Family

A few teenage boys are celebrating a massive discovery in a Florida swamp after coming face-to-face with 16 feet of slithering reptile!!!

Chris Cronin, the father of teenage python hunters Jack and Brendan, tells TMZ ... he and his sons were out combing through Big Cypress Swamp. The Cronins and some friends call themselves the Glades Boys, and they needed all hands on deck when they stumbled upon the beast of a serpent last weekend.

Chris says they were hoping to get a hold of a 5-foot or maybe 7-foot python during the search, but instead they took things to the next level.

They recorded the whole find and capture ... first, Jack jumped on its head to secure it, and then the rest of the gang helped collect the rest of the lengthy body. Of course, they snapped a few proud pics with the python.

Worth noting the big snake was killed after this capture -- pythons are an invasive non-native species in the area, so it's standard procedure to destroy them. Chris says the snake was handed over to the state for research after their hunt was over.

Cheems, one of the most famous dogs on the internet, is dead after a battle with cancer.

The viral meme dog died Friday during a surgical procedure ... according to his owners, who say he fell asleep during surgery and never woke up.

Cheems shot to fame way back in 2017 when an awkward photo of him went viral ... sparking a meme that is still shared to this day.

Also known as Pup Balltze or just Balltze, the shiba inu was famous for his love of cheeseburgers ... and he's got his own meme character, Cheemsburger.

The pup's owners say ... "Don't be sad, please remember the joy that Balltze brought to the world. A Shiba Inu with a round smiling face connecting you and me, he has helped many people during the pandemic and brought a lot of joy to many of you, but now his mission has completed."

Cheem's family believes he's in a better place now ... "running freely in the sky and having a lot of delicious food with his new friends."

Naturally, Cheems is getting a grand send-off on social media ... with the meme getting posted all over the place.

Cheems was 12.

Boyz II Men's Shawn Stockman says he's concerned about Britney Spears as her marriage with Sam Asghari comes to an end ... and he thinks something like a conservatorship could help.

We got Shawn at LAX, where he opened up about his concerns for a fellow artist, saying it's clear to him she's been in need of assistance for some time -- but it's more crucial now that she's going to be on her own.

He harkened back to the end of Britney's conservatorship -- which shut down in November 2021 -- with her dad, Jamie, getting bashed by the fan-fueled "Free Britney" movement ... but in Shawn's eyes, a conservatorship might be what she really needs.

Shawn acknowledges Brit's fans do love her, but adds, that's not enough to help her through mental illness -- he says that's where her family could be essential. Unfortunately, we know she currently has no relationship with her mother, father or siblings.

As we reported ... Sam beelined to court Wednesday to file for divorce ... and we learned he believes she was cheating on him with a staff member in their home. Sources told us Sam claims there's a video of Britney and the staffer in a compromising position.

Lil Tay is in line for a comeback on the heels of her death hoax ... because there have been significant developments in her mother's custody battle with Tay's dad.

Angela Tian's attorneys Lorne MacLean, K.C., and Fraser MacLean, tell TMZ ... the viral star's father, Christopher Hope, has been ordered to cough up approximately $275,000 in back child support, dating all the way back to 2014.

We're told he'll also have to continue to pay monthly child support going forward -- Tay's only 14.

What's more, the lawyers say Angela has sole decision-making power, Tay's primary residence is now with her mother and she has court authorization to relocate with Tay outside of Vancouver, if she chooses.

Remember, it was Christopher who got a court order in 2018, requiring Tay to leave L.A., return to Vancouver and stop making online content. Now, Angela's lawyers are saying that's changed ... they say the court's orders will help Tay advance her career.

Angela tells us this is a HUGE win for Tay and her, saying the extended custody battle has put them "in a constant state of severe depression." She says Christopher's "disgusting financial motivation" has been a massive weight she's glad is finally lifted.

She continues, "I have been financially ruined fighting for my daughter’s rights and freedom which should have never been taken away to begin with. We have won our case in court and my children and I can finally move on from this nightmare. My daughter can pursue and achieve her dreams on her own terms, and we are finally a happy family again, together."

As we reported, Angela and Christopher had widely different ideas for Tay's career back when she reached the peak of her viral fame, when she was just 8.

Christopher said he wanted a more traditional career path -- stuff like singing and acting. But, with her mom at the helm, Lil Tay might be back online in no time.

TMZ broke the story, news of Tay's death -- posted on her IG last week -- wasn't true at all ... and we were told her account was taken over by someone else. A spokesperson for Meta confirmed it had indeed helped Tay regain control of her account.

We've reached out to Christopher for comment about the custody changes, but he said he had no comment.

We covered Lil Tay's custody drama on the latest episode of the TMZ Verified podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Quavo's mourning of Takeoff hit its apex Thursday evening with a high-powered listening session for his album, "Rocket Power" ... which he's dedicated to the late Migos rapper.

TMZ Hip Hop obtained video from inside the Hayden Planetarium in NYC, where Quavo previewed the album for some lucky fans, and spoke openly about his pain.

He told the crowd he's been floating through life since Takeoff's death -- comparing it to an out-of-body experience -- and thanked fans for still rocking with him.

Takeoff was shot and killed back in November, just as he and Quavo were revving up the promotion for their joint album.

Luckily, he left behind material Quavo was able to use for this solo project, and Takeoff actually helps kick off the album with the song "Patty Cake."

Christina Aguilera traded in her walking shoes for a set o' wheels at Disneyland ... celebrating her daughter's birthday while also giving her feet and legs a rest.

The singer -- and former "Mickey Mouse Club" member -- took to the Happiest Place on Earth Wednesday, donning matching tie-dye shirts with her partner, Matthew Rutler, and some pals for Summer Rain's 9th birthday.

Her group was escorted by a private tour guide, getting front-of-the-line access to rides like Alice in Wonderland ... but while the rest of her crew was walking around the park, Christina remained seated on a motorized scooter.

Disney normally rents the transports out to guests, and a source close to Christina tells us the singer needed it because she's currently nursing a minor knee injury.

It's nothing too serious, but we're told she's trying to rest it to make sure it doesn't get worse.

Heidi Klum's daughter definitely got it from her mama ... looking absolutely stunning in a skimpy swimsuit as she vacations on her father's luxury yacht.

Leni Klum slipped into a tiny blue and orange bikini Wednesday for a boat day in the South of France with her biological dad, ex-Formula One team manager Flavio Briatore.

As you can see, the 19-year-old model has curves for days, proving those Klum genes are strong!!!

When Leni wasn't working on her tan or generally looking hot as hell, she was jumping off the boat into the beautiful blue Mediterranean water ... and it seems everyone on board was having a blast.

Leni being on Flavio's boat is notable too, and not just because of her swimwear.

Heidi's eldest did not have her biological dad in her life for much of her upbringing, though they reconnected a few years back and from the looks of this outing ... they're getting along well.

Mom being one of the most famous and successful models ever means Leni's got some big ... shoes to fill.

Britney Spears isn't just losing her husband in the wake of Sam Asghari filing for divorce, she's also losing her strongest supporter ... and there's no family around her to pick up the pieces.

Sources close to Britney tell us ... Sam is fully out of her life. He had moved into his own place before he filed for divorce Wednesday.

Britney is again estranged from her entire family. As we reported, her mother, Lynne, visited in May and it looked like the 2 had patched things up. But sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, that relationship has soured again, and they are once again not on speaking terms.

She's not speaking with her siblings or her dad, and we're told there are no friends around to support her. Her children have moved to Hawaii, without saying goodbye. She hasn't spoken to them in a long, long time.

As one source put it, "She has one confidant, [her manager] Cade [Hudson]. Then there's her security team, and after that her support system falls off a cliff." We're told her mom and other family members are very worried.

As you know, her conservatorship had doctors, specialists and a team to make sure her day-to-day ran smoothly ... that's all gone now. She's alone in her house.

It's unclear who will step up and help Britney, as we're told she just isn't capable of handling things on her own, but it will need to happen soon.

As for her book -- set to drop in October -- Britney signed off on the final copy a few weeks ago, and it's still set to release ... but obviously, won't include the split drama.

TMZ broke the story, Britney and Sam split after just 14 months of marriage, and he filed divorce docs just hours after we published. Sources tell us Sam moved out last week after a blowout fight where he accused Britney of cheating -- though we don't know the validity of those accusations.

Sam's currently living on his own, away from Britney ... and that's what scares her loved ones the most.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Drake was in a VERY generous mood at his latest tour stop ... spoiling a lucky young lady with a pink Birkin bag!!!

Champagne Papi performed at L.A.'s Kia Forum in Inglewood Wednesday night, dangling the pink prize in front of fans as he crooned in full-blown Toronto patois.

Drake then picked out the lucky female, as the crowd went insane ... and ordered his security to make sure she secured the bag safely. Birkin bags can run well past five figures in retail, so she definitely left with an investment.

We should note, Drake's no stranger to the famous bags, he once admitted he's been collecting them for years, simply to satisfy the woman he eventually calls his wife.

Not to be outdone, Drake's father, Dennis Graham, delivered a gift he had been planning for weeks ... the biggest bra ever and with a note that read, "Dad's wishing 'BIG' things for you, I love you and making sure you're breastfed correctly!!!" 😂😂😂

Drake's fans have been in a bra-throwing competition since we broke the story about Veronica Correia earning a modeling offer after throwing her size 36G bra during the tour in June.

But it looks like Dad's got this one won.

Barbara Evans is concerned for the well-being of her grandson -- who she had custody of for more than a decade -- and believes Jenelle Evans' decision to take him off ADHD meds might have led to his runaway incident.

Barbara tells TMZ 14-year-old Jace was put on the medication 7 years ago, and was regularly seeing a behavior specialist ... which had seemingly been working well for the teen.

However, Barbara says when Jenelle regained custody of Jace, back in March, Jenelle not only took him off the medication, but also ended his sessions with the behaviorist.

Jenelle denies part of Barbara's claim though, telling us, "Barbara has not been in contact with Jace since Monday. I have cut off contact with her as of 3 weeks ago. Barbara doesn't have any idea what is going on inside my home. Jace had a therapist appointment today on zoom at 10:30am … she hasn't even attempted to speak to Jace directly."

It's not clear if Jenelle booked the therapist appointment as a result of Jace's runaway, or if it was already planned.

TMZ broke the story, cops in North Carolina put out a runaway bulletin Tuesday for Jace after he took off from school. Luckily, he was found safe hours later, but the situation was scary for all involved.

Jenelle told us, "Jace, got in trouble at school, we decided to take his phone away and that's when he decided to run off, Jace is a good kid and we're not dealing with anything that most families don't deal with while raising children."

Barbara says Jenelle's not talking to her, so she doesn't have any more info about why her grandson ran off -- but she squarely blames his issues at school on the lack of medication and therapy.

The home where Aaron Carter died has officially sold ... and the bathroom where the singer's body was found has been completely remodeled.

Christie Limpus of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices held the listing, and tells TMZ … Aaron's Lancaster house closed Wednesday for $765,000. You'll recall, it was put on the market in April for just under $850k.

We're told the bathroom got a big facelift, although no photos are being shared of the remodel. The purchase was a probate sale because Aaron died without a will ... and Christie says the keys are being handed over to a happy family.

TMZ broke the story, the money made from the sale was going directly to Aaron's estate, and into a trust for his 1-year-old son, Prince. Remember, Aaron bought the place in 2019 for $430k, and actually put it on the market about a month before he died.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's son, Christopher, is in the middle of an impressive transformation ... looking super fit as he steps for a workout.

25-year-old Christopher hit up a gym Tuesday in L.A., and while it wasn't his dad's iconic spot -- Gold's Gym in Venice -- it's clear he's been putting in the kinda fitness work for which his dad became famous. Just check the muscles poppin' outta Christopher's sleeves!

Christopher started his weight loss journey back in 2020 ... and while he tends to keep a lower public profile than the rest of his fam, it's easy to see how much more fit he's gotten over the last 3 years.

Arnold congratulated Christopher on his exercise regimen on his 24th birthday, writing, "Between your boxing classes, your weightlifting classes, your stretching classes, your cycling classes, and on and on, I can’t even keep up with you!"

BTW, he and his brothers -- Patrick and Joseph -- have all been working hard on their physique, walking in pops' footsteps.

The Tuohy family says before Michael Oher made "outlandish," "hurtful" and "absurd" claims about them in court on Monday ... he actually tried to shake them down for $15 MILLION.

Marty Singer -- the Tuohy family attorney -- said it all happened recently ... and, what's worse, he claimed this is not the first time Oher has done this.

Singer -- in a lengthy statement to TMZ Sports -- said Oher came to the Tuohys prior to filing his 14-page petition in Shelby County, Tenn. ... and threatened them, saying if they didn't pony up an eight-figure check, he'd "plant a negative story about them in the press."

Singer denied all of the allegations in Oher's court filing ... explaining that Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy absolutely did not trick the former NFL star into getting into a conservatorship when he was 18 years old as he had claimed.

The conservatorship "was established to assist with Mr. Oher’s needs, ranging from getting him health insurance and obtaining a driver’s license to helping with college admissions," Singer said. "Should Mr. Oher wish to terminate the conservatorship, either now or at anytime in the future, the Tuohys will never oppose it in any way."

As for Oher's claims that the Tuohys used the conservatorship to broker a movie deal with Fox behind Oher's back that netted them millions -- while leaving Oher with nothing -- Singer said that was BS as well.

"The notion that a couple worth hundreds of millions of dollars would connive to withhold a few thousand dollars in profit participation payments from anyone -- let alone from someone they loved as a son -- defies belief," Singer said.

Instead, the attorney claimed Tuesday the Tuohys had "received a small advance from the production company and a tiny percentage of net profits" from "The Blind Side" ... money Singer said the Tuohys have always either shared with Oher or have tried to share with the former Baltimore Ravens tackle.

"Over the years, the Tuohys have given Mr. Oher an equal cut of every penny received from 'The Blind Side,'" Singer said. "Even recently, when Mr. Oher started to threaten them about what he would do unless they paid him an eight-figure windfall, and, as part of that shakedown effort refused to cash the small profit checks from the Tuohys, they still deposited Mr. Oher’s equal share into a trust account they set up for his son."

Singer continued, "Unbeknownst to the public, Mr. Oher has actually attempted to run this play several times before – but it seems that numerous other lawyers stopped representing him once they saw the evidence and learned the truth. Sadly, Mr. Oher has finally found a willing enabler and filed this ludicrous lawsuit as a cynical attempt to drum up attention in the middle of his latest book tour."

Singer added the Tuohys are "heartbroken" over it all and they hope to reconcile with Oher soon ... though "they will not hesitate to defend their good names, stand up to this shakedown and defeat this offensive lawsuit."

Katharine McPhee and David Foster's son's nanny died after an elderly woman at a Toyota dealership ran her over with an SUV.

Our sources say the nanny, Yadira Calito, is the woman who died last week in an incident at a San Fernando Valley car dealership.

The fatal accident happened Wednesday morning at Hamer Toyota when an 84-year-old woman behind the wheel of a Toyota RAV4 crashed into the customer reception area.

Kat's nanny was pinned under the SUV and dragged for about 20 feet before eventually being freed from under the car. She was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, and later pronounced dead.

Police say the elderly driver was taking her car in for service when she hit the gas instead of the brakes ... sending her car from the service bay driveway into the customer reception area. The driver has not been arrested.

Two men working at the Toyota dealership were also injured in the crash ... but both are expected to make full recoveries.

Twitter is home to a lot of ridiculous opinions, but the latest trend involving Sandra Bullock might be the app's worst ... users are calling for her to lose her Oscar on the heels of "The Blind Side" controversy.

It's about as crazy as it sounds, especially since there's zero evidence Bullock -- who played Leigh Anne Tuohy in the movie -- had any clue of the drama behind the scenes with Michael Oher and the Tuohy family.

One user wrote, "So Sandra Bullock should have to give back her Oscar right, and man do we need to start checking these good feeling stories. The parents blocked $300 in earnings the movie from him getting any of it and gave the money to their real children? WOOOOOOOW!"

Another says, "If the Michael Oher allegations are true then we have to go AND TAKE THE OSCAR back from Sandra Bullock and give it to Gabourey Sidibe for 'Precious'" and "Sandra Bullock should give her Oscar back. She knows she didn't deserve that s***."

However, there's also people coming to her defense, writing, "Not y'all calling for Sandra Bullock's Oscar to be revoked. It ain't her fault the real life people were exploitative scammers and thieves," and "You know Sandra Bullock deserved her Oscar because she acted so well, she made the Tuohy family likeable."

As we reported, the former NFL star claims the Tuohy family never adopted him -- as the movie suggests -- but he was instead placed under a conservatorship. Oher claims the family made a ton of cash off his life story in "The Blind Side," while he got nothing.

Sean Tuohy is calling BS on Oher, saying the family's only option to legally make him part of their family was a conservatorship -- as he was over 18 -- and each family member made about $14,000 from the movie ... including Oher.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Bunk beds at the Little League World Series are out for good ... the tandem sleeping units will be permanently removed from the prestigious event going forward after a player was seriously injured in one of them last year.

Little League officials said in a statement to the Associated Press on Monday ... the decision was made after Easton Oliverson suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed while falling from a top bunk inside the LLWS' dormitory complex in Williamsport, Penn. in 2022.

"Out of an abundance of caution," the officials said, "we placed all beds individually on the floor during last year’s World Series, and in preparation for the 2023 Little League International Tournament, Little League decided to provide its participants with single, one-level beds for all of their player housing at each of its tournament locations, including those in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, where the dormitories can accommodate all 14 single beds."

This year's version of the event is slated to begin later this week.

As we previously reported, Oliverson nearly died following a fall at last year's LLWS ... with his family saying the 12-year-old tumbled from a top bunk to the floor while he was asleep.

Oliverson was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery ... but, thankfully, he survived.

The player's family went on to sue Little League Baseball over the fall, alleging the beds were not safe. Little League officials never publicly commented on the allegations in the suit.