Kids

A Florida substitute teacher who was caught on video telling students Antifa was responsible for the Capitol riot has been fired ... TMZ has learned.

Dr. Damien Moses, principal at Bok Academy in Lake Wales, FL., tells TMZ ... the teacher's conduct was immediately dealt with following the incident from earlier this week. Moses said, "We met with her and she has been dismissed not only from our school, but also from the Lake Wales Charter School System."

A student at the academy started recording the substitute teacher's rant during a middle school language arts class in which she falsely claimed 3 Antifa members were paid to storm the Capitol in last week's failed coup, and were solely responsible for the violence.

Remember ... the FBI has said there is no indication Antifa played a role in the mob that stormed the Capitol.

The substitute teacher was referencing a Washington Times story from last week with the headline "Facial Recognition Claims Antifa Infiltrated Trump Protesters who Stormed Capitol." The story has since been retracted ... after the Singapore-based XRVision tech company refuted the report, adding the company was never in contact with the outlet.

You can hear the student recording the video tell the sub rioters were seen wearing MAGA hats and Trump flags ... but the sub fired back saying, "When they're paid to be there and cause a riot they wanna make it look like Trump supporters so they wear Trump hats and carry Trump flags."

You can sense the discomfort in the room ... and one student asked for permission to leave, while another said, "I don't care about your opinions."

Even kids have an eye now for anti-mask madness 10 months into the pandemic ... so, ya gotta see this mini Dr. Fauci lay down the law as police kick an anti-masker outta Walmart.

Our little hero here hails from North Carolina, where he kept his camera rolling and his mouth running as the anti-masker set a bad example in front of some masked up families at the register.

The little guy says he's just trying to play his video games in peace as the anti-masker argues with his parents, telling the man to shut his trap during a rant about not needing a mask.

The anti-masker claims he doesn't need a face-covering because his sheriff allegedly says so ... and the tense situation ends up with police coming, and telling the guy he's wrong as they show him the door.

It's a pretty intense standoff, complete with claims of reverse racism ... and the kid gives some sage advice, "don't be a jerk all the time, okay?"

East Coast actor George James is best known for playing Jake in the wind-powered boarding house filled with wacky puppets and good vibes on the iconic '80s children's television show "Pinwheel."

While George James shared the small screen with some plush puppets including Aurelia, Plus and Minus, Ebenezer T. Squint, Molly O'Mole, Luigi O'Brien and many more ... he also was cast alongside other actors like Lindanell Rivera and C.C. Loveheart as the mime, Coco ... and of course Dale Engel and Betty Rozek as Smitty and Sal.

James went on to act on "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "I'm Gonna Git You Sucka."

Miya Ponsetto's arrest for attempted robbery -- after attacking a 14-year-old boy and accusing him of stealing her phone -- isn't nearly enough, according to the child's parents ... who insist racism was involved in the incident.

Keyon Harrold Jr.'s mom and dad -- Kat and Keyon Sr. -- joined us on "TMZ Live," along with their attorney, Ben Crump, to address Ponsetto being taken into custody ... more than 2 weeks after her altercation with the teenager at a SoHo hotel.

But, the so-called SoHo Karen's arrest led to a much bigger discussion about ongoing examples of racial injustice in the country, which Crump says was also highlighted during the historic events in the Capitol this week.

As for the incident with Ponsetto and Harrold Jr. ... Keyon's parents say he's still in therapy to deal with the aftermath. His mom and dad are worried about PTSD, and Kat describes the trauma as something her son doesn't deserve ... same goes for countless people of color before him.

Kat goes on to lay blame on the SoHo hotel for its role in Ponsetto's attack on her son, claiming it enabled her to lay hands on him.

As we reported ... Ponsetto has denied her attack of Harrold had anything to do with race -- instead, her lawyer says it was anxiety-induced -- and our law enforcement sources say she will not be charged for any sort of hate crime.

Tim Tebow is releasing a brand new children's book based on his late beloved dog, Bronco -- and it's really sweet.

Bronco passed away back in Nov. 2019 after spending 9 years with Tim. The two were inseparable and Tebow often referred to Bronco as his "son."

So, to keep his memory alive ... Tim authored a children's book called "Bronco and Friends: A Party to Remember" which features Bronco as the main character.

"Bronco was such an amazing dog and I wanted to honor him," Tim explained Tuesday morning on "GMA."

And, if you're wondering ... yes, the story has a religious theme (it's classified by Amazon as Children's Christian Family Fiction).

The story features Bronco -- who wears glasses because of a vision disability -- teaming up with other animals (including a flightless bird and an allergic goat) and they make their way to a special party.

Amazon describes the book this way ... "This sweet story of animals with different challenges and abilities is core to Tim Tebow's message to fans and friends of any age who have special needs."

Tim has been heavily involved in the special needs community for years -- helping kids and families around the world.

"I wanted to write a children's book for all the young boys and girls out there to encourage them and their worth -- and that they're unique, they're special, they're wonderful."

Tyrese's estranged wife filed for divorce more than 3 months before he announced their split, and she claims he changed the locks at their home ... something Tyrese denies.

Samantha Lee Gibson filed divorce docs back in September, and in the petition she alleges Tyrese had, just a few weeks earlier, cut her off financially, and locked her and their 2-year-old daughter, Soraya, out of the family's Georgia home.

Tyrese is calling BS, though ... in docs he filed, he denies leaving them out in the cold. On the other hand, he admits having major issues with Samantha's demand for $20,000 per month in child support. He calls that number "unreasonably high."

As for what led up to their split -- Tyrese says when he flew home from a movie set in late August, Samantha confronted him ... kicking off a tense, 3-hour conversation where she threatened to call cops.

Tyrese says he left the house in an Uber because he wanted no part of a police interaction due to "multiple public incidents involving police brutality and racially motivated killings of unarmed African American people."

The Black teenager who was falsely accused of stealing a woman's phone is now in need of therapy because the incident has seriously scarred him ... this according to his parents.

Keyon Harrold tells TMZ ... he and his ex-wife, Kat, are currently vetting therapists and looking to get their son -- 14-year-old Keyon Jr. -- into trauma therapy soon. Keyon (the dad) tells us his son is seriously traumatized ... and a lot has to do with Miya Ponsetto immediately zeroing in on him.

Keyon Jr. asked his dad a simple question that unearths lots of serious issues, including self-doubt ... "Why Me?"

Keyon says he's raised his son to become a proud, Black man, saying, "I have tried to instill dignity in my son. I'm trying to build his ego, because for so long egos of Black men have been shattered."

Keyon feels without professional help, his mission may be torpedoed by Ponsetto's vicious attack on his son. His dad tells us, "He wonders if he's good enough to own an iPhone, or whether he's out of place at a nice hotel." That, Keyon says, must immediately be nipped in the bud.

There's also a practical problem. Both parents are musicians and travel a lot, which means they stay at hotels quite a bit. Keyon says his son is now showing fear about going to hotels. Keyon Jr. has told his dad he's afraid someone will come from behind and tackle him. He's also afraid of being accused of a crime. In fact, he told his dad the day of the incident he felt like a criminal.

Keyon's handling it with broad strokes ... "You definitely belong, everywhere you go."

By the way ... long before the incident, Keyon and his son have talked about social justice issues, and the tragedies of Emmett Till, Michael Brown, George Floyd, and on and on.

The Jenner girls have hit the slopes to ring in the new year -- and they're shacking up in the Colorado Rockies inside what might as well be a castle ... which costs an absolute fortune.

Kylie, Kendall, Kris, Corey and some other pals -- plus young Stormi Webster -- are all on a winter retreat right now in Aspen ... where they're doing some snowboarding and taking in the fresh mountain air, while also kicking their feet up in a fortress of a rental home.

The 20,000-plus square foot, 4-story mansion comes equipped with 7 bedrooms, 9 baths, a massive deck, a patio, a fireplace, an in-home theater, a pool and spa, a bowling alley and a 4-car garage. It's also brand spanking new ... the place was just built in 2020.

If you're wondering what it might be costing the Jenners to stay here ... try something like tens of thousands. According to Realtor.com, the house goes for $450k/month for renters, and the crew's been there at least 3 days now. BTW, it's also for sale for a whopping $75 mil.

Kylie and Kendall have been posting shots from inside their sweet digs, and it's about as nice as its price tag indicates. Looks like the house is pretty secluded too ... exterior footage shows that it's on a mountain edge, and even a stone's throw from a resort there too.

Of course, the whole area is buried in snow at the moment, which the Jenners and co. are taking full advantage of (for recreation and fashion). That includes little Stormi, who's proving to be quite the snowboarder herself. Kylie posted a video of her kid going down what appears to be the bunny hill ... and, lo and behold, she's holding her own pretty well!!!

Zelene Blancas, the teacher who touched the hearts of millions after posting a video of her students hugging each other, has died of COVID.

Zelene taught Spanish at the Dr. Sue A. Shook Elementary School in El Paso and was on a path to becoming a bilingual special ed teacher.

She gained national -- even worldwide -- attention back in 2018, after posting a video of students leaving for a weekend break. As they left, they hugged one and another in a showing of caring and love that produced 23 million views.

Zelene tested positive for coronavirus in late October and ended up in the hospital shortly after her diagnosis. She spent nearly 2 months in ICU and when things became financially desperate last month, her brother set up a GoFundMe account on her behalf.

She died Monday from COVID complications.

Her death affected much of El Paso. In addition to teaching, Zelene taught evening literacy classes to parents. During the pandemic, she delivered food and other items to the homes of some of her students.

Zelene was 35.

Kim Kardashian's son must have known 2020 was the year of self-haircuts, because he got one in just in the nick of time ... and his Mom wasn't too mad about it.

Kim and Kanye's 5-year-old, Saint West, took a pair of childs' safety scissors to his signature curly locks ... chopping off a good portion from right in the middle of his parting line.

Kim shared photos of the aftermath on her Instagram Story on New Year's Eve -- including the kids' shears that did the job -- adding that her boy "Still looks cute tho."

A group of teen suspects in an armed robbery at a high-end fashion store made a break for it to their getaway cars ... but a few of them were left holding the bag.

Beverly Hills police say 10 suspects grabbed handbags and fled from a Fendi store on Rodeo Drive Tuesday night, and video from a passerby caught their escape attempt.

Cops reportedly caught up with one of the 3 getaway vehicles, recovered several stolen Fendi items and took the underage teens into custody. They were later released to their parents, but the other suspects are still at large.

Principal Joe Louis Clark, whose tough-as-nails approach was the subject of the movie "Lean on Me," has died.

Joe's family says he passed away Tuesday at home in Gainesville, FL after a long battle with an undisclosed illness. He was surrounded by family members, but will also be mourned by hundreds, if not thousands, of graduates from his time as a legendary principal in Northern New Jersey.

Morgan Freeman played Joe in the 1989 film which chronicled his hard-nosed efforts to improve Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ. The school was described as crime and drug-ridden when Joe took over as principal there in 1983.

The former Army Reserve sergeant and drill instructor took no crap from the student body, and once expelled 300 kids in one day for fighting, vandalism, abusing teachers and drugs.

The image of Joe roaming school hallways with a bullhorn and baseball bat wasn't just something Hollywood cooked up for Freeman's role ... it's how Joe rolled in real life.

His style earned him national headlines and made him controversial ... critics felt he was way too aggressive, but his admirers pointed to positive results at the school.

Joe was 82.

Vitor Belfort's days as the best athlete in his family are coming to an end, 'cause the MMA legend tells us his 8th grader son is the best quarterback in the nation ... and already has a big-time college scholarship offer.

TMZ Sports talked to the 43-year-old former UFC heavyweight and light heavyweight champion about his 15-year-old son, Davi Belfort ... a pro-style QB who's dominating on the gridiron.

"My son is the number one quarterback in class 2025 in the nation."

Vitor says even though he hasn't played a down of high school football, Herm Edwards' ASU squad has already offered his son -- who reclassified from the class of 2024 to 2025 -- a scholarship.

"[Davi's] an 8th grader, so he already has an offer from Arizona State, and he's class 2025, so next year he goes to high school," Belfort tells us.

"So, we have a lot of high schools wanting him, so he's kind of committed with [St. Thomas Aquinas], but I want him to go to a place he can start or at least compete for the job."

FYI, St. Thomas Aquinas has produced more NFL players than any other high school in the country ... including guys like Giovani Bernard, Major Wright and Geno Atkins.

And, get this, Vitor and 6,' 180 lb. Davi aren't the only star athletes in the fam ... Belfort's says his daughter is a "national champion in volleyball."

How'd they get so good?? Well, busting their asses training.

"I have a rule. I don't wake you up. If you're not awake, if not ready on the time I go to the gym, you're not coming. We wake up every day at 4:45 AM, they go first, train at 6 AM."

Emma Roberts is the proud new mother of a baby boy ... who seems set up to be quite the scholar one day.

Sources tell us the actress gave birth Sunday in L.A. to a healthy boy, whom she and the father, her BF Garrett Hedlund, have named ... wait for it ... Rhodes!!! We're told he weighed in right around 9 lbs and both Baby and Mama Bear are doing great after the delivery.

Emma hasn't been shy about showing off her baby bump either these past few months -- in fact, she just posed for a nice holiday shot a few weeks ago. She was also spotted out and about last Wednesday looking ready to pop.

This is Emma's first child, Garrett's too. The couple were first linked together shortly after Emma broke off her engagement with Evan Peters in the spring of 2019. While reports said they were keeping things caj at first ... the relationship clearly sped up, because it wasn't long before word of Emma's pregnancy surfaced, which she confirmed in August.

Nothing like a whirlwind romance to bring about a new life. Congrats to the whole family!!!

Lori Loughlin may have missed spending Christmas with her family but the good news ... she's only 3 days late 'cause she was just released from prison.

The "Full House" star will enjoy the rest of whatever 2020 has to offer after she was sprung free Monday ... and just 2 days shy of serving 2 months for her role in the college admissions scandal.

Lori flew back in style in a private jet that landed early Monday morning at the Van Nuys Airport.

As we reported ... Lori surrendered to authorities at FCI Dublin in California on Halloween Eve. Remember, she surrendered nearly 3 weeks before her November 19 deadline.

Lori, of course, agreed back in May to plead guilty to 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire and mail fraud. Lori -- along with her hubby, Mossimo -- were accused of paying $500k in bribes to get their daughters into USC and faking a photo that made it look like the girls were college-caliber rowers.

Now that Lori's out ... she'll be on 2 years of supervised release. She also has to perform 250 hours of community service. Mossimo was sentenced to 5 months and is still in prison.

Socks, gift cards, a knit sweater and even one of those fruitcakes are all some of the classic holiday presents people found under the tree yesterday, but these stars are all celebrating with a special gift this year ... the gift of life!

This year has been filled with new babies in the celeb world and stars like Lea Michele, Gigi Hadid, Evan Ross -- and a bunch more Hollywood parents -- have shared their new beautiful babies with the world via social media.