Money

Logan Paul and KSI continue to take a proverbial Louisville Slugger bat to the beverage market ... with PRIME inking a sponsorship deal with one of the biggest stars in baseball (in many ways), Aaron Judge!

The 31-year-old NY Yankees slugger now joins K.C. Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes as a Prime ambassador ... meaning the energy and hydration drink company, which only launched in 2022, now counts arguably the world's best baseball and football player as part of their roster of athletes.

Add to #99 and #15, combat sports stars Terence Crawford, Alex Volkanovski, and Israel Adesanya, and international soccer superstar Erling Haaland ... and that's not too shabby!

Prime and KSI made the big announcement Thursday morning on social media, writing, "All Rise for the newest member of the Prime Team ⚾️ @thejudge44 x @drinkprime," along with a dugout photo of the trio.

“It’s such an honor to team up with legends like Logan Paul and KSI,” Aaron Judge said of the partnership.

“PRIME has been my go-to for both fuel and recovery since it was first released and it’s a pleasure to officially sign on as a PRIME Hydration athlete. This collaboration comes just in time as we kick off our next season and with PRIME by my side, it's slated to be one of the best ones yet.”

FWIW, this checks out. The Yanks are off to a blazing fast start, going 6-1, including a road sweep of the rival Houston Astros, and a series win in Arizona. In fact, Judge came up big on the eve of the Prime announcement, blasting a 2 run home run on Wednesday, and driving in a critical run in extra innings.

As you'd expect, Prime's pumped, too.

“Aaron Judge is nothing short of a professional baseball icon and legend. Watching his career grow into what it is today has been inspirational and these are the types of athletes we can only hope to partner with,” co-founders Logan and KSI said.

“Aaron and team, welcome to the PRIME family and good luck this season! We will all be cheering you on.”

Sean O'Malley's proving it pays to be one of the UFC's biggest stars ... especially when you've got friends like Adin Ross, who just hooked the MMA champ up with a custom "Suga" candy paint low rider!

The streamer surprised the bantamweight title holder weeks after Sean defended his belt against 'Chito' Vera at UFC 299, his 18th win as a professional.

When it came time to gift O'Malley the whip, he was in pure shock when he removed the blindfold, revealing the hot pink 1975 Chevy Caprice, and he (justifiedly) went crazy!

"No way!" O'Malley yelled. "What?! Bro! Haha! That's crazy!"

O'Malley took the car for a spin straight away ... moments after he secured the keys and got a tutorial on how to raise and lower the ride with the hydraulic suspension.

The car's sick ... from the deep, rich, metallic paint to the chromed-out suspension.

Of course, the low rider -- from the High Class Car Club in Glendale -- fits O'Malley's personality perfectly ... as he's known for his vibrant hair color and style.

Ross -- who went forward with the gift despite receiving an ass whoopin' in the cage during a sparring sesh earlier in the day -- also said he has an Audemars Piguet luxury watch for Sean.

KISS just sold their entire music catalog -- not to mention their entire image -- to a company that puts on hologram shows for legendary music acts ... and they did it for a pretty penny.

The iconic rock band struck a deal with Pophouse Entertainment, selling off not only their music but their name and likeness for upwards of $300 million, per reports. BTW, this is the same company they were already set to do a full digital avatar residency with.

Pophouse is also the same company that's been doing those hologram ABBA shows -- and like we said, KISS is already teaming up with them anyway ... so this move makes sense.

El legendario grupo KISS acaba de vender todo su catálogo de música, por no hablar de su imagen, a una empresa que realiza espectáculos de hologramas de músicos legendarios, y lo hicieron por una tremenda suma de dinero.

La emblemática banda de rock ha llegado a un acuerdo con Pophouse Entertainment para vender no solo su música, sino que también su nombre y su imagen por la generosa suma de 300 millones de dólares. Por cierto, se trata de la misma empresa con la que ya habían acordado una residencia digital completa.

Pophouse es también la misma empresa que ha estado haciendo esos espectáculos de hologramas de ABBA, y como hemos dicho, KISS ya se había asociado con ellos, por lo que este movimiento tiene sentido.

Sorry, Big3 fans ... WNBA coach Stephanie White believes you will NOT see Caitlin Clark in the 3-on-3 league this year -- this despite the obvious temptation of Ice Cube's $5 MILLION offer.

The Connecticut Sun head coach told Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" on Wednesday she feels the legacy Clark can build in the WNBA will ultimately trump the Big3's cash when it comes time to make a decision.

Of course, Clark has yet to mull everything -- she said last week she wants to wait until Iowa's run in the NCAA tournament comes to an end before she chooses her next move.

Rebel Wilson is once again stirring the pot -- this time taking shots at her talent agency, claiming her team preferred her when she was plus size.

The actress gets into the weighty subject in her new memoir, "Rebel Rising" ... which has already sparked controversy over claims against Sacha Baron Cohen and Adele. Now, she's coming for her agents, saying they preferred her when she was heavier ... as that meant banking "hundreds of thousands of dollars in commission for each film where [she] played the fat funny girl."

According to Rebel, this left her feeling trapped since there was "a multimillion-dollar pigeonhole" over her body size. Remember, she already claimed, while on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, she was contractually obligated not to lose weight while filming the "Pitch Perfect" franchise.

Rebel Wilson está agitando las cosas una vez más, esta vez disparando contra su agencia de talentos tras alegar que su equipo la prefería en una talla más grande.

La actriz abordó el tema en su nuevo libro de memorias "Rebel Rising", que ya ha desatado polémicas por sus denuncias en contra de Sacha Baron Cohen y Adele. Ahora, ella está tras sus agentes, diciendo que la preferían más grande, ya que eso significaba "cientos de miles de dólares en comisiones por cada película en la que [ella] interpretaba a la gorda graciosa".

Según Rebel, esto la dejó sintiéndose atrapada, ya que había "un encasillamiento multimillonario" sobre su tamaño corporal. Recordemos que durante el podcast "Call Her Daddy" ya afirmó que estaba obligada por contrato a no adelgazar durante el rodaje de la franquicia "Pitch Perfect".

Un informe afirmaba que 50 Cent estaba siendo considerado para reemplazar a Diddy como la cara de Ciroc... pero ahora sabemos que era mentira.

Fuentes relacionadas con la marca de vodka le dicen a TMZ que no hay nada de cierto en los rumores o afirmaciones de que 50 es el nombre que se baraja entre los ejecutivos de Ciroc. Todo esto a raíz de que Diddy y Ciroc (y su empresa matriz Diageo) irán por caminos separados a principios de este año.

Incluso un informe llega a citar a un trabajador anónimo de Ciroc que supuestamente le dijo a 50 Cent que él fue la elección inicial para dirigir la empresa el 2007, con esta persona anónima afirmando que Diddy se abalanzó y "robó el acuerdo".

A report claimed that 50 Cent was being eyed to replace Diddy as the face of Ciroc -- something we now know isn't the case ... despite the guy himself seemingly leaning into it.

Sources connected to the vodka brand tell TMZ there's no truth to rumors or claims that Fiddy is the top name getting kicked around among Ciroc executives -- this in the wake of Diddy and Ciroc (and its parent company Diageo) going their separate ways earlier this year.

One report even goes so far as to cite an anonymous Ciroc honcho who supposedly said 50 Cent was actually their initial choice to lead Ciroc way back in 2007 ... with this anonymous person going on to claim that Diddy swooped in and "stole the deal."

Michael Jackson's estate is calling BS on an upcoming auction of a "Thriller" jacket ... claiming the auction isn't making it clear MJ never actually wore it in the iconic music video.

In a letter fired off Tuesday to Gotta Have Rock and Roll, the auction house, the estate's attorney, Jonathan Steinsapir, declares -- in no uncertain terms -- the jacket up for sale wasn't on Michael's back at any point during production of the "Thriller" short film.

Jonathan writes there were only 2 genuine "Thriller" jackets worn in the film, and one was auctioned for nearly $2M over a decade ago -- which is 20 times more than the minimum bid GHRR is seeking for their jacket.

Kroy Biermann's divorce drama with Kim Zolciak is hitting a new rough patch -- he claims she's dragging her feet on handing over important financial docs, so now he's simply exposing her alleged spending himself.

TMZ has obtained Kroy's response to Kim's motion to compel handing over her financial docs, and he's suggesting her excuses -- about protecting the kids' privacy and fears he's leaking confidential info to the media -- are just smokescreens to keep her spending habits under wraps.

In Kroy's docs, he's attached a spreadsheet of those spending habits during their marriage -- and he claims she dropped more than $600K from 2016 to 2023 ... mostly on swanky gear from Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Ave, Chanel, Versace, and Agent Provocateur.

Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese's highly anticipated rematch dominated the ratings on Monday ... 'cause ESPN says the Iowa vs. LSU women's Elite Eight contest generated 12.3 million viewers -- making it the most-watched women's game on record.

The sports network confirmed the massive numbers less than 24 hours after the Hawkeye beat the Tigers, 94-87 ... clinching their 2nd-straight trip to the Final Four.

Not only was it the most-viewed women's game -- ESPN added it was the biggest audience ever for a college basketball game on its platform.

Women's hoops has continuously risen in popularity ... as the Sweet Sixteen round broke a record with 2.4 million views -- a 96% increase!!

The overall women's tournament has also seen a huge spike ... with an average of 1.1 million viewers.

Of course, hats off to stars like Clark, Reese, Paige Bueckers, Juju Watkins, Flau'jae Johnson and Kamilla Cardoso ... who have undoubtedly helped bring in new eyeballs this season.

Their influence has also resulted in NIL deals ... as well as a $5 million offer for Clark to join Ice Cube's Big3 league.

Joyner Lucas is looking back at his stint on a major record label with deep regret ... he says his experience was mostly clouded with empty promises!!!

While venting on Math Hoffa's "My Expert Opinion," Joyner and his longtime manager/business partner Drew recalled the time they were courted by Atlantic Records ahead of signing in 2016.

They also claim it took them forever to get paid -- money falling slowly like confetti isn't exactly worth celebrating!!!

Joyner admits he was beyond geeked when he signed with Atlantic, but only released one project with the label, and then bounced a few years later.

He's now calling Atlantic's recruitment a big 'ol sham ... Joyner and Drew both claim the label used love-bombing tactics to trick him into inking the contract.

Joyner says Atlantic execs told them it would be easy to get some of the label's biggest stars -- such as Cardi B, Ed Sheeran and Bruno Mars -- in the studio, but, of course, it never happened!!!

Joyner's nabbed some blockbuster collabs throughout his career ... folks like Eminem, J. Cole and Chris Brown. Even Jelly Roll appears on his newest album "Not Now I'm Busy," but none of those guys are signed to Atlantic.

Jake Gyllenhaal y Conor McGregor podrían ser el próximo dúo dinámico de Hollywood, porque su reboot de "Road House" acaba de hacer historia con 50 millones de visitas desde su debut, un nuevo récord para Prime Video.

Los números fueron compartidos una semana después del estreno de la película, y los funcionarios aseguran que fue todo un éxito.

50 millones es una cifra récord para el debut de una película en Prime Video y McGregor estaba emocionado por el logro.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Conor McGregor might be the next dynamic duo in Hollywood ... 'cause their "Road House" reimagining just made history with 50 million views since its debut -- a new record for Prime Video.

The numbers were shared just over a week after the action flick premiered on the streaming giant ... with officials saying it attracted a ton of eyeballs.

50 million is a record-breaking number for a movie debut on Prime Video ... and McGregor was thrilled over the accomplishment.

Donald Trump can keep his cherished properties instead of having them seized by New York's Attorney General -- at least for now – after he posted a whopping $175 million bond!

As you know ... the former prez was saddled with a $454 million bond in his civil fraud case brought by AG Letitia James, but he appealed and got the amount slashed to $175 mil.

On Tuesday, DT took to his Truth Social platform to gloat right after paying the lesser, but still staggering bond amount. He also blasted James and the case judge, calling them corrupt and the whole situation election interference. No shocker there.