TV Business

Reality TV romance has turned into scandal overseas ... because every season of "Married at First Sight UK" has been yanked from Channel 4 after multiple women accused former cast members of sexual assault during filming ... according to multiple reports.

The explosive allegations surfaced ahead of a new BBC Panorama investigation ... with outlets reporting that two women claimed they were raped by their on-screen "husbands" ... while another accused a participant of a non-consensual sex act during production.

In response, Channel 4 says it's pulling all previous seasons of the hit reality series from both streaming and broadcast platforms ... while launching an external review into contributor welfare. The network says the allegations involve "a small number of past contributors" and noted the accusations are being denied by those involved.

"The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" is going back into production, but some cast members -- those with penises -- might not be returning ... and there are dueling narratives as to why.

Production sources tell TMZ ... some of the men have banded together and refused to return in a hardball demand for more money.

However, another source with direct knowledge tells us ... it's unlikely the men will return, but it isn't their decision -- instead, it's producers who think there's not enough bang for the buck, so to speak.

In a nutshell, we're told the ladies are the stars of the series ... and producers got more evidence of that when fans rejected the dudes' recent "DadTok" venture.

Plus, Dakota Mortensen already can't come back, because he and Taylor Frankie Paul have dual restraining orders against each other!

Chris Appleton's officially taking his talents from the glam chair to the lifeguard tower ... 'cause TMZ has learned he's landed a role in the upcoming "Baywatch" reboot.

TMZ obtained photos of the celebrity hairstylist on set Tuesday in Los Angeles and he was hard to miss. Chris was shirtless for multiple takes, showing off his tan and chiseled physique in low-rise jeans and white sneakers while clutching scripts between scenes.

At one point, he was seen huddled with a crew member going over lines, and in another moment, he casually tossed on a jacket between takes while production staff and cameras surrounded him on location.

Jimmy Kimmel let the jokes fly at Disney's upfront event on Tuesday ... telling the advertisers he was just as surprised to see them as they were him, given all the recent drama with President Trump and the White House.

According to multiple people at the event ... Kimmel also quipped that the only way to get tossed off the air at ABC was to throw a chair at your Mormon boyfriend -- an obvious shot at Taylor Frankie Paul's drama that led to her season of "The Bachelorette" being pulled.

As we reported ... Trump and the First Lady once again pushed for ABC to pull Kimmel from the air for a joke he made about Melania being a widow ... a joke he made days before a suspect opened fire at the White House Correspondents' Dinner. Kimmel clarified his joke was about the couple's age difference.

Savannah Guthrie's turning her Wordle addiction into a full-on TV gig ... because the "TODAY" co-anchor is officially set to host a new "Wordle" game show executive produced by Jimmy Fallon.

The big reveal went down Monday on "Today" when Fallon popped up to announce the long-secret project ... saying he and The New York Times have been developing the hit puzzle game for TV for more than two years.

Fallon said finding the right host was easy ... joking they needed someone who "looks like they play Wordle" and knows how to run a show ... before crowning Savannah the perfect fit after filming the pilot.

Fresh off his highly successful Coachella performances, Justin Bieber performed another show -- but this time the audience was some of the most powerful people in Hollywood and tech.

JB played a shortened set this week at Jeffrey Katzenberg's WNDR conference -- his annual, super exclusive bash for Fortune 100 CEOs, tech entrepreneurs, and celebs at the Rosewood Miramar in Montecito ... according to Puck's Dylan Byers

No word on which songs Justin performed -- there are only a few snaps from inside the event -- but folks online are claiming his set was about 30 minutes ... and he also reportedly did a Q&A with NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, titled "Every Question Answered."

LeAnn Rimes isn't clutching a diamond anytime soon ... 'cause TMZ has learned she's never even been asked to join "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Sources connected to the hit Bravo series tell TMZ ... LeAnn has never been approached by production and has never received a formal offer to come aboard the franchise.

We're told her name has floated around in casting conversations over the years -- but that's as far as it's gone. Our sources say there have been no meetings, no negotiations, no contract talks ... nothing official.

Media mogul and CNN founder Ted Turner has died after battling dementia.

Turner Enterprises announced Ted died Wednesday morning. Back in 2018, he announced he'd been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia. That announcement came shortly after his 80th birthday.

In addition to launching the world's first 24/7 news channel, the Cable News Network, in 1980 ... Ted created a media empire that included TBS Superstation, TNT, Cartoon Network, Turner Classic Movies, and at one time, most of MGM Studios' film library.

Jane Fonda has shared a loving goodbye to her ex-husband Ted Turner ... saying he had a big life and brilliant mind.

The actress posted to social media Wednesday following CNN's announcement of their founder's passing ... and she shared a photo of the two holding one another.

She dropped a long caption in which she heaped praise on her ex-husband ... noting he was the first man who could really take care of her.

Former CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin is opening up about a deeply personal experience she says has haunted her for more than two decades ... revealing she believes she was sexually assaulted after her drink was allegedly spiked during a spring break trip to Los Angeles.

Baldwin detailed the shocking account in a lengthy Substack essay published Monday ... saying the incident happened when she was just 21 years old.

According to Baldwin, she was on a 2001 spring break trip when she and a friend hit the Polo Lounge at The Beverly Hills Hotel ... but after her friend left, Baldwin says two "much older men" approached and offered her a drink.

Donald Trump is using Ted Turner's death to bash CNN ... saying the late media mogul lost the network in his company's merger with Time Warner, and the new owners ruined it.

POTUS took to Truth Social shortly after Turner's death to highlight the businessman -- calling him one of the greatest to ever do it.

However, Trump laments what he thinks CNN has become in recent years ... claiming Time Warner's ownership of the network "destroyed it" by turning it totally "woke."

"Vanderpump Villa" star Marciano Brunette is making moves to get his hands on unaired 'Secret Lives of Mormon Wives' footage ... to help prove his case against cast member Demi Engemann and the production company that made the show.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Marciano is fighting the effort of Jeff Jenkins Productions -- the producers behind 'Mormon Wives' -- to have his defamation lawsuit thrown out of court.

Marciano said he's been asking producers to fork over the unaired show footage related to Demi's allegations of sexual assault. In addition, he wants to see the producers' internal communications about the sexual assault narrative and its editorial decisions.

Marciano insists there's no way his lawsuit should be kicked out on summary judgment before he has a chance to see all the evidence the producers have in their possession, which might be relevant to proving his case.

Jimmy Kimmel will once again be appearing at upfronts for Disney's ABC ... just like he's done for the past 20 years, TMZ has learned.

Multiple sources tell us ... Jimmy will be there -- news that would usually make for a ho-hum headline, but with all the drama in which he's been ensnared with President Donald Trump, interest in whether he'd be at the key TV advertising event was piqued.

It appears that Jimmy being there is status quo -- but of course, his most recent spat with Trump's White House has dominated media coverage -- even though it sure seems to already be dwindling.

A video of Sydney Sweeney has gone viral that appears to show her caught on camera, letting out a squeaker while working on "Euphoria" ... but TMZ has learned it ain't legit.

Here's the deal ... a short clip of the bombshell superstar is spreading like wildfire, appearing to show her ready to film the popular HBO series ... and it sure sounds like she passes a little gas as "action" is called. There's been heated debate about whether it's real.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ -- the clip is a fake -- kinda -- the behind-the-scenes footage is real, but the sound effect was added by some clown looking for clicks ... and it very much worked. One version of the clip had over a million views.

Roger Sweet -- the toy designer who created the He-Man character in the "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" 1980s animated kids' show -- has died at age 91 after battling dementia.

His wife, Marlene, tells TMZ Roger passed away peacefully at his care facility Tuesday morning … just months after she revealed his devastating health decline and launched a GoFundMe to help cover his staggering memory care costs.

As we previously reported ... Marlene said Roger suffered a frightening fall while out walking alone and couldn't remember what happened. Doctors later discovered two brain bleeds ... and he was hospitalized in the ICU before being moved into a memory care facility that cost more than $10,000 a month.

Laura Dern is joining the cast of "The White Lotus" ... a major development that took very little time to happen after Helena Bonham Carter's abrupt departure last week.

A source with knowledge tells TMZ ... Dern is not playing the same character as Helena ... that role has been scrapped -- and a new one is being crafted amid production.

As we reported ... Helena left the show all of a sudden .... with filming starting about a week ago in France.