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Larsa Pippen will not apologize for being generous with the Benjamins for daughter Sophia's allowance ... defending her parenting, and saying her teen daughter is also earning her own dough.

ICYMI, Sophia's hefty allowance is $2,500 per month, and it became a hot topic during Thursday's reunion for "The Real Housewives of Miami." While Andy Cohen was shocked to learn the 15-year-old was getting so much, Larsa claimed that number isn't that uncommon in Los Angeles, where her daughter resides.

As the Bravo personality put it ... L.A. is a super expensive town and the massive sum gives Sophia the freedom to order food, buy presents for friends and more.

She also says a large chunk of that change is earned by Sophia, who has appeared in campaigns for both Fashion Nova and Oscar de la Renta -- like most L.A. teenagers, we suppose?

Larsa's castmate Adriana de Moura came to her defense, calling her a good mom ... but noted that the reality TV star had other faults they could focus on.

For instance, Guerdy Abraira has struggled to forgive Larsa for revealing her cancer diagnosis without her permission.

While Larsa tried to apologize again at the reunion ... Guerdy made it clear she had no time to deal with the drama.

Larsa's main supporter during the episode was boyfriend Marcus Jordan (AKA son of basketball legend Michael Jordan).

While Marcus declared his love for Larsa during the reunion ... the two have had some recent drama off-screen. Remember, Larsa and Marcus faced breakup rumors last month after they unfollowed each other on Instagram.

Larsa -- who was previously married to Michael's teammate Scottie Pippen -- said during "The Traitors" reunion, which also dropped Thursday ... "We're working on our problems."

We may need a roadmap to follow all this drama.

"Naked & Afraid" keeps hitting new milestones ... this time it's a starving contestant driven to munch on leeches that were trying to munch on her, and the footage ain't for the weak!

The jaw-dropping survival tactic is goes down on Sunday's episode of the Discovery Channel hit -- Sarah Barnett's instincts kick into gear while wading through croc-filled water for food, and suddenly opting to turn the tables on the blood-bloated suckers.

Sarah fearlessly peels several wriggling leeches from her leg, gathering just enough to keep her hunger at bay and feed her partner, Sam Strong, in their battle for survival in the unforgiving wilds of South Africa's Black Hills.

Of course, Sarah's not aiming for Michelin stars here, she's just focused on staying alive -- as you can see when she bravely chomps down on one of those suckers ... seared over their campfire.

Sarah very nonchalantly informs Sam about the extreme menu item, telling him blood burst into her mouth when she bit into the leech.

While she has zero gag reflex, poor Sam feels the squeeze just watching Sarah chow down ... and decides to give it a hard pass, despite being absolutely ravenous.

Hey, everyone has a limit, even on "Naked and Afraid."

These California natives won't just be battling leeches; they're also dodging man-eating crocodiles, prowling lions, and venomous snakes during their 21-day survival challenge.

It's the end of the week here at TMZ -- but we're finishing strong on our TV shows!

Kicking things off on 'TMZ Live,' Charles and Babcock discussed the conviction of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed -- the armorer on the set of 'Rust,' who was just found guilty of involuntary manslaughter over the tragic death of Halyna Hutchins in 2021.

With her verdict in the books -- many wonder how this will bode for Alec Baldwin.

Next up, we have 'TMZ on TV' -- where the gang talked about Katy Perry's hot new look at a music award show this week ... where her booty was on display.

We haven't seen her get wild like this since the 2010s ... talk about flashback.

Finally, we land on 'TMZ Sports,' where Mojo and Mike talked Alex Rodriguez hitting up an Olivia Rodrigo concert with his kid ... but being a fish out of water.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Nika King isn't letting the ups and downs of her HBO show's filming schedule get her down -- 'cause even though she says she's struggling ... she's also out here hustlin'.

The 'Euphoria' star did an interview with a pap Thursday in Fort Lauderdale, just outside her Blue Tree Cafe ... where she remained relatively tight-lipped about the bombshells she dropped earlier in the week -- namely, that the delay for Season 3 was hurting her.

The only thing she could really say on the matter was that she wasn't sure what the holdup was -- but she also seemed to be telegraphing that she's doing just fine, or so it seems.

She also says that despite the challenges she's faced, she's been busy working hard and making ends meet with the jobs she does have as a stand-up comic and at her café -- even encouraging the photog to come inside and place an order.

As we reported ... Nika plays Zendaya's on-screen mom on "Euphoria," but filming for the third season has hit some snags -- which she said has affected her ability to pay rent for the last 6 months. Nika also said she hadn't been hired for anything after "Euphoria."

Season two of "Euphoria" aired ages ago in 2022, but filming for the next one has been dragging ... mainly due to the writers' strikes and the sad passing of Angus Cloud.

On top of that, Zendaya's been booked and busy -- specifically, on her 'Dune 2' press run.

Drake Bell's alleged abuser, Brian Peck, was seen for the first time in public since an explosive documentary trailer suggested he'll be accused of molesting the ex-child star.

Brian -- who worked as Drake's dialogue coach on "Drake & Josh" in the early '00s, and who's worked on countless children's shows through the years -- surfaced this week in L.A. as he tried covering up from the rain, using a blue puffer jacket while exiting a vehicle.

The showbiz veteran kept the jacket over his head as he made his way inside his home. Looks like he wanted to make it inside pretty quickly -- as he carried his keys in his mouth and darted into the house.

This would mark the first sighting of the guy since Drake revealed he'll tell his story on the ID doc 'Quiet on Set' ... in which he's expected to claim he was a victim in Peck's criminal case from 2004, when he was convicted of performing a lewd act with a 14 or 15-year-old and oral copulation with a minor under 16.

Unclear if Drake will allege both of these counts pertained to him ... or if someone else was in the mix. In any case -- this will be the first time Drake has spoken about this publicly.

Brian was sentenced to 16 months in prison and had to register as a sex offender. He's continued to work in Hollywood since that whole ordeal ... with a crap ton of credits under his name post-2004, including recognizable shows and movies.

Drake isn't the only former child star to speak out against Brian ... "Boy Meets World" alum Maitland Ward even told TMZ in February that she was always suspicious of him when he worked on her show, which also starred Rider Strong and Will Friedle.

Rider and Will acknowledged their relationship with Brian was odd -- sharing that they previously came to his defense because they believed his story about falling victim to "jail bait." Worth noting, they never alleged he'd done anything inappropriate with them.

Oprah is gearing up to tackle a big topic in America in her upcoming TV special ... namely, the impact prescription weight loss drugs are having on society, including herself.

The billionaire TV mogul says she will address medications and their relation to the weight loss revolution in her new ABC primetime special, "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame and the Weight Loss Revolution" -- which is set to air in a couple weeks.

Oprah's special comes only weeks after she parted ways with WeightWatchers following a nearly 10-year partnership, leaving the weight loss company on the heels of criticism about proudly revealing she uses a weight loss drug.

As we reported ... Oprah says she dropped 40 pounds last year, with the help of doctor-prescribed medication, though she's never revealed the name of the drug she used.

Remember, Oprah using weight loss drugs was controversial because she previously labeled medications like Ozempic and Mounjaro an "easy way out" -- and yet, she turned around and started taking them ... although it's unclear which of these drugs she's on.

The TV special will explore questions and concerns about weight loss medications' intended uses, side effects and their impacts on people living with obesity and diabetes.

In a statement announcing the special, Oprah says ... "It is a very personal topic for me and for the hundreds of millions of people impacted around the globe who have for years struggled with weight and obesity."

Oprah continues ... "This special will bring together medical experts, leaders in the space and people in the day-to-day struggle to talk about health equity and obesity with the intention to ultimately release the shame, judgment and stigma surrounding weight."

Sean Garinger sadly died on his mother's property after an ATV flipped over on him -- and now, his family is marking the space as hallowed ground ... and TMZ has the first look at it.

Check out these photos, obtained by TMZ, that show the patch of ground that caved in as the "16 and Pregnant" star was driving his ATV, causing the off-road vehicle to pin him underneath ... crushing his skull in the process and taking his life before help arrived.

As you can see, there's a mini-landslide on a slope of a hill next to a dirt road ... this is where Sean's mother, Mary Hobbs, says he was parking the ATV to make room for her car when the accident happened. Now, there's a makeshift memorial where Sean died ... with flowers and signs that say, "We Love You Squishy." We're told that was Sean's nickname.

Mary tells us they're planning a permanent memorial here ... which is currently in the works.

His stepdad, Dan Wolfe, is building the memorial -- and he tells TMZ ... there will be a stone wall with a laser engraving of Sean's picture, plus a custom urn made from black cherry wood, laser engraved with Sean's thumbprint, picture, birth date and death date. A garden will also surround the memorial when it's all said and done.

Mary says her son grew up riding ATVs, dirt bikes, four-wheelers, etc. ... and he wasn't doing anything reckless when he died ... it was a freak thing, and an absolute tragedy.

Of course, Sean was on Season 6 of the show with his ex, Selena Gutierrez ... and now -- their two young children will grow up without their father, something Selena is agonizing over.

Selena tells TMZ ... their two daughters, 3-year-old Dareli and 19-month-old Esmi, are too young to understand what happened to their father at the moment ... but she's glad they got to spend time with him a few weeks before he died.

TMZ also obtained some family photos and videos of his last visit with his children ... showing Sean lovingly interacting with his kids. Selena says he was "an amazing father who loved his girls" and his mom says Sean's daughters were his whole world.

Sean was only 20.

Hometown heroes featured on Netflix's "Queer Eye" are coming to the defense of Jonathan Van Ness, who's been slammed in a recent exposé as a "monster" on the set of the show.

Several participants who collaborated with JVN tell TMZ ... Jonathan was never unprofessional or rude while shooting, at least from what they saw. Cory Waldrop, who appeared in 'QE's first season, wasn't aware of the recent allegations -- but recalls Jonathan being the same on- and off-camera.

Cory says he remembers Jonathan going out of his way to treat him like the star of the show ... letting him cut production's food truck line during taping.

William Mahnken -- who appeared in season 2's second episode -- has expressed a similar sentiment. He tells TMZ ...he had no issues with Jonathan during production for his episode, and adds he never saw the hair stylist do anything negative on set.

In fact, William remembers having several fond memories with the reality TV star.

Apparently, Jonathan even promised to take William to the Emmys if his mother couldn't make it.

Michael Richard II, of season 7 fame, says Jonathan was "always bright and nice" while making "Queer Eye." As for the alleged tension between JVN and his costars -- Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Bobby Berk -- Michael says he didn't witness any bad blood between the Fab Five.

He tells us ... "He seemed well-liked by everybody."

Ryan Dyer -- who appeared in a season 5 episode -- only filmed with Jonathan for one day, but says he had a great experience with the 36-year-old.

Now, Ryan does say he recalls Jonathan wanting "all the attention" ... but he doesn't remember it being an issue with the cast and crew.

Of course, multiple anonymous 'Queer Eye' staffers described a much different experience, as they told Rolling Stone Jonathan was a rage-filled co-worker with little empathy for those around him.

We're almost at the finish line in the week, but things are just heating up on our TV shows!

Starting out on "TMZ Live," Charles and Courtney got into the explosive allegations of grooming that Lala Kent hurled at Tom Sandoval on this week's episode of "Vanderpump Rules" ... this in defense of Rachel Leviss, who was caught in the middle of Scandoval.

Lala got in Tom's face during the show ... and there were strong reactions on our end too.

Next up, we got "TMZ on TV" ... where we were yet again discussing Dakota Johnson continuing to trash her superhero movie "Madame Web" -- this after a brutal press run.

Dakota says she'll never do another film like it again ... and the feeling's probably mutual from the studio here.

Lastly, we arrive on "TMZ Sports" ... with the guys discussing Ryan Garcia's tumultuous week.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Teresa Giudice's marriage to Luis Ruelas is doing just fine -- this despite the fact that a new trailer for an upcoming season of her show suggests otherwise ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to the couple tells TMZ that fans of 'Real Housewives of New Jersey' shouldn't be concerned for Tre and Louie -- as they've never been better as a couple. In fact ... we're told fans should be praying for the other ladies on the show -- hinting at serious drama to come (for them).

There's no shortage of intrigue in what Bravo teased in the trailer for Season 14 of 'RHONJ.' Like in previous seasons, Teresa's personal life is at the center of the new footage ... with costar Danielle Cabral alleging that the longtime reality star is "distraught" amid supposed trouble at home.

While the sneak peek does not get into many specifics -- they want you to watch, after all -- they do show a glimpse of Teresa and Louie bickering at one point. Another costar, Margaret Josephs, claims in a phone call that Louie has "pissed [Teresa's] money away."

Of course, we can't speak to the validity of this claim ... we reached out to Teresa’s attorney, James Leonard, but no word back just yet.

Still, this topic is likely a sensitive subject for Teresa. Remember, she served 11 months behind bars after pleading guilty to fraud charges back in 2014.

Her ex-husband, Joe Giudice, also pled guilty to the charges and served three years in prison before being released ... and subsequently deported. Since leaving Joe -- she's moved on and married Louie ... and on the surface, there's been no signs of trouble between 'em.

Janelle Brown sent one of her sons to check on his brother before Garrison Brown took his own life this week -- and the reason she did that had to do with his final texts.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, cops say they spoke with the "Sister Wives" star Tuesday upon word that Garrison had shot himself ... and they describe what Janelle says were troubling messages Garrison had been sending to some people the day prior.

The police explain that Janelle told them Garrison had texted a group of people that the Brown family works with -- presumably as part of their show -- and his words were ominous.

According to Janelle, via the police, his text to them read ... "I want to hate you for sharing the good times. But I can't. I miss these days."

It sounds like Janelle caught wind of this message to the group -- which doesn't appear to have included her -- and she told police she then texted Garrison himself ... at which point she says they had a brief conversation for a few minutes before he stopped responding.

Janelle then contacted her other kids to see who could go check on Garrison, and his brother Gabriel volunteered. Sadly, by the time he arrived to Flagstaff ... his brother had died.

Here's the craziest part ... cops interviewed 3 of Garrison's roommates with whom he was living at the time -- and some of them said they heard a pop on Monday night ... but didn't think it was a gunshot, and none of them even checked on Garrison to see what happened.

As it turns out, it wasn't until Gabriel arrived on the scene Tuesday that he discovered his brother was dead -- and that he was holding a handgun. He called 911, and that's when the roommates say they realized Garrison had taken his own life.

The roommates say Garrison was known in the household to struggle with alcohol. Gabriel, meanwhile, said he didn't realize something was amiss with this sibling -- noting he'd recently taken on a new job at a medical facility and seemed to be doing okay on his own.

One last thing ... Janelle told cops Garrison was estranged from his father, Kody. We broke the story ... Garrison died Tuesday from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 25.

RIP

Pamela Anderson isn't slipping into the red bathing suit again for the reimagined "Baywatch" series ... 'cause she's not gonna participate in the upcoming TV reboot, TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … producers working on the reboot have not approached Pam or her team about a potential role in the new FOX series, at least not yet, but even if they do ... we're told she's inclined to turn them down.

Mind you, this isn't mean to stick it to 'Baywatch' -- our sources say there's no bad blood on Pamela's part ... the show is just part of her past and she has no interest in going back down that road. We're told she wishes great things for the cast and crew of the reboot.

In terms of why ... we're simply told Pamela's "Baywatch" days are over, and she doesn't want to revisit it with a cameo or anything else that may be getting kicked around in the writers' room.

While Pamela's starring role as C.J. Parker in "Baywatch" helped launch her Hollywood career -- making her a sex icon and an onscreen legend -- she's several chapters ahead in her life at this point ... now focusing on her new beauty line, Sonsie, and other ventures.

The reboot is in the early stages of development at Fremantle and Fox Entertainment ... and it's unclear at this point who will be in the reboot, including old cast members and newbies. Ya gotta figure some of the OGs might come back ... in fact, we know some are down.

Former "Baywatch" stars Nicole Eggert and Brande Roderick told us they haven't been contacted ... but they're both interested in potential roles, if producers come knocking.

While Eggert has shown interest in getting in the mix ... we know for a fact, Pam's passing. C.J. had her time on TV -- and now, it seems like some new blood is needed. BTW, Pam already made a cameo in another 'Baywatch' project ... namely, the 2017 movie reboot.

Lala Kent accused Tom Sandoval of "grooming" ex-castmate Rachel Leviss amid their months-long affair ... and she went off on him too in dramatic fashion.

The major clash went down during Tuesday's episode of "Vanderpump Rules" ... where Lala and Sandoval butted heads over his handling of cheating on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix ... not to mention the involvement of Rachel.

As the two reality stars found themselves in an explosive argument -- Sandoval accused Lala of being less forthcoming about her own possible affair with Randall Emmett than he was with his love triangle ... and that set Lala off.

She hit back at Sandoval by calling him "terrifying" and "insane" for pigeonholing her after all these years. Then, surprisingly, Lala came to Rachel's defense and alleged Sandoval had manipulated the former beauty queen.

Apparently, Rachel's comment about needing to "fall in line" with Sandoval at the season 10 reunion left Lala triggered ... who snapped, "You isolate. You groom. You lie.”

She added ... "I do not want to know you. You are scary." Sandoval -- understandably -- rejected the allegation and accused Lala of not really knowing him. It made for good TV.

ICYMI ... 'VPR' made headlines last year after it was revealed that Sandoval had cheated on Ariana, his girlfriend of nine years, with her good friend, Rachel (AKA Raquel).

While the bar owner attempted to apologize as the Scandoval made waves ... he was ostracized by many of his costars for his apparent lack of empathy.

The drama has only grown off-screen ... Rachel hit Sandoval and Ariana with a lawsuit at the end of February -- alleging a number of things, including revenge porn.

Nika King says she hasn't been able to pay her rent amid the stop-and-go production schedule for "Euphoria" ... and even crazier, she says she hasn't been acting either.

The "Euphoria" star -- who plays Zendaya's on-screen mom, Leslie -- posted a clip this week showing her doing some standup comedy ... and the joke she dropped in front of a live audience had to do with how much she's struggling right now in real life.

There's some humor and truth mixed into this one ... and it's pretty astonishing to hear.

Nika says people keep asking her when Season 3 of the hit HBO show is airing, but she shrugs her shoulder ... basically admitting that she simply doesn't know. NK goes on to say that with cameras not rolling, she can't afford to pay her rent ... and hasn't for 6 months.

Worse yet, Nika says she hasn't booked anything since "Euphoria" ... which she says is surprising. However, she jokes that Taraji P. Henson told her to get used to it ... and she also jokingly pleaded with Zendaya to get back to the States so they can get back to work.

The new season of "Euphoria" doesn't have a release date yet -- and filming has been on and off over the past several months, amid the strikes and the passing of Angus Cloud.

It's hump day, and while we're almost done with the week ... we're just getting started on TV.

Let's kick things off with 'TMZ Live,' where Charles and Charlie talked about the latest wave of concern for Taylor Swift from her adoring fans ... this time, it came in the form of comments that suggested she was sick over a perceived cough at her Singapore show.

Obviously, their angst comes from a good place ... but Taylor's doing just fine, everyone!

Next, we land on 'TMZ on TV' ... where the gang talked about Charles Barkley's promise to put hands on any Black person who he saw rocking the Donald Trump mug shot in 2024.

Strong words, of course ... and it spurred even stronger debate in the newsroom here.

Finally, we finish with 'TMZ Sports' ... where Babcock and Mojo talked about Russell Wilson.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Drake Bell is breaking his silence on claims he was molested by a dialogue coach who worked with him when he was a teen on Nickelodeon.

The actor was revealed to be one of the former child stars who's going to speak on the forthcoming ID documentary 'Quiet on Set,' which airs on March 17 and 18. A teaser for the doc went up Tuesday ... and Drake steps in at the end, confirming he'll share his story.

Drake doesn't say anything in the promo ... but it's safe to say, he'll talk more when the doc gets released in full. In a release from ID, they say Drake is set to make claims against Brian Peck -- a man he worked with while he was on 'Drake & Josh' in the early 2000s.

Back in 2004, Peck pled no contest to performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old and to oral copulation with a minor under 16.

It's unclear if Drake's claims factored into the criminal case against Peck ... but in any case, it's major news -- especially when you consider how turbulent his own life has been.

Remember, Drake himself ended up being convicted of child endangerment as an adult -- and in recent years ... he's talked openly about contemplating suicide, and briefly went missing for a while too.

As for Peck ... he was recently named by other ex-child stars -- the guys from "Boy Meets World" said he was in their world as well back in the day ... and in hindsight, regretted their affiliation with him at the time. Worth noting ... they didn't allege any wrongdoing against Peck explicitly.

There are more child stars that are expected to speak in this doc ... but Drake is now coming out as the first big one to make allegations. Word is ... he's going to identify himself as one of the victims in Peck's 2004 case -- but it remains to be seen what exactly he'll say.