Family

Sylvester Stallone met one of his biggest fans during a family trip to the Vatican ... the Pope!!!

The 'Rocky' star spent his Friday touring Vatican City, and was actually granted an audience with Pope Francis, who went full fanboy ... telling Sly it's an honor to meet him because he grew up watching the actor's movies.

The video of their interaction is awesome -- Sly was bold enough to shadowbox the Pope, who even threw a few left hooks himself. Seriously, it's almost like the Pope is more thrilled about the meeting than Stallone.

The whole thing was a family affair ... Sly also introduced the Pope to his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their three daughters, Sophia, Scarlet and Sistine. You'd think the pontiff might have been impressed by Sistine's name, but was more focused on the movie star of his younger years.

Sly went to the Vatican last September too, when he got to hold the keys that open every door in Vatican City, including the Sistine Chapel, and this time he got to meet His Holiness.

Prince Harry is back on his home turf, but without Meghan Markle by his side as he makes a lowkey trip on the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's death.

Harry was stepping out of St. George's Chapel Friday in Windsor, where likely visited his grandmother's resting place a year after she passed away.

The Duke of Sussex's appearance came unannounced, but isn't a total shock given the date -- it appears to have been a quick trip, however, and he wasn't seen with any other royal family members while stepping out of the chapel.

Harry was seen just an hour after his father, King Charles, attended a memorial service for QE2 with Queen Camilla in Scotland.

His brother Prince William, was in Wales with his wife, Kate Middleton, not long after Harry left Windsor, too. Seems like the royals spread out over the UK to honor the late Queen.

Of course, there's a pretty glaring difference ... the King and William's appearances were public affairs with media present -- they're "working" Senior Royals, after all -- while Harry's visit was off the grid.

TMZ broke the story, Harry and Meghan have recently been spending time house hunting in Malibu -- sources told us they spent Labor Day weekend checking out an $8M plot of land that's almost 6 acres.

Joe Jonas got some much-needed love from his brothers during their latest concert in Arizona ... this after his 4-year marriage to Sophie Turner fizzled.

The Jonas Brothers hit the stage at Footprint Center in Arizona Wednesday night to perform for the first time since news broke that Joe filed for divorce from Sophie this week.

Check out this video, which shows Nick, Kevin and Joe pulling each other close for a group hug before launching into one of their hit songs as the packed crowd goes wild. Clearly, Joe can rely on his siblings for their support in the toughest of times.

Earlier, Joe was spotted having breakfast in Los Angeles with the two children he shares with Sophia -- 3-year-old Willa and a 1-year-old daughter, whose name has not been publicly disclosed.

As we reported ... Joe filed for divorce from Sophie in Miami Tuesday, insisting their marriage is "irretrievably broken."

The former couple released a joint statement, saying they "mutually decided to amicably end our marriage" after "four wonderful years." They have a prenup, but the terms of the agreement have not been released.

As we reported, the trigger for Joe ... he's told confidants he heard/saw something with Sophie on Ring video that was the final straw. Sources tell TMZ the marriage was on the rocks for the last 6 months, in part because of different lifestyles.

LaVar Ball is back to making eyebrow-raising claims about one of his boys ... this time, he insisted Gelo bench pressed over 400 pounds on Wednesday -- but a whole lot of people on the internet aren't buying it at all.

LaVar shared video on Instagram of he and his 24-year-old brother in the workout room this week ... showing Gelo pushing some big weight off his chest -- all while Dad proudly looked on.

Gelo's form wasn't exactly ideal -- he used plenty of his lower back to get the bar down and up -- but, nonetheless, he was able to lift it.

Where social media users got skeptical of the situation, though, was when LaVar made the claim that it all weighed 420 pounds.

The elder Ball swore that despite the size of the weights on the bar, they totaled up at least 200 LBs on each side. He added in a caption on the flick, "400 is 400."

For what it's worth, Gelo cosigned on it all ... re-sharing the clip on his own IG page -- while captioning it, "Biggest APE."

Gelo is still trying to join his brothers, Lonzo and LaMelo, in the NBA ... getting in plenty of runs in the G League the past couple years with the hopes of being elevated into the big show soon.

Blueface and Chrisean Rock probably aren't cousins after all -- so says his mother in a much-needed clarification -- but she's got plenty of other beefs with the mother of her new grandson.

We talked to Karlissa Saffold Wednesday in L.A. and asked what she meant by claiming Blue and Chrisean might be related. As she explains, there are Dorseys in her extended fam, and once she learned Chrisean's mother has that same maiden name ... she thought there could be a blood connection.

However, after some more research, Karlissa says she no longer believes her son and Chrisean are actually cuzzos ... although, she'd still like a DNA test done, just in case.

With that family tree crisis averted ... we asked her about how the birth went down -- namely, the fact Blueface was partying in Miami, and not with Chrisean for the delivery.

That got him a lot of heat online, many called him rude and insensitive, but Karlissa defends her son ... accusing Chrisean of bolting to Maryland to give birth without giving Blue a heads up. She says Blueface is a great dad, and most certainly wanted to be there to bring his latest child into the world.

Karlissa has more barbs for Chrisean here too, including how she came up with the baby boy's name.

We should also note, Karlissa's got her own family reality show in the works with Blueface, his siblings and Karlissa herself called "CixoT" ... and you gotta imagine they'll bring up Chrisean in the mix.

Mom is squarely in Blueface's corner -- despite some ugly history -- and it doesn't sound like a big, happy family Thanksgiving dinner with Chrisean is in the future.

Paul Staehle says he never went missing in the Amazon, despite his family's fears ... chalking it up to some poor phone service and a snag on a river.

The "90 Day Fiancé" star tells TMZ ... he's been living by himself in Manaus, Brazil and he recently went out on a boat with a fan of the reality show in an effort to clear his head, a decision that had a snowball effect.

Paul says they were heading to a floating house in the Amazon, but along the way the boat had some mechanical problems, and his companion temporarily left him alone. Paul tells us he grew nervous and started reaching out to folks for help, but his buddy was ultimately able to fix the boat and they resumed their journey.

Once they got to the floating house, Paul says he didn't have a phone charger and there was poor cell service ... limiting his means of communication with his family back in America.

As we reported ... Paul's mom feared he was lost in Brazil after an alarming text exchange with her son, and his wife Karine made some cryptic social media posts, alerting folks in Brazil about his situation.

Paul says his family was just assuming the worst when they couldn't get in touch with him ... and he's denying this was all a publicity stunt. He says he didn't want the story to get out and was shocked by his mom's reaction and the ensuing media buzz.

Kourtney Kardashian says she underwent life-saving surgery for her and Travis Barker's unborn child ... a procedure that made her "forever grateful."

Kourtney broke her silence Wednesday on her recent hospital stay, sharing a pic of her and Travis holding hands and saying she's grateful to doctors, "for saving our baby's life."

She goes on to thank Travis, saying he "rushed to my side from tour to be with me in the hospital and take care of me afterwards, my rock." She also expresses gratitude for her mom, Kris Jenner, who also supported her through the scary process.

She continues, "As someone who has had three really easy pregnancies in the past, I wasn’t prepared for the fear of rushing into urgent fetal surgery. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t been through a similar situation can begin to understand that feeling of fear."

Kourtney ends the emotional post, saying the "truest blessing" was walking out of the hospital with her kiddo safe and sound in her stomach.

As we reported, Travis' band, Blink-182 had to push pause on their tour last week after an "urgent family matter."

Kourtney Kardashian contó que tuvo que someterse a una cirugía de urgencia para salvar la vida del bebé que está por tener junto a Travis Baker, un procedimiento con el que estará "eternamente agradecida".

Kourtney rompió su silencio el miércoles sobre su reciente estadía en el hospital, compartiendo una foto de ella y de Travis tomados de la mano y diciendo que está muy agradecida con los médicos, "por salvar la vida de nuestro bebé".

Continuó reconociendo a Travis, pues desde la gira él ha corrido a su lado "para estar conmigo en el hospital y cuidar de mí después, mi roca." También expresó su gratitud hacia su madre, Kris Jenner, quien la apoyó durante el aterrador proceso.

"Como alguien que ha tenido tres embarazos realmente fáciles en el pasado, no estaba preparada para el miedo de precipitarme a una cirugía fetal urgente. No creo que nadie que no haya pasado por una situación similar pueda empezar a entender esa sensación de miedo."

Kourtney termina el emotivo post diciendo que la "bendición más verdadera" fue salir del hospital con su hijo sano y salvo en la panza.

Como informamos, la banda de Travis, Blink-182 tuvo que hacer una pausa en su gira la semana pasada después de un "asunto familiar urgente".

Late NBA prospect Terrence Clarke would have been 22 on Wednesday ... and his mother paid tribute to the ex-Kentucky Wildcats star by visiting his grave in an emotional video.

Clarke's mother, Osmine, shared a clip of her trip to the cemetery ... showing Clarke's tombstone covered with birthday balloons, flowers, and basketballs.

"Happy birthday T," Osmine said on Instagram. "miss you so much."

John Calipari -- who coached Clarke at UK in 2020 -- also honored his former guard by sharing a photo of TC in his No. 5 jersey.

"Happy heavenly birthday, Terrence," Calipari wrote.

Fellow hoopers Zaire Wade, Isaiah Jackson and Brandon Boston Jr. remembered Clarke with social media posts of their own as well.

As we previously reported, Clarke was killed in a car accident weeks before the 2021 NBA Draft.

Since Clarke's sudden death, the NBA and his hometown of Boston have shown love in many ways ... including selecting him with an honorary pick in the 2021 draft, making him a Rising Star jersey during the 2022 All-Star Weekend, and dedicating a new community gym in his honor.

Clarke was a 5-star recruit in high school ... and was named 10th best player in the 2020 class by ESPN. He averaged 9.6 points and 2 assists per game in his freshman year at UK.

The son of ex-NFL star Hugh Douglas was tragically killed in a car crash on Monday ... the younger Douglas' college announced this week.

He was just 20 years old.

According to police documents, obtained by The Philadelphia Inquirer, the accident occurred at around 5 PM in the Atlanta area. Police say Douglas' son, Hugh, and his Morehouse College roommate, Christion Files Jr., had been driving at a high rate of speed when their car careened off the road, hit two utility poles and flipped over.

Both men were pronounced deceased at the scene.

In its announcement of the tragedy, Morehouse College said the loss of the two "is deeply felt by all of us in the Morehouse family."

"Hugh Douglas was an exceptional student who displayed immense dedication and promise in pursuing a business administration degree with a concentration in finance," the school said, adding, "Christion Files Jr. was a remarkable young man who made his mark academically and in extracurricular activities."

The elder Douglas -- who made three Pro Bowls with the Philadelphia Eagles in the early 2000s -- has been posting tributes to his son throughout the past few days on X ... writing in one of them on Wednesday, "Your father is the only man that is truly happy you are better than them. You made me so proud."

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni expressed his condolences to the Douglas family on Tuesday -- saying in a press conference that he had always been told Douglas' son was "an unbelievable kid."

Smash Mouth members were not allowed to say their final goodbyes to Steve Harwell in person ... because he didn't want visitors while he was in hospice care.

The rock band's manager, Robert Hayes, tells TMZ ... Steve asked for privacy in his final days and he did not want a large gathering at his home in Boise, Idaho.

We're told the only folks allowed to see Steve while he was on his deathbed were his family, his fiancée, her family and his manager.

While Steve's bandmates missed the cut, their manager says they were all on good terms with Steve. They sent their prayers and well wishes before he died ... mainly over the phone.

TMZ broke the story ... Steve died Monday as a result of liver failure. He had been in hospice and over the weekend he was only given days to live, receiving end-of-life care at home.

Despite Steve's death, it's still business as usual for Smash Mouth ... we're told the band will continue to tour with new singer Zach Goode. The band's not planning to cancel any gigs unless Steve's memorial takes place during a previously scheduled event.

Amen and Ausar Thompson were the 4th and 5th picks in June's NBA Draft, but the star basketball players weren't immune to getting ripped by their coach last season ... and the intense moment was captured on camera in a new docuseries featuring the bros!

The twin brothers are starring in Prime Video's "One Shot: Overtime Elite" ... which follows Amen and Ausar's rise as two of the best players in the country at Overtime Elite in Atlanta.

Despite their immense talent, it wasn't all smooth sailing for the NBA lottery picks.

"I asked you two to give me something, didn't I?" assistant coach Corey Frazier screamed at the Thompsons during a timeout ... as their City Reapers trailed the Yng Dreamerz by double digits on January 20th.

"Don't say s*** right now, just listen! I said 'leadership.' I don't see it! I see a bunch of one-on-ones!"

Frazier was upset with the way the team was playing, and the brothers (who once graced the cover of Sports Illustrated) got the brunt of the blame as the team's best players.

The message was clearly received loud and clear ... the Reapers charged back after being down 16 at the half, ultimately winning 76-64.

Amen dropped 12 points and dished out 6 assists during the game. He also grabbed 7 rebounds. Ausar scored 10 points, and had 7 assists and 8 boards.

Eli Ellis, Amen and Ausar's teammate, was the game's high scorer. He scored 28 points ... and contributed to a dominating 4th quarter, where the Reapers outscored their opponents 36-16.

The City Reapers' winning ways continued ... and the team ultimately finished with the best record and the OTE league title.

All told, the show gives a cool behind-the-scenes look at the Thompsons as they not only hooped in the super competitive, six-team league ... but also prepared for the draft.

When summer rolled around, Amen, a shooting guard, ended up going 4th to the Houston Rockets. His brother didn't have to wait long. With the next pick, the fifth, Ausar, a shooting guard, was selected by the Detroit Pistons.

Blueface's mother has made a bombshell claim -- suggesting her son and his new baby mama, Chrisean Rock, are actually related ... although it's hard to tell exactly how.

The rapper's mom, Karlissa Saffold, made the allegation on social media over the weekend -- not long after Chrisean gave birth to her and Blueface's newborn baby boy. She says Blueface and Chrisean could possibly be cousins -- in fact, she totally believes it.

Check out her rationale for yourself ... Karlissa seems to believe there's a bloodline connection in the surname of Chrisean's own mother -- which is apparently Dorsey. Karlissa says there are Dorseys in her own family as well ... but doesn't explain who has that last name in her family. Obviously, she doesn't have that last name ... nor does Blue himself.

Again, we have no idea who the "Dorsey" in her brood is ... but Karlissa insists all Dorseys are connected, and that they all act the way Chrisean does -- with strong personalities, etc.

Clearly, this isn't exactly science ... it's literally just a theory Karlissa's floating, without much hard evidence to back it up -- let alone a proper explanation ... and yet, it's disturbing.

She half-jokingly says they need to have the baby's DNA tested to find out for sure ... but it sounds like she's already convinced. In her mind, her son did some inbreeding in the family.

Tupac Shakur's family members are coming together to cast doubt on the ongoing police investigation in Las Vegas surrounding the rapper's murder involving Keefe D.

Pac's siblings, Sekyiwa and Mopreme Shakur tell us they're watching from the sidelines after a search warrant was executed by Vegas PD last month in connection to their brother's murder.

Mopreme tells us he's extremely skeptical of the cops' motives, having been contacted only after they saw him reacting to the probe on national TV.

Sekyiwa says she's hopeful her brother receives justice but can't imagine there's much evidence to be found after 30 years.

These days, Sekyiwa and Mopreme say they're focused on the things they can control, which is upholding the family's legacy and exterminating culture vultures.

They're amidst a nationwide tour of mourning for their father Mutulu, who died in June, seven months after he was released from prison after serving over 35 years.

Mutulu helped pioneer acupuncture treatments for drug addicts in the 1970s ... a mission his family is looking to continue in the present day, given the slew of epidemics in the U.S.

Cardi B and Offset get an A+ in the parent department ... hitting the Happiest Place on Earth to celebrate their baby boy's birthday!

The crew was spotted having a blast at Disneyland Monday for Wave's 2nd birthday -- the whole fam, including 5-year-old Kulture, was certainly garnering attention at the theme park, walking around with VIP tour guides and a handful of security.

Offset was spotted carrying the birthday boy outside The Haunted Mansion, which just got its 'Nightmare Before Christmas' overlay ... hopefully not too spooky for the little ones.

Kulture was also seen jumping with joy after takin' a ride on Big Thunder Mountain, zipping around with one of the folks in their party while her mom and dad shared a row behind her.

BTW, Wave might be a little too small to take on that rollercoaster, cause he wasn't spotted unloading with the rest of his fam -- but maybe he got a churro to hold him over.

Lamar Odom's keeping it in the family ... he hired his son and daughter to work for his substance abuse treatment company, and he treated them to a company getaway.

Sources close to Lamar tell TMZ ... he's focused on strengthening his bond with his kids, and that includes getting his son, LJ, and daughter, Destiny, jobs at Odom Recovery Group.

Lamar's son is a marketing consultant ... we're told he's basically been mirroring Lamar, learning the ins and outs of the company so he can be Lamar's backup when needed.

Meanwhile, Lamar's daughter is a client representative ... she's responsible for taking down patients' information and making sure they're all set up when they start their recovery journeys. We're told both kids even participated in a commercial for the company, which will air on Hulu in various locations.

In recognition of their hard work on the job, we're told Lamar took his newest employees on a little vacation in Orange County, spending a few nights at an oceanfront property in Newport Beach.

Not a bad work perk!!!

The job opportunities and company vacations are all part of Lamar's attempt to reconnect with his kids ... and we're also told they've all been living under the same roof since the end of May.

Lamar definitely needs the help at his company ... Odom Recovery Group keeps expanding, he's added 14 new rehab centers to his portfolio and it's all hands on deck at work, with his baby mama Liza also helping out on the job.