'Street Outlaws' 'Kentucky' Chris Ellis Dead at 39 ... Apparent Heroin OD

UPDATE

11:36 AM PT -- Chris died of an apparent heroin overdose … according to the police report. Cops say they were called to his residence on the night of Sept. 9 and found him dead, possibly for “several days.”

UPDATE

The report says Chris was found slumped forward with his head laying on a table with a metal spoon, a liquor bottle, and a syringe nearby. Inside the syringe was a small amount of a dark liquid the officer noted as “consistent with heroin.”

UPDATE

According to the report … Chris’ roommate told cops he last saw him 2 days before he was found dead, and he attempted to check on him several times but his door was closed and locked. The roommate says he contacted 2 mutual friends to come over and get the locked door open, and that’s when they discovered he was deceased.

UPDATE

Cops say the roommate knew Chris had a drinking problem but was unaware of any drug issues, but the 2 friends claimed they knew Chris had both drinking and opiate problems.

UPDATE

Police say there were no signs of foul play.

Christopher Scott Ellis -- a fan favorite on Discovery's "Street Outlaws" known by his nickname "Kentucky" -- has died in Oklahoma City ... TMZ has learned.

The OKC Medical Examiner tells us Chris died on September 9 and the initial autopsy was inconclusive. We're told a toxicology report is pending. According to his obituary, he passed away at his home.

Chris, who hails from -- you guessed it -- Kentucky, was a cast member on the inaugural season of "Street Outlaws" in 2013 but continued to make appearances as a mechanic over the years. He last appeared on a 2018 episode.

"Kentucky" was featured as part of the team at the Midwest Street Cars Automotive in Oklahoma City and coworkers remember him for his hard work and sense of humor.

His family says, "Chris was a dearly-loved brother, son, and friend who will be deeply missed by all who knew him."

Chris is survived by his mother, 3 brothers and 3 sisters.

He was 39.

Originally published -- 10:51 AM PT

'Storage Wars' Star Dan Dotson Son's Alleged Shooter Arrested ... Son Up & Walking

Good news comes in 2s for "Storage Wars" star Dan Dotson -- the man suspected of shooting his son, Garrett, has been arrested and TMZ's learned Garrett is quickly on the mend.

A spokesperson for the Lake Havasu City Police Department tells TMZ ... detectives located the suspect, Garret Wilder, around noon Tuesday and arrested the 21-year-old without incident. We're told cops served a search warrant at the home where they found Wilder and recovered a handgun along with a single spent shell casing.

We're told Wilder was charged with 2 counts of aggravated assault, drive-by shooting, misconduct involving weapons, disorderly conduct with a weapon and endangerment. He's being held on $1 million cash-only bond.

As for what exactly led to the shooting early Sunday morning -- cops say Garrett had a heated exchange of words with Wilder, who was in his car. Wilder eventually fired one shot from a pistol, striking Garrett in the abdomen.

As we reported, he was airlifted to a Las Vegas trauma hospital where he's in stable condition. Our sources say Garrett's actually up and walking already, which is pretty amazing ... considering doctors said the bullet hit a main blood vessel and fractured his spine.

After he came out of surgery, Garrett was able to move his foot ... a very positive sign. He was moved out of ICU Sunday night and no longer needed a ventilator.

We're told Garrett's spoken to his mom and dad several times already and they're hopeful he'll be released in the next week or so. Due to COVID, Dan and Laura haven't seen their son at the hospital. Right now they're trying to figure out Garrett's long ride home from Vegas to California.

Gruesome Discovery Brain Washes Ashore On Beach ... Whose Is It?!?

Finding a message in a bottle on the beach is one thing, but this guy found a brain washed ashore ... wrapped in foil!!!

The gross discovery happened on the shores of Lake Michigan Tuesday morning in Wisconsin when a beachcomber out for his daily stroll came across a square package of aluminum foil, held together by a pink rubber band.

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MIND BLOWING
FOX 6

Jimmy Senda says curiosity got the best of him, so he opened the package to discover the gruesome contents.

At first, Jimmy says his own brain didn't even register what he just found ... and then after a few moments he realized he wasn't holding a chicken breast -- as he initially thought -- but rather someone or something's noodle.

Jimmy called the police to investigate, and the Racine County Medical Examiner tells TMZ ... the brain is NOT human. Their early take is appears to be from a cat.

Still super creepy ... especially the wrapping in foil thing.

YFN Lucci Fires Gun During Music Video Shoot ... Seems Accidental

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TRIGGER HAPPY

YFN Lucci came in guns blazing to a music video shoot, but didn't seem to know he had a loaded gun in his hand until it was too late.

The rapper was recently on set when someone handed him a semi-automatic weapon of some sort to use as a prop ... except it wasn't fake, this thing was very much real.

Lucci didn't seem to realize that until he pulled the trigger and fired off a round as 3 other people were gathered around him. The shot scared the crap out of everyone -- some screamed and everyone scattered. The ammo appeared to leave a hole in the studio floor.

What that could mean ... the gun was loaded with actual bullets, instead of just blanks. Obviously, super dangerous. Fortunately, it doesn't look like anyone was hurt ... at least from what we can see here.

This isn't the first run-in with clips Lucci has had lately -- you'll recall his Mercedes SUV was riddled with bullet holes in a drive-by shooting out in Atlanta, which he luckily survived. Someone else did get hit in the shoot-out though.

It's unclear where Lucci's music video was being recorded, but there are very strict rules about prop weapons in the entertainment industry. Bottom line ... someone screwed up, and it might cost 'em.

Cardi B Amending Divorce Docs ... She Wants it Super Amicable

UPDATE

7:22 AM PT -- 9/16 -- Cardi's officially filed the amended divorce docs, and they now say they want the court to enforce whatever arrangement she and Offset reach. Like we said ... she wants Offset to have joint custody and she will not seek support from him. In the new docs, she also "reiterates her desire for an amicable resolution."

Cardi B wants a divorce from Offset, but she wants it to be friendly, and had no idea her lawyer filed documents that made it sound highly contentious.

As we reported, Cardi's lawyer filed legal docs asking for legal custody and primary physical custody of 2-year-old Kulture. That's a screaming sign Cardi has issues with Offset's parenting, but we're told that is NOT the case.

Sources connected to Cardi and with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Cardi did not know the lawyer was positioning her case this way. We're told she wants Offset to have joint custody of Kulture and is determined to have an amicable, co-parenting situation. Our sources say Cardi is in touch with her lawyer and the document will be amended to reflect her wishes.

Her divorce petition also says she wants child support. Our sources say she does not want any support from Offset ... in the financial department, she's the Bank of Cardi.

Offset has yet to respond to the divorce petition.

Originally Published -- 9/15 7:26 PM PT

President Trump Black Voters Go After Him at Town Hall

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DON'T INTERRUPT ME!
ABC

President Trump got grilled by voters who identify as undecided, and it was a far cry from his rallies as several of them held his feet to the fire on issues like healthcare and systemic racism ... and didn't back down.

The Prez was challenged with many tough questions at an ABC News town hall in Philadelphia Tuesday night ... in particular 2 undecided voters.

Assistant Professor Ellesia Blaque told Trump how she has struggled with a preexisting medical condition all her life, adding it's especially difficult for her as a black woman to get adequate medical care. Trump tried to interrupt her but she wasn't having it and shut him down.

Trump predictably went after Obama and spewed a couple of lies about the Affordable Care Act ... but it didn't go unchecked by ABC's George Stephanopoulos. Like we said -- this was no Trump rally.

Then there was Pastor Carl Day, who called Trump out over his campaign slogan -- "Make America Great Again." Day asked Trump when American has ever been great for African-Americans living in the ghetto ... and if he was aware how tone-deaf MAGA comes off to the Black community.

Caitlyn Jenner Joe Rogan's Trans Joke Falls Flat ... Inaccurate & Hurtful!!!

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HE'S GOT A LOT TO LEARN
TMZ.com

Caitlyn Jenner is angry at a joke Joe Rogan told about her transition, claiming it's simply transphobic and hurtful to the entire trans community.

Caitlyn's on "TMZ Live" Wednesday ... talking about Rogan's podcast last week, in which he recounted a bit he once told in 2016 about her transition ... and likened it to her being driven crazy by living with the Kardashian women, whom he calls "crazy bitches."

Joe broke down his joke-writing process to Tim Kennedy about the Caitlyn bit that he used in his Netflix special, "Triggered," explaining in his eyes some people are born trapped in the wrong gender, while and others become that due to their environment.

He joked Caitlyn might be the latter ... using the "he" pronoun and calling her "Bruce." Caitlyn's upset at that, but even more upset at Joe's characterization of her daughters.

Caitlyn takes her own shots at Joe -- who is super successful -- saying her daughters have done better in every department.

BTW, Caitlyn just launched her own YouTube channel. It's seriously worth a watch.

Anyway, as for whether she'd go on Joe's show, Caitlyn says she would.

Notorious B.I.G OG Plastic Crown Sells for Half a Mil ... Originally Cost $6!!!

The Notorious B.I.G.'s famed King of NY crown just got passed on to another for an absurd price -- over half a million bucks, which is juuust a bit north of the OG street value.

It's true, the headpiece Biggie wore in his iconic final photoshoot from 1997 -- that's been duplicated in prints thousands of times over -- just got sold off in a Sotheby's auction ... ultimately going to a bidder who was willing to spend a whopping $594,750 for the thing.

Pretty badass, right?!? Well, maybe ... keep in mind, the crown is actually made of plastic -- and ended up costing the photog who first used it with Biggie a mere $6 off the street.

Do the math ... and that's just about a 10,000,000% markup in value. And, all because the crown was worn by B.I.G. -- plus, the fact it's gone on to become a fixture in pop culture.

And, get this -- the photog, Barron Claiborne, says the crown concept almost didn't happen ... and it's apparently because Diddy wasn't feeling it at the time, allegedly saying it was gonna make Biggie look like "Burger King." Big Poppa didn't care though ... he wore it anyway.

As they say, heavy is the head that wears the crown. And, even heavier is the price tag.

Samuel L. Jackson You Motherf*****s Met My Voting Challenge ... So Let's Curse in 15 Languages!!!

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LEARNING FROM THE BEST

Samuel L. Jackson is keeping his word and now teaching Americans how to curse in 15 languages ... after fans show him they'll get out and vote.

The legendary actor dropped a 2-minute video ... teaching us how to curse in 15 different languages ... after fans showed up and blew past the Voter Action Goal for the #GoodToVote campaign.

Earlier this week, SLJ solicited 2,500 fans minimum to prove their commitment to voting ... by registering to vote, checking voter registration rolls, or simply making a plan to vote. And after fans came through ... so did Mr. Jackson.

Samuel wastes no time showing fans how to curse in Basque, Vietnamese, Ukrainian and Swahili, among other languages. Samuel -- who BTW dropped 40 "motherf*****s in "Shaft" alone -- thanked fans for pledging to vote.

Samuel L. has a long history urging people to vote. He told voters to "wake the f*** up" in 2012 in support of Barack Obama. In 2017, during a radio spot, he told fans "Remember what happened the last time people stayed home? We got stuck with Trump."

WNBA's Maya Moore Marries Jonathan Irons Man She Helped Free from Prison

WNBA star Maya Moore just dropped a bombshell -- she MARRIED the man she helped free from prison!!

Moore -- considered one of the greatest WNBA players EVER -- had stepped away from the league in 2019 and 2020 to focus on social justice issues ... starting with freeing Jonathan Irons.

40-year-old Irons was serving a 50-year prison sentence stemming from a 1998 burglary and assault conviction in Missouri, despite no real evidence proving his guilt. Irons was only 16 at the time of the conviction.

Moore says she met Irons when she was 18 through a prison ministry program and grew close over the years while fighting for his freedom.

When he was released from prison in July, Moore was there waiting for him ... and they tied the knot shortly after.

Maya Moore
FOUGHT FOR FREEDOM

"We wanted to announce today that we are super excited to continue the work that we are doing together, but doing it as a married couple," Moore announced on "Good Morning America."

"We got married a couple months ago and we're excited to just continue this new chapter of life together."

Moore explained the growth of their relationship ... saying, "Over the last 13 years we have just developed a friendship and just entered into this huge battle to get him home and just over time it was pretty clear what the Lord was doing in our hearts and now we're sitting here today, starting a whole new chapter together."

Irons told GMS it became clear he wanted to marry Moore while he was still locked up at the Jefferson City Correctional Center, but didn't want to make a move until he was free.

"I wanted to marry her but at the same time protect her because being in a relationship with a man in prison, it's extremely difficult and painful," Irons said.

"I didn't want her to feel trapped and I wanted her to feel open and have the ability any time if this is too much for you, go and find somebody. Live your life. Because this is hard."

Irons says he eventually proposed in a hotel room after hanging out with some close friends.

"It was just me and her in the room and I got down on my knees and I looked up at her and she kind of knew what was going on and I said, 'Will you marry me?' She said, 'Yes!'"

As for the wedding reception, Moore and Irons say they had special COVID protocols -- including guests in masks and social distancing.

Congrats!!!

Joe Exotic Jeff Lowe Has Big Money Beef With Joe's New Fashion Line

Joe Exotic just can't get Jeff Lowe off his tail ... Joe's former business partner's got beef over the 'Tiger King' star's new fashion line.

Here's the deal ... Joe has his nickname plastered all over his "REVENGE" fashion collection with Odaingerous streetwear ... but Jeff insists he's owed a cut of the profits.

Jeff's lawyer fired off a cease and desist letter to Odaingerous, obtained by TMZ, claiming he owns the trademark "Joe Exotic." Jeff's threatening a lawsuit if Odaingerous doesn't pull the merch or come to the bargaining table to work out a licensing deal with him.

But, sources close to Odaingerous tell TMZ ... the brand currently has a valid contract with Joe and his team related to the merch, and they claim Jeff's not the true owner of "Joe Exotic."

Jeff sees things much differently ... telling us he's owned and controlled intellectual property with regards to Joe Exotic and Tiger King since 2016. He also raises issue with the fact that Joe has started up a business while behind bars ... something he believes to be illegal.

As you know ... Joe's fashion line keeps selling out, whether it's boxer briefs or hoodies and t-shirts.

There's a lot of money at stake here ... and Jeff's fighting and clawing for his slice of the "Exotic" pie.

Heidi Klum Holy Crap ... I Got A Visitor From Hell!!!

Heidi Klum had the bejesus scared out of her ... after a strange man allegedly showed up to her place claiming Jesus told him to pay her home a visit.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the incident went down last weekend at the supermodel's L.A. crib, when a man showed up at her front door and started pounding on it. Our sources say the man was yelling about how Jesus told him to come to the house.

We're told Heidi was home but never actually saw the man because someone else answered the door ... though still easy to see why she got scared.

We're told cops were called but by the time LAPD rushed to Heidi's home, the man had left. But, get this ... cops say they did a quick search of the area and found the man walking down the street. We're told when cops stopped him to have a chat, they determined he suffered from mental health issues and placed him on a 5150 psychiatric hold.

Our sources say it appears after talking to the man, cops felt the man may have been confused and didn't specifically target Heidi's home. Not exactly divine intervention ... but a tiny silver lining.

Ryan Garcia ODLH & Tyson Are Nuts For Comeback ... But I Respect It!!!

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I CAN'T BELIEVE IT
TMZSports.com

Boxing rising star Ryan Garcia says he's completely SHOCKED legends like Oscar De La Hoya and Mike Tyson making a comeback ... telling TMZ Sports those guys are straight-up "nuts!!!"

54-year-old Mike and 51-year-old Roy Jones Jr. are dusting off the cobwebs and facing off on Nov. 28 ... which seemingly started a trend.

We spoke with King Ry out in L.A. and since he's signed with Oscar's Golden Boy Promotions -- we wanted to know how he felt about ODLH getting back in the ring at 47-years-old.

"Aw man, Oscar, shoot. Let him do whatever he wants!" Garcia tells us ... adding, "If Mike did it, why not?"

Oscar does NOT have an opponent lined up yet but insists he's still got the skills to beat a real opponent in the ring.

So, how does Ryan feel about comeback season?!

"They're nuts, that's what I'm saying. They're nuts! I can't believe it."

There's a bunch more with undefeated 22-year-old Ryan -- he gives an update on his wishlist of upcoming opponents from Tank Davis to Henry Cejudo ... and also weighs in on his recent training sesh with TikTok stars Dixie D'Amelio and Addison Rae!!

Gimli in 'Lord Of The Rings' 'Memba Him?!

English Actor John Rhys-Davies is best known for his role as the ax-wielding dwarf, Gimli -- who helps to destroy the One Ring and navigate Middle-earth while dropping some epic one-liners-- in the early 2000s 'Lord Of The Rings' film trilogy including 'The Fellowship Of The Ring,' 'The Two Towers' and 'The Return Of The King.'

Rhys-Davies is cast alongside an impressive lineup of actors including Orlando Bloom as the fast-firing Elf, Legolas, Viggo Mortensen as the sword-swinging Aragorn, Sean Astin as the hobbit homie, Samwise Gamgee ... and of course, Elijah Wood as the ring-totting hero, Frodo Baggins.

Guess what he looks like now!

Kim K, Leo, Jamie & Other Celebs Vow to 'Freeze' Instagram for a Day ... Forcing FB to Check Itself

Kim Kardashian, Leonardo DiCaprio and a bunch of other celebs are banning together to make Facebook stop and listen ... by putting its biggest attraction on ice for a bit.

A massive amount of stars are participating in a 24-hour Instagram freeze Wednesday in partnership with Stop Hate for Profit ... which is leading the charge. It's a pretty simple idea ... a one-day moratorium on posting ANYTHING on Instagram, to stick it to Mark Zuckerberg and co.

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Their ultimate goal is to let FB, which owns IG, know people are sick of them not running a tighter ship on their platform ... which, as you may have heard, has become home to a lot of misinformation and unchecked hate speech -- all in the name of "fairness."

SHFP isn't buying that "fairness" argument, and neither are its famous supporters like Katy Perry, Jamie Foxx, Ashton Kutcher, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael B. Jordan, Sacha Baron Cohen, Naomi Campbell ... and many, many more.

Obviously, the campaign goes beyond just the A-listers ... so far, this message has been shared by over 200 million accounts across different media platforms ... and it's growing by the hour.

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So, you can imagine -- IG will probably be pretty quiet come midnight. No stories, no hashtags, no foodie posts ... nothin', at least from those who are committed to this.

And, if you're wondering if SHFP has a specific list of demands, it does. Among the changes it would like to see happen ... removing FB groups promoting violence, militia groups, white supremacy, conspiracy theories and other harmful content; remove misinformation posts and slap people with fact checks ... just to name a few.

The real issue here for Facebook is about the First Amendment and how far is too far when it comes to censorship ... even of ideas with which you disagree.

Now, we know what you might be thinking ... if these celebs are really about this cause, why just "freeze" activity for a day? Why not a week?? Or ... forever?!?

Great question, and we're guessing the answer is money -- all the dough some of them make for IG posts. No one wants to bite the hand that feeds. At least not too hard, anyway 😅

Cardi B Files to Divorce Offset Wants Custody of Kulture

Cardi B is apparently over her marriage to Offset -- she just filed for divorce ... TMZ has learned.

The rapper filed court docs in Georgia indicating she's seeking a dissolution of marriage. Cardi is listed as the plaintiff and Offset is listed as the defendant. She filed the paperwork on Tuesday.

There's also this ... according to the court docs, obtained by TMZ, Cardi is seeking primary physical custody as well as legal custody of their 2-year-old daughter, Kulture. She also wants Offset to pay child support -- unclear how much though at this point. No word on spousal support either, for now at least.

She also makes clear in her docs that they're currently separated, and "there are no prospects for a reconciliation."

Cardi is also adamant in the docs she wants Offset to be ordered to pay her legal expenses.

And, get this ... it doesn't sound like there's a prenup, because Cardi is asking for "an equitable division of all marital assets."

Cardi and Offset were secretly wed in 2017 and shared their hitched status the year after. As we first reported ... their nuptials were a bit unorthodox from the jump, and almost went backward (publicly speaking).

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In October 2017, Offset got on bended knee at the Philly Powerhouse concert ... and Cardi accepted his ring right then and there. As it turned out, they had already been legally married for over a month at that point ... 'cause they said "I do" in a bedroom that September.

We'd heard it was a spur of the moment thing ... Offset turned to Cardi and said "marry me," and she was down. They brought in an officiant to formally marry them, and shortly thereafter ... filed for and received a marriage certificate in Fulton County, which made it legit.

They hit a rough patch in the marriage a few years ago -- amid cheating rumors -- but they buried the hatchet and seemed tight ... this after a whole lot of apologizing and courting on Offset's end. Remember, he crashed her Rolling Loud set in 2018 to beg for forgiveness, but went full mea culpa on social afterward too. Eventually, Cardi did take him back.

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I'M BEGGIN' YOUR FORGIVENESS
TMZ.com

Sadly, Cardi's divorce filing comes just a few days shy of what would've been their third wedding anniversary. Hollywood Unlocked first broke the story.

Story developing ...