Money

There's a ton of money at stake when Jake Paul and Tommy Fury enter the ring on Sunday ... 'cause the two boxers just agreed to a hefty bet that could leave one of them without a dime!!

The Problem Child proposed the deal during their pre-fight press conference minutes ago ... saying if TNT wins, he will double his purse -- but if Jake is victorious, he gets EVERYTHING.

The deal was solidified with a handshake ... and Jake said he even had his lawyers draft up the paperwork beforehand to prove he's 100% serious.

A brief scuffle ensued ... with Jake and Tommy getting in each other's faces before being separated.

"You're a s***house," Tommy said during the altercation. "You are full of s***, you little bitch. I'll put you out inside the first round."

Jake then addressed the crowd ... saying, "You heard that, ladies and gentlemen ... it's a deal!!"

It's a risky bet for sure ... as Jake has previously claimed the fight will be the biggest payday of Tommy's career.

The rest of the presser was also filled with the usual back and forth ... but one change of tune came when Fury's dad, John -- who previously unleashed a ton of trash talk toward Jake -- was really complimentary of Paul and all he's accomplished at a young age.

Jake has been known to make friendly wagers in the past ... like when Tyron Woodley had to get "I love Jake Paul" tattooed on him after their fight in 2021.

Master P and Jess Hilarious' ongoing money dispute has unearthed another one -- DJ Envy says Murder Inc. Records boss Irv Gotti owes him $10K, and claims he's been dodging him for years!!!

"The Breakfast Club" cohost was on the air Thursday when the Master P convo prompted Envy to spill the tea -- he says he and DJ Mono were recruited by Irv for a track, and while he received the front-end payment ... he claims he was told "keep it moving" when attempting to receive his final cut.

Envy hadn't yet reached his current financial status of massive car collecting, and says he was looking forward to the money Irv allegedly owed him. He says he and Mona end up splitting the front-end payment.

We reached out to Irv's team to get his side of the story ... which only came to light because Master P is calling "fake news" on Jess' claim he still owes her $15K for her appearance in the critically panned film, "I Got the Hook-Up 2."

The No Limit Records Colonel dropped off an extensive IG post Wednesday ... claiming to have proof of the contract Jess signed. He's also swatting down Fat Trel's allegation P released some of the D.C. rapper's music without authorization, and got paid handsomely from it.

Jess insists she's still owed the 15 racks, and Trel shared a DM from P's son Romeo Miller vouching for his version of events ... which is alarming, considering father and son supposedly reconciled over the holidays.

It ain't easy becoming an overnight billionaire -- and there's a new headache for the winner of the largest lottery jackpot in history -- as one man claims the winning ticket was stolen from him ... and he's now filed a lawsuit.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Jose Rivera says he bought his lottery ticket from Joe's Service Center in Altadena, CA on November 7 -- the day before the big $2.04B drawing.

He says a man by the name of "Reggie" stole the ticket from him the very same day he bought it.

After the numbers were drawn, Jose says he tried to get Reggie to return the ticket, which allegedly held the winning numbers, but to no avail ... with Reggie simply saying it wasn't a winner, and if found he'd agree to give up half.

Jose says he "refused to be blackmailed" and reported the theft to the CA Lottery and law enforcement.

Fast forward to this month, when a man named Edwin Castro was named the winner of the big prize and reportedly elected to collect the prize as a lump sum of $997.6 million ... Jose says he submitted a claim form to the CA Lottery, claiming the ticket had been stolen and asking for an investigation before paying out the winnings.

Jose lists both Castro and Reggie as 2 separate defendants ... seemingly insinuating that they both might be liable for failing to hand over the cash, although the details are not clear in the lawsuit.

He's asking the court for damages and to declare him the winner of the historic $2.04 billion jackpot.

Kim Zolciak's kiddos are denying the family's Georgia mansion is in foreclosure and heading to the auction block ... claiming it's all a misunderstanding.

The "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star's daughters, Brielle and Ariana Biermann, tried to clear the air Wednesday ... telling photogs at LAX the family is still living in their Alpharetta estate with no plans on moving out.

Brielle and Ariana say all the family's belongings are still in the home and they're not concerned about losing the house ... saying they even slept there before traveling across the country.

Kim's daughters don't go into depth on what the so-called misunderstanding is ... but as we reported last week, a public notice stated the home is scheduled to be auctioned off March 7 at the Fulton County Courthouse.

A law firm previously told us they were handling the foreclosure for Kim and Kroy Biermann's home, which rests along the 18th hole of the Manor Golf & Country Club.

Kim's kids say the house is already saved and their mom hasn't said anything to them about an upcoming auction, though they admit they've asked Kim about all the news reports.

Remember ... Kim and Kroy bought the home way back in 2012 for $880,000 and it's been heavily featured on 'RHOA' and the couple's own reality show, "Don't Be Tardy." The estate has an elevator, pool, waterfall, spa and basketball court.

Truist Bank reportedly began foreclosure proceedings on the property back in August after Kim and Kroy defaulted on their mortgage.

Khloe Kardashian allegedly canned one of her former household assistants after he suffered a knee injury, and now he's suing ... but Khloe's attorney is calling BS.

Khloe just got hit with a lawsuit from her former-hired help, Matthew Manhard, who says working for her was a total nightmare.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Manhard claims he worked for Khloe from January 2019 until November 2022, when he says she fired him as he was trying to return to work from a knee injury that put him on the shelf.

Khloe's legal rep tells a different story, saying, "It’s unfortunate to learn that a former employee would choose to go this route. Matthew was properly classified and compensated for his role."

Khloe's former assistant claims she kept him so busy with tasks, he often couldn't take his legally required breaks ... and he says she also skirted paying him overtime even though he often worked 12-hour days.

What's more, Manhard claims he injured his knee in May and told Khloe he couldn't work ... but he says when he tried to come back to the job a few months later in November, he was fired.

As for Manhard's leave, Khloe's legal spokesperson tells us, "Toward the end of his employment, he was on a leave of absence for an extended period of time and the role eventually needed to be replaced. We will not tolerate false accusations and will prove that this is a frivolous lawsuit."

"Real Housewives of Orange County" rivals Tamra Judge and Gretchen Rossi never saw eye-to-eye on the show, and their feud only seems to have strengthened with time -- because we've learned Tamra has donated money to help honor Gretchen's late stepson.

Tamra put $500 towards the GoFundMe for 22-year-old Grayson's memorial and medical expenses ... inching the campaign closer to the halfway mark of $70k.

"Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum Teddi Mellencamp also put $500 in the pot -- and more than 400 people have donated so far.

As we reported, the campaign was set up by the family of Michelle Arroyo -- Grayson's biological mother, and ex of Gretchen's fiancé Slade Smiley -- after her son passed this month from brain cancer.

There's no love lost between Michelle and Slade and Gretchen, which might have played a factor in Tamra's decision to financially back Michelle.

The donations will help with the cost of a memorial to honor Grayson, as well as outstanding medical expenses -- of which Slade is responsible for half, but allegedly never paid ... according to Michelle.

She told us Gretchen pretended to have a relationship with Grayson to gain sympathy online, and claimed Slade hasn't made child support payments since 2019. Sources close to the couple told us Michelle's accusations are absurd and need to stop.

Both Tamra and Teddi encouraged listeners on their iHeart podcast "Two T's in a Pod' to donate to Michelle's GoFundMe. Tamra pointed out how Gretchen just got a nice chunk of money for going on Ultimate Girl's Trip while Michelle is having to go through a GoFundMe to raise money for Grayson's memorial.

LAFC star Kellyn Acosta's home was broken into last week ... and three of his pricey watches were taken in the burglary -- this according to law enforcement sources.

Cops tell TMZ Sports ... the incident happened at Acosta's Los Angeles-area home after thieves made their way into the residence through a door and allegedly rummaged through the house, before making off with three of the 27-year-old soccer player's Rolexes.

As of now, our sources say the watches appear to be the only thing taken.

No arrests have been made ... but we're told police are not ruling out the possibility that it was an inside job. An investigation remains ongoing.

Acosta, who initially began his MLS career with FC Dallas, joined LAFC last season -- and started 28 games ... scoring two goals.

Acosta was also part of the 2022 U.S. World Cup team that advanced to the Round of 16.

Josh Flagg isn't backing down when comes to calling out the "Selling Sunset" crew -- and while he admits they might have actual real estate licenses, he insists they're still far from the real deal!!

The 'Million Dollar Listing' star joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to dig deeper into his ongoing beef with Jason Oppenheim's Netflix crew. Josh fired the first shot, claiming the 'Sunset' folks were mostly bogus because they didn't have licenses.

Josh cleared the air with us ... saying whether or not they have licenses isn't really the issue, it's more about their selling prowess, or lack thereof.

He proudly pointed out the folks on his show "actually make a ton of sales," and have been doing so for a long time.

JF says the "Selling Sunset" team just needs to be transparent, and in his mind, that means telling the audience they're NOT about real estate ... they're about drama and entertainment.

Ya want real estate, he says check Bravo for 'MDLLA.'

Of course, Oppenheim himself told us there's no real beef with Josh despite his opinion of the show, and Josh didn't deny that. Instead, he clarified there's no animosity behind his remarks, just brutal honesty.

Master P doesn't have time to entertain past artists' gripes, and he's kinda serious about proposing a law to make it illegal for them to dredge up complaints about old contracts.

P vented his feelings about this on a podcast, and quickly grew angry recalling how some artists defected from his management ... only to diss him 10, 15, or 20 years down the line!!!

The No Limit Records CEO was responding to D.C. rapper Fat Trel's recent interview where he claimed P strung him along several years ago, while supposedly helping him break into acting -- but he claims P never got him a single movie script to even read.

Trel said he was aiming to land a role in a sequel to the hood classic, "Menace II Society."  Master P tells it differently ... he explained to "The Gauds Show" the movie was like a "Menace II Society," but production kept getting derailed because the lead actor, Gucci Mane, kept getting incarcerated at the time.

P compared unhappy artists to disgruntled baby mamas, and wants a 7-year statute of limitations placed on all the bad mouthing!!!

Interesting idea ... except for the whole freedom of speech thing in the Constitution. Master P, and other moguls, will just have to cope.

Someone allegedly tried to pull a Doctor Evil with the iconic Hollywood sign -- both in terms of his ridiculously wacky demands ... as well as his overall smarts. 😅

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a man called Hollywood PD Sunday threatening to blow the famous L.A. landmark to smithereens with pipe bombs -- that is, unless he was paid a WHOPPING $10,000 (insert Mike Myers pinky move here).

Big claims for big stakes, we suppose.

Here's the problem ... we're told the dude didn't even dial the right department. In attempting to reach L.A., our sources say he actually dialed cops in Hollywood, FL.

Unclear if he realized he had the wrong number, but in any case ... we're told the Florida HPD hit up their L.A. counterparts to let 'em know what was going on, nutty as the whole thing seemed.

We're told LAPD checked it out, and found no credible threat at all. Our sources tell us there've been no arrests, but the case is under investigation.

For context, the Hollywood sign is under 24/7 video surveillance, so it's always watched closely -- and there are additional safety measures in place if anyone tries to tamper with it. Of course, some have been successful getting to it in recent years ... but it's no easy target.

Just another day in the City of Angels ... not to be confused with Florida's so-called "Diamond of the Gold Coast."

2 Chainz is returning from NBA All-Star weekend with a sweet-and-sweaty souvenir -- Ja Morant's game-worn jersey -- and it should score him some big points at home.

The Atlanta-bred trap star had a courtside view of Ja's insane double-pump reverse dunk (and his baseline blooper), and revealed he was able to successfully barter for the collector's item after the game -- and he's planning to gift it to his oldest son, Halo.

2 Chainz is a pretty cool dad parting ways with the jersey ... it totally matched his orange Louis Vuitton sneakers, but young Halo's closet is becoming quite the shrine for NBA collectibles -- he already has a signed Luka Doncic jersey he got last year!!!

Both Ja and Luka put their superstar skills on display Sunday night, but it was Jayson Tatum who took the ASG crown ... scoring a record 55 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to earn the game's MVP trophy.

If Dad manages to snag JT's jersey too, Halo's college tuition could possibly be paid in full!!!

Jordan Clarkson made sure his family was with him at all times at the 2023 NBA All-Star festivities ... coppin' a massive, custom gold chain with their names on it that he hardly ever took off.

TMZ Sports has learned the Utah Jazz guard commissioned Lake Side Diamond in Minnesota for the piece in the leadup to the big weekend ... and after putting in serious hours to create the bling -- the jewelers got it done just in time for All-Star weekend.

According to Lake Side Diamond officials, the chain took 350 man-hours to make ... and five guys almost pulled all-nighters to get it done before the party kicked off last Friday.

Polishing it alone, the jewelers said, "took a full workday."

But, all of the effort ended up being worth it, as Clarkson wore it both on and off the court -- proudly displaying it whenever he was in front of a camera.

The chain is white gold and features the names of five of Clarkson's close relatives. It also has a "no-flip design that's made so any name can be worn in front," the jewelers said.

NY Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu just accomplished something no women's basketball player ever has ... her rookie card just became the most expensive WNBA card EVER after selling at auction!!!

TMZ Sports has learned Ionescu's 2020 Panini Prizm WNBA Black Gold rookie card made history on Sunday night when it sold for $10,800.

Reps for PWCC, which brokered the sale, tell us it's the first time a WNBA card has netted five figures on the block.

As for why it was so coveted ... it's one of the rarest Ionescu pieces ever made -- with only five copies in existence.

The card -- graded a Gem Mint 10 -- is super cool ... it features the 25-year-old superstar handling the rock on the front, and on the back, it has a blurb about her college career.

Of course, the price of the card is eyebrow-raising ... considering she's only been in the WNBA since 2020 -- but according to PWCC officials, demand for her memorabilia has skyrocketed after NY added some huge free agents, including Breanna Stewart, this offseason.

"The table is set for one of the most exciting WNBA seasons to date and Ionescu is right at the forefront," PWCC exec Jesse Craig said. "Collectors are anticipating that energy and excitement and looking to buy premier Ionescu cards. We're entering an interesting phase here where supply for these high-end cards won't be able to match the demand."

Quality Control co-founder Pierre "Pee" Thomas' decision to sell his label to Scooter Braun's HYBE platform for a reported $300 million was a great move, according to no less an authority on the biz than Russell Simmons.

Pee was criticized for building up a Black-owned company only to sell it to white America -- he promptly defended the move on social media -- but Russell says all those haters need to educate themselves before they speak.

We conversed with Rush Friday in WeHo, and he thinks the sale will open new opportunities for Pee, and his partner Kevin "Coach K" Lee, to invest further in their community ... because they'll be able to liquidate assets.

Rush says the music industry is a volatile place -- he referenced the downfall of Young Thug and 300 Entertainment as examples, in addition to his own history.

In 1999, Rush sold off Def Jam Records, the label he co-founded for an estimated $120 million, and was able to branch off into fashion, film, financial service and jewelry!!!

Def Jam is still going strong today and Rush says QC will flourish all the same under Scooter Braun's watch. He also doesn't think race played a role in the sale.

Mark Zuckerberg is going the way of Elon Musk -- and by that, we mean he's rolling out a similar subscription plan that'll allow people to be official and legit on his platforms.

The Meta honcho announced a new verification program that the social media company will be rolling out soon. He writes, "Good morning and new product announcement: this week we're starting to roll out Meta Verified -- a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support."

MZ adds, "This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services. Meta Verified starts at $11.99 / month on web or $14.99 / month on iOS. We'll be rolling out in Australia and New Zealand this week and more countries soon."

For those worried that Facebook/Instagram would fall into the same problem Twitter has suffered since the launch of Twitter Blue -- i.e., fake accounts and impersonators -- Meta says it's already considered that ... and will take active steps to combat imposters and jokesters.

For starters, they're saying they're going to make people submit government IDs to help match them up to their own profile before handing out any blue checkmarks to the normies. Meta also says they'll be actively monitoring for BS accounts that might spring up.

As for all the public figures who were verified before ... Mark and co. say they're going to leave them be with their already-established verified status -- unlike Elon, who says he'll phase out legacy blue checks (regardless of who they are) and make people pay $8.

Lauren Sanchez is opening up about her relationship with Jeff Bezos for the first time -- and based in her own words, here's the story ... of a lovely lady.

The former newscaster dished a lot of details about their life together to the Wall Street Journal Saturday -- and, indeed, she refers to her dynamic with JB as 'Brady Bunch'-esque. Namely, she's got 3 kids of her own, he's got 4 ... and they're very much a blended family.

Of her home life with Jeff, she says ... "On a typical Saturday, we hang out, we have dinner with the kids, which is always fun because you never know where the conversation is going to go with this many kids. We are the Brady Bunch." On Sunday, Jeff makes pancakes.

A couple other notable takeaways here ... she says she met Jeff piloting helicopters, and that their romance blossomed from there. Lauren also says she helped Jeff overcome a fear of flying, following a chopper crash in 2003. Now, he's getting his own pilot's license.

Also of note ... Lauren just recently started a production company -- Adventure & Fellowship -- that actually produces a lot of Blue Origin's original videos ... and she's aiming to break out into docs and scripted content as well, separate from any Bezos-related company.

On top of this, Lauren is also going to be one of the passengers in an all-female mission into space on one of Blue Origin's rockets in 2024 -- and says she's super excited about it.

Last but not least ... Lauren gave more details about Jeff -- noting he's incredibly funny and very dedicated to his workouts. She also says they do just about everything together nowadays ... which we kinda already knew. She also says he gives her a lot of business/boss pointers -- including how to handle meetings (aka, let everyone else talk first).

She says of their partnership ... "Living with Jeff is like having a master class every day. What he’s really taught me a lot about is management." Lauren also talks about how she's had to rein in her natural inclination to overshare now that she's in the spotlight 24/7.

Their joint charitable efforts are also discussed in the profile, and there too ... they're in lockstep when it comes to how best their money will be put to use -- for climate change and other causes they care about. Sounds like Lauren is in the weeds on all of it.

Based on how she's dishing here, we wouldn't be surprised if these two get hitched. They truly seem to be a match made in heaven -- and it's clear she's head over heels for the guy ... and he for her.