Family

Britney Spears's lawyer asked the judge in her conservatorship case to boot her father Jamie Spears as the conservator of her estate, but a judge just shot that down and says Jamie stays -- at least for now.

Britney's lawyer, Sam Ingham, actually asked the court to suspend Jamie from conservatorship duties back in November and the judge denied the request back then. We're told Ingham wanted Jamie replaced by Bessemer Trust, which would have become the sole conservator of her estate, but the judge wasn't having it.

Ingham, for whatever reason, just let things sit for months -- he was supposed to file certain papers for Bessemer's new role to take effect. Finally -- just recently -- Ingham filed legal docs that Bessemer be made co-conservator. The judge just approved that, but also said Jamie will stay as co-conservator himself. The judge also reiterated that Ingham's request to suspend Jamie was denied.

It's important to note, the judge signed this order keeping Jamie in place AFTER Britney's testimony last week.

As you know, Britney wants Jamie out entirely, so it's pretty clear her lawyer will file another motion to remove Jamie.

By the way, everyone has been assuming Bessemer has been acting as co-conservator of Britney's estate for months, but turns out that's not the case. Actually, Bessemer still isn't a co-conservator -- certain documents must still be filed before the judge's order takes effect.

Bottom line ... Jamie has been and continues to be the sole conservator of Britney's estate.

Jamie Spears has fired back at his daughter's allegations he has taken away her freedom and even her right to marry ... he says that all falls on his successor.

Jamie filed legal docs claiming he has not had ANY involvement in Britney's personal conservatorship -- meaning making personal decisions on behalf of Britney -- for nearly 2 years.

Furthermore, he says he hasn't even spoken to his daughter in a long time because "he has been cut off from communicating with her."

Jamie lays any blame for the restrictive rules on the current personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery. He says when Britney's lawyer filed docs to appoint Montgomery, he claimed at the time Britney did not have the mental capacity to make decisions about her medical treatment and therefore it was left to the conservator of her person -- now Jodi Montgomery. Jamie says bluntly, the court never found she was unable to consent to medical treatment and the court never made such an order.

The upshot -- Jamie claims it was Britney's own lawyer, Sam Ingham, who has been seeking to take away his client's right to make medical decisions on her behalf and vest those decisions solely in Montgomery's hands.

According to the legal docs, "Ms. Montgomery has been fully in charge of Ms. Spears' day-to-day personal care and medical treatment, and Ms. Montgomery has made all decisions related to those matters."

Furthermore, Jamie says if Britney has been restricted from marrying or having a baby, it's on Jodi Montgomery, not him. In fact, Jamie says he consented to Britney's marriage when she got engaged to Jason Trawick in 2011 ... but, as you know, they broke up in 2013 before tying the knot.

In another document, Jamie's lawyer says, "Mr. Spears believes it is important for the integrity of the conservatorship proceedings and in the best interests of Ms. Spears for the Court to order an investigation into the issues and claims raised by [Britney] at the June 23, 2021 status hearing."

Jamie's lawyer goes on ... "Either the allegations will be shown to be true, in which case corrective action must be taken, or they will be shown to be false, in which case the conservatorship can continue its course."

The lawyer says, "It is not acceptable for Conservators or the Court to do nothing in response to Ms. Spears' testimony."

"LET'S GOOOOOOOOO!!!"

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry was FIRED UP when he found out he and his wife were having a baby boy ... and the video of it all is AWESOME!!

The couple posted the amazing gender reveal footage on Instagram on Tuesday ... showing how they walked into Gillette Stadium hand-in-hand while staring at a jumbotron that read, "He or She?"

Before it was revealed, the 26-year-old Pats star said he thought it was going to be a girl ... but his wife, Parker, thought otherwise.

Turns out ... after a countdown from 3, Parker ended up being right -- and Hunter went CRAZY!!

Henry screamed, threw his hands in the air and even started fist pumpin'!

"No way!" he yelled. "That's dope!!!"

The couple -- who married in 2018 --- says #BabyHenry is due to arrive in December.

IT'S A GIRL!!!!

UFC legend Ronda Rousey and Travis Browne just announced their baby's gender on Tuesday ... sharing the big news with a Pokémon-themed reveal.

The badass couple first put out word they were expecting the "baddest baby on the planet" back in April ... with a September 22 due date.

Of course, Rousey is a massive Pokémon nerd ... so it was only fitting to channel the game when making the gender news public.

"Our gender reveal is finally here," Rousey said on YouTube. "We didn’t want to do anything that would set hundreds of acres ablaze or thousands even."

"Some people are idiots," she added. "We didn’t want to do that. So, we’re keeping it simple. We’re keeping it safe. We’re keeping it Browsey Acres-style."

Remember, Ronda is one of the greatest MMA fighters of all time ... and went on to have a wildly successful career with WWE until she left in 2019 to focus on starting a family.

So, will the baby girl follow in mom's footsteps and bring the bantamweight belt back to the Rousey name?? Guess we'll find out in 2041 or so.

Stephen Jackson says "the tears will never go away" when it comes to George Floyd ... with the ex-NBAer breaking down as he opened up about his close friend's death.

Of course, Jackson and Floyd grew up together in Houston, TX ... and Stak often referred to him as his "twin."

Jackson -- who has been at the forefront of the social justice movement since Floyd's death in May 2020 -- described his emotions a year later ... and it's heartbreaking.

"The tears will never go away because I really lost family," Stak said on Portal A's "Charges With Rex Chapman" podcast.

"My momma will tell you. She even thought that was her son at times when she saw him. That's how much we looked alike."

"It just took me back to that place for a second, man. These tears are not fake. They're real, so when I feel it, they come out."

Jackson's "All The Smoke" podcast co-host Matt Barnes reflected on the protests that broke out throughout the country following the tragedy ... and said it's time to keep pushing the message even further.

"It's not white vs. Black, Black vs. Asian, white vs. Mexican," Barnes said. "It's love vs. hate because again, hate comes in all shapes, forms and colors."

"We fought, we rioted, we burned things down and that's got a little bit of attention. But, now that they're actually listening, what are we gonna do with our minds to help better, not only us but our kids' future."

Derek Chauvin -- the Minneapolis cop who kept his knee on Floyd's neck during the incident -- was just sentenced to 22.5 years in prison ... but as Jackson said last week, it won't bring his friend back.

Stak also gives Barnes his flowers during the powerful moment ... saying the ex-NBAer continues to help him fight for Floyd -- with or without the cameras around.

Jamie Lynn Spears is breaking her silence about her sister's conservatorship battle, saying she fully supports Britney -- and she's offended Brit's fans might be thinking otherwise.

Jamie Lynn explained why she waited a bit to speak on Britney's court hearing last week, saying she didn't feel it was her place until Britney had the chance to publicly say everything she wanted.

Now, she's voicing her support clearly, saying she's always loved, adored and supported her big sister and is only concerned about her happiness.

Jamie Lynn also seemed to distance herself from the rest of her family -- specifically those involved in Britney's conservatorship -- by saying, "I've made a very conscious choice in my life to only participate in her life as her sister."

She adds that she's always had Britney's back, despite what folks online have speculated. JL seemed to reference Brit saying she wants to sue her whole family ... when she said, "I'm not my family -- I'm my own person. I'm speaking for myself. I'm so proud of her for using her voice."

Regarding the conservatorship ... Jamie Lynn claims she encouraged Britney to hire a new counsel years ago, and says if Britney wants to end the conservatorship ... she fully supports it.

As you know, Britney made it very clear last week during her court hearing that she wants out, and also wants to take legal action against her family. She specifically railed on her father, Jamie, and her management team for alleged mistreatment, torment, abuse of power and other disturbing claims.

The day after Britney spoke publicly about her conservatorship case, she hopped on a private jet with her boyfriend, Sam Asghari, to Hawaii to get away from it all.

Cardi B and Offset are looking pretty damn excited, and maybe a little overwhelmed, after letting the world know baby No. 2's on the way, but someone else is even more excited by the news.

We got Cardi and Offset leaving BOA Steakhouse in WeHo where they hit up a BET Awards after-party. Quavo and Taraji P. Henson were some of the other attendees, but fans and photogs, went wild when Cardi stepped out of her ride showing off her baby bump.

The couple got peppered with dozens of baby-related questions -- really, you'd think they were walking into a family reunion. One question our guy asked was about Kulture's reaction to the news she's gonna be a big sis.

We also asked Offset if he'll be in a giving mood when the baby arrives -- and the answer's yes! He's got a Cuban celebration in mind.

We tried to get some other deets about Cardi's pregnancy ... like how far along she is, cravings, baby names??? They're not ready to spill all that just yet, but they couldn't look happier that their family's expanding.

As we reported, Cardi revealed the huge surprise Sunday night during the BET Awards. She didn't have to say a word ... her baby bump was on display and it did all the talking.

Horrible news from NHL superstar David Pastrnak ... the Boston Bruins forward announced Monday his newborn son has tragically died.

The baby, named Viggo Rohl Pastrnak, was just born on June 17 ... but Pastrnak said on his social media page he lost the child just days later on June 23.

"We have an Angel watching over us and we call him SON," Pastrnak wrote. "You will be loved FOREVER."

It's unclear what caused the death ... Pastrnak only added, "Please respect our privacy as we are going through these heartbreaking times."

The baby was Pastrnak's first.

25-year-old Pastrnak is considered one of the best players in the NHL ... he's spent his entire 7-year NHL career with the Bruins, scoring 200 goals in 438 games.

Ex-Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is getting dogged in death by a huge bill ... and it's all over a very strange unique piece of art.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Tony's estate just got hit with a $40,000 bill for the delivery and installation of a custom sculpture of a human brain at Hsieh's Park City, Utah mansion.

In the docs, a Las Vegas company claims it hauled the huge piece of art to the mountains and installed it above a ceiling fan inside Tony's crib back in July 2020 -- but the company claims Hsieh never paid. Now, they're going after his estate for the $40k, plus interest.

As we reported ... Tony was only 46 when he died in November after sustaining injuries suffered during a house fire in Connecticut.

Pop Smoke's family is showing Travis Scott some serious love for paying tribute to the late rapper through a fashion collection with Dior ... and they want to work with him again for future projects.

Pop Smoke's brother, Obasi Jackson, tells TMZ ... the family is thankful Travis' Cactus Jack brand made the first item in its Dior collection all about Pop, and he thinks it could be the start of a great partnership.

It's a special moment for Pop's family ... he rapped about Dior and loved the brand, and often talked about leaving the country for the first time so he could check out Paris Fashion Week, where the collab was unveiled.

Pop's bro says the family appreciated the final product, a t-shirt with Pop's face on the front and lyrics from his popular "Dior" song on the back, but more than that ... they sound inspired.

Obasi told us how Pop's family wants to get more involved on the creative side moving forward.

The war between Jeff Bezos and his girlfriend's brother is far from over, because the Amazon chief has just sued Michael Sanchez for allegedly hiding money to avoid forking over some serious cash.

As we reported, Lauren Sanchez's brother had sued Bezos for defamation for allegedly smearing his name by accusing him of leaking intimate text messages to the media before his relationship with Lauren became public. A judge threw out the case and ordered Sanchez to pay the legal bills of Bezos and his P.I., Gavin de Becker. That bill came to $254,404.

Apparently, that bill has not been paid ... so Bezos is now suing Michael, claiming he's intentionally secreting assets to avoid forking over the loot.

Bezos claims after Michael lost the case, he transferred ownership of his $2.5 mil home in WeHo to a shell company ... allegedly to avoid having the proceeds seized by the Amazon honcho.

Michael's rep told the Seattle Times that Bezos’ suit is classic “bullying.” Sanchez's Attorney, Tom Warren, tells TMZ "The world has been accusing Mr. Bezos of not paying his fair share of taxes, exploiting Amazon employees, and spreading fake conspiracy theories about the future king of Saudi Arabia. You can now add bullying his future brother-in-law to the list."

He continues "As Mr. Bezos well knows, Mr. Sanchez’ attorneys are aggressively pursuing an appeal of the anti-SLAPP judgment. If successful, Mr. Sanchez will owe Mr. Bezos nothing. Nevertheless, earlier this week, Mr. Sanchez authorized his team to coordinate with Mr. Bezos’ counsel concerning payment of the judgment. Had Mr. Bezos’ attorneys bothered to reach out to Mr. Sanchez’ counsel before filing a lawsuit against him, they would have known that to be the case."

Britney Spears is opening up even more on the heels of her shocking testimony -- she's apologizing to fans for pretending her life was perfect when she was actually struggling, but she's gonna do one thing to make it better.

Brit says, "I believe as people we all want the fairy tale life and by the way I’ve posted … my life seems to look and be pretty amazing … I think that’s what we all strive for!!!!"

Her IG post continues, "I apologize for pretending like I’ve been ok the past two years … I did it because of my pride and I was embarrassed to share what happened to me … but honestly who doesn’t want to capture their Instagram in a fun light."

If you've followed Britney over the years, you know she posts videos of herself dancing, painting and even answering questions from fans -- but Wednesday in court she said that was all masking her real pain.

Britney says, "Believe it or not pretending that I’m ok has actually helped" ... and posted this Albert Einstein quote, "If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales."

She finishes her post in saying, "Instagram has helped me have a cool outlet to share my presence … existence … and to simply feel like I matter despite what I was going through and hey it worked … so I’ve decided to start reading more fairy tales!!!"

Speaking of sharing her presence, Brit's boyfriend, Sam Asghari, posted some vids of the couple on a private jet -- presumably taking a trip somewhere -- something the singer says she's been mostly restricted from ... so it's gotta be a good sign for fans.

The social media post comes just one day after Britney delivered stunning testimony in court on Wednesday ... comparing her alleged forced labor to sex trafficking, demanding her conservatorship end and she be allowed to get married and have children.

This is one of the sweetest videos you'll see today.

Philadelphia Eagles rookie DeVonta Smith just thanked his mother, Christina, in a HUGE way this week -- by gifting her a new home!!

The 22-year-old Heisman winner posted footage of the big reveal to his Instagram on Thursday ... saying, "To the world you are a mother, but to me you are the absolute world."

The vid is priceless -- Christine walks into the front door of her new digs and immediately bursts into tears ... giving her son a big hug.

Smith -- the #10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft -- is giving back to his loved ones fresh off inking his 4-year deal worth $20.1 million with a $12 million signing bonus.

But, don't worry ... Smith previously said he's not really intending to make any other big purchases with his big payday ... telling reporters he's mainly going to keep it in the bank.

Smith was an absolute baller for Alabama ... earning 24 TDs with more than 1,800 receiving yards during his senior season.

Britney Spears railed on her dad and her management team during Wednesday's explosive court hearing ... saying she wants the conservatorship to end now, and she's so angry she thinks her family has abused her so much that she'd like to sue them.

She also said she wants to get married and have another baby but she's being blocked by the conservatorship. She says she has an IUD but the conservator will not let her have it removed.

Britney said she's "not here to be anyone's slave" ... which apparently is how she feels.

Britney said she does not want further medical evaluation. She wants out now.

She said her family did nothing to protect her. She was sent to a small home in Beverly Hills for rehab once and it cost $60,000 -- she says they were trying to hurt her and her dad "loved it."

She said the people who did this to her should not be able to get away with it. She wishes she could sue her family.

Britney says she was "forced" to do her Vegas residency. She said when she was doing the Vegas show, she told her management she didn't want to do it because it was too much. She said she was forced to do the tour and the next thing she knew they changed her medication, putting her on Lithium, which had a terrible effect on her. She said she was scared and her whole family did nothing.

Britney said even her therapist was uncaring. She says after she wanted to put an end to Vegas, the therapist said she was being difficult and not taking her meds. That's when she was put on Lithium. She said her family -- and especially her dad -- didn't care.

She says she pled for a break from Vegas after 4 years but wasn't heard. She said she was told she was uncooperative, which was absolutely not true.

As for why she's now asking to end the conservatorship, she said she didn't know she could until now.

She said she has absolutely no privacy and when she was at home there were times she couldn't see her boyfriend or kids. The caretakers of the conservatorship would violate her privacy and watch her change while she was naked.

She said she doesn't want to work for the people she pays, saying even if she's sick she's required to go to at least 3 meetings a week. She wants that limited to 1 therapy session a week.

Britney said she should be able to sue a conservator who threatens that if she doesn't do what they say in terms of therapy they can withhold her money and deny her a vacation in Maui.

Britney claims, "The conservatorship from the beginning ... it makes no sense. I pay people money and they control me. I worked since I was 17 years old and this conservatorship is abusive. I don't feel I can live a full life. I don't even believe in therapy. I always thought I could take it to God."

She repeated she wants the conservatorship to end. She says she is being hounded by paparazzi and the conservatorship is not protecting her or giving her any privacy.

Britney said she wants to end the conservatorship and doesn't want to be evaluated as a pre-condition.

Britney said, "They make me feel like I'm living in a rehab program and not my home. I will do therapy once a week because I do need it."

She continued, "I want to get married and have a baby. I wanted to take the IUD out and have a baby but the conservator won't let me because they don't want me to have a baby."

Britney stressed that it took a year during COVID for her to get self-care methods.

She says she's scared of people and doesn't trust people. Britney made a point that she's stuck going to therapy in Westlake, which is very public. She said the paparazzi saw her crying as she left therapy Tuesday.

Britney doesn't understand why she can't do therapy sessions at home -- and is upset with Jodi Montgomery, her personal conservator, who she says has become heavy-handed.

The judge thanked Britney and said it took a lot of courage to speak out.

Britney's lawyer was asked if he wanted to file a petition to end the conservatorship, but the lawyer said there were confidentiality issues. He said if Britney wants to file a petition he would do that, but she hasn't asked as of yet.

Lynne Spears' lawyer said in 2019 when Britney was in court she didn't feel she was heard, and it's important today that she be heard. Today is the day the court put an action plan in place to provide the relief Britney is asking for -- to end the conservatorship.

The judge said she would entertain any request to end the conservatorship and start the process of holding hearings.

The singer appeared live, via Zoom, in the Downtown L.A. courtroom, to voice her issues with her father, Jamie Spears ... who we now definitely know she wants removed as one of her conservators.

Earlier Wednesday, Sam Asghari seemingly provided some evidence on his t-shirt Britney would ask to terminate the conservatorship. He's the only person with day-to-day contact with Brit, and the "Free Britney" message emblazoned on his shirt was one big clue.

Britney called for this hearing and, as you'd expect, she had throngs of supporters from the #FreeBritney movement gathered outside the courthouse to support her.

Jamie already stepped down as co-conservator of Britney's person back in 2019 -- Jodi Montgomery is now her permanent personal conservator -- but we've been told Brit wants him out as the co-conservator of her estate as well ... so he can no longer manage her business affairs.

In fact, Brit's stated she will not perform again as long as Jamie is part of the conservatorship -- something she seemed to reiterate when she recently told fans on IG she has "no idea" if she'll ever take the stage again. Today's hearing could impact her decision.

Of course, all of this is why Britney's fans couldn't wait for what she had to say in court.

As we reported, Britney asking the judge to end the conservatorship is only the beginning, because the issue is whether she's able to safely care for herself.

For answers, the judge will look to a throng of doctors, psychiatrists and others who have evaluated her over the years. Our sources say, in the past, the medical professionals determined her condition made the conservatorship necessary -- and they have weighed in over the last 13 years in court.

The judge will no doubt hear from the doctors, and they believe she's now able to safely care for herself, the judge would/should end the conservatorship. If not, it's unlikely she'd win the day, although the judge could still make changes to the conservatorship.

Britney Spears' boyfriend may have tipped his hand on what will go down in court today ... not by what he said, but by what he's wearing.

Britney's boyfriend of 5 years, Sam Asghari, just posted a photo of himself wearing a "Free Britney" t-shirt as he looks sternly into his camera. It doesn't mean Britney necessarily feels that way ... but it sure seems that would be the case.

What's so significant about this ... is that Sam is the only person who interacts with Britney on a day-to-day basis. Translation -- he has her ear and she has his.

As we've reported, Sam made it clear ... he has major beef with Britney's dad, Jamie. Sam made it clear last February, he has contempt for Jamie ... calling him a "total dick." We know Britney wants her dad removed as co-conservator of her estate and at the very least, she will ask the judge to do just that when she testifies later today.

The t-shirt Sam is wearing, however, seems to considerably up the ante. If this isn't a signal of Britney's sentiment about the entire conservatorship, we don't know what is.

The hearing is set for 1:30 PM PT today, and we will be chronicling what happens in real time. We will also have a livestream analysis immediately after the judge slams the gavel.

Britney Spears has made it clear ... she wants the judge to hear her out over her long-running conservatorship, but even if she wants out, it's virtually certain that will not happen without a sign off by a team of doctors.

As you know by now, Britney will address the judge Wednesday at 1:30 PM PT, and there are plenty of fans who are praying she's cut loose from her conservatorship that has been in place for 13 years.

Up to now, she has never asked the court to end the conservatorship ... not once. Multiple sources tell TMZ, Britney has been at loggerheads with her dad, Jamie, for years. Jamie was once both her personal conservator and conservator of her estate. He stepped down as her personal conservator, and is now co-conservator of her estate with a financial institution.

One thing she's made clear ... she will NOT perform until her dad is out completely. That said, our sources say she has not taken any steps to plan for a return to the stage or the studio in the event Jamie is gone.

So, the question ... will Britney ask to end the conservatorship entirely? That is truly a wild card. What's different now is that she's in what appears to be a stable, fairly long-term relationship with her boyfriend, Sam Asghari. They started dating in 2016. It's certainly possible Britney feels Sam can care for her -- thus no need for a conservatorship.

That said, if Britney asks to end the conservatorship, that's the beginning of the saga ... not the end. She was placed in the conservatorship for medical reasons. Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... a team of doctors say she has a condition that prevents her from safely caring for herself. We're told the doctors have been in place for the entire conservatorship and have not changed their opinion.

It's pretty obvious ... if Britney wants out, the judge will want to hear from the doctors ... something the current and previous judges have regularly reviewed over the last 13 years. That is the core issue in the conservatorship -- Can Britney safely care for herself and others for whom she's responsible? If the answer is yes, then the judge should end the conservatorship, but if the judge believes the answer is no -- based on the testimony of doctors -- then she would almost certainly lose any such bid to terminate the conservatorship.

TMZ will cover all angles of the hearing today, and afterward we will live stream the analysis.