TMZ.com Home

A Ukrainian woman trapped in her Kyiv home says she's fighting a "war within a war," because she's transgender and worries transphobic Ukrainians -- who are now armed -- might get her before the Russians.

Zi Faámelu says "it was hell" living as a trans person in the capital of Ukraine, even before the Russian invasion, but now she's unable to flee out of fear leaving her apartment will be more dangerous for her.

While all her friends and neighbors have been able to evacuate the city, she told CBS News, "I don't want to go outside. I am literally scared for my life."

Zi says the country isn't accepting of LGBTQ folks, and she's painfully aware that many of the men who've stayed behind as volunteer soldiers have guns. So, in a twisted way, she thinks staying trapped in her home -- as bombs and missiles explode around her -- feels like the better option.

Even if she makes it to the border, Zi says she'll be blocked from leaving because "If you have male gender on your passport [as a woman] they will not let you abroad... they will not let you through."

Kirk Baily -- best known for his role as Kevin "Ug" Lee in the Nickelodeon sitcom "Salute Your Shorts" -- has died.

Kirk's family tells TMZ the actor died over the weekend. We're told he died from lung cancer ... and had only been diagnosed 6 months ago.

Early in his career, Kirk studied comedy at Groundlings and Second City. He got his start as a sound coordinator on the cult classic film "Killer Klowns from Outer Space" before getting acting roles, including "3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain" and "The Sixth Man."

He also landed a number of guest roles on shows such as "Felicity," "Sisters," and "NYPD Blue." Recently, Kirk has worked primarily as a voice artist on a number of anime shows and video games, including "Cowboy Bebop," "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex" and ".hack//."

Most notably, he played Kevin "Ug' Lee in Nickelodeon's "Salute Your Shorts" in 1991 and 1992.

In 2019, the cast had a reunion in Hollywood at the Good Burger pop-up shop. He remained close friends with most of the cast members and production staff.

He worked up until the last few months of his life, loving his career until the end.

Kirk was 59.

Kanye West is spending time with another Kardashian outcast -- Mr. Tristan Thompson, and the duo sat down for a meal with some female company in tow.

Ye and Tristan were spotted having dinner Tuesday night at the Setai Hotel in Miami ... where we're told they broke bread around 11 PM or so. Like we said, they weren't by themselves ... there appeared to be some women at the table too.

Based on these photos, obtained by TMZ, it looks like KW and TT are as chummy as ever -- they seemed to be in great moods, and are obviously on good enough terms to hang out in public.

Tristan was in Miami because his new team, the Chicago Bulls, had played against the Heat the night before. His next game isn't until tomorrow in Atlanta ... so, he stuck around to get in some Ye time.

It's interesting to see them hanging out like this -- because not too long ago, Ye was accusing the Kardashians, and Tristan by extension, of refusing to give him the address to a birthday party for his kid, Chicago. Kanye named dropped Tristan at the time, saying he'd been told the address leak would have to be run by Khloe first.

Whoopi Goldberg hopes Americans never have to imagine being in a situation similar to the Russia-Ukraine war -- but if we do, we should get inspiration from Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky.

We got Whoopi leaving Harry Belafontes 95th birthday party at The Town Hall Tuesday night in New York and asked what Americans can learn from Zelensky, and her response was simple -- keep fighting for your country!

Whoopi says what we're seeing in Ukraine is nothing short of heroics ... with Zelensky refusing to leave his people behind, and defending your homeland is something everyone can get behind.

Zelensky has been proving his bravery, since leading his country's charge to fend off Vladimir Putin's Russian forces, and gave a rousing speech to the European Parliament on Tuesday ... saying he'd fight to the death for his country.

The speech -- coming on the heels of an attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city -- received a standing ovation.

President Volodymyr Zelensky turned the tables on Putin Wednesday, telegraphing he was acting like a Nazi by bombing a sacred part of his country that has become a memorial to Ukrainian Holocaust victims.

Zelensky was incredulous over the Russians bombing Babyn Yar, the site where 33,000 Jews were killed by the Nazis in 1941. It is sacred ground in Ukraine and the bombing has further galvanized the country.

It's rich, right? Putin brazenly lied in a weak attempt to justify the invasion by saying he was doing it to rid Ukraine of Nazis, but by bombing Babyn Yar he's acted like one himself. As Zelensky said, "You are killing Holocaust victims for the second time."

Zelensky went on to observe, "Nazism is born in silence." He has been defending his country on 2 fronts -- internally against the Russians, and externally by pressuring the U.S., European allies and other countries to lend a hand.

As the Russian invasion intensified, Zelensky remains strong, speaking of what things will look like "after the victory."

WWE legend Scott Hall is currently in a hospital after he suffered significant injuries in a fall ... his good friend, Jerry Jarrett, announced this week.

Jarrett -- a prominent figure in the wrestling world and the father of wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett -- said Hall broke his hip in the fall and is currently recovering at a medical facility.

"Just got off the phone with my friend Scott Hall," Jerry wrote on his Facebook page. "He fell and broke his hip and he's in the hospital. Prayers will help him recover."

Hall was expected to participate in several events in the leadup to WrestleMania in Dallas next month ... though it's unclear if his injuries will preclude him from those now.

Hall rose to fame wrestling under the alias of Razor Ramon in the 1990s ... and was of the key players in the famous nWo storyline. He was ultimately inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2014.

The tables have turned on 'Tinder Swindler' Simon Leviev ... he was bamboozled himself in an Instagram scam.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Simon was hit up last Thursday by a verified female on Instagram. She claimed she'd help Simon and GF Kate Konlin get verified on the app through her BF -- saying he worked at Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's tech company that owns IG.

The alleged swindlers went to great lengths to pull this off ... Simon Facetimed the BF, who was in a busy office -- appearing like he was at Meta, with employees walking around behind him.

The fake "Metamate" said the only way he could give him the blue check on his profile -- as well as delete the fake accounts under his name -- would be to offer up a big chunk of change ... $6,664. The payments were sent via PayPal through 2 separate transactions -- one for him and one for his GF.

Shortly after, Simon's manager found the deal suspicious and reached out to an actual team member at Meta, who told them they don't charge for verifications. Before anyone could call out the swindlers, they completely scrubbed themselves from the Internet -- including removal of their IG accounts ... letting the swindlers walk away with the cash.

Simon allegedly swindled countless women out of more than $10 million through Tinder ... ghosting them once he got what he wanted. Since then, he's had "enemies" after him -- most recently a criminal court complaint against him from the true Leviev family, which he has no real part in.

If you thought the story behind Matthew Coleman -- the QAnon-obsessed dad who confessed to killing his 2 kids because he believed they had "serpent DNA" -- couldn't get any weirder ... it just did.

According to new docs in the horrifying case ... Coleman told the FBI, last August, he'd been "seeing all the pieces being decoded like 'The Matrix,' and that he was Neo," before he says he murdered his children.

In that same interview, following his arrest, Coleman also talked to FBI agents about time travel, teleportation and claimed his kids -- 2-year-old Kaleo and 10-month-old Roxy -- had told him about babies being placed in fireworks, food and walls.

The affidavit, first obtained by People, is a truly bizarre read, and includes Coleman's assertion he had to kill Kaleo and Roxy because they might have been corrupted with serpent DNA from their mom ... and he had "to prevent them from becoming an alien species that would release carnage over the Earth."

Also interesting ... months before the kids were killed, Coleman spent hours each day looking up conspiracy theories online, according to one of his close friends.

Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer got name-dropped at President Biden's State of the Union address -- but even on his way out ... the guy was a picture of modesty, almost to the point that it was kinda funny.

Biden mentioned Breyer was retiring at one point in his speech, and took a moment to thank him for his service on the bench -- over 2 decades worth -- which got a big round of applause from just about everybody in the House Chamber ... Dems and Republicans alike.

You could tell the longtime SCOTUS servant was grateful for the shout-out, but watch what happened when JB asked him to stand ... he obliged, but almost immediately parked it again after a brief rise to his feet!

He was also doing a ton of appreciative hand gestures, mouthing "thank you" and waving to both Biden and the congress members ... like we said, very humble and meek.

Funny enough, Justice Breyer kept the deferential vibes going even the Prez had wrapped up his remarks ... sharing a quick word with him on the House floor, but then allowing Joe to shake hands with others as soon as he sensed his time with 46 was nearing an end.

While Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is desperately hoping the European Union will accept his country, British TV's already welcoming him with open arms by buying his sitcom ... about becoming prez.

Zelensky's comedy, "Servant of the People," is going to be airing on the UK's Channel 4, which purchased the series ... clearly seizing on the Ukrainian leader's worldwide popularity as he stands up to Vladimir Putin's Russian forces.

Channel 4's not wasting any time either -- 'Servant' will reportedly start airing this Sunday night.

The show, which ran for 3 seasons in Ukraine, is about an everyday guy who's elected president and grows into his role as a beloved and heroic leader. Think "Veep" ... minus the heroism.

One scene from the show's already gone viral because it's kinda spot on with real-world events. It shows Zelensky getting a call from German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who informs him he's been accepted into the EU. The prez starts celebrating -- even drops an f-bomb -- but then Merkel says she dialed the wrong number.

Kanye West is playing the game of musical chairs with his legal team once again ... dropping his divorce attorneys in the eleventh hour and just before a pivotal hearing with Kim.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us he recently fired his lawyer, Chris Melcher. We're told the relationship between Ye and Melcher had become extremely difficult, with little communication.

Our sources say at times, Kanye had expressed he just wanted to settle things with Kim ... and at others, he expressed a desire to put up a fight.

We're told Kanye's now hired attorney Samantha Spector, who recently represented Nicole Young in her divorce with Dr. Dre. Interestingly enough, Dre was repped by "Disso Queen" Laura Wasser in his divorce -- so once again, it'll be Spector and Wasser on either side.

As for Wednesday's hearing, it's expected the judge will rule to make Kim legally single. We're told it's "highly unlikely" Kanye will attend in person, but according to the court record, Kim will either call or video chat into the hearing.

If you're keeping track -- this is apparently Kanye's 4th attorney he's parted ways with since Kim filed for divorce in February 2021. In a rare, and public statement she made last month, asking Kanye to stop with the nasty posts about his family, Kim also mentioned, "Hopefully he can finally respond to the third attorney he has had in the last year to resolve any issues amicably."

Paris Jackson is about to go on tour for the first time ever ... one of her stops is being promoted by the same company behind her dad's last tour ... cut short before it began because of MJ's death.

Sources close to Paris tell TMZ ... Michael's daughter is hitting the road this month, marking her debut tour as a solo artist. We're told she'll be jetting off to Paris this weekend for a show ... one that's going to be promoted by AEG, which is interesting. More on that in a bit.

Anyway, later in March ... Paris will be coming back home for a string of gigs in the States alongside musician Patrick Droney ... with whom she'll tour and perform concerts in cities like Vegas, L.A., Seattle, Portland and others.

That's all well and good ... but back to AEG, which she's teamed up with for her Paris gig ... which also has a rocky history with the Jackson family.

You’ll recall… MJ’s mom Katherine sued AEG for wrongful death back in 2010, claiming it was partially to blame for the King of Pop’s 2009 death based on its alleged ill-fated hiring of Dr. Conrad Murray.

The jury ultimately decided in AEG’s favor, deciding Michael's death was caused by his drug abuse, and AEG was not responsible for protecting his health.

The intended target in the Cain Velasquez shooting on Monday was a man who allegedly molested one of the UFC legend's family members ... TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Multiple sources tell us the person who Velasquez opened fire at near a school in San Jose, CA. earlier this week was the man who was accused of repeatedly sexually abusing Cain's close relative.

We're told the man lived at a home that hosts a daycare where Cain's young family member attended. Sources say the man allegedly molested Velasquez's relative there and was ultimately arrested and charged with one felony count of a lewd and lascivious act with a child under the age of 14 last week over the allegations.

The man, however, was granted a release from custody following an arraignment hearing last Friday despite strong opposition from the district attorney's office.

Our sources say the release infuriated Velasquez so much, he attempted to take justice into his own hands and shoot the man while he was in a car outside of a local school.

Velasquez was arrested and booked on a felony charge of attempted murder for the actions.

The former UFC fighter -- who has wins over Brock Lesnar and Junior dos Santos on his resume -- is due in court for a hearing on the matter later Wednesday.

Sources say he is expected to be formally charged by the DA's office prior to the court hearing.

Raymond Santana -- one of the wrongfully convicted Central Park Five -- has filed for divorce from his reality star wife ... and she's accusing him of being unfaithful.

Raymond filed divorce docs in Georgia, seeking to end his union with "Flavor of Love" star Deelishis, after only 20 months of marriage.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the couple – who first met through Instagram in late 2019 and tied the knot six months later – separated Nov. 7, with Raymond claiming their marriage is "irretrievably broken with no hope of reconciliation."

And Deelishis seems to agree… because she went public on social media Tuesday, accusing Raymond of being a narcissist, liar and a cheat.

But it’s not all discord between the couple… they recently filed an agreement with the court to resolve most of the legal issues between them. For starters, they both agreed neither party would pay the other alimony.

We broke the story ... Raymond and Deelishis got engaged back in December 2019 after first meeting through Instagram.

Raymond and Deelishis tied the knot on June 6, 2020 in the middle of the pandemic ... but it's already over.

Playmate Victoria Fuller is creating a virtual community in the world of NFTs -- using her own artwork -- and she's bringing a bunch of other Playboy models along for the digital ride.

Victoria was Miss January 1996 back in Playboy's heyday, but she tells TMZ there's one thing she wants to make clear now -- "I'm an artist first and foremost," and that's why she's diving into non-fungible tokens ... to take control of her work.

With the Playboy brand shifting its focus and the Mansion's doors closed, Victoria says former Playmates can't connect with fans, or make money the way they did back in the day. She's aiming to change that with her new Rogue Playmate series.

Here's how it works ... every NFT buyer will be airdropped a members-only "golden key" ... which grants them access to the virtual Rogue Mansion -- a digital space to hang out and interact in real-time with the models in the Metaverse.

The images for the NFTs are designed by Victoria and renowned multimedia artist Dutch Bihary. VF says she's most excited about carving out a niche for herself in the male-dominated world of digital art.

The first drop, on March 30, will feature 9,600 generative NFTs, each based on one of the 12 founding members of Rogue Playmates -- among them Lisa Dergan, Renee Tenison, Karen McDougal and Victoria.

Logan Paul's hardcore training for WrestleMania 38 is going off without a hitch ... so says WWE Superstar The Miz, who tells TMZ Sports the YouTube sensation is an "absolute natural" in the squared circle.

As we previously reported, the "Maverick" made a surprise appearance at Raw last week ... officially confirming his spot as Miz's tag team partner against Rey and Dominik Mysterio in April.

We spoke with The Miz about the preparations leading up to the big event ... and he says he was floored by how quickly Logan got comfortable with the complicated moves.

"Training's going really well, actually," he tells us ... saying Paul was even able to nail his signature Skull Crushing Finale in no time.

"Logan -- I showed it to him like, once. Literally picked it up like that. I was like, 'Oh, okay. This is gonna be fun!!'"

Miz says Logan's amateur wrestling background (he was a beast in high school) and boxing training has helped him immensely ... and it's going to show in his performance.

As for Paul's future in WWE, Miz says he truly thinks Logan could go full-time with Vince McMahon's organization.