Family

"American Idol" finalist Syesha Mercado and her partner have a huge reason to smile ... they've been reunited with their infant daughter.

Syehsa's partner, Tyron Deener, posted video Friday, presumably during their car ride home, with baby Ast sound asleep in a child safety seat. Syesha had a huge grin on her face and Tyron couldn't look prouder to have their daughter back.

He thanked everyone for helping them get the resources they needed to get their daughter back from Florida's Child Protective Services. He said, "We still got work to do to get 'Ra back. Thank you, because of y'all we had the proper support to get the best attorneys in the country."

Remember ... the couple started a GoFundMe to help cover the legal costs and raised more than $400k. Syesha's joy was evident in her caption -- “AST IS HOME!!!! #BringRaHome POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!”

As we reported ... Syesha sobbed as the Manatee County Sheriff's deputies took Ast from her earlier this month. She reluctantly handed over the infant in accordance with a family court judge's order.

The couple's toddler son, Amen'Ra, was put in foster care back in March after a doctor claimed the boy was malnourished. Deputies told the couple they were taking Ast because they didn't tell authorities she'd given birth to Ast during the ongoing legal battle for Ra.

Britney Spears' dogs were taken from her earlier this month -- this after her dog sitter and housekeeper believe the pets were being neglected -- and that's what triggered the confrontation between Britney and her housekeeper that led to a criminal investigation.

Sources directly connected to Britney tell TMZ ... around 2 weeks ago one of her dogs became sick and the housekeeper took that dog and Britney's other dog to the vet. The dogs never came home, and our sources say Britney's dog sitter -- who is also a nurse -- kept and took care of the dogs because she believed they weren't safe at Britney's home.

We're told on August 10 Britney called the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. to report a theft, but when cops arrived at her home she backed off and sent them away -- this was first reported by Page Six. Our sources say she was prepared to file a theft report over the dogs but apparently had a change of heart.

Fast-forward to this past Monday morning. Britney still did not have her dogs and didn't know where they were, but suspected her dad had something to do with their disappearance.

Britney confronted her housekeeper and demanded to know where her dogs were and why they were taken away. Our Britney sources say the housekeeper expressed concern that the dogs had been neglected and showed Britney photos she had taken on her cellphone of one of the dogs that had just thrown up.

Britney believes the housekeeper -- who gets paid by Jamie -- sent Jamie the photos and he then called the dog sitter and told her to take the dogs away. Sources with direct knowledge say Jamie is "totally in the dark on what goes on in her home," adding, "He's been shut out."

In any event, we're told Britney became extremely upset and told the housekeeper she was not allowed to take photos in her house. Then we're told a struggle ensued and Britney knocked the phone out of the housekeeper's hands. Our Britney sources say she merely hit the phone, but law enforcement sources say the housekeeper alleged Britney struck her arm, which then caused her to lose her grip over the phone.

As of Thursday afternoon, Britney still did not get her dogs back, but she was hopeful that was about to happen.

TMZ broke the story ... the housekeeper filed a battery report with the Ventura County Sheriff's Dept. and the agency is investigating. A Sheriff's Dept. official tells TMZ when the investigation is complete the file will be sent to the D.A. to review for a possible misdemeanor battery charge.

Caitlyn Jenner may have inadvertently sparked more speculation that Kylie Jenner is pregnant ... because she says she just learned one of her kids is expecting.

The California gubernatorial candidate was visiting the The Toy Story in Quincy Thursday when she spilled the beans. Caitlyn was telling the folks there about her 18 grandchildren when she joked she wants 30 ... because it's a nice, round number.

That's when she revealed she just recently found out her 19th grandkid is "in the oven." Caitlyn also revealed she's not very good at math ... because she says that means there's only 10 more to go 'til 30.

Now, to be perfectly clear, this does not mean Kylie's pregnant ... it could be one of Caitlyn's sons who's expecting -- Burt, Brandon or Brody -- or her eldest daughter, Cassandra Marino.

To be fair, it could also be one of the Kardashians -- Kim, Kourtney, Khloe or Rob -- or Kendall Jenner.

As we've reported ... Kourtney says she's not pregnant, but the rumor mill's spinning about Kylie because she's back with Travis Scott and she never showed herself at her birthday party. Plus, she was super secretive about her pregnancy with Stormi ... so fans can't help but speculate.

Here's the official tally of Caitlyn's grandchildren -- 4 from Kim, 3 from Kourtney, 1 each from Rob, Khloe and Kylie, 3 each from Cassandra and Brandon, and 2 from Burt.

The 19th's a mystery for now, though ... stay tuned.

Azriel Clary -- one of R. Kelly's former girlfriends -- remains steadfast in testifying against him in his federal sex crimes case ... despite what her family describes as attempts to scare her away from going through with it.

Azriel's father, Angelo, tells TMZ ... nobody's forcing his daughter to testify -- it's her decision based on her belief that what Kelly did to her and others is wrong, and she wants to do it for the sake of justice and to show what a monster he truly is.

Problem is, this apparently doesn't sit well with many of the singer's fans. We're told Azriel and her family are the frequent targets of online threats and attacks ... including people posting their contact info and even harassing them at work.

Even scarier ... Azriel's car was set on fire last year, and just months ago a man pled guilty in the case.

For all these reasons and more ... Angelo says his daughter's stress level is high as she prepares for her testimony, but he's adamant Azriel will not back down.

We broke the story ... in early 2020 -- after a falling out with Kelly's other girlfriend at the time, Joycelyn Savage -- Azriel fully removed herself from Kelly's corner and began working with the feds against him.

Now, the time is almost here for her to take the stand, and we're told Azriel's looking forward to showing her strength and telling her truth ... with Kelly watching.

Chris Brown's daughter is living the dream -- that's exactly how Royalty's describing the trip she and her mother, Nia Guzman, took to hang at a 'Tiger King' star's wild animal park.

Royalty and Nia hit up the Myrtle Beach Safari Wednesday, and got pretty cozy with the baby animals at Doc Antle's facility during a day and night safari.

Chris' 7-year-old little girl was pretty chill while petting a couple tiger cubs -- she even jumped in a pool with 'em, and was eventually joined by a baby hyena too.

Royalty and Nia both posted a bunch of photos and videos from their adventure, which included encounters with a chimp, some monkeys and an elephant. Royalty captioned one of her videos ... "Living the dream! #SaveTheTigersSaveTheWorld."

The post also gave a shout-out to Doc Antle saying, "We love what you are doing @docantle thank you for these memories!"

Doc, of course, is the same guy who was indicted in Virginia for animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking in October 2020. He called the charges bogus. Most recently ... PETA wanted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate Doc for alleged violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

This isn't Royalty's first rodeo with exotic pets. We doubt she remembers -- she was only 3 -- but her dad got into hot water back in 2018 after he posted video of Royalty hanging with a baby Capuchin monkey he owned.

Crushing news from Gary Player ... the golf legend has announced his wife of 64 years has died from cancer.

The 3-time Masters champ announced the horrible news on his social media page Wednesday ... saying, "The unthinkable has happened."

"My childhood sweetheart, my rock, and my soulmate Vivienne has lost her battle with pancreatic cancer," Player said.

"I cannot describe the deep sense of sadness I feel at having lost the one person who has always meant the world to me."

Player explained he met Vivienne when he was 14 years old ... and called it "love at first sight."

The two eventually got married in 1957.

"She fully supported my career and raised our six children almost single-handedly while I was touring the world playing golf," Player said. "She was a devoted wife, a loving mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and a wonderful human being who cared so deeply for others and lived her life in service to others."

The 85-year-old golfer continued, "Vivienne taught me the value of love, faith and trust. She taught our children those same values, and they were blessed to have a mother who lived those values every single day."

File under: "Perks of having a 7-time Super Bowl champ for a dad."

Tom Brady's son, Jack, got a front-row seat to watch his pops at work -- getting ball boy responsibilities at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers training camp this week!!

The pics are adorable ... with the 13-year-old chatting it up with coaches and TB12 while the reigning champs prep for the upcoming season.

Brady couldn't be more proud of his son ... with the proud father showing off on Instagram about his kid's new gig.

"Buccaneers got a new ball boy this week," TB12 said. "He takes his summer job and every rep very seriously ... just like his dad!!"

No word on if this is a full-time summer job for Jack now, or if it was a one-time thing ... but either way, it's very cool to see.

Of course, TB12 and Jack have spent a lot of time bonding over football together over the years ... remember, the QB juked the hell outta his son during a backyard workout back in 2018 -- which is just as hilarious 3 years later.

Alyssa Milano might have saved her uncle's life during a scary car accident that could've taken both their lives on an L.A. freeway, reaching over and using her hand to hit the brakes as he suffered a medical emergency behind the wheel.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Alyssa was a passenger Tuesday in a Ford Edge driven by her Uncle, Mitch, who started to have a medical issue. Cops say another vehicle hit theirs as Mitch fell unconscious, suffering what appears to be a heart attack.

Their SUV drifted into another lane and struck another vehicle, but then it came to a stop thanks to Alyssa's quick thinking.

Our sources say she sprung into action from the passenger seat while her uncle was passed out, reaching over him and using her hand to slam the brakes and stop the car. We're told she started giving him CPR until help arrived and first responders took over.

Uncle Mitch was taken to a nearby hospital ... and a rep for Alyssa tells us he's still being treated.

Cops say a couple Good Samaritans stopped to help ... and Alyssa's camp tells us she's grateful for everyone who aided her uncle, including first responders and hospital staff.

Amazing news from Tyson Fury ... the boxing champ says his newborn daughter is out of the ICU and heading home soon!!!

The 33-year-old and his wife, Paris, gave birth to the baby earlier this month ... but have asked for prayers repeatedly after the little girl was forced into intensive care almost immediately after birth.

Fury, though, said on Monday his daughter has fought through it all ... and is now nearly ready to leave the hospital.

"Just here feeding my little girl," Fury said while holding Athena in his arms. "Out of the ICU, on the mend -- she'll be going home soon."

"Thank you to God and thank you to all of the doctors and nurses out there."

The little girl is Tyson and Paris' sixth child ... and third daughter.

It's unclear what ailments she was battling.

Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson aren't together again ... even though they've been in each other's company a lot lately.

Despite recent reports that have surfaced claiming the exes are back on again -- and that Khloe is "desperate" to make it work, despite repeated instances of cheating -- sources that are actually plugged into the situation tell TMZ ... all of that is a load of baloney.

We're told Khloe and Tristan are not romantically linked whatsoever ... regardless of recent pics of them side by side with True. Just last week, they took their daughter to a movie, and exited together ... looking like a happy fam.

It's not the first time they've been photographed in close proximity since the split -- remember, they both attended True's dance class earlier this year -- and we're told it won't be the last time either ... as they're committed to presenting a united front for True's sake.

Our sources say Mom and Dad are fully aligned as parents, and want True to see her parents maintaining a healthy relationship -- which apparently means semi-frequent joint outings.

Christina Haack is dropping hints she's engaged to her new boyfriend ... because she posted and then quickly deleted a photo showing a ring on THAT finger.

Here's the deal ... Christina posted a picture Sunday on her social media, showing her on a yacht with her new man, real estate agent Joshua Hall, and a massive rock on her left ring finger.

The 'Flip or Flop' star quickly deleted the OG pic and replaced it with a similar picture where there's no ring in sight.

It certainly looks like Christina's celebrating something, she's drinking out of a champagne flute and her man's mother is in tow.

As you know ... Christina and Josh went public with their relationship at the beginning of July ... so an engagement would be pretty quick.

TMZ broke the story ... Christina and her ex-husband, Ant Anstead, finalized their divorce back in June, and she walked away with ownership of 5 properties, a Range Rover and a Bentley, plus her wedding ring.

Now it looks like another ring might be entering the picture.

We reached out to a rep for Christina, and they had no comment on a potential engagement.

Silento now stands accused of murder -- a Georgia grand jury indicted him in the shooting death of his cousin ... TMZ has learned.

According to new legal docs ... the grand jury hit the "Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)" rapper with 4 felony charges, including one count of malice murder and one count of felony murder.

He's was also charged with aggravated assault and gun possession during the commission of a felony.

As we reported ... cops arrested Silento in early February for allegedly murdering Frederick Rooks after an investigation into the man's death. Rooks, the rapper's cousin, was shot to death in the street on Jan. 21, and cops in DeKalb County linked Silento to the crime.

Silento's team claims he's been suffering from various mental health issues for several years.

Batman's sidekick, Robin, coming out as bisexual isn't just big for comic book superheroes, but it's also a major step in the right direction for society ... Dana Wheeler-Nicholson tells TMZ.

Dana's an actress best known for her roles in "Fletch" and "Tombstone," but she's also the granddaughter of Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson -- the man credited with the creation of DC Comics -- and she's thrilled about the latest plot twist in the DC universe.

She tells us she loves that Robin's bisexual, because having a classic, beloved, character come out bodes very well for tolerance and inclusion in the real world.

Dana says comic book figures are cultural icons, so when homosexuality is included in the storytelling ... it helps normalize that culture and hopefully encourages audiences to be loving toward those characters, if they weren't already.

She adds that Robin being bisexual is a shout-out of support for the LGBTQ+ community ... and she hopes gay and queer characters are featured more in art, literature and comics.

Muhammad Ali's grandson, Nico Ali Walsh, is making his pro boxing debut Saturday ... a fight that never would've happened if Muhammad didn't stop his grandson from quitting the sport years ago, Nico tells TMZ Sports.

We talked to the 21-year-old, 0-0 fighter -- who's taking on 4-1 Jordan Weeks Saturday night in Oklahoma on ESPN+ -- and asked him about following in the footsteps of the most famous and beloved fighter of all-time.

"Everyone wants to compare me to my grandfather, I really appreciate it. I wish I looked like my grandfather, but nobody will look like him. I will not look like and nobody will ever look like him," Nico tells us.

Ali Walsh -- who was born in 2000 (19 years after Muhammad retired) -- says he almost quit the sport back in the day ... but Ali wouldn't let him.

"I would definitely not be boxing if I didn’t get [Muhammad's] blessing, so to speak. I asked him if I should be boxing, and you know, because at the time I wanted to quit boxing."

"It was getting a little tough, I was like 14. But, he didn’t let me quit. He kept pushing me to continue, continue, continue. And, I kept wanting him to tell me to quit, so I could. But, he didn’t let me."

FYI, Nico's mom is Rasheda Ali Walsh, Muhammad's daughter. The Ali Walsh family is (no surprise) athletically gifted. Nico's older brother, Biaggio, was one of the top high school football players in Nevada. He is currently on the UCLA football team.

Almost 61 years ago, a crowd of just over 6,000 fans showed up to an arena in Louisville to watch Ali, an unknown fighter at the time, make his pro debut.

He became arguably the most influential athlete of all-time.

Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra are almost 3 years into their marriage and the honeymoon phase looks to be in full effect still ... 'cause they can't seem to keep their hands off each other.

The singer and actress were all over each other Thursday during a group lunch date at Beach Blanket Babylon Restaurant in London's Notting Hill. Fellow diners at their table included Priyanka's mom, Madhu ... who sat right next to her daughter.

That close proximity didn't stop Priyanka from hugging and kissing her hubby. They were still holding hands while walking down the street after leaving the joint.

Nick and Priyanka will celebrate their third wedding anniversary in December. Remember that extravagant shindig? It sure was a wedding for the ages. They were nearly inseparable since they started dating in fall 2016 ... and they've kept it going strong ever since.

Jamie Spears has agreed it's time to step down as conservator of Britney's estate -- he just said so in new legal docs -- and he wants to work with the court on an orderly transition.

We've learned Jamie's lawyer is filing legal docs in which he says, "There are, in fact, no actual grounds for suspending or removing Mr. Spears as the Conservator of the Estate ... and it is highly debatable whether a change in conservator at this time would be in Ms. Spears' best interests."

And then, he lowers the boom ... "Nevertheless, even as Mr. Spears is the unremitting target of unjustified attacks, he does not believe that a public battle with his daughter over his continuing service as her conservator would be in her best interests. So, even though he must contest this unjustified Petition for his removal, Mr. Spears intends to work with the Court and his daughter's new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator."

The docs go on to say, "Regardless of his formal title, Mr. Spears will always be Ms. Spears' father, he will always love her unconditionally, and he will always look out for her best interests."

He goes on to attack Lynne Spears, saying she has had little, if any, involvement in the conservatorship, let alone Britney's life for the last 13 years. He says her credibility is undermined because Britney herself refused to even see Lynne when she was at a mental health facility in 2019.

He does say he essentially saved Britney when she was "in crisis, desperately in need of help" 13 years ago, adding, "Not only was she suffering mentally and emotionally, she was also being manipulated by predators and in financial distress. Mr. Spears came to his daughter's rescue to protect her."

In the docs, Spears' lawyer says Jamie had been working on a plan to leave the conservatorship with her then-attorney Sam Ingham.

He says he has never forced her to do anything, including performing.

We contacted Britney's lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, and he was unmoved by Jamie's decision to step down, telling TMZ ... "We are pleased but not necessarily surprised that Mr. Spears and his lawyer finally recognize that he must be removed. We are disappointed, however, by their ongoing shameful and reprehensible attacks on Ms. Spears and others."