Money

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez have only one person to blame for the National Enquirer story about their romance, and it's her brother ... and the publication's laying out its paper trail.

Lauren's bro, Michael Sanchez, is suing the National Enquirer for libel ... because he denies he was the rat behind the story exposing their affair. But, the NE says not so fast, Ratatouille.

In new docs, the media outlet says Michael first contacted one of its reporters on Sept. 10, 2018, and then had subsequent conversations leading up to a face-to-face meeting on Oct. 5, 2018, where Michael revealed some text messages and pics ... but did NOT say it involved Bezos or his sister.

On Oct. 17, the reporter asked her bosses about financial parameters for a deal, and requested at least $300k. AMI, the Enquirer's parent company, says it was around this time they first found out Michael's information was about Bezos.

Then, according to docs, on Oct. 18 ... AMI and Sanchez signed a deal for $200k. The AMI honchos at the time -- Dylan Howard and James Robertson -- believe that is the most they'd paid a source for a story.

However, it wasn't until an NYC meeting on Oct. 23 -- between Michael, Howard and Robertson ... that AMI learned their canary was singing about his own sister. According to the docs, it was during this meeting Michael mentioned having a below-the-belt pic of Bezos ... sent to him by Lauren.

Worth noting, AMI says Michael told them in November ... Lauren and Jeff were not "in cooperation with him." He added, "Neither one have a clue."

Cut to January 2019 ... the Enquirer finally publishes the story, and Bezos goes nuts trying to find out their source. You'll recall, the Amazon honcho hired investigators and publicly theorized the Saudis might have hacked his phone and sold the info to AMI.

Also, according to the docs, Michael went on the record claiming the Enquirer called HIM first, simply trying to confirm the affair.

That's why AMI says it had to issue a press release defending itself and fingering Michael as its Tekashi6ix9ine, if you will. In the motion, AMI points out it would never have paid him $200k just to confirm information.

AMI is now asking the judge to toss Michael's lawsuit because they say they didn't lie about him being the source.

Kehlani rented a Ferrari and then smashed up the expensive sports car before returning it ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The singer is being sued by a luxury rental car company that claims she rented a Ferrari back in April, and said it was for personal use only -- but the company claims she used it in her new music video instead and ended up damaging the whip in a costly collision.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Kehlani rented the Ferrari on April 19 and on April 22 she crashed it into an animal or another object, causing nearly $25,000 worth of damage.

The docs claim the black Ferrari featured in Kehlani's music video for her track, "Open (Passionate)," is the one that was damaged.

According to the suit, the company says it lost over $1,000 a day while the Ferrari was being repaired. All told, it claims Kehlani caused them to lose more than $35k in potential rental fees.

Adding insult to auto-injury, the value of the exotic ride was reduced by $88,573.

The car rental company is going after Kehlani for damages ... and they want her driver's license suspended.

We reached out to Kehlani ... so far, radio silence.

Tori Brixx can't seem to stay out of danger -- she was allegedly the victim of another home invasion robbery, but thankfully ... she wasn't injured this time.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Tori is one of several alleged victims of a home invasion earlier this week in L.A., where perps allegedly made off with more than $100k in property.

We're told there was a party at a rental house with 15-20 people, and sometime around midnight ... cops say 6 men wearing masks entered via a back door and held everyone up.

Our LE sources say the suspects were armed and demanded the partygoers' cash, jewelry and phones.

We're told police are now looking for videos from around the area, but so far, no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.

Other sources say Tori and others were celebrating the bday of their friend, Darlene, and the home was a listing of a real estate agent attending the party. Tori posted video from inside the house just hours before the alleged incident.

We're told among the property stolen ... 5 purses.

You may recall ... it was 2 years ago when Tori was with Rich the Kid at her home when robbers broke in demanding cash and jewelry. Tori was pistol-whipped and suffered a deep cut on her cheek, along with bruising and swelling around her eye.

WELCOME TO FLOYD'S CRIB!!

Floyd Mayweather is finally giving a video tour of his massive Vegas mansion ... with a closet made to look like a Neiman Marcus store!

Seriously! That's what he said!!

Mayweather actually built the pad years ago -- but says he never really got around to moving in because he's traveling the world all the time.

But, since COVID paused those plans ... might as well enjoy your palatial estate, right?!

Here are the highlights ...

INDOOR POOL AND SPA -- it looks like something you'd see in an upscale Vegas hotel ... only it's just for Floyd.

COURTYARD WITH FOUNTAINS AND FIREPITS -- so many statues and pieces of expensive outdoor art ... including a replica of the Versace logo.

MAIN CLOSET -- This is incredible.

Rows and rows and rows designer clothing and shoes line all of the designer shelves in Floyd's place.

Dozens of pairs of Louboutin shoes, tons of Birkin bags, jackets -- Floyd says his goal is to "make sure it always looks like Neimans."

There are so many shoes in his closet, we couldn't even keep count -- HUNDREDS of pairs.

THE ELEVATORS -- Floyd has several elevators in his pad ... it looks expensive with wood panels. Probably special buttons. It's gaudy.

THE GARAGE -- Floyd has a famously HUGE collection of whips, including a couple of Rolls-Royces, Bentleys, Bugattis and all sorts of rare vehicles ... some cost MILLIONS.

But, get this ... Floyd says despite all of the fancy rides, his day-to-day car ... is a Dodge Ram 1500 truck.

"This is my favorite car I drive right here -- I like to be low key."

Sure ya do, Floyd.

THE KITCHEN -- All marble everything. Expensive appliances. Floyd always has a private chef ... so he probably doesn't even use the stuff himself.

MAIN BEDROOM -- nope, that's off-limits to the fans. Some things gotta stay private, right?

Floyd says he's showing off the house to inspire people to achieve greatness. You inspired yet?!

Jeff Bezos' status as the world's richest man is exactly why he's got a new lawn ornament, of sorts, at his D.C. home ... a guillotine, placed there by angry protesters.

The faux blade was set up Sunday outside Jeff's pad with a sign that's pretty specifically targeting Jeff's uber rich status -- "Support our poor communities, not our wealthy men." Despite the instrument of destruction, the protesters gathered nearby were pretty chill ... sitting or standing on the street in front of his home.

We don't know Bezos' position on cake, but the guillotine is a clear reference to the 1793 beheading of Marie Antoinette and the spark of the French Revolution.

It's unclear if Bezos -- reportedly worth just over $160 BILLION -- was home at the time but protesters made their message clear ... circulated a digital flyer that read, "Amazon works directly with police to surveil us, stoking racist fears in the name of profit. Doubling down on their union-busting and mistreatment of workers ... Join us to tell Jeff Bezos enough is enough!"

For what it's worth ... Bezos schooled an Amazon customer earlier this month on why Amazon is supporting the Black Lives Matter movement. After the customer emailed him to say "All Lives Matter" ... Bezos replied, "'Black lives matter' doesn't mean other lives don't matter. Black lives matter speaks to racism and the disproportionate risk that Black people face in our law enforcement and justice system."

Kim Kardashian's brand was just launched into another stratosphere of riches -- hitting the billion-dollar mark ... courtesy of a new deal with a very familiar beauty investor.

Here's the scoop ... Kim's beauty business -- with a range of products from makeup to fragrances -- just received a massive influx of cash from cosmetic conglomerate Coty Inc., which forked out $200 million for a 20% stake in KKW's biz.

Do the math and it all adds up -- Coty valued Kim's co. at $1 BILLION.

We're told the deal is for a longterm strategic partnership to launch products in new beauty categories and expand across the globe from top to bottom.

Our sources say Coty act as a licensee for skin, hair, personal and nail products.

We're told Kim and her team have been hammering out the deal with Coty for months -- and don't forget, Coty is the same company that bought a huge stake in Kylie's beauty line for $600 mil.

Kim tells us, "This relationship will allow me to focus on the creative elements that I'm so passionate about while benefiting from the incredible resources of Coty, and launching my products around the world."

One big difference, though ... Kim didn't give up a majority stake, so she still runs the show when it comes to her brand.

Now, bear in mind ... Kim's beauty company was recently sued by another beauty company they've partnered with before, Seeds Beauty, which said it was worried KKW would spill their trade secrets to Coty.

Richard Sherman says Cam Newton's new Patriots contract is both "ridiculous" and "disgusting" ... and he's now going after the NFL for allowing it to happen.

"How many former League MVPs have had to sign for the min?" Sherman wrote Sunday night. "(Asking for a friend.) just ridiculous."

The SF 49ers superstar added, "A transcendent talent and less talented QBs are getting 15/16m a year. Disgusting."

Cam not only had to wait MONTHS to sign with the Pats after the Panthers cut him in the spring ... but he reportedly had to ink a deal with New England that'll only pay him $7.5 million IF he hits all of his incentives.

Sherm thinks that's just crazy for a guy with Hall of Fame potential ... even if injuries haven't allowed the 31-year-old to produce as well on the field the past few seasons.

"Check that against every QB slated to be a starter this season," Sherman said of Cam's recent struggles. "Let me know how that goes."

For his part, Newton didn't seem displeased with his signing over the weekend ... even if the contract is over HALF of the $20-plus million he used to make per season in Carolina.

"It's disrespectful to be honest with you. It really is."

Adrian Peterson says he's fed up with the way NFL owners and GMs refuse to pay running backs their value ... and now, he's telling TMZ Sports he hopes the game's youngsters can change things around.

Peterson famously hasn't had too many issues with contracts over his career ... he's made over $100 MIL in 13 seasons.

But, he's seen other tailbacks get the shaft when it comes time for new contracts ... and he tells us he's tired of seeing it.

"I think the change is going to come," Peterson says. "Me and Frank Gore continue to show guys, 'Hey, we are valuable. We can have 10, 14-year careers as well, so value us as well like you would value a quarterback, you know?'"

Of course, there are still plenty of running backs waiting for the tide to turn ... Zeke Elliott famously had to hold out of training camp to get his big contract, while Dalvin Cook is now threatening to do the same.

Derrick Henry, meanwhile, is being forced to play on the franchise tag ... while Alvin Kamara has yet to receive an extension despite playing on a very Saints-friendly deal his first 3 years in the league.

Peterson says he's hopeful all of that will change soon ... adding, "These young core of backs are really changing the game for the better."

Dustin Diamond needs to be saved by more than the bell if he wants to keep his home in Wisconsin -- the bank is knocking on his door and looking to foreclose.

The "Saved By The Bell" star owes Wells Fargo a whopping $269,329.36 -- according to legal docs obtained by TMZ -- and the bank is asking the court to sign off on the foreclosure.

Dustin tells TMZ ... he didn't even know he was so far behind on the mortgage, because he hasn't been to the Port Washington property since January of last year, as he's been living in Florida instead.

Screech says he moved into the house way back in 2003, when the property was worth $340,000, and tells us he plunked down a $68,000 down payment. He says he doesn't understand how he owes such a large sum. Homeownership ain't easy, or cheap.

Dustin's got a lot of other problems at the pad ... he says a friend alerted him to a busted water main last fall, and the leak was so bad water was flowing out of a first-floor window.

Screech says he lost 30 years of memories in the home's flooded basement ... his comic collection, instruments, chess collection, family pictures and videos were all ruined.

Dustin tells us ... "Foreclosure means nothing when a house is destroyed ... with my items I've lost, it now feels like Wells Fargo is trying to kick me when I'm down."

He says he never went to check on the pad last winter because his friend said the water main break froze over, and there was black mold. He was waiting for the ice to melt to return, but the pandemic ruined that plan.

Dustin still hasn't been back there, and says he hasn't figured out how he'll deal with the bank's foreclosure.

Where's Mr. Belding when ya really need him, right?

Aroldis Chapman now has an insane ride to go with baseball's best fastball -- the MLB star just copped a ludicrous custom 6-wheeled Jeep ... that's covered in Kevlar coating!!!

TMZ Sports has learned the New York Yankees closer hit up South Florida Jeeps in Ft. Lauderdale about two months ago to get the custom whip made -- and it came out SICK!!!

Check out the pic of the ridiculous car ... we're told by shop honcho Joseph Ghattas it started out as a cut-in-half Jeep -- and it was all custom built by hand from there.

The ride has 600 horsepower, features blood-red interior from top to bottom ... and according to Ghattas, it's not only "unstuckable" while off-road, it vapor trails down highways as well!!

All told, Ghattas says the project took about 60 days to complete ... and cost Chapman right around $150,000 -- a small price to pay for a dude who just signed a 3-year, $48 MILLION contract with the NYY.

As for Chapman's reaction when he picked up the new whip this week ... Ghattas says he LOVED the creation -- saying, "He doesn't speak a whole lot of English, but 'f**king awesome' is pretty universal!"

Welp, this is awesome.

Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey just copped himself a new piece of real estate ... waterfront property in Fort Lauderdale and it's huuuuuuuge.

The 3-story home is 7,000 square feet -- with 6 bedrooms, 7 full bathrooms, 2 half bathrooms (that's 9 total toilets for all you mathletes out there), game room, bar, pool, etc.

There's also an ELEVATOR in the house -- in case Pouncey doesn't feel like walking up the stairs.

The rooftop terrace is sick. The private dock is sick. The kitchen is sick. The closets are sick.

We like the house. A lot.

The Listing agents who represented the property were Peter Barkin and Mark Gilman of the Barkin-Gilman Group | Compass. The Buyer’s agent who represented Maurkice was Adam Burke of Grandiose Real Estate, Inc.

30-year-old Pouncey has reportedly made more than $66 mil during his 10-year NFL career.

Kanye West has until 2030 to fulfill his mission of providing clothing for the masses ... and he just might make Gap cool again, in the process.

The rapper and his fashion company just landed a 10-year deal with Gap to launch a new clothing line called Yeezy Gap. The retailer -- widely known as a mall brand -- will introduce the Yeezy merch in the first half of 2021 in its stores and online.

Yeezy's design studio says its plan is to make "modern, elevated basics for men, women and kids at accessible price points" and of course ... Kanye will call the shots, including deciding how his clothes will be marketed at Gap.

The mega retail deal reportedly starts this month and comes with the option to renew at the 5-year mark ... at which point Gap expects YZY to be generating $1 BILLION in sales.

To put that in perspective ... the struggling retailer only hauled in a total of $4.6 billion globally in 2019. But, considering Kanye's Yeezy shoe line topped $1 billion in sales last year ... it's certainly possible.

The collab between the rapper and the retail chain is a long time coming for Kanye -- in 2015 he declared he'd like to be the "Steve Jobs of the Gap," and said he dreamed of being its creative director. He also worked there as a teen.

Some things are just meant to be.

Kanye West's new Gap deal isn't only huge for budget-conscious consumers ... Daymond John says it could also be a game changer for Gap's corporate culture ...if it's smart, at least.

The "Shark Tank" star helped us follow the money on the Yeezy Gap 10-year deal ... breaking down how it could greatly benefit customers, Gap and Kanye. On Friday's "TMZ Live," Daymond said the new partnership will give the masses access to so-called "knockoffs" of Kanye's high-end, high-priced designs.

That's the obvious W for the public, but DJ added ... the real win for Kanye goes well beyond dollars and cents. He says for the amount of revenue Ye stands to make for Gap -- it's already estimating a BILLION annually -- the rapper/designer deserves a seat on the corporation's Board of Directors.

That possibility couldn't come at a more opportune time for Gap, as corporations nationwide are desperately trying to diversify their staff -- from top to bottom -- in response to the protests demanding racial equality.

Daymond -- whose FUBU brand also had Gap ties, courtesy of a late 90s LL Cool J commercial -- says Gap can take a huge step forward by adding Kanye to its Board.

Man knows what he's talking about, because it turns out the 'Shark' is in super-high demand with more than a dozen corporations right now.

Dustin Poirier says he's only interested in taking fights that will help him get closer to a title shot -- and a rematch with Conor McGregor wouldn't help his cause.

Remember, Poirier fought Conor bad in 2014 and lost in the 1st round -- but Dustin's been an ANIMAL ever since, beating stars like Justin Gaethje, Anthony Pettis and Max Holloway.

In fact, Dustin is currently the #3 ranked UFC lightweight fighter -- with Conor behind him at #4.

Poirier tells TMZ Sports he thinks a win over Dan "The Hangman" Hooker on Saturday will get him closer to a title shot ... but he might need one more victory to seal the deal.

So, we asked if he'd be interested in McGregor after Hooker -- but Dustin says it just doesn't make sense.

"I mean I'd love to for the financial part of it but I'm not chasing grudge matches at this point in my life," Poirier says.

"I'd rather fight Tony Ferguson and get closer to the title but we'll see what happens."

Plus, as Dustin pointed out ... McGregor says he's retired from MMA ... so, it's not on the table anyway!

As for Dan Hooker -- who's on a 3-fight win streak -- Dustin says the key to victory is patience.

Maluma will definitely NOT think this is music to his ears ... the famous Colombian singer's being sued for allegedly trying to extort the owner of SoHo House out $1 million.

Richard Caring -- the London-based businessman who owns the exclusive members-only SoHo House locations and The Ivy Restaurants -- is suing Maluma claiming the Grammy-winning singer tried pulling a fast one by trying to get him to pay DOUBLE the amount they agreed upon for a wedding gig ... this according to new legal docs obtained by TMZ.

In docs, Caring claims he hired Maluma -- gov't name Juan Luis Londono Arias -- to perform at his wedding in the Dominican Republic initially slated for November 7, 2019. Caring says his bride-to-be's a huge fan ... so Caring went all out to get Maluma to the DR ... including meeting Maluma's extravagant demands that included 5 first-class tickets, 32 coach tickets for his staff, a private plane for the singer, and a fancy hotel. This on top of the $500k performance fee.

But, 3 months before the wedding, Caring had to postpone the wedding "due to the concerns regarding the ability to deliver an event of this magnitude with the current time constraints." The wedding was then moved for June 2020 in Rome.

Caring claims he contacted Maluma's team asking about availability. Everything seemed to be kosher at this point, and Caring claims he wired Maluma $375k upfront. But, things went south when Caring claims Maluma's people told him he wouldn't "permit or allow Maluma to perform" at the wedding "unless Mr. Caring agreed to pay double." Caring claims Maluma was with the $1 million demand.

According to docs, Caring claims Maluma's people informed him they needed $1 million because the wedding interfered with Maluma's European tour. Caring scoffed at the demand and instead asked Maluma -- who has collaborations with some of the biggest artists in the game like Madonna, Shakira and Marc Anthony -- to return the dough. Caring claims Maluma's failed to do that, so he's suing to get his money back plus damages.

We're told Caring has requested the return of the $375,000 down payment several times since 2019 verbally and in writing and they have refused.

We've reached out to Maluma, so far no word back.

Alex Trebek dug deep into his pockets again to help a homeless shelter get a new facility off the ground -- more than doubling his previous donation for a very similar cause.

Ken Craft -- founder of Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission -- tells TMZ ... Alex handed over $500k of his own money to help Hope of the Valley with a brand new homeless shelter they're aiming to get built over the next year or so in the San Fernando Valley.

This new initiative is mega -- they're calling it Hope Central -- and we're told it'll be a 50,000-square-foot facility that'll house homeless seniors in the area. The team is currently scouting properties and will break ground in 2021 -- now, with much more ease thanks to Alex.

Now, bear in mind ... AT's latest donation comes on the heels of another generous move -- giving Hope of the Valley a $100k donation for another facility it's working on in North Hollywood.

We got pics of Alex and his wife, Jean, taking a stroll around the construction site Tuesday and touring the facility, which has a whole wing named after them. Specifically, the largest room in that building, the Alex and Jean Trebek Multi-Purpose Room, where people will eat and chill.

At some point in the day, Trebek and co. also toured another facility HOTV is building in Van Nuys -- and somewhere along the way, they were also seen hitting up a Home Depot nearby.

As for this latest donation, Ken tells us it brought him to tears. He also says the Trebeks told him they hoped it would spur others to donate/help out the homeless crisis.

Apparently, Alex and Jean feel society tends to write off people suffering from homelessness as nothing but drunks and addicts. They clearly don't feel that's the case though.