Drugs & Alcohol

Steph Pappas' father was killed by a suspected drunk driver in Ohio this weekend -- and her mother was also injured ... this according to law enforcement.

John Pappas was pronounced dead on the scene Sunday night in Stark County after he and his wife, Kristine -- both parents to the 22-year-old YouTube star -- were struck by a driver traveling westbound ... who cops say veered into the Pappas' vehicle.

Jackson Township PD tells TMZ ... the driver is believed to have sideswiped the Pappas' car after veering off the centerline, and that there was heavy damage to the driver's side door.

First responders rushed to the scene, but officials from the Coroner's Office found John had succumbed to his injuries. Kristine was rushed to the hospital -- her condition is unknown.

Cops are saying drugs and/or alcohol are believed to be a contributing factor to the crash, however ... no arrests have been made yet. Jackson Township won't tell us what obvious signs of impairment they observed, but they do say they're investigating and collecting samples to present to prosecutors ... which they believe will lead to criminal charges.

Steph has a massive following as an up-and-coming influencer -- she has 1.4 million subscribers and hundreds of thousands of IG followers as well. She's acknowledged her father's passing online, saying she "wants my dad back."

Other influencers, like Shane Dawson, have sent their condolences.

John was 53.

Teddy Gentry, a founding member of Alabama, one of the great country bands, just learned a hard lesson ... marijuana laws are still a thing.

Teddy was busted Monday morning in Cherokee County, Alabama just after 10:30 AM for unlawful possession of weed and unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Recreational marijuana is strictly prohibited in Alabama. Teddy was released 30 minutes after he was booked and freed on his own recognizance ... i.e., without bail. Both charges are misdemeanors.

In case you're not familiar, Alabama was formed all the way back in 1969 ... it's original name was Wild Country, but it changed to Alabama in 1977. Some of their hits .. "Tennessee River," "Mountain Music," "Dixieland Delight," "The Closer You Get," "Song of the South," "Roll On (Eighteen Wheeler)" and a bunch of others.

Rapper Famous Dex is taking another shot at battling his addiction issues, and this attempt comes right on the heels of his latest stint in jail.

Sources close to Dex tell TMZ ... the RichForever rapper was released from L.A. County jail last week, and went straight into a rehab facility for his overall wellness ... and to get himself right for the world again.

Dex had been thrown back behind bars in January and then in June for violating a protective order his ex-girlfriend got against him.

This is his second rehab stay, and we’re told his plan is to remain in treatment until November.

In December 2020, he voluntarily admitted himself for treatment after publicly denying he had any issues with drugs -- that was despite his infamous 2018 IG Live session where he passed out, sparking concern from fans.

Right now, he's trending in the right direction -- in June, Dex announced he'd gone 5 months without a relapse.

Eminem is opening up about nearly losing his life after suffering a drug overdose years ago.

On the new episode of Paul Rosenberg's "Paul Pod" podcast, Eminem and his manager discuss his 2007 methadone overdose ... and the effects it had on his thinking cap.

Paul recalls asking the doctors about any potential brain damage when things were looking grim in the hospital. Naturally, the two managed to revert the scary moment back to Em's 1999 track "Brain Damage."

Eminem had to eventually be stabilized on several medications to return to health, which became an artistic branding moment for him.

In the song "Deja Vu" from his 2009 album "Relapse," Eminem rapped in detail about the incident and how he tried to hide his addiction from his loved ones.

"Okay, so now ya see the reason how come he, Has taken four years to just put out an album, B/See, me and you, we almost had the same outcome, Heath," Slim Shady spit, referencing Heath Ledger's 2008 overdose death ... before continuing, "Cause that Christmas, you know the whole pneumonia thing?/It was bologna, was it the methadone, ya think?"

Interestingly enough, Dr. Dre recently opened up about his own brush with death, revealing his 2021 brain aneurysm was nearly fatal all the same ... but the Shady/Aftermath tandem appear to be in good enough health to work on new music.

Both Em and Dre have been spotted in and out of studios with Snoop Dogg this year following their Emmy-winning Super Bowl performance from February.

Shoreline Mafia rapper OhGeesy would love to put last weekend in his rearview, for good, but prosecutors won't let him now -- cops say he was riding dirty after leaving a friend's funeral.

Burbank PD pulled over OhGeesy and 3 other people last Saturday afternoon, claiming their car had expired tags and excessive window tint. Officers say they spotted a bottle of codeine in OhGeesy's pocket as he sat in the backseat ... plus, the car's driver allegedly didn't have a license.

That prompted a search of the vehicle, and according to cops, OhGeesy didn't have a prescription for the codeine. Even worse, officers found a loaded gun in the ride.

TMZ Hip Hop has learned OhGeesy and all 3 of his pals were arrested for possession of a loaded firearm. They were all charged for the gun, because no single person claimed it.

Cops also booked OhGeesy for the un-prescribed codeine. His bail was set at $35K, and he eventually bonded out.

The 28-year-old rapper had attended the funeral of his best friend Dennis "Dile" Mitchell the same day as the traffic stop.

Bam Margera bounced early from substance abuse treatment and hit up a tavern ... and he's no longer speaking to his parents.

TMZ obtained video showing Bam leaving a bar in Florida with a mystery woman. We're told Bam was at 57 Tavern in Sarasota until about 1 AM Monday, and it looks like he needed help walking out the front door.

Sources close to Bam tell TMZ ... he left treatment Sunday and has been telling friends and family he met a new lawyer friend in rehab who told Bam he could help him get out of his court-ordered rehab by leaving the state.

Our sources say Bam is shacking up at a family friend's house in Florida ... but as of last week, he's no longer speaking to his mother and father. He also has not heard from his estranged wife Nikki or seen his son Phoenix since he returned to rehab at the end of June.

We've seen this pattern before from Bam ... back in June, he fled a Florida rehab center, was reported missing, surfaced at a bar, got tracked down by the cops and was taken back for treatment.

Former Raiders defensive back Damon Arnette -- one of Las Vegas' first-round picks in 2020 -- has just entered a diversion program in an attempt to close out his drug case in Florida, TMZ Sports has learned.

A spokesperson for the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office tells us the 26-year-old will be a part of the program for three to six months.

We're told Arnette must, among other conditions, submit to random drug testing, complete a substance abuse evaluation, report monthly, and pay fees as part of the program.

If he complies with all of the conditions, the spokesperson said prosecutors will revisit his charges.

As we previously reported, Arnette was initially hit with felony cocaine possession and misdemeanor knowingly driving with a suspended license following two incidents with police back in July.

According to police documents, cops pulled over Arnette on July 25 and say he was driving on a suspended license. They issued him a citation and informed him he was not to drive until he gets his license reinstated.

But, just hours later on July 26, cops in the police report say they saw Arnette driving again ... and pulled him over once again and this time arrested him for knowingly driving with a suspended license. Cops say they then searched him and found a baggie containing "white powdery substance consistent with that of cocaine" on his person.

It was the second time in the last year that Arnette had been arrested -- he was previously busted in January in Las Vegas after he was accused of pointing a semi-automatic pistol at a valet demanding the person "give me my motherf***ing keys."

That case was ultimately dropped.

Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson's ex-wife and mother of 2 of his children, worked for a Beverly Hills dermatologist for decades, and for the first time, she reveals a shocking story of how Dr. Arnie Klein traded drugs for entry into the celebrity lifestyle.

Rowe has never done an interview before ... she will not talk about Michael Jackson. Rowe appears in the TMZ special, "Who Really Killed Michael Jackson" on Fox Network Tuesday night at 8 PM.

As you'll see in the documentary, Dr. Klein plied Michael with massive doses of Demerol on an almost daily basis in the months leading up to his death.

Rowe says powerful people would call Klein, invite him to a party and ask for drugs as party favors. Rowe says on party night there'd be 90 Percocet pills or other drugs in a candy dish. She says he regularly traded drugs for access.

Jay-Z's "Made In America Festival" hits Philly this Labor Day weekend for its 10th year with Bad Bunny, Tyler, The Creator, Snoh Aalegra, Pusha T and many more -- but Flo Milli will be there pulling double duty.

The fast-rap rookie recently joined the MIA lineup and we're told she also got recruited to host a cocktail-making session of Jay-Z's D'USSÉ cognac.

On Saturday evening, the Alabama rapper will be joined by Global Ambassador Sullivan Doh inside a VIP space where she'll dish on her recent grand debut at the MTV VMAs ... and help fans learn how to whip up some adult beverages.

The festival won't only showcase Jay's liquor line -- the Roc Nation CEO's philanthropic arm will also be busy at work during the festival.

Team Roc's Cause Village will be the hub for charitable organizations at Made in America. Clothing apparel SHEIN is joining forces with Team Roc to conduct workshops targeting various issues including social justice reform, education and animal welfare.

Former Charlotte Hornets power forward Montrezl Harrell has just cut a deal with prosecutors to close out his weed case ... his lawyer tells TMZ Sports.

Harrell -- who was charged with felony trafficking less than five pounds of marijuana after an incident on the road in May -- showed up in Kentucky court on Wednesday morning to make the plea deal official, according to his attorney, Drew Findling.

Findling says Harrell agreed to enter a guilty plea to a reduced charge of simple marijuana possession. In exchange, according to Findling, Harrell "received conditional discharge at the end of 12 months" -- meaning the conviction will be completely wiped from the basketball player's record if he stays out of trouble for the next year.

As we reported, Harrell was initially charged after cops say a car he was riding in on May 12 had three pounds of marijuana in vacuum-sealed bags inside of a backpack on the back seat.

Harrell was not arrested at the scene and was initially given a citation. He was then later formally charged. The 28-year-old had been facing up to five years behind bars in the case.

Findling said at the time his client "is a devoted family man and a committed professional basketball player and has never been a part of any form of marijuana trafficking or any other illegal activity."

Joe Rogan says VP Kamala Harris is a hypocrite for advocating on behalf of Brittney Griner -- who remains in jail in Russia on drug charges -- when she's prosecuted people for non-violent drug offenses as Attorney General of California.

Rogan made the remarks during his 3-hour sitdown convo with Aaron Rodgers on his 'JRE' podcast, where the Packers QB seemingly agreed with Joe's stance on Harris.

"That's why the hypocrisy about the Brittney Griner situation was so egregious in this country," Rogan said. "Where Kamala Harris is talking about how horrible it is that Brittney Griner is in jail."

"Well, you put people in jail. You did. Thousands of people in jail for marijuana. Yeah, it's crazy," Rogan continued.

Harris served as the first woman District Attorney in San Francisco's history ... and became the 32nd Attorney General in California, holding the position from 2011-2017.

Rogan accused Harris and the White House -- who just announced a loan forgiveness program -- of failing to deliver on its campaign promises, specifically addressing non-violent people serving lengthy prison sentences for weed ... which has since been made legal in many states.

"How come you guys didn't exonerate people that were in jail for marijuana when you said you were going to?" Rogan said. "They said that they were going to make marijuana federally legal."

"They said they were going to exonerate prisoners who were in jail for non-violent drug offenses. This is what they said. None of that has happened."

Rodgers, who also addressed his vax controversy during the show, sided with the 'JRE' host, saying, "You mean a politician said something they ran on and then didn't actually enact that said policy?"

Sorry to kill all the fun, but Cleveland Browns player Martin Emerson, Jr. was NOT walking around with a bunch of weed during Saturday's preseason game ... as it turns out, it was a bag of sunflower seeds.

Shocker, right?!

Of course, some folks and/or trolls on Twitter tried to take a grainy picture of the Browns vs. Chicago Bears broadcast ... and play it off like Emerson was holding a bag of weed on the bench.

The pic quickly made rounds on social media ... with users cracking their "typical Browns" jokes for retweets and favorites, and playing it off like the players were getting ready to toke.

But, one intrepid account decided to find a much clearer image of the alleged weed ... and yeah, it's definitely a bag of seeds.

If you don't believe your eyes, our sources confirm it's not marijuana and there were several players clearly chewing in the same clip that made its rounds online.

FWIW, the NFL has softened its stance on weed recently ... but sunflower seeds, however, are not banned.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's girlfriend was arrested this weekend after a dustup in Miami ... an altercation that's on video.

Rachel Wattley -- who goes by Jade -- was busted Sunday night on a battery charge related to domestic violence. She's been held on $1,500 bail at Miami-Dade County Jail ... where 69 tells us he's actually trying to bail her out.

Unclear what exactly precipitated this, but in footage obtained by TMZ -- you see Tekashi facing off with Jade and a group of women on the streets, this while they were all outside of a club. At one point, you see one of the ladies apparently try and swing on the rapper.

Eventually, Tekashi retreated to a luxury ride as people encircled him -- and it sounds like that's when cops finally showed up to break up the scene and find out what's what.

Per the police report, officers saw Tekashi and Jade being escorted outside and engaging in a verbal argument. Like our video shows, Tekashi left ... but when asked by a cop what had happened, he apparently told 'em Jade had hit him. They also say they saw marks on him.

The officers note they spoke to witnesses, who claimed Jade had struck 69 while inside and even grabbed at his chain. Although cops say they saw Tekashi with visible injuries on his face, they also say that in the end ... he didn't want to cooperate with them whatsoever.

Still, they had enough to cuff Jade and take her to the slammer. The cops say this whole thing was caught on tape from surveillance video inside ... plus all the other evidence.

6ix9ine himself tells us ... Jade, who's been his GF for 4 years, attacked him for some reason -- and he believes her friends were swaying her. He also says he thinks she was drunk. Tekashi adds, "I’m gonna get her out jail -- she attacked me in front of the police I told them, 'You have to evaluate her she’s obviously under the influence I don’t plan to press charges ... I’m the one trying to bail her out."

Antoine Dodson, who went viral in 2010 for his "hide yo kids, hide yo wife" interview, is getting into the adult beverage business ... crafting a beer based on his famous sign-off.

Antoine partnered with his local craft brewer, Straight to Ale Brewery, to come up with an American Lager called "Run N Tell That" ... it's being released Sept. 24 at a huge party, and we're told AD will be filming a commercial.

The craft brewery is in Antoine's hometown of Huntsville, AL and we're told one of Antoine's friends set up the partnership.

Remember ... Antoine closed out his hilarious "hide yo kids, hide yo wife" interview by issuing this warning to an alleged rapist, "run and tell that" ... and now the phrase is on the beer can artwork, along with a drawing of Antoine in the same outfit from his TV spot.

Straight to Ale is really going all in on beers commemorating local viral videos ... the brewery is also releasing an American Pale Ale called "Struttin That Ale" based on another viral moment from Huntsville.

Weddings can be a trippy thing ... especially these days, when the wedding party gets all psychedelic with shrooms!!!

There's a super interesting trend -- trading mushrooms for booze. Lots of folks -- especially millennials -- don't want that awful champagne hangover the next day, so they're choosing to party with mushrooms .... usually in the form of tasty chocolates.

Yeah, it's a hallucinogen, but it's become very common to relieve anxiety and depression and for lots of folks it's just a pleasurable experience ... within limits. Beats getting drunk.

A 35-year-old wedding guest told The Times, '"I think it is a combination of no weddings for two years and the younger generation moving away from getting really p*****, which can make people get quite angry. With this, everyone was having a great time."

The rub, of course, is that when someone is trippin' in a big crowd, it could cause chaos, and that's a real thing as well.

Paul "PK" Kemsley, the husband of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Dorit ... won't be hit with DUI charges following his arrest last year ... because we've learned the case has been rejected.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office tells TMZ ... they reviewed PK's case but rejected it back in April based on an "insufficiency of the evidence."

Law enforcement tells us PK went from blowing a .081 in the field to a .076 at the police station -- the legal limit's .08. We're told the level change ultimately led prosecutors to decide not to charge him.

Back in December, PK's attorney, Alan Jackson told TMZ his client "regrets the fact he did not take alternate transportation home that evening."

Dorit ran into paps after word spread about PK's arrest ... she said he wasn't necessarily smashed, but he probably shouldn't have been behind the wheel in the first place.

As we reported, CHP said they pulled PK over after seeing his grey Bentley weaving in traffic on L.A.'s 101 freeway. If he had alcohol in his system and he was driving erratically the City Attorney could still charge him with DUI, even if he blew under a .08, but prosecutors say there was insufficient evidence.