Reality TV

Joe Exotic thinks the walls are closing around Carole Baskin ... and he's hoping her missing husband's family finally gets some answers and justice.

The 'Tiger King' rips his longtime nemesis in a phone interview from jail, and says Carole's about to pay for years of what he sees as bullying.

A source close to Joe tells us the interview was recorded long before Carole started "Dancing with the Stars" -- back when he was behind bars in Grady County Jail Oklahoma -- but it's clear he's all for Don Lewis' family putting renewed attention on his mysterious disappearance.

During the call, part of a new Discovery ID special, Joe says it's high time Don's fam finally finds out what really happened to him.

As you know ... Carole's always maintained her innocence in Don's case, but the Lewis family recently put out a $100,000 reward -- and during a commercial aired during 'DWTS' they asked, "Do you know if Carole Baskin was involved?"

As for his case ... Joe's still insisting he was set up, and also offers an explanation for why he put down 5 tigers at his infamous zoo.

Jerry Harris is no longer giving mat talks to paying customers ... his extremely popular Cameo page has been put on pause following his arrest for child pornography.

The star of Netflix's uber-popular cheerleading show "Cheer" used to charge folks up to $150-a-pop for personalized videos, usually in the form of the mat talks that made him a fan favorite on the show, but now one of his cash cows is out to pasture.

Instead of being able to pay for messages from Jerry, his Cameo page is now just his bio and a button that says, "Notify me when Jerry Harris is available."

As you know, Jerry's got serious legal issues at the moment ... he was arrested last week in Illinois and hit with a charge of production of child pornography. He's also being sued for sex abuse of minors.

It's unclear if and when Jerry's Cameo page will return, or if it will be deleted from the site ... we reached out to Cameo, but the company would not offer comment.

There's nothing nasty going on between Christina and Ant Anstead since their split -- in fact, the "Flip or Flop" star's remained in the home they shared and they're still keeping in touch.

Sources with knowledge of the situation tell TMZ ... Ant recently moved out of the Orange County estate he and Christina had lived in together since 2018, while she's still living there.

As we reported ... Christina announced her separation from Ant in an Instagram post Friday, and since then we're told the former couple has been in constant contact because they're co-parenting their 1-year-old son.

Our sources say the split wasn't caused by anything scandalous ... we're told nothing malicious happened between Christina and Ant, they had just grown apart since getting married nearly 2 years ago.

While our sources say the estranged couple's still trying to work on things, it's unclear if they'll get back together.

Christina's already back at work -- with her ex, Tarek El Moussa -- they recently shot "Flip or Flop" episodes, and we're told she's also shooting the 3rd season of her own show, "Christina on The Coast."

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is recovering following a horrific bowling accident where his right hand was impaled ... and required multiple surgeries.

The famous baker suffered the gruesome injury Sunday while spending some QT with his family in the bowling alley in their home. A rep tells us there was a malfunction with the bowling pinsetter -- a problem the family's had in the past and usually a common fix, but not this time around.

We're told Buddy tried to release a bowling pin from the cage mechanism, but his right hand got lodged and compressed inside the unit. His rep described what happened next this way -- "Unable to remove his hand, [Buddy] can see a 1 1/2" metal rod slowly and repeatedly impale his hand three times between his ring finger and middle finger."

After more than 5 minutes, Buddy still couldn't get his hand free from the metal rod jammed through it. His rep says his sons, Buddy Jr. and Marco, "rushed to the garage for a reciprocating saw to cut through the metal rod" and finally got Buddy's hand free.

Buddy was rushed to a hospital where he underwent emergency surgery to remove the rod and stabilize the wound. A second surgery followed ... performed by renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michelle Carlson in Manhattan.

The rep says Buddy will have an uphill battle given it's his dominant right hand. He faces a long road to recovery and therapy. Buddy's not exactly ready to call this a pinhead move ... but he's definitely kept his sense of humor through this painful ordeal.

He posted a pic Wednesday from his hospital bed with the caption, "I was involved in a terrible accident a few days ago... 😔 What do you think of my new accessory?"

Sending positive vibes, boss!!!

Kristin Cavallari says there was absolutely NO scandal involving Jay Cutler that led to their divorce ... with the reality TV star insisting the marriage point-blank "just didn't work out."

The celeb couple announced their split back in April ... and it came as a shock to most -- considering the duo seemed publicly happy.

But, in an interview with People this week, Cavallari insists everything fell apart because the two grew apart ... adding "there was no real drama."

"I met Jay when I was 23," Cavallari said. "I was a kid. I was a baby. And Jay and I had so much love for each other, we really, really did. It just didn't work out."

"And that's -- that's it. There was no real drama. There was no scandal. There was no nothing."

In fact, 33-year-old Cavallari says she and the former NFL quarterback are still on great terms ... talking "almost every day" and still working to co-parent their three kids.

"There was nothing that happened that was like, 'Oh my God!'" Cavallari said. "We just couldn't make it work. And we tried really, really hard for years and years. We really did."

Cavallari says she's now focused on being a mom and running her jewelry biz ... adding COVID quarantine has allowed her to focus on herself.

Larissa Lima's recent run-in with ICE was far from a publicity stunt -- it may result in her removal from the country ... and we've seen the evidence.

According to the Homeland Security docs obtained by TMZ ... the "90 Day Fiance" star was arrested Saturday and released on her own recognizance.

The docs say Larissa's been "placed in removal proceedings" in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, and she has a hearing coming up to determine if she'll have to surrender for removal from the U.S.

As we reported ... Larissa was arrested at her boyfriend's home in Las Vegas as they were getting ready to head to Colorado. Sources close to her previously claimed agents were simply checking on her immigration status, and she later posted that everything was "good to go" after her release.

According to what we've seen ... that definitely doesn't seem to be the case. We reached out to ICE, and a spokesperson declined to comment on the case.

It's funny -- after Larissa was arrested, fans began to speculate she staged the whole ordeal as a publicity stunt. Turns out they were very wrong, but it would have been impressive ... almost as impressive as the success of her CamSoda show and making herself look like Kylie Jenner

Carole Baskin participating in "Dancing with the Stars" proves she doesn't give a rip about the animals in her care ... or so claims Doc Antle, who has some harsh thoughts.

The 'Tiger King' star tore into Carole in this exclusive clip, obtained by TMZ. In what's part of a new documentary Doc's heavily featured in, he openly wonders how Carole could be away for weeks of 'DWTS' ... IF she really cares for the animals at her sanctuary.

For him, it just doesn't add up ... and he essentially calls Carole a hypocrite for something she's previously said about her "best friends."

As we're told ... Carole's hubby, Howard, is handling the day-to-day operation of her Big Cat Rescue ... along with her daughter, Jamie. Our sources say they also have 100 volunteers helping out.

Still, Doc says that wouldn't fly at most reputable animal sanctuaries, and he thinks it reflects poorly on Carole.

As for how he thinks she's doing so far on the pasodoble front, Doc tells TMZ he thinks Carole's a "terrible dancer." Aside from that, he's digging the season thus far.

"Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn feels very confident Netflix will bring back the hit show for a fourth season ... which she calls good vibes for her and her "thirsty bitches."

We got Christine outside The London Hotel in WeHo and asked her if Netflix had tipped its hand about extending the show's run, and ... womp, womp. She said they haven't anything yet, but she definitely argued why it should be a no-brainer.

You can tell Christine's plugged in and ready to sell "Selling Sunset" to any Netflix execs sitting on the fence. She rattled off some stats for us.

Now, her costar, Chrishell Stause, dropped what seems a big clue by posting a pic with the rest of the gang with the caption, "Carpe Diem!! Celebrating good news we can't tell you about" along with the hashtag #SellingSunset.

Huge clue? Anyway, Christine says she doesn't anticipate any big changes in the cast because, in her words, "all the bitches are so thirsty they'll do anything for a dollar." Again, her words.

It's worth noting ... Brett Oppenheim left the firm to start his own brokerage. Brett and Jason, who are twins, ran The Oppenheim Group ... the real estate firm which the show centered around. But, Christine says fans shouldn't worry about Brett's departure 'cause she thinks he'll still be around ... assuming season 4's a go.

We're told Larissa is now out of ICE custody and leaving town as quickly as possible to her new home in Colorado. Her reps says agents were checking on her immigration status.

She also posted a video updating her fans on her situation, telling them the ICE crew was actually pretty nice and that she's now "good to go."

We still haven't heard back from ICE on why Larissa was picked up in the first place.

"90 Day Fiance" star Larissa Lima has been arrested by ICE ... TMZ has confirmed.

Larissa was taken into custody Saturday at her and her boyfriend, Eric Nichols' Las Vegas home, apparently as they were getting ready to hop in the car and take their U-Haul on a road trip to Colorado Springs ... where they bought a home after selling their Vegas pad.

Her rep, Lindsay Feldman, tells us ... "Larissa's legal team is working meticulously on her release and clearing up this misunderstanding."

The couple has been documenting their real estate journey well on social media, and seemed poised to be making the big move this weekend. That came to an abrupt halt, however, as ICE agents showed up to their doorstep and hauled Larissa off.

It's unclear exactly why she was taken in -- her good friend, Carmen Nys, sent an update on her IG story saying she and Eric just saw Larissa being taken away. Carmen says the two of them are on their way to an ICE detention center now to figure out what's going on.

It should be noted ... Larissa's had trouble with the law over the past few years here in the U.S. -- she's reportedly been arrested several times over ... and was trying to avoid deportation as a result, something that was covered on the show and explored further on another series she was featured in afterward called 'Happily Ever After.'

We're trying to get in touch with ICE to find out more details.

As we reported ... Larissa made a splash with CamSoda after a very successful one-hour lingerie show she put on, with a brand spanking new bod emulated after Kylie Jenner, no less. The site cleaned up, and presumably ... so did she. Hence, getting outta Dodge.

Clearly, law enforcement had other plans.

"90 Day Fiance" star Larissa Lima spent a fortune to look like Kylie Jenner ... but her expensive makeover is already paying huge dividends.

Larissa showed off her new look, inspired by Kylie, last week with a one-hour lingerie show on the webcam app, CamSoda ... and we've learned those 60 little minutes hauled in more than $100,000 for the site.

Our sources tell us Larissa's show hit the six-figure mark thanks to people paying to view the sultry show and tipping ... and we're told she had 10 times the number of viewers CamSoda usually sees for the biggest XXX stars and Instagram hotties who host.

It's pretty impressive ... we're told Larissa's show had so much interest, it now ranks in the Top 5 all-time on CamSoda. Hat tip to Kylie!

As we first told you ... Larissa dropped a cool $72,000 for a bunch of cosmetic surgeries, going under the knife with Dr. Lane Smith in Sin City to try and come out looking like Kylie.

Larissa got a boob job, liposuction on her abs and waist and a fat transfer to her bottom ... plus botox, fillers and laser facials. The whole shebang, ya might say.

The people have spoken ... and it definitely pays to be a Kylie lookalike.

Christina and Ant Anstead are done after less than two years of marriage ... she says they are separating.

The "Christina on the Coast" star announced the split Friday, saying she and Ant "made the difficult decision to separate."

She adds ... "We are grateful for each other and as always, our children will remain our priority."

Christina and Ant started dating way back in October 2017, and they tied the knot in a super-secret wedding at their home in Newport Beach in December 2018, going with a "winter wonderland" theme for the nuptials.

The former couple welcomed their first child a little over a year ago, a baby boy named Hudson London Anstead.

Ant, who hosts "Wheeler Dealers," is now Christina's second famous ex ... she was previously married to her "Flip or Flop" co-star, Tarek El Moussa, and they enjoyed tons of success together before an extremely public split in 2016 that ultimately led to a nasty 2018 divorce.

It's unclear what led to the split, but Ant last posted about Christina on social media Aug. 2, explaining how he drives her crazy by wishing her a happy anniversary every single Sunday.

"The Real Housewives of New York City" is fulfilling its pledge to become more diverse by welcoming motivational speaker Bershan Shaw into the fold ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to production tell TMZ ... 'RHONY' started shooting the upcoming 13th season this week and Bershan has been recording around Manhattan with some of the housewives ... who, as you know, are all white.

Our sources say it's unclear at this point if Bershan will be a full-time housewife, or just a "friend of the show" to start -- but, nonetheless, she's been filming.

TMZ broke the story ... 'RHONY' producers set out to diversify a cast that was nothing but rich, white women in season 12, and producers were actively searching, and in talks with potential new faces for season 13.

Now, it appears producers have landed on Bershan, who will bring a lot more to the table than just being the first Black cast member.

Bershan is a business coach, actress, motivational speaker and, most impressively, a 2-time breast cancer survivor.

Kroy Biermann says he doesn't give a crap what "uneducated" people think about his daughter, Brielle, sitting on his lap in a photo, and his wife's reaction is even harsher.

We got Kroy, Brielle and Kim Zolciak-Biermann Thursday at LAX, and asked them about the recent online backlash to Brielle posting a pic of herself sitting on Kroy's lap while celebrating his birthday.

The disgusting comments were pretty swift, and typical for the Internet, with trolls wondering if Brielle slept with her stepdad. Ya couldn't blame Kroy if he's pissed about it, but watch ... he's surprisingly calm and cool. Kroy told us he knows its just "ignorant" idiots with too much time on their hands.

Brielle, though, was still visibly heated, and told their haters to "get a f**king job." She also wanted everyone to know -- Kroy's an incredible man and father.

Remember, Kroy -- who married Kim back in 2011 -- filed paperwork 2 years later to legally adopt Kim's 2 daughters from a previous relationship.

Janelle Pierzina didn't last long on this season of 'Big Brother,' but boy did she cash in -- selling a necklace she wore on the show for a small fortune, before putting that dough to good use.

The "Big Brother All-Stars" contestant wore a gold-plated "Janelle" necklace this season, and while she was the third houseguest voted out ... that necklace is now a sweet silver lining.

Janelle decided to sell it on eBay ... and it went for a whopping $18,300!!!

But, get this, Janelle -- who made the top 3 on "Big Brother 7 All-Stars" in 2006 -- decided to donate the entire proceeds to Give Kids The World Village ... an 84-acre village in Central Florida that offers weeklong vacations to children with critical illnesses and their families.

The trips come at zero cost to the families, thanks to donations like Janelle's.

'Big Brother' fans are calling for houseguest Memphis Garrett to be removed from the competition after some say they heard him drop the n-word in reference to a Black competitor.

During the after-hours of the 'BB' live feed late Wednesday night ... Memphis was having a conversation with Cody Calafiore about David Alexander, who is Black. Many viewers, who reacted on social media, believe they heard Memphis say, "Dude, David's a n****r" before getting a hand signal from Cody to stop talking.

Another camera angle shows Memphis had a look on his face, right after the remark, seeming to realize he messed up big time.

A change.org petition is circulating to get Memphis removed from the show -- and it says, "If left unchecked, we could be witnessing real life harm from a privileged white a**hole upon a black man who is ALONE in the house, after almost all the other people of color have been evicted / threatened. THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!"

This isn't the first major controversy of this 'All-Star' season of the popular CBS reality show. Just last week, Memphis -- along with houseguests Christmas Abbott, Dani Briones and Nicole Franzel -- were caught mocking fellow houseguest Ian Terry over his autism.

Of course, bullying and bigotry have been causes for controversy many times on "Big Brother" ... the show has dealt with multiple racist and misogynist issues over the years.

We reached out to CBS about Garrett ... no word back so far.

Rumors have circulated for months, but now it's official -- NeNe Leakes will not be returning to "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" ... she says so herself.

The longtime 'RHOA' star just posted a video stating it clearly -- she's made the call to NOT be a part of season 13. NeNe says she made the difficult decision after an "extremely long, exhausting, tiring, emotional" contract negotiation.

NeNe stresses things were emotional for both sides during the process, and fights back tears before reflecting on her time with the show ... which started for her back in 2008.

Though Leakes only explicitly says she's out for season 13, her message suggests this is more of a farewell for good.

She says ... "I'm just so happy that I can say that I was part of a genre that opened up a door for Black ensemble reality shows. I want to thank everybody that has looked up to me over the years. I want to thank Bravo for all the memories. Thank you to the cast for all of the memories."

The video NeNe posted on her YouTube page includes her 'RHOA' highlights from over the years.

In August, NeNe went on a tweeting spree amid her contract negotiations and seemed to call out her castmates for not protecting her or standing up for her ... though she didn't name names.

NeNe is one of the reality series' biggest stars, known most for her friendship/falling out/reconciliation with Kim Zolciak-Biermann ... and her rivalry with Kenya Moore.

'RHOA' is currently in production for the upcoming season on Bravo.

A spokesperson for the network tells TMZ ... "We wish Nene all the best in her future endeavors and thank her for sharing her journey for over a decade with the fans of 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta.' She’s been instrumental since the start and will truly be missed, and maybe one day she’ll hold the peach again."