Influencers

Jake Paul's fighting Hasim Rahman Jr. August 6, but the world's most controversial boxer has his sights set on another opponent -- Nate Diaz -- telling TMZ Sports the UFC superstar is the guy he wants to put hands on more than anyone else ... at least in the short term.

"I think Nate Diaz is first and foremost," 25-year-old Paul told Babcock when he joined the "TMZ Sports" TV show (weekdays on FS1).

"That's the one that everyone's been wanting. Everyone knows he only has one or two fights left with the UFC."

Jake continued ... "So, hopefully, when he's done with that, we can run it back because there's some unsettled s**t talk there."

(Note: Jake and Nate haven't fought -- but have exchanged some trash talk)

We also asked Jake for the short list of fighters, aside from Rahman Jr., who he considered as replacements for Tommy Fury ... after Tyson's bro dropped out of their scheduled match for a second time.

"Yeah, there was Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. as well. I still want that fight,.I think it can happen one day."

Paul also considered an MMA G.O.A.T. ... who like Jake has had success in the boxing ring of late (Spider actually beat Chavez Jr. in a boxing match in 2021).

"Anderson Silva was on that list, but he's in a tricky contract with Triller from what I'm told. So, it wasn't easy to make that fight happen right away, and yeah, just waiting for some guys to get out of their UFC contract to put them to sleep, too."

Khaby Lame, who just dethroned Charli D'Amelio as the top TikTok star, says acting's always been his ultimate goal ... and he hopes a movie with Will Smith is in his future.

We got Khaby with his project manager -- who translated his Italian -- in Beverly Hills where he told us TikTok fame has him looking for his break in acting, and yeah ... he wants to do it big Willie style.

He says "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" was an early inspiration for him, so a gig with Will would really bring things full circle.

About Will's Oscars slap from earlier this year, Khaby tells us he still respects him as an actor. He thinks people deserve second chances, and if Will wants a comeback, Khaby would be honored to be part of it.

The guy's gotten over 145M followers on TikTok, passing every other creator on the platform, despite the fact he doesn't speak in his posts. He explained why staying silent has actually played a big role in his success.

Gotta say, it's working for him -- Khaby's quiet comedy and universal body language makes millions laugh across the globe.

Bryce Hall is lucky to be standing after an alleged drunk driver plowed into his Tesla, totaling the vehicle.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the suspect who ran into Hall blew more than double the legal limit and was arrested for DUI Sunday night in WeHo after his SUV crashed into Bryce's Tesla.

We're told no one was seriously injured, but some were complaining about aches and pains after the crash.

Cops say the TikTok star's Tesla had its airbags deployed and ended up getting towed away ... he was pretty shaken up, telling those around him he wasn't getting the answers he wanted.

As we reported, Bryce had an incident last December with a man named Joshua Shakill who was arrested on suspicion of burglary ... the guy broke into his West Hollywood home while Bryce was there.

TikTok star Cooper Noriega has died at the age of 19 ... just hours after a very eerie social media post about dying at a young age.

Law enforcement sources tell us a passerby called 911 Thursday after discovering Cooper unconscious in a mall parking lot outside Los Angeles. We're told paramedics arrived on scene shortly thereafter, but were unable to revive the young social media star.

Our sources say Cooper was not in a vehicle, and there were no signs of trauma on his body. At this time, we're told there's no foul play suspected and an autopsy will be performed.

Just hours before Cooper died, he posted an image of himself in bed on TikTok with the caption, "who else b thinking they gon d!€ young af."

YouTuber and boxer Austin McBroom is looking for redemption when he puts on his next boxing event at Crypto.com Arena in July ... enlisting Pro Bowl running back Le'Veon Bell and a former Lakers star to fight on the card.

TMZ Sports spoke with the social media superstar ahead his July 30 fight -- a professional bout against AnEsonGib -- and he's dropping some major hints on the huge names involved.

Among those names include the former Steelers star, some high profile musicians and even a popular ex-NBA hooper ... but aside from Bell, McBroom was tight-lipped on revealing who exactly he was talking about.

Of course, McBroom's Social Gloves' first attempt at the boxing game -- the Battle of the Platforms -- resulted in lawsuits and fighters claiming they didn't get paid ... but the 30-year-old says he's learned his lesson and is ready to put on a hiccup-free show.

"This time around, we're working with people who have been doing this for a while. We have a new team, new streaming partner, everything is new," McBroom tells us. "Guys that are really experienced and I've been very blessed and fortunate to have another shot at this."

"Everything in the past is behind us -- no lawsuits, fighters are paid and we're ready to do this thing the right way and put on a show how it was supposed to be put on the first time around."

McBroom is hellbent on making this a great experience for everyone involved this time around -- hoping to sell out the arena and sell around 300,000 Pay-Per-Views.

As for his own fight, McBroom says he's expecting to make light work out of Gib ... which he hopes will pave the way for a fight against Logan Paul's old opponent, KSI.

TikTok star, Bryce Hall, will NEVER be friends with Tayler Holder ... so says Bryce, who believes Tayler is guilty of some serious allegations.

We caught Bryce leaving Bradley Martyn's Zoo Culture Gym in Woodland Hills, Tuesday night, and he went off on Tayler Holder and their never-ending beef.

Bryce says Tayler's interview with TMZ was absolute BS, especially when he claimed he didn't know Bryce. He adds, Tayler was actually the undercard for his Professional boxing event and they've collaborated, despite not being friends.

Going forward though ... Bryce makes it clear he would NEVER be friends with Tayler, "after the s*** he's done," referencing rumors about sexual allegations against Holder. He says Tay should worry about the "lawsuits on his name," instead of contacting the media and promoting his music -- which he gave a pretty damning review.

ICYMI, Tayler sat down on "TMZ Verified Podcast" and denied any, and all, sexual assault allegation rumors against him. During the interview, he also claimed he didn't know Bryce.

A TikTok star's pleasure turned into a real pain in the butt, literally -- she says she got a sex toy stuck up there and had to get it surgically removed.

The woman, who goes by the handle @sophzaloafs and lives in the U.K., shared her horror story ... and even posted the X-ray images of a vibrator inside her body.

The TikToker says things got out of hand when she was using the 3-inch toy, and when she couldn't get it out, she sought medical help.

She says she couldn't go to the hospital the night it happened, so she tried sleeping with the vibrator inside ... but the toy continued to buzz throughout the night. As you'd imagine, that made for some serious tossing and turning.

When she finally went to the hospital the next morning, she says doctors struggled to get it out, and the only option was a surgical procedure.

Tayler Holder is clearing the air ... flat out saying no one has come forward to accuse him of sexual assault, and insists any rumors claiming otherwise are lies.

The TikTok star opened up on the "TMZ Verified" Podcast, following online speculation he might have been involved in unspecified sexual assault allegations. Tayler says he was never publicly confronted with any accusation from any individual, law enforcement, or attorney.

Interestingly, he says his team did have contact with someone they apparently thought was the source of the rumors, and encouraged that person to raise the allegation in a legal setting ... but he says they went silent at that point.

Folks on social media began to speculate Tayler might be in the middle of some legal trouble because some of his close friends and influencers unfollowed him on Instagram.

Of course, this wouldn't be the first time he has talked about allegations -- but, his open letter and previous interview raised more questions when he said there's stuff going on that should be handled offline.

TikTok star Icy Wyatt has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a police officer and another person with a firearm ... according to court documents.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, officers say the 23-year-old was driving erratically Monday night in Sunrise, FL ...  when he stopped his car in the middle of the road. That's when cops say 2 people in another car asked him to move, which apparently set Wyatt off.

Cops say he followed them to a nearby Chick-Fil-A parking lot, where both parties got out of their cars and began to argue. Wyatt allegedly then went into his glove box, pulled out a gun and pointed it at them.

According to the report, one of the alleged victims turned back to get in the car, prompting Wyatt to strike them in the back of the head with the gun ... and Wyatt then peeled out of the parking lot. Cops say they were able to get his tag information and locate him.

When they caught up with Wyatt and arrested him, cops say he resisted and ended up kicking one of the officers in the thigh ... and then kicked the cage bars in the cop car while calling the officer a "c***" and a "bitch."

He was booked Monday night for 2 counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, one count of battery on an officer and one count of resisting arrest.

Patrick Mahomes wasn't the only Mahomes getting a big, public kiss in this month ... his brother, Jackson Mahomes, just starred in a TikTok video where he smooched a famous social media star.

Jackson shared the footage on his Instagram page Wednesday night -- and it's pretty steamy.

Vibing to Kevin Gates' "Thinkin' with My D***," TikTok star Blaneoh began the video on screen -- before Jackson lightly pushed him out of the way to stand next to Dayna Marie.

If you're not familiar ... 21-year-old Dayna is HUGE on social media, she has nearly 7 million followers on TikTok and over 1 million followers on Instagram.

In the footage, Jackson can be seen laying a big kiss on her -- before everyone eventually left the screen and the camera cut off.

No word if everyone was just having fun -- or if this is the start of a new relationship for Jackson. But, either way, it's been a notable past few days for the younger Mahomes.

He was just Patrick's best man at the Chiefs star's wedding in Hawaii last weekend, and his social media presence has ballooned even further following Patrick's big day.

Bryce Hall took matters into his own hands after coming face-to-face with a man who allegedly got inside the TikTok star's home uninvited ... apprehending him until cops arrived.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ they got a call for a "hot prowl" -- essentially someone trying to break in when a homeowner is present -- at Halls' West Hollywood pad Tuesday. When they arrived, they discovered the man, who had been apprehended by Bryce and another man outside in the driveway.

In video, obtained by TMZ, you hear Bryce accuse the man of having followed or approached him before ... though it's not clear why he continues to allegedly follow Hall.

Bryce also posted a disturbing clip, showing the man inside his home, allegedly uninvited, and coming up his stairs.

Officers were quick to take the man into custody, and we're told he's being booked. It's currently unclear what he's been arrested for.

Story developing ...

Nikita Dragun wants to take Dave Chappelle to school ... extending an olive branch of sorts, and offering him a chance to get an education on the transgender community.

We got the transgender influencer Wednesday at Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills and asked her about Dave's controversial LGBTQ+ jokes.

Nikita says both sides need more understanding and communication ... and she says one way to achieve that is through education.

She wants to help school Dave, sitting down with the comedian and coming at him in a non-threatening way.

As you know ... Dave's jokes are rubbing lots of folks the wrong way, including trans employees at Netflix, where his controversial special, "The Closer," streams.

There was even a walkout protest at Netflix HQ ... but as we've told you, Dave's saying he is down to meet with members of the transgender community to hear them out, with a few conditions.

Reality star Harry Jowsey is under fire after a clip from his podcast calling James Charles a homophobic slur made it online, only to be deleted shortly after it was posted ... and Jowsey is already apologizing.

The former "Too Hot to Handle" star dropped a new episode of his popular 'Tap In' podcast Tuesday, and about 8 minutes in you can hear him talking to someone in the room about makeup guru James Charles ... claiming Charles is making advances on him.

Jowsey says, "James Charles is trying to f*** me ... the makeup artist. You don't know who he is? Just some f*****."

It appears the comment was not supposed to make the podcast's final cut, and seemed to be more of a conversation between Jowsey and a member of his team. However, listeners were quick to grab the audio and post it online.

The original version of Jowsey's podcast was 40 minutes long, and it's now only 27 minutes ... so it appears an editor cut the James Charles comment as well as other segments of the episode out and re-uploaded the shorter version.

Harry tells us, "I'm deeply embarrassed that I used such an offensive term so casually in conversation. I spoke with James already privately and I look forward to using this as a learning experience and not forgetting the weight that my words carry. I also want to sincerely apologize to the entire LGBTQ+ community who I wholeheartedly support.”

The comment is somewhat surprising considering Jowsey recently said he was an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, saying trans women are women and sharing he had hooked up with Nikita Dragun.

As for Charles and Jowsey, it doesn't appear the two have any sort of solid friendship, though we have seen them at the same events.

James Charles has not yet commented on the audio.

Charli D'Amelio is beefing with a media kingpin who says he can make anyone famous ... and he's warning the TikTok star not to poke the bear!!!

Here's the deal ... Charli, TikTok's most-followed star, was recently featured in an endorsement video for the "Fame By Sheeraz Masterclass," and now her lawyers are making a big fuss over it.

Charli's legal team fired off a legal letter to Sheeraz, obtained by TMZ, demanding the media guru scrub her portion from his promotional video and class.

As you can see in the clip, Charli looks into the camera and waves as she says, "Hi Fame By Sheeraz."

According to the cease and desist letter, Charli's lawyer says her inclusion in Sheeraz's promo "is not approved and will not be approved."

Sheeraz tells TMZ ... "Don't poke the media beast we control the paparazzi and media that promotes you and gives you FAME. That's why you endorsed FAME by Sheeraz."

Sounds like Sheeraz isn't having it.

Addison Rae is either UFC's newest live event reporter, or she's trolling hard -- or perhaps both ... because she's touting what seems to be a new on-camera gig, which has got a lot of journalism student advocates pissed.

The TikTok star posted photos of herself at what seems to be a UFC event -- perhaps a teaser to Saturday's UFC 264, where McGregor and Poirier are set to face off -- but it's unclear where or for what exactly. In any event, Addison made it seem like she'd been hired.

As she posed all dolled up on the red carpet with a UFC tarp behind her, she wrote ... "I studied broadcast journalism in college for 3 whole months to prepare for this moment."

Definitely a tongue-in-cheek caption, we're sure ... or so it seems. Addison appears to be poking fun at the fact that she dropped out of LSU -- where she's said to have been studying journalism -- to pursue her social media career (which was obviously a good idea).

Although she thought it was funny ... a lot of people online didn't. Twitter users piled on top of her (digitally) for what they perceived as an unjust and unwarranted HR move on UFC's part ... assuming she's actually on their payroll. They suggested Addison was undeserving, as opposed to a journo student who slaved away for 4 years for an actual degree.

One guy wrote, "Should we hire someone who busted their butt through college, and genuinely loves UFC and is hungry for an opportunity in journalism?? Nah, let’s hire Addison Rae because she’s popular for 'throwing it back' on tik tok." Funny stuff, no doubt.

With that said, we gotta wonder ... are people are overreacting here??? Yes, while it may seem AR has little to no experience in the field, and perhaps isn't as skilled or trained as others who've studied this at the university level -- the truth is, UFC probably doesn't care.

At the end of the day, the company is in the entertainment biz -- and if bringing Addison on as a host helps 'em get eyeballs and sell PPV purchases for their product ... they're gonna do it!!! And, besides ... a hosting job like this really doesn't take much schooling anyway. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Austin McBroom was true to his name ... he cleaned the floor with Bryce Hall Saturday night, but it's unclear if the loser will have to ante up a million bucks.

The event -- YouTubers vs. TikTokers -- is further proof these social media boxing matches are becoming the most popular events in combat sports ... like it or not.

Austin dominated the fight from the get-go ... pummeling the TikToker from one end of the ring to the other. Bryce was beaten to a pulp in round 3 ... at one point the ref stopped the action with an 8 count to see if Bryce could continue, and he did ... for about 10 more seconds before a fierce combination to the body was enough for the ref, who stopped the fight.

So, this was a TKO, not a knockout, and therein lies the problem. The deal was that the loser would pay the winner $1 mil if he got knocked out. TECHNICALLY, Bryce did not, so the money thing is unclear.

Bryce says he pocketed $5 mil for the fight ... unclear what Austin got, but we're assuming it's in that vicinity.

The night was super entertaining ... Check out how TikToker Vinnie Hacker celebrated after his knockout win against Deji.

Most people thought this would be just a social media event with crappy boxing, but the action was actually good and it was really entertaining.