Marvel Star Tenoch Huerta Denies Sexual Assault Allegations
Tenoch Huerta, famous for playing Namor in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," is denying a recent sexual assault allegation against him.
The Marvel star broke his silence Monday after being accused Saturday of sexually assaulting musician María Elena Ríos, who also claimed he was a "sexual predator." Tenoch says her accusation is "false and completely unsubstantiated."
In a statement shared on social media, Tenoch says he could not let Ríos' allegation "go unchallenged any longer" ... he says they dated about a year ago for several months and their relationship was "entirely consensual at all times."
Tenoch says when he was dating Ríos they were in a "loving, warm and mutually supportive relationship" ... but when they split, he claims she "began to misrepresent our interactions both privately and in front of groups of mutual friends."
The actor says he's been working with a legal team to protect his reputation and adds ... "Although I am by no means perfect, I know that these allegations are simply untrue. And while I will always work to improve myself, I need to contest claims that are both false and offensive."
Tenoch ends his statement by saying ... "I am deeply grateful to my family and the people who have supported me and greatly appreciate everyone who is willing to look at the facts and reflect before rushing to an untrue and unjust conclusion."
related articles
Leonardo DiCaprio Cools Off After Models Galore ... Family Fun On The Yacht
Leonardo DiCaprio is cooling off after spending time with a bunch of hot models ... having a blast with some of his family as his vacation continues on the Amalfi Coast.
The actor took a big leap into the water Sunday off a beautiful yacht ... soaking in some rays with his niece Normandie -- as well as his pops George and stepmother Peggy.
The gang's sleeping on the boat -- but took some time off for a sweet excursion, checking out the Blue Grotto sea caves in Capri.
As we reported, Leo went from the Cannes Film Festival to relaxation mode at the end of last month, lounging on the big boat with some of his buddies, including Tobey Maguire.
Of course, we've seen Leo with a couple of babes during his time abroad -- 22-year-old model Meghan Roche spent a night on the yacht with him, although there wasn't a lot of PDA going on ... at least, as far as we could see.
He also recently grabbed dinner with Gigi Hadid, his dad and stepmom, and a bunch of other folks at a big dinner party in London ... and followed it up the next night by arriving at the same hotel in separate cars -- with Gigi ridin' with George and Peggy!
Gotta be a lot for Leo, keeping up with the ladies ... sounds like some family time on the yacht could do him some good.
related articles
Elizabeth Olsen TBH, I Don't Miss Playing Wanda ... Doubles Down, I'm Over It
Elizabeth Olsen has been real honest about her time with Marvel -- namely, feeling like she invested far too many years working for them -- and now ... she's hitting that point home.
The actress -- famous for playing Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch throughout the 'Avengers' movies -- got candid yet again this weekend in a sit-down interview with Meghann Fahy, as part of Variety's 'Actors on Actors' series. One quote of hers is getting a double-take online.
Fahy asks Olsen if she stays up at night missing Wanda -- or playing her, presumably -- and EO's reaction is telling. She says she doesn't ... but you gotta watch *how* she says it.
There's a little bit of sass and saltiness in her response, and you can tell she truly means it. As she goes on to explain, she's played that character for the better part of 10 years, and she's more than ready to put Wanda's stories on the bookshelf ... at least for now.
Olsen adds that she's proud of the work she did with Kevin Feige and co. ... and feels content with letting those projects speak for themselves -- including "WandaVision," which was a huge Disney+ hit that focused solely on her role, with a full-fledged backstory.
So, her take here seems to be two-fold -- yes, she's over it and has no desire to link up again anytime soon ... but also, she's grateful for the opportunity to have been a superhero.
BTW, her response here about missing Wanda is very much in line with other comments she's made of late about Marvel. She's been on the record over the past year or so -- via several outlets -- saying that she wishes she would've only given the Mouse House one year of her services as opposed to several ... as there were times she was frustrated.
She's said she felt, at times, like she missed out on other interesting opportunities -- remember, she comes from an indie film background -- that she might've liked to have pursued. But, because she was under contract with Marvel, she had to pass on 'em.
Seems like her feelings about it all are mixed -- which is fine ... life ain't always black and white. However, FWIW, fans loved what she did. On to bigger and better things, we suppose.
related articles
Chevy Chase Reunites with Quaid, Brinkley At Fan Event in Dallas
-
Exclusive
- 22.7K shares
Clark Griswold and Cousin Eddie were face to face once again this weekend -- 'cause the actors who play 'em reunited for what seems to be the first time in a long time.
Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid were yukking it up Saturday at the Fan Expo Dallas ... a pop culture convention where a ton of old movie and TV stars roamed the halls for pics/meet-and-greets. They were actually just a couple of 'Vacation'-related stars in the building.
Beverly D'Angelo was also scheduled to appear -- although we haven't seen any photos of her hanging with her old costars just yet -- and Christie Brinkley even popped up too! And yes, that's Danny Trejo there as well ... the dude was also on hand and taking it in.
Of course, the highlight was seeing these 2 funny men embracing. You might recall -- in the movies, they're kinda familial enemies (Clark hates Eddie) ... but they couldn't have been kinder with each other in person. We're told this coming together actually hasn't happened in a while. Although, Chevy and Randy have been invited to the same events in recent years.
Sources tell us that Chevy made a crack when he saw Randy, saying something to the effect of ... "Well, this is a nice surprise" -- an obvious nod to one of Eddie's recurring lines throughout the 'Vacation' series. They talked, posed for pics and caught up on old times.
Now, if you're wondering why Chevy's in a wheelchair here ... not to worry, he's not there permanently. We're told he usually carts around at the conventions, but since one wasn't available this time around -- he opted for the next best thing. Obviously, he can still stand.
As they say ... it's a long way down the holiday road. Memory lane, as it turns, is shorter and sweeter.
related articles
Alec Baldwin Hits Streets of NYC with a Crutch ... First Sighting Since Hip Surgery
Alec Baldwin seems to be in good spirits after his recent surgery ... cuz he's up and moving around the Big Apple not long after his big procedure -- with a little help from a crutch.
AB was spotted for the first time since last week's hip replacement surgery, goin' through New York with a forearm crutch. Despite the added help, it's a pretty great turnaround for a serious surgery like that.
For those unaware, Alec told his fans earlier this week he got his right hip replaced -- after getting his left one done in 2018. He said the surgery was needed at least 2 years ago, but finally got it over with this month ... adding the pain's been rough but knows that'll go away.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
It looks like he's now well on the road to recovery ... and is celebratin' the healing with a victory lap around NYC!
Bam Margera Released From Psych Hold ... Headed to Lamar's Rehab
-
Exclusive
- 2.5K shares
Bam Margera is headed in the right direction ... getting released from a psychiatric hospital, and going straight into treatment at Lamar Odom's rehab center.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ the former "Jackass" star was released from a psych hospital Wednesday, and Lamar was there to greet him as he exited the facility. We're told Bam is now in detox at one of Lamar's locations before he heads to rehab at another spot owned by the former NBA star.
Lamar's been insistent on helping Bam for weeks, and even visited him in the hospital Tuesday to offer Bam treatment at one of his Odom Wellness Treatment Centers.
Bam's motivating factor in getting clean is definitely his young son, Phoenix, who he hasn't been able to see much during his battles with substance abuse.
TMZ broke the story, cops in L.A. tracked Bam to a Trejo's Tacos location over the weekend and placed him on a 5150 psychiatric hold. There was growing concern Bam was not only a danger to himself, but to others as well -- especially given the fact he threatened to end his life if he couldn't see his son.
We were also the first to tell you when Lamar opened his 3 treatment facilities -- Gold Bridge Addiction Center in Louisburg, KS, Wavelengths in Huntington Beach, and Project West in San Diego.
Here's to a successful road to recovery for Bam.
related articles
50 Cent New Blood For 'Expend4bles' ... Jason, Sly & Megan Ready to Blow S*** Up!!! 💥
-
Breaking News
- 498 shares
50 Cent's Hollywood juggling act has landed him back on the big screen ... as the latest action hero addition for the fourth 'Expendables' film!!!
On Wednesday, 50 and Lionsgate shared the official "Expend4bles" trailer ... which features the "Get Rich or Die Tryin'" rapper as a weapons specialist who's getting his balls broken as the new guy on the team.
The plot seems to center around the usual deranged terrorist bent on taking over the world ... but 'Expendables' fans aren't on board for its dramatic acting.
The franchise has grossed just shy of a billion dollars, with $804 million to date!!!
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and of course, Sylvester Stallone are returning from the previous installments with Megan Fox, Andy Garcia, Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais joining as newbies.
They'll die when they're dead. #Expend4bles trailer tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/vea3mlGQol
— EXPEND4BLES (@expendables) June 6, 2023 @expendables
The film drops September 22 -- right in the middle of 50's Final Lap Tour. Busy year!
related articles
Salma Hayek Posts 'Aging' Photo Of Herself On IG ... Fans Give Heavy Praise
Everyone fears getting older ... but when you're Salma Hayek, you can pull it off with style and grace.
Taking to Instagram Tuesday, the actress posted a close-up photo of her makeup-less face with her gray hairs, wrinkles and eye bags in full view.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Kind of a bold move for a sex symbol ... but Salma has never been bashful, and she now appears to be embracing middle age. Under her pic, the caption read ... “Me waking up and counting how many white hairs and wrinkles have crashed the party this morning."
Of course, her fans loved the look and deluged her IG with comments telling her so.
One wrote, “Thank you for sharing! It helps all of to see that even the most beautiful and famous also age."
Another said, “You’re just a real natural human being and that beautiful! Thank you.”
Even supermodel Cindy Crawford gave her stamp of approval in a single word, “Beautiful!”
Now that's high praise!!!
related articles
Jared Leto Climbs Up Berlin Hotel ... Calm, Cool & Collected!
6/06/23
Jared Leto's not satisfied with being an actor and singer -- he's adding daredevil to his resume by skipping the stairs at a hotel, and instead climbing up its stone wall without a harness!
Jared was spotted scaling the Hotel De Rome in Berlin Monday. He wasn't super high on the wall, but he was high enough to draw a crowd ... and high enough to hurt himself if he'd fallen. He made it back down safely, though.
Unclear what the actor's intention was, although it's worth mentioning he was there with TikToker Younes Zarou -- the gang was shooting some other segments with Jared near the hotel, including a pretty rad smoke-filled shot.
It's possible his free solo climb was for their mysterious collab ... or maybe JL just got bored.
4/4/18
BTW, Jared's been a bit of an adrenaline junkie for a while now -- as we reported, he hopped in the car with NASCAR driver Tyler Reddick back in 2018 to promote a Thirty Seconds to Mars album, and he rode shotgun like a champ!
related articles
Elliot Page Target of Transphobic Threat
Elliot Page says a guy hurled a transphobic threat at him last year -- something he says has become a reality since coming out as transgender in 2020.
The actor's in the middle of a promo tour for his new memoir, telling the Los Angeles Times about an incident that went down in 2022 in L.A. ... claiming some man yelled at him while he was walking to a convenience store in WeHo.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Elliot says the man screamed, "I'm going to f****** gay bash you, f*****." He also claims the man followed that up by yelling, "This is why I need a gun!" -- this after EP had gone inside and asked employees for help.
He goes on to say that it left him shaken, but he noted he was fortunate enough to be able to afford resources -- like private security, etc. -- that could shield him from wackos ... whereas other trans people might not have the luxury.
In an excerpt from his book, the actor says an A-lister once told him -- pre-transition -- that he wasn't gay and that being gay didn't exist ... with this star apparently insisting Elliot was just afraid of men.
Elliot says the celeb then said they were going to "f***" him to prove it ... he doesn't name the actor.
related articles
Michael J. Fox Falls Into Couch During 'BTTF' Panel ... Plays It Off
Michael J. Fox says his battle with Parkinson's disease is getting worse ... and that seemed evident during a 'Back to the Future' event this weekend where he took a fall, but still played it off pretty well.
The beloved actor was on hand Sunday for a 'BTTF' fan expo in Philly ... where fellow costars Christopher Lloyd and Tom Wilson (Biff) also joined him. Michael had just been intro'd and was walking out in front of the crowd and bowing down to Tom, before making his way to a sofa on the stage.
That's when MJF stumbled forward ... luckily, falling headfirst into the sofa cushions.
Of course, it was a jarring sight, and audience members were shocked and clearly concerned. But, a second later, Mike popped up with a ton of energy -- and didn't seem phased by it at all. When it was clear he was okay, the tension loosened up.
APRIL 2023
Michael recently revealed he falls kinda regularly now ... he spoke at length about it recently with CBS, and they actually aired footage of him nosediving on the streets of NYC. He says Parkinson's is hindering him more and more each day.
It was pretty sad ... MJF said he didn't think he'd live past 80 due to his Parkinson's, but despite this reality, he keeps putting on a brave face and keeping a good attitude.
That was clearly on display this weekend as he had nothing but smiles and good vibes for his adoring fans.
related articles
Pete Davidson Disappoints PETA With New Dog ... Don't Shop, Adopt!!!
-
Exclusive
- 1.1K shares
6:50 AM PT -- A source close to Pete Davidson says he purchased the pooch for his mom, whose dog recently died. The new dog is currently at his mom's home. Pete is allergic to dogs.
Pete Davidson getting his new dog from a pet store and not from an animal shelter comes as a disappointment to the folks over at PETA.
Daphna Nachminovitch, the Senior VP of Cruelty Investigations over at PETA, tells TMZ ... "It's tragic that Pete didn’t seek out a borough-born mutt from a city animal shelter, because a scrappy New Yorker with charm, personality, and unconventional handsomeness could have been his perfect match."
JUNE 2023
As we reported ... Pete and his actress girlfriend Chase Sui Wonders picked up a cavapoo puppy last month from Citipups in Manhattan, and the dog is from a breeder.
PETA is urging Pete to consider adopting the next time he needs a four-legged friend, with Daphna telling us ... "Since shelters in New York and across the country are overflowing with homeless animals, PETA urges Pete to show some big heart energy by adopting, not shopping, in the future."
Remember ... Pete picked out the pup after seeing a photo of him on Citipups' website.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
Of course, the whole reason Pete was looking for a puppy in the first place was because his dog Henry recently died at just 2 years old.
We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.
Originally Published -- 12:40 AM PT
related articles
'Spider-Man' 'Across the Spider-Verse' Crushes at The Weekend Box Office
The new 'Spider-Man' movie went gangbusters at the box office this weekend -- hauling in a bundle ... and proving that having 2 studio parents for this IP might actually be best.
Of course, we're talking about "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" ... which took the top spot by a mile over the past three days -- with a final tally of about $120.5 million in ticket sales domestically. That's the 2nd best box office of 2023 ... behind 'Super Mario Bros.'
It's easily the money-maker of the summer thus far ... and the good news is that it exceeded expectations by a ton. 'Across the Spider-Verse' was projected to bring in just $80M-$90M ... but it blew well past that, and lands as one of the best-performing 'Spider-Man' flicks ever.
Not just that, but the reviews are off the charts ... with many calling it the best 'Spider-Man' installment and 'Spider-Man' story told in modern times. So, what do we make of all this???
There's a couple takeaways -- which Twitter seems to somewhat agree with -- and the first is ... Sony holding on to some of the 'Spider-Man' rights over the years has, perhaps, turned out to be for the best. Clearly, they partner with Marvel for all things Spidey ... but many say they've kept the character/IP grounded, despite Disney's overly-grand CBM aspirations.
The other fascinating element here is that Sony/Disney has been able to achieve true diversity in a character that has long been considered a typical white male in Peter Parker.
With the Miles Morales character -- who's Black/Puerto Rican -- there's a new face to Spider-Man (not to mention all the other Spider-Men in the movie) ... and there was little to no outrage over it. Of course, a lot of that might have to do with the fact that Miles and co. are comic canon ... so shout out to the writers who created these characters a long time ago!
It's interesting ... there've been a number of actors who've played Spider-Man (both live-action and animated) over the years -- but Tom Holland says Shameik Moore's Morales might, in fact, be the best out of all of them. He said as much anyway in a recent interview.
Tom Holland is excited for the "Spider-Verse" sequel out this week and paid the first "Spider-Verse" film a surprising compliment while at the Apple TV+ premiere of "The Crowded Room." pic.twitter.com/7vjUqu3Sye
— The Associated Press (@AP) June 2, 2023 @AP
As it turns out, there is actually room for all. Take notes, Hollywood ... this is how you do it.
related articles
Disney's Pixar Lays Off Galyn Susman ... Thanks for Saving 'TS2,' Now Get Out!!!
Galyn Susman -- the longtime Disney producer who's credited with saving "Toy Story 2" -- just got the boot alongside several other Pixar employees ... and fans are pissed.
The news came down Saturday from Reuters, which reported Susman was one of 75 Pixar workers who recently gotten the axe in mass layoffs. She was one of 3 key Pixar people to be let go ... the others included Michael Agulnek -- Pixar's VP of worldwide publicity -- and 'Lightyear' director Angus MacLane, who was involved in other Pixar flicks too.
The firings are reportedly tied to the bomb that was last year's 'Lightyear' ... a movie based on the "real" Buzz Lightyear, voiced by Chris Evans. It had a budget of about $200 mil, and only made $226 mil at the worldwide box office ... not to mention middling reviews.
While the film didn't do well, many are saying that scapegoating -- and ultimately canning -- the execs/producers tied to its development is cold-blooded ... especially as it pertains to Galyn, who played a very important in preserving what was left of 'TS2' at the time.
It's the stuff of legends -- and this story's been repeated several times by Disney execs over the years. There was some kind of glitch in Disney's computers that literally deleted upwards of 90% of the movie back then as it was about a year out from its imminent release date.
The studio was scrambling to preserve whatever was left, but from the looks of it ... they were going to have to start from scratch -- that is, until Galyn came to the rescue with a backup copy ... which she fortunately had in her possession due to her WFH/maternity leave.
In the end, Disney remade the movie anyway -- creating a different version from what Galyn had saved -- but her extra files undoubtedly saved them a lot of time/work/money.
Now, she's without a job ... and Twitter users think that stinks on the part of the Mouse House. As they say -- that's showbiz, baby. Loyalty and IOUs have expiration dates.
Ezra Miller 'Flash' Sequel Already Written!!! ... Actor Will Skip Press
Ezra Miller may actually be back as The Flash soon enough, 'cause there's already a script for a would-be sequel ... which will presumably be activated based on how the 1st one does.
Variety reports that 'The Flash 2' is signed, sealed and delivered -- and on standby -- courtesy of "Aquaman" screenwriter David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick ... noting Warner is inclined to use it if a sequel is greenlit, which we won't know until after "The Flash" debuts.
The outlet also goes on to say that Johnson-McGoldrick's script features continued cameos from Michael Keaton's Batman and Sasha Calle's Supergirl ... who are both in the upcoming flick. The word of mouth for 'Flash,' which is coming out in a couple weeks, is at peak levels right now ... with many hyping it as one of the greatest superhero movies of all time.
As for Ezra ... well, the director of "The Flash," Andy Muschietti, has already gone on the record to say he would recast them if a sequel was in the cards ... praising Ezra's work as Barry Allen as a one-of-a-kind performance that's made for them in any future installments.
The problem -- at least from some fans' POV -- is that Ezra is very problematic ... on account of all the crimes/misdeeds they've been alleged of carrying out over the past few years.
Just to name a few ... alleged assault, alleged grooming, alleged breaking and entering, alleged harassment ... among other things. Several of these incidents have resulted in arrests -- and wild police body cam footage too -- as well as a plea deal for at least one of these.
Of course, Ezra has also apologized for their erratic behavior ... and went on to cite mental health issues, as well as saying they'd seek the professional help they need to get better.
That ended up being good enough for Warner, which opted not to recast Ezra and move forward with the release of "The Flash" as is. Interestingly, Variety also reports that Ezra is going to skip all of the press ahead of the movie ... and will only make a brief appearance at the Los Angeles premiere the week of. Press for this movie, in general, has been virtually non-existent and it seems Warner will continue with that strategy ... opting instead for a bunch of ad buys and other promo, like screenings ... of which there's been several now.
Hollywood actor Ezra Miller appears in a Vermont courtroom, taking a plea deal related to burglary charges from 2022. Miller now agreeing to plead guilty to a lesser charge to avoid jail time. pic.twitter.com/4auObCD54y
— Dom Amato (@WCAX_Dom) January 13, 2023 @WCAX_Dom
Despite Ezra ducking their head and laying low ahead of "The Flash," the movie is projected to do pretty well at the box office -- at the moment, it's on track for a $75 mil opening.
Some are crying foul over Ezra getting this pass -- not to mention an almost guaranteed sequel -- and feel like they're being afforded an opportunity others who've been accused of wrongdoing, like Jonathan Majors, aren't enjoying. Granted, JM is with a different studio and hasn't lost his Marvel job just yet ... plus, his case is a bit different than Ezra's sitch.
Take it up with capitalism, we suppose. 🤷🏽♂️
related articles
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson Squashes Vin Diesel Beef ... I'm Back in the 'Fast' Franchise!!!
Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says he's put aside his years-long beef with "Fast & Furious" star Vin Diesel ... confirming his ass-kicking character, Hobbs, will be back in the driver's seat.
DJ let fans in on his big return Thursday, saying Vin's been like a bro to him for a while -- adding the idea of them resolving their differences was big for him, and what the series has cookin' in its final stretch is way more important than their spat.
He also says Luke Hobbs' return to the silver screen was hard as hell to keep under wraps, and is loving seeing people's reactions to his character -- who entered the game way back in 2011 -- make his big comeback after being last seen in 2019's "Hobbs & Shaw."
As we reported, Dwayne's return came in the form of a post-credit scene in the latest flick, "Fast X" ... despite the actor wanting NOTHING to do with Vin or the franchise.
For those unaware, Vin begged Dwayne to come back to the car-racing family in 2021, telling him online he has "a very important role to play." Dwayne clapped back after the public plea -- saying his cries were just a bunch of "manipulation" and there was "no chance I would return."
Sounds like Dwayne DOES have an important role to play in the end of the series -- there's no other way to read his decision to return.