Family

Chris Cuomo is without a cable news job -- the longtime CNN anchor just got fired ... and it sounds like there's more to the story on the help he offered his brother this year.

The network just announced Chris' termination, saying they retained a respected law firm to conduct the independent review of his conduct -- and in light of that digging, they say they found further evidence that they felt warranted kicking him to the curb.

CNN writes, "While in the process of that review, additional information has come to light. Despite the termination, we will investigate as appropriate."

This is a stunning turn of events, but perhaps not totally unexpected ... as the writing appeared to be on the wall here. The fact Cuomo had been suspended indefinitely raised red flags to many, who felt like his days at CNN were limited.

Of course, this all comes on the heels of an investigation by the New York Attorney General's Office ... which published its reports, plus transcripts, which suggested Chris' involvement in his bro's scandal back in the Spring was way more intricate than previously thought.

There are text messages he's purported to have sent to Andrew's staffers, including one that read "I have a lead on the wedding girl" -- pertaining to one of the ex-Gov's accusers.

Lateche Norris -- the young woman from Indiana who vanished after taking a trip to San Diego to visit her BF -- has been found after being missing for weeks ... with an assist from Gabby Petito's family.

TMZ just spoke to the 20-year-old's father, Walter Callum, who tells us Lateche is currently with her mother, Cheryl Walker, somewhere in California. More importantly, we're told she is safe.

No other details about her recent whereabouts have surfaced just yet ... but we're waiting to hear back from Cheryl here in a bit.

If you hadn't heard about this story ... it's pretty crazy, and has echoes of Gabby Petito's case. Word is ... Lateche took a cross-country trip from Indiana in early November to visit her boyfriend, Joseph Smith, who had moved out west to California.

Lateche touched down in San Diego, but was reported missing not too long after ... as her parents lost contact with her, and the local authorities got involved. Her mom has said she believes there was some sort of fight between her daughter and Smith.

SD police posted surveillance video from a local 7-11, which apparently depicted Lateche inside. This is said to be the last time anyone had seen her, way back on Nov. 4.

There's also this ... we've learned that Gabby Petito's parents have actually been involved in helping Lateche's family. We're told Gabby's mom and dad have been giving Lateche's parents advice on how to deal with the media, and how to cope with the disappearance of their child. They've also been sharing the story a lot on social media.

The brother of 'Bachelor' Nation standout Ivan Hall -- who also made an appearance on Tayshia Adams' season of "The Bachelorette" -- has been charged with murder.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Gabriel Hall was arrested in October for the murder of Carlos Veliz Jr. in Abilene, Texas. Cops say Hall and Veliz were involved in some sort of verbal argument around 1:30 AM on August 31 ... and it ended with Gabriel shooting Veliz in the head, killing him.

Cops say they connected Hall to the crime with the help of surveillance footage in the area that linked a car he was renting to the scene. They also say they found a spent shell casing in the vehicle as well as evidence of gunshot residue on Hall's hands and clothing.

Ivan finished third as a contestant on Tayshia's season, and his relationship with Gabriel was a plot point on the show. During one episode, Gabriel surprised both Tayshia and Ivan when he joined them on the hometown date episode.

Ivan had previously shared with Tayshia that he helps raise Gabriel's 6-year-old daughter because Gabriel was regularly in trouble with the law.

Hall has been charged with murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, possession of methamphetamines and a slew of other counts.

Master P says he’s been separated from his estranged wife for over a decade and he's ready to start a new chapter ... so he wants the judge to step in and declare him single.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Master P says there's no reason he and his ex, Sonya Miller, should remain married any longer ... so he's asking the court to restore their single status ASAP.

Master P points out Sonya filed for divorce way back in 2013 after they separated in 2010, and he says they settled all their issues in 2016 and reached an agreement, but claims the paperwork was never submitted to the court.

So, to move things along, P has now filed legal docs requesting a bifurcation of his divorce ... legal speak for both parties getting single status now, and handling the rest of the divorce issues later.

"America's Got Talent" standout Jay Jay Phillips -- whose big hair gained as much attention as his talent -- has died from complications related to COVID-19.

A family member tells us Jay Jay was battling the disease at home Thanksgiving week. We're told family and friends were continuously checking in with him over the phone, and he took a turn for the worse the day before the holiday.

Jay Jay's family urged him to go to the hospital, but he just told them he needed more sleep ... and that was the last time they heard from him.

We're told Jay Jay's girlfriend and her mom -- who is a nurse -- went to check on him Thanksgiving Day and found him dead. The family member tells us Phillips was not vaccinated, but just before he got sick had started to tell people he planned on getting the shot soon.

Phillips' dad, who he lived with, is currently hospitalized and fighting for his life on a ventilator.

Jay Jay first made an appearance on season 4 of the talent competition, but was eliminated early. He came back during season 12, but was eliminated in the judge cuts just before the quarterfinals.

Phillips was 30.

Tyson Fury's beef with Deontay Wilder is over ... but his feud with Anthony Joshua is clearly still raging on -- 'cause the heavyweight champ shaded the hell out of the boxer with an "A.J. is a p***y!" song on Thursday.

The vulgar lyrics all went down in England at the O2 Apollo during Fury's meet-and-greet "Homecoming" Tour -- when the 33-year-old hilariously called out the 24-2 British boxer.

You can see in footage filmed by a fan in the stands, Fury jumped on stage and began singing "A.J. is a p***y" loudly.

And, it didn't take long for the rest of the arena to join in ... with everyone in the venue singing along with the pugilist!!

Of course, Fury was supposed to fight Joshua back on Aug. 14 in Saudi Arabia ... but the tilt was shut down when Wilder got a judge to rule in his favor that fury owed him a third fight due to a contract clause.

Fury went on to beat Deontay in an epic fight, but Joshua ended up losing his replacement match against Oleksandr Usyk on Sept. 25.

Joshua is set for a rematch with OU -- but Fury's actions on Thursday night show it's clear he eventually wants that scrap with A.J. to go down.

Chris Cuomo will be off the air for the foreseeable future on CNN's airwaves -- the cable news network just suspended the guy ... all over his efforts to protect his brother.  The question ... does Chris survive this at CNN?

CNN just announced they're benching Chris indefinitely over newly released evidence put out by the New York Attorney General's Office, which shows purported texts Chris sent to people on Andrew Cuomo's team in the middle of his sexual harassment scandal.

They say the new transcripts and exhibits that were dumped Monday "shed new light on Chris Cuomo's involvement in his brother's defense. The documents, which we were not privy to before their public release, raise serious questions."

CNN goes on to add Chris told them he admitted he'd offered advice to his brother's staff, breaking their rules ... which the network acknowledged publicly some time ago.

A network rep says they understood where he was coming from at the time, but in light of this -- they say, "[T]hese documents point to a greater level of involvement ... than we previously knew." As a result, he's suspended pending further evaluation.

ICYMI ... Chris was revealed to have texted about specific accusers, including Anna Ruch -- who accused Andrew of kissing her at a wedding. CC allegedly wrote to a staffer of Andrew's ... "I have a lead on the wedding girl," which implies he was looking into her.

The NY AG docs also suggest Chris was reaching out to his media industry sources to get recon on who else might be coming forward with allegations against his bro.

As you know ... Gov. Cuomo ultimately resigned from his post, maintaining he never purposely did anything inappropriate. However, he has since been embroiled legally as well ... now facing criminal charges over some of the claims against him.

Cuomo's ratings have tanked over the last few months, and the fact CNN is characterizing his suspension as "indefinite" opens the door to the question ... will CC ever return to the CNN anchor seat?

Ex-UCF star football player Otis Anderson Jr. was allegedly shot and killed by his dad on Monday night ... after the two had gotten into an argument over a dog bite.

It's all spelled out in new police documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which cops say Otis Jr.'s mom, Denise Anderson, told them the whole, violent altercation started after her son's girlfriend's dog had bitten Otis Anderson Sr.

Cops say Denise told them Otis Sr. was so enraged over the bloody wound caused by the dog -- he and Otis Jr. proceeded to get into a verbal altercation.

Denise claimed the two were eventually separated when she told Otis Jr. to go upstairs ... but cops say she then got into an argument with Otis Sr., one in which Otis Sr. flipped over a recliner, causing Otis Jr. to come back downstairs to check on his mom.

When Otis Jr. made it back downstairs, cops say Denise told them the father and son "got into another verbal altercation and it appeared like they were going to fight."

It's unclear exactly what happened next -- the report was heavily redacted by police -- but in the docs, cops note when they arrived on the scene, they found Otis Jr. suffering from "at least one gunshot wound to the chest."

The cops also noted in the docs Denise was "suffering from multiple graze wounds."

Officers say Otis. Jr. was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital, while Denise was treated for her wounds at the facility and later released.

In the docs, cops say they eventually arrested Anderson Sr. and booked him on charges of murder and attempted murder.

Jail records show he's still currently in custody.

As we reported, the NFL community is mourning the loss of Otis Jr. -- who signed with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this season before getting cut in September -- with stars like Jalen Ramsey and Micah Parsons expressing sadness over the situation.

UCF has also commented on the tragedy, saying in a statement, "He was revered by his teammates, our fans, and everyone within Knight Nation."

"Our deepest condolences go out to everyone who loved Otis. He was taken too soon and will truly be missed."

Cody Bellinger and his model GF, Chase Carter, are officially parents -- the Dodgers announced the couple's baby girl has just been born!

Bellinger's team said in a social media post Tuesday that the newest Belli entered the world this week ... and revealed her name is Caiden Carter Bellinger.

The team congratulated the star outfielder and his significant other ... giving a "welcome to the world" caption to the latest member of the Bellinger family.

No official word yet from either Mom or Dad on the birth -- we're sure a post is being prepped as we type -- but the two both shared the Dodgers' post and are no doubt thrilled about the addition nonetheless.

As we previously reported, Chase -- who's been dating Cody for about a year now -- revealed her pregnancy on Instagram back in July ... and Cody was thrilled about it all at the time, writing on Chase's post, "Ay ay ayyyyyyyy!!"

The best part for Cody -- baseball season is months away from kicking off ... meaning Belli's got plenty of time to enjoy his new role as Dad.

Aaron Carter thinks his family is actively working to place him under a conservatorship ... and he claims they've been going behind his back and talking to his now-ex to do so.

Aaron tells TMZ ... he was FaceTiming with his friend Monday and was told his fiancee Melanie Martin regularly communicates with his twin sister, Angel Conrad, a revelation that felt like betrayal.

Remember, Aaron is estranged from his family -- in 2019 Angel got a restraining order against him after claiming he threatened to send hitmen to her door -- and he tells us Melanie knew he did not want her talking to his fam.

Aaron and Melanie have an on-again-off-again relationship, and every time they broke up he claims his family would reach out to her and see if she was OK ... but he thinks they weren't being nice, there were ulterior motives.

The way Aaron sees it ... his family is trying to gain an ally in Melanie as part of a plan to get a conservatorship over him, using her to gather information for the case.

However, Melanie tells TMZ .. she doesn’t believe his family is trying to get a conservatorship and they never grilled her on info.

Aaron says he confronted Melanie after Monday's FaceTime and claims she denied talking to his family initially, but then admitted it was true and copped to communicating with them.

Sources close to Aaron's brother, Nick Carter, tell TMZ … Nick and his wife, Lauren, have no part in wanting to put Aaron under a conservatorship, and they haven't talked to Melanie because they have no relationship with Aaron or Melanie.

We're told people close to Nick see this as another way of Aaron trying to bring Nick and his family down.

As we reported ... Aaron and Melanie split early Tuesday morning, only one week after the birth of their son.

Aaron says Melanie wouldn't tell him what she's been talking to his family about ... and that's why he decided to end their relationship. With a newborn baby, Aaron says the timing of the split is unfortunate ... but he says it's his life and he feels like he's being taken advantage of.

Aaron Carter and his fiancee are no more -- just a week after they became first-time parents together -- and it appears more Carter family drama is to blame for the split.

Aaron announced he and Melanie Martin called it quits early Tuesday morning, saying, "There has been a very big lie and my sister communicating w my ex fiancé ruined everything considering she knew what angel tried to do to me in court thanks angel you ruined my family. God bless."

As we've reported, Aaron's had serious beef with his family, including with his twin sister, Angel, who he's apparently learned has been in regular communication with Melanie.

Aaron continues, "I have the most conniving deceiving family and Melanie has been lying to me the whole time communicating with my twin sister and the family members who tried to put me in prison and who tried to get a conservatorship on me in court. I’m in shocked this is horrible."

What's more, at least according to Aaron, Melanie is leaving California and taking the couple's son with her. He says she's leaving for Vegas with a friend named Carmen from "90 Day Fiance" and accuses Melanie of having had the backup plan all along.

As we reported, Aaron and Melanie welcomed Prince Lyric Carter last Monday after an emergency c-section and 13 hours of labor.

At the time, Aaron said of Melanie, "I’m so proud of you hunny you did it I Love you with all my heart my beautiful blessings from god."

Jussie Smollett's back in Chicago, finally standing trial for allegedly staging the racist and homophobic attack he reported to cops ... and he's brought lots of backup.

The actor was greeted by a huge crowd of reporters and photographers on his way into the courthouse Monday morning. Jussie was flanked by 7 family members, including his sister Jurnee Smollett, as he strode in to face charges of felony disorderly conduct over the alleged January 2019 attack.

A grand jury indicted Smollett last year on six counts -- all related to lying to cops about the incident -- and he's pled not guilty to all the charges.

This is take 2 for Chicago in prosecuting Smollett for allegedly lying. He'd originally been hit with 16 charges, but the prosecutor's office unexpectedly dropped all of them back in March 2019.

A special prosecutor then presented the case to a grand jury ... resulting in the 6 new charges.

You'll recall, Jussie originally said 2 white men had attacked him at 2 AM on a brutally cold night ... hurling homophobic and racist slurs and, pouring what he believed to be bleach, all over him. He also claimed they'd yelled, "This is MAGA country" at him and left a rope around his neck.

However, Abel and Ola Osundairo eventually came forward and claimed the whole thing was staged.

The brothers, who are definitely NOT white, told cops Jussie paid them to pull off the fake attack ... which pissed off Chicago PD and led to Cook County State Attorney Kim Foxx bringing the original charges.

The Osundairo brothers are expected to testify during Jussie's new trial.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are helping their kids give back ... working hand in hand with their daughters to help fight hunger in the community, and doing the grunt work.

It was a joint effort over the Thanksgiving weekend at Ben's home in Pacific Palisades, where they hosted a food drive for Rise Against Hunger.

As you can see, Ben and Jen were tasked with unloading a huge truck and hauling 50-pound sacks of rice and goods into the house ... and he flexed his muscles, even slinging 2 bags over his shoulders at a time.

J Lo was pretty impressive too, doing it all in high heels!!!

Ben's oldest daughter, Violet, appeared to be leading the effort ... and his other daughter, Seraphina, was doing her part too along with Jen's daughter, Emme.

Food insecurity and hunger is a huge issue nationwide ... and Rise helps provide food and support to local communities.

Lincoln Riley is already a VIP in his new home -- the next USC Trojans head coach and his family hopped off a private jet and landed in L.A. on Monday ... complete with a red carpet treatment!!

The ex-Oklahoma Sooners play-caller was announced as the 30th coach in program history on Sunday ... a move that has USC fans stoked, and OU backers livid.

LR wasted no time making his way to Southern Cal ... boarding the PJ early Monday morning and heading to Tinseltown -- right as folks in Norman let him know exactly how they feel about his departure.

Two "TRAITOR" signs have been draped over the seed sower statue and entrance to the Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium ... which, of course, is a direct shot at the guy who led the Sooners to four Big 12 championships.

Riley was 55-10 as a head coach ... winning Big 12 coach of the year in 2018 and making it to three College Football Playoffs.

The dads are at it again in Cleveland.

Kareem Hunt Sr. -- father of Browns star running back Kareem Hunt -- ripped Baker Mayfield after an ugly loss to the Ravens on Sunday ... saying the quarterback is simply scared to throw the ball.

Emotions were clearly high after Cleveland lost 16-10 at Baltimore -- despite intercepting Ravens' QB Lamar Jackson four times -- and well, Kareem's pops didn't hold back.

"[Baker's] limping he's scared to throw the ball and they know he's hurt they going to keep listening but if people don't like what I'm saying unfriend me," Hunt Sr. said.

"I'm not jeopardizing nothing I got a right to speak I ain't posting no videos have a good day go Browns hopefully."

Now, this isn't the first time the father of a star Browns player took aim at Cleveland's signal-caller -- Odell Beckham Jr.'s father shared a lengthy video on social media detailing the lack of chemistry between Mayfield and his son.

Beckham was released by the Browns shortly after ... leading many to believe the video was carefully orchestrated by the Beckham camp to "#FreeOdell."

Now, it seems like Hunt Sr.'s turn to take a shot at the Mayfield ... who has struggled to quarterback the 6-6 team lately.

In Mayfield's defense, he's opened up about dealing with several injuries ... including a torn labrum in his left shoulder, a groin injury, and a left heel issue.

Ben and Jen aren't married -- they're not even engaged, yet -- but they are sure acting like a couple that already tied the knot.

B&J walked hand-in-hand to a music studio Saturday ... presumably JLo's recording new tunes. This follows spending Thanksgiving together, along with JLo's twins, Max and Emme.

Ben did double duty, also chowing down with his kids, Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ben and Jen have been looking for a house together in the L.A. area, but so far they haven't sealed the deal. Nonetheless, they are not only spending time together, but they are also traveling all over the world together.

What's going to be interesting ... whether Ben and Jen get all the kids together over the holiday weekend. Since they're looking for a house together, that's probably already happened.