Musicians

That Kid Rock helicopter stunt in March may have cost an Army general his job.

Pete Hegseth fired Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George just days after George had a chat with his vice chief of staff, Gen. Chris LaNeve, who encouraged George to drop the probe into the Kid Rock incident ... according to a new report in The Washington Post.

The newspaper reports George didn't want to abandon the investigation because he wanted to make sure safety regulations weren't violated when service members flew past Kid Rock's house.

Ricky Schroder is getting flamed for his distasteful tribute to Dolly Parton ... using her death to criticize her politics.

The actor posted a picture he took with Dolly years back ... and he just couldn't stop himself from making it controversial.

In the caption, Ricky says ... "I didnt agree with her advocating for Transgender & Covid Vaccine support…but Loved her anyway. Thank you for choosing me, Dolly, to be your Movie Daddy."

Kris Jenner and Mariah Carey went out for a little dinner date in Malibu ... and it looks like they had a great time catching up over sushi.

TMZ obtained a photo of the momager and the pop powerhouse enjoying an evening at Nobu Malibu, smiling over drinks and food.

The A-listers stepped out for a girls' night not too long ago ... they were photographed a few months ago outside Italian restaurant Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica.

It's nice to see their famous friendship is still going strong ... besides, nothing hits better than a martini, some raw fish, and some good gossip with your girls.

Miley Cyrus was spotted for the first time since her godmother Dolly Parton's death ... looking somber as she arrived at a Los Angeles recording studio.

The singer donned shades and an all-black fit -- from her tee to her jeans to her shoes and her bag.

It looks like Miley was gearing up to film something ... there's a mic clipped to her shirt collar, and she walked in with a man holding what appears to be a handheld piece of audio equipment.

Miley Cyrus doesn't want to get into the specifics about how she feels now that her godmother, Dolly Parton, has passed away ... though she notes she'll forever have an angel watching over her.

The singer-songwriter posted about the country legend's passing on social media Wednesday ... saying it doesn't feel right to express the depth of her feelings for Dolly in a public forum -- because sacred moments like these are supposed to be private.

She then writes, "What I KNOW is Dolly would want me to feel it, write a song about it, and then continue on and be strong. I have an angel by my side. I always have. One of our last conversations was about music and metamorphosis. 🦋."

Dolly Parton's inner circle scrambled to bring her closest family and friends to Nashville to be by her side as her health took a dire turn over the weekend ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Dolly's team was coordinating travel for loved ones after her hospitalization, as the hours passed and it became increasingly clear her condition was worsening.

We're told those closest to Dolly initially hoped she would recover and be released from the hospital, as she had in the past when suffering health setbacks ... but that changed as the weekend went on and the situation became more serious.

Selena Gomez and her mom, Mandy Teefey, are being accused of using mental health as a money-making tool ... with an attorney for the investors suing her now claiming her name and influence were used to bring in cash.

Attorney Jeffrey Neiman tells TMZ ... "Mental health is not a marketing strategy, and should never be used as a vehicle for personal financial gain."

He says Selena's name, influence, and promised role were central to efforts to secure investment in Wondermind ... a company built around mental health.

9:55 AM PT -- Miley Cyrus just posted about the death of her godmother, Dolly Parton.

As the world continues to mourn the loss of Dolly Parton, fans have noticed she died on a day that her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, previously said was "important" to her.

Miley made the revelation during her 2023 ABC special "Endless Summer Vacation (Backyard Sessions)" ... explaining that August 25 has significance to her personally and professionally, which is why she released her 2023 single "Used to be Young" on the date.

But there are plenty of other connections. She released her career-transforming hit "Wrecking Ball" on August 25, 2013 and gave her iconic and controversial 2013 MTV Video Music Awards performance the same day.

A federal judge has struck down the 2023 Texas drag ban ... and his decision cites the late, great Dolly Parton.

U.S. District Judge David Hittner ruled Texas Senate Bill 12 -- which could charge drag performers with a misdemeanor and jail time and fine businesses up to $10K -- improperly restricts speech and violates the First Amendment.

He says the law's definition of overly provocative performances is too vague, using Dolly as an example.

Hittner says the late legend's shows could have fallen under the broad ruling because people criticized her "as a voluptuous sex symbol because of her big hair, flamboyant clothes and breast exposure."

Dolly Parton's lasting impact is being felt across the pond ... with the Royal Family paying tribute to the late American icon by playing her timeless classic "9 to 5" outside Buckingham Palace.

Video posted by the Royal Family on Wednesday showed the royal band getting in the groove as they played one of Dolly's greatest hits. They captioned the post, "Remembering the late, great Dolly, who brought joy, comfort and inspiration to so many -- including the millions of children given free books through her Imagination Library. We will always ❤️ you."

The U.K. Embassy in London re-shared the heartwarming clip, saying, "Here at the Embassy, our flag is at half staff while our thoughts are with Dolly Parton's family, friends, & fans in the U.S., UK, & around the world."

Jelly Roll bid a fond farewell to the great Dolly Parton ... saying she might be the last universally beloved American we ever see.

The singer-songwriter is guest-hosting on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" ... and on Tuesday night he brought up Dolly's passing in the middle of his monologue ... noting that we lost a "legend" and an "inspiration to so many."

The broadcast showed a photo of Dolly and Jelly Roll together ... and he reflected on going from sitting around the kitchen table with his family and listening to her music as a kid -- to actually learning songwriting skills and business tips from her as an up-and-coming artist.

Dolly Parton fans are playing her music as they mourn her death ... her iconic single "Jolene" jumped to the No. 1 spot on Apple Music's U.S. songs chart.

The popular song was released in October 1973, ahead of her 1974 album of the same name, and instantly became a hit that's been covered across multiple genres over the years. Dolly and her famous goddaughter Miley Cyrus even covered it together -- the first time was back in July 2010 for Dollywood’s 25th-anniversary celebration.

Miley has yet to publicly memorialize Dolly after her death Tuesday, but celebs from all corners of the entertainment industry celebrated her life and legacy upon hearing the sad news ... from Eminem to President Donald Trump and beyond.

Dolly Parton died following a brief battle with cancer ... TMZ has confirmed.

Parton’s reps said in a statement to TMZ ... she was surrounded by loved ones at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville when she died.

Her reps say Dolly spent her life bringing "joy, laughter, hope and integrity" to everything she touched, and point to her enormous generosity through Imagination Library and her support of medical research.

They add her unconditional love for others was the driving force behind the lasting impact she leaves behind.

The icon died Tuesday at 80 ... and the news hit especially hard because, as TMZ reported, her death was sudden even for loved ones who knew she'd been dealing with health issues.

Megyn Kelly doesn't think much of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's parenting skills when it comes to their 13-year-old daughter North West ... and the popular podcaster is letting the world know exactly how she feels.

Kelly sat down with Dr. Drew on Tuesday's episode of "The Megyn Kelly Show," and the two slammed Kim and Kanye for allowing North to be such a public figure at such a young age.

Check out the clip ... Kelly kicks things off by pointing out that North is on the cover of Dazed Magazine with false teeth, blue hair, and facial piercings. 

Claressa Shields has accomplished just about everything in the boxing ring ... but there's still one more MUST on her bucket list -- Beyoncé!

The undisputed champ stopped by the TMZ Sports offices for a sit-down with Babcock on Tuesday ... where she made a direct plea to Queen Bey.

"Beyoncé, listen, baby girl. Before I retire," 31-year-old Shields said ... "I need you to walk me out. You pick the song, and only perform 30 seconds, one minute, whatever you decide."

Blake Lively testified about how she got her hands on the text messages she used as evidence in her since-dismissed lawsuit against Justin Baldoni ... TMZ has learned.

During her July 2025 deposition, Blake was asked how she obtained the texts from publicist Jennifer Abel's phone ... texts that were later a big part of her claim that Justin had hired a crisis PR firm to take her down after she complained about sexual harassment on the set of "It Ends With Us." Justin denied the claims. The case was later settled before trial.

In her depo, Blake said her friend Ashley Avignone, who is also friends with Taylor Swift, told her about the text messages. Blake says Ashley told her that she knew a publicist named Stephanie Jones, who was trying to get a hold of Blake.