"Michael" biopic honchos were reportedly paid $25 million more than their original deal after the estate had to reshoot the third act, which featured sexual abuse allegations against the pop star, TMZ has learned.
Director Antoine Fuqua and producer Graham King were originally set to make $10 million and $6 million, respectively ... but according to Bloomberg, Fuqua was paid an extra $15 million and King an extra $10 million from Michael Jackson's estate after the allegations needed to be cut out and several scenes reshot.
As you know, Michael was first publicly accused of child sexual abuse in 1993, and he reached a settlement with the family of his accuser, Jordan Chandler, the following year.
Michael Jackson's sexual assault accuser James Safechuck has a new message for childhood sexual abuse survivors ... and he's dropping it as a new "Michael" biopic hits theaters.
In the video, released by Safechuck's attorney, he says all the Hollywood hoopla can be triggering for survivors.
Safechuck says abusers are sometimes praised, even after alleged victims make public claims against them ... and he says survivors should know they're not alone.
As we’ve reported ... Safechuck and Wade Robson claim they were sexually abused by Michael as children, and they detailed their allegations in the HBO doc “Leaving Neverland.”
MJ was never convicted of any crime, and his companies continue to deny the allegations.
Teddy Swims says he had a blast at Coachella ... but, he didn't enjoy his body being blasted by the sun -- telling us he's got a nasty sunburn from back-to-back weekends in the desert.
We caught up with Teddy at LAX on Friday ... and, we asked him how he's doing after twice rocking the Coachella stage earlier this month.
Swims says his skin isn't loving all the time in Coachella Valley ... but notes he'll just have to tough it out -- after all, he's headed to Stagecoach, the major country music festival, Friday.
TS says he doesn't know which festival is better -- he's never been to Stagecoach -- but, he looks forward to figuring it out.
Mariah Carey is firing back at her estranged brother, Morgan Carey, who claims that the pop star is refusing to appear for a deposition, TMZ has learned.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the legendary singer's legal team denied Morgan's claims that Mariah has missed several discovery deadlines for turning over docs, and for her to be deposed.
Mariah said her brother's motion is a "misguided attempt to gain perceived tactical leverage in this action by threatening" her with an imminent deposition.
The singer said her brother's "repeated filing of meritless motions" is one of the causes for the delay in the case.
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.
Cher's latest attempt to put her son Elijah Blue Allmanunder a temporary conservatorship just hit a wall ... a judge shut down the request -- with Elijah in attendance, calling in from a psychiatric hospital.
A Los Angeles judge denied Cher's request Friday without prejudice -- meaning she can try again -- saying there wasn't "sufficient urgency" to justify appointing someone to control Elijah's estate.
Elijah appeared by video from the facility, where the court said he's currently being held in an effort to restore competency as he faces criminal charges in New Hampshire.
Cher's troubled son Elijah Blue Allman will be checking into a residential treatment facility -- following his recent arrests -- as he fights his legendary mom over a proposed conservatorship, TMZ has learned.
According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, Elijah hired a new legal team that's fighting his estranged wife Marieangela King's efforts to seize part of his inheritance from his late father, Gregg Allman. Marieangela believes she deserves temporary support amid their divorce.
In the filing, Elijah's team says he is currently locked up in a New Hampshire psychiatric hospital, awaiting a hearing on his competency to face criminal charges of burglary, criminal mischief, and breach of bail.
Beyoncé was seen blushing over Michael Jackson in a resurfaced video of the late pop star's secret reality show that ended up being scrapped, TMZ has learned.
Marc Schaffel, a longtime producer and friend of MJ, tells TMZ the footage was shot between 2000 and 2003. He is currently shopping the reality show footage to various streamers for a potential three-part docu-series.
The video of Beyoncé was shot in 2001 following September 11. The "Crazy in Love" singer recorded a charity single, put together by Michael, to raise money. The song was not promoted at the time, with many believing it was due to his feud with Sony.
The song was set to be released again in 2003, both in English and Spanish, and a music video was even shot. However, the song was pulled again due to Michael's legal issues.
Jermaine Jacksoncould be facing a massive payout to his rape accuser -- without ever stepping foot in court.
According to court docs obtained by TMZ, the Jackson family singer could be on the hook for $6.5 million after RitaButlerBarrett -- the woman accusing him of rape -- asked a Los Angeles judge to enter a default judgment ... claiming Jermaine has essentially ghosted the case.
In the filing, Rita's attorneys say they were unable to track Jermaine down -- and had to get court approval to serve him through legal notices published in the Los Angeles Times after traditional methods allegedly failed. Court records show a judge approved service by publication in 2025 ... and notices ran for four consecutive weeks in August and September.
Bret Michaels is a rock star -- and rock stars do awesome s*** -- but Friday night may be the pinnacle in career achievement for the lead man ... who's about to tick something big off his bucket list!
"This is so awesome. I'm here at the stadium, I grew up in Pittsburgh. This is a bucket list dream comes true for me. I'm a sports fanatic, a music fanatic. I said it's mixing everything I love, family, friends, music, sports, right here," the Poison front man told Babcock from Acrisure Stadium, previously Heinz Field, about Friday's gig at the NFL Draft, where he'll perform with Wiz Khalifa.
"Music and sports and my family having my back has really not only inspired me in life, but saved my life on many occasions. It goes so deep, and the NFL has been so incredible to work with. Wiz Khalifa, myself, Friday, 5:15 PM, kicking off the Friday night draft with nothing but a good time."
Since 2015, the NFL has moved the draft around ... after 50 years at Radio City in New York City, and Bret is pumped it's coming to the Steel City, where he was born and raised.
Smokey Robinson's $500M legal clapback in an ongoing sexual-assault civil suit hit a major speed bump in court ... but it wasn't a total wipeout.
A Los Angeles judge dismissed several claims filed by Robinson and his wife, Frances -- including major defamation claims -- against the women publicly accusing him of sexual assault.
The judge this week found the women's allegations against the "legendary musician" were a matter of public interest ... noting their press conference was broadcast on YouTube, spread across social media, and picked up by major media outlets worldwide.
Justin Bieber finished a pair of fire performances at Coachella ... and he celebrated with a smoke ... puffing away on a cigar back in L.A. earlier this week.
The singer-songwriter left a sushi dinner with his wife, Hailey Bieber, after hanging with their pals Kylie and Kendall Jenner on Tuesday -- and, he immediately sparked up -- puffing away on a huge cigar while standing in the parking lot.
He lit the stogie with a tiny blowtorch ... smoking away in a bright orange sweater and a pair of bright pink shorts.
And as far as songs go ... Taylor's not in the Top 20 at all. The Weeknd takes the cake there with "Blinding Lights" going down in history as Spotify's most-streamed song of all time.
It's Earth Day y'all, and these Hollywood hotties are keepin' it green and keepin' it clean in their green bikinis ... Be a force of nature with the ladies who are cleaning up their acts!
Leaf your worries behind with Elsa Hosk, who shined in a metallic green bikini ... and check out the strapless swimwear on Saweetie -- you grow, girl!
Brian McKnightsays his ex-wife, one of his sons, some bloggers, and a newspaper rolled out a coordinated assault on his reputation to make money from "malicious character assassination" ... at least according to a new lawsuit.
The legendary singer filed a lawsuit claiming he's the victim of a "shockingly dishonest" and "sensational but false narrative" alleging he abandoned his kids and refused to tell his dying son Niko he loved him.
In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Brian says the false narrative was cooked up by his ex-wife, Julie McKnight, and he says it's been peddled by his son Brian Jr., bloggers Marc Lamont Hill and Tasha K, and the New York Post.
