Family

Alex Murdaugh — who’s at the center of a double murder scandal in South Carolina — has been charged with murder in connection to the killings of his wife and son.

The disgraced powerhouse attorney was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday, which heard evidence from prosecutors and decided there was enough to charge Murdaugh with two counts of murder ... according to the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.

Maggie Murdaugh and 22-year-old Paul Murdaugh were found dead at the family’s hunting property last summer after they were shot and killed by what investigators believed were two different weapons. Alex told investigators he discovered them there after the fact, and claimed he had an alibi as to his whereabouts at the time of the murders.

Despite being a person of interest for a while, Murdaugh was never formally charged over their deaths. He was, however, arrested and charged for allegedly trying to stage his own death months later.

Murdaugh survived the ordeal — a gunshot wound to the head that left superficial injuries — but prosecutors claim his intention was to actually die, and have his surviving son collect a $10 million life insurance policy. Instead, he lived … and was subsequently accused of trying to hatch an elaborate scheme.

In addition to those charges, he’s also been hit with dozens of other charges over financial crimes — prosecutors claim he swindled various people out of millions of dollars through his legal practice.

Murdaugh has pled not guilty to all the charges thus far. He’s due in court later this week, and is expected to enter a plea on the new murder charges as well.

Khloe Kardashian is having another baby with the same man with whom she broke up, Tristan Thompson ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, the baby will be born via surrogate. We're told the birth is imminent, within days. Another source says the baby may already have been born in the last day or so.

The timeline of the surrogate's pregnancy seemingly indicates Khloe and Tristan made the decision to have the baby before their most recent split.

As you know, Khloe and Tristan have been together, broke up, got back together and broke up again over allegations of cheating.

The two already share a child -- 4-year-old daughter True -- and have successfully co-parented her even navigating their own personal hurdles. In discussions on this season of "The Kardashians" ... the two talked about further expanding their family, however, those plans hit a wall when Tristan got another woman pregnant late last year.

Maralee Nichols gave birth to Tristan's son last December, and he later confirmed the paternity results along with a public apology to Khloe. The couple had split in the summer.

Britney Spears' father can't dodge her attorney Mathew Rosengart anymore ... a judge has ruled Jamie Spears will be grilled about the conservatorship.

The ruling came down Wednesday in Los Angeles, and as you know ... Britney's dad and Rosengart have been going back and forth for months on this issue. Jamie has insisted that his lawyers be allowed to depose his daughter as well.

On that matter, the judge was prepared to deny the motion to compel Britney to be deposed -- but after hearing arguments, decided to put off a final ruling until July 27.

As for Jamie's deposition ... we don't know yet when it will happen, but we know Rosengart has been very vocal about wanting him to hand over documents and answer questions about how the conservatorship was operated under his watch.

In particular, he's claimed Jamie blew way too much of Brit's money. Rosengart also wants to interrogate him about cameras and listening devices being placed in Britney's room.

Jamie's argument for Britney being deposed centers on the fact she's made so many accusations about how he's treated her -- such as claiming he forced her into rehab and wouldn't allow her to get married -- and he deserves to question her under oath about those allegations.

No matter how many kids he helps create, Nick Cannon is making it clear ... Mariah Carey is his one and true love.

Nick was a guest on "The Hot Tee Talk Show" where he dove headfirst into the topic "Spin The Block" ... which asks about rekindling romance with exes. Without hesitation, Nick admitted if things "could be like they were" -- when he and Mariah were a fun-toting family -- he'd be all in for it.

He also laughed at the notion he still had a hall pass!!!

Mariah's currently dating her ex-backup dancer Bryan Tanaka -- but Nick and Mariah still co-parent their 11-year-old twins Moroccan and Monroe ... so it was a valid question.

Nick's kinda busy himself on the daddy daycare front. He's currently on record as the father of 8 kids and number 9 is reportedly on the way.

Chris Rock dating Lake Bell and grabbing headlines is a welcome sight for Tony Rock, who says this means his brother's finally made it ... on Hollywood's handsome list.

We got the comedian at LAX and asked him about Chris and Lake's new relationship, which appears to be growing more serious.

Tony says he's happy Chris' love life is finally the talk of the town -- joking, we think, that it means Chris is no longer being lumped in with the "ugly celebs."

It's pretty funny ... Tony says Chris dating a white actress means his bro must be extra handsome, because white girls usually don't dig them.

Hey, he's a comedian AND it's his brother ... he gets to make that joke.

As we've reported, Chris and Lake keep popping out in public together and look to be getting serious ... in the last few weeks, they hit up a baseball game, grabbed dinner together and took a romantic stroll along the beach.

Tony says things between Chris and Lake aren't to the point where they are introducing one another to relatives, but he's looking forward to meeting her.

Add father of the bride to Eddie Murphy's long list of accomplishments ... the actor took center stage on the dancefloor to share a dance with his daughter.

Bria Murphy and actor Michael Xavier tied the knot over the weekend in Beverly Hills, and Eddie not only proudly walked his kiddo down the aisle, but danced to "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder as their father and daughter song.

Things in the dance started off slow, but in true Eddie form, he got the crowd -- and Bria -- cracking up when the two separated and he pulled off some moves of his own.

Eddie attended the wedding with his fiancee Paige Butcher.

Nicki Minaj says she was just trying to make a funny ... and instead made all her fans believe she's pregnant again. Spoiler alert -- she's not.

Here's how it all went down ... before Nicki got on stage at London's Wireless Festival, she went Live on Instagram for a little pre-show chat with the Barbz. When one of them asked if she and Kenneth Petty were expecting their 2nd baby, she immediately responded, "I'm not fat, guys, I'm pregnant. Sorry" ... and then she rolled her eyes.

Of course, her screen was immediately flooded with congratulations and that's when Nicki realized ... "Oh wait. Did I say it wrong? I'm sorry. I think I said it wrong. I meant to say, I'm not pregnant. I'm fat."

Hmmm ... we're thinking Nicki's too social media savvy for that kinda screw-up. We smell a troll job, but a funny one. Nicki and her husband had their first kid, a baby boy, back in September 2020 -- and they still haven't revealed his name.

As we reported, Kenneth is gonna have a lot of face time with the kid, as he was sentenced to one year of home confinement -- in their luxurious Calabasas mansion -- for failing to register in California as a sex offender.

Oprah is mourning the death of her dad, Vernon Winfrey, who has passed away after battling cancer.

One of Vernon's longtime employees confirmed to TMZ that he died Friday night in East Nashville, TN. A local city councilman first broke the news to Nashville's WKRN.

In what now seems to be a prescient move, Oprah had just been in town last weekend to celebrate her father.

She surprised him by organizing a Vernon Winfrey appreciation day on July 4 ... giving the community a chance to thank Vernon for his service as a former city councilman and longtime local businessman.

As Oprah put it, "My father is ill, so we wanted to be able to have all of his friends come and celebrate him while he's able to receive the joy. So that's what we're doing."

Vernon was seated, appropriately, in a barber chair in the middle of the backyard barbecue ... as his friends and family celebrated him.

He had owned and operated Winfrey Barber & Beauty Shop for more than 50 years -- and was beloved by the community. One of his employees told us, "[Vernon] would give you the shirt off his back."

Vernon's daughter wasn't shy about how proud she was of him, and she's celebrated his accomplishments for a long time.

Back when she had her daily talk show, Oprah took her cameras back for a visit with her dad in his establishment.

Leading up to Monday's celebration, it was obvious how excited she was about planning the event.

Oprah said she was "getting back to my Nashville roots" as she posted several videos and photos with family members prepping for the BBQ.

You might recall ... her mother, Vernita Lee, passed away back in 2018 at the age of 83.

Speaking of her father earlier this week, Oprah said she wanted to make sure to give him his flowers while he was still here, and she couldn't have timed it any better.

Vernon was 88.

RIP

Tony Sirico, one of the main stars of "The Sopranos," is dead ... TMZ has confirmed.

Tony played Paulie "Walnuts" Gualtieri, one of Tony Soprano's main guys for every season of the HBO hit show. His brother Robert announced his passing on Facebook saying "It is with great sadness, but with incredible pride, love and a whole lot of fond memories, that the family of Gennaro Anthony "Tony" Sirico wishes to inform you of his death."

Robert says Tony passed Friday morning. Sources connected to the family tell us Tony had been living in an assisted living home in Fort Lauderdale, FL for a couple years, and had been in failing health.

Of course, Tony will be most remembered for his 'Sopranos' role -- he won 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast.

Fun fact: He'd actually auditioned for the role of Tony Soprano's Uncle Junior -- which, of course, ultimately went to Dominic Chianese. Instead, David Chase gave him the Paulie role. He had one rule about his acting gigs ... he never played "rats."

He also got a lot of voice acting roles on animated hits like "Family Guy" and "American Dad" -- and played a mobster or gangster in tons of movies, including "Goodfellas," "Mighty Aphrodite," "Gotti," "Cop Land" and "Mickey Blue Eyes."

Sirico was a big supporter of the U.S. military -- he and James Gandolfini once traveled to Iraq for a rally for the troops there. He continued to support the Wounded Warrior Project organization too.

He's survived by his 2 children, Joanne and Richard, several grandchildren and his siblings.

Tony was 79.

Young Thug's nephew is in police custody after allegedly shooting his girlfriend in the face and killing her ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Fardereen Deonta Grier was arrested Wednesday after cops were called to a residence outside Atlanta. East Point PD spokesperson Allyn Glover tells TMZ ... when officers responded, Grier was crying and his girlfriend, Destiny Fitzpatrick, was dead in a pool of blood by the front door.

Glover says Grier told cops he was Young Thug's nephew, the son of YT's oldest sister ... but it's unclear why he chose to share the information. A source close to Young Thug confirms the relation.

As for what happened ... we're told Grier first told responding officers he was fending off 2 armed, masked intruders, but officers say he eventually admitted to shooting Destiny in the face. A neighbor allegedly heard arguing in the residence prior to the shooting.

Grier was arrested and charged with murder.

As you know, Young Thug is currently in custody as well ... on a wide range of RICO charges after being denied bond multiple times. His fellow YSL artist, Gunna -- also charged in the RICO case -- was in court Thursday trying to get released on bond, but a judge shot it down.

Kim Kardashian went full tourist mode while in Paris for fashion week ... getting a private tour of The Louvre with her daughter North West.

Kim and North, joined by Kris Jenner apparently got a sneak peek inside one of the world's most famous museums before it opened up to the public.

Of course, the trio made a point to get some serious facetime with the Mona Lisa ... and marvel at the museum's other famous pieces. Kris posted an almost eerie pic showing the usually bustling halls of The Louvre totally empty for their private tour.

The sightseeing comes on the heels of the duo's busy trip for Paris Fashion Week. Kim and North have been spotted out on several occasions, including the Balenciaga show.

Forget cheering or crying ... Maveric Lamoureux's folks straight up swapped tongues to celebrate their son's selection in Thursday's NHL draft -- and it was such a wet kiss, the broadcast's commentators even noticed it!!!

Just seconds after the Arizona Coyotes drafted Lamoureux -- a Canadian defenseman -- with the 29th pick of the first round ... the 18-year-old's parents got in a little tonsil hockey.

ESPN's cameras managed to catch the PDA -- and, of course, its analysts couldn't help but remark on it.

The guys giggled on-air, with the show's host, John Buccigross, saying, "Get after it, Mom and Dad!"

But, the TV guys weren't the only ones who seemed to notice the makeout sesh ... Lamoureux also appeared to see it, and looked sheepish on stage about it all!

After the kiss, Lamoreux's dad said during an interview that he's very proud of his son, calling it "the best day of my life."

The amount of support for "Outer Banks" stand-in Alexander "AJ" Jennings has been massive since his untimely death ... but his family says the best way to honor him would be to donate some cash to a charity.

LuJean Jennings, Alex's mother, tells TMZ ... they've been offered help for funeral costs from "Outer Banks" cast and crew members, but she thinks a donation to the Red Cross would make more sense, given the deep ties he has with the org -- and it's not just his CPR and lifeguard certification.

Alex, who stood in for Chase Stokes on the Netflix series, was born in Russia and was adopted from an orphanage when he was 18 months old. He was proud of his heritage ... up until Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- something he found extremely upsetting.

Being a 22-year-old actor, Alex didn't always have the means to make financial contributions of his own, but his family would often send money to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The fund assists people leaving Ukraine with shelter, basic aid items and medical supplies.

Alex's family is asking those wanting to show support for the late actor to help the refugees by chipping in to the IFRC instead.

As we reported, Alex was struck and killed by two vehicles early Tuesday morning in Charleston, both of which fled the scene. According to preliminary reports, he was walking along the main thoroughfare between James Island and Folly Beach when he was hit.

Derek Chauvin was just sentenced to more than 20 years in federal prison for violating George Floyd's civil rights during his murder.

The former Minnesota cop took a plea deal back in December, admitting he kept his knee pinned on Floyd's neck when Floyd became unresponsive, and was sentenced on Thursday ... getting 245 months in prison followed by 5 years of supervised release.

Chauvin was in the courtroom when the judge read the sentence, wearing an orange prison jumpsuit, and waved to his mother and friends in the gallery when he was brought in.

Floyd's brother, Philonise, gave a victim impact statement ... saying George was murdered in broad daylight for the world to see, accusing Chauvin of using excessive force that went against his police training.

George's brother also remarked how George would not be there to see his daughter grow up ... and Philonise said George's life mattered.

Chauvin's mother, Carolyn Pawlenty, also spoke in court ... telling her son she would visit him often in prison and hoping she would still be alive when he's released.

"One Tree Hill" star Bevin Prince is suffering through the devastating loss of her husband, who was struck by lightning.

According to a local report, William Friend was near Masonboro Island in North Carolina over the weekend when he was hit by a lightning strike. Friend, the CEO of Bisnow, a digital media company, was only 33 years old.

NBC affiliate WECT says deputies performed CPR on Friend at the scene for 20 minutes, but the life-saving efforts weren't enough ... he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bevin and William married in 2016, the pair owned a fitness business in North Carolina.

A release from Bisnow read, in part, "Friends and former colleagues marveled at Friend's ability and willingness to take on new challenges — whether or not he was ready. He demonstrated that tenacity at an early age."

Travis Scott stopping a concert for a rowdy crowd is backfiring -- 'cause the family of one of the Astroworld victims thinks it shows him picking and choosing when he puts fan safety first.

Alex Hilliard, an attorney representing Ezra Blount's family, tells TMZ ... Scott's actions at the July 4 Coney Island show don't prove the rapper is compassionate and willing to keep order. If anything, it depicts the exact opposite ... at least according to the lawyer.

Hillard says, "He knows exactly how to keep his fans safe during a concert, but the problem with that is he didn't just learn about the fact that he has control over the entire crowd."

His implication is Travis has known he wields this power all along, including at Astroworld, but simply refused to exercise it to settle things down. Travis has denied that.

Hillard goes on -- "There are 10 people that would still be alive today, including young Ezra Blount, if Travis realized his responsibility as an artist goes further than just trying to rile up his crowds, and it reemphasizes the rule of 'if you see something say something.'"

In the immediate aftermath of the Coney Island performance, one of Travis's reps came out and said ... "Travis is committed to doing his part to ensure events are as safe as possible so that fans can have fun," adding that he encouraged fans to listen to security so everyone could be safe and enjoy themselves.

It might leave TS feeling like he's damned if he does, damned if he doesn't -- but Hillard just isn't buying the compassionate Trav version of events.

He hits back rather fiercely ... telling us, "The problem Mr. Scott has is his when we call him to the stand to swear him in and cross-examine him the judge will not allow his paid spokesperson to sit in the witness chair and answer questions for him."