Brian McKnightsays his ex-wife, one of his sons, some bloggers, and a newspaper rolled out a coordinated assault on his reputation to make money from "malicious character assassination" ... at least according to a new lawsuit.
The legendary singer filed a lawsuit claiming he's the victim of a "shockingly dishonest" and "sensational but false narrative" alleging he abandoned his kids and refused to tell his dying son Niko he loved him.
In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Brian says the false narrative was cooked up by his ex-wife, Julie McKnight, and he says it's been peddled by his son Brian Jr., bloggers Marc Lamont Hill and Tasha K, and the New York Post.
"Storage Wars" star Darrell Sheets is dead, TMZ has confirmed.
Lake Havasu Police in Arizona tell TMZ ... Sheets apparently died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.
Officers responded to a report of a deceased individual at his house at about 2 AM Wednesday, police say. He was pronounced dead at the scene ... his body has been transferred to the Mohave County Medical Examiner's Office.
Celeste Rivas' cause of death has just been revealed ... and the medical examiner in Los Angeles says she was killed by multiple penetrating injuries with unspecified objects, and her death was ruled a homicide.
The M.E. says there are "2 penetrating wounds of the torso with smooth edges that may represent sharp force injuries. The wound -- [3/4 inch length and 1.5 inches deep] -- on the upper abdomen penetrates the liver, and the wound on the left chest -- [9/16 inch length and 2 inches deep] penetrates one of the left intercostal spaces, with disruption of the adjacent ribs' cortical surfaces."
It's interesting that the M.E. uses the word "may," which is something the defense will jump on.
It should also be noted that the M.E. says there were "multiple superficial linear abrasions on the right dorsal hand." It does not say whether or not these could be defensive wounds.
The M.E. also says that her left ring and pinky fingers were amputated, but the body diagram shows that her right pointer finger with the "Shhh" tattoo was intact.
It’s no longer a question of “Who’s the baby daddy?” … because Paul Pierce is admitting he fathered Princess Santiago’s child.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the NBA legend told the court he was the biological dad to 2-month-old King Rafael Santiago Pierce. He asked for joint legal and physical custody.
As we’ve previously reported, she’s asking for sole legal and physical custody -- plus a hefty $29,811 per month in child support, $100K in legal fees, and nearly $19K in pregnancy-related expenses. Santiago filed a paternity suit in California back in January.
She’s also made sure to highlight Pierce’s massive NBA earnings -- claiming he pulled in close to $200 million during his career -- as justification for the sizable monthly ask.
Princess Santiago tells TMZ ... “For nine months, I went through this pregnancy alone — no financial support, no in-person presence from Paul. Now that the DNA test confirms he’s the father, he’s seeking joint custody?”
Taylor Frankie Paul was not booked for "Dancing With the Stars," despite reports ... and now we know what is likely causing the confusion.
A source close to 'DWTS' tells TMZ ... "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" and 'Bachelorette' star was involved with the dance competition show -- but what she did is being blown out of proportion.
From what we're told ... on her season of "The Bachelorette" -- which was shelved -- one date was a crossover with 'DWTS' ... and it seems that ballroom scene is being conflated into something more.
Rep. Troy Downing's trying to figure out if Grindr's inaugural event before the White House Correspondents' Dinner is all about meaty sausages. Yes, we mean that literally.
Our TMZ DC crew caught up with the Congressman from Montana who is clearly not up to date on dating apps, because we asked him for his thoughts on this weekend's party organized by the popular gay dating platform ... and, he had no clue what we were talking about.
BillCosby isn't backing down from his bid to erase his massive civil court loss ... but accuser DonnaMotsinger's legal team says his latest Hail Mary should get laughed out of court.
Motsinger -- who alleges the comedian drugged and raped her in 1972 -- and her attorneys are urging the judge to reject Cosby's request to throw out the jury's verdict in her favor, or grant him a new trial.
According to new court docs obtained by TMZ, Motsinger's lawyers say his motion to throw out the verdict should be dead on arrival because it was filed seven days late.
Even if the judge considers it, her lawyers say Cosby is trying to relitigate issues he's already lost ... including constitutional arguments over California's sexual abuse revival law that were rejected earlier in the case.
Ohio Congressman Max Miller is in the middle of a nasty divorce with Emily Moreno … and TMZ DC has learned police are investigating a severe injury to their child.
According to the publicly filed court docs obtained by TMZ DC, Miller -- who's been in Congress since 2023 -- filed for divorce from Emily in August 2024, ending their 2-year marriage. The exes have a 2-year-old daughter.
According to the divorce settlement, Max and Emily -- daughter of freshman Senator Bernie Moreno -- have joint custody, and he was ordered to pay her $2,500 per month in child support.
Things took a turn on March 4 when Emily filed docs requesting a change in the custody arrangement, because, as she puts it ... Max "regularly speaks to me in an inappropriate, aggressive and demeaning manner, which is not in the best interest of our child."
Madonna’s been sounding the alarm over her missing wardrobe -- and TMZ’s now got the full list of what went missing ... including a lavender corset worth around $25K that she rocked during her epic performance withSabrina Carpenter at Coachella last weekend.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ the items -- originally reported missing by Madonna’s tour manager, Lindsey -- also include lavender gloves, purple trunks, thigh-highs, a slit-and-teddy combo, and a purple leather jacket.
That’s not all. A pink sequin jacket, pink gloves, pink thigh-highs, plus a Moschino corset were also reported missing -- with most of the pieces said to be archival.
Stella Maxwellis officially off the market ... 'cause TMZ has learned she's dating Anyma.
Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... the supermodel and the DJ and producer, whose real name is Matteo Milleri, have been seeing each other for a couple of months now, and it's getting serious. We're told the two are really happy together as the relationship continues to grow.
The pair have already taken things public in a big way ... stepping out together at Coachella, where Stella was featured prominently in visuals for the Anyma project during his performance from the "ÆDEN" series.
Prosecutors trying "American Idol" alum Caleb Flynnfor murder say they expect to put his daughters on the witness stand to ask them about the night their father allegedly shot their mother to death inside their home.
According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, prosecutors in Ohio say they anticipate multiple children testifying in Caleb's upcoming murder trial. We've also seen the witness list, and there are some redacted names.
As we previously reported, Caleb's two daughters were home the night their mother was murdered ... and prosecutors say Caleb pulled the trigger while his kids were in the other room.
D4vd is living a far different life than he was a week ago ... trading his $15,000 a month L.A. rental for a cold jail cell with strict rules.
Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the musician, charged with murdering Celeste Rivas, is being held in a segregated single cell.
D4vd is escorted from his cell to the shower, which he is allowed every other day. The singer is only allowed to make phone calls on the days he is allowed a shower.
Sources tell TMZ that D4vd is allowed recreation time with fresh air, but only 3 hours per week. He has no contact with other inmates during rec time.
David Wilcock, the American paranormal writer and YouTuber, has died ... TMZ has learned.
Authorities in Boulder County, Colorado say deputies were dispatched Monday after a 911 call came in around 10:44 AM for an unknown problem just outside the town of Nederland.
Authorities say the emergency communications specialist who took the 911 call believed the caller might have been in the middle of a mental health crisis.
Rep.Troy Nehls probably has strong views on Trump's Cuba threats, but those views may be rooted more in cigars than politics.
We got the Congressman from Houston out on Capitol Hill Wednesday, and asked the burning question ... does he snuff the cigar when it hits the House floor?
Coachella FOMO hit hard last weekend ... but Cece Rose made sure the "TMZ After Dark" crowd didn't feel left out.
The influencer and OnlyFans star brought full festival energy to Hollywood Friday night, hopping aboard our party bus and basically turning it into her own mini Coachella takeover ... and if you don't believe us, just watch the video!
Cece rolled deep with DJ Blue, who kept the vibes going with tracks from artists who dominated the desert this year, including Justin Bieber, SexyyRedand Karol G.
Passengers understood the assignment, too ... showing up in festival mode with cowboy boots, bandanas and plenty of drinks in hand as the bus made its way through Hollywood.
Sandra Lee and Ben Youcef are officially done ... 'cause TMZ has learned the longtime couple has called off their engagement.
Sandra's rep, Jen Abel, confirms to TMZ ... the former Food Network star has ended the engagement after five years together.
The confirmation comes on the heels of our recent run-in with Sandra in NYC last week, and when we asked about wedding plans, she swerved hard ... pivoting to work instead of offering any kind of timeline.
