Reality TV

Not that "Love & Hip Hop Atlanta" fans would know it, but Bambi Richardson says things are actually pretty cordial between Momma Dee and her for one reason -- R-E-S-P-E-C-T for her husband's mother.

Bambi chopped it up with Raquel Harper on the 'It's Tricky' podcast, opening up about her strained relationship with Lil Scrappy's mom, Momma Dee ... and admitting things aren't always the way they seem on TV.

ICYMI, fans raised an eyebrow when Momma Dee posted a photo at Shay Johnson's baby shower. Shay is Lil Scrappy's ex-gf, so some folks felt Momma Dee attending was "disrespectful" to Scrap's current wife.

In true Momma Dee fashion ... she fired back and, in the process, took some shots at Bambi.

She wrote, "I'm down for who down for me I've never heard bam even give a f*** about what I ate. Send me flowers for my birthday. Give me a greeting card I supposed to leave Shea alone because she's insecure she's f****** insecure and she's dragging my son and my son and I are not even speaking because of her insecurity's I'm done."

That sounds salty AF, but Bambi claims she's never had a problem with Momma Dee having a friendship with Shay. On the contrary, she says there's no issue with Shay and doesn't even know her.

As for why MD went so hard ... Bambi strongly hints her mother-in-law is simply creating drama to make 'L&HH' juicier. In fact, she tells Raq that when the cameras aren't rolling she and Dee are so cool.

Director Joe Berlinger says when it comes to serial killer John Wayne Gacy, a big part of his horrific rampage had to do with self-hatred and his inability to deal with his sexuality.

The Oscar-nominated filmmaker joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday to talk about digging into the mind of the notorious Illinois serial killer for his new Netflix docuseries, "Conversations With a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes" ... and, as you might imagine, it's a frightening ride.

The film explores what made Gacy -- a birthday clown by day -- tick during his reign of terror in the 1970s. Berlinger says listening to Gacy's conversations with attorneys and cops ... showed how much the mad man blamed his victims.

He says the killings had a lot to do with Gacy's self-hatred, and inability to deal with his sexuality. As for why it took so long to catch him, Joe says society's prevailing attitudes toward marginalized groups, like the gay community, were a major factor.

On a personal note ... Berlinger admits he struggles to leave his work at home. He's been delving into the minds of murderers for decades now, and he told us why his Oscar-nominated doc, "Paradise Lost" -- about the 1996 slayings of 3 West Memphis boys -- was particularly difficult.

Joe says, "I was trying to have a tender moment with my new child, and I just kept flashing on the worst images of what happened to these children".

The cast of “Selling Sunset” was without its biggest star for the show’s reunion … Christine Quinn missed out thanks to a positive COVID test.

Christine's rep tells TMZ, "Christine tested positive for COVID on Saturday and out of an abundance of caution, she did not attend the reunion." The reunion taped Sunday at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood.

If you’re familiar with the show, Quinn’s an essential part of the storyline, and has been labeled the villain time and time again. Cast member Amanza Smith also revealed she had to miss the reunion because of COVID, but she appeared virtually.

Christine's rep tells us producers offered Quinn the opportunity to video chat in for the reunion, but she declined as she wasn't feeling well enough to do it.

Former MTV 'Making The Band' star Chopper has been busted for sex trafficking ... with law enforcement accusing him of being a pimp.

Chopper was arrested earlier this month in Maryland and he's being extradited to Las Vegas to face sex trafficking charges in Sin City.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, an undercover vice detective in Nevada posing as a sex worker says Chopper direct messaged them on Instagram with an apparent offer to make money through prostitution.

The undercover cop says they searched Chopper's IG account and noticed several posts related to prostitution and pimping, including posts where Chopper flaunted wealth and made references to being a pimp ... including one image of him inside a plane with a phone alongside the caption, "Sending em," with a money bag and crown emoji.

In the docs, the undercover cop says they launched an investigation into Chopper after seeing social media evidence of a potential sex trafficking operation.

The undercover says Chopper called them and bragged about frequent travel and having 7 homes across the country, including one in Las Vegas, while also telling the undercover Sin City was not a safe place to do business because law enforcement was cracking down.

What's more, the undercover says they had a phone interview with Chopper and after passing the test, Chopper told them he would make them part of his "team" and "stable."

The undercover says Chopper then became aggressive with them over the phone, ordering them around like he might do to a sex worker, telling them to pack their belongings, get to the airport and meet him in Charlotte, N.C. to join his "stable."

From there, the undercover says they stalled by telling Chopper they were scared to leave home ... with Chopper trying to verbally force them to make the trip, getting angry and demanding a $2,000 fee.

Between the alleged social media posts, direct messages, phone calls and fee demand ... the undercover says there was then enough evidence to arrest and charge Chopper with felony sex trafficking.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson certainly like to spend time together -- case in point ... attending a major event in our nation's capital, in lockstep.

The couple was just two of many celebs on hand Sunday night at the Kennedy Center in D.C., where Jon Stewart was being honored with the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor ... the first time in a few years it's been awarded.

As you can see, they were looking on attentively in matching black outfits.

Others A-listers in attendance included ... Steve Carell, Jimmy Kimmel, Samantha Bee, Dave Chappelle, Stephen Colbert, John Oliver, Ed Helms and others. Even Bruce Springsteen was there to do a little ditty for JS.

Of course, tons of politicians showed face as well -- such as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg, White House Press Sec. Jen Psaki and more.

As for Kim and Pete ... like we said, they're two peas in a pod these days when it comes to big events. They were shoulder-to-shoulder during the premiere of the new Kardashians show, and here they are again in another high-profile outing.

Sharon Osbourne has had a year of ups and downs ... opening up about a 'horrendous' facelift that left her looking like a "f***** Cyclops" and why she went to an unconventional form of therapy.

The former 'The Talk' host talked a lot about her recent plastic surgery in an interview with The Sunday Times ... "I had a full facelift done in October and I looked like one of those f***** mummies that they wrap".

She wasn't done ... "It was horrendous I'm, like, you've got to be f***** joking. One eye was different to the other. I looked like a f***** Cyclops. I'm, like, "All I need is a hunchback."

Sharon says she wasn't the only one who was upset ... her hubby, Ozzy Osbourne, agreed and even offered to pay to fix it, no matter the price.

Now, months after the surgery, she says she's finally growing into her face. But, Sharon has had other things to worry about this past year.

As you know, Sharon left "The Talk" after defending her friend Piers Morgan who attacked Meghan Markle on his show. When we asked her about a possible return to the show, she said ... "I would never go back to that show because CBS sucks big time d**k."

Ben Affleck has a very different recollection of hitting up a "Selling Sunset" star on Raya ... as in no recollection, because he says it's BS.

'SS's Emma Hernan claimed on the latest installment of the series ... she matched with Ben on the dating platform, but Ben's rep told PEOPLE it just ain't true.

Apparently, Ben's not been active on the exclusive dating app for several years, before he hooked up with J Lo for round 2 of their romance.

As for Hernan ... she tells Chrishell Stause on the show, "Remember when Ben Affleck went viral because he sent some girl ... He may or may not have been texting me ... He may or may not have asked me to grab coffee a few times. I didn't go."

Well, Ben's people say she didn't go because she wasn't asked.

Kris Jenner says she fully thought Blac Chyna was going to kill Rob Kardashian when she pointed a gun to his head ... and in no way did she think it was a joke.

Kris was back on the stand Friday for a second day of testimony in Chyna's trial, claiming she thought BC tried to murder her son back in December 2016. Rob's mom hurled the allegation almost right out of the gate, with Chyna's lawyer asking her if she believed Chyna attempted murder on her son. Kris responded, "I do."

Kris says she came to the conclusion after looking at everything going on back then between Rob and Chyna ... claiming Rob had marks on his body from the phone cord Chyna wrapped around his neck, in addition to his torn shirt.

What's more, Kris says she felt Chyna had animosity and hatred towards her family ... saying alcohol was involved when Chyna pointed the gun at Rob's head and wondered what it would be like to be in Rob's situation at that moment.

As we reported ... Chyna claimed she pointed the gun at Rob as a joke, and insisted the phone cord she put around his neck was also done in jest.

Kris was asked why she didn't call the police if she thought Chyna was going to kill her son. She said she thought BC had enough problems with cops and figured her own security, made up of former LAPD officers, could get the situation under control if necessary.

And, get this ... Kris was asked about a text she sent where she wrote, "He (Rob) is devastated, and he needs to ditch the bitch."

Kris told the jury she sent the text in anger when she was very upset, adding ... "I probably could've used a word that was nicer."

Chyna's lawyer asked Kris why she would want to use a nicer word to describe someone she believed tried to murder her son Kris said, "It's just really not the way I like to talk about people."

Kris was then shown another text message she sent to the showrunner behind Rob and Chyna's reality TV show, where Kris wrote, "Let's take her off the show and just make it Rob raising his daughter."

Asked why she sent the text, Kris explained ... "This is my son that has been traumatized and I was just trying to figure out what to do." She started crying on the stand as she compared Rob having a gun pointed to his head to Kim Kardashian being tied up in a bathtub in Paris.

Kris was also asked about another text, where she claimed Chyna beat the crap out of Rob's face, and the meaning behind it.

In her explanation, Kris drew a laugh from the courtroom crowd when she referenced the Will Smith and Chris Rock moment at the Oscars, saying ... "It's like if I was at the Academy Awards and got hit in the face, might say I got the s*** beat out of my face.”

"Selling Sunset" has some fans begging for more ... more luxury homes, that is, and at least one cast member, Maya Vander, agrees -- but that's not the only reason she's having a hard time watching the new season.

Maya joined us Friday on TMZ Live and opened up about the trauma she endured when her baby was stillborn late last year.

She'd been expecting the whole time they shot season 5 -- which just dropped on Netflix -- so, now watching the show means seeing herself pregnant again.

She told us she hopes sharing the tragic story can help other parents dealing with similar losses.

As for the rest of the show's storylines ... Maya admits, there seems to be less and less real estate in a show that's all about selling real estate -- but, at the same time, she knows "drama sells" on TV.

Blac Chyna's mom, Tokyo Toni, says she wasn't talking about the judge in her daughter's trial when she said, "I'm going to get that judge" ... she says it was all about Kris Jenner.

We got TT in Woodland Hills Thursday and asked her about her alleged threat, which she made Tuesday on Instagram Live.

Tokyo says she wasn't really talking about the judge, it was for Kris ... and when our photog pressed, she explained she views Kris as the judge because she feels Kris rules over all of the Kardashians.

Here's the problem ... before she makes the threat, she references the fact that the judge -- the real one, not Kris -- threw her out of the courtroom. And, then she says "I'm gonna get that judge." So, it's a gigantic stretch to believe she was talking about Kris.

Tokyo tells us her daughter's legal team told her to chill out on social media as the trial continues, and Toni makes it sound like that won't be a problem because she claims she was never talking about the case, and was only taking shots at the Kardashians.

Blac Chyna threatened to kill Kylie Jenner ... so claims Kris Jenner in shocking testimony.

Kris took the stand Thursday in Chyna's trial, claiming both Kylie and Tyga once told her Chyna threatened to off the youngest Jenner.

Kris hurled the allegation right out of the box when she began testifying. When Chyna's lawyer initially asked the question -- whether Chyna ever threatened to kill Kylie -- Kris said she did not recall. The lawyer then pointed to Kris' deposition to refresh her memory, and during that depo Kris indeed did make the allegation.

When further pressed, Kris told the lawyer she would have to ask Kylie and Tyga because they're the ones with first-hand information. She did back peddle a bit, saying, "I probably thought it was just some drama, which I'm used to."

And this is crazy ... Kris told the jury after hearing about the alleged threat she still supported Rob's engagement to Blac Chyna. She said, "I love second chances, and I wanted them to win. I wanted my son to be happy." She added she had to rely on the assumption Chyna wasn't serious.

"The Tinder Swindler" Simon Leviev could be facing serious prison time after an arrest warrant was issued against him for an incident back in 2019, where authorities claim he used a fake driver's license and got his luxury car stuck on a beach in Spain.

Police in Tarifa say they were able to link Leviev to a 2019 accident thanks to the Netflix doc, according to The Daily Mail. Cops say after getting his $100K Maserati stuck on the beach, Leviev offered up a fake ID, with the name Michael Bilton -- one of his alleged aliases.

Police apparently realized the connection upon watching the Netflix doc and seeing the name mentioned.

Cops reportedly suspected the license wasn't legit, but no arrests were made at the time ... the rented car was towed away, and he and his unknown date were free to go. He allegedly gave police an address in Costa del Sol pending an ongoing investigation.

Things apparently came to a halt after "Bilton" failed to answer his summons ... the case is being reopened after cops now think Leviev was the man in question.

Simon Leviev tells TMZ ... he's already served time for using a fake passport in 2019 -- he believes he can't be sentenced for the same crime twice.

Blac Chyna and the Kardashians continue to duke it out at trial, but one face has been notably absent ... Rob Kardashian, who's been doing daddy duty at home with his daughter.

Sources close to Rob and Chyna tell TMZ ... he's been home with Dream over the last few weeks trying to keep everything as routine for her as possible ... all while her family members and mom are at war.

We're told Rob has no problem appearing in court if he's called as a witness, but until that happens, 5-year-old Dream is his top priority.

Rob is Dream's main caretaker -- he's got her 6 days out of the week -- so he feels it's important to be around her during the family drama.

Chyna revealed Thursday on the stand she didn't have a personal bank account and hasn't filed a personal tax return in several years ... so this may not be her only court case, and all of this becomes relevant in child custody cases.

The courtroom testimony has been intense ... Chyna broke down in tears Thursday recounting the time when Rob leaked her nudes. She also has her version of Rob's accusations that she held a gun to his head and choked him with a phone charging cord ... saying it was all done in jest.

Blac Chyna shed tears on the witness stand while testifying in court about her ex Rob Kardashian posting nude photos of her on social media.

BC was back Thursday for the second day of testimony in her civil case against the Kardashians, and the Kardashian's defense lawyer, Michael Rhodes, brought up the infamous naked pics.

The Kardashian's lawyer introduced BC's restraining order filing to the jury, which attached the Chyna nudes Rob posted on the web, and asked her if the filing was a publicity stunt.

BC started crying as she replied ... "It was the only way I could stop him from posting pictures of me on the internet." Chyna also testified she wasn't looking for headlines when she went on "Good Morning America" the day after filing the restraining order.

Chyna continued crying as she told the jury ... "I was already public. I'm supposed to just not say anything and take it? I wanted everyone to hear my side of the story. He posted nudes of my entire body."

Remember ... Rob posted photos of a naked Blac Chyna on his Instagram back in July 2017, even reposting them after they were removed from IG. The saga was during a tumultuous time in their relationship.

Chyna eventually composed herself on the witness stand and answered questions about the dates of their breakup, and a dispute about when the relationship really ended.

The nudes were included in a binder set in front of Chyna and were not shown to the jury, but after looking at the photos BC became upset again and asked for a short break.

The most dramatic moment from this season of "The Masked Singer" has finally played out ... as Rudy Giuliani was revealed as a contestant, causing one judge to walk off set.

The whole thing went down on the FOX singing contest Wednesday night as the disgraced politician and former right-hand-man of Trump was revealed as The Jack in the Box. Giuliani got the boot after this week's performance of "Bad to The Bone."

While he's performing the song, you see a clearly pissed-off judge, Ken Jeong, say "I'm done" before walking off the set.

It was back in February when it was reported both Ken and judge Robin Thicke walked off in disgust after Giuliani's reveal ... but that didn't appear to be the case Wednesday, with only Ken leaving.

NeNe Leakes says the folks who produce "Real Housewives of Atlanta" tolerate a toxic work environment rife with racism ... this according to a new lawsuit.

The former 'RHOA' star just filed an explosive suit in federal court in Atlanta, accusing the folks behind the reality TV show of ignoring her complaints about years of racist remarks directed her way by fellow cast member Kim Zolciak-Biermann.

In the docs, NeNe claims Kim, who is not being sued, made racially offensive and stereotypical comments about NeNe and Kandi Burruss over multiple seasons ...  and even used the n-word in reference to NeNe and other Black housewives in a dispute.

In her suit, NeNe claims she complained about Kim's alleged comments to the execs behind 'RHOA' ... but says Kim was not punished and was instead rewarded with her own spinoff series, while NeNe's complaints forced her from 'RHOA.'

According to the docs, NeNe claims the execs behind 'RHOA' tried to muzzle her support of the Black Lives Matter movement ... keeping her away from scenes where other cast members discussed BLM.

NeNe is suing NBCUniversal, Bravo, True Entertainment, Truly Original and Andy Cohen ... claiming they fostered a corporate and workplace culture where racially-insensitive and inappropriate behavior is tolerated, if not, encouraged.

She claims the folks behind 'RHOA' violated federal employment and anti-discrimination law ... and is going after them for damages.

The timing of the lawsuit is interesting ... NeNe hinted back in November she would return to the show, as long as some changes were made.