Kids

R. Kelly going to a club for an hour and walking away with $22k cash might have lots of people upset -- but his ex-wife sure ain't one of them ... quite the opposite, actually.

A rep for Drea Kelly -- R. Kelly's ex of more than 10 years -- tells TMZ ... she takes no issue with R. Kelly getting out there and making a buck -- but not because she thinks he's innocent ... it's more about what it means for her and their kids.

We broke the story ... R. Kelly showed up to a club in Springfield, Illinois over the weekend, where he sang a bit of "Bump N' Grind," hung out for less than an hour ... and walked away with $22,000. He asked the media to go easy on him, as this was just a means to an end.

We're told Drea sees it this way ... if R. Kelly's working to fulfill his financial obligations, "no one can be mad at him for that." Besides, Drea's rep tells us the man certainly has responsibilities that need tending to with dough ... for the sake of his kids.

As we reported ... R. Kelly went BACK to jail last month because he couldn't pony up his back child support bill ... more than $160k. He got sent to the can but was bailed out when someone covered his tab after spotting him (again).

Not only that ... as far we know, R. Kelly is still on the hook for nearly $21k per month in child support, which he was also unsuccessful in getting a judge to lower at the time.

No word on whether he's paid Drea that $21k -- which he presumably still owes her monthly for their minor child, who's 17.

It's interesting ... R. Kelly told Gayle King during his CBS interview he wasn't able to pay Drea, in part because she's badmouthed him to the media ... and torpedoed his ability to make money.

4/9 -- At least one of Felicity's productions is on hold -- the Netflix comedy "Otherhood," co-starring Patricia Arquette and Angela Bassett, was supposed to be available April 26. We're told it no longer has a launch date.

She's co-starring in another Netflix film, "When They See Us" -- about the Central Park Five -- and that's still slated for a May 31 release.

3:23 PM PT -- Felicity's plea deal WILL include prison time after all, IF prosecutors get their way ... but only a little.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, federal prosecutors are recommending a prison term at the "low end of the sentencing guidelines."

In the docs, the feds say that would be somewhere between 4 to 10 months -- however, Felicity is reserving the right to argue the range should be 0 to 6 months. All of this should be sorted out in sentencing, and it's important to note, these are just the recommendations from prosecutors. The judge will have ultimate say at sentencing.

BTW, they also suggest she pay a fine or penalty of $20k, plus a TBD restitution amount and one year of probation.

Felicity Huffman has thrown in the towel in her college admissions cheating scandal ... agreeing to plead guilty, along with 12 other parents and one coach.

The former "Desperate Housewives" star was one of 14 people who entered guilty pleas Monday. She pled guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud as well as honest services mail fraud.

Felicity Huffman, 56, of Los Angeles, Calif, paid Rick Singer $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT test. The girl had twice the amount of time as normal to take the exam and the proctor corrected her answers afterward.

Huffman released a statement saying, "I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions."

She continues, "I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community."

As for sentencing ... no word. TMZ broke the story, our sources in the prosecutor's office say they wanted some prison time. The prosecutor recommends a sentence to the judge, and the judge has the final word.

The maximum sentence is 20 years in prison.

Lori Loughlin and her husband were not part of the plea deal.

Gabrielle Union was dancing her ass off at the Pride Festival in Miami Beach this weekend ... and it was all to show support for her 11-year-old stepson, Zion.

Zion is Dwyane Wade's son from a previous relationship but he lives with Dwyane and Gabby full-time and Gabby treats him like blood.

While Wade wasn't at the event -- the Miami Heat had a game in Toronto -- the NBA star was certainly proud of his family, saying:

"Zion had his own cheering section today. Wish I was there to see you smile kid."

The Pride Festival in Miami Beach is one of the biggest LGBTQ events in the country -- with more than 145,000 people flocking to South Beach last year to celebrate together.

Gabby was having a blast -- dancing, taking pictures with fans and signing autographs.

Zion was sporting a rainbow ribbon and a big ol' smile!

Dwyane posted a photo of his older son, Zaire -- a HUGE prep basketball star -- with Zion at the parade along with the caption, "We support each other with pride."

He added, "It's a family thing."

Chris Darden repping Nipsey Hussle's alleged murderer is having repercussions he might not have seen coming, so says the guy's daughter ... who's now getting harassed.

Jenee Darden -- one of Chris' adult children -- posted a statement on IG Sunday, saying she's been receiving "vile" comments and messages ever since the news broke last week that her dad was serving as Eric Holder's defense attorney.

Darden pled not guilty on behalf of Holder after he was charged with murder, but his mere presence in the courtroom took many people aback ... as he'd previously served as one of the prosecutors on the O.J. Simpson case, which he lost.

Jenee says there's been tons of backlash aimed at her because of Chris' recent decision to rep Holder, which she says is unwarranted ... because her father is a grown man and picks the cases he wants to take on. She says she has no say on any of that.

She also says she found about Chris' involvement in the case like everyone else ... scrolling through social media.

More interestingly, Jenee appears to be siding with Nipsey and his grieving family over her own father ... saying she grew up in a community similar to Nipsey's and understands why it's hit so hard for so many people to lose a mighty figure like him to a senseless murder.

Jenee goes on to say that the folks who are attacking her online should channel their energy toward continuing Nipsey's legacy by strengthening communities and continuing to uplift one another.

Lil Xan's girlfriend/fiancee has suffered a miscarriage.

Annie Smith revealed she and Xan lost the baby, saying, "Today I feel a hurt I never knew existed. A pain that comes from my soul. To my beautiful angel, mommy loves you more than she ever knew possible. You have made me the happiest woman in the world knowing I had the chance to be your mommy... I wish more than anything I could meet you, hold you and love you."

As we reported, Xan and Annie announced in mid-February she was 5 weeks pregnant.

Xan at the time told us he was surprised but super excited his girlfriend was pregnant. He also said it was now his motivation to stay sober and motivated.

Lori Loughlin looked like she didn't have a care in the world as she yukked it up with her daughter, Isabella, Friday afternoon, but there's no doubt this is all for the sake of appearance.

Lori and Isabella were out and about in Bev Hills and were all smiles and laughs as they waited for the valet to bring their car around.

It's anything but a fun time in their lives these days. Lori and hubby Mossimo Giannulli face felony charges for allegedly paying a $500k bribe to get Isabella and Olivia Jade into USC by hook or crook.

Prosecution sources tell TMZ, any plea bargain they strike will have a prison recommendation attached, although it's ultimately up to the judge.

Olivia Jade, who clearly didn't really want to go to college, reportedly isn't speaking to her parents she's so pissed off and distraught over the whole mess.

9:05 AM PT -- Rini initially refused to provide fingerprints when he talked to investigators who met him at Cincinnati Children's Hospital, but authorities say he absolutely claimed to be 14-year-old Timmothy Pitzen. However, he agreed to the DNA testing.

When officers confronted him with the results, which proved he's NOT Timmothy, he immediately copped to being a phony. According to the U.S. Attorney, Rini said he'd seen Timmothy's story on an episode of "20/20" ... and cooked up the idea to impersonate him in order to get away from his own family.

He said, "He wished he had a father like Timmothy's because if he went missing, his father would just keep drinking."

And there's this ... the FBI says Rini's done this kind of thing twice before -- pretending to be a victim of juvenile sex trafficking. He was exposed both times through fingerprints.

The U.S. Attorney says if Rini's convicted this time he faces up to 8 years in prison.

8:51 AM PT -- Authorities have just announced that Rini has been charged by the FBI for making false statements to a federal agent.

The FBI released a statement, saying, "False reports like this can be painful to the families of missing children and also divert law enforcement resources in order to investigate these untruthful claims."

They continue, "Law enforcement takes dishonest reports very seriously, and we caution that people making false claims can and will face criminal penalties."

8:21 AM PT -- Federal and local law enforcement will be providing an update of the situation at 8:30 AM PT. We will be live streaming.

7:05 AM PT -- It appears the relevant law for which Rini's being held prohibits people from engaging in a "trick or scheme" to falsify, conceal or cover up a lie.

7:00 AM PT -- It appears Rini's accused of making false statements to law enforcement. Since the FBI conducted the DNA testing ... he most likely lied to FBI agents, and that's why the feds will be taking him into custody.

The guy cops say posed as missing child Timmothy Pitzen is now getting all the attention he wants ... in jail.

Brian Michael Rini was busted in Hamilton County, Ohio late Thursday night, and his mug shot raises a lot of questions. The 23-year-old who posed as Timmothy -- who would now be 14 years old -- is rocking a 5:00 shadow!

The case just gets more and more bizarre.

ICYMI ... someone called 911 on Wednesday to say Rini was wandering around and claiming to be Timmothy, who went missing 7 years ago -- a case that drew national attention, and was even recently featured on the A&E show, "Live PD." Local cops and the FBI responded and picked up Rini ... but immediately did DNA testing to confirm if he was really Timmothy.

On Thursday, the test came back negative, and law enforcement knew they had an impostor. It's still unclear what Rini's motive was and what he's being charged with for pretending to be Timmothy -- but we know the U.S. Attorney's Office is on the case. So, he's going to be charged federally.

He was detained Thursday night in Ohio, and the feds have scheduled a news conference for 8:30 AM PT ... which TMZ will live stream in this post.

Rini, as it turns out, has a lengthy rap sheet. He just got out of jail a month ago after doing 18 months for vandalism and burglary. He's also been convicted of unauthorized use of a vehicle.

3:31 PM PT -- Timmothy's Aunt and Grandmother have just spoken out, thanking law enforcement and promising that they will never stop looking for Timmothy.

They also asked everyone to join them in praying for Rini, stating, "We hope our tragedy will help to shed some light on the horrific problems of suicide and missing children in our country."

2:05 PM PT -- The story just keeps getting more bizarre ... the kid claiming to be Timmothy isn't a kid at all! Cops say he's a 23-year-old MAN named Brian Michael Rini.

1:48 PM PT -- According to The FBI, DNA testing has revealed the 14-year-old claiming to be Timmothy is NOT the missing child. A statement reads, "A local investigation continues into this person's true identity."

Timmothy Pitzen -- a 6-year-old child who famously went missing in 2011 and was featured on "Live PD" -- has allegedly been found in Ohio after escaping his captors.

The story's pretty wild. A teenager discovered by locals in north Kentucky Wednesday morning claimed to be Timmothy and said he'd just escaped his 2 kidnappers. He reportedly said they'd been holding him for 7 years. The locals then called 911.

Cops went on the hunt, and eventually found the boy in Sharonville, OH ... just outside of Cincinnati. He claims he's 14-years-old now, and managed to escape from a Red Roof Inn ... although he's unsure where the motel was. He describes his kidnappers as white men covered in tattoos on their necks and arms who look like bodybuilders.

It's unclear if the teen, who's now in police custody is, in fact, Timmothy. A DNA test to confirm his identity is reportedly underway and should take about 24 hours.

Timmothy initially disappeared after his mother took him out of school one day for a 3-day vacation, but she ended up being found dead a few days later at an Illinois hotel. A note was found near her body, saying Timmothy was safe with people who'd care for him.

The story was heavily covered at the time, and even featured last year on the popular A&E show, "Live PD." The show produced a visual rendering of what Timmothy should look like now.

12:11 PM -- Felicity's also gone up before a judge and said she understood the seriousness of the charges. She had already surrendered her passport. So with that, she's also done. That was fast.

12:01 PM -- Lori and Mossimo have just appeared before a judge and both have surrendered their passports. The actress reportedly said hi to the prosecuting team, smiled and shook their hands. Lori and Mossimo are now done with their part of Wednesday's hearing.

11:03 AM PT -- Lori Loughlin just showed up to the Boston courthouse, and was quick to get inside. She avoided answering any questions from reporters, but was also met by some fans cheering, waving, and carrying Lori cutouts with them.

Lori gave a quick wave before marching into court.

Felicity Huffman has just arrived to face a judge for her involvement in the massive college bribery scandal.

The "Desperate Housewives" actress appeared in a federal courthouse in Boston Wednesday where she -- along with other parents including Lori Loughlin -- will reportedly know more about the conditions of their release.

As we first reported ... Lori and Felicity could cut plea bargains but prosecutors wanna see the parents do time behind bars. As one official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Lori and Felicity face up to 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

As we reported ... Felicity and Lori -- recorded on wiretapped calls discussing the scheme with ringleader William Rick Singer -- are accused of paying bribes to help get their kids into elite schools.

Felicity and her husband, William H. Macy, allegedly paid $15k to participate in a college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their eldest daughter, Sophia Grace, who was given twice the amount of time to take the SAT as other students. The feds say the proctor corrected her answers. She scored 1420 on her SAT ... an improvement of approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

Lori and her hubby, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying a whopping $500k to have their 2 daughters -- Isabella and Olivia -- designated as recruits for the crew team at USC ... even though they were never actually on any crew team. Mossimo allegedly sent Singer pics of the girls on rowing machines to make it look like they were indeed athletes.

On the morning the indictment was announced, 7 FBI agents showed up to Felicity's home with guns drawn and arrested her. The feds also showed up to Lori's home but she was in Vancouver. Mossimo was nabbed and later released. Lori surrendered the next day.

47 others were also caught up in the massive college bribery scandal the feds dubbed Operation Varsity Blues. The parents are accused of paying off Rick Singer ... the alleged ringleader who created a fake nonprofit, charitable foundation that served as a front to launder the payments.

The feds also said Singer -- who pled guilty to racketeering charges -- allegedly instructed the parents they could write off the alleged bribes as tax-deductible"donations" ... to his nonprofit.

According to court records, the actresses and others allegedly paid as much as $6.5M to get their kids into various schools ... including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and USC. In all, the feds uncovered about $25M in bribes.

Lori -- out on $1 million bond -- was mum when paps got her out the other day leaving a yoga session. The fallout from the scandal was immediate. Loughlin's girls withdrew from USC and Loughlin lost gigs with "Fuller House" and Hallmark.

Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman could cut plea bargains if they want 'em -- but they wouldn't be getting off easy ... because prosecutors want prison time, TMZ has learned.

Federal law enforcement sources tell TMZ, any plea would come with a recommendation by prosecutors that the actresses serve some time behind bars. The official told us, "You can't have people being treated differently because they have money. That's how we got to this place. Every defendant will be treated the same."

Prosecutors will not have the final word if the cases are plea bargained. The U.S. Attorney would make a recommendation to the judge, but the judge has the final word.

Lori and Felicity each face a maximum of 5 years in prison if convicted of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.

Our sources say it is "likely" plea bargain discussions will begin, but we're told no plea deal has been made.

Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have been accused of paying ringleader Rick Singer $500,000 to get their daughters into USC by falsely claiming they would participate in the crew team.

Felicity is accused of paying Singer $15,000 to rig her daughter's SAT test.

50 people have been charged in the alleged scams, and we're told more indictments are expected.

9:35 AM PT -- Tom's daughter, Adria, has filed a petition with probate court, accusing Dana of ignoring 2 of Tom's wishes as laid out in his will.

According to Adria's docs, Tom's will gives her and her sister, Annakim, equal input on decisions regarding the Estate ... and Dana's standing in their way. Also, Adria claims Dana was required to transfer Tom's "artistic property" assets out of his trust, and into a separate company that would be jointly administered by all 3 women.

Adria claims Dana's refused to make that transfer ... thereby allowing her to keep sole control of the assets. She wants a judge to force Dana to comply with Tom's will.

Tom Petty's widow claims the late singer's 2 daughters are attacking members of Tom's group, The Heartbreakers, and refusing to put out his unreleased tracks.

Dana York Petty claims in new court docs she's the one who runs the Estate but, for some reason, Tom insisted his 2 daughters from a previous marriage -- Adria and Annakim Petty -- be included in the decision-making process.

Dana says the daughters have conspired to push her out and adds they're making it impossible to manage the Estate.

As for the unreleased tracks, Dana claims in the lawsuit, filed by attorney Adam Streisand, both daughters, but mostly Adria, have gone off the rails ... directing their anger at everyone in Tom's orbit, including the surviving members of The Heartbreakers.

Dana points to an email directed at the surviving members -- Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell -- in which Adria rants, "What I don't have the temperament for is having my entire life raped. Being disparaged. My dad being disgraced. And being surrounded by selfish, unreliable people and drug addicts."

She goes on ... "I am sorry i am not a man and can not earn your respect through the work and deeds I do." And, the daughters are blocking the release of new solo tracks that Petty had recorded 25 years ago. Dana says she wanted to include the tracks in a 25th-anniversary box set release of his smash hit album, "Wildflowers."

Dana claims the release would produce upwards of a million bucks in royalties ... possibly more, but the daughters have blocked it. The suit claims Adria gave no real reason for her objection, other than to say the timing was off.

And, there's this ... Tom had a deep connection to the city of Gainesville, Florida, where he was born. The City renamed a park in Tom's honor and asked someone in the Estate to create artwork for a sign. The rep submitted a well-known image of Tom from one of his album covers.

The lawsuit claims Adria approved the artwork, only to later fire off an email to the rep, saying, "Your name is not Petty and you don't have the backbone to protect the estate from a horrible image like this one. Shame on you."

Dana wants an order from the judge asking him to appoint a day-to-day manager for the Estate, and to force Adria, in particular, to act rationally.

Tom died in 2017 of an accidental drug overdose.

Why the hell did Lonzo Ball cover his Big Baller Brand tattoo?

LaVar Ball is about to answer that question for the entire world, and reveal that despite the cover job, BBB is intact, and so is the Ball family.

We spoke directly to LaVar (he was in a loud arena -- that's why he's so close to the phone), and he told us that after Lonzo learned a former business partner allegedly defrauded the company of $1.5 million, he made the decision to dissolve the brand.

"We had a meeting before the story came out, man. And, everybody was in they feelings. What I mean by that is, we're not really thinking. 'Cause I told them we're shutting down everything, 'cause I don't want him to get nothing."

"So, I said it was shut down. And, that's why DMo and everybody heard what I said and was going on them things. Okay, triple B's is done."

LaVar says he came to his senses and decided to keep the brand alive ... but not before Zo's tattoo was covered.

Still, LaVar has no problem with Lonzo covering his BBB tat, 'cause the art was a distraction anyway.

"Lonzo had to cover that Triple B up anyway. You can't play with no band-aid when you not even hurt. It feels weird playing like that. So, you gotta cover it anyway."

As far as stories that the family is estranged ... LaVar calls B.S. on those too.

"The media's making it a big deal, man. Our family stick together. Everything is good. The games still going on, man. My boys still going forward, and my family is still in tact. So, I'm good."

Felicity Huffman and her daughter, Georgia Macy, hit the shops Saturday in West Hollywood.

The mother/daughter duo looked chill in the wake of the Varsity Blues college scandal. As you know, Felicity has been indicted on felony charges for allegedly paid bribery ringleader Rick Singer $15,000 to rig the SAT test of her other daughter, Sophia Grace ... giving her twice the amount of time to take it and then correcting her answers.

Sophia scored 1420 on the SAT, approximately 400 points over her PSAT.

They carted around a pack of Poly-fil ... used for arts and crafts.

Kimora Lee Simmons couldn't resist taking a shot at Lori Loughlin after her daughter got accepted to Harvard all on her own.

Russell Simmons' ex-wife just shared a video of their daughter, Aoki Lee Simmons, reading her acceptance letter into the Ivy League school ... with Kimora adding some not so subtle jabs at Lori and all the parents swept up in the college bribery scandal.

Kimora says she's proud of Aoki for getting accepted to Harvard on the strength of her own merit ... and not because she was on a bogus rowing team.

As we've reported ... Loughlin and her husband are facing criminal charges for allegedly paying $500,000 to have their 2 daughters designated as recruits for the crew team at USC -- despite the fact they did not actually participate in crew. Lori's daughters left USC after the scandal broke, and they could be banned from campus for life.

President Trump heard the outrage loud and clear, 'cause he just announced that he will NOT seek to cut nearly $18 MILLION in funding from the Special Olympics.

Trump's Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos proposed cutting nearly every cent of funding to the organization earlier this week ... and people were PISSED.

TMZ Sports even spoke to WWE legend and Special Olympics ambassador -- Big Show -- who called the idea "bulls**t."

Now, Trump is putting an end to all that talk ... telling reporters at the White House that he's given the order to fund the organization -- like was originally planned.

“The Special Olympics will be funded," Trump said ... "I just authorized the funding of the Special Olympics. I have overridden my people.”

One of the stars of "Little Women: Atlanta" is cutting her time on the show short ... Monie's leaving the franchise after losing a custody battle over her son.

We've obtained this clip from the season 5 premiere ... and you see Monie getting super emotional after coming up short in her legal battle to move her teenage son from Houston to Atlanta. It's her last episode ever, we've learned Monie's quitting the show to move home to Texas and live closer to her 13-year-old.

Monie's starred on the show since it began ... but our sources tell us she feels like her son, Derrick Beckton Jr., needs his mom's influence and care at a critical point in his life -- so she's dropping everything to move to Houston.

As fans of the show know ... Monie's been trying to gain custody of her son for over a year, battling her ex-husband in the Texas courts. She was traveling between Atlanta and Houston for 3 years to see her son, and wanted to permanently move her kid to Atlanta to live with her and her new hubby ... but a judge slammed those doors shut.

Sounds like quitting the show was an easy decision ... we're told Monie will always put her son before her career.