TV

"Two and a Half Men" creator Chuck Lorre is closing the curtain on his third marriage ... filing for divorce.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, "The King of Sitcoms" is ending things with Arielle Lorre after about 3 and a half years of marriage. The docs state the two have a prenup in place, and Chuck will pay spousal support as well as attorney's fees.

Chuck, repped by "Disso Queen" Laura Wasser, lists irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.

The two got hitched in October of 2018, and according to Chuck, ended things in May of 2022. They do not have any kids together.

Lorre is a TV legend ... not only did he create "Two and a Half Men" -- he also created "Dharma & Greg," "The Big Bang Theory," "Mom," and "Young Sheldon." Forbes says he's worth an estimated $650 million.

Vince McMahon -- the longtime chairman and CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment -- is retiring from his role with the company, he announced Friday.

"As I approach 77 years old, I feel it's time for me to retire as Chairman and CEO of WWE," McMahon said in a statement.

"Throughout the years, it's been a privilege to help WWE bring you joy, inspire you, thrill you, surprise you, and always entertain you."

"I would like to thank my family for mightily contributing to our success, and I would also like to thank all of our past and present Superstars and employees for their dedication and passion for our brand."

Vince bought the company from his father, Vincent J. McMahon in 1982 ... and has been the face of the brand ever since.

Vince was responsible for the "Attitude Era" in the 1990s, which turned professional wrestling into a mainstream phenomenon ... and helped Superstars like The Undertaker, Kane, The Rock, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, Chyna and more become household names.

The billionaire is also the mastermind behind WrestleMania ... which just had its 38th installment this past April.

McMahon bought WWE's biggest competitor, World Championship Wrestling, in 2001 ... making his company the most dominant organization in the sport.

"Most importantly, I would like to thank our fans for allowing us into your homes every week and being your choice of entertainment," he added. "I hold the deepest appreciation and admiration for our generations of fans all over the world who have liked, currently like, and sometimes even love our form of Sports Entertainment."

Vince recently stepped away from his role as chairman and CEO ... amid an investigation into alleged misconduct. His daughter, Stephanie, was named interim CEO and interim Chairwoman.

The investigation comes after a report claiming McMahon allegedly agreed to pay $12 million in "hush money" to 4 different women over a 16-year time period ... so they would not discuss their relationships with him.

McMahon appeared on "WWE SmackDown!" shortly after he voluntarily stepped down ... and made a speech that felt like a goodbye message to fans.

Story developing ...

Historic moment on "Jeopardy!" ... as all 3 contestants are LOSERS, at least in the eyes of Taylor Swift's legion of fans, who are destroying the competitors for missing a clue about the singer.

Yes, Taylor became the star of Wednesday night's episode when returning champ Matt Mierswa selected a $400 clue in the category, "Title That Completes the Rhyme."

The clue itself was pretty entertaining as Ken Jennings stiffly read, "And I'm just like oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh oh-oh, you need to just stop, like can you just not, step on my gown?"

Matt and the other 2 contestants were dumbfounded ... no one buzzed in, and you could almost hear the Swifties screaming at their televisions!!!

DUH!!! Obvi the answer is: What is "You Need To Calm Down?"

Welp the outrage was, pardon the pun, swift as Swifties lost their collective minds on social media ... ripping into the contestants for the "triple stumper." One even demanded they "shut the whole show down."

Matt, as reigning champ, took most of the heat and, no, Swifties didn't care that he eventually took the W again.

Jo Koy says he's back in the friend zone with Chelsea Handler after their split ... but he's still got love for his ex.

We got the comedian at LAX on Thursday and asked him about his recent split from Chelsea, which came just shy of one year of dating.

Jo tells our photog everything is good between him and Chelsea despite the breakup ... he says they remain great friends.

As we reported ... sources close to the former couple tell us their busy schedules weren't allowing them to spend enough time together to sustain a romantic relationship.

Jo is still promoting his upcoming movie, "Easter Sunday," while Chelsea's about to launch a comedy tour ... he says he's just concentrating on the film and isn't entertaining the idea of jumping back into the dating pool.

Chapel Hart has been getting nothing but support from the Country music community after they snagged a golden buzzer on "America's Got Talent" ... and they're already lined up to be on Darius Rucker's next album.

We spoke with bandmates Trea Swindle, Danica Hart, and Devynn Hart and they told us they recorded a song with Darius before their audition aired this week and recently got the good news that it's making it onto his latest album.

They admit they thought they were in the middle of some catfish scenario when Darius first reached out on Twitter ... before learning the DM was the real deal.

For those unaware, Chapel Hart blew the 'AGT' judges away with their original piece, "You Can Have Him Jolene" -- a nod to Dolly Parton's famous song.

They received a golden buzzer even though all 5 had been given out -- a first for the show.

Ever since their big moment, the group's seen support from legends like Loretta Lynn, and even Dolly herself -- who called their performance a "fun new take on my song."

'Black Ink' star Ceaser Emanuel has turned himself in to authorities in connection to animal cruelty charges ... just weeks after a video showing him abusing a dog went viral.

A spokesperson for the City of South Fulton PD in Georgia tells TMZ Emanuel turned himself in ... jail records show Emanuel is facing two misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty and one felony charge of aggravated cruelty to animals.

Ceaser was fired from "Black Ink Crew" shortly after the video -- which shows him beating a dog with a metal chair -- surfaced online. Emanuel's attorney says the video was recorded during COVID lockdown and possibly leaked by an ex-GF who had it out for Emanuel.

Cops have not yet confirmed if the charges are in connection to the abuse video, but we know investigators from South Fulton were looking into the incident ... so it likely lines up.

Of course, whether it was leaked or not, there's no excuse for abusing an animal ... but Ceaser insists the video doesn't reflect his true self -- telling us he was only trying to break up a fight between his animals.

Since the video was recorded, Ceaser tells us he no longer owns one of the dogs, it was given to a friend.

Farrah Abraham has been put on blast for allegedly taking her 13-year-old to a club ... but she says her critics don't know what's really up.

Farrah tells TMZ ... she went with her daughter, Sophia, and her friends to an "all ages" concert at The Empire Control Room in Texas Monday, thinking it would just be safer if she were there -- referencing last year's Astroworld tragedy.

Farrah's been getting slammed ever since posting about the event, with many assuming the 13-year-old was under the venue's age limit and that it was wrong to take a 13-year-old regardless.

She says there was no age limit for this particular concert. As for taking a 13-year-old, Farrah says she wanted to educate her kid on how to have a fun yet safe time at a concert.

Farrah's been working through a 12-step program for substance abuse and believes it's helped her with everything, including parenting. BTW, she says she was knockin' back H2O during the performances.

'Vanderpump' stars Katie Maloney and Tom Schwartz are seriously close to unloading a major asset they shared in marriage ... finding a buyer for their home after filing for divorce.

Tom and Katie accepted an offer Tuesday for $2.45 million ... the sale hasn't been finalized just yet, but is almost certain to go through. The home was first listed last month for $2.75M, but the price was later slashed by about $150k.

As far as the house itself, the new buyer will be able to take advantage of all the cool features ... including a gorgeous outdoor pool, patio and backyard spa. It's got 4 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms and about 3,500 sq ft of living space.

As we reported, Katie filed for divorce from Tom about 4 months ago. Since then, they've been open about going their separate ways, which included getting rid of the house, as both felt it would be too much to maintain solo both physically and financially.

At one point, Katie got Instagram to tell her fans just how hard it was to let go of the property, writing, "I hate goodbyes. And this one hurts a lot. The emotions and words are hard to pin down. Closing this chapter on my life feels like attending my own funeral."

American actor Jason Lewis was 32 years old when he was cast as Smith Jerrod -- a rising actor who eventually makes his big break and falls in love with Samantha Jones -- in HBO's "Sex And The City."

Jason was accompanied by fellow castmates Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw, Kim Cattrall as Public Relations executive, Samantha Jones, Kristin Davis as art gallerist, Charlotte York, Cynthia Nixon as corporate lawyer Miranda Hobbes and Chris Noth as entrepreneur and financier, Mr. Big.

Jason also reprised his role in both "Sex And The City" films.

Issa Rae's latest HBO series "Rap Sh!t" is about to debut, and she says you can expect to see characters spitting lyrics written by her favorite rappers ... all women!

Issa shouted out PineappleCITI, NCognita and Dreezy, who tells TMZ Hip Hop ... writing for the show was a breeze, seeing as how she's written for hip hop and R&B artists in the past.

She's sworn to secrecy as far as naming any co-collaborators for the show, but Dreezy assured us a few upcoming hot tracks have her fingerprints all over them.

"Rap Sh!t" -- which drops Thursday on HBOMax -- is centered around 2 Miami women looking to get ahead with their music, and, naturally, they also experience all the sinful spoils of the industry.

It looks and feels much like the life of City Girls Yung Miami and JT ... mainly because they're co-executive producers with Issa and several other people.

Dreezy also tells us the backlash behind women rapping about their bodies is a moot point, mainly because sex sells everything ... including rap, and "women are sexy AF!!!"

She claims women rappers have just as much variety as men, citing love songs, party songs, get money music, heartbreak and bad bitch music as different subgenres.

Nolan Neal, a contestant on both "America's Got Talent" and "The Voice," has died.

Nolan passed away Monday according to the medical examiner ... Nolan's cousin Dylan Seals tells TMZ he was found dead in his apartment in Nashville.

No official cause of death has been determined, but the singer has talked openly about his struggles with substance abuse. During an interview with WBIR in 2020, he admitted that he was still struggling with addiction while he was competing on "The Voice."

Dylan tells us Nolan lived with him for 4 months prior to the pandemic ... when Nolan was clean, jamming out and making music with him.

Nolan was featured on season 15 of "AGT" ... making it all the way to the quarterfinals where he performed an emotional original piece, "Send Me a Butterfly."

During his audition for the show, he sang a song called "Lost," which he said was the first thing he wrote after getting clean. The performance got a standing ovation from the crowd and all 4 judges.

Nolan also blew everyone away on season 10 of "The Voice," getting picked to be on Adam Levine's team, and making it to the knockout round before he was eliminated.

A Nolan Neal fan page posted Tuesday morning about his death, saying, "I can't believe you're gone from us" ... the caption ends with "Heaven just got a new music director."

Nolan was 41.

RIP

"The Office" star Craig Robinson had to pull the plug on his comedy show moments before going on stage, after a gunman began shooting inside the comedy club.

Gunshots rang out at around 9 PM Saturday night at the Comedy Zone in North Carolina ... and Craig's fans beelined it out for safety.

The gunman flashed his gun as he entered the venue and, demanded that everyone leave, and according to cops, then fired at least one round. Thankfully no one was injured.

Robinson left the venue as well, and headed over to the Metro Credit Union Amphitheater where Big Time Rush was mid-concert. The Amphitheater is a stone's throw from the comedy club.

Craig says, "I’m safe. I’m cool. It was wild I was in the green room and they’re like ‘everybody get out!’ It was a moment for sure."

Dave Chappelle getting an Emmy nomination for a stand-up special some call transphobic is emboldening the transgender community -- but not so much in the way you might think.

We spoke to Ashlee Marie Preston in L.A. to get her reaction to the comedian getting a Primetime Emmy nod for Netflix's "The Closer" -- which, as you know, was the subject of much controversy last year ... and even spurred Netflix employee walkouts in protest.

Preston -- who isn't a Netflix employee, but still helped organize the walkout -- tells us she and other members of the transgender and queer community have an action plan ... the details of which she's purposely keeping under wraps, but promises we'll see soon as a response.

Give the clip a watch ... it sounds like Ashlee and Co. are about to roll out a campaign or an announcement of sorts that advocates for LGBT-friendly content -- something she says the industry needs more of to help combat the POVs Dave expressed in "Closer," which she considers harmful.

Preston also tells us that instead of focusing on Chappelle ... she encourages anyone who supports their cause to turn their attention to Emmy nominees who help tell their story -- folks like Bowen Yang and others, who are also up for awards this year.

It's also interesting to hear Preston's approach this time around -- rather than being triggered and reacting in haste, she and her colleagues appear to be going about the response much more strategically.

Blake Jenner, one of the stars of "Glee," has a legal battle on his hands after cops hauled him in for an alleged DUI ... TMZ has learned.

The Burbank Police Department tells TMZ ... officers pulled over the 29-year-old actor when they noticed he failed to stop at a red light around 11:30 PM.

During the traffic stop last weekend, officers felt Jenner -- no relation to the you-know-whos, BTW -- was showing signs of intoxication, so they put him through the paces of field sobriety testing.

That didn't go so well for him, according to cops at least. Blake was arrested and booked for misdemeanor DUI. He was released shortly thereafter with a citation, and will have to appear before a judge at a later date.

Jenifer Lewis says her new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is the biggest award of her illustrious career ... and she loves it so much, you'll be able to find her there every day.

We got the "The Mother of Black Hollywood" author and "Black-ish" star Friday as she was leaving her ceremony and asked what her fixture on the Walk of Fame means to her.

Jenifer tells us the star is way more important than a trophy for a show or performance, because it's forever lasting.

Jenifer's got great company on the WoF -- her star is parked right next to Katharine Hepburn -- and she jokingly says she's going to sleep next to it every night and drive by every day, telling folks not to step on her good name.

On a more serious note, Jenifer tells us she's overwhelmed with appreciation for the career milestone -- recalling all the work, on camera and off, that went into getting to this point ... including taking care of her bipolar disorder.

Her famous friends showed her serious love at the ceremony ... including Brandy, director Debbie Allen, 'SNL' alum Vanessa Bayer, composer Marc Shaiman and former "Amen" star Roz Ryan.

"Stranger Things" star Noah Schnapp came under a lot of fire for leaking DMs between himself and Doja Cat -- but says he's already apologized and things are all good between the two.

17-year-old Schnapp took to TikTok Wednesday night to give an update on the situation between him and DC ... saying, "Guys everything is all good I apologized and I still follow her and love her music no hard feelings ❤️❤️". Doja's song "Kiss Me More" plays in the background of the video.

If you weren't following along, Schnapp had recently posted a private exchange between him and Doja where she was asking about his "Stranger Things" costar, Joseph Quinn, seemingly wanting to go on a date or get set up through Noah.

Doja didn't appreciate Noah's posting, saying it was some "weasel s***" ... but she did acknowledge Noah was young, and said everyone makes and learns from mistakes.