Family

Alex Murdaugh, who has been charged with the double murder of his wife and son, took the stand and denied shooting his late family members to death.

The disgraced powerhouse attorney testified in his own defense Thursday in a South Carolina courtroom, fielding questions from his defense lawyers, denying he killed his son Paul, adding he didn't shoot his wife, Maggie either.

Murdaugh told the jury ... "I didn't shoot my wife or my son anytime ever."

He became very emotional as he described finding his son and wife dead.

While Murdaugh denied pulling the trigger in the fatal June 2021 shootings, he admitted to lying to authorities about the case.

Murdaugh apologized to the rest of his family, many of whom were in the courtroom... saying he would "never intentionally do anything to hurt" his wife or son Paul, who he referred to as "Paw Paw."

Maggie and 22-year-old Paul were found dead at the Murdaugh's hunting property in June 2021 after they were shot with what investigators believe are two different guns. Murdaugh told police he discovered their bodies after the fact, claiming he had an alibi.

Murdaugh was a person of interest for a while, but it took over a year for him to be charged with murder.

A couple months after his wife and son were found dead, Murdaugh allegedly hired a gunman to kill him so his surviving son, Buster, could collect a $10 million life insurance policy. But Murdaugh survived a gunshot wound to the head and was arrested and charged for the alleged scheme.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are highlighting their modern family as they celebrate her 2 kids turning 15 with a bunch of pics ... some showing Ben in full stepdad mode.

J Lo posted a video Wednesday for her twins Max and Emme's birthday, and the reel has a ton of images throughout their years -- some younger pics and some more recent where they're clearly bonding with Ben.

In one instance, Ben is cradling Max in his arms while the family's out for a drive.

Now, the video also features other behind the scene family moments with Jennifer and Marc Anthony's twins ... such as shots of the twins' and their new step-siblings -- Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel ... Ben's kids with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

J Lo's note to her kids read, "Happy birthday to my beautiful, brilliant coconuts 🥥🥥 I am so proud of you both in every single way. You bring so much joy and happiness to my heart and soul..."

Interventionist Ken Seeley is urging all the folks in Britney Spears' inner circle to get on the same page and get her some help ... saying if she continues to spiral, it could cost her her life.

The "Intervention" star joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday and, like many folks, he shared some major concern for Britney after someone in her world called off the planned intervention for her.

Ken tells us the key to pulling off a successful intervention is a united front from all the folks involved. He says if one person isn't on board, the whole thing crumbles ... and that's exactly what happened in Brit's situation.

Remember ... TMZ broke the story, those closest to BS wanted her to get help -- for mental health struggles and substance abuse -- but someone pulled the plug. Her lawyer Mathew Rosengart was mum about the failed plan when we asked what went wrong.

As we reported, some fans and folks close to Brit have become increasingly alarmed by her erratic behavior ... like her Tuesday post speaking in an Aussie accent while running around yelling, "Never be a rollercoaster!"

One of the descendants of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is blasting Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene for suggesting red and blue states separate ... telling us her idea is "nothing short of treason."

Reverend Robert W. Lee IV, a collateral descendant of General Lee, tells TMZ ... by calling for a "national divorce," MTG is acting no better than the Confederates who fought against the Union during the Civil War.

MTG tweeted out the idea Monday, calling for Democratic and Republican voting states to split. While she didn't use the word secession, that's exactly what she's calling for ... and she claims everyone she talks to agrees.

While advocating for the creation of 2 separate governments, she also calls for the federal government to shrink.

Robert admits his ancestor, General Lee, would be totally on board with MTG's suggestion, but adds that's nothing to celebrate. Instead, he says the Congresswoman from Georgia is outing herself as a traitor, and he'd like to see more politicians condemn her statement.

Remember, Rev. Lee famously denounced racism and white supremacy at the 2017 MTV VMAs ... and he's been outspoken about taking down statues of Gen. Lee.

T.I. is firing back at Boosie Badazz after being publicly slandered with the news their joint album was canceled all because of T.I.'s now infamous story about ratting on his dead cousin.

An incensed Tip took to IG on Tuesday, accusing Boosie of not being genuine and daring the Louisiana rapper to pull up and examine the paperwork evidence for himself!!!

The invitation was also extended to Boosie's "OG Uncle" ... who apparently had the most influence over Boosie's decision to nix the project altogether.

T.I. says Boosie spoke out of turn ... rather unintelligently and ultimately painted his former collaborator's character as flawed.

Boosie has yet to respond to T.I.'s retort but has been resharing clips of his viral interview with the captions that amuse him the best.

Friends of Hayden Panettiere's brother, Jansen, became alarmed something was wrong with the actor after he no-showed a business meeting ... racing to his apartment to find him unresponsive.

We've obtained a police report from Jansen's death investigation detailing the moments leading up to the discovery of his body. Jansen's friends informed investigators he was supposed to be at the meeting on Sunday -- and when he didn't show up, they thought something might be wrong.

One of Jansen's friends went over to his apartment, and found him sitting upright in a chair, unresponsive, called 911 and started CPR.

Hayden and Jansen's dad, Skip, told cops he spoke with his son Saturday night and he sounded "okay."

TMZ broke the story of Jansen's death ... at this time, there's no foul play suspected, and final results from his autopsy and toxicology report won't be completed for several weeks.

Kim Kardashian and Mariah Carey are gonna have some competition when it comes to owning the spotlight ... as their daughters proved with this family production for TikTok.

Kim posted the vid Monday, featuring her daughter and their 2 big surprise guests. It started out with North and Mariah's 11-year-old daughter, Monroe, showing off their dance moves to MC's trending 2009 song, "It's A Wrap".

The 2 girls do their dance routine until they're joined by their superstar moms lip-synching the track into hairbrushes. Not surprisingly, the daughters end up pushing Mariah and Kim out of frame.

Fans ate up the video -- many of them were shocked MC and KK were hanging out together at Kim's Hidden Hills home. Anything for the kids, right?

And, it wasn't the only TikTok content from the dynamic duo of Monroe and North. Monday night was giving sleepover vibes, as they also hopped on the viral trend of folks recreating Rihanna's Super Bowl performance.

Boosie Badazz is washing his years-long friendship with T.I. and the album they completed together ... all due to T.I. admitting he once snitched on a deceased cousin to get out of a gun charge.

In his latest sit-down with VladTV, Boosie unloaded on T.I. for randomly choosing to divulge the info about the snitch-uation ... but, as a result, he says he has no choice, but to label his longtime friend a "rat."

Of course, that's IF the story is true ... Boosie halfway thinks T.I. was lying for podcast views, but nonetheless says he scrapped the project after waking up to more angry text messages than he could read at once!!!

Boosie expressed similar sentiments when discussing Cash Money Records CEO Birdman's older brother Terrance "Gangsta" Williams ... who openly testified against a dead friend to free himself from prison after serving 27 1/2 years on a life sentence.

Tip got his fair share of support when his podcast first aired -- fellow artists like Yung Joc, Lyfe Jennings and Young Dro all called the scenario a fortunate situation, but Boosie is going 100% lactose intolerant ... he's not accepting any cheese!!!

Jordan Clarkson made sure his family was with him at all times at the 2023 NBA All-Star festivities ... coppin' a massive, custom gold chain with their names on it that he hardly ever took off.

TMZ Sports has learned the Utah Jazz guard commissioned Lake Side Diamond in Minnesota for the piece in the leadup to the big weekend ... and after putting in serious hours to create the bling -- the jewelers got it done just in time for All-Star weekend.

According to Lake Side Diamond officials, the chain took 350 man-hours to make ... and five guys almost pulled all-nighters to get it done before the party kicked off last Friday.

Polishing it alone, the jewelers said, "took a full workday."

But, all of the effort ended up being worth it, as Clarkson wore it both on and off the court -- proudly displaying it whenever he was in front of a camera.

The chain is white gold and features the names of five of Clarkson's close relatives. It also has a "no-flip design that's made so any name can be worn in front," the jewelers said.

8/16/2026 7:59 PM PT -- Hayden Panettiere has died at the age of 36, TMZ has learned.

Hayden Panettiere's brother, Jansen Panettiere, has died ... TMZ has learned.

A family source tells us Jansen died over the weekend in New York. His cause of death is currently unclear. Law enforcement sources tell us they got a call to a residence Sunday night around 5:30 PM. We're told there's no foul play suspected in Jansen's death.

Jansen, 5 years younger than Hayden, jumped onto the scene in the early 2000s, working on projects like "Even Stevens," "Blue's Clues," "Robots," and "Ice Age: The Meltdown." He also had a recurring role as Truman X in Nickelodeon's "The X's."

At one point, Jansen worked alongside Hayden in 2004's "Tiger Cruise" and 2005's "Racing Stripes."

He went on to star in Disney Channel original movies and made-for-TV Nickelodeon films, picking up a nomination for a Young Artist Award back in 2008 for his work on "The Last Day of Summer."

Jansen kept acting through the 2010s, working on shows like "Major Crimes" and "The Walking Dead." He also was attached to 5 more projects at the time of his death.

Jansen was only 28.

It's great to be a Super Bowl champ, and apparently it's great to be a Super Bowl champ's daughter too ... 'cause Patrick Mahomes threw his 2-year-old a huge birthday party Sunday -- and it was epic.

The Chiefs star QB and his wife, Brittany, invited over some of their baby's closest pals and put on a huge dessert-themed bash to celebrate Sterling Mahomes' big life moment ... and it was clear, they spared no expense for the occasion.

The festivities -- aptly named "Sterling's Two Sweet" -- included a bunch of sugary treats, a ball pit, a bouncy house and some slides.

There were also plenty of play areas, stuffed animals and even ... fitness bikes?!

At one point, Mom and Sterling -- joined by Patrick and baby brother Bronze -- blew out the candles on a cake ... while everyone cheered on.

After the party wound down, the Mahomes fam headed back home ... and while there, they gave Sterling her bday present -- a Chanel purse!

Of course, going all out for their daughter is nothing new for the Mahomeses -- just last year, they had a butterfly-themed party for her, complete with hundreds of balloons and cotton candy.

Austin Butler just won another huge award in his Oscars campaign -- snagging a BAFTA across the pond ... and making sure to shout out the Presley family amid their tragedy.

The actor walked away with a statuette Sunday for Leading Actor -- obviously, for his portrayal of Elvis -- and during his acceptance speech ... AB dished out a lot of thank-yous, the last of which he saved for Elvis' immediate family, with whom he's grown close.

Watch ... Austin went down a list of names, everyone from his movement and vocal coach to his agent and publicist ... the cast and crew ... and, of course, director Baz Luhrmann.

At the end of his remarks, he eloquently said ... "Lastly, I want to thank the Presley family. I cannot thank you guys enough for your love, and for sharing with me who Elvis truly was. I hope I've made you proud. This means the world to me."

No explicit mention of Lisa Marie Presley -- who died suddenly a few weeks ago, following his Golden Globes win -- but according to Variety ... Austin did, in fact, acknowledge her passing. According to them, he's quoted as saying it's an "unimaginably tragic time," while going on to say his love was with the Presleys, and that this moment was bittersweet.

Rihanna's pops found out about his soon-to-be grandkid same as everyone else -- while watchin' her Super Bowl halftime show ... and he's hoping, once again, for 2 X chromosomes.

Ronald Fenty tells TMZ ... he's over the moon about his daughter and A$AP Rocky's new kiddo, and with 4 grandsons already, he's hoping RiRi can shake things up with a girl.

He says he's excited at the prospect of having a granddaughter ... face it, he had great luck in that department with his famous daughter.

Ronald tells us Rihanna got him tickets to the big game, without telling him she's eating for 2 -- so he was insanely surprised when he spotted the bump from the stands ... telling his partner, "Oh my god! My baby girl looks pregnant!"

As we reported, Ronald was crossing his fingers for a girl this time last year when it was first revealed Rihanna was pregnant ... saying he had a feeling they wouldn't stop at just 1.

Ronald says he hasn't been involved with RiRi and A$AP's son's life yet ... referring to her super busy schedule and his living in Barbados.

'Real Housewives of Orange County' alum Gretchen Rossi and her fiancé, Slade Smiley are getting dragged through the mud for paying tribute to Slade's late son ... because the biological mother claims Gretchen and Slade haven't even been around for him in the last decade.

Slade's ex, Michelle Arroyo tells TMZ ... Gretchen's recent social media posts about the loss of 22-year-old Grayson are disrespectful -- saying the couple has "grossly misrepresented the true nature of their relationship with Grayson, which was virtually nonexistent."

Grayson passed earlier this month after a long battle with brain cancer -- something he fought since he was 6. Since his death, Gretchen's been posting nonstop about how heartbroken she is, but Michelle is calling BS.

She tells us Gretchen hasn't made the effort in the past 10 years to see him ... calling a so-called relationship "nonexistent."

On top of that, Michelle, who has lost her home, business, and life savings while solely taking care of Grayson’s needs, says she can't keep quiet any longer about Slade's years of "inexcusable behavior and neglect," adding Grayson desperately wanted a relationship with his dad.

Michelle adds she had to hire lawyers to get Slade to cough up his child support payments -- claiming he still owes $152K in support, with his last payment coming in back in 2019.

Her family started a GoFundMe to help with the cost of a memorial to properly honor Greyson ... as well as to cover the outstanding medical expenses half of which Slade is responsible for but has never paid.

Kyle Jacobs seemed upbeat and happy in his last social media post -- giving no hint whatsoever he would take his own life just one day later.

The husband of American Idol alum, Kellie Pickler posted a message to Instagram Thursday celebrating the success of country music star Lee Brice's fifth album, "Hey World." Jacobs produced the album and played guitar on it.

Jacobs wrote, "Platinum?! SWEEEET!!! An amazing crew of incredibly talented peeps put this one together."

He continued, "Deeply honored to be a creative part of it…Thank you Jesus!!!"

TMZ broke the story ... the next day, Jacobs died by suicide after shooting himself inside the home he shared with Pickler in Nashville, Tennessee.

Nashville PD said Pickler got worried when she awoke and couldn't find Jacobs. She and an assistant searched and came upon an upstairs bedroom door, which they couldn't open. After they called 911, police gained entry and discovered Jacobs' body inside.

Kellie Pickler's Nashville home is the center of a tragic crime scene, as a man has shot and killed himself on the property.

A rep for The Nashville Police Department tells us they got a call to Pickler's home Friday afternoon for an apparent suicide after a male shot himself.

It's not yet been revealed who the man is, but we know Pickler and her husband, Kyle Jacobs, live at the address.

Pickler placed 6th on Season 5 of "American Idol" back in 2006 ... but went on to have a fairly successful country career of her own. She currently hosts SiriusXM's "The Highway" radio show throughout the week.

Story developing ...