Money

Kyrie Irving has reportedly demanded a trade ... giving the Brooklyn Nets an ultimatum -- either trade the NBA superstar, or watch him walk away in free agency,

The news just broke minutes ago ... with reports saying Irving wants to be traded ahead of the trade deadline on Feb. 9 -- but if that doesn't happen, he will sign with another team come August, according to Shams Charania.

Irving is in the final year of a four-year, $136 million contract with the Nets ... and was reportedly seeking a long-term extension from the franchise.

Kyrie -- who has been with Brooklyn since 2019 -- initially came to the Nets with his teammate and friend, Kevin Durant -- but now, it appears he wants out of BK ASAP.

Irving was the subject of trade rumors this past summer ... but the NBA champ came into the season with the hopes the Nets would one day sign him to a long-term deal.

The Nets are facing a dilemma -- trade Kyrie and split up him and KD, or watch Irving leave for nothing when he becomes an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season.

The Etsy designer behind Beyoncé's fabulous disco-style cowboy hat now has firsthand experience with the Bey effect ... after the Renaissance tour announcement forced her to shut down her shop.

Abby Misbin AKA "Trending by Abby" on Etsy, tells TMZ ... a stylist for Beyoncé hit her up way back last June, saying she wanted a mirrored cowboy hat for Beyoncé and would need it in 5 days. Abby says she was thrilled to handmake the hat for her and sold it to her for $215. Talk about a bargain for the likes of Queen B.

Well, about 2 months later Abby's creation showed up in a Beyoncé video teaser ... but even that promotion didn't compare to what was to come.

Abby was pleasantly surprised to see Bey rocking the 10,000 to 15,000 mirror-tile hat once again this week when she dropped her "Renaissance" tour dates.

Abby says that was the tipping point ... she's been absolutely bombarded with orders from folks trying to get their hands on the same hat. She usually gets about 5-6 orders per week, but in just one day she got 60 orders!!! The BeyHive wants what it wants.

Normally she can only make about 2 of the hats in a day -- there's a ton of detail because they're handmade -- so, Abby's had to shut down her shop for now.

This is certainly on brand for the BeyHive ... ICYMI, fans went crazy after she released the dates for her highly anticipated tour.

Going forward, Abby says she's working on fulfilling orders with her sister's help before re-opening her Etsy shop.

Ticketmaster is firmly under the U.S. Senate's microscope as the ticket giant prepares to sell tickets to the upcoming Beyoncé tour ... and it's all because of the Taylor Swift disaster.

The Senate Judiciary Committee, which just got finished grilling Ticketmaster's parent company Live Nation, issued a thinly-veiled warning Thursday, the day after Bey announced her "Renaissance" world tour.

The committee's official Twitter account tagged Ticketmaster in a quote tweet for a CNN story about Beyoncé fans preparing for another potential Ticketmaster fiasco, saying ... "We're watching, @Ticketmaster."

Ticketmaster says they're making changes -- staggering sales and using Verified Fan technology -- for the Beyoncé tour after running into major issues with last year's rollout for the Taylor Swift tour, which pissed off Taylor and her fans and led to lawsuits and Senate hearings. Still, the Senate will be keeping a close eye on the process.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who grilled Live Nation execs during the recent hearings, told us on "TMZ Live" the Senate expects Ticketmaster to do better in the future.

"Euphoria" star Chloe Cherry is in some hot water back in her hometown after allegedly stealing a blouse from a local store and getting caught.

Cherry was charged with misdemeanor retail theft in January for an incident that reportedly happened back in December in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

According to sources with direct knowledge of the case, Chloe entered the Building Character shopping complex on December 27 and took a $28 blouse into a dressing room ... she then held onto the blouse and left without paying.

We're told Chloe paid for other items using a credit card, but is accused of not paying for the blouse. At some point, the police got involved, and cops say Chloe admitted to taking the blouse -- giving it back to an officer.

Chloe's rep, however, has a different take on what happened ... telling us, "In December, there was confusion over a blouse that wasn’t properly charged to my client’s credit card. In no way did she 'admit' to taking the blouse, since that was not the case. This story seems to be more about a local store trading on a celebrity’s name more than anything else.”

Lancaster Online was first to report the story.

Chloe is most famous for her role as Faye on "Euphoria" but has modeled and worked in adult films as well.

Of course, she's not the first celeb to become entangled in alleged shoplifting shenanigans. It was back in 2001 when Winona Ryder was accused of stealing more than $5,000 in designer items from Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills.

LeBron James' first-ever #6 Lakers jersey -- which he wore on the opening night of the 2021-22 NBA season -- is hitting the auction block ... and could sell for a ton of dough, TMZ Sports has learned.

A rep with SCP Auctions tells us the gold Nike "Icon" Edition jersey James sported against the Golden State Warriors on October 19, 2021, is up for grabs ... and it's a big deal, considering it's the first time he rocked #6 for L.A., instead of his Cleveland-era #23.

The bottom left corner of the piece of history shows LeBron's jersey size (54) and the date of the game, 10-19-21, handwritten on the tag.

The jersey has gone through several layers of authentication -- it was entered into the NBA and MeiGray Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program -- and was photo matched to the 1st and 2nd half of the contest against the Warriors.

Remember, James switched from #23 to #6 in June 2021 ... just four months before the NBA season started. LeBron previously wore the #6 when he was with the Miami Heat for four seasons (2010-2014).

"It's always been a part of me, to be honest," James said when asked about the switch. "Six has a lot of meaning to me, from my family and numbers and things of that nature to what I believe in and things of that sort, but my mentality doesn’t change."

King James finished the night against the Warriors with a game-high 34 points to go along with 11 rebounds and five assists -- but the Dubs spoiled LeBron's night, defeating the Lakers, 121-114.

Ruth's attorney, Mark Boskovich, tells TMZ, “Why should Nick Carter be believed with his long history of abusing females. A jury will weigh the evidence and decide.”

Nick Carter says the woman accusing him of sexual battery over 21 years ago -- when she was a minor -- is deliberately dragging his name through the mud with a series of lies ... and he's now going after her in court for the more than $2.35 million he says she's cost his boy band.

The Backstreet Boys member filed his countersuit Thursday against Shannon Ruth. TMZ broke the story, Ruth initially sued Nick in December, claiming he sexually assaulted her after a concert way back in 2001 when she was underage.

In new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Nick says he won't allow himself to be smeared by Ruth's accusations, which he vehemently denies, and says her lawsuit is the culmination of a years-long conspiracy to take him down.

Nick says Ruth has been coached by a father and daughter, Jerome and Melissa Schuman, to make false claims about him as part of an extortion attempt. He also blasts all 3 for trying to take advantage of the #MeToo movement.

Carter says Ruth has changed her story over and over ... he says she initially claimed she was abused by someone else, then claimed Nick physically abused her, and ultimately accused Nick of sexual assault. Nick says the Schumans have been "coaxing" Ruth to "inflate" her allegations.

Nick points out Ruth waited years to report her sexual battery allegations, and he says an independent investigation resulted in no criminal charges. He says Ruth tried to extort him through civil attorneys, who abandoned her case when presented with the cold, hard facts.

Nick says as a result of Ruth's lawsuit, The Backstreet Boys had to cancel appearances and endorsement deals -- costing them more than $2.35 million.

And get this -- Nick says his late brother, Aaron Carter, was also dragged into the conspiracy. Nick claims Ruth and the Schumans preyed on Aaron before his death, when he was beefing with Nick and on drugs, exploiting "Aaron's fragile condition and family stresses to cloak their defamatory campaign with credibility, relentlessly and repeatedly using Aaron to try to legitimize their frivolous tales."

But, Nick says Aaron ultimately realized he was being used and manipulated by Ruth and the Schumans, apologizing to Nick and publicly stating the accusers were lying.

The day Aaron died, Nick claims Jerome Schuman tweeted ... "I am sad that the chess game we started together was never finished."

When TMZ called Nick’s attorney, Michael Holtz, he told us, "As our Counterclaim sets out in detail, Nick has been the target of a malicious and long-running conspiracy. He has never done the outrageous things of which he has been accused; in fact, he is the victim of a calculated and concerted disinformation campaign designed to destroy his reputation."

Holtz continues, "He looks forward to setting out the truth, vindicating himself in court, and putting an end to the smears and attempted shakedowns for good."

Latto's skivvy side hustle got derailed by eBay, but all hope is not lost ... her manager Cortez Bryant is considering -- perhaps jokingly -- a very unique merch idea.

We caught up with Tez at LAX, and he says Latto and the rest of the team were taken aback, just like everyone else, when bids for her used cheetah print panties nearly reached $100K!!!

The bidding war got hot with more than 100 entries, but before Latto could cash in, eBay shut down the auction.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... Latto's underwear auction violated the company's "health and hygiene" standards and Tez doesn't disagree they made right the decision -- but he doesn't seem opposed to our idea of making additions to the "Big Energy" rapper's merch store!!!

Immediately after eBay's takedown, Latto got back to work in the studio to finish her newest record ... which Tez tells us is officially named "Lottery" and is dropping soon.

Tez says Latto made the eBay post in jest to fire back at the trolls but also isn't passing judgment on the highest bidder of her used bloomers!!!

Tom Brady has hundreds of millions of dollars coming in from Fox Sports, but that's not gonna rush him back to work, he's going to enjoy his first true break from football in a long time because his focus is elsewhere -- and not on dating -- TMZ has learned.

Sources close to Tom tell us he's going to spend the next few months just being a dad. We're told he's an extremely devoted father to his kids -- splitting his time with his kids in Miami and New York -- and is looking forward to spending extended time with them.

Tom's 15-year-old son Jack, who he has with Bridget Moynahan, plays high school football ... and Tom flies private to watch him play every week.

Page Six reported, "His kids ultimately were the reason why he made this decision."

What's more, Tom was recently spotted alone, scoping out schools in the Miami area for his kids he shares with Gisele -- Benjamin and Vivian. We're told Tom's plan is to stay in Miami for the kids.

As for his love life -- our sources say Tom hasn't dated anyone -- his interest right now is just living a life outside of the game.

Of course, he still has his several companies -- TB12, Autograph and Brady Brand -- all of which he'll still be hands-on with ... but without the stresses of football, it'll be much easier.

Tom's also got a massive deal with Fox Sports -- reportedly worth $375 million over the next 10 years -- a deal we're told he's not going to rush into starting, but one he's excited to take on when the time is right. That, we're told, won't happen for several months.

Tom Brady's decision to retire from the NFL has caused a massive spike in demand for memorabilia linked to the 7-time Super Bowl champion -- and TMZ Sports has learned collectors are clamoring to buy and sell memorabilia affiliated with the G.O.A.T.

Officials from PWCC Marketplace tell us since Brady announced his retirement Wednesday, buyers are intensely searching for TB12 trading cards online. Meanwhile, sellers are trying to unload some of the rarest Brady pieces they have at auction.

A rep for the auction site tells us Brady, who retired after 23 NFL seasons, is now the most searched player on the PWCC Marketplace. For context, Tom was ranked 10th among the top searched players in the days before his retirement announcement.

"It's a limited data set we're looking at due to the fact it's just hours after he announced his retirement, but it is safe to say interest in Brady's trading cards and collectibles has risen substantially," PWCC exec Jesse Craig said.

"That data is going to support what will also be the consensus market perspective that his retirement will create an increase in demand for his collectible assets."

Craig says a seller contacted PWCC after Brady's announcement ... and is auctioning a 2000 Brady Bowman Chrome Refractor Rookie card that's expected to sell for over six figures.

"The fact that it’s coming to auction so immediately after this announcement means there are sellers out there who were waiting for this," Craig said.

"They are choosing to move high-end Brady assets now because they feel this retirement will be a keystone event in his legacy."

In November 2021, PWCC sold a BGS 9.5 copy of the same card in the leadup to Brady's first retirement for $312,000 at an auction.

During cult leader David Koresh's infamous, weeks-long standoff with the FBI, in Waco, he had a '68 Chevrolet Camaro SS waiting to whisk him away ... and now the car's on the market.

Koresh ultimately died, along with more than 70 of his cult followers, during the 51-day siege of his Texas compound back in 1993 ... and the Camaro changed hands over the years before ending up with "Ghost Adventures" star Zak Bagans, who is now selling the classic car.

Zak bought the Camaro from a classic car dealer in Arizona for $61,995 in 2018, but now he's expecting the car to go for at least six figures.

The car, dubbed "Armageddon's Relic," has been featured for years in Zak's Haunted Museum in Las Vegas ... but he tells us he has decided to list it with Vegas Auto Gallery because it's time to rotate his spooky artifacts on display.

The Camaro SS is rumored to have been Koresh's planned getaway car ... but he never made it out of the Waco compound where the FBI believed his religious sect was illegally stockpiling weapons.

The tragic standoff got the Hollywood treatment in 2019 when Paramount produced a mini-series on the whole ordeal, with Taylor Kitsch starring as the cult leader.

Koresh certainly left his mark on the car ... doing some custom work at the compound and inscribing the words "DAVIDES 427 GO GOD" on the V8 engine block under the hood.

The car sustained a ton of damage during the siege, but the Camaro's since been restored and outfitted with a set of custom bucket seats, a Grant GT sports steering wheel and a Hurst shifter for the 4-speed manual transmission. The Chevy has 66,371 miles on it and comes with the original Texas title.

Ne-Yo and his ex-wife just finalized their divorce, and the terms call for him to keep 3 of their 4 homes and a Bentley ... while forking over a bunch of money to even things out.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Ne-Yo is paying his ex-wife, Crystal Renay, a $1.6 million lump sum to balance out the division of their real estate holdings ... she gets 1 of their 4 Georgia homes, plus $20,000 in moving expenses.

Ne-Yo's also tacking on a $150,000 check to his ex, so she can buy a new car. He's taking their old one ... a 2022 Bentley Bentayga.

The "So Sick" singer will also pay Crystal $12,000 a month in child support -- they have 3 kids together -- and he'll cover the kids' school expenses. Ne-Yo will also have to fork over $5,000/month in alimony for the next 3 years.

Ne-Yo and Crystal will have joint custody, and they both agree that neither party will have new romantic partners around the minor children unless they get married or engaged to that partner ... or get the signoff from each other.

The 2 monkeys found in the closet of an abandoned home seem to be healthy after vanishing from a Dallas Zoo ... now officials are upping the stakes to find the culprit.

The Dallas Zoo gave a health update Wednesday on the 2 monkeys ... "Bella and Finn were so happy to snuggle into their nest sack here at the Zoo last night! Our vet and animal care teams have said, beyond losing a bit of weight, they show no signs of injury."

BTW ... these monkeys only weigh about a pound, so every ounce counts.

Officials said the 2 emperor tamarin monkeys started to eat and drink almost immediately after getting examined. Now they have to go through a quarantine period before they can be returned to their zoo habitat.

You'll recall, the 2 emperor tamarin monkeys were found Tuesday in the closet of an abandoned home in Lancaster TX ... a day after a Dallas zoo notified Dallas PD that they were missing from their habitat.

And, while health officials are watching over the monkeys, Dallas PD is trying to nab anyone involved in the heist ... the zoo's hiked the reward to $25K.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck planned to renovate her Bel-Air home after the couple got married, but they've pulled the plug on that plan and now she's selling ... with the prospect of an eye-popping profit.

J Lo has just listed her home -- a stone's throw from Hotel Bel-Air -- for $42,500,000. Now get this ... in 2016, she bought the property from Sela Ward for $28 mil. You do the math.

The estate is almost 8 acres, an insanely large property for the area. The main house is more than 12,000 square feet, with 9 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.

It's got all the bells and whistles ... an infinity pool, a 30-seat screening room, gym, guest house, 100-seat amphitheater, and on and on and on. And it's got central air!!!

The house is listed by super agent Brett Lawyer from Carolwood Estates.

Now here's the thing ... Ben and Jen have been looking for a home for well over a year, and have seen literally scores of properties.

We're told they're currently in a rental and are on the hunt again.

Serena Williams is slamming the door on a potential return to tennis ... saying there's no chance she's going to un-retire to continue her career -- at least, for now.

The 23-time Grand Slam winner -- who last played in September 2022 -- discussed her future plans in an interview with Gayle King for "CBS Mornings" on Wednesday ... when she was asked if there was any hope for a comeback.

"It's hard to say," the 41-year-old replied to King. "I would say no. For now, no."

Williams explained, "I've literally given my whole life to tennis, and it's time for me to give my life to something else."

Fans aren't the only ones hoping to see her back on the tennis court ... Serena says her father, Richard Williams, has been trying to convince her to compete again as well -- but his attempts have been unsuccessful.

"He's like, 'Serena you should play two more Grand Slams,'" Williams said. "I'm like, 'Dad, stop.'"

Williams says her main focus now is spending time with her husband, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, and their daughter, Olympia, who wants to be a big sister.

"Now, she prays for a sibling," Williams laughed. "I'm working on it."

Ohanian, who also participated in the interview, says everything is great with their marriage ... saying, "I knew I had met someone that I was never going to outgrow."

"She's a ride or die! 1,000%"

She's also investing her time into Serena Ventures, an equity firm she launched in 2014 that helps fund founders with diverse backgrounds, and her South Florida farm ... where she and Ohanian grow fruits, vegetables and raise animals.

Pamela Anderson's kids say her infamous sex tape torpedoed her career and cost her a lot of money in the long run ... which is why they're hating on the streaming version of her life.

Brandon and Dylan Lee -- the two adult boys Pam shares with Tommy Lee -- spoke out in her new Netflix show, "Pamela: A Love Story" ... calling the stolen and leaked video she's made with her then-rocker hubby ended being a turning point in her life for the worse.

Brandon said, "She would've made millions of dollars if she just would have signed a piece of paper. Instead, she sat back with nothing and watched her career fizzle into thin air. She was in debt most of her life."

Dylan, meanwhile, said his mom's trajectory in Hollywood would've been much different if she had just sold out and cashed in on the tape.

Rather than get in the gutter, however, Dylan says his mom tried to protect her kids as much as she could ... even if it ended up putting her in the red, which her sons say happened.

They also decried just how underpaid PA was at the height of her career, pre-sex tape, and how unfair they think it is that their mother continues to be exploited by Hollywood to this day. They didn't name names -- Lily James and Sebastian Stan, specifically -- but it's clear they're not fans of the way their show was handled or how it portrayed their parents.

Some of Hollywood's biggest names, plus a skateboarding legend, are pitching in to help Tyre Nichols' mother and stepdad ... with big donations to his memorial fund.

TMZ combed through more than 33,000 donations to Tyre's official GoFundMe and found a ton of celebs who donated money.

"Love Song" singer Sara Bareilles, pro skateboarder Tony Hawk and comedian Lil Rel Howery each pledged $1,000 ... as did "Shea Butter Baby" singer Ari Lennox.

The fundraiser is being organized by Tyre's mom, RowVaughn Wells, who says her and her husband's lives have been turned upside down by Tyre's death, which came after he was brutally beaten by Memphis police.

Lil Rel's been outspoken about the tragedy, saying Tyre was a peaceful person who should still be alive.

Tyre's mom says the donations will help cover the costs for her and her husband's mental health services, plus help them afford to take time off from their 9-5 jobs to focus on "seeking proper justice" for Tyre.

What's more, Tyre's mom says the family wants to build a memorial skate park for Tyre "in honor of his love for skating and sunsets."

Tony, the most famous skateboarder ever, appears all-in on building a skate park in Tyre's honor ... he reposted a video of Tyre skating, along with the caption, "Help Tyre's family (and honor him with a skatepark)."

Other donations pouring in from Hollywood include ... $2,300 from "Watchmen" screenwriter Damon Lindelof, $1,500 from "As Told By Ginger" writer Emily Kapnek and $5,000 from Madonna's manager, Guy Oseary.