TMZ Live

Florida Congressman-Elect Maxwell Alejandro Frost, the first Gen Z candidate to make it to Congress, says he tried applying for an apartment in Washington, D.C. -- but got denied because of low credit.

25-year-old Frost let out his housing frustrations Thursday, tweeting ... "Just applied to an apartment in DC where I told the guy that my credit was really bad. He said I'd be fine. Got denied, lost the apartment, and the application fee."

He says, "This ain't meant for people who don't already have money," before answering some follow-up questions -- mainly telling people his credit tanked because of all the debt he got while running for Congress.

He added, and not jokingly, "Didn't make enough money from Uber itself to pay for a living."

Frost gives a shoutout to fellow Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who he says went through the same thing 4 years ago ... pointing out how history's repeating itself.

He ends his post pointing toward the fact that his credit should bump back up once he gets on his new salary, but adds ... "We have to do better for the whole country."

Many people are beyond pissed at Deion Sanders for leaving Jackson State -- but, Bomani Jones, despite what people think, isn't one of 'em, ... telling us he's "not even really that upset" with Coach Prime's move to the University of Colorado.

Bomani joined "TMZ Live" on Wednesday ... to discuss the backlash he's received for seemingly going in on Sanders after announcing he was bolting from JSU in favor of the Buffaloes.

"I don't think that many people are really that upset at Deion," Bomani said. "But, we are in a time where legitimate, honest criticism of a public figure somehow turns into hating or tearing this dude when all I'm saying is, 'You said this one thing, then you did this thing.'"

Jones admits that Sanders, who went 27-5 in three seasons and won back-to-back SWAC championships with the Tigers, accomplished a lot during his time at the JSU ... but some folks are upset by his move because he overpromised and under-delivered.

"That is the cause for anger from a lot of people," Bomani said. "It's simply that he sold a bill of goods that he didn't really deliver on. He did a lot while he was at Jackson, but this larger idea that he was doing this for someone else was wrong."

Bomani said he saw Prime's decision to leave JSU coming a mile away ... and that he wouldn't have an issue with it had the former NFL superstar stated his intentions upfront, instead of leading people to believe that there was a bigger plan operating at hand.

"He was in this to get to the place where he is in," Jones said. "Congratulations for getting there, but we don't have to act like its more noble than it actually is. You have to reconcile what you said with ultimately what you did."

Despite the mixed reaction Deion has been facing, Bomani doesn't believe that Black people will turn their backs on Sanders or root for him to fail at Colorado since he's no longer coaching at a Historically Black College & University (HBCU).

San Francisco is heading down a dangerous, slippery slope with its proposal to deploy robots that can use lethal force ... that's according to the President of the city's board of supervisors.

Shamann Walton joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and ran down a list of ways he feels the armed police robots could backfire, and he says hacking is a huge concern.

In case you missed it, San Fran's board of supervisors approved the robots in an 8-3 vote ... with Shamann being one of the few opposing. After the approval, he said voting against the policy didn't make him anti-cop, just pro-people of color.

Critics are concerned innocent POC could be disproportionately harmed when these robots are deployed at city crime scenes.

To be clear, San Fran's not talking about "Robocop"-like androids -- they're talking about remote-controlled machines, similar to ones already used by bomb squads. The difference is these would be armed with bullets and explosives.

Shamann says the department's reasons for using robots just don't track for him, and he gives several examples where they wouldn't be practical.

Proponents say the robots could be valuable in mass shooter situations -- like Uvalde, TX, for instance -- but Shamman says he, and many parents, wouldn't be comfortable sending in a robot when kids could be hurt or killed.

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.