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Tyler Perry's alleged text messages with his sexual battery accuser Mario Rodriguez seem to show the other man asking Perry for money prior to filing a lawsuit against him.

We've obtained alleged text messages between Rodriguez and Perry ... with several sent on August 31 of this year.

Check out the messages which were allegedly sent by Rodriguez ... beginning with him writing he hasn't been feeling well recently and blaming it on his teeth.

Former A&E personality Tony McCollister -- who was arrested on child and animal abuse charges -- has been court-ordered to stay away from the two dogs he allegedly abused in Ohio ... and, specifically, not to have sex with the animals.

As we reported ... McCollister's canines were taken into custody by the Warren County Sheriff's Office -- and are now being well cared for following the December 23 arrest of the former star of A&E's "Neighbors with Benefits," Sheriff Barry Riley told TMZ.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the judge ordered McCollister to keep at least 500 feet away from not just his pets, but all animals ... and all minor children as well.  The judge notes that McCollister must refrain from "forcing sexual relations" upon his minor children and dogs.

"Southern Hospitality" star Grace Lilly was arrested Monday ... after cops pulled her over and say they found a bottle of "happy pills" in her purse late Sunday night.

According to a police report, obtained by TMZ, Grace was driving through Charleston, South Carolina, in her Mercedes C-Class sedan with a man in her car. Officers say they initiated a traffic stop when Grace failed to use her turn signal to change lanes.

Cops say there was already a warrant out for her arrest in the system, so officers ordered her to step out of the vehicle and they detained her in handcuffs.

While detained, Grace allegedly asked if she could bring her purse with her to the detention center ... and cops say they found a container of pills inside the bag labeled "Happy Pills."

A man who once starred on a reality show about swingers has been arrested in Ohio and charged with 2 sex charges -- one involving an animal.

Tony McCollister, who starred on A&E's short-lived "Neighbors with Benefits" reality series about swingers, was cuffed in Warren County Tuesday on charges of pandering obscenity involving a minor and sexual conduct with an animal. His bail was set at $250,000 when he was arraigned in court this week, which he satisfied.

He is next due in court on Dec. 30, per WLWT5, who was first to report the news.

Todd Nepola's no longer interested in suing Bravo and NBC for defamation ... dismissing his lawsuit earlier this week.

The "Real Housewives of Miami" star filed a short document with the court voluntarily dismissing his action against the major corporations ... dismissing the lawsuit with prejudice, so he can't bring it again.

The document does not provide a reason for the dismissal.

2:45 PM EST -- Tea Tyme -- who is accused of killing a man while live-streaming while driving her vehicle in November -- is allowed to walk free ahead of her trial, an Illinois county court determined at a hearing Friday. She was arrested for the incident on Tuesday ... and although she will no longer be held in a cell, there are conditions to her release.

According to court docs obtained by TMZ ... she will have a curfew and will be barred from driving and using social media outside her home.

A preliminary hearing for the trial will take place on June 27.

Prosecutors don't want Tea Tyme -- the TikToker accused of killing a pedestrian while live-streaming back in November -- to be allowed back on the streets prior to her trial ... arguing she poses a threat to public safety.

The Lake County State's Attorney submitted the document to the court Friday ... laying out the allegations against Tea Tyme -- real name Tynesha McCarty-Wroten.

According to prosecutors ... Tea Tyme was live-streaming to 14 people when she ran a red light and struck 59-year-old Darren Lucas.

There's even more Epstein documents coming -- more than a million in fact ... that's according to a post Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Justice.

The DOJ reports the FBI and Attorney for the Southern District of New York have given them the new trove of documents to "review for release."

They wrote, "We have lawyers working around the clock to review and make the legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible. Due to the mass volume of material, this process may take a few more weeks. The Department will continue to fully comply with federal law and President Trump’s direction to release the files."

This new stockpile of files could contain names and images of celebrities never-before linked to Jeffrey Epstein.

LWD -- livestreaming while driving -- is why TikToker Tea Tyme is behind bars on Christmas Eve ... nearly 2 months after she allegedly ran over a pedestrian, cops have her in custody.

Tea Tyme -- or Tynesha McCarty-Wroten, IRL -- was arrested Tuesday in Zion, IL and booked for 2 felonies ... reckless homicide and aggravated use of communications resulting in death.

As that second count describes ... cops say Tynesha was livestreaming Nov. 3 in the suburb north of Chicago while she was driving, and ran into 59-year-old Darren Lucas as he walked across an intersection.

Diddy's legal team is ripping Judge Arun Subramanian, accusing him of crossing a line with the 50-month sentence ... and acting more like a juror than a judge.

Diddy filed a new appeal late Tuesday evening, demanding his conviction be overturned, and his release from prison ... or, at the very least, his sentence be lightened. While his lawyers have previously filed multiple appeals, this one singles out Judge Subramanian for acting as the "thirteenth juror" in Diddy's criminal trial.

In the docs, lead appeal attorney Alexandra Shapiro claims the judge's "draconian" 50-month sentence is based on the conduct for which the actual jurors acquited Diddy -- namely, the racketeering and sex trafficking counts.

Shapiro claims Subramanian incorrectly said during sentencing he could consider Diddy's behavior related to the more violent charges -- even though he'd been acquited of them -- which she calls a violation of Diddy's constitutional rights.

Mariah Carey may have some extra Christmas cash this year ... because the judge who dismissed a lawsuit filed against her over her popular Christmas song just ordered the folks who dragged her to court to pay her more than $92,000 in sanctions.

According to new legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- the judge ordered sanctions against the people who filed the action against Mariah, finding it lacked merit and determining there was good reason to deter people from filing baseless lawsuits.

New photos show Jeffrey Epstein's injuries from a possible suicide attempt weeks before his August 2019 death.

The images are included in the Justice Department's Epstein Files ... there are photos of his neck, arms, hands, legs and feet ... plus a makeshift ligature that looks like it's made from ripped clothing tied together in knots.

As we reported at the time ... on July 23, 2019 Epstein was found injured and semi-conscious in his jail cell at Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City.

2:09 PM PT -- Russell Brand is seemingly addressing the new charges against him in a video he just uploaded on social media.

In the selfie video, Russell says ... "This is a time of great darkness, a time of confusion and dispute and conflict, but I have learned in my own life that attack can bring about grace."

He adds ... "I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to atone for the many things over the years I did wrong, and the opportunity for the people to understand the truth of my situation."

10:27 AM PT -- A rep for Kevin Spacey tells TMZ ... “The 2002 trip to Africa with President Clinton to support AIDS causes and meet Nelson Mandela remains a genuine highlight in Kevin’s life. The fact that the plane was owned by Jeffrey Epstein is immaterial considering it was three years before Epstein was ever investigated. Whatever wrongdoing may have been taking place in the background has nothing to do with Kevin, any more than a hotel guest is responsible for actions occurring in a neighboring room. Kevin never saw or spoke to Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell ever again.”

Kevin Spacey -- who vehemently called for the release of the Epstein Files this summer -- has been included in the trove of pics just released today.

In the image released by the U.S. Department of Justice ... the "American Beauty" star leans on the back of a chair alongside Bill Clinton, appearing to be in mid-conversation. They're standing in a room before a conference table littered with pads and writing utensils, suggesting they're preparing for a meeting of some sort.

According to CNN, the pic was taken inside the Cabinet Room of the Churchill War Rooms -- which is an underground bunker in London.

Clinton reportedly took Epstein's private jet on a humanitarian trip to Africa with Spacey in 2002.

Tory Lanez revealed in his first interview from prison last week that he had new evidence favorable to his appeal after his conviction for shooting Megan The Stallion, and it turns out, the rapper wasn't BS-ing, and he's now going after the former Los Angeles D.A. ... TMZ has learned.

Here's the deal ... Tory's team submitted an official report to the court with testimony from a software expert who reviewed Megan's medical records after Meg was shot by Tory that fateful night in 2020.

After the review, the expert signed the report claiming there were 60 fraudulent errors in the medical findings presented at Tory's 2022 trial by then-L.A. County District Attorney, George Gascon. As you know, Tory was convicted of shooting Megan and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Tory, though, has always maintained his innocence.

LAPD searched the hotel room where Nick Reiner checked in around the time his parents were murdered, and TMZ has been told the police did not have a search warrant.

Harvey explains during the latest episode of the "2 Angry Men" podcast what happened at around 1 AM Monday ... when an LAPD detective showed up at the Pierside Santa Monica hotel.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the detective told the front desk clerk he was looking for a guest named Nick Reiner. The detective told the clerk he was there for a "welfare check." But he also told the clerk he was concerned Reiner "disposed of a weapon and used the room to clean and dispose of evidence in a violent crime."

Luigi Mangione says he now knows the real reason why Attorney General Pam Bondi is seeking the death penalty against him ... she allegedly has deep ties to the murder victim's health care company.

Mangione's defense attorneys filed court docs Friday night outlining their new claims against Bondi to get the death penalty tossed from the federal case. Federal prosecutors charged Mangione with stalking and murder through use of firearm in connection with the 2024 fatal shooting of UnitedHealthCare CEO Brian Thompson.

Bondi then issued a statement directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty. State prosecutors have also charged Mangione with murder and possession of a weapon in a separate case.

In the latest defense filing, Luigi's lawyers claim Bondi was a partner at the lobbying firm Ballard Partners before she became attorney general, and the company lists UnitedHealth Group (UHG) as a client.

As a result, Bondi derives and continues to receive personal and financial benefits from Ballard "in the form of a profit-sharing plan from Ballard's professional association with UHG," according to the court docs.