Music

Ray J says he's been contacted by multiple celebs who are so scared about their affiliation with Diddy ... they're going to some of the alleged victims and paying them to keep quiet.

Ray appears in TMZ's new TUBI documentary, "The Downfall of Diddy: Inside the Freak-Offs" ... and says some high-profile people are trying to cut alleged victims off at the pass, even before they make money demands.

Attorney Tony Buzbee also appears in the doc and reveals he has sent a demand letter out to various high-profile people with an ultimatum ... pay up, or face a lawsuit.

Pharrell Williams criticized music stars on both sides of the aisle campaigning for their presidential picks ahead of the election ... but is flat-out denying he was gunning at Taylor Swift!!!

The superproducer-turned-Louis Vuitton fashion czar made the political slam a week after TS publicly endorsed Kamala Harris, naturally angering the Swifties.

In a new interview with GQ, Pharrell laughed off the backlash ... "I love Taylor. She knows that."

Liam Payne's death is putting a spotlight on the unseen struggles teen singers face when they put trust into stardom, even when it seems like they're thriving ... according to Jeff Timmons from 98 Degrees.

Jeff is just one of several boy banders opening up about the rollercoaster ride his group, Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, New Edition, New Kids on the Block and many others endured for decades. They're all featured in the new Paramount+ documentary, "Larger Than Life: Reign of the Boybands."

On Tuesday's "TMZ Live," Jeff told us the sudden fame they all encountered -- mostly in the early 2000s -- was absolutely a blessing, but it was also impossible to prepare for everything that was thrown at them.

Sergio Mendes' cause of death has been revealed -- the Brazilian musician died from respiratory failure.

According to the death certificate, obtained by TMZ, the official cause of death is acute hypoxemic respiratory failure ... a condition that occurs when there's not enough oxygen in the body.

The condition can be brought on by pneumonia ... and Sergio's death certificate says aspiration pneumonia is an underlying cause here. This specific type of pneumonia is a lung infection resulting from food, liquid or other substances being inhaled into the lungs.

Drake and Chris Brown squashing their beef back in the day has resulted in a shiny new accolade -- a Diamond-certified plaque for their "No Guidance" duet!!!

Tuesday, Breezy was showered with several new certifications from the Recording Industry of America, with the 10 million sold from his 2019 Drake duet being the biggest.

Chris celebrated the win by echoing his mantra as of late -- keeping his head down and remaining humble!!!

The plaque rings of Diamond but in all actuality, they sold 11 million units so far.

Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly’s baby news has everyone buzzing -- and we've learned she’s pretty far along in her pregnancy!

Sources tell us the actress is already 4 to 5 months along ... meaning she'll be due sometime in March. While the couple already knows the baby’s sex, they’re keeping it under wraps for now -- so no word yet on whether it’s a boy or a girl.

We're told Megan's feeling confident and healthy during this pregnancy, which is definitely a relief after the heartbreak of her miscarriage, which she revealed last year.

Tekashi 6ix9ine may be holed up in the same MDC tombs as Diddy but that doesn't mean they're dishing the latest music industry gossip -- we're told they're in totally separate areas!!!

Lance Lazzaro, 6ix9ine's attorney, tells TMZ Hip Hop the rumors of Diddy and 6ix9ine hanging together in prison are totally false ... we're told 6ix9ine's currently in isolation because of his notoriety, and that includes being separated from other famous people!!!

Despite the confinement, Lance assures us 6ix9ine is not happy being locked up ... but he is happy about being one step closer to going home.

Two people directly connected to Jessica Simpson have spoken with 2 divorce lawyers in the last 2 months ... specifically about Jessica's marriage to Eric Johnson ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... late last month someone close to Jessica went to a Los Angeles divorce attorney and said Jessica was unhappy in her marriage and wanted to arrange a meeting with the attorney and Simpson. We do not know if this was done at Jessica's behest, but we're told the message to the lawyer was clear. We're also told up to this point Jessica has not made contact with the lawyer.

And, we've learned someone on Jessica's team made contact with another Los Angeles divorce lawyer regarding matters that were divorce-related. Again, so far we're told there has been no follow-through.

Ice Cube has been questioned to oblivion about making up with his ex-Westside Connection groupmate Mack 10 ... and it just may happen ... if a passive blip of body language is to be believed!!!

Bootleg Kev shot his Hail Mary WS Connection question in a new interview with Cube after swelling the Don Mega's head with inquiries about his other past supergroups, N.W.A. and Mt. Westmore.

Cube bluntly told Kev "I don't know" with a shrug in regards to the reunion ... which is a total improvement after he completely shut down the last time this was a topic!!!

Britney Spears is 3 days away from closing the books on child support ... namely, the checkbook.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Britney will write her last child support check (yes, we know, it's actually going to be wired) November 15.

We're told she's been making bi-monthly payments to ex-hubby Kevin Federline on behalf of Jayden James, their youngest son who turned 18 2 months ago. She paid $10,000 at the beginning of November and will make her final $10,000 payment Friday.

Machine Gun Kelly showed up for a surprise set with Mod Sun at a venue in Los Angeles last night, after a big family announcement earlier in the day.

Rocker Mod Sun was playing the last show of his current tour at The Wiltern Monday night, when he was joined onstage by MGK.

"Straight from the plane to the Mod Sun show, my friend," MGK said, addressing his pal onstage after he joined Mod for a song. He congratulated MS and the band for an "amazing" tour, and the crowd for "keeping the scene alive."

The Muppets' famed home in Hollywood will have new owners soon ... John Mayer and McG are set to buy The Jim Henson Company Lot -- after the Church of Scientology had reportedly been eyeing the property, TMZ has confirmed.

Mayer's rep confirmed the singer and the director are "under contract to buy Henson Studios" ... which was once A&M Studios, and Charlie Chaplin Studios before that -- making it an important piece of Hollywood history.

John and McG are shelling out a whopping $60 million to nab the deed to the Tinseltown tourist spot, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Ashlee Simpson is reacting to all the buzz about her sister Jessica’s marriage being on the rocks ... and if she's concerned, she's doing her best to cover it up.

The singer was out with her husband, Evan Ross, at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills Monday evening, when our photog asked about the rumor ... sparked by Jessica's own post. We asked "Is it true? Do you know?"

Ash had a simple a one-word answer, “No.”

It could be "no" the rumor's not true, or "no" she doesn't know.

Either way, she and Evan didn't seem the least bit fazed by the topic, so chances are she knows full well what's going on -- but clearly isn't gonna out Jessica and her husband Eric Johnson's biz at this point.

9:13 AM PT -- Sources close to the situation tell TMZ that the woman seen with Mod Sun last night was "Love Is Blind" star Brittany Wisniewski.

The woman in the video with Brittany is her costar Alexandra Byrd.

Seems like Mod Sun is a big fan of 'LIB,' by the way -- he spotted Brittany in the crowd at a concert earlier this month ... and took time out of his show to call her out.

Mod Sun has moved on from Avril Lavigne ... 'cause we caught him canoodling with a hot blonde inside a Los Angeles bar.

Jessica Simpson once again has her fans buzzing over potential trouble in her marriage to Eric Johnson after she posted a cryptic caption on her most recent social media post.

The singer posted a series of photos of herself in her Nashville music room with the caption reading, "Interviews in my Nashville music room where I unearthed my singular magic. This comeback is personal, it’s an apology to myself for putting up with everything I did not deserve 🎶 🎼 🤍🖤."

Many fans were quick to dig into the comments, wondering if her caption meant she was single and had split from Eric, with her new music being a breakup album.

Kristin Chenoweth is standing by her prayers for Diddy ... even though the rapper is currently in federal detention, awaiting trial on racketeering and sex trafficking charges.

We caught up with the Broadway legend in New York City and asked her if she is still keeping Diddy in her thoughts ... given the gravity of the charges brought against him in September.

Per Kristin, she's "still praying" for Diddy ... but acknowledged the case against the Bad Boy Records founder is "really bad."