celebrity kids

John Cena's decision to participate in a Nickelodeon hidden-camera show helped an 8-year-old kid SAVE HIS BABY SISTER FROM CHOKING!!!

Seriously -- it's an unbelievable story!

8-year-old Jaxson Demsey was on a family outing in Hazleton, Pennsylvania over the weekend -- when he noticed his 20-month-old sister was having trouble breathing.

Fortunately for the Demsey family, Jaxson had watched an episode of the Nickelodeon show, "The Substitute" ... which featured a cameo from WWE superstar John Cena.

Cena was disguised as a CPR instructor on the hidden-camera show -- and was tasked with teaching a group of kids how to perform chest compressions in case of a choking emergency.

Clearly, the show made an impression on Jaxson -- because when his sister needed help, he sprung into action and successfully dislodged a McNugget!

“We were driving to my haircut, and I noticed she was starting to choke from a chicken nugget from McDonald’s," Jaxson told WNEP ... "I told my dad to pull over. Then I was starting to pat on her back, and it got out."

After the incident, he credited Cena for teaching him the life-saving skills he needed that day!

"In the very first episode [of 'The Substitute'], John Cena was on it, and in the last part, he showed how to save someone when they're choking."

Jaxon’s dad, Matt, was thankful his son stepped up in this situation, but he wasn’t surprised.

“He amazes us every day, you know -- some of the things he says and does, and his actions. We’re simply blessed to have the child that he is, the things that he does for his family, his friends, for his little sister. He’s a good big brother."

Claudia Conway's been hospitalized and thinks she might have appendicitis, but don't cry her a river ... 'cause she's dancing the pain away.

Kellyanne Conway's 16-year-old daughter revealed she's in the hospital by doing what she does ... posting it on TikTok. In the video, she's dancing from her hospital bed and flexing while attached to an IV. Not sure her doctors, or parents, would recommend that, but Claudia's gonna be Claudia.

She captioned the video, "Let’s hope that my appendix isn’t about to burst." She put the text, "drip too hard? yall rocking w/ IVs?" over the video ... a reference to Lil Baby and Gunna's track "Drip Too Hard." Yeah, she's a natural TikToker.

Claudia's status at the moment is unclear but based on her moves things may turn out OK.

The hospital trip comes a little over a week after Claudia was axed from "American Idol." Katy Perry applauded her, though, for taking control of her life, and invited her to audition again next year.

Urban Meyer knows talent when he sees it -- and the Jacksonville Jaguars coach was so impressed by an 11-year-old girl who scored her 1st TD, he invited her to training camp!

Meet Keilani Contreras ... who made history Saturday when she caught a TD for the Arlington Seminoles, a youth tackle football team in Jacksonville.

Keilani's coaches told Action News Jax she's the first girl to ever score a TD in Arlington Football Association history!

After the game, the extremely charismatic Keilani was even MORE impressive on camera during her post-game interview with the local news!!!

"Sometimes boys might be like 'Oh you can't do this because you're a girl' ... well, look at me! I'm a football player!"

"You should always go for your dream," Keilani told Action News Jax ... "it doesn't matter if it's a boy thing or a girl thing."

The footage went viral and eventually made its way to Urban Meyer -- who reached out on social media to offer his congrats and invite her to Jaguars training camp.

"What a story! Congratulations on your first touchdown, Keilani," Meyer said.

"You're right, you should always go for your dreams! If fans are allowed at training camp this summer I want you and your teammates to come out and be our special guests."

Oh, and get this -- Keilani is also a straight-A student and a talented artist!!!

The Black Mamba's daughter is now a cardinal and gold Trojan ... Natalia Bryant just got accepted into USC on Tuesday -- and Vanessa says Kobe would've been "so proud!"

Vanessa shared the amazing news with heartwarming videos ... showing a PUMPED Natalia after she got her acceptance letter into the University of Southern California.

In one of Vanessa's vids of the special moment, 18-year-old Natalia jumped up and down over and over again ... and screamed "I got in!" repeatedly.

In the other Vanessa video, she showed off all the gifts she gave Natalia for the accomplishment ... and they included balloons, USC swag and some custom Trojan-themed Kobe kicks.

"Tears of joy," Vanessa said of the moment. "I’m SO happy for you Nani! I know daddy is so PROUD OF YOU. I am so PROUD OF YOU!! Your hard work and dedication was so worth it."

"You pushed through the most excruciating pain imaginable and you succeeded. I wish Daddy and Gigi were physically here to celebrate but I know they’re here in spirit. We love you so much!"

Natalia made it pretty clear she's USC-bound after the acceptance letter ... posting a pic of her in SC gear and writing, "See You Soon."

It's been a really good past few weeks for Natalia ... remember, she just signed a deal in February with IMG Models that she was also stoked about.

Kobe was a big USC guy -- who not only attended basketball and football games but also spoke to classes, according to reporter Arash Markazi.

Before this floral female was a lead actress in some of the most iconic romantic films, she was just another petaled pipsqueak dressing up in Manhattan, New York.

This costumed cutie starred in her first leading role at the young age of 12 ... and has been stunning audiences for decades later. Back in the 1990s, this blooming star suddenly gained notoriety for her performance in a television series -- she was nominated two years in a row at the Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy.

Now, the 55-year-old actress is a mother of two children.

Houston Tumlin -- the kid who played Ricky Bobby's son in 'Talladega Nights' -- grew up to proudly serve his country, but sadly suffered from PTSD and depression as a result, which led to his suicide ... his mother tells TMZ.

Michelle Tumlin tells us ... her son honorably served in the U.S. Army for nearly 6 years, earning many accolades as an E-4 specialist in the 101st Airborne Division.

Houston's awards include the Army Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal and Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, but Michelle says he was most proud of earning his Air Assault wings.

Michelle says, "Houston received a different set of wings" this week, and while the family is hurting from the loss, she says they want to stress to anyone who is suffering to reach out and get help.

She says ... "Houston Lee Tumlin was so much more than a child actor from 'Talladega Nights.' My beautiful boy brought joy to everyone he encountered and made them feel special. Houston fought his battle for years, and we will continue to fight for him."

We're told Houston will have a full military funeral, and his family marched in an event over the weekend in Helena, Alabama to raise awareness for veteran suicide and PTSD support.

We broke the story ... Houston died by suicide Tuesday at his home in Pelham.

Along with his military service, he was best known for playing the foul-mouthed Walker Bobby, the eldest son of Will Ferrell's character, in the 2006 comedy, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

Houston was 28.

There's this thing these days about reading the room ... and it looks like Chet Hanks skipped a chapter.

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson's son blasted out his moniker for next season -- "White Boy Summer." To be fair, he says he's not aligning himself with Donald Trump or NASCAR ... nevertheless, he's getting dragged big time.

Chet's clearly playing off Megan Thee Stallion's 2019 hit, "Hot Girl Summer," but his riff is still problematic.

After explaining he'll be celebrating "White Boy Summer" in the spirit of Jack Harlow, he asks, "Let me know how you vibe with that." Well, his vid sent bad vibes around the internet.

Before this cake lovin' cutie was boogying the night away with his tasteful tunes, he was just another birthday baby scarfing down sweets in Harlem, New York City.

This hungry kid found his beat back in the 1990s when he released his first album titled after himself through Jive Records. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, he brought the world together by DJing fun music sets streamed through Instagram Live ... and proving he's anything but mean.

Because this talented producer and musician has had such a successful career, he is being honored at the 52nd NAACP Image Awards this weekend.

Houston Tumlin, who starred as a child actor 15 years ago in 'Talladega Nights,' has taken his own life.

Houston shot himself in the head inside his home in Pelham, Alabama around 4:30 PM Tuesday ... Shelby County Coroner Lina Evans tells TMZ.

We're told Houston's girlfriend was inside the home at the time of his suicide ... and so far, no note has been found.

Houston is best known for playing the foul-mouthed, 10-year-old Walker Bobby, son of Will Ferrell's character Ricky Bobby, in the 2006 comedy, "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby."

His character had a ton of memorable moments and lines in 'Talladega Nights' ... like the famous dinner scene opposite Grayson Russell as Texas Ranger Bobby.

The hit movie is Houston's only acting credit ... and as recently as 2015 he was reportedly serving in the Army's 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell. He also worked other jobs, like repairing telephone lines.

Houston was only 28.

RIP

Before this cute cowgirl was showing off her superpower acting chops, she was just another sweet smiling girl growing up in Sacramento, California.

This blonde beauty has been on the big screen for almost two decades ... making her debut in a Disney Channel original movie about racing when she was just 13 years old. Her rise to fame only kept growing with her versatile roles in comedy, action, and even drama -- a talented performance earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Now, this marvelous star is fighting villains in the Avengers universe.

Well, that was fast! One minute Claudia Conway's on to the next round on 'American Idol,' and the next she's cut loose, but at least Katy Perry was nice about it.

Kellyanne Conway's 16-year-old was eliminated Monday night ... less than 24 hours after she squeaked by in the opening night of Hollywood week and shared some screen time with her politico mom.

This time, Claudia was on the chopping block for a duet round with another contestant -- Hannah Everhart -- in which they double-teamed Harry Styles' 'Sign of the Times.' The judges thought Everhart held her own, but not so much for CC.

When it was time to give the teenager the tough news, Katy played the bad guy and she offered Claudia some advice she could apply to singing ... and maybe her tumultuous life at home.

Check it out -- KP tells Claudia that she's just coming to life ... which is true, Claudia's super young and she's already out here making 'Idol' debuts and pretty much has TikTok in the palm of her hand.

Katy also applauded Claudia for taking control of her life -- seemingly a tip of the hat to her ongoing feuds with Kellyanne -- and even invited her back. For her part, Claudia was gracious in defeat.

No on-camera sign of Kellyanne here to embrace her child again, but they seemed to be smoothing things out while Claudia was on 'Idol.'

When the "Fast & Furious" franchise revs up its engines again for the 9th installment, you might notice a familiar, but much younger-looking face ... because it's Vin Diesel's kid!!!

Vin's 10-year-old son, Vincent Sinclair, will be making his big-screen debut this summer in 'F&F9' ... as the younger version of Vin's character, Dominic Toretto.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ ... lil Vin's playing the role of Younger Dom and actually filmed his scenes way back in late 2019 when he was a budding 9-year-old Thespian.

It's unclear how much screen time Vin's boy will get, but his minor's contract says he got paid a daily rate of $1,005. Not bad take-home for a kid who, let's be honest, probably woulda done it for a pack of gum.

BTW -- there was a flashback to a younger Dominic already in 'Furious 7,' but the character was played by an actor named Alex McGee.

Before this peelin’ pipsqueak was the star of his own live talk show, he was just another hungry boy eating a banana in St. Louis, Missouri.

This striped sweetheart is best known as a popular television personality who has interviewed many celebrities ... including a majority of the 'Real Housewives' cast, as well as, helped audiences ring in the New Year and even recently became a father to a baby boy of his own back in February 2019.

For all the success this charming host has had, his colleagues cheer him on and shout 'Bravo!'

Before this toothless tot was making audiences laugh with her appearances on HBO, she was just another sweetheart smiling and repping a pink turtleneck for the camera in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

This cute kid is best known for her hilarious role as a best friend in an HBO original series starring a multi-hyphenate entertainer -- who originally got her start with a web series titled "Awkward Black Girl". Her comedy doesn't stop there ... just last year she premiered her first stand-up special on the same network, introducing audiences to her life growing up in Nigeria.

Chrissy Teigen says singers, rappers and actors still care about award shows, because something's gotta boost their self-esteem -- besides all the fan adulation and millions of dollars, of course.

Yes, Chrissy was her usual humorous self Tuesday afternoon on her way outta Il Pastaio in Bev Hills ... where, in light of The Weeknd's beef-turned-boycott of the Grammys, we asked if celebs are starting to care less about taking home trophies.

Chrissy's answer is a resounding YES ... and she breaks down her theory, telling us why her husband John Legend -- who just won his 12th Grammy -- is a shining example of what awards mean to celebs ... despite his laid back celebration Sunday night.

She even took a joking (we think) shot at John, who she proudly points out is the only VEGOT winner -- yet was still bummed about an Oscar snub this year.

Just watch the clip ... she explains the VEGOT thing. Eat your hearts out Whoopi Goldberg and Mel Brooks!

Tragic news from Keyshawn Johnson ... the former NFL star receiver just announced his oldest daughter, Maia, has passed away. She was 25 years old.

"It is with incredible sadness that I have to share the news about the passing of my beautiful Daughter Maia," Johnson said Monday.

"Maia, as my first born child, has been the joy of my, and her Mother Shikiri’s, life."

Maia was Johnson's first child with Shikiri Hightower, whom he was married to from 1998-2002. They also had a son, Keyshawn Jr., in 1998. Johnson also has two children with his current wife, Jennifer Conrad.

Johnson added ... "She came into our lives just as we were both coming of age as adults and has been a constant beloved presence for both of us."

"We are heartbroken and devastated by her loss. Shikiri, Maia’s siblings, our family and me appreciate your thoughts and prayers at this difficult time."

No cause of death has been revealed publicly at this point.

Several of Keyshawn's current and former ESPN colleagues have shared their condolences following the announcement ... including Louis Riddick and Jemele Hill.

"I am so very sorry Keshawn." Riddick said on Twitter. "That is devastating and heartbreaking to hear. From my family to yours...our deepest and most sincere condolences brother.

Hill added ... "So very sorry for your loss."

RIP