Jonathan Majors Report: More Alleged Victims Coming Forward ... Attorney Says He's Innocent
There appears to be a reason why Jonathan Majors is being cut from projects as his team jumps ship ... he reportedly has more alleged abuse victims waiting in the wings.
The alleged victims are coming forward and cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, according to Variety.
Majors' lawyer Priya Chaudhry tells TMZ ... "Jonathan Majors is innocent and has not abused anyone. We have provided irrefutable evidence to the District Attorney that the charges are false. We are confident that he will be fully exonerated."
As we reported, Majors was arrested last month in New York City for misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment after allegedly slapping his girlfriend in the back of a taxi cab.
Variety reports the alleged incident is just the tip of the iceberg ... which explains why honchos in the entertainment industry are distancing themselves from the "Creed III" star.
Remember ... in the wake of his arrest, Majors was dropped by his management team, and a major PR firm pulled the plug on working with him. He's also been uninvited from the upcoming Met Gala.
Majors' attorney claims the alleged victim from the NYC arrest texted the actor after he got busted to say ... "she was the one who used physical force against him."
As you know, Majors has been working nonstop in Hollywood lately ... he's set up to be the next big villain in the MCU after starring in the recent 'Ant-Man' movie.
But, with other alleged victims reportedly waiting in the wings ... it appears the hits could keep coming for Majors.
We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms!
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Menendez Brothers New Trial a Long Shot After Menudo Rape Claim ... Says Veteran Defense Atty
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The Menendez brothers getting a new trial because an ex-member of Menudo is accusing their father of rape is no slam dunk ... it's more of a Hail Mary, according to a criminal defense lawyer.
Attorney Alan Jackson joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him what Erik and Lyle Menendez should be expecting from Menudo member Roy Rosselló's explosive revelation about their father, Jose Menendez.
Alan believes the chances are remote the Menendez brothers get a new trial based on Roy's accusation.
Still, Alan says Lyle and Erik's defense team will try to get the accusation before a judge and present it as new evidence in hope of overturning their convictions -- because even if it's a long shot, it's something.
The way Alan sees it ... Roy's claim is unlikely to change anything for Lyle and Erik, who were convicted in 1996 of murdering their parents, despite arguing their father sexually molested them for years and they only killed him out of fear.
Alan says Roy's accusation -- that music executive Jose drugged and sexually assaulted him in the Menendez family's New Jersey home -- isn't directly connected to the evidence pointing to the brothers murdering their parents with shotguns.
The Menendez brothers are serving life sentences ... and Alan cautions against them getting their hopes up now that Roy's come forward to back the allegation -- made during their trial -- that their father had molested them.
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Tyre Nichols Family Sues Cops for $550M, Memphis Over Death ... Beat Him Like Emmett Till
Attorney Ben Crump just announced the family is seeking more than $500M during a press conference.
Tyre Nichols' family is suing over his fatal beating at the hands of Memphis police ... drawing parallels with what happened to Emmett Till.
According to a new federal lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Tyre's family compares his death to the infamous 1955 killing of Emmett, saying Tyre, like Till, suffered a beating from the "hands of a modern-day lynch mob."
The Nichols family is going after the City of Memphis, Police Chief Cerelyn Davis and the officers involved in Tyre's brutal beating.
The suit claims Tyre's death was the "direct and foreseeable product of the unconstitutional policies, practices, customs, and deliberate indifference" from Memphis and its police chief.
As you know ... Tyre died in January, three days after a brutal beating at the hand of five Memphis police officers, all of whom were fired and charged with second-degree murder.
Tyre's family is also suing a sixth officer who was fired but not charged, plus three members of the Memphis Fire Department who responded to the scene but allegedly failed to render aid to Tyre.
The suit seeks a jury trial and damages, though there's no specific dollar amount.
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Ralph Yarl Family Says Life in Prison Fitting For 84-Year-Old Shooter
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The family of Ralph Yarl says justice can be served by locking up the 84-year-old shooter for the rest of his days ... and forcing him to financially support the Kansas City teen's future.
Ralph's attorney Lee Merritt tells TMZ ... the Yarl family sees life in prison as the appropriate punishment for Andrew Lester, the man charged with shooting Ralph after he mistakenly rang Lester's doorbell. He also says all of Lester's assets should go into a college fund for Ralph.
On top of that, the family's calling on Missouri to implement more robust hate crime laws that could be applied in situations like Ralph's. They also want the DOJ to perform a review of the KC Police Department's to assess any possible internal racial biases in its practices, noting they don't think the department took the incident seriously enough at first.
As you know, Ralph was shot twice by Lester last week, including once in the head -- and police say Lester claims he thought Ralph was trying to break into his home. Lester surrendered to cops Tuesday, the day after he was charged with 2 felonies -- assault in the first degree and armed criminal action.
Merritt says Ralph's head injury damaged the part of his brain that handles emotions, so he's been struggling with controlling them since the ordeal.
We're also told the family's looking at the possibility of a lawsuit against Lester as well as the city ... because they had to fight so hard just to get Lester charged and arrested.
BTW -- we spoke to attorney Ben Crump, who's representing Ralph's family, about how the teenager narrowly avoided death ... and he echoed the notion that Lester's been undercharged.
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Pras Testifies For His Freedom In Federal Conspiracy Case
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Pras isn't going down without a fight in his political conspiracy case -- he took the stand Tuesday to testify in his own defense.
According to sources with direct knowledge, the former Fugees rapper's attorney called him as a witness this morning. His testimony covered several topics ... such as his background, upbringing, education history and, of course, his career as a platinum-selling musician.
Pras will likely be on the stand for the rest of day and perhaps again tomorrow as he faces 22 years behind bars for allegedly accepting around $88 million from Malaysian refugee Jho Low between 2012 and 2017.
We caught up with Pras earlier this month when the trial was heating up ... but it was unclear whether he'd actually take the stand in the case.
According to Politico, former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also took the stand Tuesday, but it doesn't sound like he shed much light on Pras' alleged activities.
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Menudo Band Member Claims Menendez Brothers' Dad Raped Him as a Teen
The Menendez Brothers case is back in the news now that an ex-member of Menudo is now backing their claim that their father was a pedophile.
Roy Rosselló -- who was part of the uber-popular boy band from the '80s -- is the subject of a new docuseries that's being aired by Peacock ... titled, "Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed," which teases a big bombshell that Roy says he's ready to share with the world.
He claims Jose Menendez drugged and sexually assaulted him before Menendez was brutally killed alongside his wife by their sons, Erik and Lyle Menendez.
Unclear how exactly Roy claims to have known Jose during the time of the alleged incident -- but it's not outside the realm of possibility ... remember, Menendez worked as an executive in the music biz during the '80s and '90s -- and was tight with the Latino community.
Rossello's story is scheduled to stream May 2 ... but from the trailers/promos released this week, there's no doubt he's leveling a serious allegation that seems to jibe with what the Menendez Bros. also claimed about their dad in the '90s ... namely, that he'd allegedly sexually abused them for years during their childhood.
You'll recall ... the lynchpin of the brothers' defense essentially boiled down to telling the jury they lived in fear from the abuse and only killed their parents after claiming their dad threatened them when they said they would expose what he'd done.
It's unclear for now if Rossello's new assertion -- which seems to be the first time anyone has publicly backed the notion that Jose Menendez might've sexually abused minors -- will have any impact on the Menendez brothers' case, as their lawyers have tried for years to secure a new trial with several unsuccessful appeals.
Now 52-year-old Erik and 55-year-old Lyle are currently serving life sentences. Both, by the way, are now married.
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Ben Crump Ralph Yarl Surviving Shooting Is a Miracle ... Now, Can He Get Justice???
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Attorney Ben Crump says it's a true miracle Ralph Yarl is alive after the Black 16-year-old was shot in Kansas City after ringing the wrong doorbell -- but he adds, the charges against the shooter point to a larger problem in America.
Crump joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk all about the aftermath of 84-year-old Andrew Lester shooting Yarl in the head and near the chest-area ... after he had accidentally gone to the wrong house to pick up his younger siblings.
Ben tells us, it is a blessing Yarl survived and is in stable condition and recovering at home with his family. He adds, he hopes Ralph has a full recovery -- mentally and physically -- from all the trauma he's endured.
However, Crump was less hopeful about the shooter being held accountable. FYI, Lester was charged with 2 felonies on Monday - assault in the 1st degree and armed criminal action but he was NOT charged with attempted murder.
Crump tells us prosecutors say they charged Lester with the most they believe would result in a conviction ... meanwhile, he says Black folks are charged to the max and it's not a question about whether they would get convicted.
He also notes police questioned Lester for 20 minutes and let him go to sleep the same night -- something he calls "unbelievable". BC says we never see this happen when races are reversed.
Celebs and folks all over have rallied behind Ralph and his family ... donating to his GoFundMe and showing their support. However Ben says America has a long way to go.
Here's #Chiefs Patrick Mahomes on Ralph Yarl. pic.twitter.com/hI4VP7ME4P
— PJ Green (@PJGreenTV) April 17, 2023 @PJGreenTV
In his eyes, the country has a larger issue with using guns to handle differences. He says we shoot first and ask questions later ... whether it's police or citizens.
Tune into TMZ Live for full interview.
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Jonathan Majors Report: Kicked to Curb by Managers ... After Assault Arrest
Jonathan Majors reportedly had the door closed behind him by his management team ... getting dropped after last month's arrest for allegedly assaulting a woman.
According to Deadline, Majors' talent management company Entertainment 360 gave him the boot -- and the PR firm The Lede Company also pulled the plug on working with the actor.
Italian luxury fashion house Valentino has also uninvited Majors as its guest at this year's Met Gala ... according to the report.
All this rejection's coming after the "Creed 3" star was arrested last month in NYC for misdemeanor assault, aggravated harassment, attempted assault, and harassment after allegedly slapping his GF in a taxi.
Majors' lawyer Priya Chaudhry told us the alleged victim texted the actor after he got arrested to say ... "she was the one who used physical force against him."
And as you know, Majors has been working in Hollywood nonstop recently ... and he's set up to be the next big villain in the MCU. Deadline reports there have been no talks within Marvel to strip him of the role at this time.
We've reached out to Majors' camp for comment ... so far, no word back.
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Megan Thee Stallion I'm Done Talking Tory Lanez Forever!!!
Megan Thee Stallion says she's closing the chapter on her Tory Lanez memories once and for all, now that he's been served justice.
For the first and (supposedly) last time, Megan jotted down her thoughts in a new op-ed for Elle on Tuesday ... lamenting the public humiliation she suffered, and her current road to recovery.
Megan says she's no victim, but couldn't ignore the trauma induced when Tory laughed, joked and pushed false narratives in the public ahead of their trial, which concluded last December with Tory's conviction.
She called the shooting "her most traumatic experience" in her 28 years, and lashed out at unnamed players in the music biz who threw sneak disses at her ... or accused her of lying about the shooting.
The "Savage" rapper says she hopes her words touch all past and future victims of traumatic experiences, and doesn't plan on rehashing the shooting timeline any further ... for the sake of her mental health.
Megan also thanked her most dedicated "Hottie" fans who showed up to court for moral support, and says she's just been kicking it with her manager T. Farris and has banging new music fans will love.
The whereabouts of that new music is anyone's guess, though. TMZ Hip Hop broke the story last week ... Megan and her estranged label 1501 Certified Entertainment are currently battling over a bank account she says is being bled dry.
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Siesta Key Pauly Paul Busted For DUI ... Blew Nearly Twice the Limit
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Pauly Paul, one of the stars of MTV's "Siesta Key" series, is on the wrong side of the law after cops say he was speeding around South Florida while extremely drunk.
According to police docs obtained by TMZ, Paul was behind the wheel of a Mercedes going 74 MPH in a 40 MPH zone Sunday in Sarasota when a police officer spotted him.
Cops say Paul slowed down at one point, but put the pedal to the metal once more before an officer finally managed to pull him over with 2 passengers in his car.
The officer says he could immediately tell Paul was under the influence -- he allegedly displayed all the classic symptoms ... reeked of booze, bloodshot eyes and slurred speech.
Not just that, Paul allegedly stumbled out of the car, was unsteady on his feet ... and the officer smelled marijuana in the car.
Despite all that, the officer says Paul made a bold prediction that he would beat the field sobriety test, claiming he'd only had 2 drinks at a friend's house. Paul posted a video that day showing himself taking a shot ... unclear if he included that in the 2 drink estimate.
Anyway, you know how this ends ... cops say Paul failed the sobriety tests, and he was arrested for DUI. He got a breathalyzer test at the station, and police say he blew between .151 and .157, just under the .08 legal limit.
He was released after posting $240 bond. We reached out to Paul, and he had no comment.
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Ralph Yarl Celebs Donate to Teen's GoFundMe ... After Shocking KC Shooting
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Ralph Yarl, the Black 16-year-old who was shot in Kansas City after accidentally going to the wrong house, is getting an outpouring of support -- financial and otherwise -- from celebs raising awareness of the teen's tragic story.
Ralph's aunt set up a GoFundMe after last week's shooting, and it's quickly received more than $1.8 million in donations -- and that includes a $1K donation from Julianne Hough and another $1K from comedian Lil Rel Howery.
Christina Ricci and author Pamela Meyer each sent $500 to the fund, and a whopping $5K donation came through from Guy Oseary, Madonna's talent manager.
For those unaware, Ralph was picking up his younger siblings Thursday when he accidentally rang the doorbell of the wrong house. Cops say the homeowner, Andrew Lester, opened the door and shot Ralph twice -- once in the head, according to the Yarl family.
Celebs have also amplified awareness about Ralph's horrific shooting by sharing the link to his fundraiser. Justin Timberlake, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Hudson and Halle Berry are among those who've posted about the case.
Here's #Chiefs Patrick Mahomes on Ralph Yarl. pic.twitter.com/hI4VP7ME4P
— PJ Green (@PJGreenTV) April 17, 2023 @PJGreenTV
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes also sent thoughts and prayers to Ralph ... and called for the justice system to do what's right.
On Monday, 84-year-old Lester was charged with 2 felonies -- assault in the first degree and armed criminal action. Ralph's been released from the hospital, and while his family says he's "doing well, physically" ... they also say he's dealing with significant emotional trauma.
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'Mighty Ducks' Shaun Weiss Addiction, Arrest Jokes in Stand-Up ... And Crowd Loves It!!!
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"The Mighty Ducks" star Shaun Weiss is taking his past addiction problems and arrests, and turning it all into comedic gold -- using it as brand new material for his stand-up career ... and it's pretty freakin' hysterical.
Shaun got candid about his addiction at the Mic Drop Comedy Club in San Diego this month, taking incredibly serious source material and turning it into stand-up ammo.
He got the crowd laughing pretty hard by poking fun at his own mugshot from his 2020 arrest. He dives deep into his struggles with substance abuse -- with some wit of course -- and gets a roar of applause when he announces he's now 3 years sober.
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Check out his last bit about what his "triggers" are for wanting to use drugs. Again, he's probably not joking ... yet he finds a way to crack up the crowd.
Shaun, who played Goldberg in 'Ducks,' has been working on his stand-up act for a little over a year. He's currently on the road and says, "100% of the proceeds go toward helping a child actor stay off drugs."
As we reported, the former child star opened for fellow comedian Russell Peters at a show last year ... following his time living on the streets and having several run-ins with the law.
BTW, Shaun tells us he was recently hired by the treatment center where he used to be a patient to be a sober coach and interventionalist.
He's looking to jump-start a program that helps people turn their personal trauma into comedic material, just like he's doing.
Way to go, Goldberg!!!
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Soccer Star Dani Alves Claims He Had Consensual Sex ... w/ Sexual Assault Accuser
Brazilian soccer star Dani Alves -- who's been detained in Spain since January when a woman accused him of sexually assaulting her in a club -- testified Monday he didn't assault anyone, but rather had consensual sex with the alleged victim.
According to the Associated Press, Alves testified there was a mutual attraction between him and the woman he's accused of sexually assaulting at a Barcelona nightclub on Dec. 30.
Alves initially denied any wrongdoing when the allegation was first made ... saying he didn't have sex with the woman, apparently fearing the admission would jeopardize his marriage.
"I would like to deny everything first," Alves said at the time. "I was there, in that location, with more people, having a good time. Everybody knows that I love to dance. Having a good time, but without invading the space of others."
"I'm very sorry, but I don't know who that young lady is. I don't know who she is. I've never seen her in my life," he said at the time.
But, Alves has since changed his story ... and now claims he did have sex, but it was consensual.
During a pretrial hearing, a judge denied his request to be released on bail, believing Alves to be a flight risk.
39-year-old Alves -- who won 43 titles in his career -- still does not have a trial date set ... and unless something changes, will cool his heels in jail while he awaits his trial.
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Roccstar Axe-Wielding Intruder Pinned Down at Gunpoint, On Video
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"Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood" alum Roccstar thwarted a would-be intruder, and TMZ Hip Hop has obtained video showing how the alarming incident went down.
Security footage from Monday night shows the suspect arriving at Roccstar's front door while dragging an axe and hopping inside unlocked luxury vehicles in the driveway.
We broke the OG story ... Roccstar was asleep at 5 AM when an alarm prompted him to go outside, and as the video shows ... he ended up coming face-to-face with his unwanted visitor. Roccstar was armed, and as you can see ... he got the suspect down on the ground at gunpoint!!!
We spoke to Roccstar now that his blood pressure's settled ... and he gave us a vivid rundown of the encounter.
He says he's grateful his family's safe -- his two sons were home -- and amazed at the restraint he was able to show while detaining the guy until cops could arrive.
According to Roccstar, he awoke Monday morning to a whopping 11 security alerts on his phone and images of the guy prowling around his yard.
He says he called his gated community's security guard and the cops and then spotted the man on top of his garage. Roccstar says he fired shots in the air until the man cowered in fear.
Roccstar says he then ordered him off the roof, and pistol-whipped him to subdue him.
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The suspect was booked for attempted burglary and vandalism -- and, now that the incident is behind him, Roccstar says he's got beef with the community's HOA and security.
He says the guy breached two gates, and Roccstar wants to know where his big bucks for home protection are being spent.
In the meantime, he's turning his attention back toward Lil Kim's next album, his girlfriend Angel Brinks' clothing line and his Roccstar TV network!!!
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Bill Maher Trump Indictment Will Backfire ... It's Just a Sex Case
Bill Maher feels VERY strongly ... Trump's indictment in the Stormy Daniels case will backfire on Democrats, and they have hard proof right before their eyes -- the saga of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.
The 'Real Time' host made it clear ... although the Manhattan D.A. indicted Trump on falsifying campaign documents, it's really about having sex with a porn star and trying to cover it up, and that just doesn't land with most Americans.
So Bill took viewers down memory lane -- to the '90s -- when Clinton's affair with Lewinsky unraveled before the public. A special prosecutor had been looking for ANYTHING to nail Clinton, zeroing in on a land deal, but there was nothing.
So the special prosecutor pivoted to one Paula Jones, which eventually led to Lewinsky. Clinton was shamed, allegedly lied about it under oath and was ultimately impeached by the House. And guess what happened in the end -- his approval rating soared to 73%!!!
As BM says in Trump's case ... "No matter what the underlying legalism, it's all about sex. Law is boring."
Bill thinks if Trump is indicted on the really serious, democracy-threatening matters -- like January 6th or election fraud -- it's not going to resonate as much with the public, because they'll have already seen Trump indicted on something else.
Food for thought.
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Shawn Kemp Charged W/ Assault ... For Firing Gun In Parking Lot Altercation
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Shawn Kemp has been charged with first-degree assault ... a charge stemming from that March parking lot altercation where the NBA legend was seen shooting a gun.
The case had been in limbo until this week. Authorities in Washington initially arrested the SuperSonics legend, before deciding they needed more time to investigate. All the while 53-year-old Kemp claimed he acted in self-defense, saying his actions were "reasonable and legally justified."
MARCH 2023
Unfortunately for Shawn, that's not the way prosecutors ultimately saw it, and they've now hit him with a first-degree assault charge. If convicted, the charge can carry a life sentence.
We broke the story last month, Kemp -- wearing a red vest -- approached a vehicle and pointed his gun, appearing to yell something before firing at least one shot outside a Tacoma, Washington shopping mall around 2:00 PM on March 8.
Kemp claimed he was simply trying to locate his phone, which was previously stolen, when things took a violent turn, and he was forced to defend himself.
Fortunately, no one was injured.
At the time of the confrontation, witnesses told us they heard multiple gunshots before pulling their phones out to record the incident, suggesting SK wasn't the only person shooting.
Moments later, the video also seemingly captured Shawn dumping his firearm in a bush.
Witness footage also showed police locating the weapon minutes later.
Now, barring a plea, Kemp's going to have to fight for his freedom in front of a judge ... and fight is exactly what his attorney says he's going to do, saying he'll plead not guilty to the charge.
Story developing ...