Drugs & Alcohol

Ray J is making bank to get people to invest in dank ... he just inked a lucrative deal to convince rich folk to bankroll legal marijuana startups.

Sources with knowledge of the deal tell TMZ ... Ray J is making $1 mil per year to get people to spend money on weed, as an executive for a cannabis crowdfunding company.

Ray J signed on to become the chief strategic media officer for MarijuanaStock.org ... and his new duties include making infomercials for the brand, encouraging people to invest in the burgeoning bud biz and enlightening potential investors on the possible high returns. Financially, that is.

Our sources say, the company sought out Ray J because he's super plugged into the legal weed biz ... and for his long Rolodex of celeb friends. In Ray's case, it's what he knows AND who he knows. Ray's manager, David Weintraub, tells us Ray was given full creative control for his new venture.

As we first reported ... Ray J recently became heavily involved in legal marijuana, pouring in $5 MILLION to join the green rush and get his own chronic company off the ground.

Now, Ray J is turning ganja into even more green.

Bam Margera going to rehab has a celeb boxing promoter in a tough spot -- he's looking to get back the dough he just fronted Bam to ref a high profile match.

Damon Feldman, the promoter putting on a bout featuring the infamous Bagel Boss, tells TMZ ... Bam got half of his fee up front -- a cool $2,500 -- after signing a deal last week agreeing to be a ref. The deal called for Bam to get another $2,500 after the event. Damon says he hopes Bam gets better soon, and he won't hold the "Jackass" star to his contract.

The only catch ... Feldman says he wants his money back.

As we reported ... the "Viva La Bam" star is spending the next 60-90 days in treatment, meaning he's unavailable for the September 7 event in Atlantic City. Damon says he's contacted Bam's team to get the money back, but so far, radio silence.

TMZ broke the story ... Damon and Bam agreed to the deal just before Margera went off the rails last weekend -- berating a Southwest Airlines employee and getting booted from the flight.

Bam Margera's mother is counting on the mini-intervention they held with Dr. Phil to pull her son out of his substance abuse tailspin ... because her family's patience is wearing thin.

April Margera tells TMZ ... Bam's loved ones are at the "end of our rope" with his substance abuse and mental health issues. She says the family is offering its full support, but they've been down this road before, and they know it's no sure thing Bam sticks with rehab, or remains on the right path once he gets out.

As we first reported ... Bam is on his way to a rehab facility after Monday's 3-hour session with Dr. Phil, and the "Jackass" star is starting a 60-90 day stay in treatment. April and Bam's wife, Nikki, both participated in the segment.

As for why April and the rest of Bam's family are running out of patience -- he's been to rehab several times before. His most recent stint was in January and Bam bailed on that after a few days, but his mom says there's reason for hope: an example set by one of Bam's close friends.

She adds ... her son's social media rant over the weekend was "embarrassing" and he's been lashing out at those closest to him.

Bam Margera's public plea for help from Dr. Phil worked -- TMZ has learned they're on set right now getting ready for a one-on-one session ... then it might be off to rehab.

Our Dr. Phil sources say the good doc has agreed to meet with Bam and tackle his issues head-on -- just the 2 of them -- with no studio audience. It's being shot in the green room.

Based on what we know, it's likely the "Jackass" star will be urged on to a rehab facility afterward to get his life in order.

Bam just posted that he's on the Paramount lot -- where the show films -- getting ready ... and hanging out with his old buddy, Johnny Knoxville.

As we reported ... Margera shared a series of concerning videos on social media Sunday practically begging for Dr. Phil to take his situation on and help him with his ongoing struggles. Bam said he's worse than he's ever been and his "family is in shambles."

This came on the heels of Bam seemingly relapsing, getting kicked off a Southwest Airlines flight and getting into a verbal altercation with an employee. Margera was in rehab earlier this year after a meltdown at a comedy club.

Our Dr. Phil sources tell us the 1-on-1 session with Bam will be filmed and will air next month when the new season premieres.

We're told, over 17 seasons of the show, "Dr. Phil" has spent $32 million on aftercare for guests ... and it's pretty clear Bam needs it too.

Maria Shriver is in an all too familiar position ... attending a funeral for a Kennedy family member, this time for her young cousin, Saoirse Kennedy Hill, who died from an apparent overdose.

RFK's granddaughter was laid to rest Monday during a family service in Cape Cod. The funeral -- also attended by Congressman Joe Kennedy, Saoirse's grandmother, Ethel Kennedy, RFK Jr. and his wife, Cheryl Hines -- was held a few miles away from the Kennedy compound where Saoirse died.

The service was held at Our Lady of Victory Church, the scene of numerous Kennedy wakes and funerals, including Eunice Kennedy Shriver's in 2009. Caroline Kennedy also got married there in 1986.

As we reported ... Saoirse died Thursday from an apparent drug overdose while staying at the family's famous Hyannis Port estate. She had been in cardiac arrest by the time paramedics arrived. She was rushed to a hospital but doctors could not resuscitate her. She was 22.

Maria, the niece of Robert, John and Ted Kennedy, took to Instagram the day after Saoirse died and said, "Be gentle with others, as so many are struggling. Actually, I think it's best to assume everyone is struggling. So treat everyone with love, tenderness and compassion."

Bam Margera is turning to Dr. Phil amid his ongoing struggles -- asking the daytime TV host to help mend fences with his own family ... and being very candid with what's wrong.

The former "Jackass" star took to social media early Sunday morning with a pair of rambling videos and basically begged Phil to take his situation on, saying ... "Dr. Phil, I need your help in a big, big way." He explains that his "family is in shambles," while adding that "it's been worse than it's ever been, ever."

Bam says he's disowned his mom -- more on that later -- and that he can't stand his wife, Nikki, with whom he shares an 18-month son, Phoenix. He also says that if he separates with her, he believes she'll use custody of their son as a pawn in court.

He says he won't play that game, adding that she can have him. He also says that when folks say Bam is going "crazy" ... they might be right.

Bam then pivots to his mother, April, saying she's always negative and quick to cut people off in conversation to get her point across. He sees that as a flaw that he seems to think Phil can resolve.

He also says he almost "died" the other day, and that when April was told ... she allegedly acted with zero emotion, which bothers Bam. Bam ends his video rant with an apparent message for his mother -- to consolidate his funds with a new account he opened ... or else.

As we've reported ... Bam's been dealing with lots of issues lately, including addiction and rehab stints. Just this weekend, he flew off the handle on an airport employee ... which prevented him from getting on the plane. He was later escorted away by a cop, but wasn't arrested.

Bam Margera was off the rails Saturday after just laying into an airport police officer, calling him an idiot and ultimately getting taken off the flight.

It's unclear what exactly happened, but it looks like Bam was wasted when he got on a Southwest flight in Atlanta and was told he was too drunk and/or obstinate to fly.

Bam told the officer he had 50 shots of tequila, and then called him an idiot for believing it ... then insisting he only had one drink.

It looks like he was taken into custody, and he just posted his therapist was flying to meet with him.

Bam has struggled with addiction and spent time in rehab. Bam's clearly been struggling recently ... most notably with a drunken public outburst at his own comedy show.

He's also been posting pics calling out his wife, Nikki and "Jackass" costar, Brandon Novak ... saying he's done with them.

Honey Boo Boo is in the dog house with her big sister after pretending to do a line of cocaine -- a shocking move that comes as her mother, Mama June, battles drug addiction.

HBB went live on Facebook Thursday evening to answer questions from her fans, but at one point the 13-year-old got extremely agitated and yelled at her sister, "Tell me what's f**king next right now!" Then she picked up a plastic knife and said she would need to take a break.

That's when she mockingly lined up something on the table, and started snorting it ... and a woman we believe to be her older sister, Pumpkin, went off.

She yelled, "Alana quit f**king doing ... dont' even f**king mimic that on f**king live!!!"

As we first reported, Alana's now living with Pumpkin, and has been since shortly after June and her BF, Geno, were arrested earlier this year for crack possession.

The video's especially troubling since Honey Boo Boo was so distraught during her family recent attempt to have an intervention for June.

One way to view this is Alana trying to mock or shame June for her ongoing drug issues. You'll recall, we got video of June and Geno outside their home right after he crashed his truck into their garage ... and he was so wasted he couldn't stand.

Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Kennedy's granddaughter is dead after suffering an apparent drug overdose while staying at the family's famous Hyannis Port estate.

Saoirse Kennedy Hill was already in cardiac arrest Thursday by the time paramedics arrived at the Kennedy compound ... around 2:30 PM. She was rushed to a hospital, but doctors could not resuscitate her, and she was pronounced dead there.

Multiple reports said the cause of death appears to be an overdose, but there's no official word from police or the family.

Saiorse's death is the latest in a decades-long string of tragedies for the Kennedys. The family released a statement saying, "“Her life was filled with hope, promise and love. She lit up our lives with her love, her peals of laughter and her generous spirit. We will love her and will miss her forever."

Her grandmother, Ethel, added, "The world is a little less beautiful today."

Saiorse studied communications at Boston College, and before that attended the Deerfield Academy private boarding school in Massachusetts. While she was there, she wrote an article for the school paper about battling depression and attempting suicide.

Her parents are Courtney Kennedy -- Ethel and RFK's 5th child (out of 11) -- and Paul Michael Hill.

Saiorse was 22.

RIP

Young Dro's GF says he wasn't just arrested for hurling banana pudding at her ... she says he violently struck her.

Young Dro's GF told cops the violence erupted in the bedroom, when he punched her so hard it left a bruise. She says a while later she was eating dessert on the sofa when Young Dro smashed the plate of banana pudding in her face. Then she says he grabbed a kitchen knife and went to town on the living room furniture.

As we reported ... when cops showed up, they arrested Young Dro, despite the fact his GF did not want to press charges, presumably because they saw she was injured.

For his part, Young Dro told cops he didn't strike her during their altercation ... and claimed the bruise was actually a birthmark.

Dro's girlfriend told police he has a drug problem and needs help. She said he takes pills -- Xanax, Ecstasy, Albuterol, Molly, Percocet -- and lashes out when he comes down from his high.

Young Dro is charged with misdemeanor battery/family violence.

The Wendy Williams biopic is going to be crazy as hell ... we've learned the movie will focus on the highs and lows of her rise to fame ... sex, cocaine, date rape and fat shaming.

Lifetime sources tell TMZ ... the biopic spans her life from ages 10 to 55, covering super intimate topics like her coke habit, sex romps, fat shaming from her family and a never-before-told story of date rape at the hands of a chart-topping artist.

Also on the table, according to our sources ... her experiences with racism and sexism in Hollywood, details from her marriage to Kevin Hunter as well as her divorce and her relationship with Mo'Nique.

Wendy and Will Packer will be producing the biopic -- dubbed "Just Wendy"-- while Wendy and Leigh Davenport will write the screenplay.

The talk show host gave us a little info about the movie this week, telling our photog she wants all of the actors to be relatively unknown, so they don't take away from her story.

Our sources say there will be at least 2 different Wendys in the movie ... and she ain't one.

NFL D-lineman Malik McDowell -- the guy who fought police in a gas station convenience store -- has been ordered to wear a brand new piece of jewelry ... an alcohol monitoring bracelet.

The 23-year-old defensive tackle recently missed a routine alcohol test in connection to his DUI case ... and the judge was so upset about it during Wednesday's hearing, he ordered McDowell to be fitted with a SCRAM device.

The SCRAM -- which stands for Secure Continuous Remote Alcohol Monitoring -- is usually strapped to the ankle and continuously tests the skin for traces of alcohol in the body.

A bunch of stars with alcohol-related issues have been fitted with SCRAM devices in the past ... from Lindsay Lohan to Tracy Morgan.

We're trying to find out if McDowell is banned from consuming ANY alcohol -- or if there are exceptions.

As we previously reported, the 6'6", 300 pound lineman was arrested back in February after he got violent with a police officer during a routine traffic stop.

In surveillance footage obtained by TMZ Sports, you can see McDowell get physical with the cop ... even after the officer deploys his taser on the NFL player.

Cops say McDowell "had a strong odor of intoxicants emanating from his persons" -- and later said his BAC was .189, more than twice the legal limit.

McDowell was eventually charged with 2 counts of felony assaulting and resisting, 1 misdemeanor count of operating while intoxicated and misdemeanor driving on a suspended license.

His court date to begin trial -- if the case makes it that far -- is set for late October.

McDowell was a 2nd-round pick for the Seattle Seahawks in the 2017 NFL Draft -- but he was released in 2018 ... and hasn't signed anywhere else.

WWE superstar Jimmy Uso was arrested for driving under the influence near Pensacola, Florida early Thursday morning ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Details surrounding the arrest are unclear but here's what we know so far -- the 33-year-old was booked at 3:04 AM and the charge on the police website says DUI -- driving with an unlawful blood alcohol level.

Unclear what cops say Uso's BAC was at the time of the arrest -- we're working on it.

Cops say Uso -- real name Jonathan Fatu -- is still behind bars. His bond was set at $1,000.

WWE has been in Florida this week -- 'Raw' was in Tampa on Monday, 'Smackdown' was in Miami on Tuesday.

Uso has a history with the law ... back in February, Jimmy was arrested after allegedly getting into a drunken dispute with cops in Detroit. They claim Jimmy "squared up" as if he was going to fight the police. He was arrested for disorderly conduct and obstruction.

In fact, just on Monday, John Cena clowned Uso's mug shot from his February arrest during 'Raw' ... and Uso was smiling about it.

Uso is WWE royalty -- he's the son of WWE Hall of Famer Rikishi and he's married to WWE superstar Naomi. He's also one half of the famous Uso Brothers tag team with his brother, Jey Uso.

The Uso Brothers are 6-time WWE tag team champs.

Titans star O-lineman Taylor Lewan straight-up cried on camera Wednesday ... and it's all because he says he accidentally ingested a banned substance that could lead to an NFL suspension.

Lewan -- Tennesee's 3-time Pro Bowl left tackle -- is facing a 4-game ban after the NFL says he tested positive for ostarine -- a substance that essentially works like anabolic steroids.

Lewan made a video to explain the situation ... and adamantly says that while he did NOT knowingly take the substance -- he is responsible for it getting into his body.

"I want everybody to know that I've never taken this supplement knowingly and I've never cheated the game and I never will."

Lewan says he even took a polygraph test -- which he says he passed (and promised to share later on social media) -- to prove he didn't purposely take the drug.

Taylor then began apologizing to his team, and that's when he got emotional ... breaking down in tears.

"It's just hard," Lewan says ... "I'm sorry to the Tennessee Titans and the fans that I won't be there for 4 games."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reports there's still a chance Lewan could avoid suspension pending the results of further tests ... but Taylor was still apologetic, nonetheless.

Demi Lovato could NOT look happier celebrating her 1 year anniversary of sobriety.

The singer and a big group of friends hit up Barton G in WeHo Tuesday night for dinner. As they left, Demi struck a chic pose with her buds to commemorate the occasion, no doubt a pivotal moment for the singer.

It was exactly a year ago Wednesday when Demi -- who struggled with addiction for years -- was rushed to the hospital following her near-fatal overdose. She'd been sober for 6 years before relapsing but has made it priority No. 1 to live a sober life again.

Demi's surrounded herself with a strong support system. In fact ... her team back in January surprised her with a slice of cake to celebrate 6 months of sobriety with a note that read in part, "We are so f**king proud of you!!"

Lamar Odom has zero regrets about his reality TV past -- in fact, he says the experience was the best part of his adult life and he desperately wants to repair his relationship with the Kardashians.

39-year-old Odom appeared on "TMZ Live" and told us how taking up motivational speaking with a company called MicDrop has become therapeutic for him. He's learning to forgive himself for the mistakes he's made in the past ... from drug use to other bad life decisions.

One of those mistakes ... Odom says he feels he's failed as a father. But, Lamar says he's including his children in his motivational speaking work and it's bringing his family closer together.

"This is a great way for me to make up the time I lost with them and help them get better as well," Odom said.

As for reality TV, there are a lot of people who feel doing a reality show is a recipe for disaster -- but Lamar says he wouldn't go back and change a thing.

"Doing reality TV and being married to Khloe, besides having children and besides me doing this motivational speaking that I'm going to start doing, that was the most memorable part and the best part of my adulthood. So, there's nothing I regret about that."

"And, hopefully, me going to public speaking can even bring me closer to the Kardashians and help me rebuild that bridge."

Lamar has previously talked about how he will always love Khloe -- despite the fact the she's moved on -- but it seems now he'll settle for a non-romantic friendship.

Odom also tells us why he feels surviving that infamous 2015 overdose in Nevada was God's plan ... and how he hopes others will learn from his mistakes.