Money

Gary Estes, the Texas man who spent $4,000 to destroy a Taylor Swift guitar, is shaking off criticism following the highly debated viral moment.

The 67-year-old has spoken out in the aftermath of the controversial video, which saw him bidding thousands of dollars to obtain a guitar allegedly signed by the pop star ... only to smash it with a hammer directly after buying it.

Estes says he didn't have any "malicious" intentions behind the destructive gesture ... clarifying it "was just a joke" -- and one he didn't even come up with.

The smashed-up Taylor Swift guitar from a recent viral video is back on the auction block ... because someone is selling it on eBay.

The seller says this is the guitar a man infamously bought at a charity auction for $4,000 and then proceeded to smash with a hammer in a video that's gone viral on social media.

The eBay listing says the man donated the guitar back to the Texas nonprofit he originally bought it from, the Ellis County Wild Game Dinner, and the sale proceeds will be put towards supporting agricultural education for local youth.

Kanye West stiffed a security guard out of his wages while he was keeping watch over Yeezy's multi-million dollar mansion in Malibu, and then handed the guy a pink slip when he made a fuss ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

Kanye is being sued by a man named Jonathan Monroe, who claims Ye hired him as a full-time security guard back in August 2021 and promised him $30 an hour to protect the Malibu home Kanye gutted during an ill-fated construction project.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Monroe claims he worked 36 to 50 hours a week until he was fired in October 2021, without being paid any of his wages.

The Hollywood Hills estate featured heavily in "Big Fat Liar" has hit the market ... with a rental price that's pretty hefty.

TMZ has learned ... the abode -- where Paul Giamatti's character, Marty Wolf, called home in the 2002 comedy flick -- is now available to rent for a whopping $135K a month. While that may sound like a big fat sum, the home's amenities justify the jaw-dropping price tag.

Not only does the house boast 7 bedrooms, 11 baths and 12,000 square feet of living space,  it also features a 6-car garage, an oversized landscaped patio, and a luxury fire pit that overlooks a 270-degree view, from downtown L.A. to the Pacific Ocean.

Dana White dug deep into his wallet, but it wasn't to pay a UFC fighter bonus, or buy something extravagant ... the UFC honcho donated $100K to help people whose lives were turned upside down by Hurricane Helene.

White made the donation online Monday afternoon, using the GoFundMe that says it was launched by his good friend Donald Trump.

"President Donald J. Trump has launched this GoFundMe campaign as an official response for MAGA supporters to offer their financial assistance to their fellow Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene," DT's team wrote, adding, "All donations will be directed to help those most affected by Hurricane Helene. Any level of generosity will go a long way for your fellow Americans who are suffering."

Sarah Hyland is cutting out her former manager from his cut of her "Modern Family" paychecks ... at least according to a new lawsuit.

The "Modern Family" star is being sued by Richard Konigsberg, who claims he served as her personal and professional manager for 15 years and helped her land her breakthrough role on the hit sitcom.

In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Richard says Sarah unceremoniously fired him in April in what he believes is an attempt to get out of paying him his 10% commission on a couple lucrative projects he helped Sarah land.

Lamar Jackson doesn't give a damn about your bets ... and the Baltimore Ravens star made that crystal clear on Monday -- telling all gamblers to stop complaining when they lose out on big paydays because of him.

Fresh off the Ravens' dominant win over the Buffalo Bills, the two-time NFL MVP went to social media to address his issue ... saying his focus is solely on his squad's success -- not his stat line.

"This is a 'TEAM' sport I'm not out here satisfied when I threw for 300yds but took a L," Jackson said. "If I throw for 50 yds and we WIN, that's wtf matters."

George Clooney's a whole lot richer after selling his L.A.-area home ... and, now we know who's forking over the cash -- Olivia Culpo and Christian McCaffrey.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the model and her footballin' husband threw down some of that Miss Universe and Niners cash to scoop up the Fryman Canyon home.

As we told you ... real estate sources told us Clooney off-loaded the six-bedroom home recently for just north of $14 million -- nearly 30 years after he bought it from legendary singer Stevie Nicks for $2.2 million.

Attendees at Goldie Hawn's charity gala got front-row seats to a once-in-a-lifetime performance ... watching on as comedian Martin Short and Kate Hudson performed a duet.

MindUP -- Goldie's charity focused on supporting kids' mental health and preventing suicide -- held it's 20th-anniversary gala Saturday night called "Goldie's Love In" where Short and Hudson showed off their pipes for the audience.

After a few jokes about Kate's leggy ensemble, Martin starts up the band ... jumping around like a giddy schoolboy before belting out the opening notes of Frank Sinatra's "The Lady is a Tramp."

David Tepper's using his sports teams to help people rebuild their lives ... committing $3 million alongside his wife Nicole, the Carolina Panthers and Charlotte FC to Hurricane Helene relief efforts.

The investment adviser and his better half made the donation through the David & Nicole Tepper Foundation ... saying they were partnering with the two fanchises to support relief efforts across the Carolinas.

The funds will go to both short-term and long-term goals, according to a press release ... essential since the region remains in a State of Emergency. Some of the money will go to food banks and pantries, local community foundations and other service providing agencies.

President Joe Biden has been rumored to be interested in buying Olivia Newton-John's California ranch ... however, those who were close to the late star aren't sold on the gossip.

A rep for the late "Grease" actress' family tells TMZ ... this rumor is "not true," even though a report in the Montecito Journal claimed the President and First Lady Jill Biden were eyeing the property as their post-White House pad.

We wouldn't be surprised if the Bidens were taken with the estate, as the sunny abode is located in Santa Ynez ... a lush community outside Santa Barbara, known for its world-class wineries.

George Clooney is saying goodbye to his one-time bachelor pad ... because he just sold his Los Angeles estate, where he used to entertain like crazy.

Our real estate sources tell us ... the actor's 6-bedroom mansion in Studio City's Fryman Canyon is changing hands for $14.5 million.

George owned the home for nearly three decades ... he bought it back in 1995 from Stevie Nicks for $2.2 million ... and hosted many big parties and large gatherings over the years.

DaBaby avoided any jail time after a wacky 2020 music video shoot allegedly turned violent -- and now he's officially settled the civil case with the homeowner he was accused of assaulting.

We obtained court docs Friday showing the Diamond-selling rap star and Gary Pagar -- the California man who owned the home of the Stunna 4 Vegas' "Play You Lay" music video shoot location -- reached a global settlement on the entire ordeal.

They're asking the courts to nix all future conference dates so they can ink the final settlement papers and put the whole thing to bed.

Kanye West can pop Champagne ... because he officially sold his gutted mansion disaster project in Malibu.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... Ye just closed on the sale of his controversial oceanfront estate for $21 million.

Kanye infamously stripped the property down to its bare bones after initially scooping up the Tadao Ando-designed home in 2021 for $57.3 million.

Julie Chrisley's attorney is slamming a federal judge's decision to resentence her to 7 years in prison for bank fraud and tax evasion charges ... chalking it all up to fame.

Jay Surgent, one of Julie's defense attorneys, tells TMZ he thinks the judge refusing to lower her sentence is the result of bias against celebrities. Julie is well-known by millions of people, and he thinks the judge is making an example out of her.

Surgent says Julie has been a model inmate and is not a threat to society in any way. Moving forward, we're told, Julie's legal team is definitely going to appeal the resentencing.

Mayor Eric Adams is facing some pretty serious charges ... with the U.S. Attorney just unsealing the indictment against him -- but, don't worry about him 'cause he looks downright cheery.

The U.S. Attorney's Office just unsealed the 57-page indictment ... and sent out an accompanying press release announcing they've charged the mayor with campaign finance, bribery and conspiracy charges.

According to the indictment, Damian Williams -- the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York -- claims Adams sought and accepted improper valuable benefits from foreign businesspeople and at least one government official from Turkey looking to gain influence over him.