TMZ.com Home

New York City local Rochelle Aytes was 28 years old when she was cast as Denise Porter -- a local New York news reporter, reporting at a charity fashion show in The Hamptons -- in the 2004 Comedy "White Chicks."

Rochelle shared the big screen with comedy brothers Shawn Wayans as Agent Kevin Copeland ... and Brittany Wilson, and Marlon Wayans as Agent Marcus Copeland .. and as Tiffany Wilson, Busy Philipps as the dancing and love-seeking friend, Karen and Terry Crews as the muscular pro-basketball player and lip singer, Latrell Spencer.

A 2-year-old child was left to fend for himself after both of his parents were killed during Monday's mass shooting at the July 4th parade in Illinois.

37-year-old Kevin McCarthy, and 35-year-old Irina McCarthy, both died after a 21-year-old armed with an assault rifle opened fire on the unsuspecting crowd.

The McCarthy’s son, Aiden, was reportedly separated from his parents and got lost in the chaos.

Apparently, a couple found the young boy in the midst of Monday's mayhem and brought him to the local fire department.

Reports say the 2-year-old was eventually reunited with his grandparents at a hospital.

As we've reported, 7 people have died and at least 30 were injured during Monday’s massacre. The shooter fired off close to 70 rounds.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help support Aiden, who is now without both parents. The creators of the page wrote, "We took him to safety under tragic circumstances, came together to locate his grandparents, and prayed for the safety of his family."

Chris Rock and Lake Bell are continuing their dating escapades Tuesday as the couple was spotted together on Santa Monica beach -- and TMZ has obtained photos of their romantic stroll.

An eyewitness tells TMZ ... the comedian and the actress were in great spirits walking past Shutter On The Beach while calmly taking in the beautiful ocean views. Although there wasn't any kissing or hand-holding, our sources noted there was almost no room in between their bodies as they moved along the path. Interpretation...things seem to be getting pretty serious between these two.

Of course, this comes shortly after the two enjoyed a weekend together in the city ... first, hitting up Giorgio Baldi restaurant in Santa Monica. They were also seen Sunday, grabbing a bite at Coast Restaurant in the same neighborhood ... for a dinner just for two.

If we were to guess here, they're full on dating ... and it could be serious. Remember, they were recently spotted at a Cardinals game in St. Louis. They tried to keep things low-key then ... but clearly, they're out in the open, now.

Paul Staehle and his 3-year-old son Pierre have safely returned home to Kentucky after a police bulletin reported them missing last week, TMZ has learned.

'The 90 Day Fiancé' star tells TMZ ... he drove back to the Louisville area on Saturday with Pierre, and the two met with Paul's parents at a park.

Paul said he turned Pierre over to his parents because he didn't want to deal with all the drama involving Child Protective Services.

He says he needs more time to process the legal situation engulfing him, his ex-wife Karine Martins and their 2 young kids, Ethan and Pierre.

After they were reported missing, Paul denied kidnapping Pierre and going on the lam with him, insisting they had been on a long work trip together since early June.

Paul's parents contacted CPS officials, who picked up Pierre and reunited him with 1-year-old Ethan at a foster home.

As we’ve reported, Paul and Karine lost custody of their children to CPS after videos surfaced of the couple's abusive relationship dating back to 2010, when they were featured on the show.

Paul's parents are now seeking full custody of the kids and plan to duke it out with the authorities in family court.

A rep for Louisville Police Department confirmed to TMZ ... Pierre was located and is safe, and the Missing Person’s report had been closed on Sunday.

The guy suspected of killing 7 people and injuring dozens of others during a July 4 parade in Highland Park, Illinois, pre-planned the savage attack and dressed in women's clothing to disguise himself in an effort to evade capture ... police announced Tuesday.

During a news conference, Deputy Chief Christopher Covelli of the Lake County Sheriff’s Office said Robert Crimo wore his disguise to also cover up his tattoos ... as he squeezed off more than 70 rounds with a legally purchased high-powered rifle. Covelli noted that the death toll had gone up from 6 to 7 murder victims.

After the attack, Crimo allegedly dropped the rifle and fled from the roof of a business, from which he opened fire. During the ensuing chaos, he was able to blend in with the crowd thanks to his disguise, Covelli said.

Crimo then walked to his mother's nearby home and borrowed her Honda, cops said. He led police on a high-speed car chase that ended with him in handcuffs.

Cops believe the 21-year-old Crimo had been planning the attack for several weeks.

Crimo has yet to be charged in the mass shooting, but officials are expected to address that issue later this afternoon.

R. Kelly just won a mini legal battle against the feds, who just did an about-face and took the disgraced singer off suicide watch after he filed a lawsuit against the prison, TMZ has learned.

In newly filed court docs obtained by TMZ, Metropolitan Detention Center Warden Heriberto H. Tellez -- who was also named in the suit -- says he made the decision today to remove Kelly from suicide watch following a "clinical assessment." No further details on the assessment were provided.

Last week, Kelly filed his lawsuit claiming that he was being subjected to "cruel and unusual punishment" -- which violates his 8th Amendment rights -- after he was put on suicide watch at Brooklyn's MDC.

In the suit, Kelly alleged that he wasn't even thinking of killing himself and told prison officials just that. Kelly also claimed he was placed in these harsh conditions because of his celebrity.

The feds initially filed a motion opposing the suit, saying they would clinically assess Kelly for the duration of his suicide watch.

Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison last Wednesday following his conviction last year on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Kelly to more than 25 years behind bars, while his defense attorneys asked for up to 10 years.

Robert Crimo III, the person of interest in the 4th of July Highland Park massacre, joked about school shootings online and even drew a sketch of him getting shot and killed by cops with a gun by his side.

Crimo has been on social media for years, posting violent images of mass shootings. He called himself a rapper with the name "Awake the Rapper" with 16,000 Spotify listeners every month.

One of his drawings shows a man lying on the ground, presumably dead with a rifle by his side, as police closed in on him.

In one image, you see a man holding a rifle as someone appears dead on the ground and another person is standing hands up as the gun is pointed toward him.

There's another drawing of Crimo throwing bullets on a classroom floor, decked out in armor.

He seemed to have contempt for politicians ... posting a photo last fall of Budd Dwyer, the Pennsylvania official who shot and killed himself on live TV with the caption, "I wish politicians still gave speeches like this."

He did seem to have a soft spot for Donald Trump, appearing at several rallies ... in one case dressed as "Where's Waldo." There's another pic of him draped in a Trump flag.

He was very open about his fascination with mass murder and violence ... and lots of people saw this for years. As far as we can tell so far, there were no direct threats that would have alerted law enforcement ... although apparently, he was 'known to law enforcement.'

Travis Barker has resurfaced after his scary hospitalization last week, and he didn't look the worse for wear.

Travis and his wife Kourtney Kardashian took a ride in a vintage orange truck on the 4th, with Penelope and Reign in the back.

They looked super chill, as they listened to Bruno Mars' "Grenade."

Travis has said he's feeling a lot better after landing in the hospital.

TMZ broke the story ... he had a colonoscopy which triggered pancreatitis -- a serious problem that kept him in a hospital bed for days as doctors ran tests and treated the ailment.

Travis took to social media last weekend and said "I went in for an endoscopy Monday feeling great. But After dinner, I developed excruciating pain and have been hospitalized ever since."

He went on ...  "During the endoscopy, I had a very small polyp removed right in a very sensitive area, usually handled by specialists, which unfortunately damaged a critical pancreatic drainage tube. This resulted in severe life threatening pancreatitis."

Travis Scott stopped his show Monday night because several fans put themselves in danger ... and it's impossible not to think about the tragedy at Astroworld when looking at the video.

Travis and Meek Mill performed at The Day Party concert at Coney Art Walls in Coney Island. He took the stage at around 8 PM, DJ'd and then performed.

The crowd was packed in, so much so that a couple of concertgoers climbed up a lighting truss and dangled as they watched Travis perform. One of the fans must have planned ahead ... he was wearing a Spiderman costume.

Travis saw what was happening and stopped the show, ordering the fans to climb down from the truss. They followed his orders and the concert went on.

As you all know, Travis is facing multiple lawsuits over the Astroworld tragedy, with some of the victims and victims' families alleging he should have stopped the show before the crush. Travis insists he didn't see or know what was going on, and fact is ... apparently neither did the police, who seemed oblivious.

FBI agents wearing tactical gear and brandishing assault rifles poured out of an armored vehicle Monday and raided the suburban Chicago home of Robert Crimo -- the person of interest in the July 4th mass shooting -- and TMZ obtained exclusive video of the raid.

The scene unfolded around 4:30 PM Monday in Highwood, Illinois -- where Robert Crimo lives with his family -- two hours before the alleged killer was taken into custody by police after a brief car chase. Cops identified Crimo as a "person of interest" in the heinous shootings and recovered a high-powered rifle from the scene.

Video from the raid shows two teams of FBI agents with guns poised ... walking up to the front and side entrances of the house. One of the agents is heard banging on the front door and yelling, "It's The FBI. If you're inside, come out with your hands up."

The other team is seen walking along the side of the house and pointing their guns at the windows, before entering the home through an unlocked door.

Witnesses tell TMZ ... the feds stayed there for several hours taking photos, but it's unclear if they removed evidence from the home or made arrests. Some agents were overheard saying they had viewed "some interesting things."

During the raid, we're told Crimo's father drove up, spoke with the FBI and made a call to his son, leaving a voicemail that the feds wanted to talk to him, the witnesses said.

A 4th of July parade was the site of yet another mass shooting ... this time in the Chicago suburb of Highland Park.

The parade started at 10 AM CT and 10 minutes in ... gunshots rang out and an unknown number of people were hit.

Cell phone videos show the panic among parade-goers ... as they scrambled for safety, not knowing which way to turn.

A Chicago Sun-Times reporter says he saw blankets covering 3 bodies that appeared bloodied. One parade-goer says he counted more than 20 shots.

There are unconfirmed reports of 9 people shot. We do not know the extent of their injuries or if anyone was killed.

The scene was chaotic ... people ran for cover, leaving their baby strollers and blankets. They seemed confused at first, but quickly realized this was the scene of yet another mass shooting.

Police responded quickly and were quick to pull out their rifles and other firearms and equipment ... looking for the shooter.

At the time of this post, the shooter had not been identified or captured.

Story developing.

Tyler Sanders' death is being treated as a suspected overdose ... sources connected to the death investigation tell TMZ.

We're told Tyler, who had roles in big shows like "9-1-1: Lone Star" and "Fear the Walking Dead," had a history of drug use and cops found a plastic straw and white powder in the room where he died.

TMZ broke the story ... 18-year-old Tyler was found dead June 16 in his Los Angeles home.

Our sources say Tyler's friends called police to conduct a welfare check because they had not heard from him following a night out ... and that's what led to his body being discovered.

Tyler was laid to rest in Houston ... and someone who attended the funeral tells us Tyler's dad, David Sanders, delivered the eulogy and told the crowd Tyler died of an apparent drug overdose.

We're told Tyler started battling depression when he began filming '9-1-1' and his father repeated some of Tyler's own words at his funeral, talking about how Tyler's brain was wired to where he could not feel happiness.

A significant piece of history is now up for sale ... a letter from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. where he candidly talks about the "n" word and the term "dark skinned American."

MLK wrote the letter January 18, 1966. The recipient was a man named William A. Bennett -- unclear who Bennett is. Dr. King embraced the term "dark skinned" ... saying he used it often as it reflects "both our great heritage and our devotion to a brand of Americanism of the highest order."

Of course, MLK has thoughts about the "n" word, which he says "carries with it a meaning deeply rooted in the debilitating racist caste ordering of our society's slavery epoch and segregation era."

The historical artifact was held in a private collection until recently, and now it's for sale on the Moments In Time site for $95,000.

Booker T tells TMZ Sports his wrestling days are long behind him ... however, he respects a guy like Ric Flair, who, at age 73, will be lacing up his boots and stepping in the ring to fight one final match later this summer.

"I have no itch to scratch," Booker T said when asked about possibly coming out of retirement. "I've scratched every itch that I want to scratch as for as getting back inside the squared circle."

"What Ric Flair is doing, he's doing that because he loves this business, man. Ric Flair told me a long time ago that he would never retire. That's that guy, man."

As we reported, Ric is slated to wrestle one final time on July 31 against an undisclosed opponent, despite admitting he has some concerns that prior health issues might crop up in the ring.

57-year-old Booker T is clearly impressed by Flair's tenacity ... telling us, "He's gonna come in and go out in a blaze of glory. You can only respect that."

Booker also reflected on the first time he ever wrestled the Nature Boy -- it was a WCW Saturday night taping that he got thrown into at the last minute.

"Half of the time, I didn't know if I was coming or going just because he was telling me one thing, and he was doing another," Booker said.

The former heavyweight champ said he learned so much from sharing the ring with Naitch that night ... recalling he was like a "sponge" just trying to soak up all the knowledge Flair was imparting.

Booker may no longer be an in-ring performer ... but he remains an integral part of WWE's storytelling as a commentator, which is why the King of the Spinarooni has been tapped to host a new series called "WWE Rivals."

If you're one of the East Coast elite, there is no better place to be during the dog days of summer than on the soft sands and at the private parties along the eastern Long Island coastline ... aka The Hamptons.

The uber-rich stretch of the seascape is where actors, musicians, socialites and politicians all congregate to rub elbows and in a decadent display of wealth ... mixed with a downright drive to party on the pristine shores.

Travel influencer Jessica Nabongo is the first Black woman to visit every country on this planet ... and her new book shows off some of the most exciting parts of her years-long journey!

We talked to the author on "TMZ Live," and she concedes some places were more welcoming than others ... she's been to more than 190 countries during her journey -- needless to say, she's got her favorites -- and some to which she won't return.

She's been in North Korea, which was an eerie experience ... her Ugandan passport got her in -- the U.S. isn't allowing people to travel to NK.

Pyongyang was weird for her, just because of how normal things felt ... it was nothing like it seems in movies.