12:51 PM PT -- The family of Samuel Monroe Jr. has posted a GoFundMe to help with his considerable medical bills. The post says in part ... "Every donation, no matter the size, will help ease the burden on Samuel’s family and ensure that Kingston and Brooklynn have the support they need while their father fights for his life."
Samuel Monroe Jr., best known for his work in the '90s classic film "Menace II Society," has been hospitalized ... and the situation is serious.
Family tells TMZ ... the actor is on life support in a SoCal hospital for the past three days -- and he's battling meningitis. As for the prognosis, we're told it's unclear, and the family is getting daily updates.
Samuel's mother posted about the situation on Facebook, saying in part ... "God don’t make no mistakes, but he is gracious, and I am humbly asking for his mercy and grace for Sam. I love you, son, to the moon and back 100 times."
Donnell Rawlingsis standing firmly in Michael Jackson’s corner ... telling us the filmmakers were right to reportedly spend millions reworking the upcoming biopic to remove references to abuse allegations.
Check out the clip ... we caught up with the comedian over the weekend and asked whether the reported $25M overhaulto reshoot the third act -- which featured sexual abuse allegations against the pop star -- was the right move ... and Donnell didn’t hesitate to give his POV.
He pointed to the fact Michael was acquitted in his 2005 criminal trial and said the allegations ultimately amounted to “speculation” ... adding the movie shouldn’t tarnish the King of Pop’s legacy by ending on accusations instead of his contributions to music and the world.
Donnell told us people should remember Michael for “healing the world” and being “the greatest performer that we’ve ever seen” ... making it crystal clear where he stands on the controversy.
Michael Madsen is getting dragged to court even in death ... Los Angeles County says the late actor owes his ex-wife a ton of money.
According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ, the Los Angeles County Child Support Services Department claims Michael owes his ex-wife Jeannine Bisignano over $1.2 million in back child-support payments.
The department says the $1,267,573.49 in back child support stems from Michael and Jeannine's divorce judgment, which dates all the way back to March 1995 ... and it looks like Jeannine is entitled to a percentage of payments Michael received in his SAG pension plan.
Al Pacino and his baby mama, Noor Alfallah, stepped out for a fancy dinner -- but the night wrapped with a pretty awkward tiff ... and yep, it’s all on camera.
Things looked smooth as they left E Baldi in Beverly Hills over the weekend -- all smiles at first -- until Noor tried to peek at something on Al’s phone ... and he quickly yanked it away from her.
That didn’t go down well. Noor immediately turned on her heel and stormed to the car, clearly annoyed and muttering about "respecting her."
D4vd pled not guilty ... but do you believe him? Plus, the TMZ DC boys have taken The Hill by storm and the "Summer House" love triangle continues to dominate the Bravo-verse. So, we gotta ask ...
Big changes with "The White Lotus" only days into filming ... Helena Bonham Carter is OUT!!!
TMZ has confirmed Helena's departure from the show, which just started filming about a week ago in France, and her role will be rewritten and recast.
In a statement, a rep for HBO tells TMZ ... "With filming just underway on season four of The White Lotus, it had become apparent that the character which Mike White created for Helena Bonham Carter did not align once on set."
"The role has subsequently been rethought, is being rewritten and will be recast in the coming weeks. HBO, the producers and Mike White are saddened that they won’t get to work with her, but remain ardent fans and very much hope to work with the legendary actress on another project soon."
Singer Chef Sean brought more than good vibes to the TMZ Brunch Bus ... he also came armed with Hollywood stories and a little celebrity tea on our exclusive tour!
The star took over the bus on Sunday ... showing fans some of the Los Angeles hot spots locals love to patronize on the weekends.
Watch the video ... in between locations, Chef Sean told stories ... including one about his "Jason's Lyric" costar Jada Pinkett Smith, who he says he was basically besties with on the set of the 1994 flick.
Charlize Theron took things to wild new heights -- literally scaling a New York City billboard on the side of a building today to hype her new survival thriller, "Apex."
You've gotta see this -- the Oscar winner's strapped in and climbing the side of a building in Times Square like it was just another day at the office, looking totally at ease and every bit the action star.
She didn’t stop at the top -- Charlize smoothly made her way back down, pulling off the high-intensity stunt like it was a walk in the park.
Jack Nicholson made a rare cameo appearance -- and he did so on a very special occasion.
That's right ... the legendary actor turned 89 Wednesday -- and his daughter, Lorraine, celebrated Jack's big day by posting a pic of her daddio on her Instagram Story.
In the photo, Jack's cracking his famous Cheshire grin while clapping his hands with none other than Joni Mitchell sitting on a couch nearby. Lorraine also posted a vintage photo of Jack kicking back while smoking a stogie.
Sebastian Stan and Annabelle Wallis just stepped out for the first time since their baby news dropped ... and yeah, they're looking very good together!
Pregnant Annabelle was glowing during their NYC stroll Thursday -- rocking a flowing black dress that skimmed her bump, while holding hands with Sebastian as they soaked up the day.
The pair were casually making their way to a restaurant ... and after four years together, their ease around each other is evident.
TMZ broke the pregnancy news last month -- and it's all happening during a packed time for both. Sebastian's busy hyping his next Marvel outing, "Avengers: Doomsday," while Annabelle's also got a slate of projects lined up for release.
Still, they're clearly carving out time where they can -- and doing it in style!
It's another sad day for '90s kids. Just like the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" reboot, the new "Clueless" series has been canned ... but there is light at the end of the tunnel for Cher.
Insiders tell TMZ ... Peacock has decided not to move forward with development of the series based on the beloved 1990s flick starring Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, and the late Brittany Murphy.
But, we hear that does not mean the series is dead -- it will continue to be developed while it's shopped around by CBS Studios -- the IP being a Paramount property. Silverstone was attached to reprise her iconic character, Cher.
Jada Pinkett Smith is asking a court to order Will Smith's former friend to pay the $49K tab from her attorneys ... TMZ has learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Jada believes she is owed the 5-figure sum from Bilaal Salaam, after she convinced a judge to toss the emotional distress claims from his lawsuit.
Jada said she racked up the big legal bill defending herself in the case, and now she wants Bilaal on the hook because she got some of his claims tossed.
