Money

Former "American Idol" winner Samantha "Just Sam" Diaz says their unglamorous return to singing in New York City subways for money isn't the final chapter -- instead, the bounce back is underway.

Just Sam joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and told us why winning a show like 'Idol' isn't always all it's cracked up to be ... especially under some very unique and onerus circumstances.

While lots of folks, Sam included, look at 'Idol' as a potential golden ticket to fame and fortune ... the non-binary singer says the reality is quite different.

Sam says a perfect storm resulted in their returning to their subway roots to make cash. They won 'AI' at the beginning of COVID, and the pandemic made it virtually impossible to get into the studio and record. Plus, glossing over contracts and blindly signing didn't help either.

Despite initially feeling embarrassed by reverting back to subway busking to eat and pay bills ... Sam says last month's headlines actually helped, because tons of big name artists are reaching out and showing love.

Now, Sam says they have a few collabs in the works, and they aren't afraid to go a different route to make it in the music biz.

Major League Eating star James Webb will never forget this year's iteration of National Donut Day ... 'cause he just scarfed down 59.5 of the sweet treats in eight minutes -- setting a new world record!!!

Webb performed the gross unreal feat out at the National Donut Day World Donut Eating Championship on the USS Midway in San Diego minutes ago ... besting the previous world record of 55.

Webb was a machine throughout the competition ... check out some of the video from the event, he splashed donuts into a cup of water and then forked them into his mouth over and over again with ease.

Webb ultimately won the contest by five ... and afterward, he scored a championship belt to commemorate the occasion.

The event ended up doing a lot of good for those in need too ... it was all sponsored by The Salvation Army, which helped raise funds throughout the day.

Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre don't think their upcoming "Doggystyle" 30th anniversary will be any fun if their homies involved in the Writers Guild of America strike can't get their piece -- so they're moving the date!!!

Like we previously told you, the hip hop legends announced they're taking over the Hollywood Bowl on June 27-28, but on Friday, Snoop announced the new dates as October 20 and 21 ... with the first one being his 52nd C-Day!!!

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Hip Hop the "Doggystyle" anniversary is designed to be a joyful celebration of the 1993 classic album, and conducting it while having a considerable portion of the creative community in turmoil just didn't sit right with Snoop and Dre.

Snoop has been especially passionate about the issue ... likening Hollywood's paltry conditions to the low payouts artists receive through their existing recording contracts.

The WGA is currently on its 5th week of striking -- with further public support from Lil Wayne and Flavor Flav -- but they've made it clear a negotiation with the Director's Guild of America won't get them instantly off the picket lines.

We're also told Snoop and Dre are in the process of rolling out lunch orders for the striking writers ... so stay tuned for more updates!!!

Before Aaron Judge attempts to swipe bags at Dodger Stadium ... he loaded up shopping bags in Beverly Hills -- spending some of his fat, new contract on Rodeo Drive!!!

The Yankees superstar was spotted out with his wife on the famous strip in L.A. the day before New York kicks off its much-anticipated series with the Dodgers ... and it's clear, he wasn't having any issues breaking out his wallet.

The 31-year-old was seen holding multiple bags from Prada -- and while it's not yet known what exactly was inside of them -- it's safe to say the items didn't come cheap!

Of course, Judge ain't sweating price tags much these days ... the outfielder just inked a 9-year, $360 million agreement with the Yanks this offseason -- so, yeah, throw down that credit card!!

Judge seemed to be relaxed and happy while on his day off ... a great sign for the Yankees -- as the weekend series promises to be an eventful one.

Both L.A. and NY are well over .500 this season ... and many expect the two to be legit World Series contenders by the end of the year.

Kim Zolciak allegedly assaulted her estranged husband Kroy Biermann and the cops responded to their Georgia home ... but she wasn't arrested.

Two officers arrived at the couple's house in Atlanta on May 4 after receiving a call of a domestic dispute ... this according to the NY Post, citing a police document.

Kroy told police Kim punched him in the head during a heated argument over their assets, but had no visible injuries and refused medical treatment.

Per the police report ... Kroy decided not to press charges against "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" alum despite having a recording of their encounter.

But that's not all ... the report states Kroy locked Kim's pricey pocketbooks and jewelry into a safe, claiming it was all joint marital property. He said he planned to sell the items to offset losses incurred by Kim's gambling addiction, noting she had recently suffered a heavy loss.

On the other hand, Kim told cops she owned all the goods -- totaling $175,000 -- having acquired them before she tied the knot with the ex-NFL linebacker.

The officers checked out the contents of the safe and found some valuables -- such as Kim's passport in a Louis Vuitton case -- but no fancy purses.

Boosie Badazz is sticking to his G-code when it comes to wishing Gunna the worst ... even with a hypothetical Bezos-sized payday on the line.

TMZ Hip Hop got the Louisiana-bred rap legend Thursday in NYC, where he couldn't resist the opportunity to lump Gunna in with the city's infamous rat infestation.

Boosie makes it clear he believes Gunna snitched on Young Thug when he took a plea deal in the YSL RICO case. The embattled YSL rapper is currently back in the studio ... likely laying down some rebuttals for all his haters.

We asked Boosie if he would swallow his street pride to record with Gunna ... IF someone offered him a billion dollars, but he immediately shut down because -- as he put it -- the convo was about a "rat."

One topic he was happy to address is cars -- Boosie weighed in with some advice for Cardi B, whose current rich people problem is possessing too many luxury automobiles she doesn't even drive.

Boosie flat-out tells us filling up your garage with cars is a waste of money, and says he sold off "damn near" all of his whips.

Anthony Rendon will not face charges over his altercation with an Athletics fan ... cops tell TMZ Sports they've closed their investigation into the Angels star after they say a victim never came forward.

The Oakland Police Department initially launched their probe into Rendon on March 31 -- one day after the L.A. third baseman was seen grabbing an A's fan's shirt on video following a loss at the Coliseum.

In police documents, cops say they investigated Rendon for misdemeanor assault as well as misdemeanor battery ... but on Thursday, they closed the matter.

A spokesperson for the OPD did say, however, the case would be reopened if an alleged victim were to come forward.

Even though Rendon is now in the clear criminally, he was still punished by the MLB over the incident ... the 32-year-old was slapped with a five-game ban and a fine in April.

Grimes is showing off her new look ... a tattoo in red ink covering her whole leg!!!

The singer and mother to two of Elon Musk's kids revealed her latest tattoo Thursday on social media ... and it looks like she spent a lot of time in the tattoo parlor.

Grimes got the out-of-this-world design in red ink ... and that tattoo stretches from her ankle all the way up to her thigh, covering most of her shin and a good amount of her knee.

Ya gotta imagine it was a pretty painful experience ... but Grimes seems super pleased with the final results here.

It looks like Grimes got the tattoo done in Los Angeles, hitting up a tattoo artist named Daniela.

Churchill Downs, the largest and most famous horse racetrack in the world and site of the Kentucky Derby, is instituting a new "safety initiative" after a rash of thoroughbred deaths on the track, effective immediately.

The new protocols were announced on Thursday after a meeting between track officials and horsemen from Churchill Downs and Trackside Training Center Louisville ... all aimed at preventing catastrophic injury on the dirt track.

Horses will now be limited to four starts during a rolling eight-week period ... limiting how often the animals are pushed to the max.

There will also be ramifications for animals that aren't competitive ... "Horses that are beaten by more than 12 lengths in five consecutive starts will be ineligible to race at Churchill Downs" until they're given a clean bill of health by approved vets.

CD will also pause "track-based incentives such as trainer start bonuses" for all who finish races ... instead only paying out the top five finishers.

The new rules come after a rash of on-track incidents at Churchill Downs, leading to the euthanization of 12 horses ... and a lot of outrage among animal lovers.

"Any decision must be made first and foremost with the long-term well-being of the horse in mind," Churchill Downs Equine Medical Director Dr. Will Farmer said on Thursday.

"It is imperative that all available, educated and informed options can be efficiently, confidently and thoroughly relayed to the owners."

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) held an emergency meeting on Tuesday to investigate the wave of deaths and the condition of the track.

"HISA continues to monitor this situation closely and will evaluate any additional next steps as appropriate."

10x MLB All-Star Steve Garvey -- who won the World Series with the LA Dodgers in 1981 -- is considering throwing his cap in the political ring ... with a run for U.S. Senate in California.

Republican strategist Andy Gharakhani spoke to the L.A. Times, confirming the 74-year-old Dodgers icon is contemplating running for one of the most powerful political positions in the country.

“He is being contacted by leaders up and down the state," Gharakhani said.

"They’re recruiting him to run from both sides, Republican and Democrat, and he’s seriously considering it. We should have a decision made here in the next few weeks.”

Despite never holding elected office, Garvey -- who spent 14 seasons with the Dodgers (and 5 with the San Diego Padres) -- has reportedly been meeting with GOP donors and leaders in California, in preparation for the campaign.

If Garvey were to run, the 1974 NL MVP would reportedly make quality-of-life issues the focus of his campaign ... namely, the cost of living and public safety in CA.

Steve will have his work cut out for him if he ultimately runs ... several high-profile Democrats have reportedly amassed massive campaign war chests.

It's also worth mentioning Republicans haven't won a Senate race in California for decades ... but Garvey reportedly believes a high-profile candidate like himself could buck the trend.

Taylor Swift is laughing all the way to the bank in her latest stretch of massive success, catapulting her to the #2 spot on Forbes' richest women in music list ... a number that's certain to grow after her latest tour wraps.

According to the publication's "Richest Self-Made Women" list, the singer is now worth a staggering $740 million ... making her the second richest woman in music behind Rihanna, who still almost doubles T-Swift at $1.4 billion from her music career and cosmetic line.

It's a super huge milestone ... Taylor now surpasses Madonna, who is said to be worth $580M, as well as Beyoncé whose net worth is reportedly $540M.

The new rankings put Tay at #34 overall on the "Self-Made Women" list ... which includes everyone from Oprah ($2.5B) to Panda Express co-founder Peggy Cherng ($3.2B). BTW, Diane Hendricks of ABC Supply -- a company that sells roofing, siding and windows -- is top of the list at $15B.

Of course, T-Swift has ridden yet another wave of success after dropping "Midnights" back in October, becoming the first artist ever to claim the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100.

As you know, TS is in the middle of her wildly-successful 'Eras' Tour. Remember, the demand for tickets was so high, Ticketmaster crashed and Congress wound up launching an investigation into the site.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have FINALLY bought a house after 2 years of looking ... and it's amazing.

The house boasts a cinema, wine room, whiskey lounge and a spa with a hair and nail salon, and a sauna and massage room. And get this, there's also a separate, 5,000-square-foot sports facility, which includes an indoor pickleball court, boxing ring and sports lounge. On top of that, there's a 2-bedroom guard house.

In all, there are 12 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms and 15 fireplaces!

Ben and Jen paid $60,850,000 ... and they paid in cash. The whole deal took 1 week, start to finish.

It sounds like a lot of loot, but it turns out they got an incredible deal. The property was listed in 2018 for $135,000,000 and relisted this year for $75M.

It sits on a 5-acre promontory and the security is unmatched ... the estate is double-gated.

It's considered the crown jewel of Wallingford, and that's saying something.

The newlyweds have had several false starts, going into escrow on a few other estates but pulling the plug before closing.

Ben and Jen were repped by celeb realtor Brett Lawyer. The seller was repped by Ginger Glass.

The Pentagon has reportedly nixed a drag show scheduled for the beginning of Pride Month -- after it had already been approved by the chain of command.

According to CNN, the performance -- set for Thursday -- was canceled at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada and it was supposed to highlight the significance of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender members of the military.

This would have been the third drag event at Nellis, but Pentagon officials put the kibosh on it Wednesday, CNN said. It wasn't clear if the show would be moved to another venue.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has been super supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, commending them for their service and publicly supporting Pride Month in the military. But Austin has made it clear he doesn't want drag shows on U.S. military bases because the Defense Department should not have to pay for the expense.

A Pentagon rep explained, "As Secretary Austin has said, the DOD will not host drag events at U.S. military installations or facilities. Hosting these types of events in federally funded facilities is not a suitable use of DOD resources. Our Service members are diverse and are allowed to have personal outlets."

SHEIN is taking swift action after being accused of selling knockoff Jordan 11s on its site this week ... with the company telling TMZ Sports the product has been wiped from its store.

The Chinese-based online fast fashion retailer recently featured athletic kicks described as "professional basketball sports shoes for men" ... which were selling for $49.99.

However, the shoes looked just like the Air Jordan 11s (which come with a $225 retail price tag) ... all the way down to the patent leather mudguard. The only key difference?? The obvious absence of the iconic Jumpman logo.

Sneakerheads got wind of the bootleg kicks ... and quickly went to social media to call SHEIN out for the item.

One person joked on Twitter saying, "SHEIN got space jam 11s y’all better get y’all a pair" while another person tweeted, "Fordan 11s to go with my Fucci bag and Folex watch."

We reached out to Shein about the matter ... and the company is placing the blame on an outside retailer.

"SHEIN takes all claims of infringement seriously and we have removed the product in question," a spokesperson said Wednesday.

"Third-party sellers are required to comply with our SHEIN Marketplace policies and certify their products do not infringe IP."

It's not the only issue the company has -- the site also appears to have bootleg versions of the MSCHF Big Red Boots, Yeezys, Balenciaga, and more.

Bam Margera's uncoupling with his estranged wife is moving full-steam ahead, 'cause she's now made her child custody and financial demands official in court ... and she wants thousands.

Nikki Boyd filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, spelling out exactly what she wants the court to impose as it pertains to child support, spousal support, and custody over their son, Phoenix.

For starters, Nikki wants sole physical and legal custody ... adding that visitation for Bam can be on the table, but only if it's supervised and he completes drug/alcohol rehab programs first.

Now, when it comes to money, she wants Bam to cough up just over $15k/month in child support -- which she says roughly equals her monthly expenses. She's also asking for whatever spousal support is due to her under the applicable guidelines for their relationship. She doesn't suggest any hard figure.

Nikki also wants Bam to cover her attorney fees of at least $50k. At the moment, she says she's bringing in very little income -- less than $4k a month between family support and public assistance.

In the docs, she says she's found a house, but needs Bam's financial support to make it work -- and she argues he's more than capable of making support payments.

Nikki claims Bam's net worth is reportedly around $55 million, considering his longtime success in TV/media -- but she's concerned he might be hiding assets and being reckless with money.

As we've reported ... Bam and his team claim Nikki have been keeping Phoenix from seeing him, despite Bam wanting to bond and connect. Clearly, things are very ugly right now.

Travis Kelce is one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, but he could be looking to dominate an entirely different industry next ... 'cause the superstar Kansas City Chiefs tight end just signed with a big-time entertainment agency!!!

The 33-year-old Super Bowl champ recently inked a contract with Creative Artists Agency for all off-field representation, per THR ... paving the way for a career in Hollywood.

The move is a no-brainer -- Kelce hosted "Saturday Night Live" earlier this year ... and his performance was met with rave reviews. In fact, comedian Jeff Dye compared the athlete to one 'SNL' legend.

"He reminded me of Phil Hartman, that's how good I'd say he was," Dye told us back in March. "Not being sarcastic, it was very Phil Hartman-esque."

The 4-time first-team All-Pro is no stranger to being in front of the camera -- how could we forget his "Catching Kelce" dating show?!? -- but he previously told TMZ Sports he wasn't sure if he was cut out for an acting career.