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Jax Taylor's lawyer says Brittany Cartwright is using her restraining order allegations to try to wreck Jax's career and cut off his income.

Jax's attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, tells TMZ ... Brittany's filing is part of a campaign to "weaponize the internet" against his client ... accusing her of trying to disturb Jax's peace, ruin his career, and destroy his financial opportunities.

The lawyer says Jax "categorically disputes" several of Brittany's claims and has extensive evidence and communications that will tell "a very different story" when the matter gets before a judge.

Kenan Thompson is taking over Simon Cowell's seat on "America’s Got Talent" ... stepping in as a guest judge for Tuesday night's Quarterfinals 3 episode.

The show announced Friday the "Saturday Night Live" star will substitute for Simon Tuesday while the music mogul continues recovering from a routine back procedure.

As we reported ... Simon is expected to miss a couple of weeks of the NBC competition show after undergoing surgery. We’re told it’s a routine procedure and not a new major health crisis.

Big Brother is celebrating the iconic franchise's 1,000th episode ... but that doesn't mean all of the former houseguests are happy ... far from it.

Here's the deal… Big Brother aired its 1,000th episode live Thursday night, and the audience was filled to the brim with past houseguests and icons from the show's previous 28 seasons.

Not everyone made the cut ... in a separate sound stage somewhere on the Radford lot in Studio City, there were other former houseguests who weren't lucky enough to make it to the main stage for the show ... and they're pissed over their snubs!!!

A photo shared on X showed a large number of former contestants sitting in an empty sound stage, watching the show on four small TVs. Hardly glamorous.

Anna "Chickadee" Cardwell's widowed family just got a little bigger ... almost 3 years after losing his wife, TMZ has learned.

Eldridge Toney and Jessie English have welcomed their first baby, Walker, on Friday.

A source close to the couple tells TMZ ... "everything went great." We're told Jessie had a C-section, but the baby is "doing amazing" and Eldridge was in the room during delivery.

Eldridge had shared on his Instagram stories earlier in the day that they were ready for their baby to come ... posting a pic of Jessie in a hospital bed.

KJ Dillard is finding healing through his new music ... telling TMZ he's "doing really good" after receiving mental health treatment following the most recent "Summer House" season.

We got the reality star out in NYC this week, and he told our photog he's been working on himself, learning a lot, and practicing patience and grace as he navigates life after his mental health struggles.

KJ says music is a form of therapy for him ... helping him mentally and emotionally as he navigates this chapter in his life.

Brittany Cartwright is giving a disturbing look at the alleged aftermath of one of her blowups with Jax Taylor ... showing off a badly bruised knee and damage inside their home.

Photos filed with the court and obtained by TMZ show dark bruising around Brittany's knee and leg ... along with a coffee table flipped over and a pic showing an iPad looking seriously busted up -- with Jax standing behind her.

Brittany says the damage came during a July 2024 incident ... claiming Jax got furious after going through private messages on her iPad.

Angel Victoria Murdock seemed to have it all ... she graduated from Duke University, started selling high-end real estate, had 300,000 followers on social media, and even was a guest for 6 episodes on the popular Netflix show, "Temptation Island" ... but now she's being called out.

The problem is ... Angel allegedly lied about her college degree, and the university told us they don't have a record of her in their system.

Here's what happened ... Angel posted Instagram photos of herself as a 2026 Duke graduate, and she wrote in the caption, "Today, I get to look back and realize that every late night, every sacrifice, every setback and every prayer was leading me right here."

Brittany Cartwright is going after Jax Taylor's jugular in their divorce case, filing a domestic violence temporary restraining order in which she claims Jax threatened to "gut" her "like a f***en fish" and physically attacked her, according to new court documents.

The restraining order, obtained by TMZ, was filed Thursday in L.A. Superior Court and granted by a judge, who ordered Jax to stay 100 yards away from Brittany. Brittany also requested sole custody of their 5-year-old son Cruz, but the judge denied the request pending a court hearing.

Brittany also filed a declaration laying out a pattern of abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of Jax over the last decade. In court docs, Brittany says Jax exhibited "coercive control, financial abuse, emotional and psychological abuse, gaslighting and even physical violence perpetrated upon me."

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Leah Remini's deal to join "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" nearly collapsed before it was finalized ... with negotiations going down to the wire ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Leah was in the final stages of talks to become a full-time Housewife for the upcoming season when the deal hit some turbulence a couple of weeks ago.

We're told producers became concerned the two sides might not get it done ... but Leah ultimately signed on at the 11th hour, locking in her spot alongside the other women.

Before this sweet lil’ girl in a life jacket became a Bravo-lebrity, she was just swimming in Azusa, California, cheerleading and pretending to be Britney Spears, signing autographs.

"It's All Happening" is one of her iconic quotes (and tattoos), and you best believe she's "Good As Gold."

Ted Kaczynski isn't a person whose actions should be justified or normalized ... so says the son of one of his victims, who is pissed about Netflix's new film "Unabomber."

The streaming giant dropped the trailer for "Unabomber" Thursday ... and Jonathan Epstein -- the son of Dr. Charles Epstein, who was severely injured and lost three fingers after Kaczynski mailed him a bomb in 1993 -- blasted the project.

Jonathan says he understands Netflix wants to "goose its flattening viewership" ... but says this show isn't the way to go about it.

"The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Dorit Kemsley claims she hasn't filmed any scenes with her new costar Tracy Tutor ... and it doesn't sound like she's too excited about the prospect.

Dorit was asked about the newest 'RHOBH' addition as she was leaving court Wednesday after a hearing in her nasty divorce from PK Kemsley ... and Dorit gave quite an interesting answer.

There's been some drama between Dorit and Tracy ... and Dorit indicates she's going to give Tracy a couple of months to try and right the ship.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Leah Remini is bringing her no nonsense attitude to Beverly Hills ... 'cause TMZ has learned she's joining "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills."

Production sources tell TMZ ... Leah recently signed on as a full-time Housewife for the upcoming season 16, marking one of Bravo's biggest celebrity additions yet.

Leah is instantly one of the most recognizable stars ever to enter the Housewives universe, thanks to her longtime role as Carrie Heffernan on the hugely successful sitcom, "The King of Queens."

Chris "Block" Gordon's crash was so severe that a caller immediately urged dispatch to get a helicopter ready ... TMZ has learned.

According to 911 audio obtained by TMZ, a caller reports a wreck on the drag strip at KD Motorsports Park in South Webster, Ohio, and says fire crews are already on scene and repeatedly pleads for a chopper.

Dispatch records obtained by TMZ show the call came in shortly after 8 PM Saturday. Air medical transport was requested minutes later, but dispatch was told the helicopter had an estimated 40-minute ETA.