The TMZ Podcast

Donald Trump ripped into his perceived enemies Tuesday night after a jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation in the E. Jean Carroll civil trial.

The 45th President posted a series of videos to his Truth Social platform, condemning Carroll, the judge and jury in the case and New York City where the trial was held.

As you probably know, Trump was ordered to pay Carroll $5 million in damages for abusing her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the '90s and then defaming her years later by calling her a liar.

In the footage, Trump first directed his ire toward Judge Lewis A. Kaplan, labeling him a "Trump-hating, Clinton-appointed judge, who went out of his way to make sure that the result was as negative as it could possibly be."

The 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner also said the jury was from an "anti-Trump area," meaning NYC, a place where he could never get a fair trial. BTW ... the verdict was unanimous and quick.

Trump then said he would appeal the jury's decision because he doesn't know Carroll from a hole in the wall. He went on to say the trial was a "scam" and "political witch hunt" (No surprise there). He also said the verdict was a "disgrace to our country."

And he wasn't done yet. Trump described Carroll as a liar whose case was financed by Democratic operatives, but it wasn't clear who he was referring to. He also mentioned fighting back against “this stuff,” implying a rigged justice system, so the country doesn't fall into an abyss.

As for why the jury ruled against him ... jurors heard him via taped deposition say for a million years male celebs have groped women, adding "unfortunately or fortunately."

Of course, Trump's legal woes might only just be starting. Last month, he was criminally indicted in the Stormy Daniels hush money case in Manhattan.

He also faces possible criminal charges in two federal cases involving the January 6th riots and for allegedly pilfering classified government documents.

E. Jean Carroll just released a statement, saying, "I filed this lawsuit against Donald Trump to clear my name and to get my life back. Today, the world finally knows the truth. This victory is not just for me but for every woman who has suffered because she was not believed."

Donald Trump was found liable in his battery and defamation trial involving E. Jean Carroll.

The jury of 6 men and 3 women reached the verdict Tuesday after deliberating for a mere 3 hours. They found the former president liable for defaming Carroll and sexually abusing her ... but not liable for rape. As a result, Carroll was awarded $5 million in damages.

As you know ... Carroll sued Trump for battery and defamation, claiming Trump raped her back in 1996 in a Manhattan department store dressing room. She said she was attacked by Trump after they ran into each other at the store and shopped together.

Trump maintained Carroll's allegation was just a "hoax" and claimed he wouldn't have raped her because she wasn't his type.

As we reported ... Carroll's attorney grilled Trump about his general treatment of women when he sat for a deposition as part of the suit.

In the depo, recorded on video last October, Trump clarifies his hot mic comments during his 2005 interview with Billy Bush, where he infamously said ... "And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything, grab them by the p****. You can do anything."

Carroll's attorney asked Trump if that's indeed what he said, and without blinking he responded, "Well, historically, that's true with stars. If you look over the last million years, I guess that's been largely true."

Trump then shockingly adds ... "Unfortunately or fortunately."

While Trump never appeared in court during the trial, he ripped Carroll as a "whack job" and a "nut job" in his deposition.

It will be interesting to see if Trump references the verdict tomorrow during his CNN town hall.

The marriage of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann may be over, but that doesn't mean they're ready to completely cut ties, not yet anyway ... we've learned they're still living under the same roof.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Kim and Kroy both continue to live in their Georgia mansion with their 4 young kids. It's the same home that went into foreclosure back in February. There's typically a grace period for homeowners to pay up and save the home. It's unclear where they are in that process.

It's also unclear how long they'll live there together, especially if things get nasty. Given they have 4 kids, they may want to cushion the blow of the divorce by staying in the same home ... at least in the short term.

As for what led Kim to file for divorce, we're told that's a mystery to everyone around the estranged couple, who thought all was good between the 'RHOA' star and Kroy.

In the divorce docs, Zolciak said the marriage was, "Irretrievably broken with no hope of reconciliation" ... but she didn't get more detailed.

Of course, the couple's recent financial struggles have been well documented. TMZ broke the story -- Kim and Kroy owe the IRS $1.1M in taxes, interest and penalties from 2013, 2017 and 2018 ... and also owe the state of Georgia $150,000 in unpaid taxes from 2018.

Kim Zolciak is pulling the plug on her marriage, filing for divorce from Kroy Biermann on the heels of the couple's financial struggles.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, The 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star lists April 30 as the date of separation between her and the former NFL star ... the two were married for 11 years and had 4 kids together during that time.

Kim says she's filing because the marriage is "irretrievably broken with no hope of reconciliation." She's asking for primary physical custody of the kids and joint legal custody ... Kim also wants spousal support and to legally restore her maiden name.

TMZ broke the story ... Kim and Kroy owe $1.1 million to the IRS in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties from 2013, 2017, and 2018 ... and they also owe the state of Georgia $15,000 for unpaid taxes from 2018.

Remember ... Kim and Kroy's massive country club mansion in Alpharetta, GA -- which was heavily featured on multiple reality shows -- entered foreclosure in February ... though Kim's daughters, Brielle and Ariana, denied their home was heading to the auction block.

Kim and Kroy met at a charity event way back in May 2010, when he was playing with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons. Their relationship was featured on 'RHOA' and they tied the knot on Nov. 11, 2011, at their former estate in Roswell, GA.

Their four minor children ... 11-year-old Kroy Jagger, 10-year-old Kash Kade and 9-year-old twins Kaia Rose and Kane Ren. Kroy also adopted Kim's daughters, Brielle and Ariana -- they took his last name.

It's the second divorce for Kim, who was previously married to Daniel Toce from 2001 to 2003, and the first for Kroy.

Kim Zolciak of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" fame and her former NFL-star husband Kroy Biermann are deep in the hole ... owing a TON in unpaid taxes -- some of which has built up from a decade ago.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the couple owes a whopping $1.1M to the IRS for unpaid taxes, interest, and penalties from 2013, 2017, and 2018 -- they also owe the state of Georgia $15K for unpaid taxes for 2018.

As we reported, this news comes after their massive country club mansion in Alpharetta, GA -- which was heavily featured on 'RHOA' -- entered foreclosure in February ... with Truist Bank hiring a law firm to handle the process.

Kim's daughters, Brielle and Ariana, denied their swanky pad was heading to the auction block ... saying they were still hunkered down in the estate with no plans to get out of there.

It appears the family's still posting on social media from inside the GA home, so it looks like authorities haven't yet moved in to secure the property.

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Chris Brown is finally speaking out about his hectic weekend -- but he's only taking aim at one confrontation he's said to have been involved in ... and not the big one with Usher.

The singer publicly commented on an IG post that was reporting on his face-off from Saturday night, where he was in the middle of what appeared to be a scuffle on the verge of breaking out backstage during Missy Elliott's set at the 'Lovers & Friends' festival in Vegas.

He writes in no unclear terms, "yall been geeked all weekend, y'all dragging it now. It was mad people backstage and security was trying to clear everyone off the stage. People started pushing back.. I INTERVENED To let them know MY CHILD WAS BACK THERE."

CB adds, "So y'all can keep ya narrative."

Of course, he's referring to the video that surfaced Sunday which showed him in the mix. There was no overt violence in the clip -- but considering what had apparently happened just the night before on his birthday ... it was certainly cause for concern.

It goes without saying ... we're referring to the alleged brawl that occurred between him and Usher -- which eyewitnesses have told us did, in fact, go down out in the lot of a skating rink ... where CB's 34th bday bash was being held, and which eventually turned sour.

It's interesting Chris isn't addressing the elephant in the room head-on, which is telling considering the speculation has been at an all-time high all weekend. If there was truly nothing to what's been said to have happened, you would think he'd deny that too.

He didn't, though ... and only wanted to put out the fire on this second incident.

Funny enough, you could argue that both Usher and Teyana Taylor -- who were also at the center of Friday night's purported brouhaha -- have been trying to stamp out this story as well on behalf of Chris ... albeit, quietly and with more signals than actual words.

Usher, for example, made sure to hop on social media Saturday ahead of his set to show that he was just fine ... and that everything, at least on its face, was happy-go-lucky.

There's also the video of Teyana herself dancing during Usher's performance Saturday, where she's getting down to his cover of one of Chris's famous songs. Again ... all subliminal.

Amber Heard is still in Spain, which is only a big deal now since it's being claimed she's relocated there ... this after supposedly putting Hollywood in her rearview.

The actress was photographed over the weekend in Madrid, where she's been since last year ... when her defamation trial against Johnny Depp wrapped, which she largely lost. As you see ... she's with her young daughter, Oonagh, enjoying a day out on the town.

Not anything we haven't seen before ... Amber's been seen in this kind of setting for several months now. She's always with the kid, and they're always playing or something.

The difference now ... Daily Mail claims to have inside knowledge about her life sitch -- namely, she's apparently putting roots down there in Spain. Per reports, she's also bought a new home ... and is happy raising her daughter there too, just the two of them.

Not just that, but DM says Amber's in no hurry to return to L.A. for work -- at least not until the right role comes around at the right time. She's got 2 films in post-production now, with nothing completely new on the horizon from what we can see. Unclear how she's earning a living these days ... Amber strongly suggested she was tight on cash in the wake of the trial.

Of course, Amber was completely vilified during the court proceedings -- and that's because the public, by and large it seems, didn't buy what she was selling ... and ditto for the jury.

As you can imagine, her reputation has taken a major hit since -- so her fleeing to Europe isn't all that surprising. Word is, she's fluent in Spanish and appears to be getting on quite well with her little girl ... the father of whom nobody knows the identity of at this point.

Enjoy the tapas, AH. We hear Spain's lovely this time of year.

Chris Brown was caught on camera in yet another confrontation -- this, apparently, just a day after his dust-up with Usher ... part of which was also captured on video.

New footage circulating online appears to show Chris aggressively trying to reach somebody across from him in what looks to be the backstage area of a venue. Per several blog accounts, this was purportedly taken during Missy Elliott's set Saturday night in Vegas.

No details are out yet about this -- including what led up to it, or who Chris may have been beefing with. We're working to confirm what exactly was going on here -- however, on its face -- it doesn't look good for CB ... who was just in this exact type of sitch 24 hours earlier.

Fortunately, based on what we can see in the video ... it would seem cooler heads prevailed here, and nothing truly violent went down. It's unclear if this had to do with Usher or not.

Speaking of him, Usher was clearly trying to telegraph a different narrative than what we'd been told about the skating rink birthday bash thrown for Chris the night prior -- which allegedly turned brutal for Mr. Raymond, according to eyewitnesses we've spoken with.

He looked totally fine last night, though, and was making sure to show off his face and the fact he appeared uninjured. Chris even came and did his set as well ... with no sign of trouble on stage, or any mention of the alleged brawl that's said to have occurred.

Here's the thing ... we know Chris was pissed off on Friday night, and now -- he once again seems to be pissed here. So, despite their best efforts -- there's obviously friction in the air.

Usher and co. appear to be engaged in a nothing-to-see-here act -- but at some point, you gotta figure they might have to address this straight up ... because the rumors are flying, and there's irrefutable video evidence of Chris acting up and coming across as belligerent.

Luckily, despite the apparent drama behind the scenes, it sounds like 'Lovers & Friends' was a success and went off without a hitch. And, if nobody comments on this any further going forward -- perhaps it's safe to assume they've dealt with it privately/are moving on.

Here's hoping that's actually the case ... 'cause Chris and Usher are known to be boys.

Usher took the stage Saturday night at the "Lovers & Friends" music festival, after a physical confrontation with Chris Brown Friday night that left him bleeding.

Here's the thing ... Chris performed right before Usher, and never made reference to the fight.

As we reported, the confrontation went down at a roller rink party, after Usher and Chris got into a heated confrontation that turned physical. TMZ obtained video of the lead up to the fight.

Thing is ... Usher and Chris were super close, and the party was to celebrate Chris's 34th birthday with lots of celebs on hand.

As we reported, the fight was over Chris' scrapped AMAs performance last year -- when he was set to do an MJ tribute, which as 86'd at the last minute. As for what led up to the fight ... Teyana Taylor, who was at the party, was being confronted by Chris because he blames her for his canceled MJ tribute.

Chris demanded that Usher show her the door, and things escalated quickly.

Usher's squabble with Chris Brown isn't going to affect his performance later tonight in Las Vegas -- because the guy's taking the stage regardless ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Usher -- who's currently scheduled as the headliner for Saturday's "Lover & Friends" music festival -- will take the stage as planned ... meaning, the show will, in fact, go on despite what happened earlier this morning with CB and co.

We're told that Usher was, indeed, injured during the brouhaha at the skating rink ... and that his nose and face are kinda jacked up right now. And yet -- our sources assure us he's going to power through and put on a good show. He may, however, be covering up a bit.

In other words ... be on the lookout for him wearing sunglasses of some sort tonight, and perhaps rocking some fresh battle scars that might pop out through any stage makeup.

As for Chris -- who was also in the lineup as one of the big acts slated to perform -- we're told it's unclear if he'll do his set tonight. Chris hasn't said anything publicly as of Saturday.

There's more ... TMZ can confirm reporting by B. Scott, who said the drama appears to have stemmed from Chris' scrapped AMAs performance last year -- when he was set to do an MJ tribute, only to claim he got the rug pulled out from under him last minute.

Our sources say that is, indeed, true -- and the reason he went after Teyana here is because we're told she was actually involved in the planning of that performance ... but something went awry before the day of. This makes sense, as it's been widely reported of late that TT has stepped into the role of a creative director lately for a number of artists/their shows.

Anyway, Chris clearly felt some type of way, and was confronting her -- which only escalated when she snubbed him. Not just that, but we're told Chris actually demanded Usher make her leave ... in addition to asking her to get out himself, seeing how it was his bday party.

We're told Usher refused, and the rest is history ... some of which you can see on video.

Time will tell, we suppose, if Chris will come out himself, or if he'll address this further. BTW, it looks like Teyana -- who was once a fierce CB defender -- has unfollowed him on IG.

We'll also keep our eyes peeled for anything Usher might have to say later today. Something tells us he just may talk about it.

Usher and Chris Brown got into a heated argument last night -- which apparently led to some sort of a scuffle that got violent outside ... and TMZ has video of the lead-up to that.

Check out this footage that we obtained, which we're told was taken very early Saturday morning at the Skate Rock City roller rink in Vegas ... where CB was celebrating his 34th birthday among a lot of celeb pals, including Usher -- with whom he's incredibly close.

While Usher and co. sang to Chris earlier in the evening when everything was fine, things unfortunately got ugly in the wee hours of the morning ... when eyewitnesses tell us Chris was attempting to talk to Teyana Taylor, who was also in attendance and sitting on a bench just outside of the rink. We're told, for whatever reason, Teyana was ignoring him.

Our sources tell us this pissed Chris off, and he started to yell at her ... and that's when Usher intervened and tried to calm him down. You can see that in our video here.

We're told Chris wasn't having it, cursing at Usher and Teyana -- but then, mostly focusing his anger directly at Usher. Eventually, our sources say Chris told his crew they were leaving and they exited the facility. We're told Usher took off his skates and went after them.

Our eyewitness -- who says they were present for this -- tells us they saw Usher go behind a string of charter buses that were parked in the lot ... where Chris and his crew were at. We're told a short time later, Usher emerged with what appeared to be a bloody nose.

Unclear if he went to the hospital, or if a police report was filed. We've reached out to Vegas Metro -- but haven't heard of anything even remotely resembling this being called in.

Meanwhile ... Usher, Teyana and Chris have all been radio silent this morning -- with none of them having said a thing yet to confirm or deny a report initially put out by Hollywood Unlocked, which broke the news of a fight between the two R&B superstars/friends.

Lisa Vanderpump's famous Pump Restaurant Lounge in West Hollywood is closing up shop.

The Pump Family tells TMZ ... "It's with heavy hearts that we announce that the lease at Pump Restaurant is expiring, and we will be closing its doors on July 5th, after 10 years of beautiful evenings under our olive trees."

While the flagship location at the corner of Santa Monica and Robertson in the heart of WeHo is closing, we're told Lisa is opening two more restaurants at Caesars in Las Vegas.

It appears a dramatic increase in rent is to blame, the Pump Family tells us ... "While we have loved our time operating Pump, to take on another 10-year lease with a huge increase in rent by the landlords, is not something we are ready to commit to. After successfully running 37+ establishments for many years, this type of rent is untenable."

Sources close to the family tell TMZ  … Lisa and her husband Ken Todd refused to commit to paying nearly $1 million in yearly rent, with the couple considering the figure to be ridiculous.

Our sources say high rent is also to blame for Lisa and Ken's former Beverly Hills restaurant, Villa Blanca remaining empty 3 years after the couple closed the restaurant because of a rent increase in 2020.

We're told Lisa wanted to keep Pump open through June, because it's Pride Month and she wants to "support the local community with one last hurrah."

Lisa and Ken still have a couple other restaurants in the area ... Sur and TomTom ... and the Pump Family says, "We look forward to welcoming you all to TomTom & Sur in the months following! Thank you for the past decade of support, we have loved our staff, our patrons and our time together."

Pump's been featured in many scenes on "Vanderpump Rules" over the years, and it's hosted tons of celebs ... including Lance Bass and Lady Gaga.

Kevin Costner has become the target of nasty rumors since his wife filed for divorce, including one accusing the actor of getting a woman working on the set of "Yellowstone" pregnant ... a tale we're told could not be further from the truth.

Sources close to Costner say the latest bit of gossip surrounding the star is "total BS," and has been baselessly circulating online.

It's unclear who started the rumor, or even who Costner allegedly got pregnant, but the fake story has been buzzing on social media since his wife, Christine, filed for divorce Monday.

One Twitter user wrote, "I wonder now, if the drama surrounding Kevin Costner and Yellowstone 'scheduling,' was due to the rumor of him potentially getting someone on set pregnant?" Another said, "So it wasn’t Bentley who got a girl pregnant on the Yellowstone set ... it was Costner."

TMZ broke the story, Costner was blindsided by Christine's filing ... the actor's rep made that clear in telling us, " ... circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action."

We're told Kevin had no prior warning Christine was filing to end their 18-year marriage, and he's still in the dark.

In her divorce docs, Christine lists the date of separation as last month -- they got hitched back in 2004. Interesting, since sources say Kevin had no inkling the marriage was ending.

Costner filed a response to the divorce petition in which the prenup is referenced requiring  Christine to vacate Kevin's 3 homes.

Kevin Costner's pending divorce came as news to many, including himself.

Sources familiar tell us the "Yellowstone" actor was completely blindsided by Christine Baumgartner's divorce filing Monday -- we're told it was devastating for him.

Kevin's shock and surprise are evident in his rep's statement ... "It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond his control have transpired which have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action."

TMZ broke the story ... Christine filed to end their 18-year marriage Monday, citing "irreconcilable differences." There's a prenup, and one of the provisions is that Christine must vacate Kevin's homes. He has 3 of them and they own nothing jointly. So Christine must pack up and leave all his homes, based on the time schedule set by the prenup.

It's entirely unsurprising the prenup segregates Kevin's properties. His first marriage ended in a record-setting divorce ... costing him around $80 million.

It's unclear exactly why Christine is pulling the plug on their marriage, but we know it was all news to Kevin.

Jamie Foxx remains hospitalized more than 3 weeks after suffering a medical emergency, and those closest to him say he needs all the prayers and well-wishes his fans can muster.

While his exact condition remains secret -- tightly guarded by his family -- we've spoken with sources close to Jamie who echo the same plea -- "Pray for Jamie."

It was April 12 when Foxx's daughter, Corinne, announced her father suffered a "medical complication."

Jamie is one of the most prolific players in Hollywood, and his condition has sent studios scrambling.

Jamie has been the host of the hugely popular "Beat Shazam" music lyric game show on FOX, which was going into production just days after he was hospitalized.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us ... Jamie will not be on this season of "Beat Shazam." We're told filming starts today, with a new host. We're also told Corinne, who DJs on the show, will not be on as well -- she's been a fixture at the hospital in Atlanta by her dad's side.

As we reported, Jamie was in Atlanta for work on the film "Back in Action" when he fell ill, a stunt double and body double have been seen filling in for Jamie for that project.

Stephen "tWitch" Boss' widow says some of her kids still don't understand their father is never coming home ... a question that gets asked a lot in the aftermath of death.

Allison Holker Boss sat down for a televised interview with "Today," in which Hoda Kotb got her to open up about how she and her family are coping with tWitch's passing ... which happened just before the holidays, when he took his own life.

As you can imagine, it's emotional ... but one of the more heartbreaking moments comes when Hoda asks her about the three children she shared with tWitch.

They had a 14-year-old, a 7-year-old and a 3-year-old ... Allison says at the younger ones, Maddox and Zaia, still can't comprehend their dad is gone forever -- asking their mom if he'll eventually come home.

Allison says the conversations she's had with them these past several months are something she doesn't wish on anybody.

She also talks about the stigma of mental health -- a hurdle tWitch was privately battling. She wishes he would've felt comfortable to share his struggles.

As we reported ... tWitch left a suicide note alluding to past challenges, but Allison now says there was no outward indication she saw to suggest he was struggling or considering suicide.