Kids

Lori Loughlin may have gotten an assist in her defense -- good old-fashioned ignorance -- 'cause her daughters almost perfectly fit the mold with how women's rowing teams recruit.

An ad for the USC women's crew team popped up on campus over the weekend -- and we for sure thought it couldn't have been real ... seeing how tone-deaf it came off and the implications behind it, considering Olivia Jade and Isabella's "no experience."

Well ... turns out, the poster is real because we've been educated on how USC women's rowing teams work when it comes to recruiting walk-ons and the like.

A USC alum who was actually a coxswain at the university tells us women's rowing teams often recruit potential teammates who have zero experience in the sport -- which is kinda what Olivia Jade and Isabella were coming to the table with.

Typically, the way it works is that you already have to be a student to qualify for the team ... it's not for some random people on the street who want in at USC.

But, here's the thing ... in Lori's case, prosecutors have to prove criminal intent to seal a conviction. Sources connected with Lori's defense claim Lori didn't know the $500k payoff was shady, even if the plan was to pretend her daughters were crew-team ready. The poster would seem to help Lori and her husband, both of whom are charged with multiple felonies, because crew experience doesn't seem to be essential.

Unless Layzie Bone can prove a DNA test with 99.9999999% accuracy is wrong, he IS the father of another child ... TMZ has learned.

We broke the story ... the Bone Thugs-N-Harmony rapper -- real name Steven Howse -- was involved in a paternity case in Michigan with the baby's mother, Shateira Marketa Childress. She claimed he was the father of her child, Sevyn, and turns out ... she was right.

According to the test report ... DNA samples were collected from the trio in April, and Layzie's been determined to be the biological father with almost 100 percent certainty.

As we told you, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services is looking to establish Layzie as the father in order to determine how much he'll have to fork over in child support.

The rapper was involved in another paternity suit in 2013 with a different woman, and he was found to be the father that time as well. Layzie -- who apparently ain't all that lazy -- also has 3 other kids with his wife of many years.

Amy Schumer has given birth to her first child ever with her husband, Chris Fischer -- which ends what's been a bumpy pregnancy for the comedian over the past 9 months.

Amy announced the birth Monday, saying she popped overnight around 10:55 PM.

She posted a photo of her, her husband and the new kid on Instagram with the caption ... "10:55 pm last night. Our royal baby was born."

No word on a name yet -- much like Meghan and Harry -- but we're sure that'll come soon. She didn't release the baby's weight stats either.

Like we said -- it's been a rough ride for Amy these past several months, which included multiple episodes of sickness ... and yacking. You'll recall, Amy was even hospitalized at one point for hyperemesis -- aka severe morning sickness -- which forced her to cancel a comedy show.

She was back on her feet shortly after though, but not before hitting the toilet again in a very public way the following month.

We can only imagine she's glad that ride is over. Congrats!!!

Wendy Williams' estranged husband is seeking a boatload of money from her -- in the form of alimony and more ... TMZ has learned.

Kevin Hunter filed his response to Wendy's divorce petition, and according to the docs, obtained by TMZ, he wants her to pay him spousal support and also child support for their kid, Kevin Jr.

Junior is 18 now, and will turn 19 in August. Wendy's ex also wants her to foot the bill for their son's college expenses.

Wendy filed for divorce last month in NJ, where they used to live together. The long-expected move came weeks after Kevin's alleged mistress gave birth, and he's believed to be the father.

Kevin was also an executive producer on Wendy's show and was her personal manager. As we reported ... Kevin's since been booted off the show, and Wendy's in the market for a new manager.

Olivia Jade is putting her life back together one furniture purchase at a time -- at least that's what it looked like as she left IKEA with a mystery man.

Lori Loughlin's youngest daughter was walking out of the home furnishings store Friday in LA -- with a dude who wasn't her boyfriend, Jackson Guthy -- pushing a cart with just one boxed item in it. A Fjällbo coffee table? Or a Skarsta desk? Maybe even a Vittsjö shelf unit???

Who the hell knows? One thing that is clear -- she's gonna be building something, and seeing how we're told this was shot AFTER a trip to USC ... it's likely she's on the move.

Olivia didn't say much about the college cheating scandal, FWIW. The pap grilled her though, asking if she'd been in contact with her mom, and whether she was moving out.

As you know ... both of Olivia's parents have pled not guilty to the slew of charges brought against them since they were first indicted back in March for allegedly paying upwards of $500k in bribes to get their daughters into USC under false pretenses.

Felicity Huffman went a different route -- copping a plea, but still facing the possibility of jail time ... if prosecutors get their way.

Someone at USC wants you to think that Lori Loughlin and her daughters were NOT a one-off, but actually the status quo in that ya need NO experience for the women's rowing team.

A laminated poster promoting the D1 ladies crew team is literally hanging in the women's locker room inside USC's Lyon Rec Center right now, which has a pretty eyebrow-raising slogan ... "Join USC's Women's Rowing ... No experience? No problem."

There's even an email to contact the official asst. coach for questions, and the USC women's rowing social media handle is attached as well. Hmm ... interesting.

As you know ... Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, have both been indicted and charged for allegedly paying hundreds of thousands in bribes to get their daughters -- Olivia Jade and Isabella -- into USC via the crew team ... even though they weren't rowers.

For the record ... Lori and Mossimo have pled not guilty to the initial conspiracy charges, as well as the additional money laundering charges that were filed when they didn't follow Felicity Huffman's lead in copping a plea.

Either way -- it would appear this poster is an elaborate joke that someone went to some lengths to pull off, assuming it is, in fact, fake. We only say that because it looks pretty damn real ... and it's eerily similar to an official recruiting ad the rowing team ran in 2018.

So, here's the thing .... we'd like to give USC the benefit of the doubt and assume this is a fake, 'cause if it wasn't ... it'd be incredibly tone-deaf and, frankly, dumb all things considered.

Jenelle Evans husband is now admitting what seems obvious after brutalizing and shooting his family dog -- that he has dangerous anger issues, but he's ready to get help keeping his temper in check.

Sources close to David Eason say the former reality star is on the hunt for a program or therapist to administer anger management. We're told he knows his temper has become a massive strain on his marriage.

It's not just about impressing Jenelle, though. On the heels of killing their French bulldog, Nugget ... we're told Eason truly understands his anger could be a danger to his loved ones.

TMZ broke the story ... Eason is under investigation for animal cruelty after pummeling, and then shooting Nugget -- all after the dog barely nipped at their 2-year-old daughter.

While the investigation is ongoing, a law enforcement source tells us Eason could catch a break if he can prove he feared the dog could become aggressive again. There's a section under animal cruelty laws in North Carolina that states a pet owner can kill an animal lawfully for "the purposes of protecting the public, other animals, property or the public health."

As for Eason's temper ... it was on full display Friday in a Wilmington, NC courthouse when he threatened a reporter attempting to ask him about the dog case. Eason was in court to pay back child support to an ex-girlfriend. Sources tell us he had to pawn some personal items last minute to come up with the $5,187.

David Eason doesn't just abuse and kill helpless animals -- he's also allegedly abused his baby mama and fell way behind on child support payments ... and if he hasn't paid by today he could end up in jail.

Eason is currently under criminal investigation for animal cruelty. As we reported, earlier this week he savagely beat and then shot his French Bulldog which barely nipped at his 2-year-old daughter's face. The nip was so minor it didn't draw blood or even puncture the skin. We're told David repeatedly slammed the dog on the back porch before taking it to the backyard and killing it with a shotgun.

But, his troubles don't end there. Eason briefly dated a woman named Olivia Leedham in 2013 and the two had a son together. Leedham went to court, claiming Eason shoved her when she was 8 months pregnant and left her in the middle of the road at night when she was 7 months pregnant.

The two have been in a nasty custody battle for years ... and we've learned he's fallen thousands of dollars behind in child support. His deadline for paying it is today, and if he hasn't anted up he could end up in jail.

Animal Control officers were unable to talk with Eason during their visit Thursday because the family's pit bull was on his front porch and "No Trespassing" signs were posted on the property. Animal Control officers didn't feel it was safe to enter so they asked the Sheriff's Department to figure out the next move.

Kodak Black's trying hard to get back in karma's good graces ... by doling out cash for kids in need.

We're told the rapper heard about a teen's quest to get a notebook in the hands of all 7,600 students in the Cleburne Independent School District in Texas. 14-year-old Paige Cook had a successful first campaign last year ... collecting 40k pencils.

Paige's mom, Angel, tells TMZ ... her daughter upped her game this year with the notebooks AND 60k pencils. But, with such an ambitious goal, it was clear she was gonna need some help. Enter, Kodak.

Bradford Cohen, Kodak's attorney, tells us the rapper picked up the tab -- a cool $12,500 -- for the notebooks. The items will benefit a school district where a majority of its students come from low-income communities.

Kodak's no stranger to taking on a good cause ... he's played Santa before and donated cash for early childhood education. At the time, he said he was focused on making a positive impact.

3:20 PM PT -- Jenelle spoke with US Weekly about the incident, saying, "He just took her and shot her in the woods, about two acres away from the house."

As we reported, local law enforcement said they won't act on the killing until Jenelle comes to them to report the crime ... one source we spoke to said media reports and social media postings aren't enough to trigger an investigation.

Jenelle also told US, "At this time, we are dealing with this rough situation. I want to focus on what's best for me and my kids."

9:45 AM PT -- Police went to Jenelle and David's house Tuesday night to perform a welfare check on Ensley. Officers found everyone, including Ensley, was okay.

As for the dog -- a law enforcement source tells TMZ ... David told cops Nugget was alive, although he would not let them see the dog. We're told cops have no evidence showing anything happened to the dog.

The Columbus County Sheriff's Dept. says it's contacted Animal Control, but as far as any further investigation from cops ... our source says Jenelle would need to make a report on her own. We're told officers won't act on "sensationalized media reports or social media posts." The source said it's irrelevant to cops what Jenelle says on IG.

Meanwhile, PETA says it hopes charges are filed against Eason if it's true he shot Nugget. They say, "People who abuse animals typically don't stop there."

"Teen Mom" star Jenelle Evans is heartbroken over the death of her dog, which was shot and killed by her husband ... who is defending his disturbing move in the name of protecting his family.

David Eason admits he killed the family's French bulldog, Nugget, because it bit the couple's 2-year-old daughter, Ensley. He shared a video that appears to show the dog snapping at Ensley as she's moving closer to its face for a kiss.

David explained his decision to put the dog down, saying ... "I dont give a damn what animal bites my baby on the face... whether it be your dog or mine, a dog is a dog and I dont put up with that s**t at all."

A photo of Ensley's face after the incident shows a red mark, but there's no apparent break in her skin.

Eason added ... "I'm all about protecting my family, it is my lifes mission. Some people are worth killing or dying for and my family means that much to me. You can hate me all you want but this isnt the first time the dog bit Ensley aggressively. The only person that can judge weather or not a animal is a danger to MY CHILD is ME."

Jenelle doesn't seem to be on the same page as her husband at all. She just shared a photo of Nugget sitting in the car with her, along with a message suggesting she believes they should have simply trained the dog to stop biting.

She wrote ... "Nugget... I'm crying everyday. I love you so much and I'm so sorry. I'm speechless," and added, "You still had a lot to learn and a lot to grow from your lessons."

Jenelle says she's heartbroken and distraught, and there are reports she fled their home after the incident.

Jim Belushi just pulled a 180 on his divorce case, filing for it to be dismissed in court ... TMZ has learned.

Jim filed legal docs requesting the case to be dismissed and the judge has signed off on it ... this according to court records. As we reported back in March 2018 ... Jim's wife, Jennifer Sloan, filed for divorce after almost 20 years of marriage.

She had previously cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their separation. They had already had an existing custody arrangement in place for their 17-year-old son, Jared.

Ezekiel Elliott saw a kid get hit by a hockey puck at the Dallas Stars playoff game on Monday ... so he jumped into action and raced over to make sure the little boy was okay.

Don't worry, the kid appears to be fine -- and now he's got selfies with Zeke!

Unclear exactly when the kid was hit by the puck -- or how serious the impact was -- but Elliott (who's been a regular at the Stars games) made his way over to the boy in the 3rd period to check in on him.

The Dallas Cowboys superstar thought snappin' a pic with the youngster would help sooth the oncoming bruise ... and guess what?? IT DID!!

You can see in the video ... the boy cracks a smile as Zeke daps him up and busts out the phone for a few pics. His family seemed happy with the gesture too.

Elliott also made sure another fan who was hit by the puck ricochet got some love as well.

It's not like Zeke works for the Stars and was sent over by management to diffuse the situation -- just a famous guy who was trying to help out. Seems like it worked.

Rep. Tim Ryan is pushing a new approach to educating America's kids, and it's not just about making them smarter ... it's about avoiding deadly school shootings.

The Democratic candidate for President was on "TMZ Live" Monday, and told us he wants to become the education Prez -- and job 1, for him, would be teaching students socially AND emotionally.

Congressman Ryan calls the program SELF -- social and emotional learning for families -- and he explained the benefits go way beyond better grades. Ryan points out there's an all too familiar call for new gun control laws after school shootings -- but says not enough is being done to prevent students from ever wanting to open fire on classmates.

Take a couple minutes and watch what he's proposing. For Ryan -- who's serving his 8th term in Congress while running for Prez -- the key is removing the "fight or flight" instinct from kids ... at least while they're in school.

Kurt Russell is a huge fan of his latest film ... busting out a super cool piece of swag from the Quentin Tarantino flick he stars in, while hitting up a classic Hollywood haunt for celebs.

We got these pics of Kurt shopping at the Farmers Market at The Grove over the weekend with his grandkids ... no big shocker -- until we got the rear view. He was rocking a jacket with the "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" logo on the back!!

Kurt's one lucky dude ... costarring with Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie in Quentin's 9th film. As a Hollywood vet, he obviously knows the game -- it's NEVER too early to start promoting and pumping up that box office!

The movie -- about Hollywood in the days of Charles Manson murders -- lands on big screens in July, but it's mostly been shrouded in secrecy. Quentin won't even say who Kurt's playing.

It's kinda fitting ... Kurt stopped by Magee's House of Nuts while proudly displaying the jacket. The stand has been a staple at the Farmers Market for decades, and once upon a time, it was beloved by President Eisenhower and The Beatles.

More proof LeBron James is a lifetime member of the #GetBetterGang (shout-out Stephen Jackson) 'cause here's video of the King getting a little shooting practice in at his son's hoops game.

Bronny had a run this weekend at the Elite Youth Basketball League in Atlanta, and during a little down time in the action, his pops took the opportunity to get some shots up.

The L.A. Lakers star drained two shots (not exactly NBA range), all while the players were off the court. BTW, we also got video of LeBron rebounding while the kids shot around ... dude's a team player.

As for Bronny, a hoops superstar himself ... he had a very special guest in attendance to watch him hoop ... Duke's Mike Krzyzewski was in the building.

Yodel Kid's absence at Stagecoach this weekend was a huge bummer ... but he's got a fix to cure your blues ... 'cause TMZ's learned he's gearing up for a massive fall tour!!!

12-year-old Mason Ramsey -- the boy who became famous after yodeling at a Walmart in Illinois -- will announce next week a 30-date fall tour set to kick off October 3. We're told his yodeling will echo across all major markets ... including NYC, Nashville, Philly and L.A.

Mason's about to wrap up his 11-date How's Your Girl and How's Your Family tour, which he launched back in March. His final show went down Saturday in Milwaukee and he's been killing it everywhere. Check out the clip ... Mason surfed the crowd on an inflatable horse earlier last week in Ohio ... and the crowd ate it up.

Mason's enjoyed incredible success since video of him yodeling Hank Williams' "Lovesick Blues" in 2018 at a Harrisburg, IL Walmart blew up. It led to an appearance on 'Ellen' and gigs at Coachella and Stagecoach ... where he actually upstaged Florida Georgia Line. Mason's truly a global superstar ... his single, "Famous," has racked up nearly 40 MILLION streams on Spotify.

In short ... the kid's legit and clearly, he's in hot demand.