TMZ.com Home

Luigi Mangione, the charged killer in the Brian Thompson murder case, was living his best life in the months prior to the controversial shooting ... enjoying an action-packed trip to Asia earlier this year.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ … they had been on vacation with a friend in Krabi, Thailand, and met Mangione by chance at a Muay Thai fight in April 2024. We're told the trio hit it off, reconnected later to explore the city together and even planned a future road trip.

The source says the group split up briefly when Luigi headed to Phuket, and they made their way to Malaysia. However, the trio did eventually link back up in Thailand, embarking on their planned road trip -- which included stops in Khao Sok and Bangkok.

Suspected UnitedHealthcare CEO killer Luigi Mangione already has a lawyer, but some of Kim Kardashian's fans want him replaced by the reality star and aspiring legal eagle.

Several of Kim's ardent supporters jumped on X to encourage her to get involved in Mangione's murder case, which has captivated the country. As you know, Kim is a vocal proponent of criminal justice reform while trying to pass the bar to become an attorney.

One person on X bluntly said Kim should represent Mangione. Another speculated Kim could be looking for ways to free Mangione. A third begged someone to contact Kim so she could protect Mangione from going to jail (Too late for that.) And a fourth demanded that Kim try to get Mangione a pardon.

Former UFC star Nate Diaz has been charged with battery ... after he was accused of striking a Las Vegas nightclub employee in the face during an altercation earlier this year.

According to court documents, obtained by TMZ Sports, the alleged incident took place back on Aug. 25 -- just after midnight -- while Diaz and some of his acquaintances were trying to get into the Omnia at Caesars Palace.

Cops say in the docs witnesses told them that Diaz and his crew were holding up the cashier line ... and when an Omnia guard came to try to see if there was an issue -- Diaz got physical with him.

American actor Jeremy Suarez was just a pre-teen when he first started playing Jordan -- the goofy kid with glasses who's academically intelligent -- in the early 2000s family/comedy sitcom "The Bernie Mac Show."

Joining Jeremy on set included Bernie Mac as the Chicago native living in Los Angeles as an actor and comedian, Bernie, Dee Dee Davis as Bernie's sweet and innocent "Babygirl" who turns bratty, Bryana, and Kellita Smith as the smart AT&T vice president, Wanda.

Taylor Lautner was also a cast member -- playing the role of Aaron.

TMZ may collect a share of sales or other compensation from links on this page.

In 2024, a handful of A-listers released their own memoirs ... telling their stories in their own words

Whether they're spilling marriage and relationship secrets ... dishing on former celeb colleagues ... or opening up about their personal struggles behind closed doors, these memoirs not only made headlines, but became best sellers in the process.

From Cher to Josh Brolin, here are the must-read celebrity memoirs of the year -- all available now on Amazon.

It's hard to believe that Cher has never released a memoir until now.

The pop icon's book, titled Cher: The Memoir, "follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono -- and reveals the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart," according to HarperCollins.

Order Cher: The Memoir Part One, here.

Justin Baldoni, who directed and starred in the summer hit "It Ends With Us," is taking a moment to thank his fans ... who he says helped preserve the film's message amid a reported feud.

We caught up with Justin in NYC, where he issued a heartwarming thank you to those who hit movie theaters this summer and supported the romantic drama, which tells the story of a domestic abuse survivor.

He noted ... "I just want to say thank you to all the fans. To everybody. Thank you for seeing this movie, for supporting it, for supporting survivors, and for helping us make sure the message didn't get lost. I'm just so grateful."

Michael Cole, who was notably the last surviving star of the '60s/'70s hit crime drama "The Mod Squad," has died ... his reps confirmed Tuesday.

Per the actor's team ... Michael passed away peacefully this morning while surrounded by his loved ones. They applauded the late star for "living a full and vibrant life."

A cause of death was not shared.

Diane Warren's still all smiles, keeping the faith that one day that Oscar will make its way to her mantel.

We caught up with the legend herself -- after 15 near-misses, the songwriter's hoping her 16th shot after submitting her song "The Journey" will finally bring that trophy home.

Wins or losses, Diane's all about the bigger picture at the end of the day ... telling us she's beyond proud of the song, especially since it's featured in "The Six Triple Eight" -- the new Netflix film she's passionate about.

"Stranger Things" star Brett Gelman is speaking out after the arrest of Luigi Mangione -- the suspect charged in the murder of a healthcare executive in New York -- saying while the U.S. healthcare system is broken, that's no excuse to commit murder.

We caught up with the actor at LAX Tuesday ... Gelman tells TMZ he understands the frustration with healthcare, but made it clear that being fed up with the system doesn’t give you the right to go out and kill someone.

Check out the video ... because Brett dishes more thoughts on the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson ... telling us the way whoever did the crime should’ve made a point about the healthcare system if he really wanted.

The man who attacked a judge by leaping over the bench during a sentencing hearing for another case earlier this year has been sentenced to 26 years in prison for the brazen act.

Deobra Redden attacked Las Vegas District Court Judge Mary Kay Holthus on January 3 this year in an incident captured on video from the courtroom ... but it was District Court Judge Susan Johnson who sentenced him Tuesday, saying the attack was an assault on the entire judiciary.

Prosecutors asked Johnson for substantial prison time, while Redden’s attorneys suggested his sentence be served concurrently with his existing time behind bars from the attempted battery case ... the case Judge Holthus was sentencing him for when he attacked her.

Luigi Mangione's new defense attorney spoke to reporters Tuesday afternoon from his offices in Altoona, Pennsylvania.

Attorney Tom Dickey said he's been retained to represent Mangione, but did not offer further details about his representation. He stated he believes Mangione should have been granted bail Monday ... and emphasized Mangione did not waive his extradition in an earlier court appearance today.

"I haven't seen any evidence" that Mangione is the shooter, Dickey said. "He's pleaded not guilty, that's all I care about."

Dickey said he came onto the case "sometime prior to the hearing today" -- it's unclear if he was court-appointed or hired. Asked if he could say who hired him, he said "No ... I can, but I won't."

As we know, Luigi Mangione is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson early Wednesday morning last week in Midtown Manhattan.

3:55 PM PT -- A judge has signed off on the termination of the union, and their status of being officially single is finalized.

"Selling Sunset" star Chelsea Lazkani may be heading into the holidays a single woman ... if a judge signs off.

In new California court documents obtained by TMZ ... the real estate agent and her estranged husband, Jeff Lazkani, made it clear they were in agreement on being declared single by the court while they continue to work out their divorce settlement.

The estranged couple filed docs Monday and are set to appear before a judge later on Tuesday ... indicating they're one John Hancock away from putting their marriage behind them.

Paul Bissonnette's 1 v. 6 restaurant brawl was captured on video ... with footage showing the ex-NHL star duking it out with alleged drunk patrons in a CVS parking lot.

The Scottsdale Police Department just released several clips from the Nov. 24 incident that started at Houston's ... showing Bissonnette approaching the group after he says they became aggressive toward a staffer.

When he tried to calm them down, the men shifted their focus to Biz ... and immediately started wailing on him.

Luigi Mangione, the suspected shooter in the murder case of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, was frustrated with the "corporation and greed" of the healthcare industry ... this according to his handwritten manifesto.

Journalist Ken Klippenstein recently released the manifesto reportedly found on Mangione when he was detained Monday in Altoona, PA. Law enforcement sources have confirmed the text to TMZ.

The document, a 262-word letter addressed to "the Feds," comments on a number of topics ... including his issues with the healthcare business, especially UnitedHealthcare.

Olivia Ponton -- a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model who boasts nearly eight million followers on TikTok -- was the one who reported the burglary at Joe Burrow's Ohio home to cops ... this according to a police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the documents, the Hamilton County Sheriff's Office wrote Ponton called in the break-in at around 8:14 PM -- as 28-year-old Burrow was in the middle of his "Monday Night Football" clash with the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.

Ponton, the docs state, told officers that when she pulled up to the Cincinnati-area residence, she noticed a "shattered bedroom window and the room ransacked." According to the report, Ponton phoned her mother, who then called in the matter to cops.

Luigi Mangione left a glowing Goodreads review for Ted Kaczynski's 'Unabomber Manifesto' -- and the possibility it inspired Mangione's alleged murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson is heartbreaking, says the late criminal’s brother.

David Kaczynski tells TMZ he was told yesterday by a friend that Mangione had read the Manifesto ... and it breaks his heart knowing his brother might be seen as a model for acceptable violent behavior.

"It breaks my heart to know in some way – human motivation is very complex -- but in some way, my brother might be seen as a model for acceptable, violent behavior. And in my opinion, there is no such thing" he says.

He explains to us people shouldn’t blur the lines between his brother Ted’s ideas in the Manifesto -- which he believes doesn't necessarily lead to violence -- and his "despicable, hurtful actions," which he says can lead to copycats.