TikTok

Dan Benson -- a former star on "Wizards of Waverly Place" -- went from child star to porn star ... and he says he couldn't be happier over the career change.

The ex-Disney Channel actor -- who used to play Zeke Beakerman and work alongside Selena Gomez between 2007 and 2012 -- hopped on TikTok to provide a mental health update ... explaining he was feeling great about his pivot into adult entertainment.

He says he has no regrets about the kinda stuff he's doing on camera now, and that he was even surprised about some of the reactions he's gotten ... which have mostly been positive.

DB explains that while he thought he'd be met with shame and condemnation, he's actually experienced a lot of love and empowerment -- and he's glad the stigma associated with porn isn't being hurled his way. On the job front, there too he's found a healthy environment.

Dan goes on to say he's asked to do stuff all the time that he's not necessarily comfortable with, but now finds himself in a position to say no -- which he says is often respected.

And, the cherry on top ... him being supported, encouraged and, sometimes, approached by fans in public -- who he says have been nothing but lovely to him since he left the Mouse House. As he puts it, Dan feels like a "badass" these days ... so he's in a solid place.

Dan uses OnlyFans, among other X-rated platforms ... and has embraced his sensuality.

It just goes to show, there's lots of ways to make money these days -- and even the untraditional ways are being viewed in a different light than ever before.

Symba is chalking up the XXL Freshman to be a lost cause ... but he could also be feeling some kinda way for being snubbed on this year's issue.

The Bay Area rapper ponied up his honest thoughts about the newest Freshman class in 92.3's BET Awards radio room ... and suggested hip hop culture's future is in shaky hands with XXL's picks.

Symba says rap music's lack of chart-topping music ... a first in 30 years ... is a direct result of XXL's insistence on putting TikTok-quality rappers on its cover.

He was plenty dismissive of the list as a whole. GloRilla, SleazyWorld Go, Luh Tyler and 2Rare are just a handful of the budding talent to make the 2023 cut -- but Symba's saying just trash the whole thing.

It may sound a little drastic for someone like K Camp ... who's been an XXL Freshman in the past. The Rare Sound rapper thinks when your buzz is as big as Ice Spice's, skipping the cover is cool but the look can't hurt at the end of the day.

Symba's wordplay and mixtape with DJ Drama attracted praise from his peers, especially from older rappers, for being a formidable MC ... but apparently, the publication felt differently and didn't select him during this period of eligibility.

Cops are searching for a dangerous assailant who knocked the crap out of a woman in an NYC subway station ... and the unprovoked attack was all caught on video.

Check out the SCARY footage ... it starts rather calmly with the woman peering down at her cell phone as she's walking along the platform at Clinton-Washington Avenues Station in Brooklyn last Sunday.

The suspect then appears, heading toward her in the opposite direction ... as the two pass each other on the platform, the guy hauls off and socks the woman in the face, knocking her down.

Dazed and confused, the woman covers her injured face with her hands as a good Samaritan rushes to her aid from a subway idling in the station.

The woman later posted video of the assault to TikTok, showing her black eye and blaming herself for not paying attention by staring at her phone.

Meanwhile, the perpetrator dashed out of the station and is currently being sought by NYPD detectives.

Carl Eiswerth -- who amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok -- died in a car accident ... TMZ has learned.

Carl's mom, Janet, tells us the social media star was killed Tuesday in Pennsylvania. Janet says Carl was driving with a close friend -- he was in the passenger's seat -- when they were struck by another vehicle in the middle of an intersection.

Carl grew his TikTok following to nearly 500,000 before his death. We're told his family is planning two memorial services, and may live stream the events so his fans can participate.

As for what will happen with his TikTok account, that's still up in the air ... Janet says they don't yet know if his family will take it over, or if there's any material to still be posted.

Carl's page was full of videos, mostly of himself, where he'd combine humor and wit to show his fans a day in the life as he navigated the world.

Carl was only 35.

Olivia Dunne is taking a break from rizzing up Baby Gronk to enjoy a summer getaway this week ... and she's spending her downtime lounging around on a yacht in Italy!!

The 20-year-old LSU gymnast/social media superstar shared some snaps from her island vacation in Capri on Monday ... and it looks like she's having the time of her life as she catches some rays in a black bikini.

"Ms. Worldwide," Livvy captioned the post ... which has already racked up 100,000 likes and a ton of comments.

Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover model Brooks Nader was one of the many complimentary reactions ... giving a simple "Yes," under the post.

Fellow influencer/athlete Hanna Cavinder added her own praise ... saying, "glowing."

Of course, Livvy is wildly popular already ... but she was trending all last week after a series of TikToks poked fun at a video she made with 10-year-old Madden San Miguel on LSU's campus earlier this year.

Dunne is a natural in front of the camera -- she's featured in this year's S.I. Swim issue ... and is no stranger to posting about her life to her millions of followers.

On top of her social media fame, she's a damn good athlete for the Tigers ... but unfortunately, she battled several injuries this past season.

Miguel is currently blowing up on TikTok, despite not dropping a full-length album in nearly 6 years ... something he plans on changing very soon.

We caught up with the singer for a hot sec Thursday at LAX, and asked if he felt comfortable enough to just coast on the success he's having on the globally massive app.

Thanks to TikTok's popular "sped-up" trend, Miguel's 2011 hit "Sure Thing" amassed over 4 million video creations, and reentered the Billboard Hot 100 and hit #10 on the UK charts ... and it's also been doing hella well on pop radio!!!

Miguel tells us his TikTok wins have only given him more reason to release his next project and appeared to be dashing to the studio.

The TikTok community has been showing Miguel and his new track "Give It to Me" Plenty of love in the meantime. He and the Jonas Brothers recently kicked off the app's "New Music Hub" search feature.

Baby Gronk is erasing all doubt ... the football prodigy tells TMZ Sports he is, indeed, the new Drip King after meeting up with Livvy Dunne -- and he added that if he ever sees Baby Diggs on a field, he's winning that matchup no doubt!!

If you're unfamiliar with what any of that means ... let's a play a little catchup.

Baby Gronk gained fame several years ago for his prowess on youth football fields ... but, the 10-year-old's star absolutely skyrocketed earlier this year -- after Dunne ran into him on LSU's campus. While the two were at the school together, Dunne filmed a short vid with him ... urging the youngster to one day be a Tiger, before hugging him and calling him "cute."

The clip eventually made it's way to the TikTok world -- and one user asked in a now-viral video if it all meant Baby Gronk is the new "Drip King."

Of course, the exposure all came with the emergence of Baby Gronk challengers too -- and one, Baby Diggs, eventually went viral for calling BG out ... saying he'd win in a 1-on-1 matchup easily.

But, Baby Gronk told us Wednesday there should be no questions about either topic ... saying he is the undisputed Rizz King -- and he would destroy Baby Diggs at either cornerback or wide receiver.

"There ain't no comparison, man," said Baby Gronk's dad, Jake San Miguel. "I know Baby Diggs had his little time on TikTok and he got his little name -- but when it comes to real football, you know Baby Gronk is the real deal."

San Miguel told us all of the attention Baby Gronk's received over the past few days and weeks has been crazy ... so wild, in fact, he predicted it'd eventually lead to the kind of "stardom where you just think they sold their soul or something."

"I think it's going to reach that level," he said.

Kim Kardashian clearly has no problem poking fun at her sister's love life, as evidenced by the T-shirt she's flaunting with Kendall Jenner and all of her NBA ex-boyfriends!

The video, featuring Kim K and North West, was posted Sunday from their joint account ... the mommy-daughter duo was seen dancing around, as KK styled North's hair, but fans overlooked all that to focus on Kim's wardrobe.

The shirt in question has a close-up photo of Kendall surrounded by 5 NBA stars -- Jordan Clarkson, Blake Griffin, Ben Simmons, Kyle Kuzma, and her most recent ex Devin Booker -- with the text, "Kendall Starting Five" plastered on the front.

You'll recall, Kendall dated Jordan Clarkson back in 2016 when he played for the Lakers, but they wound up breaking up later the same year. The following year, she moved on to Blake Griffin, who currently plays for the Boston Celtics. They called it quits in 2018.

She had an on-and-off relationship with Ben Simmons from 2018-2019 before dating Kyle Kuzma, who is currently with the Washington Wizards. In 2020, she was with current Phoenix Suns player, Devin Booker, until they eventually ended last November.

And, it's not the first time the shirt has made a cameo ... Kim even wore it in the season 3 trailer of "The Kardashians."

Of course, Kendall has ventured off from athletes and is now with Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny. The two have been a thing for a few months now ... and have been spending a lot of time together.

The woman who claims a man pulled her wig off for no apparent reason in the streets of NYC has now gone to the police for help, filing a report in a bid for justice.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ an official complaint was filed Sunday with the NYPD by a local artist named Lizzy Ashliegh, who's Black. We're told the crime alleged is misdemeanor assault ... and that Ashliegh is claiming to have suffered a minor injury to her neck.

Our sources tell us Ashliegh declined medical attention when she filed the report -- although, she claimed on social media she's seen a doctor -- and that her report triggered an investigation. We're told Lizzy identified a man named Anthony Orlich -- a lawyer whose law firm has since said he is no longer employed with the firm following the alleged incident.

Ashliegh posted a video that she claims showed the aftermath of the alleged incident, which went viral. You see her repeatedly ask the man why he snatched her wig off, this as she holds the blue-green wig in her hands.

Other guys in the clip -- who are reported to have been friends of Orlich --  were also trying to get him to apologize for it ... to no avail. The internet was up in arms about it too -- especially because he's white and Ashliegh's Black.

Dixie D'Amelio got a ride to a hospital on a gurney in the back of an ambulance after nearly losing consciousness ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the TikTok star was working Thursday around 3 PM in West Hollywood when she felt faint -- and, out of caution, an ambulance was called to take her to a hospital.

We're told Dixie turned out to be dehydrated and she received an IV with fluids.

It's clear folks around her were extremely concerned -- the fire department was dispatched to Sunset Plaza for a possible seizure.

Thankfully, it turned out to not be that serious.

We're told she's now feeling much better and still plans to attend the D'Amelio family's shoe launch tonight.

Dixie posted on Snapchat from what appears to be a hospital ... she's got different monitors hooked up to her chest.

We're learning more about the financial pressures TikTok dad Bobby Moudy was experiencing in the weeks leading up to his suicide -- the father of 3 had just lost his house.

A rep for Rankin County, Mississippi tells us the Moudy home was recently sold at auction after going into foreclosure. What's more, Moudy's wife, Jennifer, tells us she had no idea about the issues with the house ... making his death, and the fallout from it, even more challenging.

Not only that, we're told no one around Bobby had any idea he was struggling, and the suicide has everyone stunned -- it just wasn't something they thought he'd ever do. The family also understands Bobby was battling more than just financial issues, and was clearly struggling mentally as well.

Jennifer tells us Bobby never wanted to be a burden, and the family is really relying on their community for support. Next steps will be grief counseling for both Jennifer and the couple's 3 kids -- ages 10, 12 and 19.

She says despite the family's newfound financial struggles, their daughter Kaytlin will still be able to go to college in the fall. As we reported, there's been a GoFundMe set up to benefit the Moudys.

As for Bobby's popular TikTok account, Jennifer says she and Kaytlin will take it over, in the near future, with the same fun vibe. Jennifer tells us the profile will also be used to bring awareness to suicide and people who might be suffering in silence.

Jennifer says it gave Bobby joy to showcase his family through TikTok and he loved making people laugh. She says he was proud of his family, and he got enjoyment from giving others enjoyment.

TMZ broke the story ... Moudy took his own life in the family home April 28. A family rep said "Bobby was full of life and laughs, but also weighed down by financial pressures. His wife, Jennifer and their three children are in an emotional and financial crisis as he was their rock."

Bobby Moudy, the father of 3 who gained TikTok fame by posting wholesome content with his family, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Moudy's family writes, "Bobby was a loving father, husband, brother and friend. On April 28th, he was a tragic victim of suicide. Bobby was full of life and laughs, but also weighed down by financial pressures. His wife, Jennifer and their three children are in an emotional and financial crisis as he was their rock."

The circumstances surrounding Moudy's suicide are currently unclear, but we know he died at home in Mississippi.

If you were one of the more than 500k followers of the Moudy family accounts, you know Moudy posted a ton of videos of his wife and kids, often using humor to share his life as a dad.

Friends of the Moudy family have established a GoFundMe to help the family through their loss and financial struggles in the wake of Bobby's death.

Bobby leaves behind his wife Jennifer, and kids Kaytlin, Max and Charleigh.

He was only 46.

RIP

Alabama Barker has no problem giving social media trolls a piece of her mind ... firing back at folks, especially older ones, who have something to say about her wearing a ton of makeup.

The 17-year-old daughter of Travis Barker and Shanna Moakler clapped back at her haters via TikTok ... after some people online shamed her for looking too grown for her age, specifically calling out her wardrobe and makeup.

Alabama posted a video with a full-beat face, lip-synching to the viral audio clip ... "I'd tell you what you look like but you won’t like it." Her caption read, "When Kathryn with 3 kids only waterline liner, 4 different colored blonde & Tom shoes, talk about my makeup or my age."

Of course, her TikTok only fueled more criticism in the comments ... things like, "I think people are just concerned about the over sexualization of youth in Hollywood/LA culture."

Alabama's response ... "Well I'm doing great thank u."

TikTok star Brayden Whaley is going through a nasty breakup with his ex-girlfriend, influencer McKenzi Brooke ... and things are so ugly, he's seeking court-ordered protection from her.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Brayden claims McKenzi falsely accused him of getting physical with her when she went on a recent podcast and said he "laid hands on her" ... something Brayden denies.

Instead, Brayden claims he was at a party where McKenzi and her mom were trying to convince him to commit to an exclusive relationship with her to boost her social media brand, ganging up on him and refusing to let him leave the party.

Brayden says he only gently put his hands on her to move her out of his way so he could leave, but he claims she blocked him from leaving and begged him to stay in a relationship with her.

He refused and now claims McKenzi's "turned jealous, controlling and threatening" ... as evidenced by her trashing him on the podcast. He also claims her alleged lies are hurting him financially and emotionally.

Brayden says McKenzi keeps posting about him online, painting him in a negative light, and he and his family feel threatened because she has legions of followers who they fear might retaliate on her behalf.

What's more, Brayden says he's tried to get McKenzi to take down the posts ... but says she has continued to escalate her online attacks.

A dangerous challenge on TikTok landed a North Carolina teen in the hospital with serious burns over nearly 80 percent of his disfigured body.

Grisly photos of Mason Dark have gone viral after the 16-year-old was dared by a group of TikTokers to make a torch out of a spray paint can and a lighter.

The TT users often meet online to create mini-flamethrowers, but this time their makeshift project went awry as Dark was engulfed in flames after the can exploded.

Dark ran to a river near his Wake Forest home and dove inside to put out the flames. When he emerged from the water, he had third-degree burns over 76 percent of his body, including his face.

His mom, Holli, told Fox affiliate WRAL News, “He is unrecognizable, unrecognizable." She also said her son was rushed to a burn center, where he has already undergone skin grafts, which are surgeries that replace damaged skin with healthy skin from unaffected areas of the body. Dark is expected to stay in the hospital for at least 6 months.

Holli went on to say her son's flaming, bunched-up T-shirt was seared into his skin while he was trying to remove it at the riverbed.

She added that his physical appearance has only worsened since the accident last week, explaining, “The way he looked when those kids saw him when he first came in, to what he looks like now, it’s 100 times different."

Dylan Mulvaney has finally come back to social media after facing serious outrage online for her partnership with Bud Light ... saying she's still standing strong despite all the noise, adding the hatred being spewed at her is a real full-circle moment.

The transgender TikTok personality jumped back on Instagram Thursday, addressing her 1.8M followers with a "long time, no talk" convo ... first saying she took a step back once the controversy started in order to "let them tucker themselves out."

She never mentions Bud Light by name, but she's absolutely referring to the anger that was around her recent collab -- reassuring fans she's doing alright, but being called names or "too feminine" really took her back to when she was a kid.

What's different this time around is this isn't playground talk -- it's adults coming after her for being herself ... adding "Dehumanization has never fixed anything in history." Dylan says she's always trying to love everyone, including those that are against her.

She finishes by joking that something good came out of all of this, apart from the trans representation in ads -- saying the people pleaser in her has died because she's accepted the fact that she can't win them all.

As you know, Bud Light came under fire -- literally -- at the beginning of April after partnering up with Dylan ... and many people, including Kid Rock, decided to show their lack of support by destroying the beer cans they'd already purchased.