TMZ.com Home

Before this baby with a book was taking on iconic roles in film, she was just another pigtail princess skimming through a children's story in Inglewood, California.

This studious sweetheart debuted her talents on the screen when she scored a series regular role on a hit VH1 show revolved around a fictional cheerleading squad ... she was perfect for the character because she had been a Los Angeles Lakers cheerleader in real life back in 2010.

Now, this dancer and actress gained huge success last year when she starred in a critically acclaimed film based on a notorious Twitter thread.

Elizabeth Holmes is one huge step closer to doing hard time -- the jury found her guilty on 4 of the 11 charges she was facing in her fraud trial.

The founder of the blood-testing startup Theranos was facing two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and nine counts of wire fraud for deceiving investors, patients and advertisers ... all in search of money and fame.

After a week of deliberation, the jury returned its verdict Monday ... convicting her of one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 3 counts of wire fraud.

The jury found Holmes not guilty on 4 counts ... including 3 counts of wire fraud, and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. One charge was also dropped.

The jury remained deadlocked -- unable to reach a verdict -- on 3 counts. Prosecutors could re-charge Holmes on those counts, or just let it go.

During the trial, Holmes testified that she meant well, and trusted the scientists behind the start-up. The jury heard from 32 witnesses in total.

Leading up to the trial and verdict, there's been a documentary, a best-selling book, and a podcast about the company's alleged fraud and deception.

The billion-dollar company made promises it could conduct cheaper and easier blood testing, but, it was later revealed its devices could only perform a mere 12 tests -- instead of Elizabeth's claim of 1,000 -- and the company shut down 3 years later.

The gym formerly known as Mamba Sports Academy is suing the company that owned the doomed helicopter in the Kobe Bryant crash ... claiming the copter co. should be forced to pay over $100K in costs related to the death of one of the passengers on board.

It's all spelled out in new court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, in which an insurance company and the gym now known as Sports Academy are suing Island Express.

In the docs, the Academy and the insurance co. claim that because Christina Mauser -- a girls basketball coach -- was employed by the gym at the time of her death in the crash ... they paid "death benefits and burial expenses" to her family that exceeded $127,000.

In the docs, the plaintiffs argue that Island Express should be on the hook for that bill ... claiming the crash and Mauser's subsequent death were the result of the helicopter company's negligence.

The plaintiffs are asking for a reimbursement of the amounts already paid plus any additional workers' comp payments that may come due in the future.

As we previously reported, Mauser and eight others -- including Kobe and Gigi Bryant -- died in the helicopter crash in January 2020.

After a lengthy investigation, NTSB officials concluded that the crash likely happened due to a multitude of reasons, including, "Island Express Helicopter Inc.'s inadequate review and oversight of its safety management processes."

Patton Oswalt has nothing to apologize for when it comes to cozying up to Dave Chappelle, 'cause it's a comedian thing ... and that's it, according to fellow comic Aries Spears.

We got the comedian/actor Monday at LAX where we asked what he made of Pat posting a follow-up apology for his NYE photo with DC ... directly addressing those who were clearly offended, especially the LGBTQ community.

Aries says it’s a shame we live in a time where Patton felt the need to say sorry for hanging with a friend ... especially one as accomplished as Dave.

Check out the analogy AS drops on us -- he compares the 2 comics to masters of their crafts, who just wanted to have a bit of sparring fun ... and if Dave asks you to join him to perform with him or just hang with him for a night, you do it.

Aries' view is ... any comedian would, or should.

Of course, it’s quite possible Pat did, in fact, feel bad about taking/posting the photo after the fact ... and wasn’t just capitulating because he had to, as Aries suggests here. After all, he did say himself ... he doesn’t agree with Dave’s stance on trans issues -- so you kinda gotta take the man at his word.

'SNL' star Michael Che's also weighing in on Dave and Patton, and is definitely in Aries' camp -- as he put it, "celebrities love their fans way too much." He added some keywords for emphasis.

Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs was arrested for DUI just hours after the team's huge win over the Colts ... after cops say the rookie was found passed out in his car in Vegas.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ Sports ... cops responded to The Cromwell Hotel around 4 AM on Monday, after they say witnesses saw Hobbs asleep at the wheel on a parking lot exit ramp.

Our sources say officers made contact with the football player ... and eventually arrested him after they claim he did not do well in field sobriety tests.

Jail records show the 22-year-old was booked into the Clark County Detention Center at 6:38 AM.

A jail official tells us Hobbs was booked on one count of misdemeanor DUI and is currently in the process of being released from custody. The jail official added that Hobbs has a court date set for May.

Hobbs started as corner for the Raiders in their win over the Colts in Indianapolis on Sunday ... recording 4 combined tackles.

The arrest comes just two months after Hobbs' former Raiders teammate, Henry Ruggs, was accused of driving drunk and slamming his Corvette into 23-year-old Tina Tintor's Rav4.

Tintor's vehicle caught on fire, and officials determined she burned to death. Ruggs was later hit with multiple charges over the incident -- including two felony DUI counts.

The Raiders, meanwhile, are just days away from the biggest game of their season ... they can clinch a spot in the playoffs with a win over the Chargers on Sunday.

Hobbs' status for the game is now unclear.

We've reached out to the Raiders for comment ... so far, no word back.

Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle are set to walk down the aisle -- and have been now for over a year ... a secret that's just now coming to light.

President Trump's eldest son apparently popped the question to his ex-Fox News anchor GF on New Year's Eve 2020, but kept the engagement hidden from public view -- at least until this past weekend, when KG was seen flashing her engagement rock on social media.

According to the Daily Mail ... their future nuptials have been known to folks in their inner circle because Kimberly wasn't hiding the ring during private gatherings -- she only kept it under wraps while on camera.

Of course, Don Jr. and Kim have been dating for a few years now ... ever since 2018, when she left Fox and started working/campaigning full-time for then President Trump. Who can forget her, umm ... passionate speech during the RNC??!!

They each have children from previous relationships -- as you know, Don was married to Vanessa Trump until their divorce finalized the same year he got with Kimberly. And she was previously married to California Governor Gavin Newsom as well as furniture heir Eric Villency.

Jody "Babydol" Gibson -- a former madam who operated a massive network of prostitutes in Hollywood throughout the '80s and '90s -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops got a call Sunday from a family member and responded to Jody's Yucca Valley home around 11 AM, and she was pronounced dead on the scene. We're told she appears to have died in her sleep, and no foul play is suspected.

Eric Markel, her husband of 12 years, confirmed her death, and told us Jody's death is a bit of a mystery -- he explains she was not battling any known illness, but she had suffered dramatic weight loss of late. He says she'd dropped down to about 87 pounds.

Markel believes it's highly relevant that they were in the middle of a nasty lawsuit regarding the sale of their home -- he told us he thinks she died of "exhaustion" from the turmoil.

Gibson, infamously known as "Sasha of the Valley," did prison time in the early 2000s after being convicted of felony pimping in L.A. -- with prosecutors at the time alleging she ran one of the biggest escort services in town ... something JG herself eventually copped to in books and otherwise. She's said to have had upwards of 300 women working for her.

Babydol was sentenced to 3 years behind bars after going to trial but ended up just doing 2. Her trial had Hollywood buzzing because her black book allegedly listed several big-name celebs -- from sports, politics and entertainment -- as clients.

Her life story is pretty fascinating ... she came to L.A. in the early '80s seeking stardom via a music and modeling career -- with the latter taking off first and becoming her main bread and butter.

Soon, an agency she'd started began turning into an upscale hooking hot spot.

While she was running that biz, Jody had a couple of on-camera appearances ... showing up in a B-movie horror flick called "Evil Laugh," and a guest spot on the talk show "Up All Night." Later, she was featured a handful of times on "Larry King Live," "The Playboy Morning Show" and other one-off variety shows/docs.

Over the course of her life, Jody was not shy about sharing her journey ... and ended up becoming somewhat of a beloved pop culture icon. She was 64.

Tyra Banks ended the year by flipping another mansion in Pacific Palisades ... which is kinda becoming her thing, you know, next to the whole supermodel gig.

Tyra sold a 5-bedroom estate in the affluent coastal community on the west side of Los Angeles in the final days of 2021, with the sale price coming in at $7,895,000 ... which is what she was asking for the pad.

The place is 6,160 square feet and comes with all the bells and whistles ... including a home gym, office and media room with a giant 120-inch projection screen.

The rooftop deck features 360-degree views of the ocean, coastline and skyline, and it comes with its own outdoor kitchen, spa, fire pit and multiple seating areas.

Oh, and there's also an infinity-edge pool with limestone and a cascading waterfall backdrop on the terrace.

It's the fifth place Tyra's flipped in Pacific Palisades since 2018 ... and seems to be the final.

We now know how much money Jeffrey Epstein paid to the woman who is accusing Prince Andrew of having sex with her when she was a minor.

According to just-released legal docs, Epstein paid Virginia Giuffre $500,000 back in 2009. The money was paid as a settlement of her lawsuit against the now-deceased sexual predator.

The settlement is relevant now because Giuffre is suing Prince Andrew, but he maintains the 2009 settlement in effect blocked her from suing him. Andrew's lawyer points to a clause in the 2009 settlement that extends the release to other, unnamed potential defendants, and Andrew claims that covers him.

Giuffre claims Andrew had sex with her in London, New York and in the Virgin Islands when she was still a minor. He has categorically denied the allegations.

As for the photo of the 2 of them ... he has said he doesn't recall taking it and suggested it might be photoshopped. He says he has no recollection of ever meeting Giuffre.

Prince Andrew's lawyers have filed a motion to dismiss Giuffre's lawsuit, claiming, “... Epstein negotiated for [a] broad release, insisting that it cover any and all persons who Giuffre identified as potential targets of future lawsuits, regardless of the merit—or lack thereof— to any such claims.”

And, Prince Andrew's lawyers say Giuffre got more than the $500k settlement from Epstein ... they claim she got \even more money in exchange for a full release from all potential defendants.

Soccer legend Carli Lloyd says she's done with Twitter ... and it all appears to be because she got dragged for criticizing a delivery driver.

The former footballer tweeted about her poor experience with a FedEx worker over the weekend ... slamming the person for not taking the extra steps to make sure her packages were safe from rainy weather.

"#noonecaresabouttheirjobanymore," said Lloyd, who attached a picture of the uncovered packages on her front porch steps.

Lloyd likely expected her followers on the social media app to back her and join in on the slamming of the driver ... but it appears the opposite happened.

The 39-year-old, who retired from the USWNT last year, was so heavily criticized -- particularly by those who felt the worker must've been underpaid and overworked during the holiday season -- that she not only deleted the initial tweet, but then she threw up the peace sign to the website.

"Bye Twitter," Lloyd wrote. "I usually know better than to come on here amongst the warriors!"

There's certainly no love lost between 'RHOA' alum Porsha Williams and her ex-fiancé Dennis McKinley ... who got into a shouting match that turned physical.

Porsha, friends and family -- including Dennis -- were all vacationing in Mexico during an episode of her show "Porsha Family Matters" Sunday night ... and things quickly went from 0 to 100 during dinner.

The argument first started earlier in the trip after Dennis was called out for cheating on Porsha when the two were together ... but things escalated at dinner when the fight continued after Dennis told Porsha's cousin, Storm, to back off.

While it starts out verbal, things get physical after it appears Dennis lunged at Porsha. Fists fly, and cast members -- including Porsha's friend Simone -- step in to try and separate the two.

However, fans will need to wait till the next episode to see how things end, as the episode came to a cliff-hanger ending before all was resolved.

David Koechner might not be too different from the guys he plays in movies -- because the dude spent New Year's Eve in a cell for drinking and driving ... this according to cops.

The 'Anchorman' and 'Office' star was busted for suspected DUI and hit and run Friday in Simi Valley, CA -- where he got picked up by the local cops around 3 PM PT ... well before midnight. Koechner was booked into Ventura County Jail around 5 PM PT ... and his vehicle was towed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police got a call for an erratic driver, which a patrolling officer located -- only to find David behind the wheel. We're told he was given field sobriety tests, which he didn't do well on ... and got hauled in for drunk driving and allegedly hitting a street sign with his car.

Per online records, he was released early the next morning ... around 5 AM PT. He's got a court date in March to answer for this arrest.

There's no question it's Dave here. All his info lines up with what we know about him publicly ... same DOB, same height (6'2"), from Missouri, occupation as an actor, etc.

Of course, David is known for playing party animals ... especially when portraying Champ Kind, or even Todd Packer from "The Office," both of whom are known for boozy adventures.

DK hasn't had any other run-ins with the law that we're aware of -- this seems to be his first DUI, at least in Cali. We've reached out to David's camp ... so far, no word back.

Hilary Duff's daughter looked fairly insecure while rolling in the back of a car with her mom's old costar -- which is fueling a lot of anger over what many perceive as an unsafe ride.

Three-year-old Banks Bair was featured in a video posted by actress Molly Bernard, who once starred opposite HD in the show "Younger" a few years back ... and who apparently had Hilary's kid for the day for some sorta playdate.

Right off the bat, fans noticed an apparent problem -- Banks sitting in the back of a car, without any visible car seat or restraint on her. The 3-point harness is behind her in the video, but that, of course, is only intended for older kids and adults.

The law in California for car seats is pretty simple ... any child under 2 has to be in a car seat -- a rear-facing one at that -- until they're either 40 lbs. or more, or 40 inches or taller. Banks is 3, so the rear-facing part wouldn't apply here.

However, she's still under 8 and not tall enough yet -- so, Banks would have to be in a belt-positioning booster seat or car seat ... and there's no such restraint in the video. Hilary is catching flak as a result. Molly too -- but it's mostly folks mom-shaming Hilary for allowing such an unsafe practice with her own daughter.

The Netherlands is in a full lockdown again over COVID, and when people took to the streets in Amsterdam to voice their displeasure ... cops quite literally unleashed the hounds.

A major clash between Dutch riot police and protesters went down Sunday in Amsterdam, where thousands of people were dispersed by force ... and a lot of it at that. Officers, who were decked out with shields, helmets and batons, were given the green light to go town on folks -- as they were all violating local orders against forming large crowds.

It didn't take long before cops used dogs, you see one shot of a German Shepherd clamping down on a guy's arm ... which looks painful as hell.

A reported 30 or so people are said to have been arrested during all the mayhem. And of course, some left with some serious bruises, you see one dude walking away and getting his legs smacked by a cop using a baton.

Big Daddy Weave's Jason "Jay" Weaver is dead after suffering complications from COVID-19.

In a heartfelt message on Instagram his brother and fellow band member, Mike, shared the tragic news ... "I'm sorry to bring this news, but I am excited to celebrate where he is right now. My brother Jay went to be with Jesus just a couple hours ago."

Jay was a bass player and vocalist for the Christian band and had a history of health complications. Back in 2016, he was rushed to the hospital and had to get both feet amputated to fight an infection in his body.

In his message, Mike thanked everyone for their prayers and support for his late brother throughout his battles with his health ... "you've seen him walk the uphill battle and you guys helped carry him through so much."

"Even though COVID took his last breath, Jesus was right there to catch him," he said.

Big Daddy Weave started in 1998, dropping their first album in 2001 and touring with big hits in the Christian music scene ever since.

Mike talked about his brother's impact -- "The Lord used him in such a mighty way out on the road for many years."

He says their family will deal with the heartache "as it comes" but for now, they are turning to their faith to celebrate Jay ... "The prayers of healing can now turn into prayers of thanksgiving now that Jay is in God's presence."

Jay was 42.

A famous Argentinian DJ claims he's been receiving death threats and nasty insults this week ... after he says fans believe he was the reason Lionel Messi came down with COVID-19.

DJ Fer Palacio -- who has over 1 million followers on Instagram -- posted a video message explaining the situation on Sunday ... saying soccer aficionados are blaming him for Messi's positive test after the two were spotted partying together late last week.

"I am a trend on Twitter because Messi tested positive for COVID-19," the DJ said.

"They relate this to me saying that I infected him. They have even called me 'murderer.' I have a lot of very bad private messages."

The 31-year-old, though, implored fans to stop ... saying it's just not possible for him to have given the soccer superstar the virus -- because he doesn't have it.

"Yesterday I got tested because I have to travel to Uruguay," he said showing a picture of a negative COVID test, "and I do not have COVID-19."

Messi, meanwhile, is isolating away from his Paris Saint-Germain team ... after the squad confirmed on Sunday he and three of his other teammates had the virus.

The seven-time Ballon d'Or winner appears to be in good spirits following the diagnosis ... sharing a few encouraging words at the beginning of the new year.

"I can only give thanks for everything that I had to live in this 2021," Messi said on social media. "Even more so when many people had a really bad time because of the s****y virus that never ends."