Exclusive

Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough got a ringing endorsement from former All-Pro DB Tyrann Mathieu following his big upset win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday ... "kind words" Shough reacted to when he chatted with TMZ Sports!

We spoke with Shough -- who was with his Pro Bowl teammate Cam Jordan at a Raising Cane's event -- just a few days removed from Mathieu's declaration that ... "This city should absolutely get behind him & embrace him as QB for (the) next decade!!"

In other words, Tyrann's seen enough -- Tyler's the guy.

"Being around [Tyrann] and for a short amount of time, and everything that he's done, and especially in this state, what a great honor," Shough told us.

Detroit rapper Baby Smoove was arrested earlier this week on a number of drug charges -- but he swiftly posted bail.

Here's the deal ... Smoove -- real name Jaelin Deanta Parker -- was pulled over in Miami late Wednesday night while driving a heavily tinted yellow Lamborghini, police say in online records. When the officer from the Miami Police Department approached the posh car, they "observed a cloud of smoke ... and a strong odor of marijuana." The officer also noted a black handgun under the driver's seat, and at that point, all occupants were asked to exit the vehicle for the officer's safety.

Police say the musician and 2 passengers were swiftly arrested because they were not legally allowed to posess any firearms, and the gun was readily available for each one to grab.

Honey Boo Boo's dad is doing just fine, TMZ has learned ... following rumors he died in a tragic car accident.

And, we even have video to prove it! Check it out -- Mike Thompson says in the clip recorded Saturday he's "alive and well" ... just living life "day by day" in Georgia. Phew!

You may have seen ... there were some unsubstantiated social media rumors that he had passed away earlier this week. Honey Boo Boo -- real name Alana Thompson -- didn't feed into the chatter.

Mike shares Alana with June "Mama June" Shannon. They split in 2014 and don't have a relationship at this point. He is also estranged from Alana.

Ray J says he's boned up on RICO and even chatted with an A.I. bot … and that’s what led him to the conclusion Kim Kardashian and Kris Jenner are a couple of racketeers.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ray J doubles down on his racketeering claims against Kim and Kris ... laying out why he believes the racketeer label fits.

For starters, Ray J says Kim and Kris conspired with Vivid to "defraud the public with their fake lawsuit" ahead of the infamous sex tape release.

In the docs, filed by attorney Howard King, Ray J claims the Kardashians committed credit card fraud against his family by racking up a $850,000 bill.

He also claims Kim and Kris "defrauded" him into signing an agreement that featured a requirement barring further mention or public reference to the sex tape ... and he says they sent their lawyers to "extort" him after he answered questions about the sex tape in a June 2024 podcast.

Ray J says ... "To me, Kim and Kris have repeatedly engaged in a criminal enterprise and racketeering activity, violating RICO over and over again. I have no doubt about that."

Alex Hall from "Selling the OC" extended the olive branch to ex-boyfriend and costar Tyler Stanaland by inviting him on her podcast ... but it turned out Tyler canceled last minute out of respect for his blossoming new relationship.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Alex tried to hash it out with Tyler one-on-one for all to see ... but we’re told he got cold feet at the last minute in light of his new relationship with Hannah Morrissey.

Here's the sitch ... Alex asked Tyler to be on her podcast 'Pretty Dirty’ before Season 4 of "Selling the OC" aired, and we're told her pitch to him was to sit down publicly and have a conversation about what their "relationship" entails.

Ex-NBA star Isaiah Rider is breaking his silence on his recent arrest ... telling TMZ Sports he had no idea he was violating a protective order -- because he claims he was never served!!

We broke the story earlier this week -- the 1994 Slam Dunk champion was arrested on December 4 in Arizona and charged with one count of interfering with judicial proceedings.

It all stemmed from a protective order his wife filed for in July 2025 -- his ex, Vanessa, said in the application Rider was aggressive with her and their son on numerous occasions.

Master P's next game hits close to home -- literally -- 'cause his New Orleans Privateers take on his son Mercy Miller's Houston Cougars ... and the No Limit icon already warned his squad how "dangerous" his kid is on the court!!

TMZ Sports caught up with UNO's president of basketball operations at LAX this week ... right before his college basketball squad takes on Houston, the 7th-ranked team in the nation, on Saturday.

It's a father vs. son game of sorts -- Mercy is a sophomore guard on the Cougars ... and P told his team they gotta play hard against him.

T.J. Watt's sudden lung issue freaked out a lot of people, including Steelers legend Brett "Da Beard" Keisel, who tells TMZ Sports he's hoping for a quick and full recovery so the defensive monster can return to the field ASAP!!

We spoke with the two-time Super Bowl champion this week ... shortly after Watt had surgery on his partially collapsed lung following a dry needling treatment at the Steelers' practice facility.

Watt -- former NFL Defensive Player of the Year -- will miss at least the December 15 "Monday Night Football" matchup ... and Keisel has his fingers crossed his recovery doesn't take too long, while still prioritizing his full health.

After Andy Dick's drug overdose this week provoked panicked concern among friends, he's checked himself into rehab … Dick himself tells TMZ.

Andy tells TMZ he is currently entering a rehabilitation facility in the Palm Springs, California area.

Andy was very animated on the phone with us … he's cracking jokes and it's clear he's ready to commit to clean up … he tells us he's grateful to be getting help.

Andy tells us … "Jenny Gimenez is my sister who saved me with Tim” … Tim Ryan is Jen’s husband. They’re both sober.

Jennifer was on "Celebrity Rehab" with Andy. They’ve been friends for 20 years.

Lizzo just scored a win in her legal battle against 3 former backup dancers ... the women have dropped their claims that Lizzo fat-shamed them, despite the rest of the case moving forward ... TMZ has learned.

Lizzo's powerhouse attorney, Marty Singer, and his partner, Melissa Y. Glass, tell TMZ the fat-shaming claims were a major part of the sexual harassment lawsuit brought by Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez, and Crystal Williams, but they insist it always lacked merit.

According to Lizzo's attorneys, the allegations were refuted by 18 witnesses in sworn declarations submitted to the court.

They say the Superior Court judge concluded Davis was fired because she made "an unauthorized recording of Lizzo in a dancer meeting and sent it to Williams, who was no longer working on The Special Tour" ... and now the dancers dropped their appeal of the dismissal of the fat-shaming claims.

Aubrey O'Day is out of the hospital and ready to talk about how watching the Diddy Netflix documentary re-traumatized her ... making her so ill she had to skip a Danity Kane reunion show.

Aubrey tells TMZ … she was taken to the ER on Wednesday, experiencing "vertigo, fever, dizziness, migraine, chills and vomiting all night" -- and she says it was all a result of watching 50 Cent's doc, in which she participated.

She tells us ... "Watching everything from Netflix unfold publicly, seeing parts of a world I only knew from inside my own limited lens, was like living it again, but this time with context and truth outside of me. I didn’t think it would traumatize me the way it did, but watching the pieces line up from a distance outside of myself has felt like my nervous system was reliving everything with more clarity than I ever even asked for."

"Selling The OC" star Alex Hall says she wouldn't sell Diddy a home in Orange County, California if he came calling after prison ... even if his budget was $30 million.

Alex was our guest host Friday on "TMZ on TV" and we asked her straight up if she would work for Diddy as a realtor when he's done serving his sentence in New Jersey.

Diddy's twin daughters are hobnobbing with Hollywood celebs, which has us wondering how Diddy will be received when he's out of the pen ... and it sounds like there will be a mixed bag.

Alex says she wouldn't sign on to be Diddy's realtor, but she does tell us how she would be able to squeeze some money out of the deal without touching it with a 10-foot pole.

Dr. Drew says he is "scared" for Andy Dick following his apparent overdose this week -- but says not all hope is gone ... and Andy simply needs to be ready for change.

Check out our clip -- TMZ caught up with the famous doc after we broke the news of what appeared to be Andy overdosing on the street in Hollywood a few days back ... after which he told us he doesn't plan to enter rehab.

Dr. Drew has a long history with the famous comedian and has helped him get treatment several times for his substance abuse struggles, and tells us he and Andy's loved ones are scared "to death" about his situation, adding ... "This is a life-threatening illness. It's a progressive illness that ends in death."

Pep talk from Carolyn Wiger ... she says a fellow "The Traitors" and "Survivor" contestant she's best friends with needs to cut back on his party lifestyle ... and we got her delivering Yam Yam Arocho a strong message.

Our photog caught up with Carolyn at LAX today, and she was on the phone telling Yam Yam he needs to get his s*** together and stop partying if they want to collab.

We asked Carolyn about her passionate plea, and, after catching her breath, she explained she was sharing some wisdom from her own life with Yam Yam.

The guy won "Survivor" season 44 and is on the upcoming fourth season of "Traitors" ... but as far as Carolyn is concerned, he's surrounding himself with the wrong crowd, and it's holding him back from reaching his full potential.

Emma Stone and Dave McCary can pop Champagne ... they've got reason to celebrate, because they just sold their fancy estate in Texas.

Our real estate sources tell us Emma and Dave unloaded their newly restored home in Austin, which they put on the market for $26.5 million.

The couple purchased the home in 2021 and then gave it a facelift ... construction was completed this summer, and the place looks super lavish.

Chuck Potthast's son apparently found his body ... and he told the 911 operator his dad was bleeding heavily -- and didn't look alive.

We've obtained the audio of the 911 call ... which begins with a man identifying himself as Chuck's son -- and telling the 911 operator his father's lying in the bathtub and bleeding from the chest.

Potthast's son says he doesn't know what happened to his father ... and, when the operator asks him if he's awake, he responds by saying he doesn't think Chuck even looks alive.