TMZ.com Home

Diddy is planning to take the witness stand, Hoda Kotb is saying goodbye and Shohei Ohtani's record home run ball is going to auction ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles explain why Diddy is chomping at the bit to testify in his criminal case.

Memphis jurors took several hours to reach a verdict Thursday, ultimately delivering a guilty verdict to Justin Johnson ... one of the men prosecutors claim murdered Young Dolph back in 2021.

The jury returned unanimous guilty verdicts to the charges of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder and being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm -- and Judge Jennifer Mitchell immediately threw the book at him with a life sentence!!!

Closing arguments were delivered Wednesday. Johnson never took the stand but Cornelius Smith testified during the trial Yo Gotti's slain brother Big Jook and suspect Hernandez Govan orchestrated for them to kill any Paper Route Empire rappers they could find.

Rihanna's looking absolutely savage in her new photoshoot ... rocking a bright yellow lingerie Savage X Fenty set.

Savage X Fenty dropped the RiRi pics just hours ago ... capturing the star in all her scantily clad glory -- no back to the bottoms and limited coverage up top too.

Her ensemble -- complete with thigh-high stockings and elbow-length gloves -- features a lace floral pattern running all over the 'fit.

Brooks Nader's had quite the effect on her 'DWTS' partner Gleb Savchenko ... 'cause he's doing a full 180 on their chemistry after that viral video of them locking lips hit the internet.

We caught up with the pair Thursday ... and grilled Gleb on what changed after he initially shot down the romance rumors before their viral smooch. His response? Let’s just say it had everyone, including Brooks, blushing.

They still didn’t outright confirm whether or not they're dating -- but when we mentioned they’d make a cute couple and asked Brooks if Gleb’s a good kisser, their reactions were very telling. Watch the video and decide for yourself.

If there's a scene in the new "Happy Gilmore" script that requires a gator to snap at a golfer's arm ... the handler for the reptile that played the part in the OG flick tells TMZ Sports it's down to reprise the role.

The alligator -- nicknamed "Morris" -- has been enjoying the sweet life at the Colorado Gators Reptile Park in Mosca ever since it gained fame for stealing Adam Sandler's golf ball in the 1996 "Happy Gilmore" movie ... but its owner, Jay Young, says it's willing to come out of retirement for the highly anticipated sequel.

Young, though, says Sandler and Co. would have to jump through some hoops to make it all work out ... as the 70ish-year-old, 500-pound beast simply can't be transported these days.

Former astronaut Mike Massimino believes all Americans should exercise their right to vote this November ... especially if his peers stuck in space can pull it off.

We caught up with the former NASA employee in NYC, where he weighed in on Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams' plans to vote on Election Day via absentee ballots. As Mike put it, Butch and Suni's situation shouldn't exempt them from their civic duty ... praising the astronauts for setting a "good example."

He noted ... "Everyone should be voting. I'm glad they'll be voting ... Look, if my friends can do it from space then all the rest of us here can certainly do it on Planet Earth."

One of Sean "Diddy" Combs' alleged encounters with a sex worker was videotaped, and that tape is now in the hands of federal prosecutors ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the male sex worker met with the feds Wednesday in NYC and signed a proffer agreement, which allows him to speak to federal investigators without fear of prosecution.

We're told the conversation revolved around Diddy ... with the man explaining how he got in touch with an escort to engage in a "freak off" involving himself, Diddy and a woman.

Attendees of the "Bridgerton Ball Scam" are speaking out, revealing to TMZ just how unpleasant the whole ordeal was for them ... and hinting a class action lawsuit may be on the way.

ICYMI ... a ball "experience" inspired by the Netflix romance drama promised to be a royally good time for fans. That is, until they arrived at the “Detroit Bridgerton Themed Ball” -- walking into a no-frills party ... reminiscent of Glasgow's Willy Wonka pop-up factory.

We spoke with a few of the attendees after the bare-bones affair -- which was not affiliated with the streaming service -- and they dished to TMZ what went down during their underwhelming time at the "Bridgerton" ball.

Kanye West can pop Champagne ... because he officially sold his gutted mansion disaster project in Malibu.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... Ye just closed on the sale of his controversial oceanfront estate for $21 million.

Kanye infamously stripped the property down to its bare bones after initially scooping up the Tadao Ando-designed home in 2021 for $57.3 million.

Diddy's not afraid of other inmates giving him a poisoned apple in prison ... 'cause TMZ has learned he's not as paranoid about what's going into his food as some have suggested.

Here's the deal ... multiple outlets have reported Diddy's stopped eating behind bars because he's paranoid about someone poisoning his food at New York's notorious MDC Brooklyn.

However, a source close to Diddy says this is total BS ... he's eating normal jailhouse food like any other inmate -- the music mogul receives no special treatment.

Lana Del Rey is trading in "Summertime Sadness" for "Fiancé Fall" ... as the singer looks set to marry her boyfriend, Jeremy Dufrene.

According to the Lafourche Parish Clerk of Court ... Lana stopped by with her boat captain beau Monday and picked up a marriage license.

We're told the marriage license has yet to be returned and recorded in the records ... so, it seems Lana and Jeremy haven't exchanged their vows -- though, it certainly looks like they intend to get hitched.

Catherine Zeta-Jones is out of gift ideas for Michael Douglas after a quarter-century of sharing a birthday ... so Michael's present this year is seeing his wife in her birthday suit!!!

The actress posted a nude as part of a birthday tribute to Michael on social media, joking she didn't know what else to give him after 25 trips around the sun together.

Catherine, who looks amazing by the way, says the tasteful nude is gift option number two ... with golf balls being option one "of course."

Shoppers at a Colorado Walmart witnessed a scary scene earlier this month when cops shot and killed a suspect just inside the store ... and, it was all caught on the officers' body cams.

The Colorado Springs Police Department released the dramatic footage earlier this week ... showing officers swarm two people walking out of the store after police say they spotted a stolen car in the parking lot.

In the clip, officers approach a man -- who they later identified as 29-year-old Tyler Ben -- and an unidentified woman ... telling them to put their hands up immediately.

Erik Menéndez hasn't held back on his negative reaction to Ryan Murphy's new Netflix biopic series about him and his brother Lyle -- but the actor who plays him says it was all love behind the scenes.

Cooper Koch said when he rolled up to San Diego’s Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility with Kim Kardashian to meet the Menendez bros last week, he dove right in to hug Erik and Lyle -- describing them as "upstanding" individuals and saying it was an amazing experience to be in their company.

Cooper told Variety the instant vibe between him and Erik was sparked by a phone call they had before meeting up ... saying he reassured Erik he was all about portraying him authentically in "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."

Jeremy Allen White is feeling "Shameless" about swapping spit with his "The Bear" costar on his ex-girlfriend Rosalía's birthday ... happily cuddling up to actress Molly Gordon in new pics.

Check it out ... "The Bear" star, who recently took home his 2nd Emmy Award, is seen making out with his on-screen girlfriend in Los Angeles Wednesday. The actress throws her arms around Jeremy's neck in one shot, while also planting a big chef's kiss on his lips.

Jeremy then opens a car door for Molly ... a loving gesture that seems to signify the two are serious about one another.

Julie Chrisley's attorney is slamming a federal judge's decision to resentence her to 7 years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion charges ... chalking it all up to fame.

Jay Surgent, one of Julie's defense attorneys, tells TMZ he thinks the judge refusing to lower her sentence is the result of bias against celebrities. Julie is well-known by millions of people, and he thinks the judge is making an example out of her.

Surgent says Julie has been a model inmate and is not a threat to society in any way. Moving forward, we're told, Julie's legal team is definitely going to appeal the resentencing.