TMZ Live

Kobe Bryant's 19-year-old daughter is getting court-ordered protection from an alleged stalker ... who her team says has an obsession with her and with guns.

Natalia Bryant got a judge to sign off on a temporary restraining order against 32-year-old Dwayne Kemp.

TMZ broke the story ... Natalia claims Kemp has been under the delusion they're in a relationship ... she says the harassment has been going on for 2 years, and escalating. She says he recently showed up at USC, creeping around buildings where she's taking classes. He's even shown up at her sorority house.

What's especially scary ... according to court docs, Kemp has been convicted of at least 4 crimes, including one involving a firearm. Cops say he's in the process of buying a gun, and he's made clear on social media he's interested in an AK-47 and/or a fully automatic Glock.

Natalia says Kemp once sent her a DM with an image of her late father Kobe and wrote, "Thankful For Him Birthing You, Hopefully We Can Birth Him… 'Kobe,'" adding a red heart to the message. The docs say Kemp had the hopes of having "a Kobe-like child together."

A man was caught on camera chucking a brick into the window of a gay bar in New York City ... and it's reportedly been the 4th attack on the spot in a week.

The clip shows the unknown man walking up to VERS located in Hell's Kitchen Saturday night -- after hurling the brick at the window, he runs off as people nearby quickly turn their attention to the building.

Oddly enough, the guy appears to come back to the scene ... and it looks like he's trying to blend in -- he even points down the street, seemingly directing people toward the assailant.

This attack was the 4th in the past week ... according to owner David DeParolesa, who told the New York Post shatterproof glass windows were installed when he bought the place back in July -- anticipating anti-gay attacks.

He calls the string of attacks "unnerving," seeing it as "yet another manifestation of hate against our community."

The video appears to have been shot the exact same night as a gunman opened fire at Club Q, a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs ... as we reported, 22-year-old Anderson Lee Aldrich was taken into custody -- and reportedly 5 victims have died, with another 25 injured.

Aldrich had a troubling rap sheet, BTW -- getting arrested back in June 2021 after allegedly making a bomb threat against his mother.

The judge who presided over Casey Anthony’s murder trial thinks prosecutors made a strong enough case to win a conviction ... but he's giving her lawyers props for their strategy.

Judge Belvin Perry Jr. joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," and we asked if he was surprised the jury acquitted Casey of murder, manslaughter and child abuse following 2-year-old daughter Caylee's death. Casey was only found guilty of lying to cops.

Perry Jr. says he thought prosecutors presented enough evidence for the jury to convict Casey ... but still, he wasn't shocked when the jury acquitted her, because he's learned there are no locks when it comes to criminal trials.

Judge Perry Jr. is now retired from the bench, and told us a lot of what Casey's saying in a new Peacock documentary is the same "crap" she floated during the trial. Of course, she was acquitted, but Perry says that doesn't mean the jury bought what Casey was saying back then.

Instead, he gives credit to her defense attorneys, Jose Baez and Cheney Mason, who "littered that case with as much reasonable doubt as they possibly could."

Casey didn't take the stand during the trial and is now giving her version of events in an upcoming Peacock documentary -- but the former judge told us there are all sorts of problems with her claims, the new ones and the old ones.

Fat Joe's about to drop his memoir, which is filled with lessons many young rappers could use -- but it's actually an old-school rapper, one Kanye West, who recently sought out Joe's counsel.

The legendary Bronx MC joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and revealed he, almost literally, ran into Ye while walking out of his L.A. hotel room. Joe says Ye asked him for advice on how to handle all the backlash for his bigoted and antisemitic remarks.

He says he told Ye the truth, as he sees it, reminding him he's got pals from all walks of life and all religions. FJ advised Ye to keep God in mind, and stop using hurtful words.

Joe's got a lot more gems to drop -- especially for hip hop's up-and-comers -- in 'The Book of Jose.' His memoir will be available Tuesday, and reveals his days as a street hustler and his rise to rap superstar. He told us he knew exactly when his life had changed, and he needed to stop hanging with his old crew from the block.

It comes down to 2 words: RICO laws! You gotta see Joe explain the light bulb moment.

BTW, after his Ye run-in ... Joe also had an encounter with Will Smith, who's been laying low since that Oscars slap.

Nancy Grace says the upcoming Peacock docuseries on Casey Anthony is a sham ... she says Casey will lie her way through the series and laugh all the way to the bank.

The queen of true crime joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked her why Peacock is coming out with a series on the woman Nancy called the "most hated mom in America" during the trial for her daughter Caylee's murder.

There's already tons of outrage over Peacock's three-part doc, "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies," and Nancy says the only thing the network and Casey care about here is making money.

Nancy, who famously dubbed Casey the "Tot Mom," says she was actually invited to sit down with Casey for an interview as part of the docuseries ... but she says she refused when she was told she couldn't grill Casey the way she would in a court of law.

Translation: Nancy wasn't down for a bunch of softball questions.

As you know, Casey was acquitted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter back in 2011 during a trial that got wall-to-wall coverage on cable news ... especially from Nancy, who was convinced Casey was guilty.

The Peacock series is the first time Casey is giving an on-camera interview since her trial ... and a teaser for the doc was released Tuesday, sparking the backlash.

Chuck D says hip hop needs to start addressing the gun violence plaguing the industry ... and killing rappers at an alarming pace.

We talked to the legendary MC on "TMZ Live" to get his thoughts on the latest shooting death in hip hop -- Migos rapper Takeoff being gunned down in Houston -- and Chuck says it's crazy how folks think it's normal to lose rappers to gun violence.

Chuck says attacking someone with a gun should be considered "abnormal behavior" ... and he's lamenting the fact it's become so commonplace in America, people almost seem to shrug it off as just a part of life.

As we reported ... Takeoff was killed during an early morning shooting in Houston, with emergency audio revealing at least 5 shots were fired. We're told Takeoff and Quavo were playing dice at a bowling alley when an altercation broke out and someone, or multiple people, opened fire ... fatally shooting Takeoff.

Chuck D says gun violence in the hip hop community has been ignored for far too long -- he says any other industry with so many fatalities would have addressed the issue before it became normalized.

He adds ... people have grown up thinking a rapper dying young is a normal thing ... and he says it's not only about the death itself, but also the manner -- drugs and gunshots.

Problem is, Chuck says too much music glorifies guns and drugs, whereas before, it was a reflection of what was going on in the community, not a dictation.

Twitter is now on a rollercoaster ride, courtesy of its new owner Elon Musk ... and technology columnist Kevin Roose says the ride could lead to a whole new app within a matter of days.

Kevin joined "TMZ Live" to forecast the bird app's future on the heels of a wild weekend brought on by Musk himself -- his retweeting an unsubstantiated Paul Pelosi conspiracy theory is raising major concerns about how much misinformation he's going to allow.

Political consequences aside, Roose says there could be a lot of financial fallout from Elon's early moves.

He believes Elon's Pelosi tweet signals there will be a constant tug-of-war between Twitter being a free speech forum ... and one that regulates misinformation and hate speech -- and that battle will impact advertising revenue.

Kevin notes ... advertisers generally don't love placement next to toxic content, and after dropping $44 billion for the platform, Elon needs it thrive as a biz.

As for Twitter's employees ... Kevin says big-time layoffs are expected this week, and Elon's already booted all of Twitter's previous executives and board members.

Former "Deal or No Deal" model Claudia Jordan is sticking up for the other briefcase models on the game show ... saying Meghan Markle's claims about being "forced" to become a briefcase "bimbo" just ain't right.

The "RHOA" alum joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday, saying she had no clue the Duchess of Sussex had such negative feelings about being on the show ... and felt her comments were a little unfair for the rest of the models.

Meghan felt the models were "objectified" for their looks and were never able to showcase their brains.

Claudia says there were lots of briefcase models with brains, including Stacey Gardner, who passed the bar exam while she was on the show.

But, as Claudia says, it was no secret ... they signed up for a modeling gig, and clearly, Meghan knew that.

Claudia has been a fierce defender of Meghan's, saying the racist treatment she got from the British press and the treatment she generally got from the Royals was appalling, but the "Deal or No Deal" complaint is different.

Anna Sorokin is fresh out of ICE custody and spending her time on house arrest ... and she thinks a second chance is something that she's earned -- even if others don't see it that way.

Anna joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" ... and she thinks her trial taking place in the U.S. -- mixed with America's obsession with the true crime genre -- is what boosted her popularity, saying her story is all about getting another chance.

Of course, it would be a really tall order for ICE to give her the green light to stay -- as you know, she was found guilty of multiple fraud charges back in 2019 ... including 4 counts of theft services and 3 counts of grand larceny while pretending to be a German heiress named Anna Delvey.

Anna chalks her crimes up to a simple mistake ... and she makes the argument she should be allowed to stay in the U.S.

Anna's required to stay at home and rock an ankle monitor ... only to step out under the watchful eyes of immigration officials or her parole officer.

"Kenan & Kel" star Kel Mitchell is remembering all the good times he had with Coolio ... telling us the late rapper was super fun to hang out with because he was always full of good vibes and good stories.

The former Nickelodeon star joined "TMZ Live" Thursday where we asked him about his experiences with Coolio, who famously teamed up with Kel and Kenan Thompson back in the day for their show's theme song.

Kel says folks still ask him about the song, and he says Coolio brought the "magic" to the catchy track.

TMZ broke the story ... Coolio died Wednesday at a friend's house in Los Angeles.

Law enforcement sources tell us first responders performed CPR for 45 minutes in a frantic effort to revive him.

Kel says Coolio was like everyone's favorite uncle ... because when he showed up at the function, it was a sure sign of a good time.

Stacey Abrams says there's a threat to democracy underway in her state of Georgia, and several others, due to laws making it harder for folks to vote -- which she believes tears at the very fabric of American democracy.

The voting rights activist is running for Governor in the Peach State and she joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday to discuss the roadblocks she says lawmakers are putting up for voters there.

Stacey says Georgia's incumbent, Gov. Brian Kemp, is on the record saying his frustration with how Georgians voted in the 2020 presidential and U.S. Senate elections -- flipping from red to blue -- prompted him to sign new laws ... which she says intentionally make it tougher for people to cast their votes.

There are growing concerns nationally about the GOP's full-court press to install Secretaries of State who could potentially certify an election for a candidate who actually lost at the polls -- but Stacey says voter suppression is an equal, if not greater, concern.

The way she sees it ... limiting ballots and people's access to voting is just another way to change election outcomes -- not as overt as rigging, but just as effective.

Stacey says Georgia is a prime example of these dynamics at work ... she says Georgia's Sec. of State, Brad Raffensperger, is getting credit for refusing to commit election fraud back in 2020, but she says he's a "very strong proponent of voter suppression."

"Slutty Vegan" founder Pinky Cole is serious about giving Black people, and all people in underdeveloped communities, better access to healthy food ... which is why folks are lining up for her very unique dining experience.

The restaurant owner joined "TMZ Live" ahead of her plant-based burger joint's grand opening in Brooklyn, NY -- which will be her 7th location, after launching with a single food truck in Atlanta.

Pinky tells us, she went vegan back in 2014, and noticed it got even more trendy once Beyoncé opened up about temporarily turning away from meat. Her business model? Make vegan food more enjoyable -- adding an experience to the nutritional value.

The name itself shows the creativity and inclination to attract all kinds of folks ... she merged two pleasurable things: sex and food!

Now, Pinky says she's expanding -- even more than the Brooklyn location -- and focusing on Black and brown communities ... sometimes right in the middle of gentrified neighborhoods.

Her main goal is to show folks how to reimagine food and eat healthy ... while giving access to great options.

Pinky seems super hopeful her restaurant will be the perfect way to help folks live healthier. She says 90% of the customers aren't vegan ... they're meat-eaters who simply want to get their grub on.

Jack Osbourne says we might not know everything about UFOs, but the government sure does ... and now he's taking matters into his own hands to get the real lowdown.

Jack joined TMZ Live and talked about his upcoming TV special, "Jack Osbourne's Night Of Terror: UFOs" ... and shared his outta-this-world thoughts about life on other planets.

Jack says writing off the idea of UFOs, aliens or any kind of life outside of planet earth is incredibly ignorant. He says this type of research is really important ... and he could be onto something.

Just last week, Congress confirmed some UFOs are not "man-made" and could potentially pose a threat. The confirmation was buried inside a U.S. congressional report, and Jack feels there's so much more info the government isn't telling us.

Jack seemed almost certain some folks in Congress might know exactly what these objects are and where they come from ... but they are bread-crumbing Americans with that info.

His reason on why the Prez isn't fessing up to knowing about UFOs is pretty interesting ... though he says some past presidents have dropped hints. Now he's taking his own closer look at strange going-ons at a popular landing spot for UFO sightings over the years.

Andre Rush's been a White House chef and successful author, but now he's dedicating himself to connecting with fellow veterans to reduce that community's alarming suicide rate.

Andre joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk about his work with the BourBiz Network ... a nonprofit that aims to help military vets adapt and thrive in the civilian world. He's so committed to this mission that he starts each day with an incredible physical feat.

You've probably heard the sobering statistic -- 22 vets die by suicide every day ... and Andre says that's why he's made it a point to do 2,222 push-ups every day as a show of support, and to remind himself why his mission is so necessary.

He told us how long this takes him, and let's just say no one could ever question his dedication. Andre says the outpouring of support and appreciation he gets at speaking engagements makes it all worthwhile.

Andre served his time in the US army in the '90s and during the Iraq war. Eventually, he worked his way to the White House as a chef ... and has since had a successful career.

Right now, he's filming a new cooking show called "Chef In the City," and while he didn't want to give up all the details just yet ... he dished up a great tease for us.

As for his work with BourBiz ... Andre says his ultimate goal is to give vets resources and educate them about post-military challenges and mental health.

The author of "Call Me Chef, Dammit!: A Veteran’s Journey from the Rural South to the White House” knows what he speaks.

Pete Buttigieg feels people's pain when their flights get canceled last-minute ... and his team at the Department of Transportation wants people to know they're entitled to some serious green during those annoying situations.

The Transportation Secretary joined us on "TMZ Live" to chat about the DOT's new system, which is aimed at picking up the pieces for travelers when the airlines keep the deets vague regarding cancelations.

The soon-to-come dashboard will help customers determine if they're owed cash when their flight gets delayed or canceled -- something he claims airlines have failed to make obvious.

French Montana recently hit a big milestone with his song, "Unforgettable," but the artist isn't focused on that -- he's laser-focused on helping addicts by providing them with the privacy and help they need to recover.

French joined "TMZ Live" Friday ... talking about his partnership with Guardian Recovery Group to form NAQI Healthcare -- it's aimed at expanding access to in-home and private detox services to privacy-sensitive clients.

He's lost people over the years to addiction, in particular, his pal Mac Miller ... and doesn't want anyone to feel shame by seeking help before it's too late.

NAQI is offering up help in Florida, NY, and Cali, and will soon expand nationwide. The company's also donating a percentage of profits to MusiCares -- a charity that offers health, finance and rehab resources to musicians.

FYI -- French got his diamond-certified plaque for "Unforgettable" Wednesday ... not only is he the first African-born artist to go diamond (10 million units moved), but he's also the first artist from the South Bronx to hit the mark!!!

French is leveling up his rap stock even more with a joint album with Kodak Black and an upcoming doc in which Drake will serve as the executive producer.