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Taylor Frankie Paul's attempt to shut the public out of her legal war with Dakota Mortensen just got rejected in court.

On Monday, a judge denied Taylor's request to seal Thursday's upcoming protective order hearing and keep the media out ... making it clear her case will be treated like any other case -- despite the massive public attention surrounding the former couple.

During Monday's status conference, Taylor's attorney, Eric Swinyard, argued the hearing set for Thursday will be far more substantive than previous proceedings and will dive into serious allegations made by both sides.

Joseph Duggar's wife Kendra is back in court over her own criminal case ... and she just scored a major legal win after getting a no-contact order lifted.

According to new court docs obtained by TMZ, Kendra's attorney, Travis W. Story, filed an entry of appearance on her behalf last week and entered a not guilty plea to charges of endangering the welfare of a minor and false imprisonment.

Her legal team also asked the court to dissolve a no-contact order that had been put in place on March 20 ... arguing the alleged victims wanted contact with Kendra restored, that she had complied with all conditions of the order, and that continued restrictions were preventing important third-party evaluations tied to the case.

Samuel Monroe Jr. -- best known for his role in the '90s classic film "Menace II Society" -- is fighting for his life in the hospital ... and his family is asking for help with his mounting medical bills.

TMZ reported earlier today ... the actor has been on life support in a SoCal hospital for the past three days -- and he's battling meningitis. As for the prognosis, we're told it's unclear.

Shawna Stewart, Samuel's wife, tells TMZ ... the family has created a GoFundMe as his substantial medical bills pile up ... and they hope fans will help, no matter the amount they can spare.

"The Challenge" star CT Tamburello's divorce from OnlyFans superstar Catalina White has hit a roadblock due to him being overseas filming a reality show ... TMZ has learned.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ ... CT and Catalina are negotiating a settlement. The parties say the deal is in "its final stages" but add that CT is currently filing and reality show and has "very limited contact with his counsel."

The court docs note both parties expect the settlement to be finalized soon, but the parties are asking for a short extension on filing certain financial docs so they can get it done.

Dylan Carter -- a singer from South Carolina who once competed on "The Voice" -- was killed in a car crash Saturday ... and now we have a better idea of how the tragedy occurred.

Law enforcement tells TMZ ... a 2026 Tesla sedan was traveling southbound on U.S. Route 21 in South Carolina just after 11 PM when it veered off the road, striking a pole and a fence, before rolling. The driver was the only person in the car ... and they succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.

The crash remains under investigation ... and authorities would not release any other details, including whether he fell asleep or suffered a medical emergency or was possibly intoxicated.

Dylan was identified as the driver by a number of locals who posted on social media, including Thomas Hamilton Jr., the mayor of Moncks Corner, where Dylan was set to perform Monday night.

12:51 PM PT -- The family of Samuel Monroe Jr. has posted a GoFundMe to help with his considerable medical bills. The post says in part ... "Every donation, no matter the size, will help ease the burden on Samuel’s family and ensure that Kingston and Brooklynn have the support they need while their father fights for his life."

Samuel Monroe Jr., best known for his work in the '90s classic film "Menace II Society," has been hospitalized ... and the situation is serious.

Family tells TMZ ... the actor is on life support in a SoCal hospital for the past three days -- and he's battling meningitis. As for the prognosis, we're told it's unclear, and the family is getting daily updates.

Samuel's mother posted about the situation on Facebook, saying in part ... "God don’t make no mistakes, but he is gracious, and I am humbly asking for his mercy and grace for Sam. I love you, son, to the moon and back 100 times."

Justice has been a long time coming in the murder of Run-DMC legend Jason Mizell -- AKA Jam Master Jay -- because another man has admitted his role in the hip-hop icon's killing nearly 24 years after the shocking crime.

Monday, federal prosecutors announced Jay Bryant pleaded guilty in a federal court in Brooklyn to his role in Jam Master Jay's 2002 murder ... after prosecutors alleged he helped the killers get inside the legendary DJ's Queens recording studio before the fatal shooting.

"More than two decades after the cold-blooded, execution-style killing of Mr. Mizell, an exhaustive investigation revealed Bryant's role and today he finally admitted his guilt," U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella said. "The prosecutors in our Office and our law enforcement partners never give up, no matter how long it takes, in the pursuit of justice for the victim and the victim's family."

Donnell Rawlings is standing firmly in Michael Jackson’s corner ... telling us the filmmakers were right to reportedly spend millions reworking the upcoming biopic to remove references to abuse allegations.

Check out the clip ... we caught up with the comedian over the weekend and asked whether the reported $25M overhaul to reshoot the third act -- which featured sexual abuse allegations against the pop star -- was the right move ... and Donnell didn’t hesitate to give his POV.

He pointed to the fact Michael was acquitted in his 2005 criminal trial and said the allegations ultimately amounted to “speculation” ... adding the movie shouldn’t tarnish the King of Pop’s legacy by ending on accusations instead of his contributions to music and the world.

Donnell told us people should remember Michael for “healing the world” and being “the greatest performer that we’ve ever seen” ... making it crystal clear where he stands on the controversy.

Michael Madsen is getting dragged to court even in death ... Los Angeles County says the late actor owes his ex-wife a ton of money.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department claims Michael owes his ex-wife Jeannine Bisignano over $1.2 million in back child-support payments.

The department says the $1,267,573.49 in back child support stems from Michael and Jeannine's divorce judgment, which dates all the way back to March 1995 ... and it looks like Jeannine is entitled to a percentage of payments Michael received in his SAG pension plan.

Nicki Minaj's ex-assistant is asking a judge to sanction the rapper for failing to turn over potential evidence in their court battle ... TMZ has learned.

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Brandon Garrett -- who worked for Nicki in 2024 -- claimed she got physical with him.

He said Nicki called him into her dressing room at a Detroit show. Brandon alleged that Nicki became enraged with him.

"Are you f***ing crazy having him pick up my prescription? You have lost your f***ing mind and if my husband were here, he would knock out your f***ing teeth," Brandon said Nicki told him backstage. "You're a dead man walking. You just f***ed up your whole life and you will never be anyone, I'll make sure of it."

John Hinckley -- the man who shot then-President Ronald Reagan in 1981 -- says the Washington Hilton Hotel should stop holding big events because it's not secure, and bad things keep happening there ... just like at Saturday night's White House Correspondents' Dinner.

And who knows better than Hinckley ... the Washington Hilton was the site where he shot Reagan and 3 other people in March 1981 in a failed assassination attempt. Hinckley was quickly arrested but later found not guilty by reason of insanity and placed in a mental hospital for over 34 years before gaining back his freedom.

TMZ spoke with Hinckley Sunday about security at the Washington Hilton, which has been a topic of national debate in the wake of Saturday night's WHCD shooting, with many people making comparisons to the Reagan shooting.

The NBA Dunk Contest is on relevancy life support ... but Julius Erving, the first-ever winner in the event, has a way to save it -- telling TMZ Sports it's time for the league's biggest stars to brush up on their history.

We caught up with the Hall of Famer in NYC this week ... and considering he has countless iconic slams to his name, we had to ask about the state of the All-Star Weekend staple.

It's no secret fans are starting to roll their eyes at it ... with randos competing against each other instead of franchise players. Zach LaVine, Aaron Gordon and G League star Mac McClung have certainly helped the cause ... but overall, it's been a dud for quite some time.

The guy who went viral for casually eating a salad in the aftermath of the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner is speaking out about his sudden internet fame ... and his appetite.

Michael Glantz is the man caught on camera munching on his dinner as the ballroom goes on lockdown ... and he tells TMZ he is glad folks are finding levity from the viral clip after such a "horrific moment."

A big-time agent at Creative Artists Agency, Michael says he felt very safe -- the place was crawling with law enforcement after the shooting -- and he wanted to watch everything unfolding in front of him, telling TMZ ... "Not every day you see something like that go down."

Michael reps CNN's Wolf Blitzer, and he tells us the only thing he was concerned about was Wolf, who got knocked over in the chaos. That and making sure his salad didn't go to waste.

Well, that was fast ... Bravo already found and fired the person who leaked audio from the reunion show.

A Bravo spokesperson tells TMZ ... "An investigation into the recent leak of the Summer House reunion audio has concluded that the audio was an unauthorized recording and distributed by an individual involved in the production of the reunion. As a result of the findings, appropriate action has been taken."

We're told there is NO evidence that any members of the cast were involved in recording the leaked audio.

Don't confuse Ronda Rousey's show of respect with weakness ... 'cause the MMA legend says she's hellbent on beating Gina Carano's ass next month, despite appreciating all the fighter-turned-actor has done for the sport!

"Once they close the door, I'm going to do everything in my power to kill that chick with my bare hands, and it's up to that referee to stop me," Rousey ominously told Babcock this week.

It's a different tone than Ronda's struck for much of the lead-up to the highly anticipated MVP-promoted event on May 16.