Reality TV

NeNe Leakes and her new man are already at that stage -- the we're close enough for some public affection stage, and they're flaunting it in Miami.

NeNe and businessman BF, Nyonisela Sioh, hit up Mr. Chow in MIA Saturday night ... and on their way out of the hot spot they were smiling and holding hands. He also had a grip on a stogie in his other hand as they were reportedly celebrating his birthday.

Her smoking hot leopard print catsuit would've drawn plenty of attention on its own -- but the PDA with Nyonisela was even more eye-catching. It's a big deal, because, as we first reported ... this is Nene's first relationship since her husband Gregg's death earlier this year.

The ex-Real Housewife and the couture suit company owner first turned heads last week at her birthday party in ATL, where they were dancing together and clearly getting close.

We're not sure when exactly they started dating, but we know Peter Thomas played matchmaker for them. Peter and Nyonisela know each other from North Carolina.

Angela Simmons is NOT joining the cast of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" -- despite some signs pointing to her shooting scenes for the reality show ... TMZ has learned.

Our production sources tell us reports of Angela coming onboard 'RHOA' and getting in front of cameras to film are simply not true.

While Angela popped up at Marlo Hampton's party at Le'Archive in Atlanta, which was crawling with 'RHOA' stars, we're told she wasn't there to shoot scenes for the new season.

Still, her coincidental appearance led to wild speculation she was joining the cast.

Sources close to Angela tell TMZ ... she moved from New York City to Atlanta, but it's not because of 'RHOA' and she's still working on her other reality shows -- "Growing Up Hip Hop" and "Just Angela."

So, she's out ... but we're told the cast for the upcoming 14th 'RHOA' season will include Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Drew Sidora, Sheree Whitfield, Marlo and Sanya Richards-Ross.

Emmanuel Acho -- former NFL linebacker and "The Bachelor" host -- just got himself the sickest birthday present ever ... a $6 MILLION mansion!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ex-Philadelphia Eagles player bought the insane Hollywood Hills home for his 31st birthday last month, and he even copped a vacant, 10,156-square-foot lot next to it as well.

We're told the price tag on it all was $6,325,000 ... and check out the pics of the place -- it appears to be worth every penny.

The hillside house -- which sits just moments away from the iconic Sunset Strip -- offers an incredible view of the L.A. skyline from the hills to Downtown L.A.

The dope pad features four bedrooms and five bathrooms and over 5,900 square feet ... as well as a primary bed suite with a sitting area and balcony that overlooks city lights.

There's more -- the crib also comes with three additional guest suites and features large closets and en suite bathrooms ... as well as a massive kitchen fully equipped with state-of-the-art appliances.

Brooke A. Elliott of Aaron Kirman Group at Compass represented the seller, while Kennon Earl of Rare Properties at Compass represented Acho.

As for Acho's feelings on the sale, he's clearly pleased with it all ... posting from the pad last month, "I didn't know what to do for my birthday... #NewHomeOwner #LosAngeles."

Dorothy Wang is making the jump from one rich reality show to another ... and one coast to another -- she's starring in a new Netflix show that's a spin-off of the popular "Bling Empire."

Production sources tell TMZ ... the spinoff will be set in New York City, but will still focus on Dorothy's lavish lifestyle ... just in a new setting. Big Apple retailers gotta be licking their chops!

We're told filming is starting in early January, and Dorothy will be joined on screen by some of her super-rich friends.

As you know ... the OG "Bling Empire" follows a group of wildly wealthy Asian and Asian-American celebs in Los Angeles, including Dorothy's close friend Christine Chiu.

Dorothy has a history with this sort of TV show ... she famously starred on all 4 seasons of E!'s "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills."

"Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Stause agrees with Tom Holland and Zendaya -- when it comes to men, height shouldn't matter -- and it's a silly standard for women to hold.

Chrishell was on Sunset Blvd. (where else?) when asked about the recent podcast Tom and Zendaya were on where they said it was misogynistic to believe that a male partner should be taller than the female.

Stause -- who is dating her shorter costar, Jason Oppenheim -- simply laughed the standard off, saying she understands some people may have preferences, but it's what's inside that should really count.

She goes on to tell our photog ... women should really care about how they're treated over everything else -- including their partner's height.

Chrishell and Jason have been going steady since the summer, we first saw them coupled up in Capri back in July.

Bruce Springsteen's the Boss alright ... of the IRS, because the rock legend is gonna end up saving millions in taxes every year, courtesy of his record-setting sale of his music catalog ... according to Daymond John.

The "Shark Tank" star gave us some insight into why Springsteen and several other huge music stars are unloading their master recordings and publishing rights to corporations -- and turns out taxes are one major motivation.

Even before Sony bucked up big time for Bruce's songs we've seen Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, Shakira, Imagine Dragons and others sell their tunes in 9-digit deals ... although, only Dylan's at $300 mil comes close to Springsteen's half a BILLION.

As Daymond explains on Friday's "TMZ Live" ... obviously these celebs are already in the highest tax bracket, which means they'd be paying around 40% in federal taxes on their income from annual royalties.

Now those royalties go to whoever buys the catalog, and that's the true brilliance of these deals. You've gotta see Daymond's explanation, but basically, Bruce is about to cut his tax rate in half!!!

There are other motivators too -- such as worldwide pandemics shutting down concerts and traditional revenue streams -- but at the end of the day, Daymond says the name of the game, for Bruce and others, is securing steady income for generations to come.

Todrick Hall came sooo close to winning "The Masked Singer" title, but he's not walking away empty-handed -- in fact, he's pulled off a super rare accomplishment in the singing competition.

So, if you missed Wednesday night's season finale ... Bull, aka Todrick, lost to Queen of Hearts, aka Jewel, in the closest vote in the show's history. The unmasking was pretty awesome, shocking almost all of the judges ... with the exception of Nicole Scherzinger.

Todrick and Nicole have worked together, and he told us on Thursday's "TMZ Live" ... they've actually become good friends. Still, it wasn't just his voice that gave him away. Todrick admits it was total bull scent!!!

Yes, his cologne was the giveaway, and TH gave us lowdown on which one he was rocking under that costume. Speaking of which, 'Masked' contestants always griped about producers not letting them keep the costumes -- but Todrick's clearly different.

Stephanie Matto says she's earning 6 figures just from farting into jars ... but all that gas is taking a bit of a toll on her health, both mentally and physically.

If ya thought buying NFTs was weird, the "90 Day Fiancé" star tells TMZ ... she's already banked about $100,000 from selling her jarred farts to fans, but her process almost put the artist in the hospital.

Stephanie tells us she usually sets aside 2 or 3 days a week to work on her hustle, eating foods typically associated with being gassy ... like beans and fiber bars.

While it sounds like easy money, Stephanie says she recently ate way too many fiber bars and it nearly sent her to the emergency room!!!

No rest for the flatulent though -- although fans keep clamoring for product, Stephanie says she's only going to keep her biz going as long as she feels up to it, and as long as the checks keep coming.

What's really interesting about this convo is ... she's straight-faced the whole time, even while explaining why which she puts a flower petal inside each jar. Serious stuff.

Jason Hitch, who was a pivotal part of season 2 of "90 Day Fiancé" has died after complications from COVID-19 ... TMZ has learned.

Jason's sister, Shannon tells us he passed away Tuesday night inside the ICU of a Florida hospital. We're told Jason's family was able to be with him when he died and held his hand in his final moments. Shannon says Jason was not vaccinated and did not have preexisting medical conditions, to the family's knowledge.

Hitch died from complications of COVID-19 and perhaps other factors, Shannon says.

Jason appeared on season 2 of the show in 2014 and was married to Cássia Tavares -- a Brazilian woman who had moved to the United States to be with Jason -- they separated in 2017 and filed for divorce in 2018.

Jason was a first lieutenant in the Army reserves in Florida. Shannon tells us he was a "true and honest shooter, a great officer and leader to his men."

Jason was 45.

NeNe Leakes is giving dating another shot after tragically losing her husband to cancer.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star is dating a businessman named Nyonisela Sioh ... sources close to the new couple tell TMZ. We're told NeNe's new man owns a couture suit company in Charlotte, NC and he hails from Liberia, Africa ... though it's unclear how long they've been dating.

It's interesting... our sources say, Peter Thomas, the ex-husband of fellow 'RHOA' star Cynthia Bailey, played matchmaker here ... introducing NeNe to Nyonisela.

NeNe sparked dating rumors this week when she was pictured standing next to a handsome man at her birthday party in Atlanta.

The birthday bash, a surprise organized by her son Brentt, went down at NeNe's Linnethia Lounge in Georgia and she was surrounded by family, friends and celebs like Keke Wyatt and Porsha Williams ... plus Nyonisela, the fella in the purple suit.

NeNe's foray back into the dating scene comes 3 months after she lost her husband, Gregg, to a long battle with cancer. They were married for over 20 years.

Jim Bob Duggar won't be serving as an Arkansas state senator anytime soon, because he got crushed in the Republican primary ... just days after his son, Josh, was convicted in his child porn trial.

The "19 Kids and Counting" star got clobbered during Tuesday's special election ... which saw him going up against other Republicans for an open state senate seat. The numbers are brutal ... Duggar only raked in about 15% of the vote, while former Springdale City Councilmember Colby Fulfer ended up the victor, with a decisive 46%.

Timing of the election couldn't have been worse for Duggar ... coming the week after Josh was found guilty of possessing tons of child pornography. Hard to say how much of a factor that was for voters, but this is exactly what his own son-in-law predicted would happen.

You'll recall ... Derick Dillard, who's married to Jim Bob's daughter, Jill, told us he thought Josh's conviction would hurt his father-in-law's chances -- and sure enough, he seems to have been right. Derick also happened to endorse Fulfer.

Kathy Hilton is finally back in front of 'RHOBH' cameras -- after holding out for more money -- getting a deal done just in time to guarantee she'll appear on season 12.

Kathy had previously refused to film anything for the franchise's new season because she felt she was being undervalued by show producers. It took several weeks, but both sides were able to come to an agreement that will see Kathy as a friend of the cast, making regular appearances on the show.

We spoke with Kathy's sister, and full-time cast member Kyle Richards last month about KH's absence as the rest of the women were seen shooting across town. Kyle told us Kathy had just been busy planning her daughter, Paris Hilton's wedding -- but our sources say the real hang-up was money.

Kathy is expected to begin filming with the Bev Hills cast just after the holidays. As we reported, production had been suspended late last week when 3 members -- Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne and Garcelle -- tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, we're told all women were vaccinated and have had mild symptoms.

As for everyone else who tested negative -- we're told production will resume at some point this week.

Kylie Jenner is about to become mommy x2, but not before doing a little celebrating with her closest friends and family before the new bundle arrives.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Kylie's sister, Khloe Kardashian, held the bash at her new home (next door to Kris Jenner) over the weekend. We're told it was mostly low-key, attended by Kylie's family, including her nieces and nephews and a few close friends.

Khloe had a massage station set up, treats for attendees and a tent with tables for privacy.

While we don't know Kylie's exact due date, she's certainly getting close ... it was reported back in August she was expecting, but was already several months along.

No word yet on whether Stormi will become a big sister to a little brother or sister ... the baby will mark #2 for Kylie and Travis Scott -- who are very much a couple -- despite a recent report from W Magazine.

Unlike her pregnancy with Stormi, Kylie has certainly been more visible this time around, and embracing the love from her family.

Josh Duggar's sister, Jana, is sharing her side of her child endangerment case ... chalking it up to a babysitting mishap she says could happen to anyone.

Jana says the charge against her stems from one of the children she was babysitting wandering outside alone, with a passerby noticing the child and calling the cops.

Josh's sister says police gave her a written citation, but she claims a follow-up with child welfare concluded it was an accident and the child was unharmed. She claims child welfare "recognized it was a case of a child slipping out of the house when you turn your back for a moment."

Jana says everything unfolded very quickly and admits it was scary ... but she says she's "thankful it all ended safely." Still, she says she's upset at herself for what happened.

As we reported ... Jana, the oldest daughter of Jim Bob and Michelle, was cited back on September 9 and charged with endangering the welfare of a minor. She's due back in court next month.

Meanwhile, Josh was just found guilty on both counts by a jury in his child pornography trial ... though his legal team says they will appeal the verdict.

Tarek El Moussa may have had people thinking something was up between Zac Efron and Amanza Smith from "Selling Sunset" -- but it's a red herring, 'cause there's nothing going on.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Amanza and Zac are not a couple, this despite posing for a pretty couple-y photo that the "Flip or Flop" star threw up on the 'Gram, which shows them cozying up in a group shot at a UFC event in Vegas.

Tarek was hanging out with UFC announcer Bruce Buffer -- whom Tarek and his wife, Heather Rae Young have known for years -- 'SS' star Mary Fitzgerald and of course ... Zac and Amanza, who ended next to each other in the pic.

A lot of people saw their placement and thought they were an item, but our sources insist ... it's simply not so. Here's what we do know about Amanza's love life -- we're told she's actually dating a pro soccer player from overseas ... and is head over heels, as she's indicated herself.

As for Zac, he was most recently dating a gal named Vanessa Valladares -- whom he met in Australia -- but they reportedly split earlier this year. So, it seems he's available.

Kim Kardashian made it clear in new legal docs ... there's no way to fix her marriage to Kanye.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim filed docs last Friday to restore her marital status to single, leaving property settlement and custody issues for another day in the future.

We just got supporting docs Kim filed ... in her declaration, she says, "No counseling or reconciliation effort will be of any value at this time."

Kim also says, "Irreconcilable differences have existed and continue to exist between [Kanye] and me, which have caused our marriage to irretrievably break down."

Kim then goes on to say ... she's wanted to end the marriage for a while, but Kanye wasn't having it. She says, "I have been attempting to settle our dissolution with [Kanye] since I filed for divorce in February 2021." She adds, "I have requested several times that [Kanye] agree to bifurcate and terminate our marital status. [He] has not responded to my request."

And then she says this ... "[Kanye] and I both deserve the opportunity to build new lives. Therefore, I am asking that my request to bifurcate and terminate our marital status be granted."

This tracks with what we've been reporting ... Kanye has been making a full-court press to reconcile with Kim, even singing it to 70,000 fans at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum last week, and Kim was there with the kids. She's been super supportive of Kanye -- especially as the parent to their 4 children -- but she's clearly done with the marriage.

The two have really demonstrated they can co-parent without issue, coordinating the kids and their schedules to work together. Kanye's still got a Christmas stocking hanging at the house, too.