Family

LeVar Burton made a shocking discovery about his bloodline here in America -- namely, that he's actually part-white ... and that one of his ancestors was part of the Confederacy.

The 'Reading Rainbow' vet was featured in a recent episode of PBS's 'Finding Your Roots' -- where host Henry Louis Gates Jr. laid out LeVar's family tree dating back centuries ... and pinpointing a white dude from back in the 1800s as his great-great-grandfather.

Long story short, LB's great-grandma on his mom's side -- a woman named Mary Sills -- had listed her dad as being a Black man named Louis Sills ... but DNA tests show that isn't so.

Instead, the data shows her biological father was a Caucasian farmer from the South named James Henry Dixon -- who had actually fathered children with an unnamed Black woman who was born into slavery. Even more surprising ... Dixon had served in the Confederate Army as a teen during the Civil War, so technically -- he was a defender of slavery at that time.

In response to this news, LeVar said he had conflicting feelings ... explaining, "There’s some conflict roiling inside of me right now. But oddly enough, I feel a pathway opening up."

He added, "Knowing what I know about the history of this nation, I’ve wanted, especially in this current time frame, I believe that as Americans we need to have this conversation about who we are and how we got here."

Doja Cat's allegedly being physically and verbally abused by her big brother ... at least that's what their mother is telling a judge.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Doja's mom, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer, filed for a temporary restraining order against her 30-year-old son, Raman Dalithando Dlamini ... and in her filing, she makes some serious accusations.

Doja's mom lists Doja as another person who needs protection from Raman ... reason being, mama claims Doja's had her teeth knocked out by Raman.

That's not all ... Doja's mom also alleges Raman's given Doja cuts and bruises, and destroyed and stolen some of Doja's property.

In the docs, Doja's mother claims Raman is also verbally abusive toward his famous sister "in a very degrading and demeaning manor [sic]” ... and she says Raman has made Doja feel "unsafe and traumatized."

As for her own safety, Doja's mom alleges Raman physically abused her and threatened her multiple times over the past year, claiming the most recent incident happened earlier this month.

The judge granted Doja's mom court-ordered protection from Raman pending a hearing for a permanent restraining order, but did not grant that same protection for Doja Cat -- instead, saying the artist would need to file her own request for a restraining order.

It's worth noting ... Doja's mom says she had a restraining order against her son in the past, but it's since expired.

Doja Cat supuestamente está siendo abusada física y verbalmente por su hermano mayor, al menos eso es lo que su madre le está diciendo a un juez.

Según nuevos documentos legales obtenidos por TMZ Hip Hop, la madre de Doja, Deborah Elizabeth Sawyer, solicitó una orden de restricción temporal contra su hijo de 30 años, Raman Dalithando Dlamini y en su presentación ella hace algunas acusaciones graves.

La madre enumera a Doja como otra de las personas que necesita protección de Raman. ¿La razón? La mamá afirma que la cantante ha recibido golpes en los dientes de su parte.

Eso no es todo. También alega que Raman le ha causado cortes y contusiones a Doja y que ha destruido y robado algunas de sus propiedades.

En los documentos, la madre de Doja afirma que Raman también es verbalmente abusivo con su famosa hermana "de una manera muy degradante y despreciativa [sic]" y ha hecho que Doja se sienta "insegura y traumatizada".

En cuanto a su propia seguridad, la madre de Doja alega que Raman abusó físicamente de ella y la amenazó en múltiples ocasiones durante el año pasado, afirmando que el incidente más reciente ocurrió a principios de este mes.

El juez le concedió a la madre de Doja una orden judicial de protección contra Raman a la espera de una audiencia para obtener una orden de alejamiento permanente, pero no concedió la misma protección para la cantante, en cambio, dijo que la artista tendría que presentar su propia solicitud de alejamiento.

Vale la pena señalar que la madre de Doja dice que había tenido una orden de restricción contra su hijo en el pasado, pero ya ha expirado.

Todd Chrisley's disgusted by his living conditions in prison, but he's still really worried about a potential prison transfer ... TMZ has learned.

The reality star's attorney Jay Surgent tells TMZ ... his client doesn't want to move prisons because he's afraid guards and officials within the new facility will retaliate against him for speaking out against living conditions in his current pad, FPC Pensacola.

Basically, Todd -- who's doing a 12-year bid for a slew of fraud charges -- thinks his well-documented criticism of FPCP will have other prison officials taking aim at him ... and he's keeping his head on a swivel.

Jay says TC's heard through the grapevine he could be on his way out after ripping on Pensacola for disgusting food, possible mold and bad plumbing ... among other issues.

It's all hypothetical currently -- Jay hasn't received formal notice of transfer or anything like that -- but says if Todd is booted out of Florida, he'll most likely stay in the federal system, not a state prison ... as his daughter, Savannah, said he might be.

Family is another reason Todd's lookin' to stay in Pensacola ... Savannah's consistently visiting him and her mom, Julie, who's locked up in Kentucky. Todd's worried they'll move him too far away, and it'll make it harder for Savannah to visit him.

Plus, Surgent says Chrisley's become a mentor to Pensacola's other inmates ... a good thing too since Surgent told us a few months ago Todd believes God sent him to prison to help other inmates.

For its part, a spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons said it doesn't comment on individual prison transfers, but explained it reassigns prisoners for a variety of reasons including medical needs and or security reasons.

The FBOP spokesperson adds the government agency's top priority is providing safe, secure and humane accommodations for prisoners. The org encourages incarcerated individuals to go through the proper channels when voicing their concerns.

Dana Carvey todavía está muy afectado por la muerte de su hijo Dex hace un par de meses, pero espera que volver a trabajar con su amigo David Spade acelere su proceso de sanación.

La ex estrella de 'Saturday Night Live' habló por primera vez sobre la dolorosa experiencia que vive su familia luego de la fatal sobredosis de Dex. Dice que sería genial volver a reír con David durante el regreso de su podcast "Fly On the Wall".

Dana dijo el miércoles que volver a trabajar es saludable, porque está en el "tren del dolor", al igual que millones de personas y no sabe cuando va a terminar ese viaje.

Además, dice que sentarse y sumergirse en sus pensamientos durante las vacaciones no le hizo ningún favor, así que básicamente está tratando de mantenerse ocupado, añadiendo que las cosas pasan en la vida, pero tenemos que seguir adelante.

Por su parte, David dice que es duro ver a su mejor amigo pasar por algo semi-imaginable.

TMZ dio la noticia, Dex falleció en noviembre pasado después de que su novia llamara al 911. Los primeros auxilios lo encontraron sin respuesta en el baño de una casa de Los Ángeles. Los paramédicos trataron sin éxito de revivirlo.

Poco después, Dana reveló que este murió de una sobredosis accidental de drogas mientras rendía un emotivo homenaje a su "hermoso" hijo.

Dana Carvey is still deep in grief over his son Dex's death a couple months ago, but he's hoping getting back to work with his buddy David Spade will speed up his healing process.

The former 'SNL' star spoke for the first time about his family's painful experience since Dex's fatal overdose ... telling David during their "Fly On the Wall" podcast return, it would be cool to laugh with him again.

Dana said Wednesday, his return to work is healthy, because he's on the "pain train," just like millions of other people -- and doesn't know when that journey will end.

Also, he says sitting around and getting in his head over the holidays did him no favors ... so, he's basically trying to keep busy -- adding things happen in life, but we've got to move forward.

For his part, David says it's hard watching his best bud go through something semi-unimaginable.

TMZ broke the story ... Dex passed away in November after his GF called 911, and first responders found him unresponsive in the bathroom of an L.A. home. Paramedics tried unsuccessfully to bring him back to life.

Not long after, Dana revealed he died of an accidental drug overdose while paying emotional tribute to his "beautiful" son.

Josh Duhamel has something new to celebrate ... he's a dad again!

The actor and his model wife Audra Mari welcomed their first child, Shepherd Lawrence Duhamel, on January 11, announcing the exciting news Tuesday night on Instagram with a photo of the little one's feet. As far as feet go, Shepherd is one helluva cutie!

As you probably know, Josh has another son, 10-year-old Axl, whom he shares with his ex-wife, Fergie.

In a September 2023 interview, Josh told Parade that Axl had a funny reaction when he learned he was going to be an older brother.

Axl wanted reassurance that he was still the firstborn and Josh was still going to love him after Shepherd was born.

Of course, Josh confirmed all of the above, adding that Axl is a "really sweet kid" and "loves babies!"

Sounds like Axl and Shepherd are gonna hit it off.

Drake dice que la última vez que a su padre, Dennis Graham, le permitieron entrar a Canadá, su carrera como cantante estaba despegando. Pero después de una espera de 15 años, ¡¡¡está feliz de decir que su papá está en casa nuevamente!!!

Drake saltó a su cuenta de Instagram el lunes por la noche para presumir que sus padres estaban bajo el mismo techo en suelo canadiense, todo un hito. La estrella escribió: "Primera vez en más de 15 años que dejan que el OG (la leyenda) entre de nuevo en Canadá gracias a todos los que nos ayudaron a llevarlo a cabo @therealdennisg".

En otro post, Dennis fue visto en modo abuelo con Adonis, el hijo de 6 años de Drake. Ambos comieron unas tostadas durante el desayuno y tomaron un poco de jugo, ¡lo que sin duda hace que la escuela sea mucho más agradable!

Ya sea que esté físicamente allí o no, Dennis Graham siempre quiere lo mejor para su familia. El hombre compartió algunos de sus consejos paternales recientemente, cuando nos dijo que era prudente que Drake se mantuviera al margen de los debates en línea sobre la guerra entre Israel y Hamás.

Drake tiene que estar disfrutando de este tiempo en familia. Él y J. Cole están listos para embarcarse en su gira "It's All a Blur -- Big As The What?".

Drake says the last time his pops, Dennis Graham, was allowed in Canada ... Drake's career was just taking off, but after a 15-year wait ... he's happy to say daddy's home!!!

Drake hopped on IG Monday night to boast both of his parents were together under one roof on Canadian soil ... quite the milestone. He said, "First time in over 15 years they let the OG back into Canada thank you to everyone that helped us out @therealdennisg."

In a separate flick, Dennis was seen diving right into grandfather mode with Drake's 6-year-old son Adonis ... a little breakfast toast makes school that much more enjoyable!!!

Whether or not he's physically there, DG always wants the best for his fam. He shared some of his fatherly advice recently, when he told us it was wise for Drake to stay out of online debates surrounding the Israel-Hamas war.

Drake's gotta be soaking up this family time -- he and J. Cole are set to embark on their "It's All a Blur -- Big As The What?" tour.

Kate Beckinsale's stepfather Roy Battersby has died after a reported battle with cancer.

The actress announced his passing on Instagram Monday, posting a heartfelt message to Roy with a video celebrating his life.

Kate wrote, "I have no words yet. Thank you@katebeckinsale_slovakia2 for making this beautiful thing. I fought for you everything I had. Oh Roy I am so sorry I lost."

The video slide show featured Roy through the years with Kate and her mom, Judy. In 1997, Judy married Roy after Kate's dad, actor Richard Beckinsale, died from natural causes.

Last month, Roy was rushed to a Los Angeles hospital after he suffered a stroke while reportedly fighting two unspecified types of cancer, with which he was diagnosed in 2023.

Like Kate, Roy made a living in the visual arts, directing popular British TV shows, documentaries and films.

Roy was 87.

La Reina Isabel II estaba supuestamente furiosa por el nombre de su bisnieta según un autor real que acaba de revivir la pelea entre el palacio y el príncipe Harry/Meghan Markle.

Robert Hardman está llamando falsas las afirmaciones de la pareja real, las cuales sostienen que la Reina era partidaria de que su apodo de la infancia se pasara a la princesa Lilibet, escribiendo en un extracto de su nueva biografía: "Carlos III: Nuevo Rey. New Court. The Inside Story", que ella era la más enojada con esto.

Esto respalda la declaración que hizo la correspondencia real de la BBC —Jonny Dymond— poco después del nacimiento de Lilibet el 4 de junio de 2021, la cual afirma que la pareja nunca le dijo nada a la Reina sobre el uso del nombre y mucho menos sobre obtener su permiso para ello.

Otro informe de Daily Mail redobla las afirmaciones del nuevo libro, diciendo que la Reina ya estaba frustrada por no ser dueña de sus propios palacios y pinturas, y solo Harry y Meg podían tomar lo última que poseía... su nombre.

El informe cita una fuente anónima que afirma que Liz dijo algo así como: "'No soy dueña de los palacios, no soy dueña de las pinturas, lo único que poseo es mi nombre. Y ahora me lo han quitado".

También se dice que la Reina quedó desconcertada cuando se enteró de la intención de Harry de llamar a su hija Lilibet, pero sintió que no podía decir públicamente que no.

No obstante, este nuevo "naming and shaming" es la última puñalada que la pareja le ha dado a la familia real, estamos seguros de que habrá algo nuevo la próxima semana.

Queen Elizabeth II was reportedly furious over her great-granddaughter's name ... according to a royal author who just revived the Palace vs. Prince Harry/Meghan Markle fallout.

Robert Hardman is calling BS on H&M's claims the Queen was supportive of her childhood moniker being passed on to their little girl, Princess Lilibet ... writing in a bombshell extract from his new bio, "Charles III: New King. New Court. The Inside Story," she was the angriest he'd ever seen her over it.

This backs the statement from BBC's royal correspondence, Jonny Dymond, shortly after Lilibet's birth on June 4, 2021 ... stating the couple never said anything to the Queen about using the name -- let alone get her permission for it.

Another report from Daily Mail doubles down on the new book's claims ... saying the Queen was already frustrated she didn't own her own palaces or paintings ... only for Harry and Megs to take the last thing she owned -- her name.

The report cites an anonymous source who claims Liz said something to the effect of ... "'I don't own the palaces, I don't own the paintings, the only thing I own is my name. And now they've taken that."

The Queen was also reportedly taken aback when she found out Harry's intention to name his daughter Lilibet ... but felt like she couldn't publicly say no.

Nonetheless, this new naming and shaming is just the latest barb in H&M's continued estrangement from the royal family ... we're sure it'll be over something new next week.

As for the age-old question of what's in a name ... apparently a lot for the late QE2!

Taylor Swift y Travis Kelce están muy enamorados estos días, y un familiar dice que tuvo algo que ver en esto.

Danny Frye III -que es un corredor de pista de tierra en Oklahoma- hizo una entrevista este fin de semana donde reveló que es primo segundo de Swift, y no solo eso, se está dando crédito de formar la pareja más famosa del momento.

Échale un vistazo, en la charla de Danny con FloRacing TV, confirmó que él y Taylor están relacionados por sangre, pero no es un pariente lejano al azar, según él, son cercanos y crecieron juntos.

Más importante aún, DF3 deja caer una bomba, diciendo que hizo una "conexión de amor" entre su prima y Travis, aunque en realidad no entra en detalles. Danny muestra una captura de pantalla de él y TayTay en un juego de los Jefes, por lo que no es totalmente mentira.

Es interesante que esto esté saliendo ahora, porque en noviembre, Travis contó cómo fue exactamente que él y Taylor se conocieron. Diciendo que alguien en su mundo hizo el papel de Cupido y sugirió fuertemente que podría haber sido alguien que lo conozca muy de cerca.

Algunos sospechaban que su hermano -Austin-, podría haber sido responsable, pero ahora, Danny dice que él es la razón por la que tenemos una de las parejas más grandes del último tiempo.

Una vez más, no hay detalles sobre cómo fue que todo pasó, pero no es difícil imaginarlo. Presumiblemente, Danny escuchó la historia de Taylor Travis en su pódcast y transmitió el mensaje.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are two peas in a pod these days -- but in terms of their initial coming-together ... her relative is now coming forward to claim he played matchmaker.

Danny Frye III -- who's a dirt track racer in Oklahoma -- did an interview this weekend where he revealed he's T-Swift's second cousin, and not just that ... but he's taking credit for setting up his uber-famous family member with the Kansas City Chiefs tight end.

Check it out ... in Danny's chat with FloRacing TV, he confirmed he and Taylor are, in fact, related by blood -- but he's not just some random distant relative ... according to him, they're somewhat close and grew up together.

More importantly, DF3 drops a bombshell ... saying he made a "love connection" between his cuzzo and TK -- although, he doesn't really get into the details much at all. Danny shows off a screengrab of him and TayTay at a Chiefs game ... so he's not totally BS'ing.

It's interesting this is coming out now -- 'cause back in November, Travis spilled the beans on how exactly he and Taylor got hooked up ... saying someone in her world played Cupid, and strongly suggested it might have been someone in her own brood who knew who he was.

Some suspected her brother, Austin, might've been responsible -- but now, Danny here is saying he's the reason we have one of the biggest, most famous couples in recent memory.

Again, no deets on how exactly it all unfolded -- but it ain't hard to piece together. Presumably, Danny heard Travis' Taylor story on his pod, and relayed the message.

Video showing Big Jook at a funeral in Tennessee has emerged ... capturing some of the star’s final moments.

In the clip -- which is circulating online -- you can see Jook, born Anthony Mims, towers above other attendees in a black suit and appears to get emotional as he walks up to the open casket of his uncle, Eric Bovan.

It looks like BJ, who was Yo Gotti's older brother, was providing comfort to friends and family at the somber affair ... embracing fellow grievers hours before his untimely death.

As we reported, Jook was shot and killed in Memphis on Saturday afternoon outside Perignons Restaurant & Event Centre. Another man was also reportedly shot and rushed to the hospital.

The details surrounding the shooting are still unclear -- though some are speculating it's connected to the 2021 murder of Young Dolph. Pictures and videos of Jook bleeding out have gone viral on social media.

BJ was affiliated with Gotti's label Collective Music Group though he worked mainly on building the business rather than performing himself.

Big Jook was 47.

Tory Lanez was paid a visit from a very special person while behind bars -- his son Kai.

Ceasar McDowell, a member of Tory's legal team and CEO of Unite the People tells TMZ ... the 6-year-old got to visit his dad 2 weekends in a row at California Correctional Institution Tehachapi ... where the rapper is less than 4 months into his 10-yr sentence for shooting Meg Thee Stallion in the foot.

We're told a family member brought the youngster to the prison ... and they didn't have to talk through glass. In fact, they got to sit at a table and spend 4-5 hours together on both Sat & Sun.

The father/son duo played board games, did some drawing, and ate food out of the vending machine.

Tory was happy to hug his son ... and it was especially good to see him as he'd been unable to spend time with him for the holidays -- though they communicate frequently.

You'll recall ... Tory brought Kai to court several times during his shooting trial in 2022.

Tory was sentenced in August 2023 ... found guilty of all 3 charges against him -- negligent discharge of a firearm, assault with a semiautomatic firearm, and carrying a loaded and unregistered firearm.