TMZ.com Home

Kim Kardashian caused quite the stir when she donned Marilyn Monroe's iconic dress to the 2022 Met Gala ... but she did NOT cause any damage to the gown.

A recent photo floating around on social media allegedly showed the dress before and after Kim K took it out for a spin. However, a rep for Ripley's Believe It or Not! -- who bought the dress for $4.8 million in 2016 -- is coming to Kim's defense.

The rep tells us, "A report written on the dress’s condition in early 2017 states, “a number of the seams are pulled and worn. This is not surprising given how delicate the material is. There is puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes,” among other instances of damage."

Clearly, the "before" photo was taken before Ripley's even acquired the piece.

The rep tells us since the purchase of the dress, Ripley's has displayed it around the world -- a process that has also put the piece at risk for potential damage.

Amanda Joiner, Ripley's VP of Publishing and Licensing -- who was with Kim and the dress the entire day of The Met -- says, "From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in."

The dress is the exact same one Marilyn famously wore way back in 1962 for President John F. Kennedy's birthday when she sang for the Prez. Kim lost 16 pounds to fit into the piece after first being denied permission by Ripley's.

Kim had also been gifted a piece of Monroe's hair, and one of the accounts accusing her of damaging the dress also said the hair was fake ... that claim too, has been debunked.

Ex-NHL star Sean Avery has just been convicted of attempted criminal mischief ... after he was accused of slamming his scooter into a car in a road rage incident back in 2019.

A spokesperson for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office tells TMZ Sports ... Avery was found guilty of the misdemeanor charge on Thursday, following a short bench trial this week.

According to the spokesperson, Avery was sentenced to time served. The judge in the case also issued full orders of protection for the victims.

42-year-old Avery was initially charged back in 2019 ... after a businessman said the former New York Rangers center damaged his car following a dispute over a New York bike lane.

The man claimed Avery's outburst left a small hole in his vehicle's door, near where his 4-year-old daughter had been sitting during the incident.

Two white men in Florida are facing criminal charges for allegedly attacking a Black teen who claims he was racially profiled in the same town where Trayvon Martin was killed.

The men, Howard Hughes and Donald Corsi, are accused of throwing a large rock through a rear window in the car the teen was driving in and striking the teen with a large cone.

Footage from the incident's aftermath, posted on social media by the boy's father, appears to show the men angrily shouting at the teen ... using profanities and telling him he doesn't belong in their Sanford, FL neighborhood.

The video also appears to show the damage to the teen's car, which he told cops was from a large rock hurled into the back seat. You can see the busted out window and broken glass all over the seat. There are also accusations about someone having a gun overheard in the video and on the 911 audio from the incident.

Police were called to the scene and the two men were arrested and booked on criminal charges.

The police report, obtained by TMZ, says the teen told cops the men were making verbal threats as they approached the car with a large road cone, using the cone to smash a rear door, causing damage and leaving a large dent under the window.

Cops say the teen also told them one of the men threw a large stone with sharp edges through a car window while the teen was behind the wheel.

Hughes is charged with damaging property and battery. Corsi is charged with damaging property and for allegedly throwing the stone at the car.

While the folks from the video who live in the area told the teen they didn't like how he was driving on their street ... the kid says he was just there to visit a friend.

Ben Crump says Black people in America have overcome the most dire of circumstances, and he has no doubt the community will continue to progress in the future ... no matter how concerning things appear today.

The high-profile civil attorney joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to talk about the overall state of civil rights and equality in America ... ahead of the release of the new Netflix documentary, "Civil: Ben Crump."

Ben tells us, he has no doubt Black people will win the war against inequality. He says, no matter how it feels today, "we are far better than we were yesterday, and we are going to be better tomorrow."

As you know, Ben has been involved in the country's most high-profile civil rights cases -- including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Andre Hill -- and he continues to shine a light on police violence ... now the leading cause of death for Black men.

The documentary -- which drops on Sunday, Juneteenth -- follows Ben through 2020 as the nation faced a reckoning on race and equality in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

Ben says, he's grateful for those who blazed a trail for him, and he hopes to inspire the next generation of civil rights attorneys and activists. He spoke to us about the 2 legal icons who inspired his own career and life philosophy.

Former New York Mets prospect Darwyn Encarnacion died following a horrific car crash in the Dominican Republic this week.

He was just 21 years old.

According to MLB insider Hector Gomez, Encarnacion was driving an SUV on Wednesday when it tumbled off a bridge and crashed into a ditch below it.

The former outfielder, according to multiple reports, had somehow survived the initial impact, but died at a local hospital a short time later.

A Mets academy executive in the Dominican Republic confirmed Encarnacion's tragic passing to Gomez ... saying, "He was a great human being, very disciplined, respectful and polite. He played with us for just one year, in 2019. He was even using his scholarship that the team gave him when he signed and was currently studying at university."

Encarnacion signed a minor league contract with the Mets in March 2019 ... and, a few months later, played for their Dominican Summer League team.

He logged 113 at-bats in 35 games ... tallying one home run, 10 steals and a .248 batting average. He was eventually released by the team in Oct. 2020.

Oops, she did it again ... Britney Spears' Instagram account has disappeared for a 2nd time.

Fans of the newlywed aren't going to find any dancing or twirling videos when heading to her page ... instead, they'll be met with the classic "Sorry, this page isn't available" message.

The singer's been really active on the platform lately -- expressing her opinions about her family, her recent marriage, and the conservatorship -- but that's all coming to a screeching halt. It's still unclear if she pulled the plug, or if the platform shut her page down.

As you'll recall, the same thing happened back in March, again, without warning ... in the heat of her brutally honest posts about her time in the conservatorship. While fans speculated Instagram was the one that pulled her from the platform, our IG sources said it was all Britney's decision.

She eventually returned to the app, getting back into her old habits of posting pics, eyes locked on the camera -- she never explained her reason for departing last time, but still got tons of fans welcoming her back.

Tom Hanks was seeing red when his wife Rita Wilson was almost knocked to the ground by a pack of his fans ... and the guy who's normally Mr. Cool let 'em know he was pissed off!

Tom and Rita were heading to their car Wednesday night in NYC when the swarm of fans scrambled around for autographs and selfies -- the crowd got so big, one fan bumped into Rita and made her trip.

TH was having none of it -- he rushed to her rescue, then put his hand on one guy and yelled to the rest, "This is my wife, back the f*** off!!"

He gave them quite the death stare for a few seconds before storming off to their car. In the wake of Tom losing it, the finger-pointing started among the fans ... with one guy claiming someone else pushed him into Rita.

A Toledo basketball player turned into a hero during a game last weekend -- performing successful CPR on a referee who had collapsed in the middle of the contest.

The scary incident was caught on video ... when during the Toledo Glass City's game against the Jamestown Jackals on June 11 -- a ref wobbled, and then crumpled to the floor.

You can see in the footage, referee John Sculli lay motionless for several moments ... before Glass City's Myles Copeland raced over to help out.

Copeland -- who's also a firefighter -- told ESPN he didn't feel Sculli's pulse or see him breathing when he got to the man ... so, he started CPR with the help of another ref until paramedics arrived.

And, thanks to his efforts, Sculli -- who's been officiating for almost 40 years -- survived -- and is now expected to have surgery this week to fix his health issues.

"It was kind of instinctual," 25-year-old Copeland said of it all. "It surprised me how quick I was able to switch into that mode, especially being in a basketball game."

"But, with being a firefighter, when you're off the job, you're really not off the job. You still got to keep an eye out for the community and what's going on around you."

He continued, "I didn't feel like I went out of my way to do anything special. It's just what I was put here to do. God was able to work through me. I feel like other people see me differently as a hero, but I don't see myself any different."

FYI, Copeland drove to NY for the playoff game after working a 24-hour shift as a firefighter -- and his team ultimately won the game, 96-93.

A juror in the Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial says they just didn't buy what he says were Amber's emotional swings, from "crying" to "ice cold."

The juror, who wanted to stay anonymous, spoke to 'GMA' Thursday, saying he took umbrage at Heard's post-verdict statement that the jury ruled the way it did because of Depp's star status.

The male juror seemed to be swayed in no small part by Amber's demeanor on the stand, saying jurors were "uncomfortable" by what he seemed to say were dramatic outbursts they just didn't buy, saying ... "The crying, the facial expressions, the staring at the jury, all of us were very uncomfortable." He says some of the jurors called her sobbing "crocodile tears."

He went on to say the jury felt Amber was more the aggressor than the victim ... "A lot of her story didn't add up. The majority of the jury felt that she was the aggressor. She would answer one question and she would be crying and two seconds later she would turn ice cold."

He went on to say the jury felt Amber and Johnny were mutually abusive, but "he just seemed a little more real in terms of how he was responding to questions. His emotional state was very stable throughout."

As for Heard's comments on "Today," that Johnny won because he was a bigger star and more likable -- the juror insists they reached their decision based on evidence ... full stop.

Bam Margera is on his way back to the Florida rehab facility he bolted from earlier this week ... we're told he was found in a nearby hotel after he was reported missing.

Sources close to the 'Jackass' star tell TMZ ... Bam shacked up at a hotel in Delrey Beach after bouncing from the rehab facility, and cops and a crisis intervention team located him Wednesday and are escorting him back to the treatment center. We are told he went back voluntarily and didn't fight it.

Remember, the rehab center manager says Bam is supposed to be there under a court order ... which is why police are taking him back.

TMZ broke the story ... Bam was reported missing Monday after splitting from the treatment center, and cops went looking for him.

We're told Bam, who recently completed one year in the drug and alcohol treatment program, has been off his medication since leaving the facility and our sources were unsure if he had relapsed.

A new photo has emerged from the January 6th insurrection, one that shows then-VP Mike Pence hiding away as rioters stormed the Capitol, chanting about killing him.

The pic shows Pence and his family seeking refuge in his ceremonial office -- not far from the Senate floor -- second lady Karen Pence shuts the curtains as they shelter in place.

The photo was snapped just a few minutes after the Capitol was breached ... and as many started chanting "Hang Mike Pence." The Pence family was taken to a loading dock under the building not long after.

Pence and his daughter, Charlotte, eventually returned to the Capitol when the dust settled, and continued to work on his speech for when Congress reconvened.

As we reported, former President Donald Trump seemingly defended the insurrectionists that had it out for his VP, claiming they were understandably angry.

He claimed he wasn't worried about the Veep's safety at the time, telling ABC's Jonathan Karl, "I thought he was well-protected and I had heard he was in good shape."

Trump chalked the "Hang Mike Pence" stuff to common sense -- calling the guy out for passing what he believed was a fraudulent vote to Congress, AKA certifying Biden.

Khloe Kardashian has clearly had enough of Tristan Thompson and his cheating ways, giving a behind-the-scenes look at her reaction after she'd learned he got another woman pregnant.

Khloe didn't hold back on Thursday's season finale of "The Kardashians" during a chat with sister, Kim Kardashian, Khloe said of TT, "Wow, you really f***** up your life."

During the heart-to-heart, Kim tells Khloe, "If that were me and I was really trying to redeem myself and I was trying to be a better person, I would definitely just keep my d*** in my pants."

Khloe chimes in saying, "You would think. You either wear a condom, get a vasectomy, or you don't f*** random people that you meet in other states. It's not rocket science".

Of course, we know the random person turned out to be personal trainer Maralee Nichols, and Tristan ended up being the father of her son. As you know, Tristan filed legal docs admitting to having sex with her almost immediately after the 30th birthday party Khloe threw for him.

As we've reported, TT caught the full wrath of the Kardashian sisters, including Kylie who called him "the worst person on the planet", but clearly Khloe had a few words to say too.

Joe Exotic's gotta be singing "Looking for love in all the wrong places" -- his wedding plans are suddenly off now that his "Twilight"-esque relationship with his prison fiancé is dunzo.

Joe's divorce attorney Autumn Blackledge tells TMZ ... Joe believed he'd fallen in love with fellow inmate John Graham, but ever since John got released from their federal prison in Texas ... he's moved on and ended things with Joe.

We're told Joe will continue to have a close relationship with John's son and some members of his family, and despite their split ... Joe has only nice things to say about his ex.

Sounds like Joe's broken heart is healing quickly, though -- we're told a "very special man" came back into his life recently, someone picking up where they left off before he "put his head up his ass." No official word on who it is yet, but a name comes to mind.

TMZ broke the story ... Joe filed for divorce from Dillon Passage in March, with his relationship with John being the reason why. Joe and Dillon were estranged for more than a year before Exotic filed divorce docs from jail.

We're told JE's divorce from Dillon is still making slow but steady progress, so there's a chance this mystery man might be someone totally new ... to the public, anyway.

Abby Lee Miller is devastated Maddie Ziegler says her life and career are going just fine without Abby's involvement.

The "Dance Moms" maven tells TMZ ... unfortunately, relationships don’t always last and it breaks her heart. She says, she and Maddie made beautiful art together that was captured on camera for all the world to see.

Abby says, "Spending hours, days, weeks and years together in a crazy reality TV show environment, we became like family."

ICYMI, the dancer turned actress finally spoke out about her strained relationship with Abby. In an interview, she said she hadn't talked to her former coach since leaving "Dance Moms" back in 2016 -- and added, she's "at peace" without their relationship and the show ... which she called a toxic environment.

Clearly, it's a hard pill for Abby to swallow. Abby tells us, she's proud of all her students' accomplishments, but ... "Sadly, it’s always the ones you do the most for that kick you in the can-can."

Despite that jab, the former coach wasn't shy about singing Maddie's praises, calling her a "perfectionist." Abby also says, Maddie "paid attention to everyone else’s corrections, she wanted to be good, she got it and I thought she got me too."

Guess time doesn't heal all wounds. 😕

Country singer Kata Hay, a former contestant on "The Voice," has been arrested for allegedly having sexual contact with her friend's son ... TMZ has learned.

Hay was taken into custody Tuesday in Sumner County, TN ... and according to legal docs obtained by TMZ, the alleged incident started with the 35-year-old singer making sexual comments about a 16-year-old boy in front of his parents. Cops say Hay had been staying at the family's home for a short period.

Those comments allegedly led to physical contact ... with the teen claiming Kata made out with him and forced him to touch her inappropriately multiple times against his wishes.

The 16-year-old's mother told authorities she confronted Kata, and recorded their convo before ordering her to leave the home. According to the docs, the mother's recording includes Hay acknowledging the incident had occurred.

It's noted Hay seemed to be under the influence during the confrontation, at least according to the mother.

The singer -- who made the 'Voice' top 20 back in 2016 -- was arrested, and also processed for a probation violation related to a separate DUI case.

Ryan Adams is ready to get back to performing for his fans -- after some of the most difficult years of his life -- telling us his prep has him 9 months sober and super sore!

We got the singer-songwriter out on a run at The Hollywood Reservoir Wednesday, a place that's become familiar to Ryan as of late. He tells us he's been working through his mental health struggles with 5-6 miles of running per day, and it's also helped him stay clean.

He's also mounting a comeback after a 2019 New York Times report accusing him of sending sexual messages to an underage fan as well as being "manipulative, obsessive and controlling" with 7 other women -- including his ex-wife Mandy Moore and singer Phoebe Bridgers.

Eventually, the FBI cleared Adams in the underage messages case -- but he hadn't really gotten on stage since then.

Now, he's just announced an 8-gig string of shows -- including Chicago and Milwaukee -- to start in October ... this after he quietly took the stage for 5 comeback shows in May. Sources close tell us ticket sales have already been strong ... proving fans still wanna see him in action.

While Ryan wouldn't exactly tell us his thoughts on cancel culture -- avoiding the topic by reminding us just how sore he was -- you gotta imagine he's excited about the chance of a legit comeback.