Viral

'Mad' Mike Hughes is believed to possibly be dead after launching himself in the air with a self-made rocket that crash-landed -- and it was captured on camera.

The well-known daredevil and amateur rocket-engineer was doing a rocket launch Saturday in what appears to be near Barstow, CA -- where a reporter says Mike propelled himself into the air with a "self-made steam-powered rocket" and then crash-landed into the ground.

The reporter, Justin Chapman, adds, "Very likely did not survive." He tells TMZ ... Mike is confirmed to be dead there on the ground as well.

In the video, you see a parachute fly out of the rocket, but it doesn't appear anyone is using it. The presumption, for now, is that Mike might've stayed in the rocket as it ascended hundreds of feet into the air.

Mike's rep, Darren Shuster, tells TMZ he was NOT at the launch Saturday, but does believe his longtime client to be deceased based on what he's seen and heard. Darren says Mike was a "one-of-a-kind" adding, "When God made Mike he broke the mold. The man was the real deal and lived to push the edge. He wouldn’t have gone out any other way! RIP"

For Saturday's experiments, Mike is said to have been attempting to get as close to space from Earth as possible -- otherwise known as the Karman line, about 62 miles above Earth's surface -- without the use of advanced tech you might find at NASA or SpaceX.

Much more tragic, Mike seemed pretty stoked for the launch this weekend. He posted a video describing his rocket, where it would go down and what he was aiming to achieve. BTW, he was a big flat-earth believer -- and a doc was even made about him trying to prove it.

We've reached out to the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. for comment ... so far, no word back. However, we were told by a dispatcher at the Victor Valley Sheriff's Station that a call for service had been placed Saturday out of Barstow -- the nature of which is unclear.

Mike was 64. RIP

Hornswoggle saw the viral video of 9-year-old Quaden Bayles hysterically crying after incessant bullying ... and says he's been in a similar position, 'cause the wrestling star also grew up with dwarfism -- and was picked on.

TMZ Sports talked to Swoggle -- a wrestling star who spent 10 years with WWE -- and he offered advice to Quaden on how he should deal with kids who pick on him.

FYI -- the wrestler was born with a genetic condition that causes dwarfism

"I guess my biggest advice is don't let it get to ya, because that's what they want. All they want is to see you sad. All they want is to see you angry and upset, and just bummed out," Swoggle says.

"The minute you don't let them see that, alright. And it's not right to say, but maybe they'll move on to someone else. Or, maybe they'll just stop altogether."

If you haven't seen the video yet ... it's heartbreaking to watch. Bayles -- born with Achondroplasia dwarfism -- says he wants to die 'cause of bullies at school ... while crying.

Swoggle says it's also up to the people around Quaden to stand up for him when they see something going down.

"The other thing for others around Quaden is, if you see it, stick up for each other. There's no reason for it. There's no reason to let it happen."

The wrestling star says he knows kids look up to him ... and hopes he can be a source of strength to those who are struggling with bullies.

"Hopefully, I can [inspire kids] in some way. Hopefully, [Quaden] sees it as well as other people who might be getting bullied," Swoggle says.

"Hey, it didn't get to me. Don't let it affect your life. Do what you want to do. Live how you want to live and just have fun with life. That's the key. Enjoy life. We only got one, in reality."

"You can only be 9 years old once. You can't go back in time to change it, so enjoy it."

A 9-year-old boy who said on a heartbreaking video that he wanted to kill himself after being bullied is getting a lift from the MMA world ... he's taken ONE Championship officials up on their offer for free training lessons.

Quaden Bayles -- an Australian with Achondroplasia dwarfism -- went viral this week after his mom posted a disturbing video of him breaking down in tears after being bullied.

In the footage, Bayles tells his mother, "I wish I could stab myself in the heart. I want someone to kill me."

Thousands of people -- including celebs all over the globe -- reached out to show their support for the boy ... with ONE CEO Chatri Sityodtong even offering free MMA lessons.

FYI -- ONE is one of the top MMA organizations in the world ... with stars like Demetrious Johnson and Eddie Alvarez fighting for the promotion.

Turns out, Bayles was super down for the training ... 'cause just hours after Sityodtong posted his message -- the ONE honcho says Bayles' family gladly accepted the offer!

"I just spoke to his amazing mom, Yarraka, over the phone," Sityodtong said Friday. "She has graciously accepted my invitation to come to Singapore for an all-expenses-paid vacation so Quaden can learn martial arts at EVOLVE."

"Our instructors will be sure to bully-proof Quaden. If he wakes up from his nap, we plan to FaceTime tonight. Yarraka said that he might sleep through the night. If so, we will FaceTime tomorrow. Let us all take the opportunity to show little Quaden how much the world cares."

Quaden is also set to make an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland in the coming months after a GoFundMe for the boy raised more than $230,000 in less than a day.

MOOSE ON THE LOOSE!!!!!!!

A giant elk almost ran over unsuspecting skiers going down a snowy mountain at a resort in Sweden this week ... and the video of the close call is WILD!!!!

Erik Stark -- an F1H2O powerboat racing driver -- filmed the crazy scene with a GoPro attached to his head ... and you can see in the footage, the moose just BARELY misses Stark and a few other skiers.

What's crazier ... the animal nearly plowed through EVEN MORE bystanders on its way down the mountain -- before it ultimately hopped a fence to escape to safety.

Fortunately, it doesn't appear anybody was hurt by the runaway beast ... and Stark was able to joke about it all afterward.

"I had to stop to allow the moose to overtake me," he said. "#toofastforthemoose"

PHEW!!!!

'Sonic the Hedgehog' took a cue from the fan base -- and rightly so, because the movie's rolling in the dough as a result ... so says one of the film's stars.

Actress Tika Sumpter was leaving Craig's in WeHo Tuesday night, and she weighed in on the massive box office haul her new flick pulled in over the weekend -- upwards of $70 million here at home, and projected to make a lot more than its estimated $85 mil budget.

According to her, the secret formula for success here was the fact Paramount Studios listened to the feedback from potential viewers on social media earlier last year ... when everyone ripped Sonic's original look, and his eery human-like teeth that nobody seemed to like.

Tika says the proof is in the pudding in terms of Paramount's reward for taking note -- and it sounds like she thinks other studios may follow suit with future projects.

Funny enough, Tika invokes another animated classic with teeth issues of its own. She says we've advanced beyond the one-block denture depiction, but aren't quite ready to see cavities, it seems.

Just when you thought technology couldn't get any crazier, Dubai turns the corner in the jetpack game ... and their latest gizmo's got us thinking superheroes here.

The Crown Prince, Hamdan Mohammed, linked to a video Monday morning showing off a sweet flight path taken by pilot Vince Reffe --- referred to as Jetman Dubai -- who flies around the city with an incredibly advanced jetpack that lets him zip around like Iron Man.

Check it out ... the dude doesn't just hover (which we've seen before). He actually reaches high-level altitudes here -- supposedly, as much as 1,800 meters in the air. And, BTW, this thing is pretty damn fast ... he reached these heights in a matter of seconds.

Not only that, but the pilot even does some light aerobatics up there before eventually using a parachute to come safely back down. There's a GoPro-like camera attached to the wings of the jetpack, so you get an up-close-and-personal look at his journey. It's wild.

Justin Bieber is going through changes -- and one of them just happened on his face.

The singer posted video Sunday showing himself taking an electric razor to his mustache, which he's been rocking proudly for a minute now. Unclear why he decided to get rid of the epic stache, but his follicle fans shouldn't panic. JB says it'll be back in due time.

In the videos, Justin shows off a cool feature on Instagram Stories -- being able to embed snippets of songs and having the lyrics superimpose over your uploaded clip. For the stache shaving, the Biebs went with a few solid "goodbye"-themed tunes. Quite fitting.

He chose the Rolling Stones' "Miss You," Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," 'NSYNC's "Gone," and of course ... Ray Charles' "Hit the Road Jack." Good taste in music.

He also showed off his freshly shaven mug, calling himself "Baby face Bieb." Yeah, he does look younger -- facial hair has that kinda magic. BTW, his wife, Hailey, seems to dig it. She responded to his post with a 😍  emoji, so the missus is happy. Good move.

Until we meet again, young Selleck 👋🏽

A Michigan Wendy's employee is out of a job after "power" soaking in a kitchen sink full of suds ... and so are his coworkers who helped post video of the bath on TikTok.

Several workers of the Greenville Wendy's location have been canned  ... after a young male who, at the very least is shirtless, was bathing in the fast-food joint's sink while yukking it up with other employees.

He certainly looks "fresh, never frozen" ... but ya gotta think that's not what Wendy's corporate had in mind with the slogan.

According to the franchise owner of the location ... the restaurant has been cleaned and inspected since the video was posted on social media earlier this week and racked up tens of thousands of views.

The Wendy's store says ... "This egregious behavior is completely unacceptable and counter to our safety, training and operational standards. Upon learning of this situation, all employees in the video were terminated immediately and the restaurant has been completely sanitized. The health department visited the restaurant today and no violations were reported."

No word on how many times Dave Thomas spun in his grave.

Wendi Williams, the woman whose seat was repeatedly punched on an American Airlines flight, says SHE nearly got tossed off the flight because she refused to delete the video of the encounter.

Wendi tells us a flight attendant handed her a passenger disturbance notice for refusing to delete her video of the man behind her hitting her seat. She says the flight attendant even threatened to remove her from the flight if she didn't delete it. As you can see, the document warns she could be federally prosecuted.

Wendi says she ultimately complied but adds she later found the video in the "recently deleted" folder on her iPhone. She later posted it, and as you know ... it's gone viral.

As for that notice ... it outlines, "threatening, intimidating or interfering with a Crewmember; smoking; drinking alcoholic beverages not served by a Crewmember or creating an alcoholic-related disturbance" ... none of which describes Wendi's behavior, according to her.

Wendi finds the threat ironic since it came while she was recording someone rudely punching the back of HER seat ... simply because she reclined it during their Jan. 31 American Eagles flight, operated by Republic Airways.

She told us on "TMZ Live," the man was punching and shoving her seat way more violently prior to her turning on her phone to capture his behavior. As a result, she has some serious medical concerns.

Wendi says the repeated whiplash may have caused damage, given her medical history. She says she's had multiple back surgeries over the years and has titanium fused to her spine. She's worried the repeated blows might have damaged her vertebrae.

She wants to get an MRI but says it's too expensive. Wendi wants the airline to pony up the dough and cover her medical bills.

As we reported, Wendi also wants the passenger behind her to be identified, so she can press charges for assault. She also wants the flight attendant fired for the way she handled the ordeal -- giving the man booze, and threatening her.

Rebecca Black poured her heart out for the anniversary of her song, "Friday," and says the honesty paid off ... and might even unlock some doors in the near future.

We spoke to the singer Wednesday in L.A. after she posted an emotional reflection on her viral hit 9 years to the day that it went up on YouTube ... which she tells us has been reciprocated with folks opening up to her right back, and being just as vulnerable.

ICYMI, Rebecca said she wishes she could go back in time and talk to younger versions of herself, whom she says were going through it in the wake of the earworm ... and all the hate that followed. RB says she went through depression, rejection and food feathering.

She found the light at the end of the tunnel though ... adding that despite all that, she now knows no one thing has to define a person -- and each day is an opportunity to start fresh.

As it turns out, the message resonated with a ton of people, who've been blowing Rebecca up with support and stories of their own. Check it out ... she tells us she'd never been quite that honest about her experience, and it clearly struck a chord in a good way.

When it comes to regrets ... Rebecca says she doesn't have any and actually doesn't think she would have stopped herself from doing the song/video if she knew what was to come.

We'll let her explain why for herself. But, get this ... a super-famous music producer has apparently been in touch with Rebecca. For new tunes??? Maybe ... a "Friday" remix might be in the cards, folks.

Ever wanted to put your seemingly useless talents to good use -- AKA, getting ca$$$h??? It's your lucky day, 'cause TMZ's got the dough, and we're ready to dish it out for some video.

Welcome to the "Show Us Your Talent" contest, where all you gotta do is capture your unique skills on camera and submit it here before Feb. 25 by 11:59 PM. TMZ will take a gander at all of the submissions, and whoever we like best will get $5,000. CASH. How 'bout that?!

What's more, we'll also get you some face time over the airwaves and put you on our show, "TMZ on TV." If you want an idea of what we're looking for, check out the vid above.

We got some of our own crew members to juggle, blow into a giant horn thingy, hula hoop and even tell weird jokes and recite facts. You can do better than that though, right??

Now, just to give you some quick basic parameters -- we're looking for a video no longer than 90 seconds, and also ... something we can broadcast without getting fined by the FCC. So keep it clean, people. Anything nifty, neat, clever or awe-inspiring will do just fine.

Blac Chyna was quick to post and delete a pregnancy announcement with a photo of an ultrasound that appears to have been stolen from another expecting mama.

Here's the deal ... Blac Chyna seemingly shared some happy news with fans Tuesday on social media, posting an image of an ultrasound with the caption, "Blessed 2020."

Folks started going nuts ... wondering if she really was pregnant and who the father of the new kiddo is because the news came out of the blue. Chyna deleted the announcement just minutes after posting.

However, we did some digging, and a well-known Russian makeup artist posted the exact same photo 3 hours prior to Chyna's post announcing her OWN pregnancy.

We have reached out to Chyna's reps to try and get to the bottom of her post and figure out if she's actually pregnant ... but they're radio silent.

As you know ... BC was at the Oscars over the weekend, but it didn't look like she had a baby bump.

Of course, Chyna's Oscars appearance was not without controversy ... as we reported, folks were questioning why she was there in the first place, and BC said the hate was a clear example of racism.

Blac Chyna's already got one daughter with Rob Kardashian, 3-year-old Dream, and one son with Tyga, 7-year-old King Cairo.

Kim Kardashian says she doesn't want any more kids because she can't give them enough attention ... but seems Blac Chyna just wants some attention for herself.

JaVale McGee is getting in on the newest Internet craze, the #BroomstickChallenge ... which is dope and all, except for the fact it's all a bunch of hogwash!!

The trend started sweeping (ha) through social media on Monday ... with word spreading that NASA claimed February 10, 2020 was the only day a broom would be able to stand on its own due to some sort of gravitational pull mumbo jumbo.

Despite no real word coming from NASA ... the challenge took a life of its own, with folks like Future and Tory Lanez trying it out with success.

The Lakers stud got in on the action before his game against the Phoenix Suns ... and couldn't believe his eyes!!

"That's crazy," McGee said as he proved the broom wasn't being held up by anything else.

If you don't believe it, JaVale ... give it another try today. Considering the whole thing is a hoax and this can happen 365 days a year.

The Texas strip club where a dancer came crashing down from a 15-foot pole is taking no responsibility for the incident ... because the CEO says they didn't tell her to make the climb.

As you know ... exotic dancer Genea Sky went viral after seriously injuring herself over the weekend when she fell from a two-story pole on the main stage of XTC Cabaret in Dallas.

But, the club is calling it an accident, and there are no plans to remove stripper poles as a result ... Eric Langan -- CEO of RCI Hospitality Holdings Inc., which owns the club -- tells TMZ.

As we reported ... Genea says she fractured her jaw, sprained her ankle and cracked some teeth in the fall, and she underwent surgery for her injuries.

Langan tells us the club is looking into helping Genea financially. One thing's for sure ... she's not a full-time employee so she can't get worker's comp. It's unclear if she has health insurance. Langan says she should worry about her health first and money second.  Really???

Anyway, the club's position -- entertainers choose their own routine, and as a company, they exercise no control over a dancer's art form, so if they fall -- it's on them.

Mark Ruffalo is confirming a hot rumor on the heels of "Parasite" winning big at the Oscars -- telling us he'd be honored to join the cast of an American TV version.

We got Mark Monday afternoon at LAX ... shortly after news broke that he was being eyed by HBO to be the lead star of a "Parasite" limited TV series that's in the works. You gotta see Mark's reaction to the Collider report ... 'cause the guy's super amped.

It sounds like he's all but assuring us of his involvement, but he doesn't make the leap to say he's officially on board. He definitely wanted us to know he likes the movie and loves the fact "Parasite" won the way it did ... and wouldn't say no if someone came asking.

That's called playing it coy ... in the biz.

Now, for those who might be rolling their eyes at this idea of taking a Korean flick and reshaping it for American audiences ... settle down. The OG director, Bong Joon-ho, is reportedly still involved, working alongside fellow Oscar-winning director Adam McKay.

So, in other words ... this thing has Joon-ho's blessing, and just as importantly ... he'll be getting paid.