Relationships

Mel B appears beaten, broken and trapped in a disturbing new video made to raise domestic violence awareness, and it has some people drawing connections to the singer's past.

The Spice Girls singer co-stars in the short film, "Love Should Not Hurt" by classical composer Fabio D’Andrea. Mel plays the role of a woman seemingly living a wonderful life in a mansion out in the country -- but behind closed doors, she's being battered and held captive by her partner ... played by Sam Mackay.

At the end of the short film, Mel's character -- shown with a bruised and bleeding face -- attempts to flee ... as alarming statistics about women being subjected to physical or sexual violence are displayed.

Though it's not explicitly suggested, Mel B's appearance in this video -- a collaboration with the UK org., Women’s Aid -- elicits an alleged violent chapter of her life with ex-husband, Stephen Belafonte.

Mel, who split from Belafonte in 2017, claimed he abused her throughout their 10-year marriage and previously described it as a "reign of terror."

Ronnie Magro-Ortiz will NOT be charged in his domestic violence case ... but his arrest for the alleged incident with his girlfriend, Saffire Matos, is triggering a different legal problem for him.

A rep for the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... they will not charge Ronnie with a misdemeanor, but instead will move to violate his probation and will hold a hearing on the matter next month.

As we reported ... Ronnie didn't get charged with a felony in the case because the L.A. County District Attorney's Office determined it didn't have sufficient evidence to convict him. That's how his case ended up in the City Attorney's Office.

Now, the one issue remaining -- his potential probation violation. Remember, Ronnie's on probation for a domestic violence case involving his ex, Jenn Harley. He could find out his fate during next month's hearing, and, yes ... jail time is a real possibility.

As we first reported ... Saffire called the police following an argument that allegedly turned physical. Following Ronnie's arrest, Saffire took to social media to downplay the allegations.

Ronnie's attorney, Scott Leemon, tells TMZ ... "“We are very happy that after further investigation both the LA County District Attorney’s office and the LA City Attorney’s office determined that criminal charges were not warranted against Ronnie related to the incident that occurred in April."

"Seeking Sister Wife" star Dimitri Snowden is divorcing his third wife ... another chapter in what's been a problematic last few weeks between the two, which included accusations of domestic abuse.

Dimitri filed for divorce from Christeline Peterson Tuesday in Los Angeles. The two do not have any children together.

Dimitri's divorce filing comes on the heels of Christeline's attempt at getting a restraining order against him, claiming he was physically abusive during their relationship over the past year.

As we first told you ... Christeline claimed Dimitri slammed her head into the headboard of their bed back in January, and she said he was abusive during sex. She claimed he choked her during sex, even though she told him not to, and claims she's suffered bruises, scratches and redness around her neck from the alleged choking.

We broke the story ... Dimitiri and Christeline were in court last month for a hearing on the matter, and a judge tossed the case, saying Christeline did not meet the burden of proof ... so the temporary restraining order was dissolved.

Christeline came to the United States from South Africa to be courted as Dimitri's third wife on the TLC reality show ... but that was then -- now he's calling it quits.

Prince Harry went to extreme lengths to keep his relationship with Meghan Markle on the DL -- like going on a secret supermarket run to meet her while pretending he didn't know her.

The Duke of Sussex made the revelation on Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast when Dax asked if he'd ever been able to do any mundane things ... like going to the supermarket. His answer was yes, but he had to go way back to 2016 when Meghan first stayed at Kensington Palace.

He said, "The first time Meghan and I met up for her to come and stay with me, we met up in a supermarket in London, pretending we didn't know each other, texting each other from the other side of the aisles. There's people looking at me, giving me all these weird looks and coming up to me and saying hi."

He didn't reveal which supermarket ... but there's a Whole Foods a mere 100 yards away from the Palace. Harry said he stayed in such true "incognito" character ... he wore a baseball cap and kept looking down to avoid being recognized. Obviously, he needs better costumes, since people were spotting him.

But, since leaving his Royal duties and moving to L.A. ... Harry says he feels free. And, he feels like he can walk with his head held high. He compared living the Royal life between a mix of being on "The Truman Show" and living in a zoo with all eyes on him.

Harry chatted about a ton of other subjects ... including Joe Rogan's recent controversial remarks about the vaccine. The Prince called out Joe for initially saying healthy, young people don't need the vaxx.

Joe, of course, later called himself a "f***ing moron" for the remark but that didn't stop Harry from ripping Joe and essentially telling him to stay in his lane because "if you have a platform, with a platform comes responsibility."

Ellen DeGeneres says she knew deep down it was time to step away from her talk show after 19 seasons on the air ... and she's thankful for one helluva ride.

Ellen got emotional Wednesday as she taped the Thursday episode of her talk show, talking about her big news -- that she's wrapping it up in 2022 -- and explaining, for the first time, what led to her decision.

She said she always knew in her heart the upcoming 19th season would be her last, and she's trusting her instincts as she prepares to walk away. Ellen got a little emotional during the monologue, but, of course, kept it funny too.

Ellen says 19 is a good number to go out on ... pointing out the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, and making a joke about the periodic table and conversations with herself and her wife, Portia de Rossi.

As a comedian, Ellen says she's always understood the importance of timing ... and the timing is right for her to end what she calls an "amazing chapter" in her life.

She'll get to discuss it even more with Thursday's guests ... Oprah and Pink.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez didn't just rekindle their romance within the last 2 weeks, instead, it's been building since February ... when he started flooding her with emails while she was filming in the Dominican Republic.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Ben and J Lo were in very regular contact by email starting in early February when she flew to the Caribbean to begin filming "Shotgun Wedding." We're told the tone of the emails wasn't just friendly ... but more loving and longing for Jen.

For instance, after seeing pics of Jennifer in the D.R., he wrote to tell her how beautiful she looked, and how much he wished he could be down there with her. Of course, he was busy at the time in Boston, shooting "The Tender Bar" with George Clooney -- and she was still engaged to Alex Rodriguez.

Our sources say the emails also referenced J Lo's love for Ben's writing, and included a line about him being able to "own her heart" with his pen.

We're told they continued emailing each other, back and forth, for the duration of J Lo's shoot ... which wrapped in late April.

As far as our sources know, there was no physical contact or rendezvous between them during this time, but the emails do add context to how they seemingly got together so quickly.

Remember, they were together in L.A. -- very publicly -- on the first weekend in May ... just 2 weeks after Jen and A-Rod called off their engagement.

Folks in Ben and Jennifer's world said they had always maintained a friendship since splitting up in 2004. However, as we first told you, they were together again in Montana this past weekend.

One more clue the exes have been in close contact for some time came with InStyle Magazine's recent J Lo cover story. It included a quote from Ben gushing about his ex-fiancee, saying in part ... "She has great talent, but she has also worked very hard for her success, and I’m so happy for her that she seems, at long last, to be getting the credit she deserves."

That story did not include a quote from Jen's then-fiance, A-Rod.

Porsha Williams is engaged again, and in real life 'Real Housewives' fashion ... her fiance is the estranged husband of one of her costars. Drama!!!

The 'RHOA' star announced she's getting super serious with a guy she's been dating for just a month -- surprising enough -- but the bigger shocker is the guy is Falynn Guobadia's ex, Simon.

If ya don't know ... Falynn just revealed her split from Simon last month, after 2 years of marriage, saying a "mutual decision was not made lightly." And, she and Porsha are supposedly good friends -- or at least that's what 'RHOA' fans thought considering Porsha brought Falynn on last season as a "friend of the show."

However, Porsha blew up that notion when she announced on IG, "Our relationship began a month ago -- yes we are crazy in love. I know it’s fast but we are living life each day to its fullest."

She adds ... "For all of you that need facts, I get the optics but Simon filed for divorce from a previous marriage in January. I had nothing to do with their divorce filing. That’s between the two of them."

And for the kicker, Porsha claims ... "Falynn and I are not friends, and Simon’s divorce has been settled."

Now, she stopped short of saying she and Simon are engaged in her post, but Simon confirmed that later on his IG. Porsha also claims her ex, Dennis McKinley -- to whom she was previously engaged -- is supportive of the situation.

Matt Damon tried his damnedest not to talk about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez but like all good BFFs ... he couldn't help himself and spilled the beans.

Matt appeared on "TODAY" show Tuesday from Australia and there was no avoiding it ... the subject, of course, his boy Ben appearing to rekindle his relationship with J Lo. Matty first tried to play coy ... saying there wasn't enough liquor in the world to get him to talk about it. But then, he did ... and told the world exactly how he feels.

In a nutshell ... Matt says he hopes it's true. Well, it sure looks that way.

TMZ broke the story ... J Lo and Ben took a trip to Montana this past weekend. They left Sunday, and when they arrived at LAX they hopped in an SUV together and drove to her Bel-Air home.

And, as we first reported, we come to find out Ben had been flooding J Lo with emails since February. The emails, BTW, weren't just friendly. We were told they were more loving and longing for Jen.

Evan Bass and Carly Waddell don't look like a couple calling it quits ... the "Bachelor in Paradise" stars are hanging out again after their split.

Evan and Carly were spotted at brunch Sunday at White Limozeen at the Graduate Hotel in Nashville, and folks who were there tell us they were acting very friendly toward one another.

It's interesting ... the brunch outing was on Mother's Day, but their children weren't with them. Seems more like a date than a family holiday outing, right?!?

Evan and Carly split back in December after 3 years of marriage ... and this is the first time they've been seen together in public since the split.

While witnesses say there was no PDA at Evan and Carly's table, we're also told Evan went to the same restaurant the weekend before with a male friend and made a reservation for him and Carly for Mother's Day. So, it sounds like this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment thing.

Looks like there might be hope for an Evan and Carly reunion.

J Lo and Ben Affleck may have crossed the friendzone, because we found out they were hanging out together this past weekend.

Ben and Jen were at the Big Sky Resort in Montana, super close to Yellowstone National Park. They were staying at the same resort and were driving around together ... Ben was driving and J Lo was riding shotgun.

They also flew out of Montana together Sunday from Bozeman, Montana to L.A. When they arrived in L.A. at the Signature Terminal at LAX, they took an SUV together and drove to her house in Bel-Air. All this raises the question, of course ... are they back together?

There's certainly a lot of smoke. The 2 were hanging out together in Los Angeles early last week as well. If you were placing bets, bet on them being reunited as a couple.

Our sources connected to both J Lo and Ben have told us they're just friends ... they've actually been fairly close over the years since their breakup.

They certainly have a lot in common now ... they both recently broke off their relationships.

It was back in 2004 when the two split, and we haven't known either of them to be romantically linked since. Of course, both have gone on to have other serious relationships and raise children as well.

A source close to J Lo told us she keeps her exes close, just look at her relationship with Marc Anthony over the years. The source also told us she's seen Alex Rodriguez since they ended things as well and that the two remain friends. However, it's rare that only J Lo and one of her exes ever hung out without kids in tow, and from what we've learned, Ben and Jennifer were solo in Montana.

Bill Gates is arguably the world's most eligible bachelor now that he's divorcing his wife, Melinda, and Tinder's got a message for any potential catfishers ... don't swim in this dating pool!!!

The online dating platform is making sure folks who are looking for love don't fall hook, line and sinker for a Bill Gates impersonator ... telling us they've got some serious tools to make sure anyone's plan to pose as Bill will fail.

As for the big safeguard ... in order to verify a Tinder profile, users must scan their mug with facial recognition software to make sure a user matches his or her uploaded profile pics. Someone posing as Bill would almost certainly be busted.

Profiles are also reviewed and scanned for any oddities before going live ... and if someone does make it through the system, other users can flag it to Tinder employees for a closer look and for further verification.

A rep for Tinder tells us they do not yet have information available on how many fake Bill profiles have tried to launch since Melinda filed for divorce.

Now, if you're trying to get with Bill ... you might be better off sending a direct message on social media, instead of swiping through Tinder ... but you'll have to get in line, because lots of folks are sliding into Bill's DMs.

As we reported ... Bill's been lining his estranged wife's pockets with billions in stock ever since they announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage, so Melinda Gates is quite the eligible bachelorette as well.

Folks are shooting their shot with Melinda as well, but as with Bill, Tinder won't be letting any fake Melinda profiles fly.

Tristan Thompson has his legal guns putting the heat back on the Instagram model claiming she has salacious texts from him ... telling Sydney Chase to put up or shut up.

The Celtics star -- who's with Khloe Kardashian -- had his attorney, Marty Singer, fire off a legal threat to Chase ... who claims she had sex with Tristan after he got back with Khloe.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ, Singer says Chase is refusing to prove the existence of the alleged texts and it can only lead to one "inescapable conclusion ... that they do not exist."

As we reported ... Tristan's legal team previously fired off a cease and desist to Chase, claiming they never had a relationship and he never sent her any texts ... and she initially denied receiving the threat.

Chase has since changed her tune, acknowledging she received the cease and desist after it was sent to another email address ... and now Tristan's legal team says she keeps "changing the purported 'facts' to fit [her] story."

Mendeecees is free to leave the country for a very special occasion -- renewing his wedding vows to Yandy Smith.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ ... the "Love & Hip Hop New York" star got a federal judge to sign off on his request to travel to Dubai for a few days later in May so he can renew his vows.

As we first told you ... Mendeecees was released from prison and reunited with his family in early 2020 after spending more than 5 years behind bars for drug trafficking.

He's still on supervised release until 2025 though, meaning he has to get approval for travel like this. According to the docs ... his probation officer says he's been compliant with the conditions of his supervised release, so the officer had no problems with his travel request and sent it on to the court for approval.

The judge agreed, so he's good to go for a trip to Dubai with Yandy.

Worth noting ... Mendeecees and Yandy famously had their lavish wedding ceremony in 2015 -- which aired on a live VH1 special -- but she later revealed in an episode that they were never legally married.

She said, "I have a union with Mendeecees, but I did not go into a partnership with Mendeecees and the government."

The Bill and Melinda divorce has been a done deal for months, TMZ has learned, and they had a plan to announce it back in March ... a plan that included renting a remote, private island where the entire family -- with one BIG exception -- could avoid the media once the announcement was made ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our sources say Melinda Gates rented Calivigny Island in Grenada ... yes, she rented the entire island for $132,000 a night. The plan was for Melinda and the kids, as well as their significant others, to come to the island -- everyone except Bill. We're told everyone in the family already knew Bill and Melinda were divorcing. There was a considerable amount of acrimony associated with the split and we're told virtually everyone in the family took Melinda's side. Another way of putting it ... we're told they were very angry at Bill, and that's why he wasn't invited.

The reason for going to the island ... so no one from the media could reach them and ask about the split when it was announced during their stay.

But, there was a problem ... lawyers for both Bill and Melinda were trying to hash out a divorce settlement and there were still outstanding issues that couldn't be resolved at the time of the trip. We're told Melinda decided to go anyway ... well, with everyone BUT Bill.

So here's the takeaway. First, we're told this was not a friendly split. We're told Melinda and most of the family were furious at Bill for various things they claim he had done.

Despite being hit with criminal charges in connection with the horrific death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child ... boxer Felix Verdejo WILL continue to have a contract with Top Rank as long he's not convicted -- so says Bob Arum.

The legendary boxing promoter explained the situation in an interview with WAPA-TV this week ... saying he has no plans to cut Verdejo at this time, even in light of the disturbing allegations against the 27-year-old.

"A man -- no matter how bad it looks -- is innocent until proven guilty," Arum says.

"And, we will not release him from the contract and terminate our relationship with him unless or until he's convicted."

While Arum's point is legitimate -- Verdejo's got a mountain to climb to avoid a conviction ... because there seems to be a ton of very compelling evidence against him as it relates to the death of 27-year-old Keishla Rodriguez and her unborn child.

Law enforcement says a witness has come forward and claimed he helped Verdejo kill the woman in Puerto Rico last week ... saying the boxer abducted her, punched her, injected her with foreign substances, and ultimately threw her off a bridge with a heavy block tied to her.

Law enforcement says cell phone data appears to corroborate the witness' story. Investigators also say they have surveillance video which appears to show a dark SUV at the scene of the crime similar to the one Verdejo had previously been spotted with.

Still, Arum says, "We're not going to release him until and unless he is convicted."

Verdejo surrendered to Puerto Rican authorities over the weekend ... and is currently being held without bail.

Puerto Rican newspaper El Vocero de Puerto Rico reports he's due in court on May 11 for a hearing in the case.

Terrifying incident involving cricket legend Stuart MacGill ... who was allegedly kidnapped and assaulted at gunpoint in Australia last month -- and cops have now arrested his girlfriend's brother over the incident.

50-year-old MacGill was reportedly confronted by 46-year-old Marino Sotiropoulos, the brother of MacGill's GF, Maria O’Meagher, on April 14 near Sydney ... according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

According to the report, while interacting with Sotiropoulos, MacGill was then approached by two other men ... who allegedly forced him into a car and drove him an hour outside of the city.

Cops say MacGill was beaten and threatened with a firearm for an hour straight upon arriving at a home in Bringelly ... suffering minor injuries.

According to cops, MacGill was then driven to Belmore -- another suburb of Sydney -- where he was ultimately released by the group.

The cricket legend reported the incident to police days later ... and the State Crime Command’s Robbery and Serious Crime Squad launched an investigation.

Officials believe the incident was financially motivated ... but say a ransom was not given and money was NOT exchanged.

Detective acting superintendent Anthony Holton told reporters Sotiropoulos was close to MacGill and believes his involvement to be an act of betrayal.

"I’d say the 46-year-old man’s involvement, we'll be alleging, was part of the facilitation of his kidnapping," Holton said, according to the Daily Telegraph.

Four individuals were arrested this week in the case -- Sotiropoulos, a 42-year-old man, a 29-year-old man, and a 27-year-old man.

According to the report, Sotiropoulos was charged with "detaining in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm, participating in a criminal group (contributing to criminal activity) and supplying a prohibited drug (large commercial quantity)."

The 42-year-old was charged with "knowingly directing the activities of a criminal group and detaining in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm."

Both the 27-year-old and 29-year-old were charged with participating in a criminal group (contributing to criminal activity) and detaining in company with intent to get advantage occasioning actual bodily harm.

All men were denied bail to appear in court on Wednesday.

MacGill played on the Australian national team from 1998-2008 ... appearing in 44 Test matches.