Music

Jessica Simpson stepped out with almost all of her relatives for a celebratory dinner ... but one family member was noticeably absent -- her husband, Eric Johnson.

Check it out ... the singer hit the town in Los Angeles Wednesday night, as she stepped out for a 16th birthday party honoring nephew Bronx at Beverly Hills hot spot Mr. Chow.

Jessica was joined by a number of her loved ones, including sister Ashlee Simpson, brother-in-law Evan Ross, ex-brother-in-law Pete Wentz, dad Joe Simpson, and mom Tina Ann Drew, among others ... so, it was eyebrow-raising when EJ was nowhere to be found.

Metro Boomin says his participation against Drake in the 2024 Rap Wars stems from a personal issue with Champagne Papi that left him shaking his head!!!

The super producer was instrumental in the entire battle, literally. Metro crafted the “Like That” beat where Kendrick Lamar initially snapped on Drake … and later led the “BBL Drizzy” movement.

He regrets going on his anti-Drake spree earlier this year but after being called "lame" on "Family Matters," he had to drum up a vocal response, considering the fact he's not a rapper.

Kacey Musgraves is going above and beyond to make amends with her hometown ... dropping thousands of dollars on a scholarship fund after putting her foot in her mouth.

TMZ has confirmed ... the country singer made a donation to a scholarship fund in Golden, Texas after previously claiming her hometown was not something to "cheer for" during a concert in Canada.

The singer shelled out a whopping $10K to the scholarship fund and penned a lengthy apology note on her Instagram Stories ... where she called the dig "a sarcastic, completely unserious joke."

Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi's big move news may've just surfaced, but it seems the couple has been settling down in the UK for some time.

The talk show legend and the actress were spotted taking in an acoustic set at a pub in the Cotswolds last week ... enjoying an intimate performance by The Corrs while visiting with singers Natalie Imbruglia and James Blunt.

Check it out ... Ellen and Portia were beaming while dressed in matching black turtlenecks, enjoying a night out at the Farmer’s Dog Pub --  which is owned by British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson.

Big Sean's feeling the pressure of having a high-profile relationship in the public eye ... but he's keeping it cool. There's no sweat dripping from his cornrows!!!

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with the "Better Me Than You" rapper in Bev. Hills on Wednesday night and he laughed off all the brouhaha revolving around fans wanting to see him hitched to his longtime GF Jhené Aiko ... especially after their most recent pop-out.

Webheads spotted a massive rock on Jhené's finger last week but she immediately shut down rumors ... the diamond ring was simply a fashion accessory for the night.

Future and Metro Boomin were named GQ's 2024 Hitmakers of the Year ... but Mr. Hendrix isn't completely satisfied.

If Kendrick Lamar, Drake and J. Cole make up the "Big 3" of rap, how's he supposed to be called chopped liver and not take it as BEEF?!?

That was the question Future floated regarding his own No. 1 song "Like That," which Kendrick hijacked when he rapped, "Motherf*** the Big 3, n****, it's just big ME!!!"

Tina Turner once turned to Cher for advice on how to escape her abusive marriage to Ike Turner, the "Believe" icon spills in her memoir.

In "Cher: The Memoir, Part One," the singer explains the Turners appeared twice on her TV show she launched following her tumultuous Sonny Bono breakup -- and during one backstage chat in April 1975, Tina straight-up asked her, "Tell me how you left him."

Cher revealed Tina’s raw question came after she showed up in her dressing room, needing help to cover a bruise on her arm.

Peyton Manning clearly has no qualms with kicking Jerry Jones while he's down ... the NFL legend roasted the Dallas Cowboys owner during the CMAs on Wednesday night!

The popshot came during the award show's opening monologue ... as Manning, Lainey Wilson and Luke Bryan were delivering some punch lines while reflecting back on another year of country music.

The trio mostly ribbed one other ... but when Wilson intro'd Kelsea Ballerini to the audience -- Manning couldn't help but take a jab at Jones.

Carrie Underwood may not have been nominated for a 2024 CMA award -- but she was a fan favorite at the Tuesday night event for her unexpected performance with Cody Johnson.

The singing sensation surprised the packed audience at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, when she suddenly appeared onstage with Cody.

The artists dove into a heartfelt version of their duet, "I'm Gonna Love You," which left the crowd mesmerized.

All hail the King of Country Music ... George Strait got his flowers at the Country Music Awards ... with a star-studded tribute and some impressive hardware.

George was honored at Wednesday's award show at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award ... with Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Chris Stapleton, Parker McCollum and Jamey Johnson tipping their cowboy hats with a tribute performance.

The gang played one of George's biggest hits, "Troubadour" ... and the crowd gave him a standing ovation when he grabbed the mic.

Some of Hollywood's biggest stars are descending on Nashville for this year's Country Music Awards ... and they're dressed to the nines on their way into the big event.

Kacey Musgraves, Shaboozey, Miranda Lambert and Luke Bryan are among the country music stars showing off their fashionable looks Wednesday night at Bridgestone Arena ... and that's just the tip of the iceberg.

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are in the house too ... looking like a super cute couple.

Lizzo has emerged as the lucky buyer of Jeremy Renner's $12.4M Los Angeles mansion, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge spilled the beans to TMZ, revealing Lizzo scooped up the 6-bedroom, 9-bathroom house at the end of last month -- and it’s the perfect pad for her, especially 'cause the place comes with a recording studio.

It was reported Renner had sold the house -- but the buyer's identity remained a mystery. The mansion was originally listed for $13 million in August ... but Renner still walked away with a nice profit, having bought it in 2012 for $4 million and sinking another $5.5 million into renovations.

The Coachella lineup is officially here ... and perhaps no one is more excited than Serena Williams, who can't wait to make her way to the desert to watch her favorite band headlining the whole thing!!

The music festival dropped its 2025 flyer on Tuesday ... and as TMZ first reported, Lady Gaga, Post Malone, Travis Scott and Green Day got the biggest slots.

The Billie Joe Armstrong-led group just so happened to have a diehard fan in the 23-time Grand Slam winner ... who rushed to social media to let her fans know there's no way in hell she's missing them hit the 'Chella stage for the first time in their existence.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story earlier today that Travis Scott is co-headlining Coachella next year and La Flame is confirming he's coming to the desert with a VENGEANCE ... he's gonna OWN the show!!!

Coachella also rolled out its full lineup today and just like we told you, Travis is shutting down the Saturday nights with a special performance -- which he says will be a completely new chapter.

He's also putting his competition on notice ... Coachella is still several months away but he says it doesn't matter because whatever he's doing has never been done before. 🫨

Travis Scott's finally playing the gig that's been 5 years in the making -- he's secured a special guest spot at Coachella 2025 ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge of the festival's next lineup tell us Travis will hit the stage Saturday night for what will mark his first time back at Coachella since 2017 -- not that he and the concert organizers haven't tried several times to get him back there since then.

Trav was originally supposed to be a headliner in 2020, but the COVID pandemic shut that down. Then, the make-good was scheduled to happen in 2022 -- but the Astroworld tragedy happened in Houston in late 2021, so he was taken off the lineup.

Billy Ray Cyrus is defending Beyoncé over her lack of CMA Awards nominations ... he says she's so accomplished she doesn't need their validation anyway.

Billy Ray says he's surprised Beyoncé got completely overlooked by the Country Music Association judges, saying her "Cowboy Carter" country album was "brilliant" and her "Texas Hold 'Em" single "ruled."

Beyoncé's first country album is getting some love from the Grammys -- she's got 11 Grammy nominations -- and with all the success she's had over the years, Billy Ray says she doesn't need a trophy from the CMAs, or their permission or approval to feel good about her work.