Christa Pike's blood condition may have saved her life temporarily, a doctor says ... though he's making it clear she doesn't have a super resistance to pentobarbital -- the drug that was supposed to kill her.
Dr. Joel Zivot -- a respected anesthesiologist who previously examined Christa -- sat down with Jakson on TMZ's YouTube series, "In The Know," to discuss what happened during Wednesday's botched execution in Tennessee ... telling us he thinks Christa's thrombocytosis may have played a role.
Basically, Dr. Zivot says Christa has a high platelet count ... and platelets rush to the site of an injury to clot the blood -- keeping humans from bleeding out if they get a paper cut.
An IV punctures the vein ... so platelets rush to the area and, in a person like Christa with thrombocytosis, excessive clots can form inside the vein, blocking it off entirely.
A group of Las Vegas showgirls traded feathers for fists ... throwing down in a wild brawl on the Strip.
TMZ obtained a crazy video from Wednesday afternoon ... several women decked out in barely-there showgirl outfits and massive feather headdresses are right in the middle of the chaos ... swinging, shoving, and going at it as tourists look on.
And this thing gets out of control fast ... at one point, one of the showgirls charges right back into the madness and starts throwing punches ... while a shirtless man gets tangled up in the melee and people nearby scramble around the fight.
Porn stars Joanna Angeland Small Hands have been quietly battling in divorce court ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Joanna filed for divorce in New York in November 2024. The case is sealed.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the case has remained active for nearly two years as the parties try to divide their marital estate. We're told there's been a lot of back and forth over who gets what including the Los Angeles area home Joanna purchased during the marriage.
Donald Trump still hasn't decided who will replace Karoline Leavitt as press secretary ... but he's adding a reporter who’s caught his eye to his White House comms crew.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Beni Rae Harmony -- a 24-year-old White House correspondent for Real America's Voice -- has been hired as a new spokesperson and assistant press secretary for the White House. She starts on Monday.
Harmony has recently become a regular in the White House press pool ... traveling to Ireland with Trump, who was seen on September 13 holding a stack of papers with what appears to say "Beni Rae Harmony" printed in bold at the top.
Gypsy Rose Blanchardsent Ken Urkera birthday voice note just hours before he was found dead ... and the message apparently went unanswered.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Gypsy sent Ken the message around 2 PM Thursday, wishing him a happy birthday and talking about their daughter, Aurora.
We're told Gypsy apologized because a photo showing Aurora's face had leaked online ... and told Ken she planned to figure out who was responsible, believing the leak may have come from her private Facebook page where she had posted the picture.
John-Paul "JP" Miller's first wife, Alison Miller, claimed the pastor told her he was addicted to prostitution and confessed to sexual encounters with members of their church who were under the age of 16 ... TMZ has learned.
According to docs from the couple's 2016 divorce, obtained by TMZ, Alison described their marriage and JP's career as "less than stable at the time" ... saying JP's affair was discovered by their church congregation.
Alison said JP previously admitted to her and the congregation that he had an addiction to prostitution.
She claims he also confessed to her and other church staff members that "he had sexual encounters with young females from the church, who were under the age of sixteen."
Future's brother, FBG Casino, cut a plea deal in his fentanyl case ... after federal agents said they found 17 kilos worth of fentanyl in an Airbnb-turned-stash house.
FBG -- real name Rico Deville Buice -- pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to possess fentanyl with intent to distribute.
While the judge in the case has yet to sentence him ... the plea deal notes the mandatory minimum for the offense is 10 years -- with the maximum sentence being life in prison and up to a $10 million fine.
Christa Pike experienced extreme pain during her botched execution in Tennessee because the drug administered to her by the state failed to knock her out and may have caused her to jerk around and foam at the mouth, according to a death penalty expert.
Deborah Denno, a 30-year professor at Fordham Law School whose articles on capital punishment have been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, tells TMZ ... the whole objective in putting someone to death is to make sure the prisoner does not feel any pain during the execution -- and Tennessee failed big time on that front concerning Pike.
In her case, Pike was administered two doses of Pentobarbital -- a barbiturate that acts as a central nervous depressant -- to carry out the state's lethal injection mandate, Denno tells us.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard's ex-fiancéKen Urker was found dead inside his Louisiana home after making suicide threats after cops were warned he owned a gun ... TMZ has learned.
According to law enforcement records obtained by TMZ, deputies responded to Urker's Raceland residence Thursday evening for a welfare check after family members said he wasn’t answering his phone or showing up for work.
The caller told dispatchers Urker had threatened to commit suicide and owned a gun. The caller also told cops he was in a "dark place." Later, another caller told authorities Urker had "killed himself" and wanted to know if he was okay.
10/2/2026 10:28 AM PT -- TMZ has obtained the police report detailing a troubling picture of the scene deputies walked into.
8:20 PM PT -- The Lafourche Sheriff’s Office tells TMZ ... “We responded to a residence in Raceland today after receiving a call at 6:15 p.m. Kenan Urker, 34, was found dead upon arrival. At this time, we are continuing the death investigation.”
Christa Pike was unconscious more than a day after officials screwed up her execution ... and she's not even breathing on her own, her lawyers say.
The convicted killer's legal team filed documents Friday asking a judge to preserve all evidence related to the botched execution ... and noted that, as of the night of October 1, Pike was "intubated, on a ventilator, and remains unconscious."
Her attorneys say her arms were swollen, burned, and blistered ... and they say hospital staff are working furiously to save her life and clear the pentobarbital from her system.
Halle Berry's ex-husband Olivier Martinez worries about their son spending time with Halle because she has "impulse control" and "anger management" issues ... at least according to Olivier's lawyer.
Patrick Baghdaserians joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday, and we asked about Olivier filing a restraining order against Halle.
Olivier's attorney stresses this isn't a vindictive measure by a bitter ex -- this is all about the welfare of their child, 12-year-old Maceo.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her former fiancé Ken Urker were taking some time apart before his death ... but their relationship was still intact, and they planned to move into a new apartment ... TMZ has learned.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Ken asked Gypsy for some space ... and she had been staying with her parents for the past couple of weeks while moving their belongings out of the couple's old apartment and into a new place.
Sources stress the two had not broken up and were not on a break ... they were simply spending some time apart.
Christa Pike raised serious concerns about the doctor who was assigned to give her a lethal injection, asking tough questions weeks before he botched her execution ... TMZ has learned.
TMZ obtained court docs filed by Christa in August … a short time before her scheduled execution on September 30 ... and she claims prosecutors went to "great lengths to protect and conceal the identity of the physician that the State of Tennessee uses in its executions.”
She said the government objected to any questions about the qualifications of the doctor scheduled. Christa's legal team claimed the physician made a statement to a news outlet about his intention to participate in her execution.
Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are taking another big step toward marriage ... and it looks like they're getting ready to walk down the aisle ... TMZ has learned they're making wedding plans in Arkansas.
The Washington County Clerk tells TMZ ... Amy and T.J. applied for a marriage license in Arkansas on September 18 ... which is interesting, considering T.J. is an Arkansas native.
Their romance began as coworkers on 'GMA' in New York City ... but T.J. was born in West Memphis, AR ... and it seems his home state will host the upcoming nuptials.
The filing comes nearly four years after their romance became public and sparked a major scandal at ABC.
Gypsy Rose Blanchard's ex-fiancé Ken Urker's death is under investigation by police in Louisiana ... and TMZ has learned that foul play has NOT been ruled out yet.
Captain Brennan Matherne of the Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... as of right now, detectives have not found any evidence of foul play, but they're still investigating and have not ruled out anything yet.
As we first reported ... the Lafourche Sheriff’s Office responded to a home in Raceland, LA, after getting an emergency call Thursday night. Upon arrival, officers found Ken dead and then launched a death investigation.
