You Might Want to Rethink

There's an online theory circulating that claims Stephen "tWitch" Boss and his family were in bad shape financially at the time of his suicide ... something we're told simply isn't true.

People playing detective on social media are working to figure out what may have led tWitch to take his own life. One popular theory -- based on some of the accounts he followed on Instagram -- was that he had invested heavily and lost big in cryptocurrency.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us that is false -- Stephen was not experiencing any sort of financial hardship in the time leading up to his suicide. What's more -- our law enforcement sources say no one from the family has mentioned any sort of financial issues with Stephen.

As for the social media chatter, a video posted by actor Columbus Short also helped to fuel the fire -- where the actor shared his own theory that tWtich may have had money issues.

Our sources say Stephen knew Columbus through the dance world -- and their personal interactions were always directly associated with working environments.

TMZ broke the story -- tWitch's wife, Allison Holker, told cops Tuesday she became worried about her husband when he left their home without warning a day earlier and wasn't answering his phone.

As we first told you, tWitch had checked into a motel less than a mile from his home Monday carrying a small bag. Hotel employees checked in on his room Tuesday after he missed checkout and discovered him dead in the bathroom from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

The Liver King's gimmick might not be 100% legit, but his abs certainly appear to be ... 'cause a top plastic surgeon says the fitness influencer's shredded core is NOT fake.

Along with being accused of using steroids (which just so happened to be true), people have speculated LK's washboard abs were actually a result of implants.

In hopes of putting an end to all the speculation, Liver King -- real name Brian Johnson -- hit up Dr. Daniel Barrett, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, to administer a series of tests.

"I have an obligation to my tribe (you)... to take massive goddam action and do whatever it takes to earn back your trust," Johnson wrote on Instagram about the visit to the doc.

In LK's video, you see Dr. Barrett prodding at LK's abs with his fingers and a machine ... and eventually, he concludes that based on his expertise and what he sees and feels, there's no indication Liver King has ab implants.

Remember, Johnson, who was already a millionaire long before the viral Liver King persona was created, had to come clean about his steroid use after YouTuber More Plates More Dates exposed the "ancestral lifestyle" influencer.

Liver King's entire sales pitch was built on his "9 ancestral tenets" that he credited for his incredible physique -- but after he got exposed, many questioned if it was all a huge lie.

For what it's worth ... once he got caught, Brian admitted that he used steroids ... saying that he "f***ed up" and that he "misled a lot of people."

Recently, Johnson said on "TMZ Live" he fully expects his company's sales to be affected by his lies ... but what's most important to him, as he tries to regain the trust of his supporters, is that they're eating and living the right way.

All that being said, the tests don't confirm whether or not LK has had any ab etching done ... which is a procedure that sucks unwanted fat from the tummy to showcase the muscles more clearly.

James Cameron's pissing off animal welfare activists by promoting his ocean-themed epic, "Avatar: The Way of Water," with a dolphin show many see as, at least ironic, and definitely cruel.

The director sat alongside stars Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver and others in Japan to promote the much-anticipated sequel -- he kicked off the press conference by saying, "Welcome to Pandora" ... and then the controversial show began.

The dolphins in a tank performed tricks with the help of trainers ... and as the conference continued, Cameron mentioned how much he loved a dolphin's intelligence and sociability ... before joking, "I'm sure everybody asked their permission to be in the show."

That joke did not land with animal activist groups like PETA -- because its spokesperson told Plant Based News, "Why on Earth didn't [Cameron] pause for just five minutes to consider whether he should have allowed himself to be seen as endorsing the cruelty of marine parks?"

Shockingly, Cameron's been an animal advocate for years ... he says he's been a vegan for a decade, and even produced a documentary alongside the director of the 2009 flick, "The Cove," the Oscar-winning animal rights film that exposed the cruelty of dolphin hunting in Japan, of all places.

Even "The Cove" director, Richard O'Barry, is calling out Cameron for his hypocrisy in using captive dolphins to promote a film whose central plot is about conserving ocean resources.

Gucci Mane is demanding justice for his artist Pooh Shiesty ... after claiming he was transferred to a prison where he's being subjected to cruel and unusual conditions.

The 1017 Records label boss fired off his accusations Wednesday, tweeting about Pooh only getting one hour out of his cell each day, and getting food trays ... without any food on them.

Gucci's allegation is echoed by Pooh's attorney Bradford Cohen, who claims his client has been in 23-hour lockdown each day ... for about the last 6 months at FCI Pollock in Louisiana.

He also claims prison officials are screwing with Pooh's mail -- holding back letters from family and fans, and blocking mail he sends out to loved ones.

Cohen says it took him 2 to 3 weeks just to set an appointment with Pooh, and claims his family's having an even harder time visiting him.

We're told when Pooh was convicted for firearm possession -- related to a 2020 shootout in southern Florida -- he asked to do his time at a prison about 200 miles from his Tennessee home. Instead, he was sent to Pollock ... which is about 1500 miles away from his kinfolk.

Distance aside, he can't have visitors while in lockdown, anyway -- so Cohen says it's a virtual impossibility for Pooh to see his fam.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons declined to comment on the specific allegations -- but said there are several factors that determine where an inmate is placed ... such as the level of supervision needed and/or medical needs.

Despite moving on to the World Cup final, not all things went smoothly for Kylian Mbappe on Wednesday -- the France superstar accidentally drilled a fan in the face with a warm-up shot ... and issued an apology immediately afterward.

The incident happened just before France took down Morocco in one of the tournament's semifinal games ... as the 23-year-old phenom was trying to get loose for the important tilt.

Mbappe peppered one of his shots over the goal mount -- and it, unfortunately, nailed a France supporter right in the noggin.

Pictures from the stadium in Qatar showed the guy was in a considerable amount of pain ... but, to Mbappe's credit, he ran over to make sure the dude was OK.

He grabbed the man's arm, and appeared to say he was sorry -- before bolting back to warm-ups.

Of course, we're sure the fan was feeling a whole lot better just minutes later -- 'cause France opened the game against Morocco with a goal in the first 300 seconds of the match.

France went on to win 2-0 -- and will now face Argentina in Sunday's finale.

A woman in AZ just found out the hard way inflatable green companions don't count for the carpool lane ... even during the holiday season.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety says the driver was spotted in the HOV lane Tuesday morning with a "Seusspicious-looking 'passenger.'"

The dept. says a trooper stopped the woman and discovered the passenger cruising with her was an inflatable Grinch. What's more -- cops snapped a pic of the infamous Whoville resident as proof the woman tried to pull a fast one.

The department continues, "While we appreciate the festive flair, this is illegal & the driver received a citation for the HOV violation." It then goes on to ensure AZ drivers are educated on traffic laws, especially with an increase in cars on the road during the holidays.

A Los Angeles Sheriff's deputy is under investigation for, apparently, having sex on the job ... or at least that's what it sounds like on the radio broadcast that picked up some of the nitty-gritty.

The audio, obtained by TMZ, could be heard over LASD airwaves this past weekend, and we're told it came from a rookie female deputy working at the Men's Central Jail that night. It sounds like, during a break in her shift, she got into some risky business.

Take a listen ... you can hear a woman giggling and warning her partner that he's going to rip her underwear, to which he responds playfully.

Now, law enforcement sources tell us this deputy went out to a parking structure that night, and her bosses believe she accidentally engaged her radio while getting into it. She eventually realized the microphone was open and shut it down, but, as you can hear, the damage was done.

LASD tells TMZ the agency has launched an internal investigation to find out more about the incident -- not to mention whether the man heard on the audio was also a member of the force ... and if he, too, was on the clock. We're told potential punishments could range from a suspension to a firing.

This isn't the first time LASD deputies have been caught doing the deed on duty -- you'll recall ... something similar happened 2 years ago at Universal Studios, and that was also caught in a radio broadcast.

A Las Vegas woman found herself in a sticky situation with cops after she allegedly stole a super expensive watch and hid it in her genitals.

Police were called to the Aria hotel Sunday in Las Vegas, according to 8 News Now ... after a man claimed he was cuddling 33-year-old Sarah Richards, and she continually insisted he take his Rolex off while they laid together.

The alleged victim told cops he put the watch under his pillow and continued to drink wine at Richards' request -- but he says when he noticed it missing, she "went into a panic" and left. He says he followed her all the way down to the lobby where he alerted security -- before PD arrived.

According to the reports, police couldn't find the Rolex at first, but eventually located it in her genitals. She's now looking at grand larceny charges.

Cops are saying Richards had a preliminary hearing in town Monday ... in a case where she's facing residential theft and burglary charges for allegedly taking someone's watch back in June. The person in that case apparently told police he thought he was drugged at a hotel.

Lil Fizz wants to make sure one thing is VERY clear ... it's not his naked butt that's making the rounds on social media, despite what some people may claim.

ICYMI ... there's an explicit video that's blown up on social media that shows what appears to be a man showing off his area where the sun don't shine. Those sharing the video claimed the video was Fizz, and a leak from his OnlyFans account.

However, Fizz got on IG Tuesday to address the video, saying, "This is crazy, the levels these chicks will go to, to try and destroy and ruin you."

He continued, "Wow unbelievable! Ya'll have a happy holiday, that is NOT ME!"

New England Patriots wide receiver DeVante Parker is going OFF on the NFL ... saying officials need to "get on y'alls f***in' jobs" and take care of players who may have suffered head injuries during games.

Parker appeared dazed after getting hit with four minutes left in the first quarter of the Pats' "Monday Night Football" game against the Arizona Cardinals ... and teammate Nelson Agholor had to beg the referees to pause the contest so the veteran wideout could get checked out.

The NFL Players' Association is currently investigating why the league's concussion spotter didn't immediately stop the game ... especially considering the new protocols put in place following the handling of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa's head injuries earlier this season.

Parker was visibly wobbly after he made the 10-yard catch -- he actually bumped into teammate Cole Strange as he tried to walk.

Parker thanked Agholor for looking out for him ... and it was for good reason -- #1 didn't return to the game after being examined by the medical staff.

The Pats are now dealing with a short receiving core ... as Jakobi Meyers also missed Monday's game due to a concussion.

An NHL fan had his fingertip bitten off during an insane fight at the Coyotes vs. Bruins game on Friday ... this according to cops.

A spokesperson for the ASU Police Dept. tells TMZ Sports ... the melee happened at around 9:30 PM at Mullett Arena in Tempe -- when several Boston and Arizona fans got into a scrap.

Video shot by a bystander shows roughly half a dozen people -- including men and women -- shoved each other, threw drinks on each other ... and, at times, whaled on each other for roughly a minute.

Cops eventually jumped into the fray to break it all up -- and according to the ASU PD spokesperson, one fan, Nashaknik Allen Shontz, was arrested after he was accused of taking a chunk out of another person's finger during the fracas.

The spokesperson said Shontz was booked on one count of aggravated assault.

According to the spokesperson, five other people involved in the brawl were issued citations. Cops say they don't know what started the fight -- they're still investigating the matter.

It's unclear if the alleged victim was able to reattach the severed digit.

Elon Musk is getting a frigid shoulder in San Francisco -- as if the Twitter sitch wasn't bad enough -- he got onstage with Dave Chappelle, and was practically shouted out of the arena.

The comedian was performing Sunday at the Chase Center, and toward the end of his set ... Dave brought Twitter's CEO up onstage as a special guest, which the S.F. crowd did not receive well -- raining a chorus of boos down on EM.

A few cheers could be heard as well, but as Dave noted ... it was mostly folks who weren't happy, but he kinda told them to shut it and tried to drown out the noise with a few jokes about how much he actually liked Elon, despite him being public enemy #1 online.

As for Elon ... well, he rolled with it as best as he could. He sarcastically asked Dave if this is what he was expecting -- and DC responded, "It sounds like some of the people you fired are in the audience."

That got a laugh, as did some other cracks from Dave about the tense situation -- and all the while, Elon just sorta stood around and took it. Some were expecting him to say more, as he does on Twitter, but in the end ... Dave wrapped it up by telling people there were better ways to express their protests with the man.

Another surreal moment ... when, at one point, Dave asked Elon to shout his old show's signature outro line -- "I'm rich, bitch!" -- which Elon did ... to mixed results. Fun times.

Chad Johnson is a master in footwork, but his skills certainly don't translate to sandboarding ... 'cause the ex-Bengals star tried out the sport -- and straight-up busted his ass!!

The former NFL wideout is in Qatar covering the World Cup for FOX ... and during a bit of downtime between games, he decided to hit the dunes for a boarding lesson.

The tutorial seemed to go pretty well at first ... but disaster struck as Ochocinco gained momentum going down the hill.

Check out the video -- Chad loses his balance as his speed increases ... and inevitably, it resulted in eating sand.

All appears to be well, though ... and luckily for Johnson, he was able to avoid any serious injury.

Ex-NFL star Fred Taylor commented on Chad's post ... writing, "😂😂😂😂 OH NOOOO OCHO."

Chad, 44, spent 11 seasons in the NFL ... routinely torching defensive backs with his nifty route-running abilities ... but he quickly learned that sandboarding ain't football.

Maybe next time, hit up Tony Hawk first?!? Although, that didn't really help Mike Tyson, either.

Lensa AI's new "Magic Avatar" feature is all the rage online ... and also in plastic surgery offices, where some patients are willing to pay for those images to become them in real life!!!

Dr. Terry Dubrow, who cohosts "Botched," tells TMZ … 2 people have already approached him asking if he can turn them into their Lensa AI self-portraits, which were generated by the app.

Dubrow -- who says he thought it was a crazy prank request at first -- tells us he turned them down because what they wanted wasn't possible in the operating room.

He also says he's concerned this trend is going to take unrealistic expectations to the next level -- making people feel worse about what they see in the mirror, and not wanting to show their real selves in public anymore.

Ditto for Dr. Deepak Dugar -- who's had clients like Mia Khalifa. He tells us he's actually had 5 Lensa-related requests over the past week, and it gravely worries him as well.

Dugar says he thinks this can actually become pretty dangerous if folks get too accustomed to their AI avatars ... as they might start to blend reality and fantasy.

Basically, the features exhibited in some of these AI renderings do not translate to real human bone structure -- but even if someone insisted, Dr. Dugar says he'd steer them away from it completely, because it’s simply not safe to even attempt.

He also says he thinks this is just a fad that'll die down the more people participate.

Likewise, Dr. Ben Talei -- who's done work on celebs like Shanna Moakler -- tells us he too has received a Lensa AI inquiry, but notes he's gotten AI avatar submissions a lot over the past few years.

He says while Lensa might be the new iteration of this avatar fascination ... the phenomenon actually traces back to Snapchat.

All the same, Talei says his fear is a dysmorphic patient actually does find a doctor with the same vision for a surgery … something he says no ethical surgeon would perform.

Helena Christensen is showing the world how to really weather a storm -- frolicking in freezing water, but instead of a wetsuit, she's doing her supermodel thing in a swimsuit!!!

The Danish model posted a bunch of photos and videos this weekend, wearing an all-white suit, while at home in Denmark. In the video, she takes a dip in sub-zero temps. At one point, her pal even joins in on the fun.

She clearly wasn't fazed at all by the weather. Under the post, she wrote, "Perfect day for a river swim ⛄️👙", as she got fully into the water -- shoulders and all.

The Danish are just built different.

In another post, she let fans know just how cold it was ... sharing a pic of the thermometer, just to make it official it was FREEZING. And, of course, some folks ate it up in the comments.

One user wrote, "You are the one and only ice queen! 🧊 ❄️! Inspired!" ... while another one cosigned " Your[e] crazy and I am jealous ❤️❤️❤️❤️".

As you may know, Helena has one kid, 23-year-old son Mingus Reedus, whom she had with 'Walking Dead' star Norman Reedus.

Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship star Luis Palomino has an idea for his next opponent ... Hall of Fame boxer Floyd Mayweather.

TMZ Sports spoke with the former MMA fighter ... who tells us he's tired of BKFC guys seemingly ducking him -- and his sights are now set on boxing the 50-0 legend.

"I've called out several names in the BKFC and crickets," Palomino said. "I called out Chad Mendes in three consecutive fights when they signed him, and I heard nothing."

"I'm looking for the big money fight," Luis continued. "My biggest one that I have in mind, and I think it makes perfect sense, will be Mayweather."

Luis tells us it would be a great business move if the two men -- considered the greatest in their respective sports -- collided, adding he's willing to fight Floyd in "his world."

"I'll put the gloves on," Luis said. "And I will represent Bare Knuckle, boxing with the gloves on, but I'm representing the dark side. I like to call it the dark side."

Luis respects Mayweather's legacy -- but says it's time for the former champ to fight someone who can legitimately hold their own against him inside the ring.

"The last [fight] that he did, he's having fun in there, but there's no type of competition," Luis said. "I know that being the champion he is, he still needs that."