Money

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, has plenty of money to spread around, and he recently did just that ... pouring millions into Ice Cube's growing Big3 basketball league.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ, Ye was brought in as a new league investor during the 2021 season. Our sources say Ye invested somewhere in the mid to high seven-figure mark, and league cofounders Cube and Jeff Kwatinetz also invested additional money into Big3.

As for what sparked the news ... Kanye let the cat out of the bag on his league involvement during a lengthy sit-down interview on Revolt TV's "Drink Champs." Ye mentioned his negotiations with Cube, saying he'll only sign a contract that's one page or less.

Big3 -- a league featuring former NBA superstars as well as international players -- was first announced in 2017 and has grown in popularity ever since. The league features 12 teams, playing throughout the United States, and a 3-on-3 competition style.

Kanye was actually spotted at a 3-on-3 game back in July in Vegas chatting Cube up courtside ... gotta imagine they were talking business.

Britney Spears could make more money than she ever did before if she decides to get back in front of crowds, but it's a double-edged sword ... so says Daymond John.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and painted a picture of Britney's potential earnings if she reverses course on her feelings about performing.

Remember ... folks close to Britney have told us she might never take the stage again, no matter what shakes out with her conservatorship.

Daymond says Britney would be turning down a fortune in Las Vegas, or on the road, if she holds firm -- but he knows there are potentially serious drawbacks to her being back under the bright lights.

Daymond's making some good points -- there are a lot of things off the stage that come along with a Vegas residency, and they definitely take a toll on mental health ... obviously, an important factor for her.

The Philadelphia 76ers have resorted to hitting Ben Simmons where it hurts again -- his wallet -- 'cause the team just fined him $360k for missing Thursday's game ... and will continue to until he starts cooperating.

The 25-year-old has yet to play this season ... claiming he's not mentally ready to suit up after an offseason riddled with trade demands and other drama.

While the Sixers were initially fining Simmons for missing preseason games and practices, they halted the punishment after the guard revealed his physical and mental struggles.

As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reports, Simmons has refused to meet with team officials to work through his struggles ... but has been working with mental health pros through the NBAPA.

Simmons' Sixers teammates initially seemed pissed with his absence this season ... but after Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid made public statements in his support, it felt like both sides were going to be able to make up and move on.

Odell Beckham Jr.'s rollercoaster ride in Cleveland is expected to finally be over this week ... 'cause the Browns are reportedly about to cut the star receiver.

The team is working with Odell on his contract in order to officially release him, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Friday, and a move to get him off the Browns' roster could come down in a matter of hours.

Of course, the writing has been on the wall for Odell's release for the past few days -- if not months -- as the wideout has found himself embattled in drama over and over again in Cleveland.

Just this week, Odell's father posted a lowlight reel of Baker Mayfield ... showcasing all the times the quarterback has missed an open OBJ on the field.

And, Odell's made it no secret he hasn't loved his small role in Cleveland's offense too.

Since being traded from the Giants back in 2019 ... Odell has played in just 29 games and has just 7 receiving TDs -- including none this season.

When the Browns officially jettison the wideout ... he's expected to have plenty of suitors -- receiver-needy teams like the Packers, Saints, Ravens and Patriots all could make a run at him.

By the way, it's Odell's birthday Friday ... happy 29th?

Madonna was the surprise guest at the amfAR event Thursday night in West Hollywood, and as she paid homage to her friend who was being honored, she underscored the fact AIDS is not a thing of the past.

Around 500 people jammed into the Pacific Design Center in WeHo, including Ashley Benson, Addison Rae, Bella Thorne, Diplo, Bebe Rexha and OneRepublic.

Toward the end of the night, an auctioneer announced a photo of Madge would be auctioned off ... even signed by Madonna herself. Then, suddenly, Madonna walked on stage and gave a 15-minute speech honoring her friend, artist Jeremy Scott, but also talking about AIDS and how it lingers as a pandemic decades after it surfaced.

She also went back in time when AIDS ravaged the gay community back in the '80s and she became a voice in the pandemic ... she said people thought she had AIDS. She made it clear to folks she didn't, but simply wanted to help.

Meghan Markle should go by her U.S. family name the next time she decides to wade into U.S. politics by cold-calling members of Congress ... so says U.S. Rep. Jason Smith.

The Congressman from Missouri joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked what he made of Meghan dialing up Senators to lobby for paid family leave and introducing herself as the Duchess of Sussex.

Rep. Smith says he has no issues with her getting involved in American politics, seeing as she's an American citizen -- but he says she needs to leave her ties to the Royal Family out of it, for a few reasons.

The big beef Rep. Smith has is the Royal Family is traditionally neutral when it comes to politics across the pond ... so Meghan using a royal title to wield influence in America doesn't sit right with him.

While some think Meghan is just using her celebrity to lobby for something she believes in ... Rep. Smith says that's fine, as long as she uses the thing she was known for before marrying Prince Harry and having children.

"Former 'Suits' star Meghan Markle" doesn't have quite the same ring to it. Plus, the Congressman did admit he has a slight royal bias.

Meghan Markle is lobbying hard for paid paternity leave -- an issue that could be a deal-breaker in the impending infrastructure vote on Capitol Hill -- and she's been cold-calling U.S. Senators ... but oddly, using her royal title.

Apparently, New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand gave Markle the cell phone numbers of 2 key Senators -- Susan Collins and Shelley Moore Capito, both Republicans. Markle followed through with a phone call, which showed up as a blocked number.

Moore Capito told Politico, "I'm in my car. I'm driving. It says caller ID blocked. Honestly, I thought it was Senator Manchin, his calls come in blocked."

Moore Capito says she answered and the caller then ID'd herself ... "And she goes, 'Senator Capito?' I said, 'Yes.' She said, "This is Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex."

A similar call was made to Collins, who also answered. Collins said, "I was happy to talk with her, but I'm more interested in what people from Maine are telling me about paid leave."

Markle has been active behind the scenes, writing both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to push for passage of the bill. She wrote, "I'm writing to you at this deeply important time -- as a mom -- to advocate for paid leave ... on behalf of my family, Archie and Lili and Harry."

If Hollywood memorabilia's your thing -- don't miss this chance to bid on relics from 'Anchorman,' 'Friends' and a George Clooney watch ... all in the name of helping vets.

Indeed, the cause is a great one. A nonprofit called Homes for Our Troops is holding its 5th annual Veteran's Day Celebrity Auction starting Nov. 4 and running through the 14th ... and they've got some neat stuff on the table here, which can technically be yours.

Among some of the coolest items ... Jockey briefs as seen on the set of "Anchorman 2," which are autographed by the great Will Ferrell himself. If you're not quite brave enough for that -- there's also something for 'Friends' lovers, especially fans of Rachel Green.

'Friends' autographed clothing from Jennifer Aniston's personal collection are also on the auction block.

There's more than just attire here though for bidding purposes ... other items that HFOT has in its collection this year include a "Suicide Squad" script signed by the cast, a special Snoopy watch from George Clooney's own collection, a guitar with Jon Bon Jovi's John Hancock on it ... and a WHOLE lot more.

All in all, we're talking upwards of 130 personalized items and experiences that can be yours to claim -- and of course, the money's going toward putting our brave men and women who've served and returned injured into specially adapted custom homes.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is dragging his ex, Jenn Harley, to court ... and he wants to force a sale of the Las Vegas home they used to share.

According to a new lawsuit ... the 'Jersey Shore' star claims he and Jenn borrowed money from a bank to buy the house when they were still together -- but he claims she recently stopped making payments on the loan, even though she's the only one who lives there now that Ronnie moved out.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Ronnie claims Jenn hasn't made a loan payment since July, and he's also not sure if she's paying the HOA dues or utilities.

What's more, Ronnie claims Jenn made some home improvements he didn't know about and failed to pay for the work. As a result, he says there are now liens on the property.

According to the docs, Ronnie wants to sell the place, but claims Jenn refuses to cooperate. So, now he wants a court to force the sale so he can get his cut of the proceeds.

Jenn's lawyer, Michael Cristalli, tells TMZ ... Ronnie and Jenn agreed it's her house and she paid Ronnie for it, plus she pays the mortgage and invested six figures into improvements.

Kevin Hart isn't one to embrace controversy for kicks -- which is why a one-on-one between Netflix's CEO and him is all the more interesting ... especially as the Dave Chappelle drama's still swirling.

Check out this photo TMZ obtained of the rock star comedian chopping it up with Ted Sarandos Monday evening in Beverly Hills. They were at the Waldorf Astoria, where eyewitnesses say the duo had dinner and talked extensively for quite some time.

Although you can't see Sarandos' face in the pic ... other entertainment big wigs who were around confirmed it was him.

What they talked about remains a mystery, but the mere fact they had a private little chat like this, especially amid all the Chappelle drama at Netflix, can't be ignored ... as Dave and Kevin are good friends, and anyone cozying up to Ted right now (especially comics) might as well be cosigning what DC had to say and what Netflix decided to do.

Of course, Kev already has a major relationship with the streamer -- a multi-year deal for movies and specials -- so maybe this had absolutely nothing to do with Dave at all ... but something tells us the topic came up.

There's also this ... Kevin himself was embroiled in an LGBTQ-related controversy a few years ago -- one that ended up costing him his Oscars hosting gig, this after he waffled on apologizing for years-old tweets that some considered offensive and anti-gay.

Britney Spears made it clear Tuesday night ... her animosity for her mom runs at least as deep as it does toward her dad.

Britney raged against Lynne Spears, calling her the brains behind the conservatorship. In a shot that hits both parents, Britney said, "My dad is not smart enough to ever think of a conservatorship," adding, "...what people don't know is that my mom is the one who gave him the idea."

It's true ... Lynne was the one who actually engineered the temporary conservatorship after Britney's second 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold.

And, keeping with her theme over the last few months that her family was leeching off her, she said, "It's been 13 years ... It was a family business before, it's no longer that anymore."

And then, she looks to the future ... "I was BORN today cause I get to SMILE ... so thank you for exiting out of my life and finally allowing me to live mine! PS do I know how mean I sound? Yes ... I 100 billion percent I do."

She railed not just on her mom, but on her former business manager, Lou Taylor, whom many on the inside say was the one pulling the strings ... "She secretly ruined my life, and yes, I will call her and Lou Taylor out on it. So take your whole 'I have NO IDEA what's going on' attitude and go f**k yourself. You know exactly what you did."

Britney deleted the post several hours later, but that's the oldest trick in the book once it's out there.

Jamie Spears is throwing in the towel on all things related to Britney Spears' conservatorship -- making it crystal clear to the judge in the case that he's tired of fighting ... and is all good with ending the conservatorship STAT.

Brit's father filed new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, in which he lays out his position as clearly as possible. Attorneys for Jamie write, "Jamie unconditionally loves and supports his daughter. Full stop. As he has done for her entire life, Jamie will do everything he can to protect and care for her. For the last 13 years, that included serving as her Conservator. Now, it means ending her Conservatorship."

The filing goes on to explain Jamie is not seeking any further compensation or a release for what went down during the conservatorship, adding that he's willing to be fully transparent in handing over all of his files on the conservatorship in order to officially close the book on this chapter.

With that said, he does insist the way in which he's administered Britney's estate has always been in her best interest -- which is obviously in debate right now -- but in any case ... he's fully on board with getting his daughter out of the legal apparatus now.

One last note from Jamie's side here, which is pretty astounding ... "This conservatorship should end. Now. There is no reason for another second of delay. Jamie is willing to stipulate to the immediate termination of the Conservatorship without reservation or exception."

Two of the families whose loved ones perished in the Kobe Bryant helicopter crash just agreed to settlements with L.A. County over the alleged sharing of crash site photos of remains -- but Vanessa Bryant is still at war.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved $2.5 million to be split between the families of Christine Mauser and Keri, John and Alyssa Altobelli ... according to docs. Mauser's husband, Matthew, gets $1.25 mil, and the Altobelli's 2 surviving children get the same.

According to the L.A. Times, which first reported the settlement, counsel for the county suggested settling with the families would be the best route as they continue to deal with Vanessa's lawsuit, and one from Chris Chester ... whose wife and child died in the crash.

The outlet says the lawsuits have already cost L.A. County an estimated $1.29 million in legal fees.

Meanwhile, Vanessa and Chris' suits are still playing out in court ... and could be headed for trial in the near future. Speaking of them, a judge denied L.A. County's motion seeking psychiatric evaluations of Vanessa and Chris, ruling it came too late in the case.

The county argued that the psychiatric evaluations would help determine if their emotional distress was actually related to crash photos that she and the public have never seen.

Britney Spears wants to get married, buy a house and have kids ... but those plans are all on hold until the judge in her conservatorship case decides if it should end ... TMZ has learned.

Britney and Sam Asghari are engaged, but sources with direct knowledge tell us they have not made any wedding plans because of the impending court hearing. Ditto the prenup ... there's been no movement. And, TMZ broke the story ... they want to buy a house together, but that's on ice as well.

All signs point to the 13-year-long conservatorship coming to an end, but it's not guaranteed. The wild card -- whether the judge orders a mental evaluation. Britney, Jamie and others have urged the judge to end it without such an evaluation ... in fact, so far no one involved in the conservatorship has suggested otherwise.

Nevertheless, with 13 years of mental evaluations on file with the court, it's up to the judge whether to cut Britney free without another one. The judge has an easy out given the parties don't want it, but given the various diagnoses over the years, the judge may want to hear from psychiatrists and other doctors before making the decision.

As for all her plans, Britney is living her life ... hanging with Sam, going on vacation and posting stories about her life on social media.

Lindsay Lohan will not be joining the cast of the upcoming "Real Housewives of Dubai" ... even though she's already living in the country, and would provide instant star power and drama.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Lindsay is NOT part of the newly announced season, and she was never even approached about the upcoming project.

Bravo announced Monday the network is taking 'The Real Housewives' franchise to Dubai, the first season in an international location, leading to wild speculation Lindsay would be on the cast because she's already on the ground in the United Arab Emirates.

We're told the cast -- although, not announced yet -- has been selected, and LL ain't on it. Yeah, we know ... she's not actually a housewife, but many of the other "Housewives" lineups are filled with unmarried women.

The real issue, most likely, is keeping the budget low for a new spinoff ... 'cause Lindsay would certainly demand a bigger payday than an unknown.

The project will air on Bravo next year, and the network says it will highlight a group of women navigating relationships, careers and the lavish and uber-wealthy lifestyles in the UAE.

Dubai's known as a billionaire's playground with plenty of opulence, modern architecture and a crazy nightlife scene, which all seem to jibe with LiLo ... but this is one guest list she won't be on.

Wanna own Barry Bonds' iconic 500th home run ball??

Welp, it’s too late ... ‘cause the piece of history just sold at an auction for a whopping $300k!!

Bonds' ball -- which was hit off Dodgers pitcher Terry Adams -- was among the top sellers in SCP Auctions' Fall catalog ... and sold for $50k more than expected.

It’s not hard to see why someone would want to get their hands on this particular item -- Bonds is one of, if not THE greatest, hitters in MLB history ... and he’s got a legitimate argument in the GOAT discussion.

Of course, this homer ball was recovered as a result of the valiant efforts of a fan who retrieved it from the waters of McCovey Cove on April 17, 2001.

On top of the Bonds ball, the Honus Wagner T206 card -- considered the Holy Grail of sports collectibles -- sold for an incredible $1.1 million.

Altogether, the auction -- which closed this past weekend -- set more than two dozen records, with sales totaling $5.6 million.

SCP President David Kohler said ... "The sports memorabilia market is on fire, as evidenced by the world records we set."

"From high-end graded cards to the best of sports memorabilia, the results of our Fall Premier Auction are astonishing."