Money

Kim Kardashian and Ray J's sex tape was a success right out of the gate, making more than a million bucks in the first 6 weeks after its release ... and according to an email sent to them, they were both making serious bank.

We've obtained an email from Vivid Entertainment honcho Steve Hirsch dated May 1, 2007, in which he informs Kim the tape made $1,424,636.63 in revenue, including the majority, $1,255,578.50, coming from DVD sales.

It's interesting ... the tape was released on March 14, 2007. Kim filed a lawsuit on February 21, 2007, against Vivid, claiming she didn't authorize the release of the tape. That case was dismissed -- presumably, it was settled -- April 27, 2007. Just 4 days later, Kim got the email from Vivid on sales numbers.

Ray J said over the weekend, Kim actually signed on from the get-go, and even produced his contract with a list of the sex tapes ... saying Kim wrote the inventory list. He also produced a letter from her and says it's the exact same handwriting.

Hirsch has openly talked about the deal in the past, calling it a "difficult deal to get done" because he says Kim truly did not want the tape out.

Ray J says their deal was that each would receive $400,000 plus 12.5% of the profits. Those figures are reflected in Hirsch's email to Kim and Ray J.

Ray also claims Kris Jenner actually looked at both sex tapes and chose the one where Kim looked the best. BTW ... we're told Kris' signature is not in the contract. Hirsch has also maintained Kris had no role in selling the tape.

As for the 2 sex tapes, Ray J says one was shot in Cabo and the other in Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara tape has never been released.

Phoenix Suns owner Robert Sarver was just hit with a massive penalty after an extensive investigation into alleged workplace misconduct ... getting banned from the league for one season and forced to pay a $10 million fine.

The NBA released the findings of its investigation after interviewing 320 current and former Suns employees ... and determined Sarver said the n-word at least five times "when recounting the statements of others."

It's worth noting -- the league says Sarver's use of the n-word was not motivated by racial hate or prejudice.

The league also concluded Sarver did not treat female employees equally and made inappropriate comments about their appearance.

The NBA also states Sarver engaged in inappropriate physical conduct toward male employees.

"The statements and conduct described in the findings of the independent investigation are troubling and disappointing," NBA commish Adam Silver said in a statement. "We believe the outcome is the right one, taking into account all the facts, circumstances and context brought to light by the comprehensive investigation of this 18-year period and our commitment to upholding proper standards in NBA workplaces."

"I am hopeful that the NBA community will use this opportunity to reflect on what this great game means to people everywhere and the values of equality, respect and inclusion that it strives to represent. Regardless of position, power or intent, we all need to recognize the corrosive and hurtful impact of racially insensitive and demeaning language and behavior."

"On behalf of the entire NBA, I apologize to all of those impacted by the misconduct outlined in the investigators’ report. We must do better."

During Sarver's suspension, he must complete a workplace conduct course. He will not have any access to the team or its facilities during the ban.

FYI -- the $10 million fine is the absolute most the NBA is allowed to hand down.

The Suns will now have to hire an outside firm to advise on issues like workplace training, hiring and compensation.

Mariah Carey's massive pad in Atlanta hit the market with a hefty price tag ... and the singer is looking to sell some SERIOUS real estate to the right buyer.

Her 12,575-square-foot home spans 4 acres of gated land ... and the word "luxury" doesn't even begin to cut it for the $6.5M space.

The 9-bed, 9-bath spot comes with tennis courts, a home theater, workout room, and a customized kitchen -- yes, it's got the obligatory pool, too, complete with a pool house.

But, the perks don't end there -- Mariah must've gotten some serious work done at her ATL home during the lockdown, because the 3rd floor comes with a recording booth fit for musical legends!!!

As we reported, Mariah was away from her Atlanta home in July when the place was broken into, the 3 suspects were arrested in Miami a month later and taken into custody in connection to a crime spree ... here's to hoping they gave the security system an upgrade!

Drakeo The Ruler was killed at his own show in December 2021 ... but that hasn't stopped his old landlord from trying to collect the rent against his estate.

In new legal documents obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, a man named Oliver Omidvar says he rented a place in Hollywood Hills to the late Los Angeles rapper back in June 2021 for $14,500/month.

Omidvar says he stopped getting monthly payments in January 2022 ... a month after Drakeo was killed outside the Once Upon A Time In LA music festival.

The lawsuit also claims the property was left in shambles ... noting damage to everything from electronics to windows and skylights in addition to several thousands of dollars being used to fix plumbing, drywall, and new coats of paint on the walls.

All told, Omidvar is asking for a total of $104,542.60 from Drakeo's estate to pay for the back rent and damages.

Jamie Spears says the judge got it wrong ... Britney should have to sit for a deposition and answer to all of the allegations she's made about him and her time in the conservatorship.

According to legal docs, filed in the California Court of Appeals and obtained by TMZ, Jamie says it's unfair the court ruled he had to sit for a deposition while Britney can get away without having to sit for one. The docs state, "The right to take a deposition can rarely be denied. In California, discovery is a matter of right."

Jamie's legal team also argues Britney and her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, did not establish good cause to justify prohibiting her deposition ... especially given the fact she made countless claims against Jamie for wrongdoing.

Jamie says if the court had an issue with Britney's deposition, it could have limited the topics or questions covered ... but instead, it just shut her deposition down altogether.

Jamie's legal team says the one-sidedness in the trial judge's ruling violates basic fairness ... that if one party has to sit for a depo, the other party should as well.

Ray J has gone OFF on Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian ... accusing them of lying about their involvement in his sex tape with Kim.

As you know, Kris was hooked up to a polygraph on James Corden's show and he asked, "Did you help Kim release her sex tape?" Kris answered "No" and the polygrapher said she was telling the truth. Steve Hirsch, the Prez of Vivid Entertainment that released the tape, has said Kris never met, spoke or worked with him on the release of the tape.

In Ray's 44-minute diatribe, he never says Kris negotiated for the tape's distribution with Vivid Entertainment, the company that released the tape. He does, however, say there were 2 different sex tapes, not just one -- 1 shot in Cabo and 1 in Santa Barbara -- and he says Kris handpicked the one where Kim looked the best. BTW ... the 3rd tape is labeled "Intro."

He also says in his contract with Vivid, where the 3 tapes are mentioned, Kim's fingerprints are on them ... literally. He says Kim wrote the section describing the 3 tapes. What's significant about this ... Ray says this is the original contract he signed giving Vivid the rights, and he says Kim's handwriting is right there.

It's interesting ... Hirsch has said he acquired the tape not from Kim or Ray but from "a third party." He was never more specific, but he did say "We are very confident in our legal position." Under California law, the person whose image is portrayed in such a video must sign off either directly or through an agent in order for the distributor to have a solid legal position.

Kim also allegedly sued Vivid for invasion of privacy, claiming she never authorized its release. She says she ended up settling with Vivid and the suit was dropped. It was taken off the market months later after a "third party" bought it from Vivid.

Rapper Swae Lee has a 1-year-old child, TMZ has learned ... and he's filed in L.A. court to establish joint custody.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Swae had a daughter back in 2020 with Brazilian model Aline Martins. He filed in July and will ask for 50/50 custody of 1-year-old Angel.

Aline discussed it all in an interview with Jornal Extra last year, telling the outlet, “I would like him to give love and be a present father, but I won't be humiliating myself either. I think my daughter doesn't deserve that."

It's unclear what the conflict is ... but we're told Swae's motivation for going to court is that he wants a real relationship with his daughter, and that includes sleeping at his home and spending significant time with her. He also wants a holiday schedule. Our Swae sources say the reason for filing court docs is to set the ground rules before any problem arises.

We're told Swae has been paying Aline money for the kid, but she had claimed last year that she had accumulated $15k in debt from expenses, prenatal care, and rent.

For those unaware, Swae's current girlfriend Victoria Kristine uploaded pics from her baby shower last week ... she captioned the gender reveal with "Our little wild one is on the way." She made the initial pregnancy announcement earlier in August. BTW ... they're having a boy.

Courtney Tillia is getting a ton of support and inspiring other teachers ... after throwing in the towel as an educator and becoming a millionaire as an OnlyFans model.

Courtney tells TMZ ... she's received an outpouring of supportive messages from teachers after TMZ revealed she racked up over $1M through her OnlyFans accounts in just over 3 years.

Something everyone knows ... teachers are grossly underpaid, so she's clearly getting the attention of her former colleagues, many of whom are struggling financially. She's gotten DMs from folks who say they're considering quitting teaching -- not necessarily a good thing for society, but it's a reality until teachers are paid more.

One user wrote, "Amazing! My Wife's a teacher and is also considering an OF account."

Courtney's husband is not only supportive of her move to OnlyFans ... he's the one who started taking pics to post and he's still in the mix. Oh, yeah, he also likes the money!!!

She says she really misses her students, but doesn't miss the job at all. She says she felt underpaid, unappreciated and strangled by school district control. She's now the master of her own destiny.

Larsa Pippen has her new home base in Miami ... 'cause TMZ has learned she's scored a brand new penthouse.

We're told 'The Real Housewives of Miami' star scooped up the condo earlier this year for $3.375 million, and it's a steal at that price ... seeing as how it was on the market for $3.9 million.

The 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom pad is full of luxury -- the building comes with 5 pools (1 pool is so passe), a game room, boxing studio, fitness center and even a recording studio!!!

Literally something for everyone.

If that isn't enough ... the penthouse is located just minutes from Miami Beach and South Beach.

As you can see, there's a ton of space -- 3,312 sq. feet to be exact -- for entertaining good "friends" like Michael Jordan's son, Marcus.

It also has floor-to-ceiling windows ... great lighting for all those IG selfies Larsa might will definitely take.

Larsa had been, until recently, renting in Cali after selling her Fort Lauderdale mansion last September for $10.5 million.

Now, she's back in South Florida, with a brand new place to call home.

Swedish House Mafia had their fans dancing in the pouring rain, despite their team begging them to cut things short in order to save millions of dollars worth of equipment.

The DJ trio sold out Banc of California Stadium Friday in LA while the rain poured down for almost the entire show. Sources close to the group tell us their team begged the guys to end things early on several occasions in order to preserve equipment, but they insisted to keep playing for their fans.

We’re told as a result, millions worth of audio and stage design equipment will need to be repaired or entirely replaced.

SHM has been rocking shows across the US over the last few weeks, and LA was the biggest outdoor show they’ve done on tour … they even added more effects for the venue.

Of course, the group headlined closing night of Coachella earlier this year, after dropping their album “Paradise Again.”

Ryan Garcia is officially a homeowner ... TMZ Sports has learned the star boxer has copped his first house -- an amazing, $3 million crib in Southern California.

The pad is located in Porter Ranch, roughly 30 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, and Garcia just sealed the deal on it this week.

The two-story property features 3,680 square feet and comes with five bedrooms and six bathrooms.

The outside has a luxury pool, spa, an outdoor fireplace ... and insane views of L.A.

There's a cool bonus, too ... it's fully designer furnished -- so the super lightweight boxer can move in ASAP.

Garcia's buyer's agent, Brandon Soufer of The Agency, was pumped about the deal ... saying on social media, "Congratulations to my brother @kingryan for purchasing his first home with me."

"I am honored to have had the opportunity to be a part of this big step in your life. Cheers to many more accomplishments together for us to celebrate. Love you my brother."

Garcia deserves to treat himself ... the 24-year-old just won in July after knocking out Javier Fortuna in 6 rounds and continues to add on Ws to his undefeated record (23-0).

"Full House" creator Jeff Franklin is taking another swing at selling his Bev Hills mansion, which features a glamorous layout, a dark past and now ... a greatly reduced price tag.

The massive home has been relisted for a whopping $60 million ... a steep number, for sure, but it's actually a deep discount off its original price.

The home was listed back in January for $85M, and then again in June for $70M.

And, it's very unique ... the home sits on the property where the Manson family notoriously murdered Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Steven Parent, Wojciech Frykowski and Jay Sebring back in 1969.

The original house was razed in 1994 and a new mansion was built there.

Now, Jeff's 9-bedroom, 18-bathroom palace sits on 3 acres of land and comes with all the glitz and glam you'd imagine -- spa, gym, hair salon, movie theater, billiards room and a bar.

Step outside and ya' basically get your own waterpark! You'll find a 75-yard pool with 3 waterfalls, 2 jacuzzis, a 35-foot water slide, swim-up bar, private grotto, koi pond, lazy river, cabana, BBQ area and fire pits.

The property also has a detached guesthouse and an underground garage that can fit up to 16 cars ... bringing the total number of parking spaces to 35!

Of course, we can't forget about the breathtaking view of the city.

BTW, Jeff hosted the reception for Bob Saget's family after his funeral in this home.

Queen Elizabeth II's garden house, part of her Sandringham Estate, is available as a listing on Airbnb -- but QE2 superfans are gonna need seriously good luck, because the place is sold out for the next 2 years.

The residence was once home to Elizabeth's former head gardener at Sandringham -- one of the royal family's countryside estates -- but now commoners can stay there for an average of about $400 a night.

The Airbnb booking calendar goes as far as August of 2024, but there's only one problem -- EVERY day until then is unavailable. It seems admirers jumped on the opportunity to live like royalty.

The place has 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms ... and can hold up to 8 guests at a time. It's surrounded by plenty of gardens and a large "adventure play area" for little ones.

Amanda Cupples, Airbnb's GM for Northern Europe, tells us they are "delighted" to offer up the property to the public ... adding guests can hopefully "even see a Corgi or two" during their stay.

What's really eerie about the listing is it was first posted on Wednesday ... just one day before the passing of Queen Elizabeth at her Balmoral Castle in Scotland.

Kris Jenner got herself hooked up to a polygraph Thursday night ... and the question that dogged her for years was on the table -- was she involved in the release of Kim's sex tape!

Kris sat next to Kylie as James Corden fired off the question -- "Did you help Kim release her sex tape?" the audience gasped, but Kris assured everyone it was ok, she gave a firm "No" to the question and a dude named John who was manning the machine said she was a truthteller!

So, couple of things ... the sex tape could not be released unless the parties involved gave their signoff ... Kim filed a lawsuit against Vivid Entertainment, which released the tape, but according to Vivid they reached a financial settlement and they dropped the case.

Vivid has long said it would not release a tape without everyone's consent, because in addition to losing the profits it made off the tape, it would be on the hook for invasion of privacy and infliction of emotional distress. Nevertheless, Kim sued and they settled.

Corden didn't follow up with whether she knew if Kim was in on the plot ... something Kim has denied.

O.J. Simpson -- #32 back in the day -- just posted a 32-second video he shot in L.A. ... and as far we know, he hasn't been back in years, and there's a lot of history.

O.J. was in a suite at SoFi Stadium Thursday afternoon, getting ready to watch the Buffalo Bills square off against the L.A. Rams.

Simpson was giddy with excitement, telling his followers, "Hey twitterworld, it's me, yours truly!!!" He made it clear, he's rooting for his old team, and seemed amped up for the game.

Of course, it almost goes without saying ... O.J. in L.A. conjures up memories of June 12, 1994 and the murders that went down 13 miles from the stadium.

As you know, O.J. was tried for the murders of ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. He was found not guilty, but shortly thereafter a civil jury ruled he did indeed kill Ron and Nicole and did so with malice. The jury awarded the families $33 million but O.J. paid virtually nothing, and has even mocked Ron Goldman's dad, Fred, in the years that followed.

Bill Russell's 1975 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame ring -- earned after dominating the NBA for 13 seasons -- is on the auction block, and is expected to sell for upwards of $200K!!

TMZ Sports has learned the ring, which SCP Auctions describes as a "fine piece of jewelry," weighs 65 grams and is 14-karat gold with 1.625 carats of real diamonds.

The top of the huge, 12 3/4 sized ring resembles a basketball, and has the words "Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame" encircling the brown enamelwork.

On one side of the ring is "William F. Russell" ... with the year "1975," when he was inducted.

On the other side is the word "Player" -- which Russell embodied throughout his career -- which sits above an image of Dr. James Naismith, the man credited with inventing basketball.

The ring also comes with a letter describing its rich history and provenance ... signed by the GOAT himself.

Remember, Russell famously declined to attend his induction ceremony in '75 ... saying he refused to accept the honor 'cause he felt others before him should be inducted first.

Instead, Russell -- a 13-time champ (11 as a player, 2 as a player-coach) -- opted to receive his ring in 2019 at a private ceremony with his wife, Jeannine, and close friends.

The Celtics legend passed away in July at age 88 ... and was celebrated through the sports world for his contributions to the game of basketball both on and off the court.

The NBA has since listened to the pleas of Hall of Famer Magic Johnson, who -- in the aftermath of Russell's death -- advocated the league retire Bill's iconic No. 6.

Russell's No. 6 will be retired throughout the league, making him the first player ever to receive the honor ... fitting considering his legacy and impact.

The ring has already been bid on 5 times ... with a high bid of $43,923.