Money

A famous drag queen is denying stealing a massive amount of cash from a guest who claims the performer straight-up jacked her in plain sight ... a moment that was captured on video.

Bryan Watkins -- who currently performs as 'Shannel' for the 'Drag Brunch' show in Vegas -- was accused of lifting somewhere between $500 and $700 from the purse of a woman named Meggy during a performance last weekend. Video from the event appears to show Bryan taking money, although it's unclear how much.

Bryan -- who competed on season 1 of "RuPaul's Drag Race" -- says he absolutely did NOT take the large amount Meggy is claiming.

Now, as for the actual accusation here -- Meggy outlined it pretty clearly in a viral TikTok video ... saying Bryan was going around the room for some sort of purse gag, and eventually came to hers -- which had $1,300 in there for her birthday blowout.

Meggy claims Bryan rifled through her bag and plucked a significant wad of cash -- and that when she confronted him about it ... he kicked her out of the show, without returning any of the cash.

Bryan admits to taking some loot, but says it was only a couple bucks as a gag, not hundreds like Meggy claimed. He says the venue's management refunded the woman's tickets and even offered to pay her $700 as a good-faith apology ... but that wasn't enough.

Meggy claims to have gone to the cops over the alleged theft ... but a spokesperson for the Las Vegas Metro Police Department tells us they don't have a record of the incident.

Styles P, one of Verzuz most valuable players, says he'll cut ties with the livestream event if Triller can't figure things out with Swizz Beatz and Timbaland ... and he's urging the hip hop community to do the same.

We spoke with the LOX rapper Wednesday who says if he was on Triller's board, he'd do anything possible to make it right with Swizz and Timbo, the founders of Verzuz.

TMZ broke the story, Swizz and Timbaland filed a $28 million lawsuit against Triller Tuesday claiming Triller has missed significant payments since acquiring Verzuz in 2021.

Styles P says if those allegations are true, it feels like some serious culture vulture conduct, and he's advising the entire hip hop community to distance itself from the livestream giant if nothing is resolved.

Interestingly enough, when we spoke to Timbaland at the height of the Verzuz movement, he was pretty confident that selling the hot commodity would ruin the magic ... and while the magic isn't necessarily ruined, it's certainly going through some tough times.

Mattel is taking a snack company to court over a Nicki Minaj-themed chip that shares the name with everyone's favorite plastic doll.

Legal docs, obtained by TMZ, show Mattel filed a lawsuit in L.A. federal court last week against snack brand Rap Snacks ... claiming they "made the deliberate and calculated choice to launch a new product line using Mattel's famous BARBIE trademark."

Nicki is not being sued.

Rap Snacks recently launched its new "Barbie-Que Honey Truffle Chips" -- with Nicki front and center on the packaging. For those unaware, Nicki's known for calling herself a "Barbie" in her music, with her fanbase even being known as "The Barbz."

Mattel's claiming they weren't approached by the snack company prior to releasing their latest flavor ... and even tried to reach out to them to come to an agreement.

However, they say Rap Snacks "refused to cease use of the BARBIE trademark and issued no corrective advertising, thereby forcing Mattel to bring this lawsuit as a last resort to protect its rights and prevent further consumer confusion."

LeBron and Bronny James are one step closer to being teammates in the NBA -- the King just inked a 2-year, $97.1 million deal to stay with the Lakers through the 2023-24 season ... which will make him a free agent when his son becomes eligible for the draft.

The NBA superstar hasn't shied away from his dream of playing alongside his oldest ... he's mentioned it several times and made his intentions crystal clear.

Bron's new deal with the Purple and Gold now gives him the opportunity to opt out and become a free agent the same season Bronny enters the 2024 NBA Draft ... paving the way for him to sign with whatever team picks the current 17-year-old baller.

It would mark the first time both a father and son played in the Association at the same time -- and even though LeBron will be 39 when 2024 rolls around, he's hellbent on making it happen.

Bronny's currently one of the nation's top-ranked players in his class ... and recently wowed all of social media by slamming home a poster dunk in the Club Basketball Euro Tour.

It's time for some of the boldest, bravest, most badass kids and teens in America to show off their personal neck warmers ... all in the form of a mullet competition.

The finalists have been picked for this year's USA Mullet Championship, and the entries certainly don't disappoint. Each kid and teen is given a spot on the competition's website, where fans can scroll through and pick their favorite Billy Ray Cyrus-inspired hairdo.

The first round of voting is open now, and the ultimate winner will take home $2,500 ... plenty to spend on hair products to maintain the perfect Camaro crash helmet.

Chris Brown and Lil Baby's show was at risk, though only for a short period of time, of getting canceled ... but a judge has decided the show will go on.

Ms. LaJuan Bailey, through her real estate company, filed legal docs asking the court to step in and block CB and co. from performing Wednesday at the Toyota Center in Houston ... a scheduled stop in his national 'One of Them Ones' tour, which is in full swing.

The paperwork, obtained by TMZ, is trying to achieve a few things -- first, filing a restraining order to prevent Chris from hitting the stage ... and second, asking Chris to address why he missed a charity gig in the area earlier this year.

We spoke to a source inside the courtroom who tells us the judge was quick to throw out the restraining order ... allowing Wednesday's show to happen.

As we reported, Bailey made a stink last month after claiming Chris bailed last minute on a hurricane benefit relief concert after Bailey claims to have shelled out $1 million to get Chris there.

Chris' camp denied her account, telling us there were contract stipulations that weren't met, and Chris gave at least a 2-day notice before canceling. He even tried forking over a 6-figure donation to make things right, but that apparently wasn't enough.

A rugby league player's season is now prematurely over -- after he was caught red-handed grabbing an opponent's butt during a game last week.

Corey Norman, who plays for Toulouse Olympique, stuck his hand where it didn't belong in the middle of a match against the Warrington Wolves on Aug. 11 -- and officials announced on Tuesday the grab is going to cost the 31-year-old Australian BIG time.

The Rugby Football League announced in a statement Norman has been suspended eight games and fined about $600 after it found "he had intentionally placed a hand between the buttocks of an opposing player."

Norman had initially pleaded not guilty at his disciplinary hearing.

"The footage of the incident shows a deliberate movement of Corey Norman's left arm and hand over the top of Oliver Holmes and on to his buttocks," officials said in a statement announcing the punishment.

"At no point does the footage show a grabbing of the shorts to push Oliver Holmes down as described by Corey Norman. The footage shows a deliberate placing of Corey Norman’s hands and fingers on the buttocks and coupled with the immediate complaint from Holmes, the reaction of his team-mate Danny Walker and the statement of Holmes to which we have measured regard we are entirely satisfied that this was an intentional placing of a hand between the buttocks of the opposing player and we find the charge proved."

Swizz Beatz and Timbaland created a super popular rap battle show, and now they're doing legal battle with the company to which they sold their idea ... in the form of a $28 million lawsuit!

The big time music producers are suing Triller, claiming the video-sharing social networking service failed to pay up for the cash cow Swizz and Timbaland dreamed up -- Verzuz.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Swizz and Timbaland agreed to sell Verzuz to Triller back in January 2021 … but they say Triller defaulted on the deal after only two payments.

Swizz and Timbaland say they settled with Triller after the initial default, but they say Triller played the same game as before ... making one installment and then not paying up the remaining balance.

The music moguls are going after Triller for more than $28 million … plus interest.

We reached out to Triller ... so far no word back.

Mama June can't seem to stay away from all the reality TV drama ... she's going on a live, courtroom show ... suing a former friend she claims screwed her over.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Mama June will be a plaintiff on A&E's "Court Night Live." She's suing ex-friend Adam Barta, a fellow content creator.

Mama June and Adam worked on a YouTube show together where they yakked about pop culture and created other social media content. She claims what started as friendly advice turned into daily consults and that he promised to pay her for her help but stiffed her, so she's suing on the A&E show for $5k.

Adam says he had a close relationship with June and they each did things for the other without any obligation of repayment. He says he helped June in her time of need and was there for her ... so they're even.

Judge Greg Mathis presides over "Court Night Live" with Vinnie Politan doing the hosting and retired Judge Vonda Evans providing analysis.

"If you're a Green Bay Packer, a lot doors open up for you. If you win a championship, all doors open up, but when you're in the Hall of Fame, football heaven opens up for you."

That's newly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer, LeRoy Butler ... who tells TMZ Sports the opportunities have been rolling in since his enshrinement in Canton.

"My assistant is getting a lot of phone calls," the 54-year-old former Packers star says, adding ... "Some of them are just to feel you out, but some of them are stuff that I always wanted to work on."

And, there's one very special project in the works.

"I'm doing a documentary that my daughters are writing about my life story."

Still, as great as the money and business opportunities are, it's not the most important part for LeRoy.

"I was very excited for my family, man. My kids. I love my kids more than myself, and they really enjoyed it."

We also talked to Butler about a comment fellow HOF'er Deion Sanders made -- where Primetime said too many players were inducted into the Hall ("the Hall of Fame ain’t the Hall of Fame no more") -- an assertion which the former Packers DB disagrees.

"See that's confusing me. I'm assuming he knows there's only 362 guys in there. And maybe 170 living. But see, when you make it first ballot, it's not that big of a deal," LeRoy said, alluding to the fact that Sanders was an absolute lock to be inducted.

Butler says it's different "when you have to wait 16 years."

The Hall of Fame was the last unchecked box in what was a historic career for LeRoy. The Super Bowl 31 champ was a 4x first-team All-Pro who was named to the NFL's 1990s All-Decade squad.

Christian Slater's Florida home didn't last long ... selling way above asking price after just 3 days on the market!

Real estate sources tell TMZ the "Mr. Robot" actor sold his 4-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom pad in Miami's Coconut Grove neighborhood for $4.258 million ... which was 10% above the $3.950 million asking price.

The Italian-inspired home comes with all the bells and whistles, with an oversized primary suite with a balcony and a huge rooftop terrace. There's also a detached guest suite with an entertaining area, bedroom and full bathroom.

Of course, the backyard comes complete with a pool for the Florida heat.

Rick Ross and his family are under fire in Mississippi for allegedly skimming money from the wages of their Wingstop workers -- and now they've been hit with fines.

The U.S. Department of Labor says they hit Boss Wings Enterprises LLC -- Rick Ross's company -- with a $114,427 fine for back wages and other penalties after the agency determined their franchises were violating labor laws.

Unclear what period of time this covers exactly, but the DOL claims that after an investigation into 5 locations -- all owned and operated by Boss Wings -- they found many of the employees were taking home less than $7.25/hour after factoring in all the deductions --  a big no-no under the minimum wage laws on the books.

The reason ... DOL alleges the owners of these specific franchises were forcing workers to pay for uniforms, basic safety training, background checks and cash register shortages.

The department also claims the bosses at these 5 restaurants were, in many instances, working their employees to the bone ... making them work overtime without properly compensating them and not keeping clean time records on hand.

Not just this, but DOL claims they found one instance when a 15-year-old employee worked past 10 PM several times in June 2021 -- which the agency claims ran afoul of a law prohibiting workers that young from working past 7 PM.

All in all, the DOL hit Boss Wings with $51,674 in back wages/damages for 244 workers -- and additional fines of nearly $63,000.

A labor official says, "Restaurant industry employees work hard, often for low wages, and many depend on every dollar earned to make ends meet. The law prevents Boss Wing Enterprises LLC from shifting operating costs to workers by deducting the costs of uniforms, cash register shortages or training expenses, or to allow a worker’s pay to fall below the minimum wage rate."

Dave Foley sorta bit the hand that feeds a bit this weekend -- taking a shot at the streaming company that's hosting his old sketch show ... claiming Amazon is ruining planet Earth.

The comedian/actor was on hand Sunday at the Beverly Hilton hotel, where the HCA TV Awards were underway and handing out trophies for shows ... both on traditional TV and on streaming. He won for his newest season of 'Kids in the Hall,' which was revived for a 6th season this year on Amazon Prime -- this after the OG show's been off the air for decades.

During his acceptance speech for Best Streaming Variety Sketch Series, DF thanked a bunch of people in very off-the-cuff remarks -- and along the way, remembered to thank Amazon.

Watch ... Foley sarcastically mentions Amazon, saying despite polluting the planet/ruining the environment -- they make some great TV, so yippee! It's kinda funny, but big picture ... it's a little cringeworthy ... especially when you consider Dave literally has a working relationship with them now, as they're financing/producing the new season(s) of his series.

'KITH' originally ran from 1988 to '95 over the course of 5 seasons, which aired in a variety of places ... from HBO to CBC TV and, eventually, CBS. You can now stream the old episodes for free on Amazon Prime ... as well as Pluto and The Roku Chanel.

New video from the scene of Anne Heche's fiery car crash shows a house in shambles ... it looks like a bomb went off inside the home where Anne's car barreled through.

TMZ obtained this footage from the Los Angeles home Anne smashed into with her Mini Cooper, and you see firefighters examining the charred remnants, trying to piece together what happened.

After looking at the video, it's incredible the woman living in the home, Lynne Mishele, was not killed when Anne came plowing through.

We're told Lynne had just walked into another room to do some chores when the house was suddenly the scene of a scary crash ... and the area Lynne was in, fortunately, did not collapse or immediately catch fire, unlike other parts of her home.

While Lynne survived, we're told she's having a hard time dealing with the fallout ... suffering from physical and mental injuries.

Lynne has attorney Shawn Holley on her side to help with next steps, like handling insurance claims and helping pick up the pieces of her life.

Holley tells TMZ ... "I am only here to help Lynne go through the process of dealing with insurance companies so that she can start rebuilding her life. This was never about lawsuits or making money. She has lost everything and is so appreciative of all the love and support she has received."

We broke the story ... Anne was behind the wheel in a horrific car crash August 5 when she drove into a home, igniting a blaze. Anne was very badly burned in the accident and lost consciousness shortly after, never came out. She was declared brain dead Friday and taken off life support Sunday evening.

Byron Allen is callin' dibs on the next available NFL team -- telling TMZ Sports that after losing out on the Broncos this year, he's "highly confident" he'll "get the next one."

We got the TV mogul out in Beverly Hills just days after he officially lost his bid to buy Denver's NFL franchise to Rob Walton, and he told us he ain't sad about it at all.

In fact, Allen was in a playful mood about missing out on the $4.65 billion purchase ... saying, "When you lose to the richest family in the world, it's not a bad day in the office."

Allen says he's now already turned his sights onto the next available team -- explaining he's absolutely undeterred by how the Broncos sale ended up.

"Listen," the 61-year-old said. "Buying an NFL football team is a process and we had the pleasure of being a part of that process. We didn't get this one, but I'm highly confident we'll get the next one."

Allen said owning a team is very important to him -- telling us that becoming the first-ever Black controlling owner in the league is a huge goal of his.

Allen credited Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell for giving him the tools necessary to one day accomplish that feat ... and added that he's in no hurry whatsoever to give up on the dream.

Many men wish death upon 50 Cent, but Floyd Mayweather isn't one of them ... 'cause the rapper says they have officially squashed their longtime beef.

Remember, the two used to be really tight up until 2012 ... when Fiddy claimed TBE stiffed him out of $2 million used to kickstart his Money Team boxing promotion.

The feud went viral -- with Fif incessantly calling Mayweather out on social media, including a video challenging the boxing legend to read one page of a Harry Potter book on camera to prove he could read.

Despite the bad falling out, 50 says that's all water under the bridge now ... telling "The Breakfast Club" he made amends with Floyd at a comedy show in Vegas earlier this year.

50 says the two realized life is short and they have a ton of respect for each other's success ... and after he apologized, Floyd replied, "What took you so long?"

The make up was made official on social media on Sunday ... with 50 announcing Floyd would be attending his Tycoon Weekend comedy event.