Kids

LaDainian Tomlinson and Antonio Gates just did their best Santa Claus impersonations ... gifting an entire room full of kids with brand new bicycles for the holidays!!!

The two Chargers legends hit up an L.A.-area school earlier this week for the sweet gesture ... and video of their surprise visit is AWESOME.

You can see in the footage, Tomlinson came out to the crowd of kids first with a new set of wheels and a Chargers helmet -- while Gates followed suit with a ride of his own shortly after.

It appeared the Bolts duo was only going to give out the two bikes -- but, when an official announced EVERYONE would be getting one, the kids lost their minds!!

Check out the vid, the youngsters clapped, cheered, and even high-fived the former star running back and tight end.

The Chargers -- who used to play in San Diego during Gates' and LT's time with the team -- tweeted out, "Oprah, this one's for u."

Of course, Gates and LT were teammates in San Diego from 2003-2011 ... and the two created magic on the field at their respective positions.

The dynamic duo worked well together -- leading the Bolts to the playoffs multiple times -- and this latest moment with the kids is further proof that chemistry is still going strong.

Elon Musk can read a room -- getting ahead of potential groans and eye-rolls over him being named TIME's Person of the Year by sprinkling some adorableness on the ceremony ... courtesy of his kid.

The Tesla and SpaceX chief popped in for a Q&A Monday night in NYC, not too long after it was announced he was TIME's number 1 person for the entirety of 2021. His entrance turned out to be a big fat father-son love fest, 'cause EM trotted out X Æ A-12 for the sit-down.

It's pretty hilarious ... as soon as Elon comes into the room with X in his arm, just about everyone lets out the expected "awwwws" that come in the presence of any toddler.

X's appearance definitely softened any would-be tension that might've existed among the reporters and spectators there ... 'cause, as you may have read or heard, not everyone was all that thrilled with Elon getting the huge honor.

Nobody probably would've made a scene or anything, but bringing X along for the ride is definitely a good PR move on Dad's part.

As for the actual interview itself, Elon talked about a lot of stuff -- including whether he considered cars or rockets more important, and whether he'd ever get his ass up into space like his billionaire rival, Jeff Bezos.

Meanwhile, young X was on his best behavior (for the most part) ... not really fussing too much, and listening to his pops chat it up in what was almost certainly a new environment for him.

Jim Bob Duggar's likelihood of winning a state senate race in Arkansas just went down, drastically, due to his son's conviction ... this according to another member of the Duggar fam.

Derick Dillard -- who's married to JBD's daughter and Josh's sister, Jill -- tells TMZ ... Josh's guilty verdict in his child porn trial puts his father-in-law in a tough spot politically, and not just because of the obvious association to his son ... but because of public past stances he's taken on sex crimes. In Derick's eyes, Jim Bob's track record won't help.

Take, for example, a policy JBD proposed on a now-defunct site of his when he ran for U.S. Senate in '02, which talked about what should happen to somebody who rapes a woman. As you can see, he called for executing the perpetrator and keeping the baby alive.

It's not apples to apples, comparing that to what Josh's conviction for possessing a ton of child pornography -- but in Derick's eyes, it makes Jim Bob look hypocritical ... because he doesn't think his father-in-law would take as hard a stance now, in light of what's happening to his own flesh and blood.

More relative to Josh's situation is a bill JBD helped sponsor in 2001 -- when he was in the state's House of Reps. -- calling for widening the categories of sex offenses to include "pandering or possessing visual or print medium depicting sexually explicit conduct involving a child." Derick believes Jim Bob will get grilled on the campaign trail for that one.

Big picture ... Derick says Jim Bob's come across as less than transparent or credible due to vague statements he made while Josh was under investigation.

Of course, Derick's hardly a JBD fan to begin with. As you know, he and Jill have distanced themselves from the famous fam since 2017 ... when Derick accused his father-in-law of screwing his kids out of money.

Still, DD admits Jim Bob could gut out a victory, due to his TV fame and name recognition/wealth -- all of which could help him get past the PR nightmare of Josh.

Julianna Peña admits Amanda Nunes deserves an immediate rematch -- telling TMZ Sports she'll get it soon (after the "Venezuelan Vixen" goes to Disney, of course) -- this after the MMA fighter shocked the world at UFC 269.

We talked to 32-year-old Peña -- fresh off her decisive win over the G.O.A.T., Nunes -- and asked her about a potential rematch.

"[Amanda] was the champ for so long. She definitely deserves a rematch and she wants it. So, she wants it, and I want it, and I'm willing to give it. It looks like it just needs to be a matter of time before they set it up," the champ told us.

And, let's be honest ... if any former champ deserves to run it back right away, it's Amanda.

Before Saturday night, Nunes hadn't lost in 7+ years ... when Cat Zingano beat her via TKO at UFC 178 in September 2014.

Peña walked us through what exactly it was like to face Nunes ... and although she might've made it look relatively easy, it was anything but.

"I knew that I was going to be facing arguably the best women combat sports athlete ever. She came 100 percent. Her shots were amazing. Her leg kicks she threw with massive intent. It hurt, but I definitely knew that at the end of the day, if I could just keep my composure, that I would get my hand raised."

But first, Peña says she wants to celebrate her daughter's 4th birthday like many champs ... in style, at Disney.

"I've been grinding for so long, I just really think my daughter deserves a little bit of attention. Her birthday's coming up in January, I'd like to taker her to Disney World. And then, after that, I'm ready to go. So, whenever they decide, is probably gonna be good."

Something tells us Peña might again be the underdog ... but she surely isn't going to catch anyone off guard this time around.

Julianna Peña can fight her ass off ... and she proved it Saturday night.

Santa Claus can pass up Philadelphia ... Meek Mill's got his hometown covered for the holidays, as he gives away more than half a million bucks worth of some fire gifts!!!

TMZ has learned Meek's planning to hand out a massive sack full of gifts for families in need this weekend -- things like bikes, video game gift cards, laptops, tablets, dolls and much more.

The Philly-born and raised rapper's getting his friends to kick in too -- Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Sixers partner Michael Rubin and Meek's managers at Roc Nation are supporting the huge gift giveaway.

The event, set for this coming Sunday, will be a more up close and personal giveaway than Meek could pull off last year during the pandemic. You might recall this heartwarming moment -- he had gifts delivered, surprising the families ... but could only video chat with them.

No matter what you think about LaVar Ball's antics when it comes to his sons, you gotta respect it ... so says Matt Barnes who tells TMZ Sports at the end of the day, he got 'em all to the NBA.

Remember, LaVar has aways been his boys' official hype man for years -- praising Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo any chance he gets ... promising fans (and haters) they would all be in the big league.

LaVar ended up being right ... Gelo is on a G-league team, Zo is dominating with the Bulls and Melo has brought the Hornets back to life.

Barnes applauds LaVar for it, telling us he's a great dad for making sure his kids got to the top level.

Even if he did do a lotta trash talk.

"As far as him being a great dad and helping his kids to where they're at to succeed, I definitely salute him," the 41-year old tells us at LAX this week.

"The kids are very talented. Hope Gelo gets a real chance to make an NBA team but to have 2 kids in the league that are doing well and a hopeful third..."

"I can do nothing but respect that."

Nick Cannon is stoically dealing with the tragic death of his youngest child ... saying he will absolutely keep the infant's memory alive.

We got Nick leaving an endodontist's office where he had 3 root canals ... but he stopped on his way in and his way out to talk about Zen's passing. As we reported, Zen was only 5 months old when he died Sunday from brain cancer.

Nick got a tattoo of his son, and says that's only the beginning of what he plans to do to make sure Zen is in his thoughts and prayers.

Nick broke the news about Zen's death Tuesday on "The Nick Cannon Show" ... and his emotion was palpable.

He says Zen's mom, Alyssa Scott, is dealing with the tragedy as best she can, and he's doing the same. Nick and Alyssa kept Zen's health issues private during the cancer battle, so it was a real shock to hear the little boy had passed.

Nick spoke about Zen's passing several times during his show this week, thanking fans for their support and condolences.

Josh Duggar isn't the only person in the family experiencing legal issues, his sister, Jana, has been charged as well ... TMZ has learned.

Jana's been charged with endangering the welfare of a minor, a court clerk confirms to TMZ. The circumstances surrounding the charge are still unknown, but we're told Jana -- the oldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle -- was cited on September 9, 2021 ... she'll be back in court next month.

As we reported on Josh, the former "19 Kids and Counting" was charged with one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography ... one of the images was allegedly of a child younger than 12.

Josh was immediately taken into custody, though his legal team says they'll appeal the decision.

Nick Cannon just got tatted up again ... and this time, his newest addition is in honor of his late son Zen who died this week of a brain tumor.

The "Wild and Out" creator shared the angel tattoo of his son on his rib cage Tuesday on his show ... a tribute that comes just days after the 5-month-old's death.

"It was a lot of pain, but it was well worth it. I enjoyed every moment of the experience"... adding that now he will always have his son by his side.

Nick has been very vocal about his struggles with his son's death, and previously said that his baby mama Alyssa Scott was taking things "5 minutes at a time." Nick and Alyssa had kept Zen's health issues totally private until the tragic announcement that he had died.

Colts star Darius Leonard became the real Santa Claus for kids in Indianapolis ... by bringing them on a holiday shopping spree!!

Leonard teamed up with Walmart for his first "Shop With a Jock" event ... where 50 lucky kids from the Boys & Girls Club in Indy got to go shopping with the linebacker with $100 gift cards for the store.

The special moment was caught on camera -- Leonard walked down each aisle at the local Walmart with the kids who picked out gifts like clothes and toys.

After that, they got to eat Papa John's pizza with Leonard and his teammates!!

One kid told WTHR he was so surprised he was shopping with an NFL star ... saying, "A football player in front of my eyes!" ... How adorable is that?!?

Leonard loved every minute of it -- saying he knows what it's like not getting much during the holidays, so he wanted to make a difference.

"I knew what it was like as a kid not really having too much up under the tree so just being able to come out and just be in these kids' faces -- now, they can go out and just shop and get whatever they want."

Leonard added, "They gonna remember this for the rest of their lives. Just tryna make a change in this world."

Leonard -- who has 8 siblings and 2 children of his own -- has been with the Colts since 2018 and the 2-time Pro Bowler has made over $29 million.

"Seeing the smiles on these kids faces is the reason why I do what I do!"

Sheriff Brent Lynch -- the top law enforcement official in Owsley County, KY -- was arrested for assault on Thursday after allegedly striking a teenage girl while coaching a girls basketball game.

The incident -- which was captured on camera -- went down in Perry County, KY last Friday. Lynch, a coach for Owsley County, dashed onto the court after players on both teams started fighting.

Lynch is accused of hitting a girl in the face ... and has been charged with 4th-degree assault. The charge carries up to 1 year in jail and a fine, if convicted.

He is currently behind bars in Three Forks Regional Jail ... after he was arrested by his own officers this morning.

The Sherriff -- who assumed office in January 2019 -- is listed as 6', 190 lbs. on his booking sheet. He was booked at 9:59 AM. Prior to serving in his current role, Lynch was a Kentucky State Police officer.

FYI, Owsley is a small county with a population of around 4,000 people in eastern Kentucky.

Josh Duggar was just found guilty on both counts by a jury in his child pornography trial ... TMZ has confirmed.

The "19 Kids and Counting" star was charged with one count each of receiving and possessing child pornography. Prosecutors claimed some of those images included minors below the age of 12.

Duggar's legal team of Justin Gelfand, Ian Murphy and Travis Story tell us, "We appreciate the jury’s lengthy deliberations, we respect the jury’s verdict, and we intend to appeal.”

Duggar was taken into federal custody, a sentencing date has not yet been set.

On November 19, the feds raided his office at the car dealership where Duggar worked in Arkansas ... DHS agents seized his computer plus his iPhone and a MacBook from inside an RV.

The two-week-long trial included testimony from digital forensic analysts along with other witnesses. One family friend claimed the former reality star confessed to molesting children in a tearful testimony on the witness stand.

Josh mainly sat with his head down during the trial, and now he will await his sentence.

He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.

Nick Cannon sent a big thank you to everyone for the support, kind words and love sent after yesterday's emotional announcement where he revealed the devastating news that his 5-month-old son, Zen, passed away.

The "Wild "N Out" creator shared his gratitude on the "The Nick Cannon Show" Wednesday afternoon... "of course, everyone knows I'm not fine, but you all are making me feel better."

Nick says he feels a bit of guilt because he never wanted to exploit the news, but he is appreciative of the outpour of support ... "The onslaught of love is new to me, so thank you is all I can say."

Nick kept his son's diagnosis private for months out of respect for Zen's mom, model Alyssa Scott, and everyone in their family. Cannon says she's been taking things "5 minutes at a time."

As we previously reported, Nick announced Tuesday that his youngest child Zen died from a brain tumor ... after his brain tumor began to grow quickly around thanksgiving. Nick says he got to hold Zen for the last time by the ocean last weekend, after he made a trip to California to spend time with his baby.

Zen was Nick's 7th child and 4th of Nick's kids born in the last year and a half.

Tristan Thompson is trying to keep a tightly-sealed lid on info from his latest paternity case -- asking a judge to silence the woman who claims she's carrying his child from leaking info about the case ... while he continues to blast her as being out for fortune and fame.

The NBA star filed an emergency petition Tuesday in Harris County, TX -- asking the judge to issue a gag order in the case ... barring the parties (himself and Maralee Nichols) from speaking out about the case as it plays out in court.

Tristan points to multiple instances in which he believes Maralee has violated what he claims is a confidentiality order the judge orally granted earlier in the case after she sued him over paternity.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Tristan claims Maralee has been doing interviews with the media, leaking personal info and even taking to IG and other social media to spread what he says are blatant lies about himself and his family. Specifically, he claims certain Snapchat messages -- which Maralee has claimed were sent to her by Tristan -- were fabricated.

The reason Tristan thinks she's doing all this is "to achieve some sort of notoriety and gain for herself in this lawsuit."

Bottom line ... Tristan wants to keep this entire proceeding under wraps, including any discovery or evidence submitted by either side. He also wants the court to sanction Maralee for the alleged leaks.

To hit that point home, he wants a judge to force her to fork over a $30k bond to ensure she has some money on the line if she breaks the confidentiality order.

Nick Cannon just shared some devastating news, his youngest child has died from a brain tumor.

An emotional Cannon made the announcement Tuesday on "The Nick Cannon Show," telling his audience his 5-month-old son, Zen, passed away. Nick says things took a turn for the worse around Thanksgiving, and the tumor began to grow very quickly.

Breaking down, Nick says he spent this last weekend in California with his son, and on Sunday they took a trip to the ocean where Nick held Zen for the last time, he died soon after.

Giving some background, Nick says when he was about 2 months old, Zen started to develop what they thought was a sinus issue, and they noticed his head seemed large. Doctors said fluid had started to build up in Zen's head, and they discovered a tumor, which required immediate surgery.

Zen was Nick's 7th child, born earlier this year with model Alyssa Scott. Zen was the 4th of Nick's kids born in the last year and a half, twins Zillion and Zion were born in June and his daughter, Powerful, last December.

Master P's 16-year-old son, Mercy, put on an absolutely incredible show ... the kid of the famous music icon just dropped a 40 piece in his first high school game as a sophomore.

Mercy, P's youngest, plays for Minnehaha Academy in Minnesota ... and they were taking on Apple Valley, and they had no answer for him all night.

As you can see in the video, Mercy was in his bag ... scoring in a variety of ways -- attacking the rim, shooting outside the perimeter, and even hitting a few mid-range jumpers.

This should come as no surprise 'cause hoops runs in the family. P had a stint in the NBA back in the day ... and Mercy's brother, Hercy, plays college ball at Tennessee State University.

P tried to warn us about the emergence of Mercy -- who committed to playing at the University of Houston -- telling TMZ Sports his son could have a legendary career like Hakeem Olujawon.

"His favorite teams was University of Houston and Duke," P told us, "That was his final choice and to be able to do that as a young kid right now ... he's blessed," P recently told us.

"A lot of the greats went to University of Houston," P said. Clyde the Glyde, Elvin Hayes, Hakeem Olajuwon and now you got Mercy Miller -- could be on that same wall."