Legal

A woman -- crowned one of Alabama's teachers of the year -- is in hot water with the law after allegedly whipping the s**t out of her child with a belt on video.

Nicole Staples -- who teaches second grade at Cottage Hill Christian Academy in Mobile -- was charged Wednesday with willful abuse of a child under 18, according to the county Sheriff's Office.

The video is startling ... Staples appears to hit her adolescent son on the backside upwards of 20 times after hurling a flurry of curses at him for not cleaning up after himself. She appears to grab him by the hair before seeming to smack him again.

Chadwick Boseman was honored with a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame Thursday, and his widow Simone Boseman spoke to us about his legacy and what this honor does for it.

As you know, Chadwick made history with his portrayal as T'Challa in "Black Panther" ... but Simone tells us its impact reached beyond just that film franchise.

She pointed out he blazed a trail for all future Black superheroes ... "He made space and now there can be more and more and more ... he set it up. He played the role he was meant to play."

Fugees member Pras Michél has been hit with a 14-year prison sentence ... handed down after his conviction on conspiracy and illegal foreign lobbying charges.

The verdict came down Thursday in a D.C. federal court -- slapping Pras with three years of probation on top of his 14-year stint. He already got hit last month with a massive $64 million forfeiture tied to the alleged scheme.

The hip hop lyricist got slapped with 10 guilty counts back in April 2023 -- everything from messing with campaign finance laws during Obama’s 2012 run to allegedly cozying up with the Trump administration in 2017.

"Love & Hip Hop: Miami" star Sukihana -- AKA "Suki with the Good Coochie" -- apparently got some good d*** last night ... that's what she told us when we caught her at LAX in a wheelchair.

In the middle of a pretty wholesome conversation about her recent birthday, our photog just casually acknowledged the wheelchair Suki was sitting in.

Without hesitation, she blurted out, "I got f****d so hard last night. I'm not gonna lie, I got some good birthday d***, so I can't walk or nothing."

Megan Thee Stallion took the stand Thursday in her defamation case against blogger Milagro "Gramz" Cooper ... and broke down crying while talking about a PSA she once did for suicide prevention!!!

The superstar rapper was being questioned on the stand about the night of the Tory Lanez shooting, when she was shown a bit from a documentary she did with mental health nonprofit org, Never A Bother.

Megan tearfully told jurors she knows what it feels like to "not want to live anymore" and went into detail about the toll the ordeal with Tory and Milagro has taken on her.

It's no secret Dolly Parton's proud of her work with Dollywood ... but she wasn't able to attend a ceremony honoring the park's achievements earlier this week.

The country music legend was supposed to show up at an event Monday where her theme park in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, was inducted into the the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions Hall of Fame ... but she ended up not making it, reports WCNC-TV.

Dolly addressed her absence Wednesday in a video on Dollywood's official Instagram account, apologizing for not being able to attend.

She said she'd been dealing with unspecified "health challenges" throughout the fall, and her doctors told her to "take it easy" -- which meant skipping the ceremony.

Dolly said she's still feeling great about her park being inducted into the Hall of Fame and thanked the park's team for their hard work.

Dolly's been open about dealing with issues related to her health over the past few months, although she's never specified what she's had to work through.

Honesty is the best policy ... at least according to Karoline Leavitt, who brazenly defended Donald Trump calling a female reporter "piggy," telling White House journalists they should appreciate the president's honest and direct approach.

Strap in -- the White House Press Secretary went full ride-or-die at Thursday’s briefing, doubling down on Trump’s jab and basically saying, hey, at least he was open and honest, which in her universe counts as "respectful."

When the Washington Post’s Natalie Allison pressed her on it, Leavitt elaborated -- saying Trump’s "frankness" is basically why he got re-elected, and insisting he only gets cranky when reporters lie and spread "fake news." And she claimed Trump's rudeness is preferable to the Biden administration's press dealings.

Jelly Roll is going with a new look ... because he just shaved off his beard ... and it's the first time he's done away with the facial hair in a decade.

The rapper just showed off his new look in a new video he uploaded to YouTube ... and he also got rid of his mustache and goatee.

Jelly Roll leaned in hard on the big reveal, filming himself shaving in the mirror and blurring his face until it was all gone. He then came into his kitchen and showed his daughter Bailee Ann what he'd done ... and her reaction is priceless.

Sia's laid out the witnesses she plans to call at her upcoming spousal support and custody hearing ... and she's listed herself as chief among them.

According to a new filing, Sia says she expects to take the stand at a hearing for approximately 2 hours on issues such as spousal support, custody, visitation, attorney's fees, and more.

Sia also lists her estranged husband, Daniel Bernad, who she expects her lawyers to cross-examine on various issues like custody ... and accountant Tracy Katz, who she says will testify about child support and other financial issues.

Marciano Brunette from "Vanderpump Villa" made a return cameo in "Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," stirring up some drama this season ... and he says he's feeling regret for some of his lies about the scandal.

Marciano claimed he and Jessi Ngatikaura had a sexual affair after meeting on their crossover episode ... and now he's feeling ways about that action. We caught up with the reality star leaving SUR in West Hollywood -- showing some support for former boss Lisa Vanderpump -- and he tells us he has regrets about coming forward about the affair in the way he did.

He said he feels bad for his contribution to the rockiness of Jessi and Jordan Ngatikaura's relationship ... asked where his relationship stands with Jessi now, Marciano hesitates -- check out the video for more about their current status.

A Florida Congresswoman's been charged with stealing millions of dollars in federal disaster funds -- and using the cash to foot the bill for her last congressional campaign.

According to a DOJ press release, Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, worked on a FEMA-funded COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract through their family healthcare company in 2021.

The DOJ says the company received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds and Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother allegedly laundered the cash ... which was used for candidate contributions to her 2021 campaign. She won a special campaign to replace late Representative Alcee Hastings in 2022 with 72 percent of the vote.

The Justice Department said Cherfilus-McCormick and another defendant allegedly funneled cash to various friends and family members who, in turn, donated the money to her campaign. The Congresswoman and her 2021 tax preparer were also charged with conspiring to file a false federal tax return.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi described the use of disaster relief funds for personal gain as a "particularly selfish, cynical crime."

Cherfilus-McCormick's legal team released a statement saying they'll keep fighting to restore the Representative's "good name."

2:20 PM PT -- Elon Musk has responded to everyone noticing his A.I. creation Grok lavished him with over-the-top praise, and he's blaming mean trolls.

The X owner tweeted on his account ... "Earlier today, Grok was unfortunately manipulated by adversarial prompting into saying absurdly positive things about me.  For the record, I am a fat r*****." He went with the full R-word in his post.

Elon Musk's creation is staying loyal to its maker ... even asserting the X owner's in better physical shape than LeBron James -- though many online aren't buying it.

Here's the deal ... a social media user asked the A.I. chatbot which of the two men is in better physical shape -- at first trying to be judicious by claiming James dominates in raw athleticism and basketball talent while Elon edges him out in "holistic fitness."

Grok cites Musk's intense work schedule and the pressures of his job as keys to his claim to the fitness crown ... finishing off the message by adding "Elon's building the future while LeBron plays [a game]."

Keith Urban is not letting a silly controversy about his recent Mar-a-Lago performance faze him ... 'cause the country star's too busy raising bank for sick children.

Here the deal ... KU just headlined a benefit concert at the CME Group Tour Championship in Naples, Florida on Tuesday ... and he helped raise a record $2 million for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

It's a big deal for a few reasons ... obviously, the dude has a huge heart -- actively supporting St. Jude for years -- and he also just performed and presented at last night's CMAs. But there was a snag over a song he played at a private gig.

TMZ Sports is going live from the newsroom to discuss the day's biggest stories ... but we don't just want folks to watch and enjoy the conversation, we want y'all to get involved!!

Hit the comment section as Lucas, Mojo, Luca, and the whole crew break down the most important topics of the day ... and we'll be interacting with viewers throughout the program between 1 and 2 PM PT.

So tune in, make fun of us, share your two cents, sound off about your favorite team ... nothing is out of bounds.

It seems like Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are done for good ... following speculation they reconciled after their split in September.

Chase had fans doing a double-take Thursday when he posted cryptic messages that appeared to be about a relationship gone wrong ... taking to his Instagram Story to say he's "blocked" and "did nothing wrong." He also apologized, adding ... "I tried."

He added more fuel to the speculation with a second post, writing ... "I'm sorry for those who believed in us. It is what it is. Onwards and upwards."

Joey and Jesse Buss -- who have minority ownership shares with the Los Angeles Lakers -- have just been kicked to the curb by their own team ... and based on a statement released by the two bros, they ain't too happy about it.

The surprise news came just minutes ago via Shams Charania ... who reported Joey and Jesse will no longer hold their scouting roles in the Lakers' front office as the franchise reorganizes its basketball operations department.

Jerry's sons commented on the matter ... saying, "We are extremely honored to have been part of this organization for the last 20 seasons. Thank you to Laker Nation for embracing our family every step of the way."