Money

Justin Bieber made somewhere between $500 million and $1 billion as the world's biggest pop star, but he blew it all ... and ended up being in such dire financial shape he had to sell his music catalog for $200 million.

TMZ has a new documentary, "TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber," now available on Hulu, and part of our investigation digs into Justin's money problems.

People on Justin's side told us he was on the verge of "financial collapse" back in 2022 ... so much so that he felt he had to sell the rights to his music that December.

12:22 PM PT -- Smokey Robinson's attorney Christopher Frost tells TMZ ... "We are aware that a police report has now been filed by the Plaintiffs in the civil lawsuit. It is clear to us what is happening here. Plaintiffs filed a police report only after they filed a $50 million lawsuit. This means only that the police are now required to investigate. We welcome that investigation, which involves Plaintiffs who continue to hide their identities, because exposure to the truth is a powerful thing."

He adds ... "We feel confident that a determination will be made that Mr. Robinson did nothing wrong, and that this is a desperate attempt to prejudice public opinion and make even more of a media circus than the Plaintiffs were previously able to create. The record will ultimately demonstrate that this is nothing more than a manufactured lawsuit intended to tarnish the good names of Smokey and Frances Robinson, for no other reason than unadulterated avarice."

Smokey Robinson is now the subject of a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department investigation after multiple women came forward and filed police reports alleging sexual assault ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... three alleged victims -- all female -- filed police reports against Smokey on Friday with the sheriff's department. The department's special victims' unit has opened a criminal investigation into the claims. We're told the investigation is in its early stages.

Our sources say investigators will reach out to Smokey to try to speak to him about all the allegations made against him in these police reports.

One of the biggest mysteries in the Diddy-Cassie saga was answered at the music mogul's federal criminal trial Wednesday ... Cassie settled her lawsuit against Diddy for a whopping $20 million!

Federal prosecutor Emily Johnson was grilling Cassie on Day 2 of her testimony at Diddy's sex trafficking trial in NYC when the questioning turned to a book she wrote about the alleged abuse she suffered at the hands of Sean "Diddy" Combs -- her former longtime boyfriend.

Cassie testified that her mom helped her write a "book with chapters," which she wanted Diddy to read. She testified she sent the chapters to Diddy through her attorney, but Diddy didn't take her book seriously.

Justin Bieber's unraveling has fans sounding the alarm -- and we're peeling back the layers on his troubling spiral in "TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber?" now streaming on Hulu.

TMZ’s own Harvey Levin and Charles Latibeaudiere -- plus our team of producers Charlie Neff, Don Nash, Katie Hayes and Eric Colley -- dig into the jaw-dropping allegations: Bieber’s rumored drug use, his rocky marriage to Hailey, a financial collapse, and his deep ties to a controversial church.

"TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber?" also unpacks a behind-the-scenes power struggle fueled by money, loyalty, religion, and betrayal -- all at the heart of Justin’s fractured relationship with the man who launched his career ... former manager Scooter Braun.

After months of digging and speaking with insiders directly involved in his life, TMZ Investigates goes all in to uncover what’s really going on with Bieber -- and it’s more intense than anyone imagined ...

Justin Bieber's relationship with longtime manager Scooter Braun disintegrated over money -- millions of dollars Justin claimed Scooter underhandedly took -- but an extensive TMZ investigation shows just the opposite.

TMZ has a new documentary, "TMZ Investigates: What Happened to Justin Bieber," which airs tonight on FOX at 9 PM ET, 8 Central.

When the disastrous "Justice" tour ended in 2022, multiple sources with direct knowledge tell us Justin was broke. He owed AEG -- the concert promoter -- $24 million because he received a $40M upfront advance and Justin pulled the plug early on.

Farrah Abraham is making it loud and clear -- she ain't heading back to her "Teen Mom" roots, telling TMZ it’s because she’s too pricey for the network to afford.

We caught up with Farrah, and she made it crystal clear -- Paramount just doesn’t have the budget to bring her back, so she has to respect her time and look out for her child.

Catch the clip -- Farrah goes deep, saying at the end of the day it’s not really her fault she’s not returning, so fans can stop bombarding her with questions about her returning to the show.

Rose Vega's got a brand new gig five years after she debuted her head-turning romance with Big Ed on Season 4 of "90 Day Fiancé" -- she's joining OnlyFans!

The reality star is ready to welcome curious fans with all sorts of content on her account -- including the journey of her recent vaginal rejuvenation treatment ... which she tells TMZ totally boosted her self‑confidence and overall well-being.

In addition, she plans to offer travel vlogs, weekly photo sets, non-explicit boudoir videos, personalized voice messages, and "never seen" spicy content ... and she says she'll personally respond to subscribers with interactive chats. She says she wants to make her fans feel seen.

Kim Kardashian's suited up as a hotshot lawyer in the first trailer for the new legal drama "All's Fair" -- and coincidentally, it's dropped the same day she took the stand in the infamous Paris robbery case.

The lawyer-in-training slips right into character as powerhouse divorce attorney Allura Grant in the trailer, which was released Tuesday at Disney's Upfronts -- with Naomi Watts and Niecy Nash rounding out the fierce all-female law firm taking on a male-dominated field.

The trailer screams classic Ryan Murphy -- kinda campy, artsy visuals, killer outfits, and drama for days -- both in the courtroom and the characters' personal, romantic lives.

Kim Kardashian was a combo of business and smiles as she arrived at a Paris courthouse Tuesday to testify against the 10 people accused of tying up and robbing her at gunpoint of more than $10 million worth of jewelry nearly a decade ago.

The reality star rolled up in a black van with her mom, Kris, to the courthouse in the French capital Tuesday afternoon for her big day on the witness stand. After the two stepped out of the vehicle, Kim flashed a grin and waved at supporters gathered outside the building.

For her day in court, Kim was dressed in a black suit jacket with a matching skirt and Alaia sunglasses. She was also rocking plenty of jewelry -- earrings, a large diamond necklace and a huge ring -- which is a middle finger to the people who allegedly stole from her.

Things weren’t looking too hot for Zach Bryan -- literally -- the country star was out and about rocking a pretty gnarly black eye.

Yep, Zach was keeping it low-key in NYC over the weekend, but that shiner on his face was doing all the talking -- capping off a rollercoaster few weeks that included some fiery back and forth with fellow country crooner John Moreland.

Variety reported earlier this month that Zach inked a fresh deal with Warner Records for at least two more albums, and on top of that, he’s reportedly selling -- or already sold -- his publishing catalog for a jaw-dropping $350-mil payday.

Kim Kardashian arrived in Paris, France today on a private plane ... but not for a jet-set luxury visit -- she's set to testify tomorrow in a long-delayed trial, after she was robbed at gunpoint in the biggest jewelry heist in France in decades.

Kim flew into Paris-Le Bourget Airport Monday afternoon ahead of Tuesday's hearing -- a group known as the "Grandpa Robbers" is charged with stealing more than $10 million in jewelry from her at a fancy hotel in the city in 2016.

Kris Jenner is of course not going to let her daughter relive this traumatic experience alone, as her and her boyfriend Corey Gamble also showed up in Paris today for support.

Kim was visiting back then to attend Paris Fashion Week ... and at about 3 AM on October 3, two armed robbers overpowered a security guard outside her Hôtel de Pourtalès apartment. She was bound with zip-ties and duct tape, then deposited into a bathtub, as two masked men took her jewelry -- including a $4-million engagement ring given to her by then-husband Kanye West.

Nigel Lythgoe’s L.A. dream house just got voted off the market -- snagging a show-stopping $4.4 million!

Real estate sources tell TMZ West Coast Customs boss Ryan Friedlinghaus is the new owner of the 5-bed, 8-bath stunner -- taking it from the former "American Idol" and "SYTYCD" EP after being on the market for a while.

Nigel first put the place on the market last year, but had to trim the price down to $4.599 mil in October -- and still ended up selling it for less. He scooped it up for $4.7 mil in early 2023, so selling it for less probably wasn’t the Hollywood ending he had in mind.

Donald Trump’s online, bragging about a "flying palace" -- a luxury plane gifted from Qatar’s royal family slated to serve as one of the presidential Air Force One fleet of jumbo jets ... but it’s causing a stir, since accepting foreign gifts like that is legally questionable.

The $400 million Boeing 747-8 -- AKA the world’s biggest plane -- could be Trump’s new Air Force One for the rest of his term ... and it’s being called one of the priciest gifts ever from a foreign power to the U.S.

Trump posted on Truth Social: "So the fact that the Defense Department is getting a GIFT, FREE OF CHARGE, of a 747 aircraft to replace the 40 year old Air Force One, temporarily, in a very public and transparent transaction, so bothers the Crooked Democrats that they insist we pay, TOP DOLLAR, for the plane. Anybody can do that! The Dems are World Class Losers!!!"

His Airness is now His Airwaves -- Michael Jordan has joined NBC's NBA coverage team as a special contributor, the network announced Monday.

The Peacock is returning to pro basketball as part of the 11-year, $76 billion broadcasting deal with Disney and Amazon ... and it's clear they're not messing around by bringing in the NBA GOAT to its roster.

Unclear what exactly this means for No. 23 -- he doesn't really have much experience in TV ... so the announcement is pretty surprising to say the least.

Judge Arun Subramanian will be an integral part of the Diddy's trial -- which should kick off in earnest Monday with opening arguments ... but, before he became a judge, he was just a civil attorney who really cared about his clients.

We spoke with Mary and Joel Rich -- a couple Arun represented in a lawsuit against Fox News after the network ran a story claiming their son leaked thousands of Democratic party emails to Wikileaks in 2016.

After they settled their lawsuit with the network, Mary and Joel say they wanted to take their legal team out to dinner in New York City to thank them for all their hard work ... and, Arun immediately agreed to come -- with one caveat.

Blake Lively's lawyers are asking a judge to force Justin Baldoni, Wayfarer Studios and others to hand over financial records ... claiming that if they want to sue for $400 million, they have to prove they really lost that much.

The actress's team sent a letter to the judge Friday requesting the parties involved in the lawsuit filed against her cough up the records ... which they say they've already tried to obtain

Lively's team claims they met with counsel for Baldoni's side and asked for them to hand over the documents -- but were told they would only be given "non-privileged documents concerning their damages" ... not the docs they requested.