Family

He did it ... LaMelo Ball has finally cracked the starting lineup for the Charlotte Hornets!

The 19-year-old -- 3rd overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft -- has been killing it as the 6th man for the Hornets ... averaging 12 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game in his first 20 games.

In fact, he's been so impressive, fans -- along with his famous father -- have been calling on the Hornets to move Melo to the Starting 5 ... but the team wanted to play it slow.

But, now with an injury to starting guard Terry Rozier, Melo is getting the nod to start against the Miami Heat for their Monday night matchup in Miami.

Melo's dad, LaVar Ball, has been calling for his kid to start for weeks -- telling TMZ Sports straight-up a few weeks ago ... "My boys are not freakin' role players! They superstars! Let them do what they do!"

Well, opportunity's knockin' ...

The Charlotte Hornets are looking pretty good so far this year -- they're 9 and 11 and in 8th place in the Eastern Conference ... with things lookin' up.

Mariah Carey's estranged sister says she's suffered emotional distress from the singer's allegations about her ... so she's suing her for at least $1.25 million.

Alison Carey claims in new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Mariah presented no evidence to back up the accusations of abuse in her 2020 book, "The Meaning of Mariah."

According to the suit ... Mariah's book alleges Alison "gave her Valium, tried to pimp her out and threw a cup of boiling hot tea on her causing third-degree burns" when Mariah was 12. Alison disputes these allegations and claims Mariah hasn't provided any evidence to support them.

Alison goes on to accuse Mariah of making these outrageous claims despite knowing Alison suffers from trauma herself from the alleged abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of their mother.

Alison claims their mother subjected her to satanic rituals and sexual activity at a young age ... allegations she previously made when she sued their mother for sexual abuse last year.

Mariah's estranged sister also says she suffered a traumatic brain injury during a 2015 home invasion, and suggests Mariah ignored her vulnerabilities and "used her status as a public figure to attack her penniless sister" to promote her book.

Tony Bennett is revealing he's suffering with Alzheimer's Disease ... but he says he's been battling it since 2016.

The beloved singer revealed his diagnosis to AARP magazine ... and his family says there were warning signs well before doctors confirmed it. Like in 2014 when he and Lady Gaga got together to record "Cheek to Cheek." Tony's wife, Susan, said Tony was already showing clear signs of the disease back then. The duo went on to tour together in 2015.

Moments after AARP posted the article ... Tony tweeted, "Life is a gift -- even with Alzheimer's. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and @AARP The Magazine for telling my story."

Susan and Tony were open about some day-to-day struggles ... like when she had to tap Tony on the shoulder to remind him they were doing an interview while talking to AARP.

But, there's also reason to be optimistic. Dr. Gayatri Devi, the neurologist who diagnosed Tony back in 2016, says, "He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder."

Joe Giudice's about to have his mug back on TV ... the former reality dad is in talks for a new show ya might call, 'Real Single Guys of Italy.'

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Joe's currently in negotiations with a production company about creating the show, which we're told would focus on his new post-prison/post-divorce life in his homeland.

Nothing's been shot yet, and we're told neither Bravo nor his ex-wife, Teresa, are involved in the potential project. This is a Joe solo deal.

If Joe and the production co. can strike a deal, their next move would be shopping around the show to a network or streaming service to air it.

As you know, Joe was a central figure -- along with Teresa -- in "The Real Housewives of New Jersey."

He hasn't appeared on Bravo since October 2019, when he told Andy Cohen about his decision to opt-out of ICE detention and move to Italy.

Terry Crews' son, Isaiah doesn't need a side hustle ... because he's getting paid a small fortune for his role in "Side Hustle."

The 15-year-old actor is off to a strong start in the family business after landing a recurring role on the Nickelodeon series, "Side Hustle." According to his minors contract, obtained by TMZ, Isaiah is banking $15k per episode in the first season alone.

Looks like season one has 10 episodes ... which should net him a cool $150k. And, get this ... he'll see significant increases per episode if the show's a hit and gets picked up for new seasons ... he could earn nearly $20k an episode by season 6.

This isn't Isaiah's first role in Hollywood. He appeared as himself in his pops' short-lived reality show "The Family Crews" a little over 10 years ago. He's probably used to the cameras ... what with his father being a huge Hollywood star and all.

Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns says he was hit by a drunk driver in Los Angeles before the 2020-21 NBA season ... and he was hospitalized.

The 25-year-old went public about the incident Thursday night during a social media Q&A with fans ... when he was asked how he's stayed strong after overcoming so much over the past few years.

Of course, KAT has been through a lot ... especially when it comes to COVID. He lost his mother to the virus back in April -- and several other family members have died since.

Also, KAT tested positive for COVID earlier this month -- but seems to be doing okay.

Towns gave a ton of credit to his girlfriend Jordyn Woods -- saying she's been there for him through it all ... including a car accident nobody knew about.

"My woman has held me down more than the world knows," Karl-Anthony said ... "From my mother and family members dying (1 on her bday in Cabo), getting hit by a drunk driver (was 2pm in the afternoon FYI) in LA this off-season and staying with me in the hospital for the night and helping me in rehab."

He also credited Jordyn for helping him through his current stint with COVID.

"My love for her knows no bounds and I would be remiss if I don't acknowledge the power a good woman can have in your life."

Josie Canseco says she has completely blocked her ex-MLB slugger dad out of her life ... that is, until the former Bash Brother stops publicly feuding with her ex, Logan Paul.

Of course, 56-year-old Jose Canseco has been going after the 25-year-old Internet superstar for months on social media ... vowing to whoop the dude's ass over his breakup with Josie.

Now, Jose's model daughter is finally breaking her silence on her dad's "f***ing rampage" on Twitter ... calling the whole situation "selfishly embarrassing."

"When it comes back to character, integrity, I don't f*** with those selfish moves," Josie said on the "Between Good & Evil" podcast with Charlotte D'Alessio.

"It's just embarrassing. What are you doing, father? Dad, help. Explain to me, please. Why are you being this way?"

Josie says she told Jose exactly how she felt about the beef with Logan ... and it wasn't pretty.

"I went off, I ripped him a new a**hole," Josie said ... adding Jose clapped back by telling her she had no control over his social media antics.

Josie explained her frustration about the whole ordeal ... saying, "I don't f*** with that fake internet s***. I just do not care. I don't need press. I don't need publicity. I don't care to be famous. I don't care for attention."

As for her relationship with Paul, Josie admits the couple "went through some s***," but still have love for each other and remain very close.

In other words, Josie is accusing her dad of making the breakup seem more dramatic to get more hype around a potential fight with Logan.

"I'm just like, 'Fine, then I won't speak to you as long as you're doing this and bringing in my personal life, my relationship, to your social media for attention and for money and for clout.

John Gilbert Getty -- one of the heirs to the Getty fortune -- died from complications related to a fentanyl overdose ... TMZ has learned.

The Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office in Texas tells TMZ ... John died of cardiomyopathy and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease -- heart disease and COPD, in layman's terms -- complicated by fentanyl toxicity.

The M.E. also says the overdose was accidental.

As we reported ... John died back in November after he was found unresponsive in a San Antonio hotel room.

It was a tumultuous 2020 for the Getty family. Just 2 months before John died ... his mother, Ann, died from a heart attack. John's other brother, Andrew, died in 2015 from meth intoxication.

John Gilbert, of course, was one of several descendants of J. Paul Getty -- the oilman whose art collection was central to the famed Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Somehow a topless photo of 16-year-old Claudia Conway ended up on her mom, Kellyanne Conway's Twitter page ... and the teen vows her mom's going to jail over it.

Twitter users saw the pic posted to Kellyanne's Fleet story on Twitter Monday night. It was quickly deleted, but not before folks captured and shared it like wildfire. Claudia took to TikTok shortly after, and confirmed it's a legit photo.

The teenager says it was taken months ago, and her mom must've gotten it when she confiscated Claudia's phone during one of their frequent spats.

As for how it might've made its way to Kellyanne's Twitter account, Claudia speculates her ma either did it on purpose ... or she was hacked.

In any case, she clearly says Kellyanne's gonna pay for this -- legally speaking.

This is the latest dustup between the mother and daughter, who've been at each other's throats for a long time now, especially lately. As we reported, Claudia recorded herself saying Kellyanne was being abusive toward her, and even spurred someone to call in a welfare check, which resulted in a visit from cops.

We've been told the matter is still being investigated ... it's unclear how this new development might factor in, if at all.

One thing's for sure ... there doesn't seem to be any love lost in the Conway household these days.

Eric Trump's no longer one of America's First Sons, which means no more rides on Air Force One, and he's also passing on first-class seats on commercial airlines.

The ex-president's son -- along with his wife, Lara, and their 2 kids -- took a Delta flight from Palm Beach, FL back to NYC on Sunday and flew coach ... a witness tells TMZ.

We're told Eric's family was not seen hanging in the terminal like everyone else before boarding, but instead got escorted onto the plane by Secret Service agents.

Our source says Eric put their carry-on luggage up in the overhead bins, and the kids were well behaved ... with Lara taking them to the bathroom a couple times during the flight.

We're told Eric and Lara were very friendly with everyone and didn't seem a bit worried about drawing attention to themselves. However, Eric did get asked to pose for some selfies ... and happily obliged while wearing a mask with USA written on it.

As you know ... Donald Trump and his family bailed on President Biden's inauguration last week and took one final flight on AF1 to Florida. It seems Eric and his fam were returning home after spending the long weekend in the Sunshine State.

Before he left office, Trump reportedly extended post-presidency Secret Service protection for all his kids for 6 months ... which explains why Eric had agents with him.

While it may seem odd to see the Trumps flying with all the regular folks now that Donald's no longer POTUS, it's actually something Ivanka did often ... especially during the earlier days of her dad's term.

Seems like her bro had a better experience, though.

"I miss my baby girl and Kob-Kob so much."

That's Vanessa Bryant remembering Kobe Bryant and Gianna on the 1 year anniversary of their tragic deaths ... while publicly pondering why such a horrible thing could happen to such "beautiful, kind and amazing human beings."

Kobe and Gianna -- along with 7 others -- passed away in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on January 26, 2020.  Kobe was 41. Gianna was only 13.

So, on January 26, 2021 ... Vanessa posted an emotional letter penned by one of Gianna's best friends, Aubrey Callaghan.

"If I ever become a mom, I hope my daughter turns out exactly as yours did," Aubrey wrote to Vanessa ... "She was kind, caring and endlessly polite."

She continued, "I am so, so blessed I got to have time with your angel of a daughter, and thank you for giving me that chance."

Aubrey also praised Gigi as a fierce and talented competitor on the basketball court -- and yeah, she was right!!

Vanessa responded to Aubrey ... saying, "I love you Aubz (as my Gigi would call you)."

"Thank you so much for beautifully sharing some of your memories of my Gigi with me and allowing me to share them here on my ig."

She concluded her post with something most people are still trying to wrap their heads around -- "I will never understand why/how this tragedy could’ve happened to such beautiful, kind and amazing human beings."

"It still doesn’t seem real."

She concluded with a message to her husband ...

"Kob, we did it right. Gigi, you still make mommy proud. I love you! #PlayGigisWay #Mambacita#Mamba #DaddysGirl #GirlDad."

RIP Kobe, Gigi, Alyssa Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, John Altobelli, Christina Mauser, Payton Chester, Sarah Chester and Ara Zobayan.

Magic Johnson also weighed in on Tuesday morning -- saying, "Thank you God for allowing me enjoy Kobe Bryant for 20 years as a great basketball player, athlete, husband, father, philanthropist, mentor & teacher of the game to many men & women of all ages, best friend to Rob Pelinka, & brother to [Jeanie Buss]."

Tom Brady's father says both he and his wife battled COVID at the beginning of this NFL season -- with Tom Brady Sr. needing to be hospitalized for 3 weeks.

"I was in the hospital with COVID for almost 3 weeks and my wife was sick with COVID at the same time," Tom Sr. said Monday morning on ESPN's 'Greeny' radio show.

"We didn't even see the first 2 games of the year. First 2 games I've ever missed in his career because I was sick as a dog and my wife was sick as a dog."

"It was a matter of life and death just like anybody [who] goes into the hospital ... serious stuff."

Seems Tom Sr. had a much tougher time with COVID than his wife, Galynn -- who is a breast cancer survivor.

Fortunately, both Tom Sr. and Galynn are doing much better now -- but Tom says the whole thing was scary.

"We’ve never missed a game [when Tom was playing] at Michigan or New England or wherever. [But] for the first 2 games [of the 2020 NFL season] when I was in the hospital, I didn’t even care if [The Bucs] were playing much less missing the game."

Tom Sr. says his son "fought through it" and continued to play -- but the news definitely explains Tom's unusually bad play in the Week 1 opener against the Saints, when the Bucs lost 34 to 23 and Tom threw 2 interceptions.

"Now it’s in the rearview mirror," Tom Sr. said ... "We’re healthy, we’re happy and everything is good."

Still, Tom says his son tries to FaceTime him every single day on his way to and from practice.

The 2 best QBs in the NFL also have some Tier 1 support systems ... 'cause after Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes moved on to the Super Bowl on Sunday, their sig figs showed crazy love!!

Gisele gushed over TB12 after the Bucs finished off the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game ... with the model writing, "We love and are so proud of you, Papai!!!'

Gisele also posted a pic of her and Brady's children in Tampa Bay gear, captioning the adorable shot, "We are already cheering here papai! We love you!"

Of course, Tom was able to show some love right back to his fam after beating Aaron Rodgers ... cameras caught the future Hall of Famer seeking out his son, Jack, after the game and giving the boy a big hug!

"He’s a special kid," Tom told reporters after the game ... "I love my family. Obviously, I love my team, and there’s just no greater feeling than to spend those moments with all of us together after a great win."

As for Mahomes ... his fiancee, Brittany Matthews -- who's several months pregnant with the couple's baby daughter -- completely lost her mind watching Patrick destroy the Bills.

Britt documented her day start to finish on her social media page ... and she screamed for Mahomes from kickoff to trophy presentation!!

Seriously ... watch the clip -- Matthews LOVES her future hubby!!!

Cameras also caught Mahomes returning the support ... with the 24-year-old blowing kisses to Britt shortly after capping off the victory.

It's not an official "goodbye" ... yet ... but it's close.

Matthew Stafford's wife Kelly penned a "Thank You" note to the city of Detroit amid reports the Lions QB has mutually agreed with the franchise to continue his career elsewhere.

Matt has played every down of his pro career with Detroit since he was drafted out of Georgia with the 1st overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft.

Now, ESPN says Detroit -- and Stafford -- have agreed to a conscious uncoupling ... so Detroit can draft new franchise QB and 32-year-old Matt can try his luck in another city.

Enter Kelly ... who is bracing for the move.

"Thank you," Kelly said in a note to the people of Detroit ... "This place, our home, the people ... it’s hard to find the words to explain what this place means to me."

"Random tears come very often when I think about not being here."

"This place supported me during the toughest time of my life and during the happiest times and I want to thank y’all in the right way."

Kelly and Matt have 4 kids together -- all born during Matt's time with the Lions. Also, Kelly underwent brain surgery for a tumor in 2019.

So, what's next for the Stafford's?

"Whenever I figure out what the future holds, you’ll be hearing from me again with a thank you that hopefully shows how much gratitude and love I have for this place," Kelly said.

"But until then we are going to enjoy our time left in Michigan to the fullest because there really is no other place like it."

There are rumblings Matt could end up in San Francisco to play for the 49ers -- but it's all talk at this point.

Chico DeBarge is famous for making hits with his family members in the '80s ... but cops say he tried to throw one of them under the bus during his latest arrest.

The DeBarge singer got busted in Burbank when he was pulled over near a shopping center on January 13. Cops say he was driving without his headlights on at night and didn't have license plates.

Burbank PD tells us ... Chico didn't have ID, but identified himself as James ... his older brother, who was also in the family singing group back in the day.

According to police ... Chico was driving with 2 female passengers, and cops found methamphetamines and heroin on him during a search. He was arrested, and we're told he was properly ID'd during the booking process.

Chico's been charged with drug possession, DUI and yes ... cops hit him with a false impersonation charge for the alleged brother act.

After nearly 10 days in jail, Chico finally made bail on Friday.

Christina Ricci's husband agrees quarantine's been a dangerous time in their household, except he claims she is the one who's the abuser.

James Heerdegen filed Friday to get a restraining order against the actress, claiming alcohol and substance abuse is fueling her allegedly abusive conduct.

In his court filing, James claims Christina was boozing hard during quarantine and would routinely abuse him physically and verbally while she was intoxicated. He says she would often hit and scratch him with her arms, hands and nails.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Heerdegen also claims Christina would habitually follow him around their home, screaming and yelling profanities at him in front of their son. He says her alleged outbursts are causing their child emotional distress.

James says Christina attacked him back in October 2019, claiming she grabbed his throat while he was on the toilet. He says she "squeezed and pushed on my throat with her left hand using her right hand to gain leverage by propping it up against the doorframe" ... according to the docs.

Heerdegen's filing comes 48 hours after Christina was granted a restraining order against him, claiming he'd beaten her multiple times and she now fears for her life and their son's. She filed to divorce him in July.

In his docs, James claims Christina filed false domestic violence allegations against him to "leverage" her control over their son and prevent Heerdegen from seeing the kid. He also claims she filed a false police report.

James says Christina was sober during her pregnancy but claims she started abusing alcohol and pills when she began breastfeeding, and things got to the point where he was throwing out some of her breast milk for fear of alcohol polluting the milk ... according to the docs.

Christina's attorney, Samantha Spector, tells TMZ ... "This filing is nothing more than a transparently abusive attempt to silence my client. It will not work. Christina will not be intimidated by Mr. Heerdegen and his barrage of misleading claims – and she remains determined to protect her family."

The judge has not yet ruled on Heerdegen's request to restrain Christina.