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Waffle House fired viral employee Rockstar Riley for "repeated violations" of company policy, TMZ has learned.

As you know, RR's viral video about the restaurant chain blew up on social media ... but Waffle House tells TMZ he got the axe for filming content at work.

The company told us in a statement ... "Waffle House ended its employment relationship with Mr. Riley following repeated violations of Company policy prohibiting unauthorized filming of promotional media content on Company property."

Hayden Panettiere was afraid she'd get blowback from "dangerous" former friends when she released her memoir ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Hayden tell TMZ ... she'd told people close to her she was nervous about publicly releasing details of her tortured past.

We're told the actress was specifically concerned about publicizing the time a friend allegedly tried to set up a sex session with a naked male singer on a yacht when she was only 18.

Rep. Randy Fine's bizarre mailbox snooping prompted a call to police ... but the Florida homeowner decided she didn't want to press charges.

Ormond Beach Police tell TMZ ... a woman called to report a man on her porch going through her mail while she watched remotely through her Ring camera. She was not home at the time and later identified the man as the Florida Congressman.

The Computer-Aided Dispatch report, obtained by TMZ, tells the same story ... saying the homeowner determined after "doing some digging" the man in her video was Fine, who rang her doorbell before going through the mailbox "letter by letter."

Police say it did not appear Fine took anything, and the homeowner only wanted to alert law enforcement -- not pursue charges.

Hayden Panettiere's family has been notified by a South Carolina coroner's office that her remains are ready for release -- after the actress died of a possible drug overdose, TMZ has learned.

A rep for the Greenville County Coroner's Office tells TMZ ... they have advised Hayden's parents that her body is ready to be turned over to them.

But the rep says the family has yet to choose a funeral home ... so, for now, Hayden will stay with the coroner's office.

There was no shortage of A-listers at Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods' wedding, but there was someone noticeably absent -- Knicks legend and team exec Allan Houston -- and there's good reason!

TMZ Sports ran into number 20 in Times Square in NYC on Monday, and we asked him about the weekend's nuptials.

"I'm so proud of him. He and Jordyn's journey, they've been through a lot, and they're overcomers," Houston said of the couple tying the knot.

Why wasn't he there?

Hayden Panettiere and Brian Hickerson kept their rekindled romance to themselves in order to protect her career ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to Brian tells TMZ ... the couple didn't break up as many times as the public was led to believe -- and were actually together while she was promoting her memoir "This Is Me: A Reckoning" in the months before her death.

Our source says Hayden was advised by her team to distance herself from Brian, at least publicly, even though they were still romantic in private.

The reason ... Hayden's camp felt Brian was "bad for business" while she was promoting her book. We're told their complicated history was perceived as being bad for book sales -- but they were still in constant communication during the promotional tour.

Influencer Santos Salazar is a free man, 'cause he has been released from jail after spending several days behind bars in connection with an alleged attempted murder investigation, TMZ has learned.

We got photos of Santos leaving an L.A. jail Monday evening, grinning from ear to ear and relishing in his new-found freedom. He's joined by some fellow inmates whom he seemingly made friends with while in the slammer.

According to online records, the case was rejected by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office ... meaning prosecutors did not file criminal charges against Santos at this time -- after he had been booked on suspicion of attempted murder last week.

Andrew Gillum is swapping jail for rehab ... but the court will still be keeping close tabs on him.

According to new legal documents obtained by TMZ, a judge ordered the former Florida gubernatorial candidate released from the Baldwin County Jail Friday ... so he could enter Cumberland Heights Treatment Center in Nashville.

Gillum must wear a GPS ankle monitor during his release ... and remain at the facility for at least 30 days, or however long it takes him to complete a drug and alcohol treatment program.

8/21/2026 11:41 AM PT -- Hayden Panettiere's boyfriend Brian Hickerson gave her Narcan after he and his brother Zach Hickerson found her unconscious ... according to a statement by Zach.

Hayden Panettiere, or someone close to her, was treated with meds typically used for overdose victims ... TMZ has learned.

We've confirmed, through sources in Greenville, SC, that Narcan was found in the apartment where she died. Narcan is administered nasally to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, and we're told the device used to dispense it was found on a mattress.

We know first responders on the scene mentioned an "overdose" and CPR efforts while reporting back to dispatch.

However, we also know 2 ambulances rushed to the apartment, which seems to point to 2 people in distress in the apartment ... so, it's unclear who received the dose of Narcan.

Pinky Cole's "Real Housewives of Atlanta" blowup apparently got a little too close to "The Wire" for Bravo's taste ... because the network turned her gun talk into a vague reference to a "device."

Here's the deal ... during the Season 17 reunion show part two, which aired Sunday night, Pinky and Phaedra Parks got heated when Pinky ripped Phaedra for ratting her out to "higher-ups" over Pinky having, in her words, a "significant device" to protect herself.

A source with direct knowledge tells us the device was a gun, and Phaedra wasn't down with the new 'RHOA' member bringing it up. To clarify, we're told Pinky was never in possession of a gun on set at any point and time.

2:30 PM PT -- Lee Budner, attorney for the child's biological parents, tells TMZ ... the baby underwent surgery this morning and "is now recuperating under the loving care of his parents and his heroic team of doctors, nurses, and medical staff."

Budner tells us ... "This is the last update on Rumi's health that his family intends to share. His condition remains critical and complex, and his family seeks privacy in caring for their son on his long road to recovery."

He adds ... "Meanwhile, Ms. West continues to assert baseless claims for custody of Rumi, in violation of multiple courts orders out of both Alaska and California. We look forward to quickly defeating those claims as Rumi's parents continue to focus on his health and safety above all else."

We're told the Norwood procedure is the first of three surgeries required within the first several years of life for children born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

The biological parents who wanted their surrogate to terminate the pregnancy are now taking steps to keep their newborn alive ... telling a judge they've decided their son will undergo major heart surgery.

According to a court filing, obtained by TMZ, Nausheen Gilkar and Omar Ahmed have elected to have the baby undergo the Norwood procedure after consulting with doctors at Children's Health.

The Norwood procedure is a complex open-heart surgery performed on newborns with hypoplastic left heart syndrome -- the condition doctors discovered during the pregnancy. It helps the side of the heart that works pump blood through the body.

Influencer Brianna Olsen says there are two sides to every story ... and when it comes to Santos Salazar's attempted murder case, she insists her baby daddy is being accused of something he didn't do.

We got Brianna outside of a downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Monday, and she told our photog she was a nervous wreck ... even though she swears Santos is an innocent man who is falsely accused.

Brianna told us she'd been up all night with their newborn, who she brought with her to her baby daddy's court date.

Two ambulances raced to Hayden Panettiere's death scene and rolled out stretchers, which seems to confirm what we've been hearing ... that Hayden wasn't the only one in the apartment unit.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the 2 ambulances were dispatched to the scene, although no one was wheeled out of the apartment and the ambulances left without a patient inside.

A source tells us, Hayden's on-and-off-again boyfriend, Brian Hickerson, was living in the unit with his brother. Hayden and Brian flew from L.A. to South Carolina Saturday and were both at the apartment.

Hayden Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson told us she was the textbook "Sunday girl" when we last talked to him ... and three months later she was found dead on a Sunday in an apartment linked to him.

Brian sat down with TMZ's Charlie Neff back in May -- Hayden had a new memoir out at the time -- and it's interesting to look back at the conversation in the wake of Hayden's sudden death.

Hayden and Brian started dating in 2018, and he held their relationship in high regard ... telling us Hayden "is the sweetest thing in the world."

Brian put it like this ... "It's not about who you spend Saturday night with, it's about who you spend all Sunday with, and Hayden Panettiere is a Sunday girl."

Hayden Panettiere's final Instagram post was a 15-year-old memory ... and the man beside her in the throwback snap tells TMZ he was surprised to see it resurface.

Director and photographer Randall Slavin is the man in the photo, and he tells TMZ ... the black-and-white pic was not recent -- it was taken about 15 years ago at a party inside a friend's home.

He says he recently stumbled across the image on an old hard drive and texted it to Hayden ... but had no idea she planned to share it publicly and was surprised when it was posted on her page on July 27.

Adam22 and his wife, Lena The Plug, showed up to court to fight the fake restraining order filed against him ... TMZ has learned.

The hearing was held on Thursday, during which Adam22 and Lena spoke via Zoom. 

Per the minute order, Lena told the judge that she did not file the restraining order, despite it being taken out in her name. She asked the court to dismiss the temporary restraining order … which prohibited Adam22 from coming near his wife. 

The judge signed off on the request and dissolved the temporary order.