Money

Ariana Madix is making bank off the heartbreak of her ex-bf Tom Sandoval's cheating scandal -- potentially pulling in a strong 6-figures for each brand deal she inks, according to one expert!

Branding expert, Bernt Ullmann, tells TMZ ... The "Vanderpump Rules" star was probably making roughly $15k to $30k for each brand deal before the explosive cheating scandal came to light -- but he says those numbers have drastically changed now.

The fact that she's the victim of the "Scandoval," instantly makes her a fan favorite, and means her asking price instantly goes way up, too.

Ullman says it's highly likely she's making at least $75k per deal with the well-known brand partnerships -- but adds that number could be $200k ... based on all the media buzz, Bravo's record-setting ratings, and Ariana's skyrocketing social media impressions.

We know Ariana's already done partnerships with many different brands -- including Bloomingdales, UberOne, BIC razors, and MyJoyBurst Cocktails -- since it was revealed Tom blew up their 10-year relationship by cheating on her with their costar Raquel Leviss.

You'll recall, Ariana also recently teamed up with Raising Cane's to promote viewership for part one of the 'VPR' reunion.

On Monday, she pretended to move out of the home she still shares with Tom, but that too, wound up being a sponsored gig with financial services company SoFi.

Clever fake-out, for sure.

Ullmann says as nice as the brand deals are, Ariana should also be thinking long-term -- suggesting if she builds her own brand she can generate revenue and rack up her own assets to sell or license later down the line.

Jennifer Hudson's definitely ruffled some feathers with the revelation a luxury bag gifted to her, by a rising Black designer, is now in a thrift store -- but even the designer insists haters should lay off the singer.

Sonique Saturday tells TMZ ... Jennifer is completely good in her book. In fact, she's urging folks to cut her some slack and stop attacking her online.

ICYMI, J Hud came under fire when a video started making the rounds -- it showed a woman who found one of Sonique's bags at a thrift store. It had clearly been gifted to Jennifer because there was a special note to her inside.

Folks on social media were quick to jump down Jennifer's throat ... calling her out for discarding the Black woman-owned brand.

However, Sonique tells us everyone else is taking the viral video out of context. She explains the bag is from 2014, and Hudson's team actually paid for it. They gifted it to her to celebrate one of her many career accomplishments -- so, it wasn't a freebie that Jennifer callously discarded.

She's not even sure Jennifer ever got the bag and has no idea how it ended up in a thrift shop. Regardless, she says she wants to use this opportunity as leverage with the "Spotlight" singer and to highlight Black-owned businesses.

Leo DiCaprio may be as famous for yachting as he is for another, even bigger ship, but these days he's strictly upper deck!

The "Titanic" star was lounging this weekend on the top deck of a super yacht with some buddies ... along the coast of Sardinia.

There he was -- again -- a shirtless Leo lovin' life on the high seas. He was recently seen on another yacht in Cannes, where he was promoting his upcoming flick, "Killers of the Flower Moon."

The movie is a throwback -- an American Western crime drama -- directed by none other than Martin Scorsese.

Leo made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival but still found the time to jump on a yacht with his pal, Tobey Maguire.

Taylor Swift clearly has the Midas touch ... and a place she lived -- a place that inspired one of her super-popular songs -- is now on the market for a King's ransom.

Back in 2016, Taylor rented a townhouse in NYC's West Village. She apparently loved the 4-bedroom, 5,500-square-foot pad and lived there for more than a year.

In fact, Taylor loved it so much, she wrote a song about it -- "Cornelia Street." The song -- a fan fav -- is featured in her album, "Lover."  One of the lyrics ... "I rent a place on Cornelia Street."

The townhouse -- owned by an Italian investor -- was listed by Corcoran Group realtor Laurence Carty earlier this month. It was listed for rent -- $45,000 a month, and an extra $5k if the renter wanted it furnished.

Well now we've learned ... the Italian dude wants to sell it outright for $17,995,000.

Aside from some amazing features, including a 30-foot indoor swimming pool and a rooftop terrace with downtown views, the fact that Taylor lived there has gotta add some value.

The timing is perfect -- you gotta think it's more than a coincidence the house is up for sale smack in the middle of Taylor's Eras tour, which is the hottest ticket in the world.

The "Scandoval" drama isn't a total loss for Tom Sandoval -- while his affair with Raquel Leviss is definitely costing him friendships, it's not hurting his finances where his band is concerned.

We're told concerts for "Tom Sandoval & The Most Extras" have been a big hit amid all the drama. For example, their show at the Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort in Connecticut earlier this month had a massive turnout, marking the first time the venue's had people lining up to get into a 350-seat theater.

Tom's crew sold out the Gramercy Theater in NYC the following night, with the line wrapping around the block -- even 'SNL' star Chloe Fineman got to meet Tom backstage after the show. We doubt she waited in line.

Tom's band also sold out shows in Pennsylvania and Texas. Their Houston venue, in particular, expected 1,000 fans to show up, but was instead bombarded with twice that number ... making it one of the club's most successful shows ever.

The band even rocked a fundraiser on May 11 at DC's Howard Theater, where they donated $10k to Drew Strikes Back ... an org that raises money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

We've also learned Tom hit a big milestone during this recent stretch of shows ... celebrating 50 days sober.

Tom tells TMZ ... his recent fallout with Ariana Madix has been a difficult and emotional thing for him to navigate, adding he's been in "some really dark places at times and music has really helped me get through it."

He says he's grateful for the big turnouts and is excited to keep the second leg of his summer tour going for him and the group.

Of course, Ariana's been doin' pretty well on the other side, too -- not only does she have a new boo, but she's been striking brand deals with SoFi, Raising Cane's, and even a sex toy company!

Jimmie Allen is officially pulling up stakes in Nashville ... putting his house up for sale on the heels of his divorce, and the bombshell rape allegation against him.

According to property records the country star is selling his home in Brentwood -- a Nashville suburb -- for $2.5 million. He originally listed it last month for just under $3M, before slashing the price this week.

According to a real estate source Jimmy had planned to put the home on the market 3-4 months ago.

Of course, Jimmie's been in pretty hot water lately. As we reported, his estranged wife Alexis Gale, who's pregnant with their third child, pulled the plug on their marriage -- and then his former business manager sued him for allegedly raping her.

Jimmie told us there's "no truth" to the allegation, and accused her of trying to squeeze him for money after their 2-year consensual relationship ended. He's publicly apologized to his estranged wife for the affair, and for being a poor example for their children.

On the heels of all that, he's lost biz deals, too, such as his collab with The Frozen Farmer ice cream company.

Now, he's hoping for some good news on the real estate front as he unloads the 5-bed, 5-bath home ... which sits on 1.5 acres with lots of great features.

Jimmie and Alexis got married during a secret wedding in 2020, and he bought the home in  December of that same year for $1.5M.

High school hoops star Mikey Williams has lost his partnership with a sports technology company, TMZ Sports has learned ... one month after he was arrested in Southern California.

As we previously reported, Williams -- who committed to play for the Memphis Tigers last November -- was jailed on April 13 after authorities alleged he was involved in a shooting near his San Diego County home in March.

Lace Clips, one of the first companies to ink the basketball player to a name, image and likeness deal, told us they will no longer work with Williams after the arrest.

"We are not continuing our partnership with Mikey Williams," said Jonathan Nussbaum, the president of Lace Clips.

Nussbaum also claims that Williams wasn't holding up his end of the bargain after they gave him a multiyear contract in 2022 ... adding that their relationship was deteriorating even before his arrest.

"He is not someone that will be associated with our brand going forward," Nussbaum said.

We're told Williams' partnership with the sports tech company -- which makes wearable smart activity trackers that attach to shoes -- will cease at the end of May.

Phil Spector's daughter wants a judge to bang the gavel ... to prevent tons of his music memorabilia from being sold to the highest bidder ... and now she's suing one of the biggest auction houses over it.

The late music producer's only daughter, Nicole Spector, is suing Julien's Auctions ... claiming the items actually belong to her, so they have no right to sell them.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Nicole says she only recently found out about Julien's "Music Icons" auction, which features 82 items the auction house has been promoting as coming straight from Phil's estate.

Among the items ... a letter from President Nixon, a baseball signed by Mickey Mantle, tickets from a 1966 Beatles concert, a book signed by Yoko Ono and tons of gold records and album cover plaques.

Nicole claims Julien's told her they got the stuff from a woman named Sheryl Coughlan, who told them she got the property from Phil's daughter. Problem is, Nicole says she never gave any of Phil's property to Coughlan or anyone else.

In her suit, Nicole thinks her late father's ex-wife Rachelle may be to blame ... claiming she believes Rachelle misrepresented herself to Coughlan as Nicole when transferring the items.

Nicole claims when Phil divorced Rachelle, the judgment called for Phil to get all of his personal property back aside from a few specific items ... but she claims Rachelle didn't play ball and refused to turn over a bunch of Phil's memorabilia to Nicole a few years later when Phil died.

Katherine Heigl and Ellen Pompeo probably have a lot to talk about since famously parting ways on television over a decade ago -- and they'll do just that in the very near future.

The two actresses -- who once starred opposite each other on "Grey's Anatomy," before KH left the show in 2010 -- are set to be paired up for Variety's latest season of 'Actors on Actors' ... where stars interview each other and talk shop about their craft/projects.

There were a ton of other duos announced Saturday, but Kat/Ellen's stands out -- as these two haven't publicly sat down and talked for a very long time ... and this would mark the first time they've done so since Katherine exited 'Grey's' under controversial circumstances.

Fans of the show probably remember this time well -- Katherine asked showrunner Shonda Rhimes to be let out of her contract 18 months early ... citing harsh work conditions, which she aired out publicly at the time. Plus, she was blowing up as a movie star back then.

Of course, she was allowed to leave ... and her character, Dr. Izzie Stevens, was written off after 6 seasons. Katherine was a fan fave and a staple in the series, until she wasn't.

Since then, Ellen has walked the line when discussing Katherine's departure -- which she rarely has -- but in 2013 ... she offered a candid review of the saga to the New York Post.

She was quoted as saying, "When Katie left, it was tough. You could understand why she wanted to go -- when you’re offered $12 million a movie and you’re only 26. But Katie’s problem is that she should not have renewed her contract. She re-upped, took a big raise and then tried to get off the show. And then her movie career did not take off."

More recently, however, EP has actually praised Heigl for speaking up the way she did in the 2010s ... consenting that the hours were grueling and not conducive to a healthy workplace.

There doesn't appear to be any beef between the two ladies -- the same can't be said for Kat and ex-'Grey's' costar Isaiah Washington -- but people are undoubtedly interested to tune in to see them talk about the old days. BTW, the interview has already been shot.

A former toy owner has claimed Barbie was never for the broke and downtrodden but, rather, for the rich/privileged -- however, as the Queen once said ... recollections may vary.

A fierce debate -- which has largely been one-sided -- unfolded on Twitter this weekend ... this, after comedian Avery Edison posted a tweet that clearly PO'd Barbie fans everywhere, who came out in droves to correct her take on the doll's affordability, historically.

In her OG remarks, which have been deleted, she wrote ... "don't know if this is entirely fair but when someone says 'I grew up loving Barbie' I hear 'my family was not poor.'" She goes on to describe kids who had Barbies growing up as ones who "had savings accounts and went on vacations." Avery also cheekily invited Barbie discourse in a follow-up tweet.

Welp, Twitter was definitely up for it -- users flooded her comments and retweets en masse with a lot of eyebrow-raising and questions ... like, where were you buying your Barbies?

The reason ... it appears Barbie dolls are actually pretty damn cheap, and perhaps always have been -- which flies in the face of what AE was suggesting -- namely, that they were indicators of class and wealth, which is something most people don't seem to agree with.

In fact, some even pulled up old catalogs dating back to the '60s and '70s ... and there, too, the dolls look to have been reasonably priced. American Girl dolls, by contrast, are the "rich kid" toys -- at least that seems to be consensus on Twitter. In other words, Twitter was screaming "WRONG!!!" and quite loudly too. So, what does the original tweeter think now?

Well, she's lamenting the fact this has turned into such an aggressive virtual dunking at her expense, and she's defending herself by saying she was simply sharing her personal memories and offering musings/light-hearted analysis as it relates to the upcoming movie.

AE also slams people resorting to personal attacks for her take, noting how toxic the app truly is ... regardless of who owns it. It's a double-edged sword, really -- Twitter is the town square for debate, but dogpiles are common ... oftentimes over something as silly as this.

Halle Bailey's 'Little Mermaid' got tons of backlash when it was first announced, but now that it's out -- it seems folks are more curious than angry ... 'cause they're flocking to see it.

Disney's latest live-action adaptation hit theaters this weekend -- a 4-day one at that -- and so far, 'TLM' is cleaning up in ticket sales ... projected to land on a record-setting box office haul, with an estimated $120 mil-$130 mil to its name by the time Monday rolls around.

Some analysts have the film pegged to make more than $130MM -- but Disney's hedging their bets, saying it'll probably be closer to $125 MM domestically. Overseas, the movie is said to likely draw an additional $80 mil ... so it could hit around $200 mil soon enough.

That's great for the Mouse House, as this movie reportedly had a budget of about $250 million -- so they need this one to continue doing numbers for a bit to turn a profit.

While there's certainly excitement for the debut weekend, time will tell if Ariel has legs to go the distance in the weeks thereafter. As we reported, "Aladdin" star Mena Massoud recently opined he didn't think it'd hit a billion like his movie did ... which came out pre-pandemic.

Funny enough, with these estimated figures, 'Mermaid' is actually on pace to overtake what "Aladdin" achieved in 2019 -- and it's on a new list of Memorial Day weekend titans. If all goes according to plan, 'TLM' should sit at fourth behind "Top Gun: Maverick," "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End," and "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."

Reports of bomb threats made to several Target stores over three different states have now been classified as a hoax -- and it seems someone was trying to plant a false flag.

Target locations in Utah, Ohio and Pennsylvania -- spanning the greater Cleveland, Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh areas -- reportedly received correspondence Friday threatening to blow up several sites ... and all the emails sent referenced the Pride Month display controversy.

At first, it seemed the threats were coming from folks boycotting Target for supporting Pride Month -- but, Cleveland 19 News published a screenshot of the email in question, and it actually appeared to come from an LGBTQ+ ally angry about Target's decision to back down.

The note -- which was sent by someone named Alsan Akhmedov -- reads in part, "Target is full of cowards who turned their back on the LGBT community and decided to cater to the homophobic right wing redneck bigots who protested and vandalized their store."

It continues, "We won't stand idly by as the far right continues to hunt us down. We are sending you a message, we placed a bomb in the following targets." Four Targets in OH and one in PA were referenced ... the Utah stores were not mentioned in this specific message.

All of those stores -- plus some in Utah, which also received bomb threats -- were evacuated ... but after preliminary investigations, cops are now saying this whole thing is fake.

Some law enforcement agencies have reportedly said the email looks to have originated from overseas, and that there was no credible threat upon inspection at the Targets mentioned. Cops in Utah -- where the stores also appear to have been sent a similar email -- said the same thing ... calling the bomb threats "bogus." In other words, disinformation.

Derek Hough says Ariana Madix makes perfect sense for the next season of "Dancing With the Stars" ... he feels it's the right move for her now that she's captured America's attention.

We got Derek at LAX and the 'DWTS' alum told us Ariana follows the formula for the dancing competition show ... the perfect candidate.

That formula, as Derek explains, loosely goes like this, at least for reality stars ... they get their big break and become household names, then go on 'DWTS' to raise their profile.

Ariana's a textbook example ... she's been dominating headlines since March when she found out her longtime boyfriend Tom Sandoval was cheating on her with their "Vanderpump Rules" costar Raquel Leviss.

Derek says he's been consumed with planning his upcoming wedding rather than paying attention to the Scandoval ... but he knows a good story when he hears one, and he quickly endorses the Ariana move.

Here's a cool piece of United States history going up for sale ... the proclamation George Washington issued making Thanksgiving a national holiday.

America's first President issued the proclamation way back in October 1798, designating a Thursday in late November as the first official Thanksgiving holiday.

The founding father's handwritten proclamation, complete with his signature at the bottom, is going up for sale through Moments In Time ... with a whopping $15 million price tag.

The historically significant document is being sold by a private collector, and its value has risen exponentially over the years as it's changed hands.

When the piece first hit the open market in 1977, it sold for $3,000 ... and when it was on the market again almost 7 years ago, it sold for $6.5 million.

Now it's going for $15 million ... which is an awful lot of Thanksgiving dinners.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann's divorce war seems to have been triggered by financial woes, and the latest turn -- selling her wigs -- seems to underscore what's behind it all.

Kim has put some of her personal items, including those blonde wigs, up for sale on her online website, The Biermann's Closet. The wigs are pricey ... up to $2,750. There are 7 in all, which start at $1,500.

As you know, the wigs were a signature on her reality show, and now they can be yours.

There have been allegations of gambling, drug use and more in the bitter divorce. Kim wants primary custody of their kids, while Kroy wants sole custody ... with each accusing the other of being an unfit parent.

Their home went into foreclosure back in February ... and there were signs the marriage was in trouble before TMZ broke the story they had both filed for divorce after 11 years of marriage. They also owe more than $1 million in back taxes.

Lamar Odom is adding another assist to his stat line -- the ex-NBA star is stepping up to help a local rehab center that fell on hard times recently ... by raising money to keep it from closing its doors forever.

TMZ Sports is told ... Lamar's recent decision to acquire three California treatment centers has garnered the attention of several facilities in serious need of assistance after being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We're told Lamar met with the family-owned Wavelengths Recovery out of Huntington Beach back in April ... and he felt compelled to partner with the center to help keep its lights on for good.

To get the ball rolling, Lamar has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for food, payroll, renovations and more ... and plans to hold a silent auction, with all profits going toward Wavelengths.

As we previously reported, the 2-time NBA champion recently launched the Odom Wellness Treatment Centers to fight substance abuse ... a cause he has vowed to fight for following his near-fatal overdose in 2015.

Odom previously invested in facilities in San Diego, El Cajon and Lemon Grove ... and he's determined to help save as many lives as possible.

In fact, he even offered his services to "Jackass" star Bam Margera back in April ... although it's unclear if the two were able to connect.