MTV

Before this relaxed kid in his button-down shirt turned into a singer, television host and actor ... he was just casually posing on the playground, hanging with his little bro and growing up in Harlan, Kentucky.

If you didn't listen to him and his fellow boy banders in the mid-'90s, you probably watched him on MTV about a decade later. In 2021, he won "The Masked Singer" and unveiled his face after stripping out of his piglet costume.

Need one more clue? Because of you, this cute kid has had 3 top 10 hits.

Lauren Conrad's looks are not over the 'Hills!'

Let's go back to the beginning ... here is an 18-year-old version of the reality television star looking sun-kissed with her sparkly blue eyes at a Teen People event in southern Cali back in 2004 (left). This was the same year she launched into stardom on MTV's "Laguna Beach."

And, 18 years later the clothing designer showed off her beach-wave hair at a women's luncheon in Los Angeles, CA (right). She recently made a splash with fellow Laguna Beacher's Kristin Cavallari and Stephen Colletti and set the record straight on the infamous love triangle on the "Back To The Beach" podcast.

'Stephennn!'

The question is ...

C.T. Tamburello, one of the longest-running competitors on MTV's "The Challenge," is pulling the plug on his marriage.

C.T. beelined it to a Florida courthouse Monday and filed for divorce from Lilianet "Lili" Solares after more than 4 years of marriage.

It's unclear what led to the split ... but earlier this year C.T. revealed he was "in the doghouse" with Lili as he shot down rumors of a breakup.

There've been documented marriage issues ... back in 2020, C.T. said on an episode of "The Challenge: Double Agents" that he and Lili had separated the year before ... but they ended up getting back together.

C.T. and Lili tied the knot in 2018 on an MTV special. They have one child together, Christopher Jr., who was born in 2016.

The former couple seemed to be going strong this summer ... C.T. posted a photo of him and Lili at an MTV event, captioning the snap "date night with my babe."

Reality television personality Coral Smith was just 22 years old when she was first cast to be a part of MTV's "The Real World" -- a show following '7 strangers picked to live in a house' and have their real lives filmed back in 2001.

Smith was a cast member during the 10th season of the hit show, which headed back to New York, following the original New York season in 1992.

Coral went on to be a popular cast member on "The Real World's" spin-off show, "The Challenge." She also hosted "The Real World: Portland" after shows and the reunion in 2013.

The hit 2000s show "MTV Cribs" is making a huge comeback ... and we've got a first look inside some celebs' homes to be featured on the season premiere.

This first episode is bound to pick up right where the series left off, showcasing the homes and lifestyles of some of the biggest names in Hollywood ... including Nicole Scherzinger, Olivia Culpo and Dwight Howard.

The former Pussycat Doll knows a lot about living large ... she'll be showing off her luxury home, located right on the Sunset Strip.

It comes with all the bells and whistles you might imagine ... including a theater, swimming pool and an amazing view.

Culpo will also be opening her doors this season. The 30-year-old model seems to have lots of space for entertaining. It'll be interesting to see how she kicks back, when she isn't posing in all her hot shots.

NBA champ Howard is going to have plenty to show and tell, too. His home features a 14-car garage, separate pool house, 5 kitchens, 20 HVAC units, and a saltwater pool with an outdoor fireplace.

There's even an elevator and underground tunnel that connects detached garages with the main house! Clearly, he got the "go big or go home" memo ... and he's doing both.

American veejay, comedian and actor Pauly Shore was just 21 years old when he first gained fame as a veejay for the television network MTV back in 1989 and shortly after became a household name with a long list of iconic '90s movies credits.

Following his days with MTV, Shore took his on-camera hosting skills over to scripted films and wheezed himself into some of the best comedies in the '90s including "Encino Man," "Son in Law," "Bio-Dome," "In The Army Now" ... and even lent his voice to the out-there BFF Bobby in "A Goofy Movie."

"Survivor" alum and "The Challenge: USA" contestant Tyson Apostol thinks he could wipe the floor with the OG's of the MTV program ... but series staple Johnny Bananas thinks he has no clue what he's talkin' about.

We got Johnny in New York Tuesday at RiseNY ... and he thinks Tyson's claims aren't holding up -- adding the reality star is a little too new to the series to be yappin' his mouth.

Simply put -- Johnny doesn't think TA's ready to run with the big boys.

In case you missed it, Tyson's been a standout contestant on the CBS spinoff, but last month he called out a majority of the cast on Twitter ... saying the face-off would be a cakewalk.

"The Challenge: USA" -- wrapping its first season -- takes recognizable faces from "Big Brother," "Survivor" and other CBS shows and pits them against each other, just like MTV's does.

American television host, model and social activist Ananda Lewis was just 23 years old when she hit MTV's stage, grabbed the mic and interviewed some of the hottest artists and stars as a VJ back in 1996.

During her tenure with MTV, Ananda interviewed Destiny's Child, NSYNC, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera amongst numerous other icons and was joined by other MTV VJs including Carson Daly and Sway.

Lewis also hosted MTV's "Hot Zone" which was a mash-up of music videos and celebrity interviews.

Johnny Depp's brief cameo at the VMAs was embraced by some, but it's stirring up outrage as well -- specifically from Amber Heard's sister -- who went in on MTV.

Whitney Henriquez posted a screenshot of MTV's award show logo, but she placed an ominous letter at the front ... a big capital D. So now, on Whitney's page, it reads DVMA -- which alludes to domestic violence.

She writes, "@MTV YOU'RE DISGUSTING AND CLEARLY DESPERATE! I REALLY HOPE THAT NONE OF THE PEOPLE THAT MADE THIS CALL HAVE DAUGHTERS... #DVMAS #ISTANDWITHAMBERHEARD."

There's also a photo of Amber superimposed on Whitney's mock-up -- so yeah, the Heard family is clearly not happy with the network's decision to feature JD right from the top.

As you'll recall ... Johnny's face was digitally shown inside the Moonman costume that was floating above the stage as soon as the broadcast began. He had a corny little monologue, referencing the fact that he's in need of work ... and available for just about any gig now.

Everyone's favorite reality series set in the Florida Panhandle is no more ... because MTV has pulled the plug on "Floribama Shore."

Sources tell TMZ ... the cast was told about the show's cancelation Friday morning -- they weren't given a reason as to why the show was coming to an end.

We've learned the entire cast, minus Gus Smyrnios, filmed together back in November at Nilsa Prowant's wedding. The cast was told the wedding would appear at the beginning of season 5, and they'd pick up filming in February -- before it got called off due to COVID.

Nilsa recently posted pics from her wedding, with production cameras behind her, capturing their big day.

Sources close to production don't seem to want to admit it's over, though ... telling us the show is not moving forward at the moment, but the future of the series is being evaluated.

For those unaware, the show lasted 4 seasons -- premiering in 2017 ... it followed 8 people livin' it up on the beaches that stretch from FL to Alabama.

Hope you have a strong stomach ... 'cause TV personality Steelo Brim suffered such a gruesome ankle injury during a pickup basketball game, it might make you sick!

The co-host of MTV's "Ridiculousness" showed off the nasty injury on Monday, saying he messed up his ankle after landing on someone's foot after banking in a layup.

Paramedics responded, and the foot was so jacked up they actually had to cut off SB's Air Jordan 10 sneaker to access the twisted appendage.

"They caught yo boy slippin 😂🤦🏾‍♂️," the 34-year-old said.

Thankfully, Brim says he escaped with "just" a dislocated ankle. Terrible pain aside, Steelo is clearly relieved.

"Luckily it’s just dislocated," Brim said, "Send me well wishes and money."

Several celebs reacted to the post, including NBA star Rudy Gay, who left a comment saying ... "Why you post that nasty s*** 😂😂😂. Shout out to Cedars Hospital staff tho 👏😂😂"

Xzibit is lying to the court about his financial situation simply to avoid writing some big checks to his estranged wife for spousal support ... at least according to her.

The former "Pimp My Ride" star's estranged wife, Krista Joiner, claims in new legal docs Xzibit is making it seem like he's fallen on tough times when in reality he's got millions in cash.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, Krista claims Xzibit's brother told her he takes home over $1 million a month from cannabis companies and stores the cash in multiple locations using bank-sized vaults. She says the bro also told her he personally stored $20 million for Xzibit in various vaults and brings X cash on demand.

In the docs, she paints a much different financial picture of Xzibit than he has. As we first reported, the rapper claims he isn't making any money from his weed ventures and is struggling to make ends meet.

Krista, who filed for divorce in February 2021, also says X is lying about her going behind his back to get a new lease on a 2021 Bentley, dragging her feet on the sale of the family home and living in the mansion with her new boyfriend.

She claims Xzibit is full of baloney ... and she's accusing him of trying to sway the court's opinion so he doesn't have to cut her huge monthly checks.

His estranged wife says she's the one having a tough time financially ... claiming she recently lost her job and has no earnings to support herself or their son.

And, get this ... Krista claims Xzibit has been ignoring her requests for gas money, food and haircuts for their son, and says she had to go through attorneys to beg X to pay for their kid's inhalers.

Day26, former winners of Diddy’s “Making The Band” MTV series are back together, and they’re out to prove R&B sorely needs them.

We caught up with all members of the five-man group -- Que, Willie, Brian, Robert and Michael -- who were all excited, promising their past in-fighting's been squashed and they're ready to deliver an R&B classic.

They sent the feelers out on IG this week, and are now confirming a full-fledged comeback.

As Season 4 winners of “MTB,” the fellas say they’re thankful to Diddy for putting them together but ... even Puff couldn’t grasp the full depths of their potential as an act.

They say there are no hard feelings, but being on Bad Boy is a thing of the past ... and they want to convince the world it’s okay for men in music to soften up.

Their rollout should provide interesting competition for their mentor -- Diddy is currently perfecting his new Love Records venture, which he says houses the "R&B Biggie."

Day26's sentiments on R&B’s current standing echoed that of Boyz II Men’s Shawn Stockman, who said the singing community is too much like the rapping sector these days.

The group is looking ahead to its 15th anniversary live stream concert on July 26 where they’ll debut new material, which they say will re-cement their stake to the throne.

Here's a look inside the mansion that was supposed to be the setting for MTV's "Jersey Shore 2.0," and judging from the pics .. the cast is missing out on one helluva summer.

Before production on the reality show was put on ice, producers picked this historic 8-bedroom home in Atlantic City -- a 4,000 sq. foot pad primed for some classic 'JS' moments.

The four-story home, nestled just a few steps from AC's famous boardwalk and its casinos and nightlife, features beautiful ocean views and huge decks to keep the party going. Well, it would have kept the party going.

There's a huge living area for the gang to hang out by the fireplace, plus a dining table with room for 10 ... perfect for those Sunday family dinners we used to watch the OG cast have.

There were plenty of bedrooms for the cast to choose from -- 4 on the second floor, each with their own bathrooms, and then 4 smaller bedrooms on the third floor. One of 'em seems ready-made to be the new "smush room." 😉

The place looks cool on its own, but it's likely producers added some additional touches to the interior ... a la the duck phone from the OG series.

We broke the stories ... the show came to a halt less than a week after production started, and all the filming equipment's already been cleaned out of the joint.

The mansion is a rental that goes for $1,300 a night on Airbnb. It was booked all through July to film the show, but not for nothin' ... come August the home appears to be wide open for rent.

There's still a big mystery surrounding the sudden pause on production for "Jersey Shore 2.0" ... but we've learned it's almost a miracle the show was close to filming at all considering the casting and production hurdles MTV faced in getting it off the ground.

Our sources say the show's new cast was brought into Atlantic City to prep for production last week ... but there were some serious issues producers faced in finding the right group of people.

For instance -- we're told one '2.0' hopeful was 86'd after producers were alerted to some homophobic and racist social media posts from a relative. Nonetheless, our sources say this was not the trigger for putting the production on pause.

As for production woes ... show producers first wanted to put the cast up in the original "Jersey Shore" house, but the city shut that down ... citing the terrible reputation the first show gave Seaside Heights.

Sources connected to the show tell us ... despite the crates of camera gear being removed from the house this week, the show hasn't been canceled. In fact, we're told show honchos are using the next few weeks to re-group with an eye toward resuming production.

MTV is mum on specifically why they pulled the plug -- at least temporarily -- all they'll say is the show is temporarily on ice.

It's becoming more and more apparent ... MTV's "Jersey Shore 2.0" won't resume production for a while -- at least not in the intended house -- as a ton of equipment was pulled from the location.

Sources tell TMZ ... production crews were back at the Atlantic City pad Wednesday taking down lights and removing cameras from the home. Our sources say it only took the production crew about 4 hours to get everything out.

We're told producers were also seen taking down no parking and permit signs that were dated from the beginning of July to August 6 ... and cases were loaded up with gear behind the home. Two security guards were stationed outside the house as producers and crews moved quickly to pack up.

Our sources say even the house next door, where show producers were shacked up was seen getting packed up and cleared out.