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Angelina Jolie was apparently responsible for breaking the news about her relationship with Brad Pitt, according to the founder of Rolling Stone magazine ... who attributes her for getting the bombshell shots back in 2005.

Jann Wenner's upcoming memoir, 'Like a Rolling Stone,' is full of stories about the celebs he's encountered over the years, according to Page Six ... but this one might take the cake, putting to bed a 17-year mystery on who first blabbed about Brangelina.

Jann owned Us Weekly when rumors were flying about BP and AJ being an item ... when their photographer got a tip about the two staying at a resort on the coast of Africa.

He puts it plainly -- "the tipster was Angelina." Of course, this was all going down while Brad was still married to Jennifer Aniston.

Not only did Jann's photog know where to find them, but Angelina gave specific details about their daily walks, and even where they could secretly snag a pic of them.

Jann says they finally got the proof after Angelina's tip ... adding "we had the worldwide scoop, the debut of Brangelina."

Bernard Shaw, one of the anchors who put CNN on the map, has died from pneumonia ... according to his family.

His family announced his passing Thursday morning, and said the pneumonia was unrelated to COVID-19.

When CNN launched in 1980, Shaw was the network's first chief anchor, and famously anchored presidential debates, and especially shined during the Gulf War in 1991.

Shaw reported live from Baghdad as the first missile strikes landed and launched the war. He frequently had to seek cover under desks and in bomb shelters while reporting.

A Marine veteran, who served during the Vietnam War, Shaw remained at CNN for more than 20 years ... finally retiring in 2001.

Prior to his time at CNN, Bernie -- as his co-workers called him on the air -- worked the Washington Bureau for CBS News, and was also at ABC News for a time.

Shaw was a proud Chicago native ... he actually started his broadcasting career there as a reporter and anchor, and eventually became the White House correspondent for Westinghouse.

He's survived by his wife Linda Allston and their 2 children. Bernie Shaw was 82.

Don't be surprised if SoFi Stadium has a heavy tint of blue and red at Thursday night's Rams vs. Bills game ... because if Wednesday night is any indication -- THOUSANDS of Buffalo fans will be there supporting their team at the NFL's opening matchup.

TMZ Sports has obtained pics and video of a Bills Mafia meetup event in Hermosa Beach just 24 hours before Thursday's kickoff ... and you can see hundreds of people wearing Buffalo gear flocking to the bars and restaurants in the area to party ahead of the big game.

Dozens of fans in Josh Allen jerseys slugged beer, chomped on wings and led loud "Let's Go Buffalo!" chants.

People even hung signs and posters from the businesses in the city ... and we're told the celebrating went well past midnight.

First whistle for Thursday's contest will happen at around 5:20 p.m. PT -- but Buffalo fans have already planned a big tailgate at SoFi Stadium hours before that.

And, yes, we're sure tables will be broken and Zubaz pants will be aplenty.

David A. Arnold, the longtime comedian, 'Fuller House' producer and Netflix star, has died, TMZ confirmed.

His family tells TMZ ...“It is with great sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of our husband, father, brother and friend, David A. Arnold. David passed away peacefully today in his home and doctors have ruled the cause of death due to natural causes. Please keep our family in prayer and respect our privacy at this time as we are all shocked and devastated by this loss.”

David's BFF and fellow funnyman Chris Spencer also paid his respects ... “Our closely knit comedy community mourns the loss of one of the greatest to ever do it. He was admired by his peers, respected by other veterans, and revered by the burgeoning comedians that he mentored. He will be deeply missed, especially by his comedy fraternity.”

David was a multi-talented actor, stand-up comedian, producer and writer of TV shows and movies. He had a laundry list of Hollywood credits and was known as one of a handful of Black showrunners in the industry. He wrote and produced "Fuller House" on Netflix and "Bigger" on BET+. He also created Nickelodeon's "That Girl Lay Lay." His latest comedy special, "It Ain't For the Weak," hit Netflix in July.

He is survived by his wife Julie and daughters Anna Grace and Ashlyn Elizabeth.

David was 54.

The late DeForest Kelley, who played Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy on "Star Trek," will be joining his costar Nichelle Nichols' ashes in a unique way ... as they both go to deep space.

A sample of DeForest's DNA will be onboard United Launch Alliance's aptly-named "Vulcan" rocket with Nichelle's remains as it launches into space later this year ... creating a once-in-a-lifetime reunion mission.

The announcement comes on the 56th anniversary of the OG TV series' first episode ... also known as "Star Trek Day." Charles M. Chafer, co-founder of Celestis, says, “No mission to deep space would be complete without a ship’s doctor.”

DeForest, who's best known for his role as the wisecracking Dr. Bones, died of stomach cancer back in 1999, but a close family friend and caregiver named Kris Smith tells TMZ she had kept a lock of his hair all this time. She donated it to Celestis so her friend could take one final "journey into interstellar space."

She adds, "I think De would have loved to 'go hopping galaxies' again with cast and crew mates."

DeForest and Nichelle won't be alone ... as we reported, the remains of 'ST' creator Gene Roddenberry, along with actors James Doohan ("Scotty") and Majel Barrett Roddenberry ("Nurse Chapel") will all be aboard when they're launched into an orbit around the sun.

The Celestis Enterprise Flight is set to boldly go well beyond the Earth-Moon system, traveling between 150 million and 300 million kilometers into deep space.

Meghan King claims her ex-husband, Jim Edmonds, has been verbally abusing her over their child custody arrangement ... so she got a temporary restraining order against him.

According to court docs filed in Missouri and obtained by TMZ, the ex-'RHOC' star got the court order back in June over what she describes as "frequent and consistent verbal abuse" via texts, as well as their shared Family Wizard app which they use to co-parent.

It's unclear what exactly what Jim allegedly said to her -- but sources connected to the case tell us it all has to do with their shared custody arrangement ... the pickup/drop-off schedule specifically, which Meghan claims Jim hasn't followed.

It seems Jim's been trying to have this case sealed -- at least according to MK. She wants it public, for all to see.

It's just the latest instance of fighting between the exes -- they've gone after each other publicly over issues related to their children. He's accused her of putting their kids at risk during the COVID lockdown after he learned she was partying in Miami.

A hearing is scheduled for later this month on whether to make the restraining order permanent.

Jim's rep, Steve Honig tells TMZ … “This request for an order of protection is completely baseless and furthermore makes an absolute mockery of the pain suffered by the millions of women in this country who are legitimate victims of abuse."

Diana Jenkins' donation for Lion Air victims' families isn't a call to war against Erika Jayne, but it IS intended to provoke a response ... from some other 'Real Housewives.'

Sources connected to the 'RHOBH' star tell TMZ ... Diana and Erika discussed the $100k gift before it even happened. We're told even though it may have appeared to be a dig at Erika, given the fact EJ's been embroiled in litigation directly related to that tragedy, that's just not the case.

On the contrary, we're told Diana and Erika are good pals ... so clearly, no shots intended -- but here's what she did have up her sleeve.

Our sources say Diana sees this as an opportunity for some of the other cast members, like Sutton Stracke and Garcelle Beauvais, to put their money where their mouths are ... because they've attacked Erika over her connection to the Lion Air case.

Since they like to talk about it so much -- suggesting in the past Erika lacks compassion for the families -- we're told Diana sees this as kind of putting the ball in their court ... giving them a chance to step up and make a donation to show how much they care about those folks.

As you know ... Erika and her estranged husband, attorney Tom Girardi, were sued for allegedly swindling these families out of a settlement they scored against Lion Air -- although Erika's denied having any knowledge of how Tom ran his business, including on this.

Susan Sarandon's progressive activism isn't preventing her from bonding with folks on the other side of the aisle on her new TV show, "Monarch" -- which she sees as a sign of hope for the country.

The Oscar winner's going full country and western for the new FOX drama, and she told us on "TMZ Live" the music's helped bring the all-star cast together.

Susan admits she knew little about the genre before taking the role as Dottie Cantrell Roman ... the queen of country and matriarch of the show's main family.

The role has her rubbing elbows with real life country music stars, and she told us her politics never got in the way of folks welcoming her with open arms.

For the record, Susan says she no longer considers herself a Democrat. Instead, she's an independent who simply stands up for what she feels is right.

That approach, combined with a healthy dose of respect, is why Susan says she's really hit it off with her new TV husband, co-star Trace Adkins. Yes, he's a Republican, but as she explained it ... "There's hope if we just talk to each other in calm ways."

Hey, it's working for them, America!

Susan tells us, she has more in common with Trace than not, and she believes this is the case for most people in the nation.

Politics aside, she says "Monarch" is really just a great family drama with lots of real country hits -- 'cause the plan is to release many of the songs as radio singles.

The Fitzmagic has officially run out -- recently retired NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick tells TMZ Sports he's really done playing football for good ... even if a team in need comes calling.

39-year-old Fitzpatrick decided to walk away from the game earlier this offseason ... ending his career after 17 years in the league.

Of course, there's a history of guys retiring before getting the itch to come back -- we're looking at you, Favre and TB12 -- but Ryan says that's not the case for him.

"I'm retired," Fitzpatrick told us at the Empire State Building this week. "It's official. I'm done."

The journeyman signal-caller says that's going to stay his final answer even if there's demand for a fresh arm on a roster ... claiming his body wouldn't be too happy if he took any more hits.

"I don't know if my hip would be willing to and I'm comfortable what I'm doing right now."

So, what's he doing now?? Fitzpatrick will still be near the game as a TV analyst for Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime Video this season ... and he says he's going to give it all he's got in front of the camera.

"There's still a lot of work and preparation that goes into talking about football," Ryan said. "It's more of the mental side of it than all the physical and recovery. I don't get hit anymore which is nice."

American actor Brent Spiner was 38 years old when he was first cast as "Data" -- the mindful and lively male android who served as an officer as he embarked on a Federation starship -- in the 1987-1994 series "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

Spiner shared the space with Patrick Stewart as the professional and committed command officer, Jean-Luc Picard, Michael Dorn as the low-key and somewhat bland, Lieutenant Worf, Jonathan Frakes as the first officer under Captain Jean-Luc Picard, William Riker and Diana Muldaur as the chief medical officer, Katherine Pulaski.

Blueface will not be stepping into the ring with Nick Young on Saturday -- the rapper has not yet been approved for a boxing license ... and now event promoter Austin McBroom is scrambling to find a replacement with only 3 days until fight night.

TMZ Sports is told the 25-year-old Thotiana rapper received a letter from the California State Athletic Commission on Tuesday informing him his application for a pro boxing license in the state would not be granted until he appeared before the organization in October.

Obviously, that means Blueface can't fight Swaggy P on Saturday's Social Gloves 2 card at Banc of California Stadium in L.A.

McBroom is headlining the event with rival and fellow YouTuber, AnEsonGib. Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell are also fighting.

Of course, Blueface has made headlines lately for several violent altercations with his girlfriend Chrisean. It's unclear if those incidents played a role in the denial of a license.

It's not the first bout Blueface has been pulled from ... he was taken off the recent KSI card at the O2 Arena in London, where he was supposed to fight FaZe Temperrr.

Now, McBroom and his partners are working tirelessly to find a suitable opponent for the 6'7" former NBA star.

Story developing ...

Ricky Martin says he's been "persecuted, besieged, harassed, stalked and extorted by a maladjusted person" -- AKA his nephew -- and he's now suing the guy who made wild accusations against him.

Martin filed a lawsuit Wednesday in San Juan against Dennis Yadiel Sanchez, who the singer claims is trying to "assassinate" his reputation.

Dennis had claimed back in July that he had a 7-month long romantic relationship with Ricky, and when it ended Ricky began stalking and harassing him -- something Ricky said was patently false. The nephew had filed a restraining order but when the heat was on him he withdrew the whole thing.

According to the new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the nephew hasn't stopped. Ricky claims a month after Dennis withdrew his restraining order, he began sending messages to Ricky through Instagram ... threatening to "assassinate his reputation and integrity" unless he anted up cash.

Ricky says in the lawsuit before Dennis filed for a restraining order, he was publicly boasting about being Ricky's nephew. Ricky says the nephew bombarded him with messages -- sometimes more than 10 in a single day -- for 4 months.

Ricky says the messages were clearly written by a "maladjusted individual."

Ricky says the nephew then went rogue, posting the singer's cell phone number on his Instagram. Ricky says the nephew also made an IG account for one of his children, which made him uncomfortable.

Ricky says he's lost numerous, multi-million dollar deals because of his nephew's false allegations, and now wants no less than $20 million to compensate the singer for his losses.

Paul Anka just got a huge tribute over in France ... where President Emmanuel Macron presented him with one of the nation's highest honors.

The "Put Your Head On My Shoulder Singer" tells TMZ ... he's humbled and proud to become an officer in the French order of merit, with Macron bestowing the honor this week in Paris.

As you see, Paul and Macron shared a toast and sipped Champagne during the celebration ... and Anka's got a pretty spiffy badge -- a blue sash with the star of a Grand Cross, signifying the award.

France's "Ordre national du Mérite" was first bestowed way back in 1963 under then-president Charles de Gaulle ... and while it's generally reserved for French citizens, Paul joins a select list of foreign recipients and he's easily the biggest name.

Paul tells us it was a "very special moment for him" ... and you can tell from the pics ... he's wearing a huge grin.

Remember ... Paul is still playing sold-out venues across the world at age 81, including packed houses in France on his recent European tour.

If there's anyone Apple might wanna impress, it's Steve Jobs' daughter, but the fact is she's far from blown away by the new iPhone ... which she thinks is pretty much the same as the previous edition.

Eve Jobs, daughter of Steve and Laurene Powell Jobs, reacted to Apple's Wednesday announcement of the new iPhone 14 by posting a popular meme ... and adding her own twist of shade.

Eve is basically saying folks who upgrade from the iPhone 13 to the iPhone 14 aren't getting anything different from before.

Lots of folks in the comments are mostly in agreement with Eve ... some people are pointing out a lot of the tech specs between the iPhone 13 and 14 are the same ... including screen size, refresh rate, storage, CPU and the cameras.

Aries Spears is speaking out for the first time publicly after he and Tiffany Haddish were sued for grooming and molesting two children during an old skit they performed ... calling the whole thing a shakedown.

In a preview for his podcast "Spears & Steinberg" Aries admits there's not a whole lot he can't say, given the pending lawsuit ... but does take the time to thank his listeners and fans for all of their support over the last week.

He then gets more serious, calling the lawsuit an "extortion case" and a shakedown, saying, "We won't be shaken down."

Spears's comments come just a couple days after Tiffany Haddish posted about the situation on Instagram, saying, "But, clearly, while this sketch was intended to be comedic, it wasn't funny at all – and I deeply regret having agreed to act in it. I really look forward to being able to share a lot more about this situation as soon as I can."

Both comedians were sued by a male and female plaintiff who claimed they were groomed and convinced to take part in explicit skits. The girl claims she was 14 at the time and the boy just 7.

The skit, "Through a Pedophiles Eyes" with the young boy, included Spears applying massage oil to him as well as the boy making sexually suggestive motions with toys.

Barack and Michelle Obama are back in the White House ... this time forever.

The former president and first lady returned to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Wednesday to unveil their new presidential portraits, which will adorn the White House walls along with their counterparts.

Barack was in a great mood, making everyone laugh and smile ... remarking on how "fine" his wife looks in her portrait.

While Barack mostly kept it fun, Michelle made a powerful speech. She says the Obama portraits -- a biracial kid with an unusual name, and the daughter of a water pump operator and stay-at-home mom -- serve as a reminder there's a place for everyone in America.

Barack and Michelle want the paintings to inspire folks from all walks of life ... they say if the Obamas made it to the White House, so too can anyone.