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"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star Chase McWhorter is making one thing clear ... when it comes to the show, the women are in charge.

We caught up with Chase in New York, and he told us he leaves all filming decisions up to the ladies of 'SLOMW' ... saying they know what’s best when it comes to what ends up on screen -- and as for whether the show is coming back, he teased it could be, but added the women would have the real scoop.

Chase also dished on his recent connection to "Unwell Winter Games" star Hallie Batchelder, telling us he’s been a longtime fan and finally meeting her felt like a dream. He says he followed her online before they linked up at Coachella and admits he was “stoked” to meet her in person.

Flowers are piling up at Celeste Rivas's gravesite -- a simple but powerful show of love as people continue to honor her memory.

Check out the scene we saw on Friday ... Celeste’s final resting place at Queen of Heaven Cemetery & Mortuary in Rowland Heights in L.A. is currently surrounded by carefully placed bouquets -- bright pink roses, yellow daisies, soft white blooms -- each a reminder that she hasn’t been forgotten.

The polished black granite headstone bearing her name is framed by bursts of color ... surrounding the etched image of Celeste depicted as an angel. The scene provides a sense of warmth in an otherwise heavy place … like each visitor found their own quiet way to say goodbye.

If Dakota Mortensen had any chance of returning to "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" with production looming on the horizon ... it was pretty much torpedoed after the recent court hearing with ex Taylor Frankie Paul.

A source with knowledge tells TMZ ... after yesterday's custody hearing -- where the judge extended the couple's restraining orders for three years -- it's highly unlikely Dakota will be appearing on future episodes of 'SLOMW.' We're told the door is open for TFP to come back ... but she's yet to commit.

It all makes sense ... Taylor is one of the stars of the popular Hulu series -- it's 'WIVES' after all -- so that makes Dakota her plus-one. For the moment, it's all moot because word is cameras are not even up yet after production was paused over the couple's drama.

Kara Swisher has a dire warning about A.I. ... despite the technological miracles it brings to your life, it's also fueling a worldwide loneliness epidemic, and it just can't replace human interaction.

The famed technology journalist is also hosting the new series "Kara Swisher Wants to Live Forever" on CNN, and she joined us Friday for a convo on "TMZ Live" about the rise of humans befriending A.I. chatbots.

Kara says she needs to remind people that A.I. isn't like human beings ... it's a synthetic sycophant desperate to keep users' attention, not a friend that exists in our three-dimensional world.

Celeste Rivas' father says he's never even met D4vd, much less received any money from him ... despite rumors floating around the family's home town that the singer was giving funds to the Rivas family.

There's been online speculation, including on Reddit and Facebook, springing up around Lake Elsinore, California -- located about 2 hours southeast of L.A. -- that the disgraced singer and murder suspect gave money to the family.

Jesus Rivas tells TMZ, through his attorney Patrick Steinfeld ... "I never had any contact with this guy and we haven't received any money from him or anyone in his family."

Jimmy Kimmel will once again be appearing at upfronts for Disney's ABC ... just like he's done for the past 20 years, TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us ... Jimmy will be there -- news that would usually make for a ho-hum headline, but with all the drama in which he's been ensnared with President Donald Trump, interest in whether he'd be at the key TV advertising event was piqued.

It appears that Jimmy being there is status quo -- but of course, his most recent spat with Trump's White House has dominated media coverage -- even though it sure seems to already be dwindling.

Prosecutors say D4vd disposed of Celeste Rivas' personal items in a remote area of Santa Barbara County after he murdered her in his Hollywood Hills home ... her identification was found off a highway in the area described, and now we know how it was recovered.

Caltrans tells TMZ ... a maintenance worker performing traffic control on SR-154 east of Painted Cave Road on Jan. 7, 2026 looked down in the brush and discovered Celeste's passport card. That's about 100 miles northwest of the Hollywood Hills, in a wooded mountainous region.

We're told the Caltrans worker reported the finding to his supervisor, who contacted the California Highway Patrol.

Netflix reality star Louis Russell -- who is dating Huda Mustafa of "Love Island USA" -- has been in a court battle with his baby mama, Nicole Olivera ... who submitted alleged texts from Huda crashing out as evidence ... TMZ has learned.  

According to court documents obtained by TMZ, Nicole showed the judge a ton of messages she claims Huda sent Louis ... showing Huda freaking out about her BF not answering. 

In one screenshot, Huda allegedly writes to her BF, "IM LOSING MY MIND. I CAN’T … LOUIS HOW CAN U DO THIS. HOWWW. U DONT POVE ME. YOU DONT LOVE ME. U WANT ME TO DIE. U WANTED THIS. I HOPE UR SORRY."
 

Kim Zolciak has temporarily lost primary custody of the kids she shares with Kroy Biermann ... the latest twist in their messy legal battle, TMZ has learned.

A judge just ruled on Kroy's emergency motion and gave him primary physical custody of the kids.  The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' alum will have limited parenting time with their 4 minor children every other weekend.

Kim and Kroy will continue to share joint legal custody of the children, but Kroy has final decision-making authority regarding educational, non-emergency medical, and religious decisions.

Jessi Draper has clearly changed her mind when it comes to Taylor Frankie Paul ... because she bashed her costar in a voice memo to Dakota Mortensen just two months ago -- but now she's providing a full-throated defense of Taylor instead.

Here's the deal ... we've obtained the voice memo Jessi sent to Dakota on March 5 ... in the wake of production pausing on 'SLOMW' over a new bout of domestic violence allegations involving Taylor and Dakota.

In the message, Jessi tells Dakota the cast is aligned in holding back on any public support for Taylor ... she says they know the "truth" about Taylor ... and she claims production and management on 'SLOMW' is gaslighting the cast by painting Taylor as a victim and Dakota as a liar.

Dylan Carter -- a singer from South Carolina who once competed on "The Voice" -- was killed in a car crash last Saturday ... and he'll be laid to rest this weekend.

According to his official obituary ... a visitation is scheduled today in St. George, about an hour northwest of Charleston -- and Dylan's funeral will take place tomorrow at the Indian Field Campground in his home state.

TMZ broke the news ... the 24-year-old died of blunt force trauma after his 2026 Tesla veered off the road, striking a pole and a fence, before rolling. Authorities have yet to determine why he veered off the road.

The Barack Obama Foundation just got dragged to court by a former employee who claims she asked for mental health help ... but got shown the door instead.

According to a new federal lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, a woman named Tifphany McClinton says she worked as a curatorial assistant from mid-2023 until she was fired in December 2025 -- and alleges the nonprofit failed her at nearly every turn.

McClinton claims she suffers from anxiety, PTSD, depression and scoliosis -- conditions she says required accommodations like physical therapy during work hours and a modified schedule that allowed her to leave the office by 3 PM.

But instead of support, she says she got resistance ... and worse.

Alix Earle didn't let her night in Miami get awkward because of a former flame ... instead choosing to address Braxton Berrios head-on in a new clip.

The social media star found herself at a Sports Illustrated party down in Miami Thursday night, which her NFL star ex also attended ... and she walked right over to him to say hello.

Check out the clip ... Earle gives Berrios a little wave and the two hug, with Berrios even pecking her on the cheek -- a warm reunion between a pair who broke up just a few months ago.

As we told you ... Alix confirmed the breakup after multiple reports claiming they were no longer together surfaced online.

Ciara Miller seems to have put the whole "Summer House" drama in the rearview ... the reality star was seen partying it up at the Guggenheim with other major celebs.

TMZ obtained exclusive video of Ciara dancing, laughing and posing for pics Thursday night at Cultured's CULT100 event at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan. And did we mention that Ciara looked drop-dead gorgeous?

Check out the clip ... Ciara is just stunning in her form-fitting dress and is clearly having the time of her life. You would never guess she felt betrayed by her close friend, Amanda Batula, who started dating Ciara's ex-boyfriend, West Wilson, during Season 10 of "Summer House."

CM Punk was lucky he wasn't arrested last week at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Vegas ... a second fan has accused the WWE legend of shoving him in his chest, according to new 911 audio. 

TMZ just obtained the audio recording from the April 20 incident in the MGM lobby, where Punk lost his s*** at a couple fans who got too close to him and his WWE pal Bayley ... this 911 call is from a separate person on that day ... we showed you video of a different WWE fan who snapped a photo of Bayley, pissing off Punk ... and Punk went ballistic, slapping a cell phone out of his hand and shooting him a killer look. Well apparently, there was another dust-up.  

In this new audio, you hear a fan who was waiting to see the WWE stars ... the caller is speaking Spanish to a female dispatcher with the help of an interpreter -- and he clearly identifies "CM Punk" as the aggressor. He says he was hoping for an autograph ... the alleged victim claims in Spanish that CM Punk put his hands on him and "violently assaulted" him when he got close to the wrestler.