida. But, Benjamin says Christmas abandoned their plan after she had an altercation with his side chick in Tampa, returning to N.C. with the kid, and they've gone MIA.

As we reported ... Christmas turned herself into Florida authorities this week and was booked for felony criminal mischief, after allegedly confronting Benjamin's side chick outside a Tampa gym and ramming into the woman's car.

"Big Brother" alum Christmas Abbott was arrested in Florida this week ... TMZ has confirmed.

Abbott turned herself into authorities Tuesday in Tampa, where she was booked for felony criminal mischief.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, Christmas drove to a Tampa gym back in August to confront her baby daddy's alleged side chick. Cops say that Abbott flew into a rage, asking all kinds of questions, and hurling a cup of coffee. She then rammed into the chick's car in the parking lot.

Per the report ... Abbott called the other woman a "pathetic home-wrecking little slut" among other insults.

The responding officer says Abbott continued to scream at the side chick while he tried calming her down. Abbott was 8 months pregnant at the time and, according to the report, cops declined to process her because she was so far along. Her vehicle was seized, but they allowed her to turn herself in later.

For the record, she had a little boy in October.

Abbott came in third place during season 19 of "Big Brother" ... back in 2017. In addition to her stint on 'BB,' Christmas was a big-time CrossFit competitor, and was the first female NASCAR pit crew member.

Originally Published -- 8:10 AM PST

Julie Chen's sign-off last week on 'Big Brother' wasn't a one-time stunt -- 'cause she did it again for Wednesday night's episode, and got major love.

Sources at Tuesday night's taping tell TMZ ... Julie opened the show by saying ... "Good evening, I'm Julie Chen Moonves. Welcome to 'Big Brother.'" Her words were met with a thunderous show of support from the audience.

Julie signed off with the Moonves surname during last week's episode -- and now it seems she is taking her husband's name full-time, on the heels of his hasty exit from CBS amid sexual misconduct allegations.

TMZ broke the story ... Julie wants to stay on as the host of 'Big Brother,' and CBS won't ask her to go. Assuming they renew the hit show for another season, she's likely to stay put.

Julie Chen will remain the host of 'Big Brother' because CBS won't ask her to go and she wants to stay ... TMZ has learned.

CBS insiders tell TMZ the network does not want to punish Julie for her husband Les Moonves' alleged misdeeds, so she will finish the current season and the plan is for her to return, with one big IF. The IF is bringing the show back for another season. The ratings are still good and the all-important demos are strong, so renewal is all but certain.

As for whether Julie wants back ... the answer is YES. Sources connected to Julie tell TMZ, she will absolutely finish the season and wants to return for future seasons.

Julie announced Tuesday she was leaving "The Talk." Our sources say it was all her decision -- CBS put NO pressure on her to leave.

It makes sense Julie opted for 'BB' over "The Talk" for 2 reasons. First, the 'BB' shooting schedule is less demanding than "The Talk" so it gives her more time to spend with her husband and son -- something she says is a priority.

Perhaps more significant ... "The Talk" is a topical show, and sexual harassment is a staple, which would make for uncomfortable conversation. "Big Brother" is more scripted and doesn't get as personal.

Short story ... she's coming back to "Big Bro."