Reality TV

'Real Housewives' fans chewed out Kandi Burruss' husband for bringing his adult daughter to a strip club to celebrate her birthday, but hear him out ... he has an interesting defense.

'RHOA' star Todd Tucker says he has ZERO regrets about taking 23-year-old Kaela to see some T&A up close for her big day -- despite the fact he was getting dragged over it on social media after posting a video of the, umm ... unique father-daughter outing.

Don't worry ... ya don't see anything too raunchy here, and it looks like his kid isn't even looking at the dancer's booty in this shot. Still, it caused quite a fuss in the Insta-verse.

We asked Todd why he thinks it was appropriate to bring his daughter to such a sexually-charged environment and he tells us quite simply ... it makes for great bonding.

Check out his answer ... Todd says more parents should follow his lead, and if they did, they'd have better relationships with their kids. The way he sees it, smacking "a couple of booties" with your kid could be the best way to maintain close ties, especially as they get older.

Todd also says this kinda family outing is in his genes!!! Really. You gotta hear what his mom did for him.

Josh Elliott is here with some good news on the out-of-control ATV driver who led police on a wild chase that ended with him getting SMOKED by another car ... the dude somehow walked away alive!!!

The host of the new FOX reality series "First Responders Live" tells us the man recklessly riding around Baton Rouge and eluding cops before a super scary wreck is miraculously on the road to recovery ... and it's all thanks to the police and paramedics the show's TV cameras were embedded with.

Josh's new show premiered on FOX last Wednesday and it quickly proved why it's a raw, in-depth look at first responders ... because viewers were given front-row seats as a police chase turned into a horrifying car wreck in the blink of an eye, which Josh says illustrates the interplay between cops, firefighters and paramedics.

'FRL' embeds cameras in several cities across the country, documenting a night in the lives of the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect others.

Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's alleged cyberbullying may prove costly ... so claims one of BC's ex's who's suing them for more than $2 mil.

Pilot Jones filed new legal docs saying he's been damaged to the tune of $2,113,800. He says the alleged cyberbullying and defamation caused him emotional distress in the amount of $500k. He also says Rob and Chyna's alleged attack on him fractured his family and he wants $250k for that.

But, there's more. He wants more than $250k for past and future medical expenses and $600k in lost earnings. And, there's still more ... he claims he somehow lost rent and that's another $7,200 and he wants reimbursement for a trip to Louisiana, where he fled back home after the alleged attack.

And last but not least ... he wants $500k in punitive damages.

TMZ broke the story ... Jones sued the former couple in 2017 ... claiming they blamed him for selling a pic to an outlet showing him making out with BC. He also claimed they outed him as bisexual and released his digits to the public ... which resulted in threats.

Brittney Taylor has been ordered to stay the hell away from the woman she allegedly beat during a wild brawl in her luxury Manhattan apartment complex.

A judge in New York has signed off on a temporary order of protection against the 'Love & Hip Hop' star. Brittney must now stay away from the woman, and if she's got any firearms, she's gotta turn them over to cops.

The temporary order of protection will stay in effect through December 14.

According to cops, Brittney hurled a cell phone at the woman, striking her in the forehead during their weekend melee. Police say Brittney also scratched up the woman's neck.

Mama June may have moved back into her home, but that doesn't mean her famous daughter is following behind anytime soon ... quite the opposite, actually.

Sources close to Mama June's family tell TMZ ... 13-year-old Alana -- AKA Honey Boo Boo -- adamantly refuses to move back in with her troubled mother, as long as she's got her BF, Geno, hanging off her hip.

We're told Geno being in the picture is a straight-up nonstarter for Alana. She wants MJ to ditch Geno ... and get herself into rehab.

There's grave reason for concern. TMZ broke the story ... Geno was so wasted behind the wheel a few days back, he crashed into Mama June's home and couldn't even walk. He collapsed on the ground and Mama June needed help from a neighbor to drag Geno inside.

HBB begged her mom to straighten out her life a while back, tearfully pointing out that she's currently living with her older sister, Pumpkin ... and not by choice but by necessity. It's pretty obvious she wants to be with her mom, but not in a chaotic, unstable and dangerous environment.

And, there's this ... we're told if push comes to shove and nothing changes, Pumpkin will go to court and fight to gain custody of her little sister. Our sources say so far, June hasn't expressed interest in getting her daughter back.

Tough situation, for sure.

Bernie McGee -- one of the stars of "Seeking Sister Wife" -- has died from a heart attack according to his wife Paige, who's blaming her brother for causing the stress she believes killed Bernie.

Paige confirmed to TMZ ... Bernie was riding his bicycle Saturday when he overheated and felt ill, and he called her to come pick him up. She says by the time she arrived, EMTs were already working on him ... and she knew it was very bad.

Paige says the coroner told her Bernie died from heat stroke and a heart attack ... but she believes her brother, Patrick Marble, was the biggest factor in his death.

We broke the story ... Paige's bro accused the reality TV couple of harassing him, and they were arrested in March on stalking charges. Paige says the arrest greatly upset Bernie because it happened in front of their sons, and he never got over it.

Their court date for the case was approaching, and Paige says it had a terrible effect on Bernie, saying ... "the stress of going to court this coming Wednesday with fear of 1 year in jail wore on Bernie."

Paige claims, ultimately, her brother's actions led to her husband suffering a heart attack, saying ... "Patrick's constant lies and attacks against us caused this!"

She adds, "YOU KILLED MY HUSBAND AND I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!!!!!"

Patrick tells TMZ, due to Bernie's passing, he is dropping the stalking charges against Paige pronto. He says he last spoke to her a few weeks ago to try to resolve things. Paige says she doesn't have a relationship with her brother and never has.

2:47 PM PT -- Cesar's team told us he would be working with the bird, however, a spokesperson for the Metropoulos brothers says Cesar's team is full of it. The rep tells us, "As the owner of the Playboy mansion, Daren Metropoulos is very proud to have the only private zoo in Los Angeles. He has provided every resource necessary to create a protective environment where these very unique animals are flourishing."

The statement continues, "Because of the iconic status of the property, Daren receives many requests to visit the zoo. Cesar Milan contacted Daren a year ago and he granted him access."

"There are no plans now or in the future, for the African grey crowned crane, or any other exotic animal to leave the zoo or to be cared for or trained by anyone other than the current team of professional caretakers. Any reference to the contrary is inaccurate."

Cesar Millan's spreading his wings ... using his talents to tame a moody birdie at the Playboy Mansion.

We're told the new owners of the famous mansion -- brothers Evan and Daren Metropoulos -- will hand over their African grey crowned crane sometime at the end of this month. The plan ... the famous dog trainer will calm the temperamental bird at his Santa Clarita ranch.

Cesar came into the picture near the end of last year during a visit to the mansion ... where the Metropoulos bros groused to Cesar about the bird's aggressive tendencies ... like charging people and just making it difficult for caretakers to tend to the exotic bird.

Cesar connected with the African crane during his visit and made it submit ... showing who's boss, and it astounded everyone. The brothers were duly impressed and hatched a plan with Cesar to reboot the bird.

The crane's gonna get the full Cesar treatment, and when he's done, it'll head back to the Mansion ... hopefully way less cranky.

3:46 PM PT -- Brittney's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, tells TMZ ... " This does not in any way change the facts of the assault for which Remy ma is being prosecuted by the NY DA."

Brittney Taylor, who claims Remy Ma attacked her, is now in hot water herself for allegedly dishing out a beating during a brawl that covered 35 floors of her Manhattan luxury apartment ... TMZ has learned.

The "Love & Hip Hop" star got arrested early Friday morning after a fight started in her apartment. Law enforcement sources tell us Brittney and another woman were arguing in Brittney's midtown pad when things got physical.

Brittney allegedly scratched the woman, leaving marks on her. She fled to an elevator, but we're told Brittney hopped in another elevator and met the alleged victim in the lobby ... where the beatdown continued. She allegedly pulled a Naomi Campbell special -- hurling her cell phone and clocking the woman in the forehead.

We're told Brittney retreated to her apartment, but a little while later NYPD showed up to haul her in for assault and aggravated harassment ... both misdemeanors.

She was released without bail.

The arrest is kinda ironic. Remy Ma is currently facing the same exact charges for an allegedly punching Brittney back in April during a concert.

Brittney's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein, tells us his client has a court date next month to face the charges.

6/15 -- Ariana Grande seems to be on the same page as "Catfish" creator Nev Schulman. She posted a photo of them together on her social media, just a day after we posted our story about Nev wanting to get her on the show.

From the looks of this side-by-side ... we'd say AG and Nev would make great co-hosts together. Helluva tease here -- now, make it happen please!!!

Nev Schulman says he's flattered to have an uber-famous fan, who also follows him on Instagram -- and now he'll get a trifecta ... IF he gets Ariana Grande to join him on "Catfish." And, yes ... he's saying there's a chance!!!

We got the host at LAX and when we asked if he has a celebrity wish list of guest cohosts ... he revealed something we didn't know about Ariana. Watch the clip ... Nev fanboys pretty hard for the "Sweetener" singer, even though he claims he originally played it cool when he reached out to her on IG.

Seems like whatever Schulman did worked, because he says she's interested in appearing on his show ... it's just a matter of making it happen.

As we reported ... Nev lost his longtime cohost, Max Joseph, last year when Max decided to pursue filmmaking full-time.

As far as replacements go ... safe to say Ariana would make a big splash.

4:36 PM PT -- Blac Chyna is firing back at her baby daddy, Rob Kardashian, after he had his attorney sent a letter instructing her that their daughter, Dream, absolutely CANNOT appear on her new reality show, "The Real Blac Chyna" ... while taking some swipes at his own family at the same time.

She posted a lengthy statement Saturday, saying in part ... "Had Rob contacted me directly rather than through his attorney Marty Singer, Rob would have learned about Dream participation in the show."

She goes on to say that Dream was never going to be part of her show, and that she would never subject the kid to "long hours" on set. Further, she says she'd never let Dream be in the presence of the real drama that Chyna and her mom experienced while filming.

Chyna writes, "It is very unfortunate that Rob could not simply have an adult conversation with me 'the mother of his child,' Dream Kardashian, appearing on my show."

Then come the shots at the Kardashian family as a whole. Chyna went on to criticize the fact that Rob and co. have featured Dream on their own reality show, allegedly without ever consulting Chyna and seeing if she was good with it.

BC gets pretty nasty with her critique, writing ... "I also would have pointed out to Rob the hypocrisy of his family's insistence that Dream appear on 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians' in the family's desperate attempt to boost the dismal ratings for their stale and contrived show, without my approval, including an entire scene being Dream's birthday party, again without my consent."

Chyna finished her thoughts by saying, "My show is about my life and my kids are a huge part of my life. It's really sad that everything I do to better myself or my family the same people have something to say to stop or hinder it."

Rob Kardashian's pumping the brakes on his 2-year-old daughter becoming a big TV star ... or at the very least he's making sure it doesn't happen on Blac Chyna's new reality show.

Rob's lawyer, legal pit bull Marty Singer, fired off a threatening letter to Chyna, telling her their daughter, 2-year-old Dream, CANNOT appear on her show, "The Real Blac Chyna," without Rob's consent, and he will NOT give consent.

As we reported, Rob and Chyna share 50/50 joint custody, and Singer says there's no way Dream's mother can turn a TV camera on Dream without Rob being on board.

According to the letter, Chyna sent Rob an appearance release for Dream to appear on the series, and he's not gonna sign.

We're told Rob has several reasons for withholding consent. He's seen all the drama with Chyna ... most recently, getting into a crazy fight with her former hairdresser while Dream was in the house and an explosive fight with her mom. We're told Rob feels her life is way too tumultuous and a reality show would just exacerbate the situation.

Beyond that, Rob's had his own experience with reality shows, and for the most part, the experience wasn't good. He doesn't want his daughter subjected to the long hours, the lights and the drama.

The letter ends with a threat to the network that's airing the show ... "Should The Zeus Network proceed with releasing any episodes of the Series or related materials containing Dream's likeness, it will be acting at its own peril and exposing itself to significant liability."

Barry Weiss can now breathe a sigh of relief ... he's out of danger, but now the long road to recovery begins.

TMZ broke the story ... the "Storage Wars" star and popular auction guru suffered severe injuries in a scary motorcycle accident back in April after a car pulled out of a parking space and nailed him.

He was riding with a friend at the time ... as they slammed into the back of the car but Barry got the worst of it. As we first reported ... Barry landed in ICU and had to undergo multiple surgeries on his back and on his femur. He spent weeks in the hospital but a rep for Barry tells TMZ ... he's finally out.

We're told Barry's currently in an outpatient program and going through the long, hard process of rehab. The ordeal hasn't stopped Barry from working. He was just named the new face of Sherwood Valley Casino.

We're told Barry will do voice-over work for the NorCal casino while he's in rehab. When he recovers, the casino's global brand ambassador will appear in TV commercials to pimp the joint and also do meet and greets.

For now, Barry's rep says the reality TV star's thankful for the concern and well wishes his fans have shown since the accident. #OnwardsAndUpwards.

MLB legend Jim Edmonds says he and his wife are on the road to repairing their marriage after he admitted to texting nude selfies to another woman ... telling TMZ Sports, "I made a mistake."

Here's the backstory ... Edmonds has been under fire this week after a woman put their text message exchange online -- claiming Jim sent her explicit messages and videos last year while his wife Meghan King Edmonds was about to give birth to their twins.

Edmonds has DENIED having a physical relationship with the other woman -- despite her claims -- but seems to be fessing up to the text message part telling us, "It was just a weak moment."

As for the state of his marriage to the 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star -- Jim says he and his wife are "doing good" and definitely still on speaking terms.

When asked how they plan to get through the situation, Jim told us, "We're just gonna have to work through it."

Jim added, "It's pretty crazy in this world. People can make up stories about you and hide behind being anonymous. It sucks."

2:12 PM PT -- The press conference just ended and Kim made a major announcement … she’s involved in a rideshare partnership to give former inmates free rides to job interviews.

Kim says after spending time visiting prisons all over the country and talking with inmates on the inside and those who were recently released, one of their biggest hurdles is finding ways to get to job interviews and to work.

Meanwhile, the Prez announced a series of initiatives by the federal government and employers to help former inmates find work when they get back to their communities.

Kim Kardashian is back at the White House to talk prison reform, but this time she'll be making a speech alongside President Trump ... and TMZ is streaming it live.

Kim and the Prez are talking about the first prisoners released under the recently passed First Step Act ... and Trump is also expected to discuss hiring people with criminal records.

As you know, Kim and her legal team have been working diligently to free nonviolent prisoners who are spending life in prison for small drug crimes under Draconian sentences ... helping dozens of men and women gain their freedom.

Kim went to 1600 Penn. last year in the name of prison reform ... sitting down with POTUS in the Oval Office ... and now we're going to learn more about the fruits of their labor.

Their news conference is set to begin at 1 PM PT, and we'll have it all here.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro and Jen Harley are like a broken record, and a trip to Disney World's not going to fix it ... so say sources close to the volatile pair.

We broke the story ... the 'Jersey Shore' star and his baby mama looked more like they were going to prison than vacay early Wednesday morning as they boarded a flight from Las Vegas to Florida with their daughter. They didn't sit together or speak on the flight.

We're told the separate seating was due to booking last minute -- but seeing the moody duo together definitely raised eyebrows.

Our sources tell us looks do not deceive -- Ronnie and Jen are still far from being solid in their relationship and are "on and off" on a weekly basis. We're told family and friends close to them are very concerned and fear things will take another violent turn at any moment.

Yes, even at the "The Most Magical Place on Earth."

As we've reported ... Harley was arrested last month for a New Year's Eve incident in which she allegedly threw an ashtray at Ron's face and bloodied it, the same night he allegedly ransacked her home.

Ronnie was also recorded smashing the security camera at her front door in December 2018 ... and earlier that year he got a black eye during that crazy car dragging incident.

Vinny from "Jersey Shore" is gonna let it all hang out again for Chippendales ... they're inviting him back cause he was huge ... at the box office, that is.

Due to popular demand, as they say, we're told Vinny will headline Chippendales during a 6-week run beginning July 26 and ending September 1st. It's no secret why the male revue would want him back -- Vinny's been very, very good for biz.

We're told ticket sales during his April through May run rivaled Tyson Beckford's legendary 2017 run.

'JS' fans, or just fans of abs, will remember Vinny made the crowd go wild ... first with a sneak peek of his Italian stallions and then with a steamy shower scene. Fans should note, his ripped keto diet fueled bod will be on display for the Friday and Saturday night gigs at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

BTW, Vinny said Chippendales never told him to bare his ass in that shower scene, it was actually his choice ... "Because I've always been known to go hard or go home."

Andy Cohen just might give politics a shot ... especially if he's successful in his mission to get NY State to legalize paid surrogacy, and we got him taking his campaign to the streets.

The 'Watch What Happens Live' host was leaving the Sirius building Wednesday in NYC when he got amped up about the proposed bill, and delivered a message directly to Gloria Steinem. She's been opposed to the measure, but Andy urged the famous feminist she needs to take a closer look at the language of the bill.

He added ... he has surrogacy to thank for the birth of his son, Benjamin, in February. He had to go through the process in California because it's still illegal in New York.

So now, he's fighting for NY couples to have the same options he had ... without having to travel cross country. When you see the video, Andy definitely has the look and feel of a stumping candidate.

We asked him, point blank, about throwing his hat in a political ring -- watch, he does NOT say no.