Money

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's philanthropy org was said to have been in the red this year -- but there's missing context ... including the fact it's got big-time $$$ stashed away.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... a recent report suggesting the Archewell Foundation was strapped for cash after suffering a substantial decrease in revenue between 2021-2022 is misleading, 'cause it doesn't take into account the org is not a corporation, folks.

In other words, these sorts of things can't simply be measured in mere profit and loss -- as our sources say the Archewell Foundation is still humming like it was when it first launched back in 2020 ... and actually ended the year with more than $8 million in the bank.

What the report harped on is the fact that in the org's most recent tax filing, it shows donations were down between '21 and '22 ... going from $13 million in 2021 to just about $2 million in 2022. The foundation also notes it (technically) came in at a loss at about $674k since its costs somewhat outpaced its revenue this past year ... but like we said, context.

We're told it's not uncommon for donations to decrease after a charitable org's debut year, and oftentimes the first year is often the strongest.

The Archewell Foundation smartly stored that huge influx of cash they got between 2020 and 2021 and are now divvying up the dough based on their long-term goals. So, yes ... donations are down, but AF is not out of the philanthropy game.

There was also a claim in the report in question that Archewell's CEO James Holt had received a fat pay raise between 2021 and 2022 -- jumping up in salary from $59k to about $227k. We're told that '21 figure was just a partial year of Holt's pay -- however, the source was not specific about Holt's full annual salary.

Se dijo que la organización filantrópica de Meghan Markle y el príncipe Harry había estado en números rojos este año, pero hay un contexto que falta y es que tiene una gran cantidad de $$$ guardado.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que un reciente informe que sugiere que la Fundación Archewell estaba corta de dinero en efectivo es engañosa. La revelación surge después de que esta sufriera una disminución sustancial de los ingresos entre 2021-2022, pero eso es engañoso porque no considera que la organización no es una corporación.

En otras palabras, este tipo de cosas no se pueden medir simplemente por los meros beneficios y pérdidas. De acuerdo a nuestras fuentes, la Fundación Archewell todavía está en el ruedo como lo hizo cuando se lanzó por primera vez en 2020, y de hecho, terminó el año con más de $8 millones en el banco.

El informe insistía en que la declaración de impuestos más reciente de la organización, mostraba que las donaciones se han reducido entre 2021 y 2022, pasando de $13 millones en 2021 a solo alrededor de $2 millones en 2022. La fundación también señala que (técnicamente) entró en una pérdida de alrededor de $674k, ya que sus costos superaron sus ingresos este año ... Pero como hemos dicho, hay un contexto.

Nos dicen que no es raro que las donaciones disminuyan después del primer año de una organización benéfica y a menudo el primer año es el más fuerte.

La Fundación Archewell almacenó inteligentemente el dinero que recibieron entre 2020 y 2021 y ahora están repartiéndolo en función de sus objetivos de largo plazo. Así que, sí, las donaciones han bajado, pero la Fundación no está fuera del juego de la filantropía.

También hubo una afirmación en el informe en cuestión de que el CEO de Archewell, James Holt había recibido un aumento de sueldo entre 2021 y 2022, pasando de $ 59k a unos $ 227k. Nos dicen que la cifra de 2021 corresponde solo a un año parcial de la paga de Holt. Sin embargo, la fuente no especificó su salario anual completo.

1:52 PM PT -- We should note ... the version Kanye West appears to have played in the Miami club featured other voices singing the chorus, so it's possible he can get away with it through a loophole.

Kanye West's new take on the Backstreet Boys' hit "Everybody" has been getting a ton of buzz, but there's one massive problem ... Ye never cleared it with the boy band.

Sources connected to BSB tell TMZ Kanye failed to get the collective OK from Nick, Kevin, Howie, Brian, A.J. and their team to use the 1997 classic.

In Kanye's version, you can hear the original song and chorus before Ty Dolla Sign takes over, singing the original lyrics from "Everybody."

Of course, not clearing the song creates an interesting challenge for Kanye considering he's supposed to release his album this week and the song is a listed track. Not to mention, he's played it out in public in Miami, promoted it on social media and pumped it through the speakers at his album listening event in Miami Monday night.

So by all counts ... it seemed like Kanye was planning to have it on his "Vultures" album.

We don't know if Kanye reached out and was denied usage of the track or whether he just never asked at all ... but either way, it ain't good for Ye.

Kanye's been the center of controversy for months, with his antisemitic remarks -- expressing his love for Hitler -- and dangerous social media rants. As we reported, Ye wore a black KKK-style hood Monday night at his public event.

Obviously, a lot of artists have distanced themselves from Kanye ... and it'll be interesting to see his chances of locking down clearance for additional tracks in the future.

La nueva versión de Kanye West del éxito de los Backstreet Boys "Everybody" ha provocado un montón de rumores, pero hay un gran problema, Ye nunca le pidió permiso a la banda.

Fuentes conectadas al grupo le dicen a TMZ que Kanye no pudo obtener la aprobación colectiva de Nick, Kevin, Howie, Brian, A.J. y su equipo para usar el clásico de 1997.

En la versión de Kanye, se puede escuchar la canción original y su estribillo antes de que Ty Dolla Sign tome el relevo y empiece a cantar la letra original de "Everybody".

Por supuesto, no pedir autorización por la canción crea un desafío interesante para Kanye, teniendo en cuenta que se supone que debe lanzar su álbum esta semana y la canción es una de las pistas de la lista. Esto, por no mencionar, que la ha tocado en público en Miami, la ha promovido en sus redes sociales y la hizo tumbar por los altavoces en el evento dedicado a escuchar su álbum en Miami el lunes por la noche.

Así que por todas partes, parecía que Kanye planeaba tenerlo en su álbum "Vultures".

No sabemos si Kanye se acercó a ellos y le negaron el uso de la pista o si simplemente nunca pidió permiso en absoluto, pero de cualquier manera, no es bueno para Ye.

Kanye ha estado en el centro de la controversia por meses por sus comentarios antisemitas -expresó su amor por Hitler- y por peligrosos desplantes en redes sociales. Como informamos, Ye usó una capucha negra al estilo del Ku Klux Klan el lunes en su evento.

Former World Series champ Jerry Hairston says the Dodgers didn't overpay when they dropped $700 million to get Shohei Ohtani ... telling TMZ Sports, "He's worth it."

L.A. inked the two-way star to the deal over the weekend ... and with his pitching career in question due to a second Tommy John surgery on his throwing arm, many wondered if the Dodgers spent just a bit too much.

But, Hairston made it clear to us on Monday ... he believes they didn't.

As for why ... the ex-outfielder who played two seasons for the Dodgers in 2012 and 2013 said there are a multitude of reasons. No. 1, he said he's fully confident Ohtani will be able to pitch again in 2025. No. 2, he told us he believes the 29-year-old is "just entering his prime, especially with the bat."

And, perhaps more importantly for the Dodgers' bottom line, Ohtani brings in revenue like no other player in the sport.

"He brings in anywhere from $70 to $85 million in revenue alone!" Hairston said.

Hairston actually went on to praise Ohtani and the Dodgers for the contract -- noting that the deal's deferred payments will allow L.A. to surround the two-time MVP with even more talent in the next few seasons.

"He is worth the price of admission," Hairston said.

Kim Zolciak y Kroy Biermann tienen un montón de problemas, y ahora el juez en su caso de divorcio está tomando medidas enérgicas, ordenando a la mediación en un intento de llegar a un acuerdo.

De acuerdo con los nuevos documentos legales, obtenidos por TMZ, a Kim y Kroy se les ordena completar una sesión de mediación antes de la fecha límite del 31 de enero.

El juez dice que Kim y Kroy tienen "numerosos problemas sin resolver" y cree que podrían beneficiarse de la mediación a través del programa de resolución alternativa de disputas del condado.

Obviamente, la mediación no siempre funciona ni garantiza que Kim y Kroy resuelvan sus problemas, pero el tribunal al menos los está obligando a intentarlo.

Como te hemos dicho, Kim y Kroy se están divorciando en medio de toneladas de problemas financieros y ha habido varias visitas de la policía a su casa de Georgia por peleas explosivas.

Kim y Kroy también tienen cuatro niños pequeños, por lo que resolver los problemas de custodia a través de la mediación puede no ser pan comido.

Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann have plenty of issues, and now the judge in their divorce case is cracking down ... ordering them to mediation in an attempt to hammer out a settlement.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim and Kroy are being directed to complete a mediation session by a Jan. 31 deadline.

The judge says Kim and Kroy have "numerous unresolved issues" and thinks they could benefit from mediation through the county's alternative dispute resolution program.

Obviously, mediation does not always work or guarantee Kim and Kroy will resolve their issues ... but the court is at least forcing them to give it the old college try.

As we've told you ... Kim and Kroy are divorcing amid tons of financial woes, and there's been several police visits to their Georgia home over explosive fights.

Kim and Kroy also have 4 young children so working out custody issues through mediation may be no cakewalk.

De estrella de reality a la cárcel, Jen Shah tiene toda una historia que contar, y TMZ ha descubierto que ella espera que Kim Kardashian pueda contarla en una película biográfica.

Las conversaciones de la aventura en pantalla surgió cuando Emma Stone, en broma, puso en marcha una campaña para que se realizara el biopic de la estrella de "RHOSLC", luego de que un fan de toda la vida de "Real Housewives" le preguntara a la actriz en el estreno de Nueva York de "Poor Things": "¿que Housewife encajaría en una película dirigida por Yorgos Lanthimos?

Lanthimos es conocido por sus personajes inesperadamente extraños y excéntricos, y las pruebas y tribulaciones de Jen son más que suficientes para que Yorgos lleve su viaje a la gran pantalla, según la ganadora del Oscar Emma.

Jen rápidamente se enteró del apoyo de la estrella, cuando su manager Chris Giovanni le dijo a TMZ que estaba "alucinando por teléfono" de la emoción cuando la llamó a la cárcel para decirle el viernes por la mañana.

Chris nos dice Jen reconoció el respaldo de Emma para el proyecto como un honor, pero cuando se trata de quién le gustaría que la interpretara, menciona a Kim.

Chris dice que Jen no entró en muchos detalles acerca de por qué ella quiere a la Kardashian, pero no es ningún secreto que ella es una gran fan de la multimillonaria, recuerde que antes de su condena por fraude electrónico y lavado de dinero, dijo que quería abogado experto en Kim a unirse a su equipo legal.

La participación de Kim puede no ser demasiado descabellada, ella ha estado haciendo progresos serios en el negocio de la actuación. Ganando críticas muy favorables por "American Horror Story", impresionando tanto a su productor Ryan Murphy que la ha enganchado para su nueva serie basada en la famosa abogada de divorcios de celebridades, la reina de la disolución Laura Wasser.

Kim está reservada y ocupada, así que quién sabe si va a tener tiempo para un biopic. Sin embargo, Jen dice que no puede esperar para decirle a todas sus compañeras de prisión sobre Emma.

From reality star to behind bars, Jen Shah has quite the life story to tell ... and TMZ has learned she's hoping Kim Kardashian can tell it in a biopic.

Talks of the on-screen venture emerged when Emma Stone facetiously kick-started a campaign for the 'RHOSLC' star's biopic ... after the longtime 'Real Housewives' fan was asked at the NYC premiere of "Poor Things" ... which Housewife was worthy of the film treatment by the flick's director Yorgos Lanthimos?

Lanthimos is known for taking on unexpectedly bizarre, eccentric characters -- and Jen's eyebrow-raising trials and tribulations are more than enough for Yorgos to bring her journey to the silver screen, according to Oscar-winner Emma.

Jen quickly caught wind of the A-list backing ... with her manager Chris Giovanni telling TMZ she was "freaking out over the phone" with excitement when he called her in prison to tell her Friday AM.

Chris tells us Jen acknowledged Emma's endorsement for the project as an honor ... but when it comes to who she'd actually like to play her ... that would be Kim K.

Chris says Jen didn't go into much detail about why she wants Kim ... but it's no secret she's a massive fan of the billionaire -- remember, before her sentencing for wire fraud and money laundering she said she wanted lawyer-in-training Kim to join her legal team.

Kim's involvement may not be too far-fetched ... she's been making serious headway in the acting biz -- earning rave reviews for "American Horror Story," impressing its producer Ryan Murphy so much he's snagged her for his new series, based on famous celebrity divorce lawyer, disso queen Laura Wasser.

Kim's booked and busy ... so who knows if she'll have time on her hands for a Jen biopic ... but Jen says, nonetheless, she can't wait to tell all the ladies, AKA, her fellow prisoners, about Emma's fangirling.

Beyoncé's reign as queen of the box office quickly came to an end this weekend, 'cause she fell from the top spot ... and slipped all the way down to #5, marking a massive drop-off.

The singer's 'Renaissance' concert film endured a 77% collapse domestically, coming in fifth place behind a handful of movies that have been in theaters for a while ... and losing out to a surprising newcomer claiming #1 -- an anime film from the great Hayao Miyazaki.

Of course, we're referring to "The Boy and the Heron," which snagged $12.8 million through Sunday. Obviously, that's not a huge number, which makes Bey's haul even more shocking.

'Renaissance' made only $5 million domestically this weekend ... quite different from last weekend's high mark of $21 million in North American markets. While that initial figure was solid, for sure, it didn't compare to Taylor Swift's opening weekend for the 'Eras' flick.

Remember, Taylor's concert movie made $92 mil in its opening weekend ... and then experienced about a 65% drop-off the next week, with $33 mil -- but it remained the top-grossing movie at the time, beating out Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon." Of course, the film went on to maintain a stronghold at the box office for several weeks thereafter.

The other films that came ahead of Bey's flick this week ... "Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" (#2), "Godzilla Minus One" (#3) and "Trolls Band Together" (#4).

Alex Jones is back on X (formerly Twitter) after Elon Musk randomly decided to leave it to a vote among users to see how they felt about it ... and as they say, the people have spoken.

The notorious conspiracy theorist -- who infamously questioned the legitimacy of the Sandy Hook shooting, and got taken to court over it -- regained control of his account again late Saturday after being removed from the platform years ago.

This all happened back in 2018 when tech companies banned him en masse. At the time, he was embroiled in defamation lawsuits from the families of the Sandy Hook victims ... but that controversy, in and of itself, wasn't why he got banned -- different orgs. cited different reasons, but it all boiled down to what they said were violations of their policies.

For Twitter -- the last social media company to ban him -- they ended up citing abusive behavior by Jones and his account ... similar to what the other companies ended up saying.

In any case, Musk reversed the decision with a poll. He wrote, "Reinstate Alex Jones on this platform? Vox Populi, Vox Dei." After leaving the poll up for a full day, the results came in -- and out of nearly 2 million people that participated, 70% said he oughta be brought back.

Once the poll wrapped, EM wrote ... "The people have spoken and so it shall be." He also responded to some concerned users who felt Jones could potentially pose a threat on X -- but Elon clarified, "He cannot break the law." So, it sounds like AJ will be monitored.

Jones hasn't tweeted any new original content after being reinstated, but he has retweeted a few people who are celebrating his return -- including Andrew Tate, who wrote ... "To show respect to Alex Jones for his triumphant return and to show respect to Elon being a hero -  tell a globalist to get f****d today." Jones has retweeted other far-right figures too.

Jones continues to run his InfoWars website and channel, and broadcasts his program from there daily -- but, he doesn't have mainstream distribution on social media or otherwise.

He remains controversial for many reasons, some of which he addressed in a recent interview with Tucker Carlson ... who sat down with Jones for a wide-ranging interview.

El reinado de Beyoncé como reina de la taquilla llegó rápidamente a su fin este fin de semana, porque cayó desde el primer puesto, y se deslizó todo el camino hasta el # 5, marcando una caída estrepitosa.

La película del concierto de la cantante "Renaissance", sufrió un desplome del 77% a nivel nacional, quedando en quinto lugar por detrás de un puñado de películas que han estado en los cines durante un tiempo y perdiendo ante un sorprendente recién llegado que reclamaba el # 1, una película de anime del gran Hayao Miyazaki.

Por supuesto, nos referimos a "El niño y la garza", que obtuvo 12.8 millones de dólares hasta el domingo. Obviamente, no es una cifra enorme, lo que hace que el botín de Bey sea aún más impactante.

Este fin de semana, "Renaissance" solo ha recaudado 5 millones de dólares en el mercado nacional, muy lejos de los 21 millones del fin de semana pasado en los mercados norteamericanos. Si bien esa cifra inicial fue sólida, sin duda, no se compara con el fin de semana de apertura de Taylor Swift para la película "Eras".

Recuerde, la película del concierto de Taylor hizo 92 millones de dólares en su fin de semana de apertura y luego experimentó una caída de alrededor del 65% a la semana siguiente, con 33 millones de dólares, pero se mantuvo como la película más taquillera del momento superando a "Killers Of The Flower Moon" de Scorsese. Por supuesto, la película se mantuvo en la taquilla durante varias semanas.

Las otras películas que llegaron por delante de la película de Bey esta semana fueron "Los Juegos del Hambre: La balada de los pájaros cantores y serpientes" (# 2) "Godzilla menos uno" (# 3) y "Trolls Band Together" (# 4).

The Dallas Cowboys WILL re-sign Dak Prescott ... at least, that's according to Drew Pearson, who tells TMZ Sports the QB's new deal will almost certainly be the richest one in NFL history.

Pearson spelled it out loud and clear for us during an interview earlier this week ... saying there's just no way in hell Jerry Jones will let his star signal-caller get away from Dallas after this season.

"Dak ain't going anywhere, OK?" the Hall of Famer says. "Jerry Jones is not going to let Dak Prescott go away. He's everything we want in a Dallas Cowboy quarterback."

Of course, some have wondered if this could be Dak's last year in Big D -- because while he does have one year left on his current contract, his cap number is slated to be monstrous in 2024. Plus, the Cowboys traded for former top-five pick Trey Lance in August.

Prescott's stellar play this year has quieted a lot of that chatter ... although without a deep playoff run this season, it's likely the talk will loom around the team for the entire offseason.

But, Pearson made it clear, he doesn't believe Prescott will go anywhere one way or another.

"He's going to end up being the highest-paid player probably in NFL history," Pearson said. "Because Jerry Jones is not going to let Dak Prescott go. We are going to sign Dak Prescott and he'll be a Cowboy for life."

In fact, Pearson said he's so high on Prescott -- he'd actually take him over Jalen Hurts right now.

"You're talking to a receiver, OK?" he said. "I want the guy that's throwing it right here."

A rare piece of Beatles' history is hitting the auction block ... a Grammy given to John Lennon is expected to bring in a fortune -- so, something tells us if you wanna come together with this trophy, ya better be a multimillionaire.

Gotta Have Rock and Roll, the music memorabilia-based auction house, has a unique Grammy Trustee award given to John as one of its many new lots, and this golden trophy is estimated to make up to $500,000 when it closes next week.

John, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and Paul McCartney were each given one of the pieces of golden glory in 1972 ... and the one up for auction initially went to John.

The Trustee Award is given to those who made significant contributions to the field of recording during their careers as musicians.

Obviously, The Beatles were more than deserving, but according to the auction house John didn't see it that way -- when he was awarded the Grammy over 50 years ago, John told the president of the Grammys, "I'm not a Beatle anymore, you can keep it."

Since then, the golden gramophone has been in possession of one of John's close friends, who was also a former head of Apple Records, but now a lucky, wealthy fan can secure it for their Beatles collection.

Una rara pieza de la historia de los Beatles ha salido a subasta. Se trata de un Grammy que le dieron a John Lennon, que se espera que haga una fortuna, por lo que algo nos dice que si quieres quedarte con este trofeo, más vale que seas un multimillonario.

Gotta Have Rock and Roll, la casa de subastas dedicada a recuerdos de la música, tiene un único Grammy Trustee Award que le dieron a John, entre sus muchos nuevos lotes, y se estima que podría llegar a costar hasta $800.000 cuando se cierre la próxima semana.

John, Ringo Starr, George Harrison y Paul McCartney recibieron cada uno de ellos este trofeo en 1972 ... y el primero en salir a subasta fue el de John.

El Premio Trustee se otorga a aquellos que hicieron contribuciones significativas al campo de la grabación durante su trayectoria como músicos.

Obviamente, los Beatles eran más que merecedores de este premio, pero según la casa de subastas, John no lo veía así: cuando le concedieron el Grammy hace más de 50 años, John le dijo al presidente de la organización: "Ya no soy un Beatles, puedes quedártelo".

Desde entonces, el gramófono de oro ha estado en posesión de un amigo cercano a John Lennon, que también fue un ex jefe de Apple Records, pero ahora un afortunado fan podría asegurarlo para su propia colección.

The classic "$500k or a dinner with Jay-Z?" debate just turned into "$25k or dinner with Jerry West?" ... 'cause that's what one lucky bidder shelled out for an evening with the Logo at a big charity event.

TMZ Sports has learned ... a special one-on-one with the Pro Basketball Hall of Famer was one of the big auction items at a gathering for the Aiming High Foundation this week ... with an anonymous bidder winning the RSVP with a massive, quarter-hundred thou donation.

Not only did the winner get a din-din with West, but two VIP passes to an upcoming L.A. Clippers game were also included in the bundle.

The Aiming High Foundation -- founded by celebrity agent Darren Prince -- raises funds for those seeking help with mental health and substance abuse issues ... so the money is going to a good cause!!

Prince's clients like Brande Roderick, Jesse Metcalfe, American Idol star Nutsa and influencer Rudy Mawyer were also present at Komodo in Miami ... so it sounds like it was quite the shindig.