TMZ.com Home

Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix celebrated their love for one another on Valentine's Day, but it's not what you might think ... their affection was only on display for the new 'Joker' movie.

Todd Phillips, director of the upcoming "Joker: Folie 'a Deux," posted three photos on Instagram Wednesday, showing Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, better known as the infamous Joker, and Gaga as his criminal sidekick Dr. Harleen Quinzel, AKA Harley Quinn.

In the snaps, Phoenix and Gaga literally seem gaga for each other, while dressed in their costumes and makeup. The photos show them standing face-to-face and nose-to-nose, as well as slow dancing on a rooftop, during which Phoenix dips Gaga with her arm swung around his neck.

Under the photos, Phillips wrote in the caption, "Hoping your day is full of love. 10.4.24." October 4th is the film's scheduled release date.

Last Valentine's Day, Phillips posted an IG photo of Phoenix and Gaga in their characters, apparently in the throes of maniacal sex with their red lipstick smeared across their faces. Phillips has also uploaded several other spooky images of the stars on set.

Not the best timing on Valentine's Day ... "Hot Ones" host Sean Evans and porn star Melissa Stratton broke up less than 24 hours after their relationship made headlines.

Sources close to Melissa tell TMZ … Sean called her up on Valentine's Day and broke up with her, telling her he wanted to call it quits because of the media attention they were getting.

We're told Sean expressed to Melissa he wanted to keep his love life more under wraps.

Our sources say Melissa found Sean's reasoning odd for a few reasons ... he knew what she did for a living when they started seeing each other and he invited her to multiple public events in Las Vegas leading up to the Super Bowl, and took photos with her.

TMZ was first to report on Sean and Melissa's relationship after she shared a series of photos with him at Super Bowl LVIII.

We broke the story Monday afternoon, and he broke up with her the following day.

Our sources say Sean was fine with Melissa posting photos of them from their Super Bowl adventures in Las Vegas ... another reason she was caught off guard here.

We're told Melissa is sad things are over because she believed they really did have a genuine spark ... but she has a hunch Sean was feeling pressure from his side once their relationship went public.

In a sign of the times, Sean and Melissa have both unfollowed each other on IG.

"The Princess and The Frog" star Jennifer Cody is thrilled Tiana's Bayou Adventure is taking shape at the Disney parks ... replacing the controversial Splash Mountain after years of public outcry.

The actress, who played Charlotte La Bouff in the 2009 movie, tells TMZ she's applauding Disney for finally deciding to keep up with the times and replacing Splash Mountain's animatronics due to its racist themes.

IYDK, SM was based on the 1946 film, "Song of the South," which has been heavily criticized for years for its racist depictions of Southern Black men and its portrayal of the antebellum South.

For that reason, Jennifer tells us it was about time the hateful and hurtful ride was taken down.

Its log flume replacement, Tiana's Bayou Adventure, will open up Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom this summer and later on in the year at Cali's Disneyland Park. Animatronics for the new attraction are said to be next-level -- something that delights Jennifer 'cause she thinks the animators from the studio's first Black princess story weren't appreciated enough.

However, while she's happy Disney's investing in Black stories ... she's hoping people on the ride can look past Tiana's "Black princess" concept -- and feel inspired to emulate her strong, courageous entrepreneurial qualities.

Shaquille O'Neal has super athletic kids, but the "most skilled" ... well that's his hoop star daughter, Me'Arah O'Neal, according to her bro, Shareef O'Neal!

"I've always said this my whole life that she was the best one out of all of us," 24-year-old Shareef told TMZ Sports in Las Vegas.

"You can ask my dad, he's gonna say the same thing. Me'Arah is, for sure, the most skilled, talented O'Neal."

Being the best in the O'Neal family is no small feat ... the big guy has some talented children, including the aforementioned Shareef, a college basketball player who hooped in the NBA's G League.

There's also Shaqir, a redshirt forward at Texas Southern, and Shaq's daughter, Amirah, who also used to play college hoops.

As for 17-year-old Me'Arah, she was just named to the exclusive McDonald's All-American team.

She has committed to play for the Florida Gators.

Shareef said he knew Me'Arah would be a star when she was younger ... and only wanted to play ball against him and his older friends.

Now, he's watching her blossom into a basketball star ... which he says brings tears to his eyes.

"She's a different level," Shareef said. "I just love seeing my family win. She's gonna be the deal, though!"

We're almost at the finish line, but just getting started on topics to talk about on TV -- just take a look at what we covered on Wednesday across all of our own shows.

Sad day on 'TMZ Live' ... because a mass shooting broke out at the Kansas City Chiefs parade -- which turned a great day into a terrible one, especially when you see these clips.

We got some video of the moment gunfire broke out after the parade had wrapped -- and it sounds clear that a rifle of some sort had been used ... backed by other video circulating too.

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' we talked about Ben Affleck's very animated conversation with his wife, Jennifer Lopez -- although, it was hard to say whether it was in anger, or just energy.

We asked our resident Bostonian about it ... and she gave us a very firm response. Watch ...

Before these two sisters, winning and twinning, were puttin' up a fight in the ring, they were just crawling in identical pink outfits, playing soccer and growing up on the farm on the outskirts of Scottsdale, Arizona.

Making their way to the WWE back in 2007, you may recognize these divas from "Smackdown" or their reality TV show(s). Both of these brunette babes showed off their fit physiques in Trey Songz music video "Na Na" -- hitting a punching bag of course!

Need one more clue? They're both mommas and were pregnant at the same time!

Kanye West is firing back at Taylor Swift fans who are trying to block him from a top spot on the music charts ... telling them he's not an enemy, though not exactly a friend either.

Here's the deal ... Swifties are calling on other Swifties to buy and stream Beyoncé's new country music to block Kanye's new music from getting the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100.

Kanye's seen the "SWIFTIE EMERGENCY" on social media and now he's firing back ... and making some interesting counterpoints.

Ye says Swifties shouldn't be coming after him because, in his mind, he's been far more helpful than harmful to Taylor's career. Kanye's views in Wednesday's post jibe with what he's rapped about before ... namely, "I made that b**** famous."

Of course, T-Swift and Kanye have beefed ever since he crashed her 2009 VMA win to say Beyoncé had a better music video ... although, Ye is of the belief the longstanding drama has actually elevated Taylor's profile.

Here, Kanye also points out he was on Taylor's side when Scooter Braun bought her master recordings of which her dad reportedly made $15 million from ... and he says TayTay and Beyoncé are actually big inspirations to all musicians, including himself.

Kanye name-dropping Taylor on his new "Vultures" album seems to have opened up some wounds ... but he says the album is actually super positive and fun.

4:45 PM PT -- A bit of good news ... an official at the local children's hospital tells us the 11 minor patients they are treating, ages between 6 and 15, are expected to survive. 9 of the victims were treated for gunshot wounds.

3:26 PM PT -- Kansas City officials just held a press conference and the scale of this mass shooting ... and it was much larger than anyone thought.

For starters, there are a total of 22 gunshot wound victims at this point ... and 7 of them have suffered life-threatening injuries -- way more than what was initially reported.

3 individuals have been detained at this point ... but it's unclear if they've been arrested and charged with anything just yet. The cops say that one of people detained stemmed the viral tackling that went around on social media -- where an apparent AR-style rifle was seized.

At least one person was killed in the shooting.

3:11 PM PT -- We're now learning more about the victims from this shooting -- a majority whom are apparently children.

Multiple reports are pouring in that say of the 12 patients at a local hospital -- 11 of them are children ... and 9 of those 11 have gunshot wounds.

2:37 PM PT -- As it turns out ... an AR-style rifle may well have been used during this shooting -- something you can now see clearly in zoomed-in footage of a man getting tackled.

In the clip below -- where bystanders take a man down and pin him until cops arrive -- you see a woman in white pick up what appears to be a clear firearm ... and from the looks of it, it's a long rifle. The gun itself seems to be black -- but it's unclear if it belonged to the person who was tackled.

A lot of questions still need to be answered ... and cops are looking into it. On the face of it though -- this could've been a lot worse than it already was.

The Chiefs also addressed the tragedy ... saying, "We are truly saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred outside of Union Station at the conclusion of today's parade and rally."

"Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and all of Kansas City."

The team added it will continue to stay in contact with law enforcement and local officials ... and shared their appreciation to all the first responders who took action.

New video, obtained by TMZ, shows the moment a flurry of shots rang out at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory rally.

You hear someone in the crowd scream out, "Patrick f**king Mahomes," seemingly in celebration of the Chiefs' victory. Then, in the distance, you hear a series of gunshots ... appearing to come from either an automatic or semiautomatic weapon, based on the rapid fire.

People then scramble for safety and victims fall to the ground.

At least one person was killed and authorities say 10 to 15 people were injured. None of the players, coaches or staffers were injured in the shooting.

Two people are in custody in connection with the shooting.

Several people in the crowd had eyes on someone who they believed was one of the shooters. You see them run and then tackle that person to the ground ... while another bystander seems to grab what looks like a rifle, moving it away from the scrum until police arrived on the scene.

The shooting occurred just after the parade ended.

Police do not know the motive.

Johnny Depp has a new powerful, and allegedly dangerous, friend in Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- and their relationship's being described as a "bromance like no other."

The seemingly odd pairing is detailed in a new profile in Vanity Fair ... which claims Johnny is getting the royal treatment over in Saudi Arabia.

MBS hosted JD in the Saudi Kingdom for nearly 2 months last year, putting Johnny up in royal palaces and transporting him in helicopters, yachts and a private plane ... according to Vanity Fair.

Unsurprisingly, it sounds like money is a huge factor in this "bromance" ... Johnny's shooting movies in Saudi Arabia as he waits on a potential 7-figure deal to make him one of the nation's global cultural ambassadors.

MBS and the Saudis have been trying to buy their way into all sorts of global industries as part of MBS' grand plan to make people overlook his country's reported human rights abuses ... and the Crown Prince has been investing big in movies.

Johnny and MBS are said to have begun their friendship in July 2022 when Depp was shooting "Jeanne du Barry," a film bankrolled by the Saudis.

They've grown closer ever since, to the point where Johnny says he felt comfortable enough to ask MBS about the killing of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The VF profile says MBS told Depp he didn't order Khashoggi's dismemberment, but took responsibility ... claiming he just wanted the reporter arrested because Khashoggi had become a rogue operative working to undermine the country.

Johnny definitely seems to be buying what MBS is selling in terms of a cultural revolution in Saudia Arabia.

Depp tells VF ... "Though I admit I was somewhat naïve at first to what was transpiring in the region, I’ve since experienced firsthand the cultural revolution that is happening there."

JD added, "I've had the opportunity to meet people from various parts of the region who have been most welcoming in sharing with me their culture, their traditions, and their stories."

Saudia Arabia is also financing Depp's next crack at directing a movie ... a biopic about Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani starring Al Pacino.

There's now a name, family and story to one of the fatalities in the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade shooting -- a mother of 2 has been identified as a victim.

Lisa Lopez-Galvan, a Chiefs fan from Kansas, is confirmed dead from a gunshot wound ... according to The Kansas City Star.

The news outlet reports ... Lopez-Galvan died during abdominal surgery for the gunshot wound she suffered while attending Wednesday's parade in Kansas City.

Lisa was big in the KC community -- she worked as a disc jockey and host at a community radio station, and lots of folks hired her to DJ their weddings. She was in her 40s, and is survived by 2 children and her husband.

Folks who knew her are leaving emotional messages on her Facebook page ... sending prayers to her family.

Other notes make it sound like at least one of Lisa's sons and other relatives also suffered gunshot wounds in the mass shooting.

A loyal Chiefs fan, Lisa was fired up after they won Super Bowl LVIII, and she was really looking forward to Wednesday's parade celebration.

The people who knew her describe Lisa as a happy person with a beautiful family.

As we reported ... video shows the moment a barrage of gunshots rang out toward the end of the Chiefs championship rally, sparking panic and sending people running in a frenzy.

Officials say there are at least 22 gunshot wound victims and at least one death. It's unclear right now if Lisa is the fatality cops are referencing ... it's also possible she's the second victim to die.

Rachel Dolezal is without a job after she reportedly got canned from her teaching job in Arizona -- this after people learned she had an OnlyFans account ... which sparked outrage.

The ex-NAACP Washington chapter prez -- who was accused of pretending to be Black nearly a decade ago -- was let go from a gig she had with Catalina Foothills School District in Tucson ... where she was recently working as an after-school instructor.

According to News4 Tucson ... Dolezal now goes by a different name, Nkechi Diallo, and it sounds like the people there in Arizona didn't realize who she was.

More importantly -- the folks there didn't know she had run an OF ... something the rest of us were aware of dating back to 2022, when her racy pics got plastered online.

Anyway ... somebody blabbed to the media, and they went running to the school district -- and now, they're saying Rachel's no longer employed by them.

They told N4T, "We only learned of Ms. Nkechi Diallo's Only Fans social media posts yesterday afternoon. Her posts are contrary to our district's "Use of Social Media by District Employees" policy (attached) and our staff ethics policy. She is no longer employed by the Catalina Foothills School District."

Remember, Dolezal had been embroiled in a major controversy back in 2014/2015 ... when people realized she was a white woman and not Black -- which she'd posed as for years.

That whole thing has come and gone -- but it seems that, lately, more people are up in arms about the fact she's posting skimpy pics online -- which seems to have bitten her here.

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan are hanging out in public again -- the first time, in fact, since we revealed they'd taken a break amid a rough patch ... and boy, that was fast!

The couple was spotted together at Trias Flowers & Gifts in Miami on Wednesday -- AKA, Valentine's Day -- confirming our earlier report that they are very much on amicable, talking terms while figuring things out romantically. As it turns out, they're still seeing each other too.

The duo was photographed waiting in line at the flower shop ... and eyewitnesses tell us they appeared to leave the store with a huge vase and bouquet of 1-2 dozen roses.

From the looks of it, they're putting in the work to get their relationship back on track, and quite quickly ... seems V-Day's giving them the perfect opportunity to do exactly that.

BTW, Marcus and Larsa were also seen going to her pad in Miami on Wednesday -- so they were out and about together ... and weren't really hiding it either. On its face, it seems to suggest that their "break" might be coming to an end ... or at least nearing that anyway.

Again, they were at the florist ... and also at her house. Ya gotta figure they'll be spending the evening together as well.

We broke the story ... MJ and LP pressed pause in their relationship and were figuring out how to move forward romantically while remaining on good terms -- but they appear to have figured out some things in short order.

Our sources told us their split wasn't caused by one specific thing. Instead, they've just hit a difficult patch in their relationship.

But the fact that they're still communicating and going out to get flowers is a promising sign that things are bloomin' back into place.

2:07 PM PT -- An eerie fact about one of the last things Twomad appears to have been doing before he passed -- according to his Discord page, he was playing 'Overwatch' ... and seems to have not changed his active status for nearly a week.

Twomad was an avid gamer, and on the platform ... you can let people know what you're up to and what you're actively playing -- in the wake of his death, people quickly noticed he's still showing up as playing the game. Even now, it pops up as him still playing.

Muudea Sedik -- a popular YouTuber who goes by Twomad online -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the internet personality -- who has millions of followers across his various YT channels and social pages -- was found unresponsive Tuesday night at his Los Angeles-area home ... this after somebody called in to ask for a welfare check.

We're told Twomad hadn't been heard from in several days by concerned parties -- and he even missed some appointments. As a result, the LADP was sent to check on him ... and that's when they found his body, although it's unclear how long he'd been in that state.

Our sources say there was drug paraphernalia found on the scene, and at this point ... we're told this is being investigated as a possible overdose. No foul play is suspected in the death.

Twomad had caused concern among his fanbase in recent weeks -- including some strange, one-off tweets he was posting last week ... not to mention a bunch of photos of firearms.

The guy was an interesting character ... in addition to skits, gaming commentary, and live streams, he was just very into internet culture -- and had a massive fan base. Like we said, millions of followers ... but his videos would also get a significant number of views.

One meme, in particular, that he's credited with is the one called "Goodnight Girl, I'll See You Tomorrow." It features a shirtless Twomad walking up to the camera and telling some imaginary chick that he'll see her tomorrow ... only to slip and fall in cartoonish fashion.

He also made a splash by once collaborating with OnlyFans model Belle Delphine.

Twomad was embroiled in controversy of late -- and he seems to have been off the radar in recent months when it came to his content creation. His last video across all 3 of his channels was 5 months ago ... and he certainly seemed to be in good spirits in it.

He was only 23.

RIP

For more viral news, check out TMZ Verified available on all podcast platforms.

3:29 PM PT -- Law enforcement just revealed a total of 22 people were struck by gunfire in Wednesday's shooting ... saying eight of those victims suffered "immediately life threatening" wounds.

No potential motive for the attack has been released ... although authorities said three people have been detained in connection with the shooting.

1:51 PM PT -- The Kansas City Police Dept. Chief just said in a meeting with media members that "upwards of 10 to 15" people were injured by gunfire ... with one deceased. She added that she did not believe any of the victims were children.

K.C.'s Mayor, meanwhile, said all of the Chiefs' players, coaches and staffers are accounted for and safe.

As far as a potential motive for the shooting, the chief said that's still unclear -- as an investigation remains ongoing. Two suspects, however, are in custody ... she said.

1:22 PM PT -- Law enforcement says one person died in the shooting -- while nine others were injured.

1:19 PM PT -- Disturbing and graphic video has emerged from the scene ... showing multiple people needing medical attention -- while blood is clearly on the ground nearby.

The Chiefs' Super Bowl parade has just taken a horrifying turn ... cops say gunfire has broken out at the party -- and multiple people have been wounded.

The Kansas City Police Dept. said in a statement that shortly after Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes addressed the hundreds of thousands of K.C. supporters at Union Station ... gunfire erupted around a garage nearby.

According to cops, "several people were struck" by bullets ... though it's unclear the severity of their injuries.

Cops say "two armed people" have been "detained for more investigation."

Authorities are now urging everyone to leave the area "in order to facilitate treatment of shooting victims."

Video from the scene shows just how horrifying things got ... you can see in footage multiple cops had their guns drawn as they raced inside Union Station to deal with the matter.

The KCPD said in its statement the officers were "working to provide for the safety of everyone inside union station and expedite care of those injured."

NFL Network's James Palmer, meanwhile, said he and his colleagues were initially instructed to get under a stage after the gunfire erupted. Minutes later, though, they were escorted from the scene.

Following the mayhem, Chiefs linebacker Drue Tranquill posted prayers on his X page for those injured ... writing, "Pray that doctors & first responders would have steady hands & that all would experience full healing."

Mahomes also posted prayers on X ... writing, "Praying for Kansas City…"

Drea De Matteo is the "It" girl again, as the poster child for the mob wife aesthetic trend from TikTok ... and that means it's time to bust out that wardrobe her 'Sopranos' character first made famous.

The actress, who played Adriana La Cerva on the hit HBO series, joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and we asked her what it feels like to see her old fashion choices back in pop culture.

Drea says she's leaning into it, and enjoying dressing up like Adriana again ... and that means lots of animal prints and furs. Before ya go ratting her out to PETA, DDM says she only wears faux.

In fact, she was heading to a photo shoot after chatting with us, and gave us a sneak peek of the Mob Wives aesthetic she was about to be rockin' in Little Italy.

While Drea's having fun with the TikTok trend, it's not how she dresses in real life ... and she's actually launching her own fashion line called Ultrafree.

But as long as mob wife is trending, Drea's going to lean into it ... and she's happy to see other celebs like Dua Lipa and Jennifer Lopez embracing the look.

Hollywood knows how to do holidays ... and celebs are going all cupid for Valentine's Day ... breaking out the roses and chocolates, and pouring the romance on thick.

"Catfish" host Nev Schulman is baring his love for all ... opening a box of chocolates in bed with his wife Laura Perlongo ... they're both topless, so you know they're in the mood.

Like Nev and Laura, there's some serious #CoupleGoals vibes from Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz ... these lovebirds are catching flights and feelings.

Meanwhile, Victoria and David Beckham are smooching on the beach with a beautiful sunset background. Romance at its finest.

Don't forget the flowers ... Charlie Puth made sure to send his fiancée Brooke Sansone a beautiful rose bouquet. Nicely done, Charlie.

Single celebs are sharing the love too ... Sam Asghari's still got his roses and chocolates ... and of course, there's a bunch of Galentine's get-togethers too.