Drugs & Alcohol

Nick and Aaron Carter's sister, Bobbie Jean Carter, was found unresponsive in a bathroom the day she died ... just like her late brother Aaron.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office tells TMZ ... first responders were dispatched to Bobbie's Tampa, FL home Saturday morning, they found her and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead.

The sheriff says deputies learned Bobbie Jean was on probation for cocaine possession when she died, but her roommates told police she had not used any narcotics since being released from prison.

What's more, we're told deputies did not find any narcotics or drug paraphernalia in Bobbie Jean's bedroom or bathroom ... and there were no signs of foul play.

The sheriff says Bobbie Jean's death is under investigation ... and her official cause of death will be ultimately determined by the Medical Examiner's Office, pending toxicology results.

It's pretty eerie to learn Bobbie was found unresponsive in a bathroom ... because the same thing happened with Aaron.

Remember ... Aaron died last year after drowning in his bathtub. The autopsy report said Aaron became incapacitated due to the effects of prescription pills and huffing before slipping under the water and drowning.

A North Dakota politician put his foot square in his mouth after he went on a xenophobic and homophobic rant while he was being arrested – and filmed! – for driving drunk.

Republican lawmaker Nico Rios was cruising around the district he represents in Williston the night of December 15, when police on patrol saw his car swerving and pulled him over.

The officers walked up to Rios behind the wheel and turned on their bodyworn cameras, leading to the shocking 21-minute encounter that has now gone viral.

Check out the footage ... the cops ask a series of questions to Rios who is slurring his words and getting caught in lies, falsely claiming at one point that he doesn't have an open beer bottle in his car.

Rios also gives an expired registration to the officers, who order him out of his vehicle for a field sobriety exam.

During the test, Rios becomes agitated and starts hurling threats at the officers, accusing them of "f—king picking on me" and promising they will regret it because of who he is.

Rios then rejects a request to take a breathalyzer from one of the officers, who promptly arrests him, placing him in handcuffs.

On the ride to the police station, Rios starts antagonizing the British-born officer, poking fun at his accent and claiming his country is being overrun by "f---king migrants and refugees."

In the stationhouse, Rios makes a homophobic remark to the officer, who informs his supervisor about the litany of derogatory comments from the lawmaker.

Tiffany Haddish se ha declarado inocente en su caso de conducción bajo estado de ebriedad en Los Ángeles, reflejando su declaración por el mismo cargo en Georgia.

La comediante fue procesada el miércoles, donde se declaró "no culpable" de dos cargos presentados por la Oficina del Fiscal del Distrito del Condado de Los Ángeles, conducir bajo la influencia del alcohol y conducir con un 0,08% BAC.

TMZ publicó la historia, Tiffany fue detenida en Beverly Hills el mes pasado cuando los policías afirman que la encontraron dormida al volante con su carro bloqueando parcialmente la carretera.

Tiffany bromeó al respecto el día después en su stand-up comedy, pero ahora parece que las cosas se están poniendo serias, porque se declaró inocente de los cargos aquí y en Georgia, aparentemente señalando que ella va a luchar.

El caso de Georgia en realidad se suponía que iba a juicio este mes, pero se ha pospuesto. En los documentos de la corte para ese caso, Tiff ha informado alegó que la policía allí en GA llevó a cabo una búsqueda ilegal de su vehículo y ella también ha pedido que su resultado de la prueba de sangre no se permita como prueba.

Tiffany Haddish has pleaded not guilty in her L.A. DUI case -- mirroring her plea to the same charge out in Georgia.

The comedian was arraigned Wednesday, where she entered "not guilty" pleas to two counts brought by the L.A. County District Attorney's Office -- driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a .08% BAC.

TMZ broke the story ... TH was arrested in Beverly Hills last month, when cops claim they found her asleep at the wheel -- with her car partially blocking the road.

Tiffany joked about it the day after in a stand-up comedy set, but now it looks like things are getting serious ... 'cause she pleaded not guilty to the charges here AND in Georgia, apparently signaling that she's gonna fight.

The Georgia case was actually supposed to go trial this month, but it's been postponed. In court docs for that case, Tiff has reportedly alleged the cops there in GA conducted an unlawful search of her vehicle ... and she's also asked that her blood test result not be allowed as evidence.

Jussie Smollett is taking in Matthew Perry's memoir while he continues to seek help for substance abuse ... some interesting reading material during a rocky time in his life.

The former "Empire" star was photographed Monday in Studio City, CA -- where he was sitting by himself and perusing the pages of Perry's 2022 NYT Bestseller, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir" ... which detailed the late actor's struggles with addiction.

Jussie had a laptop with him as well, and he was also spotted using his phone during this outing ... but it seems like he was mostly preoccupied with going through the memoir.

Of course, Jussie himself is in rehab at the moment ... this after checking himself into an outpatient treatment facility in October.

His substance use was touched on quite a bit throughout his criminal trial in Chicago -- which, BTW, has come back to rear its ugly head.

Remember, he recently lost his appeal after being convicted for lying to cops about the hate crime attack he claimed was carried out on him ... and the rest of his jail sentence looms.

Jussie Smollett está leyendo las memorias de Matthew Perry mientras continúa buscando ayuda para el abuso de sustancias, sin duda un interesante material de lectura durante un momento tan difícil en su vida.

La ex estrella de "Empire" fue fotografiada el lunes en Studio City, California, donde estaba sentado solo y hojeando las páginas del Bestseller de Perry del 2022, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir", que detalla las luchas del difunto actor con la adicción.

Jussie tenía un ordenador portátil con él y también fue visto usando su teléfono durante esta salida, pero parece que estaba más preocupado de las memorias.

Por supuesto, el propio Jussie está en rehabilitación en este momento, esto después de registrarse en un centro de tratamiento ambulatorio en octubre.

Su uso de sustancias fue revisitado a lo largo de su juicio penal en Chicago, que por cierto, parece volver cada cierto tiempo.

Recordemos que recientemente perdió su apelación después de haber sido condenado por mentirle a la policía sobre un crimen de odio que afirmó se llevó a cabo en su contra... y su condena se avecina

Matthew Perry's death being pinned on ketamine by the Coroner is misleading, and puts the drug in a bad light -- so says an M.D. who's prescribed it to his own patients.

Dr. Zaid Fadul -- the Medical Director at BetterU and an expert in addiction medicine -- tells TMZ ... the L.A. County Coroner Office's finding last week that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine doesn't really explain how he died ... at least in his professional opinion.

Yes, ketamine happened to be in Matt's system at the time of his death -- and might have been the reason he dozed off in his hot tub ... but obviously, the "Friends" actor drowned.

Dr. Fadul's point here is ... any kind of drug that spurs sedation would've likely had the same effect, and he feels like blaming MP's tragic passing on ketamine alone -- without this context -- isn't fair, and that might deter people from seeking it out as a viable option.

Now, on the issue of whether Perry had used ketamine the day he died or not -- Dr. Fadul has a theory on that as well. According to him, Matt was likely experienced with ketamine and was taking ever-increasing doses, which might've left some residual.

He adds, that residual amount could've been super high, if Matt had a high tolerance to the drug and was taking high doses. He also believes Perry wasn't only taking ketamine through an IV.

Remember, the coroner's report on Perry's cause of death noted he'd been involved in ketamine infusion therapy in the months leading up to this -- but pointed out he'd been weaning off of it thanks to a new doctor who found he didn't need as much these days.

Ketamine is often used as a treatment for depression and anxiety, which is why Matt had been taking it ... but because his ketamine levels were so elevated when he died, it's unclear Matt was taking it therapeutically or recreationally.

The implication from the report seems to be pointing to the latter. Dr. Fadul, though, isn't so sure that's accurate.

La muerte de Matthew Perry se le atribuye a la ketamina, y esto le otorga a la droga una mala reputación injustamente adquirida. Esto según un terapeuta que le ha prescrito ketamina a sus propios pacientes.

El Dr. Zaid Fadul —Director Médico de BetterU y experto en medicina de la adicción— le dice a TMZ que el forense del Condado de Los Ángeles que dijo que Perry murió por los efectos agudos de la ketamina no explica realmente cómo murió, al menos en su opinión profesional.

Sí, la ketamina pasó a estar en el sistema de Matt en el momento de su muerte y puede haber sido la razón por la que se quedó dormido en su bañera de hidromasaje, pero obviamente el actor de "Friends" se ahogó.

El punto del Dr. Fadul es que cualquier tipo de droga que estimula la sedación probablemente habría tenido el mismo efecto, y siente que culpar solamente a la ketamina por la trágica muerte es injusto y es algo que podría hacer que la gente no considere el tratamiento como una opción viable.

Ahora bien, sobre la cuestión de si Perry había consumido ketamina el día de su muerte o no, el Dr. Fadul también tiene una teoría al respecto en esta entrevista. Según él, Matt probablemente tenía experiencia con la ketamina y tomaba dosis cada vez mayores, lo que podría haber dejado algún residuo.

Recordemos que el informe del forense sobre la causa de la muerte de Perry señaló que había estado involucrado en una terapia de infusión de ketamina durante los meses previos a su muerte, pero señaló que había estado disminuyendo gracias a un nuevo médico que encontró que no necesitaba tanto en estos días.

La ketamina se utiliza a menudo como un tratamiento eficaz para la depresión y la ansiedad, y es la razón por la que Matt la había tomado, pero a los ojos del forense, el jurado no sabe si la ketamina en el sistema de Matt era para ese propósito o si era recreativa. La implicación del informe parece apuntar a lo segundo.

"Mob Wives" star Renee Graziano is 40 days sober following a stint at a Texas rehab ... and is now continuing to receive treatment thanks to the assistance of Lamar Odom.

A rep for Renee tells TMZ she's now focusing on trauma therapy at Lamar's wellness facility -- which aims to fight substance abuse, a cause near and dear to Lamar following his own near-fatal overdose in 2015.

A rep for Lamar says he actually reached out to Renee via IG when she made headlines for her rehab stay in November ... telling her if she needed anything while in treatment, to just let him know.

We're told the ex-NBA star also informed her of the services offered at Vanity Wellness Treatment Center, his facility in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Two weeks ago, Renee reached back out to Lamar ... saying she needed treatment for extensive trauma, and the program she currently was in at that time didn't offer that type of care.

Lamar immediately put the gears in motion ... connecting Renee with admissions for his facility -- and she checked in last Thursday after flying to Cali from Texas.

So far, so good ... Renee is loving the program and plans on staying for another 60+ days while working on her mental health, sobriety and physical health.

La estrella de "Mob Wives", Renee Graziano, lleva 40 días sobria después de una temporada en un centro de rehabilitación en Texas, y sigue recibiendo tratamiento gracias a la ayuda de Lamar Odom.

Un representante de Renee le dice a TMZ que ahora se está centrando en la terapia de trauma en el centro de bienestar de Lamar, donde espera luchar contra el abuso de sustancias, una causa por la que ha prometido luchar después de su sobredosis casi fatal en 2015.

Un representante de Lamar dice que esto viene luego de que él se acercó a Renee a través de IG cuando ella llegó a los titulares por su rehabilitación en noviembre, diciéndole que si necesitaba algo en el transcurso del tratamiento, se lo hiciera saber.

Nos dicen que la ex estrella de la NBA también le informó de los servicios ofrecidos en su lujoso centro de tratamiento de Sherman Oaks, el Vanity Wellness Treatment Center.

Hace dos semanas, Renee se puso en contacto con Lamar, diciendo que necesitaba tratamiento para el trauma extenso y el programa en el que se encontraba actualmente no ofrecía ese tipo de atención.

Lamar inmediatamente puso los engranajes en movimiento y conectó a Renee con las admisiones de su instalación. Ella se registró en el pasado jueves después de volar a California desde Texas.

Hasta ahora, todo bien. Renee está amando el programa y planea quedarse por otros 60 días mientras trabaja en su salud mental, la sobriedad y la salud física.

Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino was addicted to pills for a long time during his heyday -- a dark period he's now shining a light on with his new book.

The "Jersey Shore" star's memoir "Reality Check: Making the Best of the Situation -- How I Overcame Addiction, Loss, and Prison" drops Tuesday, and dives into just about all of Mike's ups and downs during his TV career -- including his battle with drugs.

As it turns out, The Situation was actually hooked on painkillers for years ... much of which overlapped with his time on the hit MTV reality series, up to and including Season 5.

Mike came on 'TMZ Live' Monday to break down the infamous cement self-KO headbutt he did on camera, saying it was actually tied to him going through withdrawals at the time. Seeing how deep into the belly of the beast he was, MS counts himself lucky to be alive.

He also tells us the MTV team came to him often during filming and asked if he needed help -- but, at one point, his addiction got so bad ... he says they gave him an ultimatum, which is detailed in his new book.

We asked Mike what the lowest point for him was during this saga -- and while you might think his prison stint would be in the ballpark of contenders ... he actually says another time he tried a new drug was when he hit rock bottom. As MS explains ... he once tried heroin.

Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino fue adicto a las pastillas durante mucho tiempo en su apogeo, un período oscuro que ahora está descrito en su nuevo libro.

Las memorias de la estrella de "Jersey Shore" tituladas "Reality Check: Making the Best of the Situation - How I Overcame Addiction, Loss, and Prison" se publica el martes y se sumerge en casi todos los altibajos de Mike durante su carrera en la televisión, incluyendo su batalla con las drogas.

Resulta que The Situation fue en realidad adicto a los analgésicos durante años, gran parte de los cuales se superponen con su tiempo en el exitoso reality de MTV.

Mike llegó a 'TMZ Live' el lunes para conversar sobre el infame cabezazo que lo noqueó en cámara, explicando que todo tiene que ver con haber estado en abstinencia en aquel momento.

También nos dice que el equipo de MTV se acercó a él a menudo durante el rodaje y le preguntó si necesitaba ayuda, pero un momento dado, su adicción se puso tan mal que le dieron un ultimátum, el cual detalla en su nuevo libro.

Le preguntamos a Mike cuál fue el punto más bajo para él durante este período, y aunque se podría pensar que su estancia en la cárcel estaría en primer lugar, en realidad dice que la vez que probó una nueva droga fue cuando tocó fondo... esta vez fue la heroína.

Matthew Perry tenía suficiente ketamina en su organismo como para haber quedado incapacitado o inconsciente, lo que provocó que se ahogara, según los resultados de la autopsia.

Según el forense del condado de Los Ángeles, los niveles de ketamina de Perry eran de 3.540 ng/ml. Cuando los pacientes de cirugía se les da anestesia, los niveles de ketamina están en el rango de 1.000 - 6.000, por lo que Perry estaba en el rango más alto.

En otras palabras, la cantidad de ketamina en su sistema era equivalente a la anestesia que algunos pacientes reciben antes de la cirugía. Perry podría haberse desorientado lo suficiente como para ahogarse.

TMZ lo dijo primero, Perry fue encontrado muerto en su bañera de hidromasaje en octubre.

Según el forense, a Perry le habían recetado ketamina para la depresión y la ansiedad, aunque también se utiliza como droga recreativa. La tomaba cada dos días, pero hace 6 meses un nuevo médico intentó deshabituarle de ese régimen porque había mostrado signos de mejoría.

La última dosis prescrita fue una semana y media antes de su muerte, y los efectos generalmente solo duran unas 6 horas. Así que parece que el actor de 54 años pudo haber tomado la ketamina poco antes de meterse en el jacuzzi.

Matthew Perry had enough ketamine in his system that he could have been rendered incapacitated or unconscious, causing him to drown ... based on autopsy findings.

According to the L.A. County Medical Examiner, Perry's ketamine levels were 3,540 ng/ml. When surgery patients are given anesthesia, ketamine levels are in the 1,000 - 6,000 range, so Perry was in the higher range.

In other words, the amount of ketamine in his system was equivalent to the anesthesia some patients get before surgery. Perry could have just become disoriented enough that he drowned.

TMZ broke the story, Perry was found dead in his hot tub back in October.

According to the M.E., Perry had been prescribed ketamine for depression and anxiety, although it is also used as a recreational drug. He was taking it every other day, but 6 months ago a new doctor tried to ween him off that regiment because he had showed signs of improvement.

The last prescribed dose was a week and a half before his death, and the effects generally only last around 6 hours. So it appears the 54-year-old actor may have taken the ketamine shortly before getting in the hot tub.

The tragedy here ... had he not been in the hot tub, he could well be alive today.

WWE Superstar Liv Morgan got smoked by the police ... 'cause she was busted driving with marijuana in Florida and thrown into the pokey, TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell us .... Morgan was cruising down the street in her jeep in Sumter County Thursday night when a sheriff's deputy pulled her over after seeing her swerve across the white and yellow lines.

We're told the deputy walked up to the vehicle, smelled reefer and conducted a search, finding less than 20 grams of marijuana in Morgan's possession.

Our sources say the deputy seized the small plastic bag of weed along with a vape pen containing an "oil-like substance."

Morgan was promptly arrested and booked into the Sumter County Jail for possession of cannabis 20 grams or less. She was later released after reportedly posting a $3,000 bond.

"Love & Hip Hop: Miami" cast member Vonshae Taylor-Morales had a rocky year amid a split from her hubby Gunplay ... but a new relationship has her going into 2024 on Cloud 9.

Fans have noticed Vonshae popping out with a mystery man these past few weeks, and the reality star tells TMZ Hip Hop his name is Franck Njonkou Seudio -- a 26-year-old multi-millionaire businessman from Africa, and they've been dating for one month.

Vonshae tells us she had been depressed during the Gunplay fiasco -- the rapper was arrested for DV back in August -- but says she's now in a great state of mind.

She and Franck first met when he DM'ed her a few weeks after Gunplay got arrested, and their first date consisted of going for pizza and a casual walk in Florida.

Things have been clicking so far -- Vonshae tells us Franck owns multiple businesses that sprawl across media, e-commerce, Airbnb properties and cars. Plus, she says Mr. Lover-Lover is also fluent in French and has already expressed his wishes to marry her and adopt her 9-month-old daughter!!!

Vonshae says Franck has no issues with her staying at home, raising her child and spending his money -- he's paid for Vonshae's legal bills and also handled her child's medical bills.

Franck was originally studying to be a pharmacist tech after moving to Miami but figured the business route was the best way to get paid.

In the case of her old relationship, Vonshae admits she'll always love Gunplay, but says he's not the same person she married in August 2022, so she's moved on -- even if he hasn't.