Kids

U.S. Rep. Sean Casten is opening up on the sudden death of his 17-year-old daughter, Gwen ... he says she went to bed Sunday night and never woke up.

The Congressman from Illinois posted a touching tribute to his late daughter Wednesday, revealing the moments leading up to her tragic and unexpected death.

Rep. Casten says Gwen went out for a few hours with some friends Sunday night after having dinner with the family, returned home, said goodnight to her parents, texted a friend and didn't wake up the following morning.

Sean says the only thing the family knows about Gwen's death is that it was "peaceful." Casten's office announced Tuesday Gwen had died, but details at the time were scarce.

Gwen had recently graduated from high school and was getting ready to enroll at the University of Vermont, where Rep. Casten says she was going to study environmental science.

Rep. Casten says Gwen's sudden death offers a powerful lesson -- savor every moment with loved ones.

'SNL' star Kenan Thompson is taking the next step in his separation from his wife of 11 years ... filing divorce docs and hammering out custody of their kids.

According to online records, Kenan filed last month in New York to make his announced split from Christina Evangeline all legal. TMZ broke the story back in April that the couple had separated and were successfully co-parenting their daughters Georgia and Gianna. We're told the couple had been secretly separated for a few years.

Sources connected with the former couple tell us Kenan and Christina agreed to share 50/50 custody -- and they are still living close to one another in NYC to make the custody arrangement easier for everyone involved, especially the kids.

Kenan and Christina tied the knot way back in 2011, saying their "I dos" at an aquarium in Atlanta.

As for why they split, our sources have said they simply grew apart as the years progressed.

Professionally, they lead much different lives. While Kenan's always been in the spotlight ... first as a child star on Nickelodeon, and now the longest-running 'SNL' cast member ... Christina works as an interior designer.

Before these two matching little brothers in 'Top Gun' gear were living life in the Hollywood danger zone, they were just two sharply dressed siblings growing up in Los Angeles, California.

These Malibu bros grew up with fame surrounding all sides of them ... Their father was a big name in the sports world and their mother was linked to the King of Rock and Roll. One of these brothers enjoys singing and playing the guitar, while the other enjoys surfing out in Malibu.

Need one more hint on who these shaggy-haired kiddos could be ... One of their half-sisters is a billionaire!

Here's how The Kid LAROI knows he's really made it in the biz -- dude has enough clout now to get The Wiggles on stage with him in Australia to rock out for the flashback of a lifetime.

The "Stay" singer performed Sunday night in Melbourne, and invited some of his childhood icons to join him ... original Wiggles members Anthony Field, Jeff Fatt, and Greg Page walked out and played some of their classics.

Kid LAROI was going pretty hard during hits like "Big Red Car" and "Fruit Salad," and the crowd ate it up! Remember, TKL grew up down under, and was probably raised on Wiggles bangers ... and you can see his love for the music in their onstage collab.

The rapper had to postpone his Melbourne show last week after getting pretty sick ... he promised his fans he'd come back a week later and would make it up to them. Promise kept.

Sidenote for Wiggles faithful: it was great to see Greg Page performing again after his scary experience in 2020 -- the guy went into cardiac arrest during a show in Sydney.

Sam Asghari's ex-GF thinks Britney Spears landed herself Mr. Perfect ... in addition to being a great husband, she's convinced he's primed for daddy duty in the near future.

Mayra Veronica tells us Sam's never been the type of guy to flirt around behind his girl's back ... and thinks he will be a hubby that supports Britney through and through.

She says she was dealing with issues similar to Britney when she was with Sam, and he was by her side through the entire ordeal.

The singer says her management team was extremely controlling back in 2015, warning her about Sam. She clearly didn't buy what they were selling, and stayed solidly in Sam's corner.

She also thinks he's the man for the job if they're thinking about having some kids ... she describes him as a pretty protective guy that'll be there for his fam. High praise.

We got Mayra in September, right as Britney and Sam got engaged ... she had nothing but good things to say about him, admitting he hit the jackpot.

She didn't mean $$$, and she also made it clear the jackpot thing goes both ways.

Even though Ryan Garcia's 3-year-old daughter, Rylie, has boxing in her DNA, the chances of her becoming a pugilist in the future are zero to none ... according to the baby's mother, Catherine Gamez, who tells TMZ Sports the fighter doesn't want it to happen.

"I don't think her dad will let her," Gamez said. "No, no."

Apparently, there's no harm in Rylie watching the sport, though ... Gamez tells us Garcia is allowing the youngster to at least catch his fights in person.

In fact, Gamez -- who split with Garcia following Rylie's birth in 2019 -- said Rylie had ringside seats at her dad's most recent bout in April.

"She attended her first boxing match actually at his last fight in Texas," Gamez said. "We planned it, and she had a lot of fun."

Gamez says Rylie will likely be at her dad's next match too -- when the 22-0 lightweight boxer takes on Javier Fortuna (37-3) on July 16 at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

Before this little cub was showcasing her beautiful looks on the global runways and slaying New York Fashion Week, she was just a cutie with blunt bangs posing for the camera in Los Angeles, California.

This blondie with her bright, shining smile famously signed with IMG Models back in 2017. Her younger sister also followed in her footsteps and joined the modeling world.

Still not positive on who this feisty gal is? You've probably seen her and her little sister giving their mom a run for her money on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

The plan to introduce a Texas bill blocking children from attending drag shows is sparking debate -- but "RuPaul's Drag Race" star Alyssa Edwards says the move and the timing of it make her embarrassed of her home state.

Alyssa puts it plainly -- the new bill is frustrating, and will cause a setback for young kids. She says decisions like this should solely be left to a parent's discretion.

She's been calling out State Rep. Bryan Slaton -- who said he plans to introduce the bill -- for showing more interest in drag bars than figuring out how to keep school kids safer in the wake of the Uvalde shooting.

Representative Slaton says he's filing the potential legislation after recent footage went viral of kids attending a drag show in Dallas.

Just last year Alyssa appeared on the 16th season of "America's Got Talent" with members of her Beyond Belief Dance Company and made it to the semi-finals. Also, the Netflix docuseries "Dancing Queen" followed Alyssa and her dance students in Mesquite, Texas.

Tom Brady's changed up his hairstyle yet again -- now choosing to dye it orange -- but, this time, the move is all for a great cause!!

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers partnered with the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation on Wednesday to throw a "Cut and Color for a Cure" event ... and Brady was front and center for the action.

At the event -- which allowed kids who are battling pediatric cancer to give hair makeovers to Bucs players in an effort to raise awareness and money for pediatric cancer research -- Brady sat down in a chair and let the youngsters go to town on his famous 'do.

The kids sprayed his hair front to back in orange -- the official color of the NPCF -- leaving the GOAT with a sweet new look.

Brady and the Bucs also donated a check for $117,000 to the org. at the function.

“The support of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in our fight to end childhood cancer is invaluable,” NPCF exec David Frazer said.

“The team’s continued commitment to assist kids facing a cancer diagnosis makes them so much more than a sports team -- they are truly heroes, rallying to create a better tomorrow for their young fans and supporters nationwide.”

An 8-year-old went from cute to straight-up savage on the Pat McAfee Show ... praising the crew for being the ultimate inspiration to a young sports fan -- and then dropping an F-bomb toward one of the co-hosts!!

The youngster called in on the popular Sirius XM show on Wednesday -- saying his name is Owen, he's 8 and 1/2 years old, and he's a massive fan of the show.

"I wanna talk about how inspiring this show is," Owen said with a soft-spoken voice. "How you're inspiring this whole entire world with how you're talking about sports and how you're talking about your life experiences."

McAfee and the rest of the crew initially had their reservations about having young ears tuning in to their show ... but kindly thanked Owen from Connecticut.

And that's when the kid went from 0 to 100 real quick!!

"Oh, and also -- F*** BOSTON CONNOR!!!"

McAfee and the team were in complete shock when the kid took at a shot at their co-host ... but cheered and applauded Owen for droppin' the F-bomb.

"I wanna let Owen know, you're inspiring," McAfee said.

"I ain't know an 8 and a half can do that. Shout out, Owen!"

Lifelong friends and victims of the Uvalde school shooting will be buried next to one another -- a decision made by their parents -- who say the two shared an incredible bond.

Annabell Guadalupe Rodriguez and Xavier James Lopez will be laid to rest at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery in Uvalde this week -- their parents will have the friends side-by-side, according to an interview with ABC News.

The 2 were close friends that attended Robb Elementary School, first meeting as toddlers and continuing to build their friendship as they grew up together.

As they got older, they'd text each other things like "I love you" at night ... and Annabell would wear a necklace with a photo of Xavier on it.

On the day of the shooting, both students received awards at school, posing for a pic together before returning to class ... and just one hour later is when tragedy struck.

Kenya Barris, famous for creating the ABC sitcom "black-ish," is once again pulling the plug on his marriage ... because he just filed for divorce for a second time.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kenya beelined it to a Los Angeles courthouse this month and filed to end his marriage to his wife of over 20 years, Dr. Rania "Rainbow" Barris.

In the docs, Kenya says the couple has been separated since Sept. 9, 2020, and he cites the usual irreconcilable differences as the reason behind the split.

The couple, who tied the knot way back in 1999, have four minor children together ... including a 16-year-old daughter and 3 sons who are 14, 12 and 5 years old. Kenya is asking the court for joint physical and legal custody of the kids. He also checked the box indicating spousal support would be payable to his estranged wife.

Robb Elementary School teacher Arnulfo Reyes is mourning the deaths of every single student in his classroom, and is especially angry at police in Uvalde for standing by while they were massacred.

The 4th grade teacher, who was shot twice, is speaking out for the first time, recounting the horrifying moment the shooter entered his class. Arnulfo says his students heard gunfire and asked him what was happening ... he was unsure at first, but told the students to get under their desks and pretend they were sleeping -- just as they'd practiced in drills.

He told ABC News' Amy Rohrbach that's when he turned and saw the shooter ... the beginning of 77 minutes of carnage. When it was over all of Arnulfo's students were dead, in addition to 8 others and two of his fellow teachers.

Make no mistake, Arnulfo feels the police abandoned his students, and he spoke directly to them, saying ... "You have a bulletproof vest, I have nothing. You are supposed to protect and serve. There is no excuse for their actions, and I will never forgive them."

He tearfully added, "I feel so bad for the parents because they lost a child, but they lost one child. I lost 11 that day, all at one time."

He is now a man on a mission, vowing to be active in the national debate about gun control and demanding new legislation.

Before this kneeling athlete became a popular television personality, an entrepreneur and a father of three, he was an outside linebacker for The University of California.

Because of his strong physique and stature, this teenager became a bodyguard for bands Soundgarden, Slayer, and singer-songwriter Glenn Danzig. He is definitely most known for his welding abilities in addition to his mechanic skills when it comes to cars, which led him to hosting Discovery Channel's "Monster Garage."

Need one more nudge towards who this baller is? You may have seen him on the hit show "West Coast Choppers."

Prince Louis might be fifth in line to the throne, but he's already a king of one thing -- expressive faces in public that the world loves to see ... just like these.

Louis had a front-row seat at the Platinum Jubilee Pageant Sunday, where he was seated next to his mom, Kate Middleton, and his siblings. It seems the 4-year-old got a little bored and/or distracted during the parade though ... evident in his many looks.

Take a gander for yourself ... the kid appeared to be a bit of a handful for his mum, teasing her with a classic thumb-to-nose taunt -- this as she appeared to try and get him to behave.

It was all in good fun -- and made for great shots. At one point, he was standing up, at another he was turned around and talking to another child behind him, Mia Tindall ... even getting handsy at times (playfully, of course). Her dad told him ... I'm watching you, kiddo!

He even told his mom to zip it when she was trying to get him to settle down ... putting his hand over her mouth. Yeah, this is the definition of a little rascal -- on the biggest of stages.

While all of these faces might've been hilarious to see, none perhaps stack up to his now-viral screaming pic with his ears covered ... all while standing next to his grandma, the Queen. Apparently, he wasn't digging the loud noise from the fly-over at Buckingham Palace.

Stoney Westmoreland, famous for his work on the Disney Channel, will spend a couple years in federal lockup after prosecutors say he tried to entice a minor into sex.

The actor struck a deal in the case ... pleading guilty to a lesser charge of using interstate facilities to transmit information about a minor, and a judge gave him 24 months in prison and 10 years of supervised release.

Stoney's lawyer, Wendy Lewis, tells TMZ ... Westmoreland was originally charged with enticement of a minor over the Internet, which carried a potential 10-year prison sentence.

As we reported ... Stoney was busted in Utah back in 2018 after authorities say he arranged online to have sex with someone who was only 13 years old, allegedly communicating via an app used for dating and setting up sexual encounters.

Stoney's lawyer tells TMZ ... he was using Grindr and was actually communicating with an undercover officer posing as someone else, and the lawyer says a doctor who evaluated Stoney concluded Westmoreland thought the exchange was roleplay with an adult online and that Stoney didn't actually believe he was communicating with a 13-year-old.

As part of the plea deal, obtained by TMZ, Stoney must cooperate with DNA collection and register as a sex offender.

What's more, all of Stoney's computer devices will be subject to random search and inspection and he has to report all of the accounts he uses for electronic communications and storage, including email and social media.