The TMZ Podcast

Five years before Irina Shayk got cozy with Tom Brady in L.A. ... she was desperate to see him lose in one of the biggest games of his career -- cheering heavily for his Eagles opponents in Super Bowl LII.

The model showed up to the Feb. 4, 2018 Big Game at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minnesota with her then-boyfriend Bradley Cooper -- a die-hard Philadelphia sports fan -- wearing a white Birds cap.

She was spotted rubbin' elbows with fellow Eagles fans Miles Teller and Keleigh Sperry on the field in the leadup to the contest ... making it clear she was hoping Brady's Patriots would take the L.

Of course, Tom and his New England squad did just that ... falling to Nick Foles, 41-33.

It's unclear if Shayk ever crossed paths with Brady before or after the game ... but we know they eventually connected down the road -- 'cause the ex-quarterback took her to his home for a night this past weekend.

Shayk was seen appearing to stay the evening at Brady's place in L.A. on Friday ... before the two put on some big PDA inside of a car later Saturday.

No word yet on if they're officially an item or just having a fun fling ... but one thing we know -- as a retired man, there can't be too many hard feelings if the Philly fandom is still ingrained in Shayk.

Jamie Foxx has spoken for the first time about a medical emergency that he says was so serious he wasn't sure he was going to make it.

The actor posted a video on Instagram Friday night, emotionally opening up about the suffering he went through and why he kept the specifics about his medical condition under wraps.

Jamie said, “I cannot even begin to tell you how far it took me and how it brought me back. I went through something that I thought I would never, ever go through.”

As for why he waited so long to talk ... Jamie said he didn't want anyone to see him with tubes coming out of his body, adding, "I want you to see me laughing, having a good time, partying, cracking a joke, doing a movie, a television show."

Jamie shut down online rumors he was paralyzed and blind, while acknowledging he went to "hell and back," but is now able to work despite hitting some potholes in his recovery.

He then gave a shout out to his daughter, Corinne, and his sister, Deidra Dixon, for staying by his side throughout his recent health struggles after his family said he suffered a "medical complication" in April and had to be hospitalized, but he was recently released.

Jamie also kinda made a joke about the theory he used a body double a few weeks ago when he was seen in Chicago swinging a golf club and boating on the Chicago River, pretending to show he was the real deal with a 'Face Off" move!

Choking up, Jamie ended his speech by addressing his supporters ... "I just want to say that I love everybody, and I love all the love that I got. I am on my way back.”

Sources with knowledge tell TMZ, Jamie is not fully recovered but you really couldn't tell from watching him over the past few weeks. He's not committing to all his various projects ... some, we're told, he says he's still not up to doing right now.

Tony Bennett, the legendary singer and songwriter of numerous classic American standards is dead ... according to his publicist

Sylvia Weiner confirmed to the Associated Press that Tony died Friday at his home in New York City. While no cause of death was revealed, Tony had battled Alzheimer's disease ... he first announced his diagnosis in 2016.

Tony set a standard for American crooners with timeless hits like his 1962 classic, “I Left My Heart In San Francisco," and, in the process, earned generations of fans and admirers within the music industry ... from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga.

He released more than 70 albums over a career that spanned 7 decades and earned him 19 Grammys. Most recently, he recorded, performed and toured with Lady Gaga ... who had a deep admiration for him, personally and professionally.

In fact, his last public appearance came with Gaga at Radio City Music Hall in August 2021, two months before his last release, the Bennett-Gaga set “Love For Sale,” the sequel to their chart-topping 2014 collaboration “Cheek to Cheek.”

That album enabled him to break his own record as the oldest living performer with a No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart. He was 88 at the time.

- Three years earlier, he topped the charts with “Duets II,” featuring such contemporary stars as Gaga, Carrie Underwood and Amy Winehouse, in her last studio recording

His rapport with Winehouse was captured in the Oscar-nominated documentary “Amy,” which showed Bennett patiently encouraging the insecure young singer through a performance of “Body and Soul.”

Despite his medical challenges, Tony continued performing and recording until 2021.

Tony was 96.

Ariana Grande is dating one of her "Wicked' costars ... TMZ has learned, following her split with hubby Dalton Gomez.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us she and Ethan Slater -- who plays Boq in the film adaption of the Broadway musical -- started dating several months ago during production of the flick.

It was back in March when a photo circulated, showing Ariana and Ethan next to each other as the cast of "Wicked" celebrated Michelle Yeoh’s Oscar win in London.

TMZ broke the story, Ariana and Dalton have yet to file divorce docs -- though our sources say those are coming -- but their relationship has been over since January. We're told Ariana and Dalton remain friendly, and he's been dating as well.

As for Ethan, he's been married to singer Lilly Jay since 2018, and they welcomed a son last year. Our sources say Ariana and Ethan did not start dating until after he separated from Lilly.

Ethan's a talented dude, working as an actor, singer, composer and writer. He got his big break recently as SpongeBob Squarepants in the Broadway musical -- for which he earned a Tony Award nomination.

We've now obtained the search warrant, listing the items taken from inside the home, which included lap tops, iPads, a USB and hard drive. There were also books taken -- including Keffe D's "Compton Street Legends" and a bunch of photographs.

The home Las Vegas cops raided in connection with the Tupac Shakur murder case was lit up with police lights in the dead of night, creating a chaotic scene ... seen in this new video.

TMZ obtained dramatic footage from Monday night's SWAT operation when Vegas Metro PD descended on the quiet Henderson, NV neighborhood around 10 PM ... honing in on one house and shouting for the people inside to come out with their hands up.

Watch for yourself ... you hear an officer talking through a megaphone, telling a woman to drop her cigarettes and comply with his demands.

Eventually, he starts to bark orders at a man as well ... telling him to turn around, put his hands in the air, and walk backward. It's unclear if these 2 people were the only ones inside, or if they were detained or arrested.

As we reported ... cops were executing a search warrant, but we still don't know what their probable cause was to obtain that warrant. Once inside, though, they seized hard drives and photos of possible suspects in Tupac's murder ... according to an ABC News report.

TMZ broke the story ... the house is owned by Paula Clemons, who's married to a former Crip named Keffe D. For years, he's claimed his nephew, Orlando Anderson, fired the fatal shots at Pac just off the Vegas Strip in 1996, and that he was in the car with him at the time.

We don't know for certain Paula or Keefe are currently living at Henderson home. Neighbors in the area tell TMZ the couple they've seen in the house moved there in 2016.

We're told they've always been nice, saying hi to folks ... with no suspicious behavior.

TMZ also knows cops were here at this address for about 2 hours conducting the search. The big unanswered question is whether they found anything that could close the Tupac murder case.

Jeanine Pirro says Jason Aldean intentionally filmed his "Try That in a Small Town" video in the same place where a Black teen was lynched ... because Black Lives Matter protestors are still breaking the law 100 years later.

Yeah, read that again, or even better ... watch the video, because it's pretty stunning. During Wednesday's panel discussion on "The Five" about Aldean's lightning rod of a hit song ... the Fox News host took up for Aldean's music video being shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Tennessee.

One of the reasons the music video's become so controversial is the fact an 18-year-old Black man was lynched at that location in 1927 -- but Pirro says it's the perfect place for Aldean to send a message about BLM.

"I think he's trying to show that there hasn't been that much progress. That Black Lives Matter is violating the law themselves at this point ... rioting and burning. That's what happened 100 years later."

Translation: Black people are still committing crimes, just as that 18-year-old did, Pirro's eyes, 96 years ago??? It certainly comes off as pro-vigilante justice, which is one of the reasons critics and the NAACP have been ripping Aldean's song.

Jason Aldean's hit song, and its accompanying music video, about small towns in America is sparking huge debate across the country ... and, now the NAACP is joining the convo.

The Tennessee chapter of the civil rights org is strongly condemning the country singer -- President Gloria Sweet-Love tells us Jason's tone, his message and the imagery he's using are all deeply offensive to people of color, especially Black people.

Sweet-Love says the Tennessee State Conference NAACP, as an organization, finds the song/music vid for "Try That in a Small Town" awful and racist.

She adds, in their eyes, the lyrics are bad enough, but Aldean's adding insult to injury by filming the video in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, TN ... where a Black man was lynched in 1927.

Making matters worse -- GSL says the KKK has recently been hanging flyers in that town as well, and Aldean's project is only adding unneeded fuel to a fire.

Sweet-Love goes on to say she believes Aldean's track is clearly promoting racism and violence, adding Tennessee doesn't need that -- instead, she says the focus of artists should be uniting people, and protecting their children and communities.

While Aldean seems to be inviting rancor ... Sweet-Love says he should, instead, apologize now -- echoing what a lot of others have said about this, including Sheryl Crow.

As we've reported ... JA himself has vehemently denied promoting any racism or violence in the song -- and says it only reflects the community he's familiar with ... not to mention sentiments he says people he knows share. In other words, he ain't walking back anything.

CMT has already yanked the song/vid from rotation ... and Sweet-Love says TN's NAACP chapter appreciates that gesture, telling us it was the right move all things considered.

ABC will not edit out Jason Aldean's controversial hit, "Try That in a Small Town," on Wednesday's "CMA Fest," but viewers will not see a frame of the music video ... sources tell TMZ.

"CMA Fest" was filmed between June 8th and 11th at various venues in Nashville. Aldean was one of the headliners, who sang the song that was rising on the charts.

The song has become a lightning rod because of the lyrics combined with the newly-released music video, with images of Black Lives Matter protests, flag burning, and aggression toward police. The music video was also shot outside the same courthouse where there was a brutal lynching years ago. Folks on social media have ripped Aldean, claiming his song is a right-wing dog whistle.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, ABC will air Aldean's performance but none of the music video will appear in the show. For the record, the music video was released after the festival. ABC could have used the music video in the show open or promos, but our sources say the network has taken a hard pass on that.

Aldean has defended the song, saying it has nothing to do with BLM but rather it's an anthem honoring neighbors helping each other in small towns.

Clearly, not everyone's buying it, but enough people are to propel the song to #1 on iTunes.

We've learned Clemons did not own the Compton home where the Tupac murder weapon was found back in '98.

Also, KNTV got video of SWAT officers swooping into the neighborhood Monday night to execute the search warrant at Clemons' Henderson home.

The home cops raided in Vegas this week in connection with the unsolved Tupac murder belongs to the wife of a guy who says he was in the car with a man who shot and killed the late rapper.

TMZ has confirmed the address where Vegas Metro executed a search warrant Monday night ... it's owned by a woman named Paula Clemons -- who's married, we've learned, to Keffe D.

Folks familiar with Tupac lore know exactly who Keffe D is -- he's a former Crip, and for years now he's been doing interviews claiming to be the uncle of the late Orlando Anderson ... who's been suspected, at least on the streets, to have been the shooter.

Orlando and his crew -- including Keefe -- were in Vegas that night ... and Orlando was actually jumped by Tupac, Suge Knight and other Death Row affiliates at the MGM Grand. It's an altercation that was caught on surveillance video ... and many thought Orlando might have orchestrated a revenge shooting after the Mike Tyson fight that night. FWIW, Orlando himself had denied any involvement before he was killed in a shootout himself.

As for Paula, she also owned a home in Compton in the '90s ... what's interesting, in 1998, the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. recovered a gun in the backyard of a Compton home ... a home the Sheriff's Dept. said belonged to the girlfriend of known Crip who was in Vegas the night of the murder.

As we reported, cops raided Paula's Henderson, Nevada home Monday. The reason the raid is significant is because, to obtain that warrant, police had to show a judge there was probable cause to believe there was evidence in the home connected to Tupac's murder.

Cops are not saying what they recovered from Paula's Henderson home.

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

Jason Aldean's new song has been hit with loads of controversy for its lyrics and music video ... but apparently, fans are still digging it -- because it's a chart-topper.

"Try That in a Small Town" has been called out for being threatening toward people with anti-police and anti-American beliefs. The song was first released in May, but it's been climbing the charts on multiple platforms lately ... and hit the #1 spot Tuesday on iTunes for songs in the U.S.

It's also #9 on Amazon's Hot New Releases list -- and his recently released video's trending on YouTube, reaching #12 amongst all things music on the site. Remember, CMT pulled the video from its channel this week as anger ramped up.

As we reported, Jason's been getting called out for his track and the music video ... which was filmed in front of the Tennessee courthouse where an 18-year-old Black man was lynched almost 100 years ago.

Jason claimed there was no ill intention behind the lyrics, telling his fans it had nothing to do with race ... but instead was just about growing up in a tight-knit community.

Fellow singer Sheryl Crow let him have it Wednesday, saying folks in small towns are sick of the violence happening in our country -- adding his song only supports more hate in America.

We discussed the controversy surrounding the song on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Sheryl Crow is coming after Jason Aldean -- saying his heavily-criticized new song spews nothing but violence -- echoing what many online have been up in arms about.

The "All I Wanna Do" singer didn't hold back on Twitter Wednesday morning about Jason's single, "Try That In A Small Town" ... which talks about bringing anti-police and anti-American views to a small community, saying "See how far ya make it down the road."

Sheryl, who says she is from a small town, thinks people in places like that are also tired of the rise in violence in the country ... calling the song "lame."

She adds, "You should know that better than anyone having survived a mass shooting."

For those unaware, Sheryl's referring to the horrifying 2017 Las Vegas shooting at the Route 91 Harvest music festival -- Jason was performing when Stephen Paddock opened fire on the crowd from Mandalay Bay.

As we reported, Jason's been receiving hate over this track ... and he responded to the communal noise Tuesday, saying the idea that it has racist and hateful undertones is BS.

Folks were pissed about his music video, too -- which was shot in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Tennessee ... the same place where 18-year-old African-American Henry Choate was lynched in 1927.

The suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer got off on talking about the slayings and provided obscure details only the assailant would know, this according to a former escort who says she survived an encounter with him.

Rex Heuermann went on a "date" with former prostitute, Nicole Brass, first meeting her on the escort website, BackPage, which was similar to how the victims crossed paths with the Gilgo Beach murderer, Brass told the New York Daily News.

The two reportedly arranged to have dinner at Steamroom seafood restaurant in Port Jefferson, Long Island, during the height of the deadly rampage about a decade ago. While the conversation started off normal, Brass recalled it soon took a scary turn.

Brass said, "He asked me if I’m a true crime fan ... We talked briefly about other serial killers, then he said, "Have you heard of the Gilgo Beach murders? That’s when he got real weird."

She claimed Heuermann brought up the Gilgo murders, which she had been following at the time, and he became enthusiastic while revealing details of which she was completely unaware.

Brass said Heuermann specifically discussed one victim she didn't know about and "it seemed like he was talking about it from experience, not a point of view."

She continued, "It didn’t seem like somebody who feels bad when he talked about the victims. It seemed like somebody who really wanted to brag about what they did, but couldn’t."

Brass went on to say Heuermann's body language changed while he discussed the crimes, appearing as if "he was visualizing it in his head and getting off to what he was saying."

Of course, Brass wanted to get the hell out of there, so she cut the dinner short, but Heuermann insisted on her leaving with him in his car to go to a hotel room he booked. Luckily, she was able to break away from him and split.

Brass said she never reported the incident to police because she was on parole at the time for a felony drug conviction.

As for Heuermann, prosecutors identified him as the Gilgo Beach killer last week, charging him with the murders of 3 sex workers and eyeing him in a fourth slaying. Heuermann has denied any wrongdoing.

Cops are clarifying some things after Carlee Russell was recovered following a 48-hour period of her having gone missing ... and it sounds like they, too, have more questions.

Hoover PD issued a new statement with a handful of details they say they can elaborate on as the investigation continues -- the most important of which, it seems, is the fact that even now ... they say they haven't gotten any further reports about a wandering child.

Remember, this was at the crux of the case from the beginning -- Carlee called 911 on the night she disappeared ... telling dispatchers she saw a toddler walking by itself along a local highway at night, and reiterated that to family members as well before pulling over.

After that, she vanished ... only to turn up 3 days later, with not very many answers as to what happened to her -- other than her loved ones claiming she was kidnapped, that is.

There's more info HPD is relaying in their new remarks ... including the fact that they say there's residential surveillance footage that apparently shows Carlee walking down the sidewalk in her neighborhood alone -- this before she showed up to her parents' front door.

The police are also clarifying reports -- citing dispatch chatter that went over the airwaves -- of Carlee having been transported to a hospital in an unconscious state. They say that's not true ... all that happened is that somebody called 911 reporting she was unresponsive -- but they say she was, in fact, awake and speaking when paramedics actually arrived.

One last important detail ... HPD says it's waiting for Carlee to be made available for a follow-up interview, claiming they've only been able to obtain a preliminary statement from her.

On its face, it sounds like they're somewhat suspicious themselves about this whole thing -- which echoes the growing public sentiment at this point ... people are raising an eyebrow.

Thus far, her family members have stuck to the same story ... namely, that she escaped her abductors, and that she fought for her life. They've also scoffed at the notion that anybody would question what happened to her ... and yet, folks still have their doubts regardless.

Miranda Lambert might've had good reason to go off on some front-row fans who were snapping photos at her concert -- 'cause there were half a dozen of them ... all on their feet, blocking the view of the people behind them.

One of the ladies in question -- who's now copping to being part of the group that got chastised by Lambert -- posted two pics she says were being taken right before the country singer paused her show over the weekend to give them a piece of her mind.

As you can see ... there are six women pictured here, who are at the foot of the stage, with ML right behind them -- who's trying to get the show on the road. More importantly, all of 'em are standing ... and from the looks of it, apparently blocking the view of others.

On its face ... it sure looks like they, perhaps, might've been a distraction -- that's certainly how Miranda felt anyway, proven in her mini tirade ... which her audience had backed.

Miranda actually caught flak for this ... as some felt she'd overreacted to what many presumed was a couple of girls firing off some low-key selfies during her set. However, that's clearly not the case -- it was a much larger gathering ... and a bit of a photo shoot, it seems.

BTW, the lady who posted these definitely thinks Miranda was in the wrong -- evidenced in her caption.

She writes, "These are the 2 pictures we were talking when Miranda Lambert stopped her concert and told us to sit down and not take selfies 😱." She's echoing what many said about Miranda's response -- mocking her, essentially -- but now ... ML might be vindicated!

WWE Superstar Seth Rollins says he's in full support of the writers and actors striking in Hollywood ... but tells TMZ Sports there's a bit of a "silver lining" in the situation, 'cause it gives people a new opportunity to check out wrestling!!

Of course, SAG-AFTRA decided to join the Writers Guild of America on the picket line last week ... effectively shutting Hollywood down after tense negotiations with the studios.

Seth makes it clear he is siding with the talented actors and writers fighting for what they want ... but he welcomes any first-time fans to watch some wrestling in the meantime!!

"I know it's a difficult time for the actors and the writers," Seth said at LAX this week. "I believe they're doing the right thing asking for what they deserve. I stand by them.

"But it is a fortunate part of not being part of a union that we're able to still perform and, for our audiences and people who may not be familiar, now they get the opportunity to tune in and see what we're all about."

Seth added the new fans couldn't come at a better time ... 'cause the current roster of talent is the greatest its ever been.

We now know more about what happened when cops arrested the suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer -- we're told the guy didn't put up much of a fight.

Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison tells TMZ Rex Heuermann was taken into custody without issue .. and despite being suspected of committing heinous crimes, we're told Heuermann remained stoic throughout the process of his arrest.

Here's how it went down, per Harrison -- he says Heuermann was approached by detectives on the streets of NYC Friday ... who then told him he was under arrest. We're told Heuermann asked what for, and they told him it was for his alleged involvement in the Gilgo Beach murders from over a decade ago.

Harrison says Heuermann's response was interesting ... all he apparently said to the arresting officers was "I didn't do that" -- but we're told he did so in a very somber way. We're told he didn't shout or vehemently deny anything ... he just calmly said it wasn't him.

Harrison says they then threw on the bracelets, and that Heuermann didn't resist whatsoever -- he went peacefully and quietly with them. Commissioner Harrison tells us the detectives subsequently read him his Miranda Rights, and that he requested a lawyer.

Some believed his detainment was a bit more dramatic -- especially with footage that's been released showing police trailing him out and about -- however, it was anything but.

As we reported ... NY officials allege Heuermann is responsible for the 2010 deaths of Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelmey and Amber Costello. Cops also suspect he may have murdered Marueen Brainard-Barnes -- the 4th victim -- but he hasn't been charged for that murder yet.