Family

A man known in social justice circles has claimed to have helped with the release of two American hostages amid the Israel-Hamas conflict -- but the family's calling BS.

Shaun King has been trending all weekend over a post he threw up Friday -- which seemed to be him taking credit, at least in part, for the safe return of Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter, Natalie Raanan.

King said he was grateful Natalie and her mother had been freed, adding ... "As I said last week, Natalie and her family have been supporters of mine and have protested police violence in America alongside us."

He continued, "I am also thankful for the Qatari government for helping to negotiate this. Dozens of us worked frantically behind the scenes to help make this possible."

King finished by saying ... "I spoke to Natalie's family this afternoon and they are anxiously awaiting more updates."

Well, his version of events apparently doesn't quite align with what the Raanan family's aware of -- 'cause they're saying they straight up don't know this guy. The family released a statement, saying ... "Today we came across bizarre posts on the Instagram page of one Shaun King, who turns out to have millions of followers, who claims that our relative Natalie Raanan supports the anti-Israeli messages he uploads to his page."

The family goes on ... "First and foremost, we make it clear that he is lying! Our family does not and did not have anything to do with him, neither directly nor indirectly. Not to him and not to anything he claims to represent." They go on to say Natalie has never met Shaun, and she first learned about him today amid all the speculation ... of which there's been much.

The Raanan family says folks shouldn't buy what King's selling ... and that his claims amount to misinformation -- which they say is spreading like wildfire. They also note they have more family members and loved ones in captivity that they're working to have released.

Now, as for King ... he's already defending himself by now sharing who exactly he spoke with -- and as it turns out, he says it was a brother of Natalie's ... going to post receipts of conversations he says he had with the guy, detailing his efforts to have her freed.

He also claims he just spoke to the Raanan family -- presumably the same people who released this blistering statement -- and insists they're being forced to distance themselves from him. So, at this point ... there seems to be conflicting accounts over what's going on.

12:57 PM PT -- A rep for Cher reiterated her denial about the kidnapping claim to TMZ, telling us ... "Not true thanks for checking."

Cher says she had nothing to do with the alleged "kidnapping" of her adult son -- this despite the fact her daughter-in-law has claimed the whole thing was orchestrated by mom.

The singer was asked point blank about this by the New York Post, which did a new interview with her chronicling her career and legacy. During the chat, they brought up this bizarre story that surfaced last month ... courtesy of Marieangela King (aka Queenie).

In recent court docs pertaining to her ongoing divorce from Cher's son, Elijah Blue Allman, King made a startling allegation ... namely, that Cher supposedly had Elijah forcibly taken from his hotel room in late 2022 ... this while he and MK were attempting to reconcile.

Per Daily Mail, Elijah had been staying at a hotel in L.A. for several months at the time -- allegedly battling substance abuse -- when this staged abduction/intervention took place ... so says King in a declaration she made in court. She claims that, as they were talking in his room, four men stormed in and snatched Elijah against his will ... dragging him away.

King alleges that one of the men revealed to her that Elijah's mom, Cher, had actually hired them -- adding in her court paperwork, "I am currently unaware of my husband’s wellbeing or whereabouts. I am very concerned and worried about him." She also said she believed he was at a rehab facility at an undisclosed location ... without access to his phone.

Now, one month after all these revelations surfaced ... Cher is outright denying any involvement. She told the Post, "I didn’t do it, and if I did it, I wouldn’t say I did it."

She adds, "You never stop being a mom -- you go to the end, you go to the mattresses when you’re trying to save your children. But I didn’t do it. And if I did it, I wouldn’t care to tell you." Interestingly, this echoes what she told People about 2 weeks ago.

At the time, she said ... "I’m a mother. This is my job -- one way or another, to try to help my children. You do anything for your children. Whenever you can help them, you just do it because that’s what being a mother is. But it’s joy, even with heartache -- mostly, when you think of your children, you just smile and you love them, and you try to be there for them."

FWIW ... Elijah's father, Gregg Allman, died in 2017 from complications tied to liver cancer. Also, we've reached out to Cher's team for further comment -- so far, no word back.

Cher dice que no tuvo nada que ver con el supuesto "secuestro" de su hijo, que ya es un adulto, esto a pesar de que su propia nuera asegura que todo fue orquestado por ella.

El New York Post le hizo una nueva entrevista sobre su carrera y legado, y abordó el tema sin rodeos. Durante la conversación, sacaron a relucir la extraña historia que salió a la luz el mes pasado, cortesía de Marieangela King (aka Queenie).

En recientes documentos judiciales relativos al divorcio en curso con el hijo de Cher, Elijah Blue Allman, King hace un alegato sorprendente y es que supuestamente Cher habría sacado a Elijah a la fuerza de su hotel a finales de 2022. Esto, mientras él y Marie King estaban tratando de reconciliarse.

Según Daily Mail, Elijah se había estado quedando en un hotel de Los Ángeles durante varios meses, donde había estado supuestamente luchando contra el abuso de sustancias, cuando fue secuestrado e intervenido. Así lo explica King en una declaración que hizo ante el tribunal, donde asegura que mientras hablaban en su habitación, cuatro hombres irrumpieron y se lo llevaron en contra de su voluntad, arrastrándolo.

King alega que uno de los hombres le dijo que la madre de Elijah, Cher, los había contratado, añadiendo en su documentación judicial: "Actualmente, no estoy al tanto del bienestar o el paradero de mi marido. Estoy muy preocupada por él". También dijo que creía que estaba en un centro de rehabilitación en un lugar no revelado, sin acceso a su teléfono.

Ahora, un mes después de que se hicieran públicas estas revelaciones, Cher niega rotundamente cualquier participación: "Yo no lo hice, y si lo hubiese hecho, no lo diría", dijo al Post.

Y añade: "Nunca dejas de ser madre: llegas hasta el final para salvar a tus hijos. Pero yo no lo hice. Y si lo hubiese hecho, no me importaría decírtelo". Curiosamente, esto se hace eco de lo que dijo a People hace 2 semanas.

En ese momento, aseguró: "Soy madre. Ese es mi trabajo, de una manera u otra, el tratar de ayudar a mis hijos. Haces cualquier cosa por ellos. Siempre que puedes ayudarlos, lo haces porque eso es ser madre. Pero es con alegría, incluso cuando duele, sobre todo, cuando piensas en tus hijos, solo sonríes y los amas y tratas de estar ahí para ellos".

NLE Choppa's mom is worried sick for her son, saying she hasn't heard from him in hours ... and asking anyone who may have contact to get in touch with her ASAP.

Choppa's mom, Angela Potts, posted the concerning message Friday, writing, "Y’all help me pray over my child. He plans on moving back to Cottonwood where we worked hard to get out of just for a mixtape SMH! I ain’t talked to this boy in hours and he usually doesn’t do this. One thing I know about my son is that he doesn’t go ghost for any reason."

She continues with a message to her son, "Whatever your working on I pray GOD is guiding you. If y’all hear from him PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP ! To the fans he wants to please thanks a lot."

What's unclear is whether or not NLE gave Angela -- who is also his manager -- a reason to believe he could be in trouble, or if he's just faced a lot of pressure in keeping up with his own career.

We should note ... a message on NLE's Instagram story (posted by management) also encouraged fans to reach out to Angela if they see the rapper.

We're getting a first look at the American mother and daughter hostages just released by Hamas terrorists -- both looking alive and well -- escorted by members of Israel's armed forces.

Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter, Natalie, can be seen in a new photo shared by the Israel Defense Forces, while holding the hands of a man in a flak jacket.

As we reported, Judith and Natalie were visiting Israel from Chicago earlier this month to celebrate a family member's birthday and the Jewish holiday season when Hamas attacked.

Hamas said in a statement they released the mother and daughter for "humanitarian reasons" ... claiming it was done to prove to the world that "claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless."

Quavo's time away from music last year to mourn the death of his nephew Takeoff left an incomplete collaboration on the table ... but now, he's finished it up.

Up-and-coming rapper Swxm dropped his new single "Swim" Friday which includes a vibrant feature from Quavo ... a track he recorded in Spring 2022 after Swxm sent the track over to one of their mutual friends.

Swxm and Quavo shot the video that summer in both Long Island and Atlanta ... and he and his team worked diligently with clearance attorney lawyer Bob Celestin to get the appropriate paperwork.

Tragedy struck near the day Quavo's label QC/Motown was to sign the side artist waiver agreement -- Takeoff's death on Nov. 1, 2022 -- leaving the song to dwell in purgatory.

Swxm's team tells us Quavo's team reached out just last week excited about dropping the visual, and now we've got the song. Early reactions are good, and the vibes are classic Quavo.

Directed by WillC & Richie4K, the breezy record addresses topics of floating and pushing through life's adversity ... we're told making for an easy bond between Swxm and Quavo.

Swxm lost his mom ahead of the 2020 pandemic and we're told he stays busy by pouring his all into his music.

Since losing Takeoff, Quavo has also been on a mission for the better ... he and his Rocket Foundation just stormed Washington D.C. meeting with members of Congress in an effort to thwart gun violence.

Brandon Miller -- the ex-Crimson Tide star who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft -- has been sued for wrongful death by the family of the woman who was killed in a shooting earlier this year near the University of Alabama.

The lawsuit, obtained by TMZ Sports, was filed in a federal court on Friday by Jamea Harris' mother, DeCarla Heard ... nearly 10 months after Harris was allegedly murdered by Miller's friend.

In the suit, Heard claims Miller played a significant role in her daughter's Jan. 14 death ... alleging Miller was the one who came to the location of the shooting with the firearm that Michael Davis then used to kill Harris.

Heard claims Miller, Davis and former Tide basketball player Darius Miles had all been together earlier in the night at a row of clubs in Tuscaloosa, when Miller left because a line to get into one of the bars was too long. She says Miles left his gun in Miller's ride before the basketball phenom took off.

A short time later, though, Heard says Davis and Miles left the bar ... and got into a dispute with Harris, her boyfriend and her cousin. She claims in the suit Miles then texted Miller, now a Charlotte Hornet, asking for his "joint" because "someone was 'fakin',' meaning using words in an aggressive manner with no intention or ability to back them up."

Heard says when Miller showed up minutes later, Miles then retrieved the gun from the hooper's ride, before he handed it off to Davis. She alleges Davis then approached Harris, her BF and her cousin in a car and fired off rounds -- striking Harris with at least one in the face, killing her.

Heard is seeking damages ... claiming Davis, Miles and Miller "should have known that bringing a dangerous weapon to a dispute and discharging said weapon would likely result in harm to those around them."

For his part, Miller's attorney said in February that Miller "never touched the gun, was not involved in its exchange to Mr. Davis in any way, and never knew that illegal activity involving the gun would occur." He was never charged with a crime.

As for Miles and Davis, both are facing capital murder charges over their alleged roles in Harris' death.

An American mother and daughter who were taken hostage by Hamas terrorists have now been released.

Hamas aggressors say they've released the U.S. citizens "for humanitarian reasons," according to a statement given to The Times of Israel ... in an alleged effort to "prove to the American people and the world that the claims made by Biden and his fascist administration are false and baseless."

The American mother and daughter believed to have been taken hostage in Israel are Judith Raanan and her 18-year-old daughter, Natalie -- who went missing after Hamas attacked Kibbutz Nahal Oz over 2 weeks ago.

The 2 traveled to Israel from a Chicago suburb to celebrate a relative's birthday and the Jewish holiday season when they went radio silent ... and as you know, what followed was days of death, destruction, and terror happening in the Middle East.

Judith and Natalie's family have reportedly been informed about the release, and according to CNN, they were handed over to the Red Cross and are allegedly "on their way out," citing sources familiar with the negotiations.

Una madre e hija estadounidenses que habían sido tomadas como rehenes por terroristas de Hamás han sido liberadas, según funcionarios del grupo armado.

Los agresores de Hamás dicen que han liberado a las ciudadanas estadounidenses "por razones humanitarias", según una declaración dada a The Times of Israel, en un supuesto esfuerzo por "demostrar al pueblo estadounidense y al mundo que las afirmaciones hechas por Biden y su administración fascista son falsas y sin fundamento".

Se cree que la madre e hija que fueron tomadas como rehenes en Israel son Judith Raanan y su hija de 18 años, Natalie, quienes desaparecieron después de que Hamás atacara el kibutz Nahal Oz hace más de dos semanas.

Las dos viajaron a Israel desde un suburbio en Chicago para celebrar el cumpleaños de un pariente y las fiestas religiosas cuando no se supo más de ellas, y como bien saben, lo que vino a continuación fueron días de muerte, destrucción y terror en el Medio Oriente

There's a chance Danny Masterson will never see life outside prison walls again, and he agrees, unsurprisingly, that Bijou Phillips should have custody of their 9-year-old daughter.

In legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Danny agrees to give his estranged wife, Bijou, both legal and physical custody of the couple's daughter, Fianna. He asks for visitation, but obviously, that'll be done under the supervision of prison officials if it's granted.

Danny lists the couple's date of separation as September 15 -- just one week after he was sentenced to 30 years to life -- for two counts of forcible rape. The two were married for 11 years, tying the knot in October 2011.

Bijou's filing came as a bit of a surprise considering she'd stuck by Danny's side throughout his criminal trial and even the retrial.

In the filing, Bijou's attorney, Peter A. Lauzon, tells TMZ, "Ms. Phillips has decided to file for divorce from her husband during this unfortunate time. Her priority remains with her daughter."

The statement continues, "This period has been unimaginably hard on the marriage and the family. Mr. Masterson was always present for Ms. Phillips during her most difficult times of her life. Ms. Phillips acknowledges that Mr. Masterson is a wonderful father to their daughter."

Sickening audio has now surfaced of Joran van der Sloot confessing on tape to murdering Natalee Holloway ... bashing her head with a cinder block on the beach.

The chilling confession, released by the court, includes Joran describing his night with the 18-year-old Alabama native on a beach in Aruba back in 2005. Joran says in his confession they started kissing, but she denied his sexual advances and kneed him in the groin, which set him off.

He says he kicked her in the face, then grabbed a nearby cinder block and "completely" smashed her head in. Joran disturbingly says it was dark, but he could see her face had collapsed in as a result of the cinder block.

Joran claims he was scared and didn't know what to do after the attack ... which is when he says he put her body into the ocean.

Remember, Joran entered a guilty plea in Alabama on Wednesday to charges of wire fraud and extortion after telling Natalee's family he'd give details about her death in exchange for money.

Ha aparecido un escalofriante audio de Joran van der Sloot en el que confiesa el asesinato de Natalee Holloway, cuya cabeza golpeó con un bloque de hormigón en la playa.

La terrible confesión, publicada por el tribunal, describe la noche que el implicado pasó con la joven de 18 años y nativa de Alabama en una playa de Aruba en 2005. En su confesión, Joran dice que empezaron a besarse, luego ella se negó a tener relaciones sexuales y le dio un rodillazo en la ingle, que lo puso en marcha.

Joran van der Sloot revela que le dio una patada en la cara, luego agarró un bloque de hormigón cercano y le rompió la cabeza. Inquietantemente, añade que estaba oscuro en ese momento, pero que pudo ver su cara destrozada como resultado del impacto.

Joran afirma que se asustó y no supo qué hacer después del ataque, que es cuando confiesa que escondió su cuerpo en el océano.

Recuerden, Joran se sometió a una declaración de culpabilidad en Alabama el miércoles por los cargos de fraude electrónico y extorsión. Esto, después de decirle a la familia de Natalee que daría detalles sobre su muerte a cambio de dinero.

Will Smith's standing by his formerly estranged wife, vowing that no matter what Jada Pinkett Smith confesses or reveals -- and there's been plenty already -- he'll be right by her side.

Jada and Will were shoulder to shoulder Wednesday night in her hometown of Baltimore, where she was plugging her memoir, "Worthy" ... and he played the Patsy Cline role perfectly. While hugging Jada, he declared, "I am going to show up for her and support her for the rest of my life."

He also called her the "best friend I have ever had on this planet" ... a statement that will likely shock a lot of his fans, who've felt Jada's tell-all book has only disrespected and/or emasculated him.

Remember, Jada's already revealed they've been separated and "living single" since 2016, called Tupac her "soulmate" and said the most shocking part of the Oscars slap was the fact Will called her his "wife."

Aside from one statement he issued, Will's been silent during Jada's media blitz -- but last night, with their kids Willow, Jaden and Trey onstage with them ... he posed the question, "Can you show up and love somebody for the rest of your life even when you don't agree with them?"

The answer is a resounding yes for Will. Even Jada's changed her tune in recent days, saying she thinks their separation is coming to an end ... and it definitely looked like it last night.

For everyone who's utterly baffled by Jada's running commentary during her book tour ... Will's remarks last night won't clear things up.

Will Smith está del lado de su exesposa, prometiendo que no importa lo que Jada Pinkett Smith confiese o revele, y vaya que ha habido mucho de eso, él estará igual a su lado.

Jada y Will estuvieron hombro con hombro el miércoles por la noche en su ciudad natal en Baltimore, mientras ella estaba promocionando su libro de memorias "Worthy", y en el evento, él interpretó el papel de Patsy Cline a la perfección. Mientras abrazaba a Jada, declaró: "Voy a estar para ella y apoyarla el resto de mi vida".

También la describió como la "mejor amiga que ha tenido en este planeta", una declaración que probablemente sorprenderá a muchos de sus fans, quienes han sentido que el libro de Jada solo le ha faltado el respeto y lo ha castrado.

Recordemos que Jada reveló que han estado separados y "viviendo como solteros" desde 2016. También llamó a Tupac su "alma gemela" y dijo que lo más impactante de la bofetada de los Oscar fue el hecho de que Will la llamara su "esposa".

Dejando de lado la declaración que emitió, Will ha permanecido en silencio durante el bombardeo mediático de Jada, pero anoche estuvo con sus hijos Willow, Jaden y Trey en el escenario planteando una pregunta: "¿Puedes estar presente y querer a alguien el resto de tu vida, aunque no estés de acuerdo con ella?".

La respuesta fue un rotundo sí para Will. Incluso Jada ha cambiado de opinión en los últimos días, diciendo que piensa que su separación está llegando a su fin... y definitivamente eso pareció anoche.

Para todos los que están totalmente desconcertados por el comentario de Jada durante su gira, las declaraciones de Will de anoche no aclaran más las cosas.

Tori Spelling and her kids had a terrifying Wednesday after a SWAT team looking for a man with an assault rifle turned her block upside down.

Tori and co., along with her neighbors, were ordered to evacuate, and no one needed any encouragement to skedaddle.

Witnesses say the talk on the block was that a man next door to Tori's rental house was barricaded inside with an AR-15. Police took one man into custody.

Tori appeared visibly upset as she raced home in a full sprint ... frantically looking for her children. The actress and her family were in the thick of the action.

Tori stood behind the yellow police caution tape as the standoff played out ... and she was talking with neighbors and taking phone calls.

Antonio Brown soltó $15.000 para los pagos de manutención para los hijos después de su detención a principios de este mes. En un video que publicó el martes parecía bastante amargado por la situación.

Brown fue encerrado el domingo después de haber sido acusado de evadir los pagos a su ex, Wiltrice Jackson, pero poco tiempo después, se repartió los $15K necesario para salir de la cárcel.

El martes compartió un video en Instagram que lo muestra cantando algunas letras de Young Jeezy que parecía mostrar que estaba enojado con Jackson, la madre de su hija de 15 años de edad.

"Y no quiero decirle a mi hijo que sus madres no valen nada", canturreó mientras sostenía lo que parecía ser un recibo por el pago de manutención y un gran fajo de billetes. "Y esto no se trata de mí, ella es solo una perra hambrienta de dinero".

Jackson le dijo a TMZ Sports la semana pasada que estaba molesta con Brown por no pagar la manutención de su hija, alegando que le debía casi $31.000.

"Yo quiero que lo arresten", dijo. "Porque ahora mismo, se está burlando del juez... de todo, porque se siente intocable".