Kids

Before this ecstatic little girl holding her shoe turned into a singer and songwriter, she was growing up in London, England hittin' the stage at open mic nights (and her father's pub) and dropping song covers on YouTube.

Her YT videos caught the eyes of DJ Fresh who featured her on his song "Hot Right Now." And, it wasn't too long before she was opening for Drake's UK Club Paradise Tour ... She also played Mia Grey in the movie "Fifty Shades of Grey."

"Gonna love you, gonna love you like a black widow, baby!"

Before this child actor with her pink visor on backwards turned into the talented actress and singer she is today, she was just goofing around with her dad at his office and growing up in sunny Los Angeles, California.

Perhaps she's most known for her starring role on Nickelodeon's iCarly with other child stars like Nathan Kress and Jennette McCurdy, but she was also the little sister of "Drake and Josh" and loved nothing more than playing pranks on set.

Need one more clue? Her "iCarly" days were so iconic they were recently turned into a reboot!

"Barbie"s worldwide box office domination has expecting parents thinkin' plastic when it comes to baby names ... because folks are interested in naming their kids after the popular dolls.

BabyNames.com tells TMZ ... their site has seen a 300% uptick in searches for "Barbie" in the month of July. "Ken" has also blown up, with searches increasing by 200% in the same month.

Not as much as Barbie, but that holds up -- he's just Ken.

We're told a handful of users are also adding the titular names to their favorites list. According to the website, Barbie means "stranger," while Ken means "handsome." Barbie peaked in popularity in 1964, while Ken peaked in 1963.

As we reported, the Greta Gerwig flick has been crushing it in theaters -- it pulled over $162 mil in the U.S. alone in weekend one ... and it's already passed $1B worldwide.

The fan-favorite character, Allan -- played by Michael Cera -- has had a positive outcome on the Mattel reseller game ... because eBay listings for the rare doll have skyrocketed after the movie's release.

Sadly, we're told there's been no search increase for the name "Allan" when it comes to baby names. Sorry, dude.

Quavo recently pushed his "Rocket Power" album back a bit, but he's still busy hosting his 2nd "Ultimate Back 2 School Giveback" ... which benefitted 270+ Atlanta local families!!!

The event, held at The Gathering Spot in Atlanta, was bittersweet with the absence of his late nephew Takeoff ... but Quavo and the family honored the fallen Migos rapper with commemorative "94 Rocket Power" jerseys, referencing the year of Take's birth.

Fellow Atlanta-bred artist 6LACK also showed up to support the Quavo Cares and Tender Foundation collab. No child went home empty-handed ... backpacks, notebooks and pencils were all dished out and 2 kids even won iPad Minis!!!

Quavo's giveaway served grades pre-k all the way to high school and kept the youth busy with apparel giveaways, popsicles for the hot weather, a live DJ, a sensory station, and more games.

Ne-Yo is pulling back on his controversial comments about parents who allow their kids to be transgender ... claiming he's always been an advocate for inclusiveness.

The singer said Sunday night, "After much reflection, I’d like to express my deepest apologies to anyone that I may have hurt with my comments on parenting and gender identity."

He also said he's "always been an advocate for love and inclusivity in the LGBTQI+ community, so I understand how my comments could’ve been interpreted as insensitive and offensive."

As we reported, Ne-Yo had folks pretty ticked off by a Saturday interview with VladTV's Gloria Velez, in which he condemned parents who affirm their child's gender identity.

He said he grew up with only 2 genders, and has no problem with others identifying however they want -- but added, "It becomes my business when you try to make me play the game."

He told Gloria, "I feel like parents have almost forgotten what the role of a parent is. If your little boy comes to you and says, ‘Daddy, I want to be a girl.’ And you just let him rock with that? He’s 5. He can’t drive a car yet, but he can decide his sex?"

In his Sunday night mea culpa on X, Ne-Yo added ... gender identity is "nuanced," and he plans to "better educate myself on the topic, so I can approach future conversations with more empathy."

Originally Published 6:59 AM PT

Before this kid with blonde hair and blue eyes was singing and grooving on stage, he was just infatuated with outer space, growing up with his older sister in Mississippi and dreaming of being a performer one day...

His fans never get 'sick and tired of hearing all' the tunes he and his fellow boy banders sing. And outside of his acting and singing career, he's appeared on reality television ... most famously ordaining the marriage of Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright.

Need one more clue? When he's not on Daddy duty, he may be sippin' on some sangria with LVP!

Ne-Yo says parents shouldn't be letting their kids transition genders ... suggesting minors don't know any better, but that adults should.

The singer spoke his mind in a recent VladTV interview, where he was talking to Gloria Velez. They touched on a number of topics, but eventually ... landed on transgenderism, especially as it relates to children.

He says he feels like a lot of people have lost sense of the definition of parenting -- because, in his mind, it boils down to being wiser than your kid ... and knowing when to put your foot down and say no. In this case, he believes affirming a child's gender identity is wrong.

Ne-Yo's rationale comes down to this ... transitioning genders is a life-altering decision, and he argues children (especially young ones) truly don't know what the hell they want, or on this particular topic ... what they even mean when they say they want to be a boy or a girl.

He hit his point home by saying this ... "I just personally come from an era where a man was a man and a woman was a woman. And there was two genders and that's just how I rocked. You could identify as a goldfish if you feel like, that ain't my business, it becomes my business when you try to make me play the game. I'm not gonna call you a goldfish."

One last thing ... Ne-Yo references California legislation, which he (somewhat mistakenly) says will make it so parents lose their kids if they don't affirm their child's gender identity.

It's not quite what he's describing -- but there is, in fact, a bill working its way through the CA legislature right now (AB 957) that would require a judge in custody disputes to consider whether a parent is affirming their kid's identity in determining who they stay with.

Ryan Gosling's still in Ken-mode amid 'Barbie's' continued success -- he took his real-life brood to the sandy shores of Cali ... and was leaning heavily on the matriarchy, it seems.

The actor hit up a beach near Santa Barbara Friday, and the whole Gosling household was in tow -- including his partner, Eva Mendes, and their 2 daughters. There were other adults tagging along, however ... including what appears to be somebody's mother or grandmother.

Eyewitnesses tell us Ryan was actually very focused on this older woman, helping her get through the sand in her walker ... and carefully assisting her down to the actual water.

Again, we're not sure who this woman was exactly -- but it could very well be Eva's mother, Eva Perez Suarez, who's been in ailing health of late ... according to her own daughter, anyway. We know Eva is incredibly close with her family, and also values privacy.

As for the other 2 adults ... no idea, but they were certainly rolling with Eva and Ryan, and keeping a watchful eye over the kids. Speaking of the two girls ... we're told they had paddleboards with them. And with Mama and Papa Bear -- they chatted, but no PDA.

Anyhoo, this really is an example of life imitating art. If you haven't seen 'Barbie' yet ... there's a running joke about Ken (played by RG) and his job, described as just "beach."

Seems like Ryan took that theme right off the script and manifested it in the real world -- only here, he's much more reverent of the women in his life ... unlike his onscreen character.

BTW, 'Barbie' is expected to cross the billion-dollar mark at the worldwide box office this weekend -- not to mention three-peating as the #1 movie folks are flocking to see. The crazy thing is ... there's no sequel in the works just yet, which is unheard of in this day and age.

Interestingly, Ryan and Margot Robbie didn't sign a deal for movie #2 in their OG contracts with Warner Bros. -- so if they do agree to do it at this point, they're in for a fat payday.

Jalen Kitna is opening up, addressing accusations he possessed child pornography ... and the college quarterback clearly wants it known people haven't heard the full story until now.

Remember, the 20-year-old former Univ. of Florida signal caller was arrested in November, accused of possessing an explicit image of a minor online. The child pornography charges were ultimately dropped last month, and JK pled "no contest" to two lesser misdemeanor charges.

Now, with the criminal case behind him ... Jalen wants people to know what actually happened.

"Out of respect to the legal process I have chosen to remain silent the last 8 months, knowing the accusations levied against me as a teenager were not accurate and would be proven to be not true. The extensive 6 month long investigation brought the prosecution to the conclusion I knew all along - this was not a child pornography case," Kitna wrote.

Jalen explained what occurred the day he was arrested by police.

"November 30, 2022, at the age of 19, detectives arrived early in the morning and started asking about my pornography use. I was totally compliant, I shared all my passwords, and hid nothing from them," Kitna explained.

"They told me an image I shared online was potentially of an underage female. I was shocked, because I had found it on an easily accessible, legal site, and I was never looking for illegal material. The photo included only a portion of the female body, I had no reason to believe the photo might be illegal."

Despite his cooperation, Jalen says he was taken into custody.

"Regardless, they arrested me on suspicion of possessing child pornography. As they put me in handcuffs I tried to process everything. It sounded like they believed I searched out and shared illegal pictures, but I knew that I had not."

Kitna, who was removed from the U of Fl. football team after the arrest, says he was thoroughly evaluated by a physician, who found he had no "deviant characteristics."

"After a full day of evaluation and testing by a specialized doctor of 40+ years, the doctor determined I have no deviant characteristics, had normal interests as a teenager, and I’m in the lowest possible percentile for likelihood to commit a crime," Kitna explained.

As for the plea deal he agreed to, Kitna says he wants people to know he never made any admission of guilt.

"The misdemeanor plea of 'no contest' is not an admission of guilt and I was not adjudicated by the court, meaning there was no conviction. The police have returned all my devices, because they contain no illegal material. And the University of Florida has lifted the campus ban imposed during the investigation."

Kitna, who also apologized to his family and friends in the statement, also vowed to spread his story, letting others know how "naive decisions can lead to catastrophic consequences."

"I understand that there are many who will never get past the original headlines, but for those who want to look at this objectively, I hope this will provide details to see the truth."

"I know with the continued love and support of those close to me–and hopefully some understanding by others–I’ll have a chance at the life that I dreamed of and worked so hard for. I am determined to use my story to help others avoid the pitfalls of naive technology use."

A scary few hours for the family of TikTok personality "Uncle Chris" -- famous for his Yeet Baby videos -- as his family reported him missing to cops.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Chris Rooney's family made a missing person's report for the social media star Thursday with cops in Virginia after they couldn't get in touch. It's unclear why his family felt they needed to escalate the incident to police ... but clearly, something happened to cause them concern.

From there ... the message of Rooney's alleged disappearance spread across various social media platforms, with his family and friends desperate to get in touch.

After several hours, our law enforcement sources tell us Chris made contact with the police to let them know of his whereabouts and to report he was safe.

No word on whether or not he's been reunited with his family or what happened in the days and hours leading up to his alleged disappearance.

Chris, along with his niece and nephew, has become very popular on TikTok -- amassing more than 5 million followers -- mostly for videos of the tots trying to fill cups with large containers of various liquids.

One very lucky Post Malone fan left his concert with a kick-ass memento ... as the proud new owner of the rock star's $5K guitar!!!

11-year-old Winter attended Post's Tampa Bay concert Tuesday night, and at the end of the show, he handed over his personal blue guitar ... the same one he jams out with. Oh, and we should mention, he signed it too.

Winter's mother, Jenn, tells TMZ ... her kiddo's a massive Post fan, as is her other daughter, Brooklyn. Tampa's show marks the 5th PM show the family has attended. At past shows, Jenn says they've seen Post give away smashed guitars to fans, but nothing like this.

We're told Winter doesn't know how to play the guitar, but the rare gift might be enough to get her into learning. In handing it over, Post made the young girl promise to treat the instrument with respect, and Jenn says that's exactly what they'll do.

Winter plans to put it in a case to display on a wall in her room and will never sell it.

Don't worry, Brooklyn didn't walk away empty-handed -- she ended up with Post's sweaty shirt and socks. Not a bad consolation prize!

Congratulations are in order for Brooks Koepka and Jena Sims -- the golf star and his model wife just welcomed a baby boy!!

The married couple shared the exciting news on Thursday ... posting a pic with their new bundle of joy -- Crew Sims Koepka, who was born last week.

"I love my Crew," Brooks captioned his announcement on Instagram ... which shows the first-time parents smiling from ear to ear.

Jena detailed the whole experience ... saying, "Crew Sims Koepka was ready for the world because he decided to break my water just 2 minutes after Brooks walked inside the house from the gym on Thursday, July 27th at 5:50 PM."

Jena added the arrival was six weeks ahead of schedule ... joking Crew is "Already showing us who's boss."

"My incredible team had him out in a matter of 3 hours after going into active labor."

Jena praised her husband for his support throughout the process ... saying, "He made me laugh when I needed to, cried with me, held me, did everything possible he could to help my healing in the hospital, and I'm just so grateful."

Crew is currently in the NICU with an undisclosed health complication, but Jena explained things are going in the right direction ... as he is off oxygen, breathing on his own and "meeting tiny milestones every day!"

The new mother shared her agony over leaving the hospital without her son ... but said they have been visiting their little boy as much as they can.

Brooks and Jena went public with their romance at the U.S. Open in 2017 ... and they tied the knot in 2022.

Before these two loving sisters were famous singers and actresses, they were just looking after each other in Tennessee with their 4 other siblings, bringing their dreams to fruition ... and securing their spot in Hollywood!

These famous siblings come from a talented lineage ... like their father whose known for his long locks and songs like "Achy Breaky Heart!" And with both of these sisters on their own paths and journeys, they've also worked together on several occasions ... acting side by side on a hit Disney show, and singing a duet to Dolly Parton's "Jolene"!

Reese Witherspoon has settled her divorce with her estranged husband, just four months after she first filed.

According to new court docs, obtained by TMZ, Reese and Jim Toth both signed a marital dissolution agreement ... and the exes also signed off on a parenting plan for their 10-year-old son.

The exact details aren't clear yet, but the agreement is typically presented to the judge, who then, routinely, signs off on it.

Remember ... Reese announced back in late March that she and Jim had decided to end their marriage after 12 years together ... and we were told the split was amicable.

Reese followed through a week after the announcement, officially filing for divorce and noting the two had a prenup in place.

The divorce never appeared to get nasty, at least not in public or in court docs, and now they seem ready to go their separate ways.

Before this happy baby turned into a model, bartender, and reality star, he was just growing up in Shelby Township, Michigan, heading off to serve in the Navy and eventually landing in Los Angeles.

After taking a hiatus from filming "Vanderpump Rules", this reality star recently confirmed his return to television, however, he and his partner were quite busy during their time away from the cameras ... welcoming a baby into their lives in 2021 and most recently launching the podcast "When Reality Hits."

Need one more clue? "I'm the #1 guy in this group!"

Tyler Herro is spending some of his offseason giving back to the community ... sharing his knowledge with a bunch of kids at a basketball camp in Los Angeles -- and he brought Glen "Big Baby" Davis along for the fun!!

TMZ Sports has learned the Miami Heat guard and former NBA big man pulled up to the Yavneh Hebrew Academy last week ... and got an epic welcome as they spent time with the young hoopers.

The kids went completely crazy ... and we're told they got to do some basketball drills and get things signed by the NBA stars.

They also got some advice on how to become basketball players, just like Herro and Davis.

"We had to listen to our coaches, we had to listen to our teachers," Davis said. "We had to put in the time."

We're told Big Baby even offered his services to be the varsity team's basketball coach this upcoming season ... for free!!

Of course, Davis is an NBA champ and had nine successful seasons in the league. He even has some coaching experience ... leading the Charlotte Purple Jackets in The Basketball League.

Herro, on the other hand, won't have the time ... as the former Sixth Man of the Year is heading into his 5th season with the Heat after signing a 4-year extension for $130 million last season.