Hollywood Exes

Kanye West has now lawyered up to handle custody issues in his divorce, and we're told this will end up before a judge, unless he reaches some agreement with Kim Kardashian.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ, Kanye's lawyer, Samantha Spector, is making custody job #1. As we reported, Kanye groused over the weekend again that Kim is not letting him see their kids when he wants.

That's certainly not the way Kim sees it ... she has welcomed her ex-husband's involvement in their kids' lives and wants him to spend time with their 4 children, and claimed he picked them up for school Monday.

What's more ... our sources say Kanye's spent 3 days with the kids in the last week -- the first time he's been in L.A. since the Super Bowl. Kanye also had 3 of the kids with him at the Donda 2 event in Miami last month -- we're told Kim kept North in L.A. because she had a test at school she'd been studying for that she didn't want to miss -- so Kim made school the priority.

Here's the issue. Up until now, there has been no formal arrangement for custody. They have tried working it out amongst themselves. When Kanye's in town and wants to see the kids, she's game, unless the kids are in the middle of something else.

But, there's clearly a conflict, and it's getting worse. We're told Spector will first try to establish something more formal between Kim and Kanye, but if that doesn't happen she'll go to court and ask a judge to impose ground rules for custody and visitation.

Here's the rub. Kanye travels frequently outside of L.A., and it's hard to formalize a custody arrangement when schedules keep changing.

As we reported, Kim has been doing everything she can to keep things peaceful, but Kanye's so angry over her relationship with Pete Davidson as well as custody issues, the notion of reaching an out-of-court agreement seems unlikely.

With Pete Davidson taunting Kanye West with a photo of himself in bed -- apparently next to Kim Kardashian -- some folks simply couldn't help but think of one person ... Mac Miller.

Here's the deal ... after PD's stunt this weekend -- in which his text messages to Ye surfaced, including a pic of him lying shirtless where he said he was "in bed with your wife" -- the late rapper started to trend on Twitter ... and the reason is because folks began to remember an old rumor about him, Ariana Grande and Pete from years ago.

You might recall ... Kanye himself actually invoked this unsubstantiated rumor a month ago when he was lashing out, writing "NO COMMENT" at the time. The rumor is that Pete allegedly sent Mac intimate photos of himself and Ari before Mac died -- and that, upon learning this and in the wake of Mac's death, AG broke things off with her then-fiancé.

Like we said, that rumor bubbled up online upon Pete and Ariana splitting -- and no media outlet reported it as true. Ariana's brother Frankie, also shot it down to our camera. And yet ... people felt that Pete doing something very similar here to Ye actually lent credence to the idea that maybe it happened.

Others felt it was a totally different situation, and more importantly ... completely inappropriate to bring up Mac with this new mess, with many calling on such talk to simmer down.

And yet, some couldn't help themselves with speculation -- arguing that if Pete was willing to do this with high-profile people like Kim and Kanye ... perhaps he could pull something similar with other love triangles he may have been involved in, including possibly Ari and Mac.

Kanye West is at it again -- rapid-fire posting multiple videos and screenshots to prove what he claims is a raw deal on how his kids are being raised ... without much say from him. And one thing is for certain, Pete Davidson isn't biting his tongue anymore.

Ye posted several videos with allegations against Kim Kardashian, claiming she's pulling the rug from out under him as it relates to letting their kids come to Sunday Service -- specifically, with North.

Turns out Pete was watching Kanye's Instagram activity, because a string of text messages between the two -- all sent this morning -- popped up on social media.

Pete gives Kim credit for being an awesome mom, telling Kanye he should be thankful she's the one taking care of the kids ... but then he sets his sights on making things work with Kanye. Pete invited Kanye for a one on one chat, at his hotel and without cameras.

Pete tells Ye he's been more than respectful over the last few months as Kanye bashed him, but he's done being nice ... either the two work things out, or it's no more mister nice guy.

As for his posts, Kanye's angry about a new video on Kim and North's TikTok account -- in which North sings along to the lyrics of a song about liking emo girls ... Kanye doesn't think that's okay.

Kanye also claimed Pete had bragged about being in bed with "his wife" -- which the texts prove was legit -- but as we told you, Kim's now legally single.

BTW, during this rant, Ye also seemingly threatened D.L. Hughley with violence and even made allegations of drug use -- but at this point, it seems like he and Pete might come to blows before anything like that happens. 😬

Princess Love says the door is always open on getting back with Ray J ... but she says it's no skin off her teeth if he wants a divorce.

We got Princess at LAX on Friday and our photog asked about recent comments that love isn't always enough to save a troubled marriage.

Princess signals she's open to working on her union with Ray ... but she also says it takes a commitment from both parties.

TMZ broke the story ... Ray filed divorce docs back in October, marking the third time the couple's tried pulling the plug on their marriage. They ended up back together the first two times ... the jury's still out on the 3rd.

Princess says she doesn't really know what she wants ... but she says if Ray keeps calling for divorce she's going to let it happen.

Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack being on the same page is a rarity these days, but the exes, and their HGTV bosses, are in lockstep about pulling the plug on "Flip or Flop" ... TMZ has learned.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us ... Tarek and Christina's contracts for the show were up, but talks had already begun for a new season when the former couple had second thoughts about their 11th season.

Our sources say the decision had nothing to do with any specific incident or flop in ratings -- all parties involved just wanted to end the series on a high note.

It doesn't hurt that Tarek and Christina each have solo projects now with the network. Translation: Neither really needs "Flip or Flop" now that she's got "Christina on the Coast" and he has 'Flipping 101.'

Our sources point out ... working with an ex is not always ideal, and that's proven true for them. Remember, TMZ broke the story when Tarek lost it on Christina during a shoot last July. We were told he snapped because she was telling him it was time to start filming.

As you know, the exes announced they were splitting in December 2016, but still signed on for the next season of the show that made them famous. Tarek filed for divorce the following month, which was finalized a year later.

Selma Blair got an order of protection against her boyfriend, claiming he attacked her ... this after he was arrested for felony domestic violence with corporal injury.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Selma and Ron Carlson were in a long-term relationship that recently ended. Ronald went to her home on February 22 to drop off a TV set. Selma told him she had been medicated all day to treat her Multiple Sclerosis and was feeling ill. She says he got frustrated and screamed at her, "You f**ked up, you can't do anything, you can't love anybody, you're f**king useless, you cripple." She says he went on to say, "I don't f**king deserve this, I can do so much better than you."

Selma claims Ronald became enraged and lunged at her, jumped on top of her body while she was lying on the sofa, grabbed her by the neck "and strangled her, throttling her and shaking her head and shoulders aggressively."

According to the docs, Selma says she stuck her fingers into his eyes and mouth and he responded by covering her mouth and face with his hands. She says she was unable to breathe and lost consciousness. Police came to their house and when they interviewed Selma, she says her nose began to bleed heavily and she lost consciousness again.

We're told EMTs on scene made the decision to take Selma to the hospital for a further evaluation.

Ronald was arrested for felony domestic violence with corporal injuries. The police obtained a 5-day restraining order against Ronald, prohibiting him from going near Selma. She then had her lawyer go to court and obtained a temporary restraining order.

Ronald filed a petition for a restraining order today against Selma -- 15 days after the incident -- he says when he was at her home she asked him to sit next to her. He claims they had both been ill so he declined to get next to her, at which point she became "angry and antagonistic." He says she got in his face and said, "Your daughter is a f**king loser."

He claims Selma then swung at his face with her right arm and struck him in the eye. He says she then attacked him with both arms, scratching him in the nose, eyes and cheeks.  He says he reached for her defensively, and denies attacking her. He says her bloody nose was a persistent problem that she had complained about 2 days earlier in a text (above). As far as we can see, his restraining order petition has not yet been granted.

Rosanna Arquette is gonna be a single woman again ... 'cause her husband, Todd Morgan, just filed for divorce.

According to docs obtained by TMZ ... Todd filed for divorce Wednesday, after 9 years of marriage. In his petition, Todd notes "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for ending things.

Todd, who's an investment banker, says he does not want spousal support awarded to either of them ... and he also wants each party to pay their own attorney's fees.

The couple's been split up since the begging of this year, at least according to Todd ... who lists Jan. 1, 2022, as their date of separation.

Kelly Clarkson and Brandon Blackstock have FINALLY settled their bitter divorce case, and Kelly's walking away with the lion's share of assets, although he's getting a pretty penny in support.

L.A. Superior Court Judge Scott Gordon has just signed off on the terms. Kelly will have primary custody of their 2 kids. Brandon, who lives in Montana, will have the kids one weekend a month ... at least for now.

Speaking of Montana, as we reported, Kelly will keep the Montana ranch, but Brandon is allowed to live there until June 1. He must, however, pay her rent -- $12,500 a month.

If Brandon moves from Montana to another state, the custody arrangement will be reevaluated.

As we reported, Brandon challenged their prenup, but after a trial the judge affirmed its validity -- and that was a big win for Kelly. We're told she makes around $20 mil a year, and that's all hers.

Brandon will get spousal support -- $115,000 a month -- but that ends in January 2024.

He also gets $45,600 a month in child support. Although he only gets the kids 1 weekend a month, the amount reflects the overhead he has to pay to ensure the kids can stay comfortably. Kelly's lawyer, Laura Wasser, can go back into court and ask for an adjustment if, say, Brandon moves somewhere else and the overhead expenses changes.

She's also paying him $1.3 million as part of the settlement.

It's pretty ironic ... on the heels of getting the settlement finalized, Kelly sang "I Will Always Love You" at the ACM Awards Monday night. If she was singing to anyone, it was clearly Dolly Parton and not Brandon.

The judge restored their single status back in September. The judge also removed Blackstock from Kelly's name, and she filed to go by Kelly Brianne. Brianne is her middle name, and although professionally she'll still be known as Kelly Clarkson, legally she is trying to drop Clarkson. It appears she made the change because she is not a fan of her father.

Either Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley are going through the most peaceful breakup of all time... or they're still together, going stronger than ever!!

We posted video of the back-to-back NFL MVP officiating star teammate David Bakhtiari's wedding near Santa Barbara ... but it wasn't clear if ex-fiancé/fiancé (who knows anymore) attended the wedding.

But, we now have our answer ... 'cause video from the wedding reception certainly appears to show 38-year-old Rodgers and 30-year-old Woodley chatting as people dance.

Remember, Aaron and Shailene started dating shortly after he split from Danica Patrick in 2020.

Then, Rodgers shocked many people when he announced at the NFL awards show that he was engaged to the star actress.

But, earlier this year, there were reports AR and SW broke up ... with both choosing to focus on their respective careers.

However, after they reportedly broke up, Aaron posted a sappy message about Shailene on his Instagram page.

"thanks for letting me chase after you the first couple months after we met, and finally letting me catch up to you and be a part of your life. Thanks for always having my back, for the incredible kindness you show me and everyone you meet, and for showing me what unconditional love looks like, I love you and am grateful for you."

Then, the couple was seen out in Los Angeles together ... further adding to speculation they were still together or they rekindled the romance after splitting.

Kanye West's girlfriend, Chaney Jones, has been getting compared to Kim Kardashian -- and for good reason -- but it seems she wants the world to know ... she's her own woman.

Obviously, that goes without saying ... but it seems CJ wanted to hit the point home this weekend with an "about me" section that probably helps people out ... because, frankly, before this -- nobody knew much about her at all. She just sorta splashed onto the scene.

In since-deleted IG posts -- which were captured and shared before she got rid of them -- Chaney threw up 5 facts that described her ... and depending on how you read this, some of these points may or may not be shade at Kim. You decide for yourself, folks.

First she posted a photo of herself from behind that she says was from when she was just 20 years old, before her Brazilian butt-lift procedure. As you can see ... she notes that she's always been a bit thick in the booty area, and was never in "denial" about it when asked.

Hmmm ... OK, go on.

After that, Chaney appears to have thrown up more self-factoids in a list format ... and there, too, one could interpret a little saltiness perhaps being tossed in Kim's direction.

For example ... Chaney says her ethnic background includes mixes of both European and African blood -- explaining she's got roots in West Africa, Nigeria and Ghana. The reason that *could* be significant ... Kim has often been accused of appropriating Black culture, so maybe this is something or maybe not ... could be a totally innocent statement of fact.

There's more ... Chaney goes on to say she's getting her Master's degree and maintaining a 4.0 GPA -- adding she's the COO of a behavioral health org. She also touches on surgery again ... saying she's never had it done on her face, and that she was "born like this." 🤔

It also sounds like Chaney is quite young ... just 24. So yes, both Kim and Kanye are dating hot 20-somethings. The difference -- Pete's not being compared to Ye, but Chaney is absolutely being compared to Kim, as both women do look similar, especially in their bods.

Gene Simmons says Kanye West needs to man up and back off Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson ... and he thinks a bitch slap might just be the wake-up call Kanye needs.

We got the KISS rocker Thursday at Kings Road Cafe and gauged his opinion on Kanye's repeated online attacks aimed at his estranged wife and her new boyfriend, and Ye's behavior since the divorce.

Gene says Kanye needs to get a hobby other than obsessing over Kim and Pete ... and he suggests a slap to the face to set Kanye straight.

What's more, Gene finds it pretty childish for Kanye to be waltzing around in Miami with a new girl who just so happens to look like Kim ... and he's got a message for Chaney Jones too.

While Gene is siding with Kim and Pete here, he does acknowledge the fact something might be off with Kanye ... and points out Ye has admitted as much in the past.

The big issue remaining in the Kim and Kanye divorce is child custody, and his new lawyer hedged in court Tuesday on how it will shake out ... but we're told it's highly likely it'll end up so that Kim will be home base and Kanye can see his 4 kids pretty much whenever he chooses.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... based on Kanye's schedule, which involves significant global travel, the typical custody arrangement spells out in detail who gets the kids and when is simply impractical.

For instance, they've attended birthday parties and other functions together as a family, without any kind of formal structure. It's possible they'd create a structure for XMAS, Thanksgiving and other holidays, but Kanye is a global traveler because of his various businesses, so planning ahead may be unrealistic.

Our sources say as crazy as the divorce has been, the custody issues for the most part have been handled peacefully. Whenever Kanye's in L.A. and wants to see the kids, Kim has facilitated it. For example, the other day Kanye wanted to take one of the kids to a basketball game, and Kim gladly obliged. In other words, there's an open-door policy when it comes to custody.

Kanye also typically gets the kids every Sunday for his Sunday Service.

It's been a bitter pill for Kim to swallow at times. You may recall, when Kanye took Saint and North to the Super Bowl a few weeks ago -- in full mask -- there were some boos, which isn't great for the kids. Nevertheless, it never became an issue for either Kim or Kanye.

Kim Kardashian's quest to become a single woman has become a reality because the judge has granted her request to end her marriage to Kanye West. Kim will hereinafter be known just as Kim Kardashian ... the West is gone.

Kim was on a video call for Wednesday's court hearing -- her lawyer, Laura Wasser was in court -- and Kanye was absent. Kanye's lawyer did not object to restoring Kim's single status, although his lawyer said he had 3 conditions -- 1. any right to get reimbursement of money that's supposed to be divided up will be preserved in case either of them dies ... the judge granted that condition.

There were 2 other conditions the judge rejected -- that Kim would not transfer any assets she had in trust, and if Kim remarries she would waive the "marital privilege." That privilege means a new spouse would not have to testify about communications he had with her. The judge said nope to that.

To close out the hearing, Kim answered a series of questions, known as the "prove up" which included, "Are there problems in your relationship?" and "Do you think your marriage can be saved with counseling?" Kim answered "yes" to the first and "no" to the other.

A source close to Kanye tells TMZ, he also wanted the divorce to be granted. He's now a single person as well.

TMZ broke the story, Kanye recently dropped his 4th divorce attorney, Chris Melcher ... we're told there was little communication between Kanye and Melcher, making the relationship extremely difficult. It's been just over a year since Kim filed for divorce. We're also told Melcher was whipsawed ... one day Kanye wanted the divorce, and the next day he wanted to fight for the marriage.

Kim's been asking the judge to restore her single status since December, when she stated in docs, "I very much desire to be divorced." She also said she'd asked Kanye to keep their divorce private, which he hadn't, and his social media posts had caused "emotional distress."

Kanye and his legal team had continued to resist, making arguments the couple's prenup should be presumed invalid and even calling into question whether Kanye actually wrote the nasty social media posts -- FYI, he claimed he hadn't been hacked.

Of course, Kim and her team felt like this was all a stalling tactic ... this as Kanye had continued his overtures in a bid to win her back, even if it meant attacking her and her new BF, Pete Davidson.

Kanye West is spending time with another Kardashian outcast -- Mr. Tristan Thompson, and the duo sat down for a meal with some female company in tow.

Ye and Tristan were spotted having dinner Tuesday night at the Setai Hotel in Miami ... where we're told they broke bread around 11 PM or so. Like we said, they weren't by themselves ... there appeared to be some women at the table too.

Based on these photos, obtained by TMZ, it looks like KW and TT are as chummy as ever -- they seemed to be in great moods, and are obviously on good enough terms to hang out in public.

Tristan was in Miami because his new team, the Chicago Bulls, had played against the Heat the night before. His next game isn't until tomorrow in Atlanta ... so, he stuck around to get in some Ye time.

It's interesting to see them hanging out like this -- because not too long ago, Ye was accusing the Kardashians, and Tristan by extension, of refusing to give him the address to a birthday party for his kid, Chicago. Kanye named dropped Tristan at the time, saying he'd been told the address leak would have to be run by Khloe first.

Kanye West is playing the game of musical chairs with his legal team once again ... dropping his divorce attorneys in the eleventh hour and just before a pivotal hearing with Kim.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us he recently fired his lawyer, Chris Melcher. We're told the relationship between Ye and Melcher had become extremely difficult, with little communication.

Our sources say at times, Kanye had expressed he just wanted to settle things with Kim ... and at others, he expressed a desire to put up a fight.

We're told Kanye's now hired attorney Samantha Spector, who recently represented Nicole Young in her divorce with Dr. Dre. Interestingly enough, Dre was repped by "Disso Queen" Laura Wasser in his divorce -- so once again, it'll be Spector and Wasser on either side.

As for Wednesday's hearing, it's expected the judge will rule to make Kim legally single. We're told it's "highly unlikely" Kanye will attend in person, but according to the court record, Kim will either call or video chat into the hearing.

If you're keeping track -- this is apparently Kanye's 4th attorney he's parted ways with since Kim filed for divorce in February 2021. In a rare, and public statement she made last month, asking Kanye to stop with the nasty posts about his family, Kim also mentioned, "Hopefully he can finally respond to the third attorney he has had in the last year to resolve any issues amicably."

Kim Kardashian's divorce case will be front and center Wednesday as she asks a judge to formally restore her single status, and the wild card is Kanye West, whose lawyers have raised a weird issue about their prenup.

TMZ broke the story ... Kanye's lawyers filed legal docs claiming prenups in California after 2002 are presumed invalid. It's weird because Kanye himself has NEVER suggested their prenup -- which kept almost all their property separate during their marriage -- is anything other than valid.

As for prenups being presumed invalid ... that's not exactly true. The law says a prenup is presumed invalid IF one of the parties who signed it challenges its validity ... Kanye has not done that, so it's unclear why the lawyers are suggesting it.

What's more ... even if Kanye challenged the prenup, he'd have to show either it was not entered voluntarily or it was "unconscionable." Kanye had a lawyer represent him when the prenup was signed, so it's hard to imagine it wasn't voluntary. As for it being unconscionable, Kanye made a fortune during the marriage and all that money is his ... so this doesn't make sense either.

As for the argument Kanye's lawyers are making -- that his social media posts blasting Pete Davidson and Kim are hearsay -- Kanye himself has never denied posting. In fact, he's said the opposite -- that his account was not hacked. Besides, it's kinda irrelevant whether he posted or not ... Kim simply wants the divorce to become official and then work out custody and any property issues that remain.

Our sources say Kanye has not been working with his lawyers, other than to make his position clear he doesn't want a divorce, but the lawyers haven't really produced any evidence that would carry weight in tomorrow's hearing. And, we're told it's highly unlikely he'll show up for the hearing.