Family

Ben Affleck was on dad (and possibly stepdad) duty this weekend -- with not just his kids in tow, but with one of the children of his beloved, Jennifer Lopez, too ... the first time we've actually seen that happen.

The actor was out Sunday with his son, Samuel, his daughter, Seraphina ... plus, J Lo's 13-year-old daughter, Emme -- who was out there rockin' the blue-green hair. Seraphina is right around Emme's age ... and Sam's a bit younger at 9. Still though, they all seemed chummy.

Ben, meanwhile, had his hands full ... with a ton of Wetzel Pretzel snacks and some drinks for good measure. They were out at the Universal City Walk, with some adult companions (possibly nannies/security guards) tagging along as well. No sign of Jen or her boy, Max, here.

No matter ... because this itself is a HUGE step toward blending their family units -- much like Jennifer was doing with A-Rod when they were engaged not too long ago. Their kids were constantly hanging out with one another -- and now, it seems Bennifer's doing the same.

There's even more evidence that Jen and Ben are seriously intertwining their personal lives -- just a couple days ago, J Lo was spotted out with Max ... touring a school in L.A. We'd already seen her doing some of that on her own a little while ago -- but this time, she brought the kid to check things out too.

Wendy Williams made light of the murder of TikTok star Swavy on her TV show -- something for which his mother and brother say she now needs to apologize ... because she painted him in a bad light and outright disrespected him too.

We spoke with Swavy's mom and older sibling -- Chanell Clark and Rahkim Clark, respectively -- about the segment Wendy did earlier this week on-camera ... where she introduced Swavy to her audience by comparing social media followers, and throwing up a not-so-flattering photo of him -- this before getting to the lede ... namely, him being killed.

You can see the clip for yourself ... and it's obvious why Chanelle and Rahkim are upset -- not to mention scores of people who watched this at home, who were outraged by her handling of such a sensitive topic. The Millers are in the same boat, as it turns out.

Check out our interview ... Rahkim takes the lead on explaining why Wendy's words were so hurtful. As he points out -- this isn't just another celebrity news gossip story she may normally cover in her day-to-day lineup ... this is their own flesh and blood, and it's real life for them.

As angry as he is, it's probably nothing compared to Chanelle -- whom, BTW, says she saw her son get shot in Delaware Monday, and was actually with him during his last breaths. She flat out tells TMZ ... Wendy owes her/the fam a huge sorry for discussing her boy that way.

The Millers say they felt Wendy misrepresented Swavy as a thug or as someone who dabbled in the street, and that couldn't be further from the truth. So, they're demanding a full mea culpa ... and a correction for good measure.

Fact is ... the young man was already blowing up online, but his mother and brother feel she exposed him to a whole new demographic in the worst possible way -- tarnishing his legacy.

A black cat from the 9th floor of the collapsed Miami condo apparently has 9 lives -- because it's been found alive and well ... and now, reunited with grateful family members.

Binx the cat belongs to the Gonazalez family, who reportedly lived in unit 904 of the doomed Champlain Towers South condo complex. The kitty was returned to the fam on Friday, complete with a news conference to announce the tiny sliver of good news amid the horrific tragedy.

As Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava put it, "I'm glad that this small miracle could bring some light into the lives of a hurting family today, and provide a bright spot for our whole community."

Officials say a volunteer found Binx near the destroyed building. Volunteers and animal control workers have been scouring to find any pets that might have escaped during and after the building collapse.

It's unclear if the Gonzalezes were home when the building shockingly came down early in the morning of June 24 -- but the great news is they're safe, and so is their beloved Binx.

Britney Spears has just taken the first step to end her conservatorship ... TMZ has learned she's contacted a large law firm ... and assuming the firm agrees and is permitted to represent her, the first order of business will be filing legal docs asking the judge to remove her father as conservator of her estate.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney wants to hire powerful lawyer and former federal prosecutor Mathew Rosengart. Britney has signed the following document:

"Pursuant to my statement in open court on June 23, 2021, my rights, and my desire to end the above-referenced conservatorship as to my father Jamie P. Spears, it is my desire to choose and retain my own counsel, at Greenberg, Traurig, LLP as set forth above."

The document is signed "BRITNEY JEAN SPEARS"

Rosengart, a partner in the firm, has represented a number of high-profile clients over the years, including Steven Spielberg, Sean Penn, Ben and Casey Affleck, Eddie Vedder, Soledad O'Brien, Michael Mann and NBA star Jimmy Butler.

TMZ broke the story ... Britney's long-time, court-appointed lawyer in her conservatorship case, Sam Ingham, resigned earlier this week. Our sources say Ingham believed he could no longer represent Britney because, in part, of her comments in court that she was never informed until recently she could end the conservatorship. We're told Ingham and others dispute that and say Britney was told numerous times over the years -- many times on the record in court -- that she could end the conservatorship, but she always declined to do so.

Britney became increasingly upset over the years ... especially with her dad, and wanted him out both as the conservator of her person and conservator of her estate. Jamie resigned as conservator of her person but remains sole conservator of her estate.

Bessemer Trust was scheduled to become co-conservator of Britney's estate but withdrew a week ago.

Our sources say Rosengart and his team have not formally agreed to represent Britney, but if he does the mission will be to attempt to end the conservatorship, although the first step is removing Jamie.

Britney has already asked the judge to end the conservatorship without any further medical evaluation. That will be an uphill climb, because nearly 2 dozen doctors and therapists have weighed in over the years ... saying Britney has a serious mental illness that would imperil her safety if left to her own devices. The judge did not indicate whether she's receptive to bypassing a mental health exam as a pre-condition to ending the conservatorship.

The other hurdle Britney must jump -- she's in a conservatorship, so she's unable to enter into a contract without the approval of her conservator. The person who must sign off -- none other than Jamie Spears. This would explain why the first step would be to attempt to remove Jamie.

Looks like actress Inanna Sarkis just learned, the hard way, how much horsepower her Tesla's packing .. after seriously damaging her ride and a homeowner's fence in a solo car crash.

The "After We Collided" star smashed her white Tesla Model X into someone's front yard fence earlier this week in the San Fernando Valley. A witness tells us she was the only person in the SUV.

It's unclear what exactly caused the crash but our sources say the Model X -- which was a gift from her BF, Matthew Noszka -- barreled into the home's front yard, taking out a brick pillar and a huge chunk of the iron fence.

We're told Matthew showed up to the scene minutes after the accident and picked her up ... leaving the Tesla behind for a tow truck.

It's unclear if Inanna suffered any injuries. We haven't heard back from her camp.

Inanna became famous as a social media star from Canada, but in recent years she's had success in film and TV. She's best known for playing Molly Samuels in the 2019 Netflix film "After" ... starring Josephine Langford, Hero Fiennes Tiffin and Selma Blair. She was also in the sequel, "After We Collided."

She made her big-screen debut in Tyler Perry's "Boo 2! A Madea Halloween."

Britney Spears' personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, is looking to get paid for her work ... and she's asking the court to approve a 6-figure check.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jodi is asking the court to approve her fees of $221,090 for the work she did for Britney's conservatorship from Nov. 1, 2019 to the end of February 2021.

In the docs, Jodi's also asking the court to approve an additional $65,465 to cover the cost for her personal lawyer.

Jodi's fee requests come on the heels of her seeking 24/7 security in the wake of what she claims is a flood of death threats coming her way since Britney's scathing testimony, filled with complaints about her treatment under the conservatorship.

As we first told you ... Britney's dad, Jamie Spears, objected to Jodi's request to have the estate pick up the tab for beefed up security, which she estimated would cost $50k per month.

Harry Hamlin admits he's not exactly kosher with his youngest daughter, Amelia, dating Scott Disick due to their significant age gap, but then again ... like father, like daughter, right?

20-year-old Amelia's father revealed his feelings about her relationship with her 38-year-old BF on the latest episode of 'RHOBH,' telling the ladies the age difference issue is on his mind a lot ... and he calls it "odd."

In the same breath, Harry copped to his own history, saying he compares Amelia and Scott to himself. If ya didn't know ... young Harry dated and had a child with actress Ursula Andress who was 14+ years older than him.

Harry and the original Bond girl's son, Dimitri, was born in 1980, 17 years before he married Lisa Rinna. Harry and Lisa then had their first daughter, Delilah, in 1998 ... and Amelia in 2001.

So, Hamlin told the 'RHOBH' housewives he can't really complain about Disick dating his daughter -- but he's a dad, so ya know he's gonna do it.

Is there a confrontation brewing?

Lynne Spears is wasting no time ... just a day after Britney's court-appointed lawyer resigned, she's asking the judge to allow her daughter to hire her own private lawyer to get the ball rolling in ending her conservatorship.

Lynne filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, in which she says what may have been the case 13 years ago when the conservatorship was established is no longer the case. Lynne's lawyer says Britney is now able to care for herself and further notes she "had to perform in front of millions of people, has had to manage hundreds of performances, has had to use her artistic and creative talents to prepare for shows by choreographing each and every move for and interacting with many co-performers, and has had to rehearse and perform for many thousands of hours over the years."

Lynne's lawyer lists 10 demands Britney made during her June 23 hearing, but says first among them must be the appointment of counsel of her choosing because that impacts each and every one of her demands.

Lynne notes Britney said she was unaware she could even end the conservatorship ... something we're told is strongly disputed by others involved in it.

Lynne is asking either for the court's permission for Britney to choose her own lawyer, or for the court to appoint a lawyer acceptable to Britney.

It's interesting ... Britney went after Lynne when she testified last month.  Furthermore, this will be an uphill climb for Lynne, because the judge could easily say she doesn't have legal standing to file such documents.

Britney Spears' personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, wants increased security measures for herself in the wake of Britney's testimony, because she says she's dealing with threats on her life.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jodi claims she's getting flooded with death threats over social media, text message, email and phone and she wants security guards to start protecting her around the clock.

In the docs, Jodi says the threats of violence picked up after Britney testified in court about the conservatorship ... and she wants Britney's estate to pick up the tab for a 24/7 security detail. That cost would have to be approved by the conservator of Britney's estate ... Brit's father, Jamie Spears, and the judge.

As you know, Britney says the conservatorship has all but ruined her life and her fans are making a renewed push to #FreeBritney ... and now Jodi claims some of those folks are coming after her.

In the docs, Jodi also claims Britney asked her stay on as the co-conservator of her person ... and to help the singer find a new attorney.

Matt Mauser -- who lost his wife in the helicopter crash that also killed Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- gave an emotional audition for "America's Got Talent" on Tuesday ... and the performance is incredibly moving.

The 51-year-old shared his tragic story with judges Simon Cowell, Heidi Klum, Sofia Vergara and Howie Mandel ... before singing a rendition of "Against All Odds" by Phil Collins.

Mauser -- who met Christina at a bar in 2004 -- broke down his final memories of his wife ... saying she kissed him goodbye and said "I love you" before the fatal helicopter ride in Jan. 2020.

Mauser got teared up before performing the cover ... as he brought his 3 children on stage.

Not only is his story powerful, but Mauser has some serious pipes ... giving it his all.

After completing the audition, Mauser got a standing ovation from the judges and the audience ... and there may not have been a dry eye in the house.

Mandel applauded Mauser for being able to move an entire room full of strangers ... with each judge giving him a resounding "yes" to move on to the next round.

Darnella Frazier, the teenager whose video of George Floyd being killed went viral, has been left shaken by a death at the hands of police once more -- but this time, it's personal.

The teen's uncle -- 40-year-old Leneal Frazier -- was struck in his car by an oncoming Minneapolis Police squad car early Tuesday morning as the cops were pursuing an armed robbery suspect ... an impact that ended up killing him, and seriously hurting the officer.

Leneal was not involved in the chase whatsoever -- he was simply making his way to his girlfriend's house through what some are saying was a residential area. According to reports, the cop car changed lanes heading northbound, hitting Leneal at an intersection.

Darnella's mother confirmed to local media that it was her brother who was killed -- and Darnella herself took to FB to share the tragic news with a devastating post.

She writes, "I honestly can’t believe I’m making this post right now...I’m so hurt...nothing feels real. I woke up to the most horrible news. MINNEAPOLIS police Killed my uncle MY uncle... Another black man lost his life in the hands of the police! I asked my mom several times “he died??”. I couldn’t accept what I was hearing and still can’t."

Darnella went on to describe how she was still processing Leneal's death, and how she was filled with sadness, adding this as well ... "Minneapolis police has cost my whole family a big loss...today has been a day full of heartbreak and sadness ... It’s not fair how the police can just go around killing people." She's also angrily questioning why cops were engaged in a high speed chase on residential roads.

Of course, Darnella's famous for being one of the few who recorded Floyd's murder under Derek Chauvin's knee last May. Her now-viral video was central to Chauvin's conviction, and also earned her several commendations, including one from the Pulitzer folks.

As we've reported ... observing Floyd's death emotionally scarred Darnella, so losing her uncle in another police-involved incident seems like textbook PTSD.

The Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck reunion tour is making a brand new stop ... this time they're hanging at her place in the Hamptons with her kids.

J Lo and Ben -- now fully rekindled -- were out and about Tuesday, with Ben behind the wheel while they drove around New York's summer vacation hot spot.

In addition to driving Ms. Lopez, BA looked very comfy in potential-future-stepdad mode as the couple took Jen's daughter, Emme, out for a shopping excursion.

East Coast Bennifer's picking up where they left off right before the July 4 holiday ... remember, we last saw them out together Friday at Universal Studios theme park in Hollywood.

J Lo's got a pad mansion in the Hamptons, and as we reported ... her ex, Alex Rodriguez, is renting a $200,000 a month pad about a mile down the road from Jennifer's crib.

Britney Spears' personal conservator, Jodi Montgomery, will not be following the singer's longtime manager and lawyer out the door ... 'cause she has zero plans to resign.

Jodi issued a statement Tuesday confirming her plans are to continue supporting Britney in her role as personal conservator ... that is unless Britney states she wants Jodi out of that role. While Brit expressed some dissatisfaction with Jodi ... the statement reads, "Ms. Spears as recently as yesterday has asked Ms. Montgomery to continue to serve."

The news comes directly on the heels of Britney's longtime manager, Larry Rudolph, resigning after claiming he heard Britney intended to officially retire. Britney's lawyer, Sam Ingham, is also leaving his job. Bessemer Trust has already bowed out as co-conservator of her estate.

As we reported ... Jamie Spears handpicked Jodi, Brit's care manager, to replace him as temporary conservator of her person. The judge signed off on the request back in September 2019 after Jamie requested to relinquish his powers as her personal conservator due to personal health reasons.

Then, just last March, Britney requested Jodi remain in the role on a permanent basis. It should be noted ... when the court docs were filed in Britney's conservatorship case the singer also asked for Jamie to resign from his position for good.

Our sources connected to the case told us at the time Jamie had no objections to the change. But, that was then and this is now ... when there's tension between Jamie and Jodi, to say the least.

As we reported ... Jamie put Jodi on blast following Britney's claims he has taken away her freedom and even her right to marry. He says if there's anyone to blame ... it's Jodi.

Jodi didn't wait long to respond to Jamie's finger-pointing ... saying Britney's desire to get married and have a baby has never been impacted by the conservatorship while Jodi's been conservator of the person.

Kim Kardashian makes just about everything look so easy and effortlessly. But, wakeboarding? Not so much.

Kim K tried channeling her inner Robert Kelly Slater during a wakeboarding sesh while on a long holiday weekend in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho ... giving the water sport a decent shot.

You can see Kim getting instructions on the fly ... and she ultimately paid the price with a gnarly wipeout after the waves got a little too bumpy for her equilibrium to handle.

It took a couple tries, but eventually Kim gets up ... and, not just that, she eventually mustered the courage to let go of the rope and ride a wave. She threw her arms up in celebration.

Claudia Conway's breathing a sigh of relief, and it sounds like her mom, Kellyanne Conway, is too -- the update on their relationship status is they're a-ok ... but probably still complicated.

The teen daughter of Trump's former advisor -- not to mention a rising TikTok star in her own right -- took to her fave platform to give her followers the lowdown on where things stood between dear old mom and her. As you know, they've had a tumultuous relationship over the past year and change.

Check it out ... CC says they're getting better with one another, explaining they've both gotten help they each needed, and are working through their differences. It's actually super encouraging to hear -- seems like the mother-daughter duo have had some solid heart-to-hearts of late.

Claudia also provides a bit of context on Kellyanne herself -- without getting into the nitty-gritty -- about stuff she herself has been through in her own life ... something her daughter appears to appreciate now, and which could possibly explain some of their blow-ups.

Their rocky run-ins are well documented. Between Kellyanne appearing to snatch Claudia's phone away mid-sentence (and subsequently grounding her from electronics) last October to the even more shouting matches Claudia captured in January ... it's been a wild ride.

The latter situation sparked a brief criminal investigation into what was going in the household, but nothing serious ever came of it. They did seem to make a bit of peace when Claudia auditioned for and actually competed for a bit on 'American Idol' -- and Kellyanne appeared on the show to support her.

Seems Travis Barker and Kourtney Kardashian can't get enough Disneyland.

They hit up the theme park Sunday for the third time in a month. Kourtney's 2 boys, Reign and Mason, tagged along with Travis' kids, Alabama and Landon.

They already seem like a blended family ... all smiles as they jumped on rides at Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain.

Travis was clowning with his kids and they all mugged for pics during their day at the park.

It wasn't your average fam, for sure. Two bodyguards kept a watchful eye on the brood as they meandered around the park grounds.

They also had a VIP guide ... the cost is crazy -- $600 an hour with a 7-hour minimum.  One thing's for sure ... they can surely afford it.

Travis and Kourtney began dating in January, but they've known each other forever.  There are all sorts of rumors they'll get engaged. Who knows, but it wouldn't be surprising.