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Brendan Schaub -- former UFC star and comedian -- saved 3 children from a terrifying car wreck last week ... after their father allegedly drove the wrong way on the highway, killing the kid's mom in a fatal collision.

38-year-old Schaub was driving to a restaurant with his girlfriend on August 12 around 7 PM... when he saw an 18-wheeler and a mangled 2003 Lincoln were involved in a serious accident.

Schaub says he saw a child sitting on top of the vehicle, screaming for assistance ... so he pulled over and immediately sprang into action, rushing to the car to help.

At the same time, Brendan says he saw a shoeless man run from the smashed-up car, across the highway ... where he was hit by another vehicle, leaving him stunned on the ground.

When Schaub got to the wreck, he had to bust out a window and remove the kids from the car. He says the big rig's gas tank was punctured, spilling gasoline all over the road.

According to an incident report, obtained by TMZ Sports, there were 4 kids in the vehicle when it crashed.

Tragically, Brendan says the mom of the kids, who was sitting in the front seat, died before he arrived ... and he made sure her children did not see the traumatic scene as they left the car.

Schaub talked about the experience on his podcast, "The Fighter and The Kid," getting emotional while breaking down about the harrowing situation.

We've also learned that the 31-year-old shoeless man who ran across the highway was the father of the kids ... who was subsequently arrested for murder.

According to docs, the man -- who was not seriously injured in either of the crashes -- was combative with cops, according to law enforcement, and had to be tased.

Thankfully, the children only suffered minor injuries.

The family of the deceased mom has started a GoFundMe -- already over $46k -- to raise money for a funeral.

"My niece Aimee García (26) was Killed In Wrong-Way Driving Collision With Big Rig On 101 Freeway In Encino. She leaves behind four beautiful children all under the age of 8," the fundraiser profile reads.

"She was a loving, caring mother unfortunately she was a victim of domestic violence for many years and yesterday the aggressor fulfilled his objective and enter the freeway the wrong way intentionally killing my niece. Thank God the children are fine but very traumatized."

Schaub was one of the best heavyweights in the world as a fighter ... beating guys like Matt Mitrione in the UFC.

Trey Parker and Matt Stone are getting the keys to a beloved Colorado restaurant featured in "South Park" ... the real Casa Bonita is theirs, and the deal happened fast.

The "South Park" creators announced Friday they struck a deal to become the new owners of the Mexican restaurant made famous by their show, breaking the news in an interview with Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

Bob Wheaton, the president of Casa Bonita's parent company, Summit Family Restaurant Inc., tells TMZ ... the deal was put together VERY quickly, with talks heating up Wednesday during a conference call with reps for Trey and Matt.

We're told Trey and Matt's team laid out a detailed plan for how they wanted to evolve the business, including pouring resources in to expand the food offerings, gift shop and arcade at Casa Bonita.

As we first told you ... Casa Bonita's corporate ownership was not interested in selling as recently as 2 weeks ago, despite filing for bankruptcy ... but Wheaton tells us Trey and Matt ultimately got Casa Bonita for 2 main reasons.

First, we're told Trey and Matt offered a "fair" price for Casa Bonita ... the exact price was not disclosed, but we're told the amount was one Summit would have sought in the future.

Second, we're told Trey and Matt also struck a deal with the restaurant's landlord, something corporate had been unable to do since March and an issue that lead to the bankruptcy filing.

Ultimately, we're told Casa Bonita is in good hands with its new owners ... and it sounds like everyone's happy.

Mama June's boyfriend won't enjoy his usual freedoms over the next year and change ... because he was sentenced in his crack cocaine case in Alabama.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Mama's BF Geno Doak was sentenced to 16 months in Macon Community Corrections after copping a plea deal. We're told that while Geno is registered as an inmate, he will not be physically behind bars, but has a set of rules to follow. If he messes up, he'll be locked up.

TMZ broke the story ... Mama and Geno were both busted outside an Alabama gas station back in March 2019 and charged with felony drug possession and misdemeanor unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia. The drug paraphernalia charge was dismissed as part of the deal.

According to the docs, Geno will be placed on probation for 2 years after he serves his 16 months. He also has to complete a substance abuse evaluation/treatment as part of the deal.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were on the hunt Tuesday for a house, and there are real signs they're looking to buy something together.

J Lo and Ben were all over the L.A. area, and one of the homes they looked at is eye-popping. It's a Beverly Hills estate listed for $85 million, and it's incredible.

The main house is 38,000 square feet and has 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, an indoor sports complex complete with a basketball court and boxing ring, a massive pool, and on and on. There's also a "guest penthouse" and a caretaker's house. There's also a 2 bedroom guardhouse. It has parking for 80 guests.

Our sources say it looks like this is a house not just for Jen but for them.

The couple then went over the hill to the San Fernando Valley, where they looked at the former Bob Hope estate in Toluca Lake. The house is currently owned by tycoon Ron Burkle and is listed for $40 million. It sits on 5 acres and even has a 1-hole golf course.

The fact they're looking at massive homes -- especially the one in Beverly Hills -- is further evidence they are going to move in together. Jen has a home in Bel-Air which she loves, so the only reason for moving is more space. Ben has a home in Pacific Palisades.

Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is paying tribute to Kobe and Gianna Bryant ... by getting some incredible custom cleats -- and he's giving a pair to Vanessa!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 22-year-old star has been wanting to honor the late Lakers legend and Gigi on his feet for more than a year.

VG specifically wanted to cop the tribute cleats for the Blue Jays and Los Angeles Angels series ...  so he hit up New Jersey artist Michael Jordan for the job.

Jordan tells us he started the project back in June to make sure the All-Star Game MVP got 'em on time -- and the finished product is awesome!!!

The white and black Jordan cleats feature a detailed image of Gigi in her Mamba Academy gear and Kobe in his Lakers uniform.

It also has Gigi's jersey #2 and both Kob's #8 and #24 splattered on the whole sneaker -- as well as their nicknames Mamba and Mambacita.

The all purple pair showcases some father and daughter moments -- Kobe celebrating with Gigi after winning the 2009 Finals ... and the duo sitting courtside at a Lakers game in 2019.

It also has a quote from Beyonce's song "XO," "your love is bright as ever" ... the same song she sang at Bryant's memorial service at the Staples Center in February 2020.

We're told the free-handed artwork took a total of 60 hours ... and VG will give the purple pair to Vanessa Bryant after the series.

Wrestling legend Ric Flair is no longer with WWE -- the Nature Boy has been released from his contract, the company confirms to TMZ Sports.

It goes without saying -- Flair is one of the most iconic wrestlers to enter the squared circle ... he's a 16-time world champ and has been a fan favorite since joining the World Wrestling Federation in 1991.

It's not the first time Flair has parted ways with McMahon's company -- he left in 1993 for WCW before returning to WWF in 2001.

72-year-old Flair had a cup of coffee with other promotions in the '00s -- including Total Nonstop Action Wrestling and Ring of Honor -- before returning to WWE in 2012. He stayed with WWE up until this week.

While Naitch is one of the most recognizable wrestling superstars on the planet, we're told the move is not a complete shock ... despite Flair re-upping with WWE last May.

At the time, Flair told Wrestling, Inc., "Well it's not for life but I hope [WWE keeps] renewing me. You never know, but I'm obviously not gonna go anywhere else if they didn't renew me."

We're told the split has been in the works ... and both sides ultimately came to an agreement recently.

Of course, if Ric wants to find work elsewhere, his buddy Tony Khan runs All-Elite Wrestling, which could be a possible landing spot.

Former Vine star and all-around influencer Hayes Grier is facing serious charges out of North Carolina -- including claims that he beat the hell out of a guy, and stole his phone.

The social media star -- who's still doing his thing online after Vine collapsed years ago -- was arrested and booked into jail in Mecklenburg County Friday after a few arrest warrants were issued there to haul him in all the way from Cali, where's he got a home in Encino.

Per the warrants, obtained by TMZ, a judge found probable cause to sic the hounds on him based on preliminary evidence Charlotte police submitted over an attack this past Monday for which they believe Grier is responsible -- and which left the victim seriously injured.

The warrants don't get into the full narrative over what exactly happened, but there's enough there to get a sense of how badly hurt the victim -- William Markolf -- was, allegedly at the hands of Grier ... who allegedly assaulted Markolf and then jacked his $1,200 phone.

The alleged attack is said to have left Markolf with injuries that cops say included a broken left orbital bone (eyeball socket), brain damage, bruised ribs, bleeding from the back of the head, loss of hearing and more. In other words, they're saying it was a major beatdown.

Unclear what exactly led up to this ... but in any case, Grier is now out on bail. Grier was was booked for Common Law Robbery, Felony conspiracy and Assault Serious Bodily Injury ... and also posed for this mugshot on his way in.

There's another person named Luke Foushee that the police claim Grier conspired with to commit this alleged crime -- but it doesn't appear he's been arrested just yet.

Grier's teenager Vine fame has carried over to IG and YouTube of late, where he's got scores of followers and subscribers ... and continues to churn out content as an adult. He's also famous for being the then-youngest contestant on 'DWTS' in 2015, when he was 15.

Joey Jordison, one of the founding members of the heavy metal band Slipknot, has died.

Joey died in his sleep Monday, according to his family. The cause of death is unclear, but a statement from his loved ones says he passed away peacefully.

The family says Joey's death "has left us with empty hearts and feelings of indescribable sorrow" ... and they're remembering him as a prolific drummer, musician and artist with a quick wit, gentle personality and giant heart.

Joey's loved ones tell us they will hold a private funeral service for him, but it's unclear when that will happen.

As you know ... Joey's famous for starting Slipknot way back in 1995, playing drums for the super popular band. With Slipknot, JJ played drums on 5 studio albums and performed on the live album, "9.0: Live."

Joey played in other bands as well ... he left Slipknot in 2013 and formed the band Scar The Martyr, also playing drums. He played guitar for the metal band Murderdolls and most recently was rocking out with the band Sinsaenum.

Over his career, Joey played with tons of heavy metal bands, like Rob Zombie, Korn, Metallica, Otep, Satyricon and Ministry.

Joey was 46.

RIP

The revamped "Real Housewives of Miami" got its first dose of real-world drama this week when 911 was called due to a medical emergency on set ... and TMZ's learned it was for a brand new cast member.

Sources close to production tell us ... Julia Lemigova began feeling ill late Thursday morning after filming on the roof of an incredible home in Montauk, NY ... where they were staying during a cast trip.

We're told it's likely Julia got too much sun and was overheated, so someone inside the home called 911 because production felt it was best she get checked out by professionals.

According to the East Hampton PD report ... an EMT was called to the scene around 11:30 AM for a person who was feeling weak and nauseated. They were administered an IV, but did not require a trip to the hospital.

Our sources say cameras were rolling for the incident, as the ladies were all brunching to celebrate Larsa Pippen's jewelry line.

Julia -- a Russian former model who's married to tennis legend Martina Navratilova -- was not part of the original 'RHOM' cast when it aired on Bravo, but will be featured on the Peacock reboot later this year.

We're told after she recovered from her health episode, she carried on with the rest of the 'housewives' and kept filming the rest of the day and night.

Dog lovers will appreciate this ... New York Mets catcher Tomas Nido just showed major love to his adorable pup -- by getting a tattoo of the canine on his leg!

TMZ Sports has learned the baseball player wanted to get some ink to celebrate his beloved pet last week ... so he hit up artist Keith Hernandez from Bang Bang Tattoo in New York City.

We're told the 27-year-old handed over a portrait of his Yorkie, Louie, that he got 8 years ago ... and Hernandez then went to work.

The artist took a few hours to do the piece ... and it all ended up coming out pretty incredible!!

Check out the details ... the drawing of Louie -- which will now sit on the inside of Nido's shin forever -- looks SUPER real, right down to the fluffy hair and little dog outfit.

We're told Nido got one more tat while he was in the shop ... getting the letter "E" inked behind his ear -- a shoutout to his 8-month-old daughter, Eleni.

In total, Nido ended up sitting in the chair for about 3 or 4 hours ... and we're told he's planning to head back to the shop in the near future to get more ink done.

T.J. Watt CLEARLY knows diamonds are forever ... 'cause the NFL superstar went all out for his fiancée's massive engagement ring -- scoring a piece of ice worth $100,000!!!

The Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker popped the question to his longtime GF Dani Rhodes at a beautiful waterfront spot last week ... and the ring he used for the occasion is AWESOME!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the 26-year-old hit-up celebrity jeweler Moe Diamonds for the bling, and he spared no expenses.

We're told the ring features a 2.5-carat flawless colorless triple EX graded diamond -- which is very rare -- and has 18k of white gold with 1.33 carats of VVS-flawless diamonds in the band.

All total, we're told the ring is valued at $100K!!!

And, what's even more interesting about the ring ... we're told Watt hit up Moe way back in June 2020 for the piece -- so he's been planning this for over a year!!!

"It still feels like I’m dreaming," Rhodes said on Instagram the day after saying "yes."

"Woke up today feeling so incredibly happy and blessed that I get to marry my best friend🤍 I can’t wait to love you FOREVER."

Watts and Rhodes have been dating since 2016 -- when they met at the University of Wisconsin.

They're both professional athletes ... Watt is entering his 5th season with the Steelers and Rhodes just signed with the Throttur Football Club, a soccer team in Iceland.

In fact, Rhodes is former teammates with J.J. Watt's wife, Kealia -- the two actually played together on the Chicago Red Stars women's soccer team.

Bill Cosby's wife raised eyebrows by stepping out without her wedding ring -- which she's previously worn -- but Bill's rep says it's just how she rolls these days, and not a sign of marital strife.

Camille Cosby was walking into a building Friday in NYC, and her left ring finger was looking a little lighter than usual ... as she clearly wasn't wearing her wedding band. You'll recall, Mrs. Cosby excitedly greeted her husband at home when he was suddenly released from a Pennsylvania state prison last month.

It certainly seemed like she was still standing by her man ... which is why the ring-free outing came as such a surprise. However, Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt, tells TMZ ... folks are reading into it too much.

Wyatt says, "I know many people who don’t wear rings and they haven't worn them in 30 years. It's hilarious because Mr. & Mrs. Cosby have been happily married for 57 years and counting."

What's unclear, though, is exactly when Camille stopped wearing her ring. Back in 2017, during Cosby's trial ... she was wearing what looks like a wedding band on her left ring finger.

Wyatt seems to think Cosby's haters are just digging for a negative story, saying ... "These are the same "media insurrectionist," who are angry that this intelligent, strong and vibrant Black Woman, Mrs. Cosby stood by her husband, as well as vehemently proclaimed Mr. Cosby's innocence."

Legendary guitarist Jeff LaBar, famous for playing in the rock band "Cinderella," has died.

Jeff's first wife, Gaile LaBar-Bernhardt, tells TMZ ... Jeff was found dead Wednesday inside his apartment in Nashville.

We're told Jeff had gone off the grid the past few days, with friends and family unable to reach him, so his ex-wife went to go check on him ... and that's when she found him dead.

The cause of death remains unclear.

Jeff's son, Sebastian, who he shares with Gaile, is remembering his late father as his hero and idol ... and he shared some photos of all the fun times they had.

Cinderella was one of the biggest hard rock bands in the 1980s, famous for their big hair and smash hits “Nobody’s Fool” and “Don’t Know What You Got (Till It’s Gone)” ... the band’s biggest Billboard hit. Jeff replaced the band's OG guitarist Michael Schermick.

Jeff also launched a solo career, releasing one record called "One For The Road" ... and he also played in a smaller band with his Cinderella bandmate, Eric Brittingham, the "Naked Beggars."

LaBar was 58.

RIP

Joe Exotic just caught a potential break, and while he's not walking out of prison today ... he might get out a little bit sooner.

The federal appeals court in the 'Tiger King' star's case just upheld his conviction for murder-for-hire, but there's a silver lining ... his 22-year sentence has been vacated, and he'll be resentenced.

According to legal docs obtained by TMZ ... the appeals court reviewed Joe's case and upheld the conviction, but determined the U.S. District Court for the Western District in Oklahoma City made a technical error by not grouping the 2 murder-for-hire convictions at his sentencing.

So, Exotic's original sentence will be tossed, and the case is getting sent back to the lower court ... where he'll likely receive a shorter sentence now.

That's the good news, but ... even after the grouping error is corrected, he's looking at a sentence in the range of 17-21 years. Joe was convicted of murder-for-hire after all.

Still, Joe's legal team is celebrating the W. His appellate lawyer, Brandon Sample, tells us he's pleased with the appellate court’s decision. He says, "I knew when I agreed to represent Joe that an appeal would be difficult, but I also knew that the law was on Joe's side."

Sample adds, "I am optimistic that the decision today is but one of many more victories to come for Joe—and his eventual freedom."

Scooter Braun's marriage is on the rocks -- he and his wife, Yael Cohen Braun, are splitting up -- but it's not a done deal, yet ... TMZ has learned.

Scooter -- who manages Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Ariana Grande -- and Yael are breaking up, at least temporarily, according to our sources. We're told they've been having some trouble for a couple months ... but it's unclear if they've physically separated yet.

As our sources describe it, the couple is trying to work things out. There was evidence of that earlier this week ... when Scooter posted a "thank you" message to Yael to mark their 7th wedding anniversary on July 6.

We're told it's also unclear if either party has even mentioned the word divorce.

Yael, founder of the F*CK Cancer Foundation, and Scooter started dating back in 2013. Since tying the knot they've had 3 kids ... Jagger, Levi and Hart. The NY Post first reported their split.

In his IG post, Scooter wrote ... "Thanks to you I have grown, I have been pushed to be the best version of myself and to continue growing and learning." He also added, "7 years. The adventure is just beginning."

A woman who allegedly had a mental health episode aboard an American Airlines flight appears to have been taped down after freaking out in the air ... and the crew's drastic response is getting some side-eye.

This video was captured by TikTok user @lol.ariee a few days ago, during a late-night AA flight that she says was taking off from the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport and was in the air for about 2 hours. During that time ... a situation unfolded that caused a bit of a panic.

According to the TikToker, flight attendants started frantically running up and down the aisles at around 1:30 AM, locking bathroom doors and securing the scene for something that was happening up near the front. She says no one said anything ... just hush-hush whispering.

Eventually, she says the captain got on the intercom, and told everyone to stay in their seats 'cause of the problem toward the front, which he apparently said they were handling. When they eventually landed, this user captured the aftermath ... a woman duct-taped to her seat, with her mouth also taped -- who was crying out as passengers passed her to deplane.

As the TikTok user exited the plane, she recorded paramedics who were standing by with a stretcher. She later posted other videos saying she'd heard the woman was trying to actually get out of the plane during the flight, and seemed to be having an episode of some sort.

Sources familiar with the situation confirm that latter account to us ... saying the woman was, indeed, going ballistic. But, we haven't heard about her allegedly attempting to open doors or anything. In any case ... people are openly wondering if AA handled this the right way.

If she was actually having a breakdown of some sort ... some have questioned if restraining her in that manner might actually do more harm than good. Of course, others have pointed out that, in a scenario like that, the crew has to do what they must to keep people safe.

As for American, a rep for the company tells us this ... "While in flight from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) to Charlotte (CLT) on July 6, the crew on board American Airlines flight 1774 reported a potential security concern after a customer attempted to open the forward boarding door and physically assaulted, bit and caused injury to a flight attendant." They add, "For the safety and security of other customers and our crew, the individual was restrained until the flight landed at CLT and could be met by law enforcement and emergency personnel."