Netflix

Joe Exotic is explaining why he finally filed for divorce from husband Dillon Passage ... he wants to get hitched to a new guy he met behind bars!!!

The Netflix star's lawyer, Autumn Blackledge, tells TMZ ... Joe's new love interest is a man named John Graham, and the prison romance is the reason Exotic recently filed divorce docs from jail.

Joe sums it up this way ... "God works in amazing ways." Yes, He does.

As we first told you ... Joe and Dillon were estranged for more than a year before Exotic filed for divorce, and Dillon's already got a new man in his life too.

Joe's attorney tells us he met John in February 2021 when they were both locked up at FMC Fort Worth in Texas ... and even though John's since been released from custody, it seems he's had a lasting impact on Joe.

According to court docs, obtained by TMZ, John was in prison for burglary and possession of a firearm. He was sentenced in 2012 to more than 12 years in prison, although prison records show he was released March 15 of this year.

Joe married Dillon on Dec. 11, 2017 ... only 2 months after Exotic's previous husband, Travis Maldonado, died after accidentally shooting himself.

"Love Is Blind" stars Kyle Abrams and Deepti Vempati are spending time together once again ... posing in a joint photo shoot!

Portrait photographer Josh Beaton tells TMZ ... Kyle reached out to him online a few weeks back, wanting to do a shoot. Kyle followed up, asking if he could bring Deepti as well.

The photos -- taken earlier this week -- were meant to play off masculine stereotypes, putting Kyle in a dress with some earrings. Josh -- who hasn't seen "LIB" -- said Kyle and Deepti didn't do anything romantic, but there was real chemistry. They arrived together but took photos separately.

Of course, Kyle inviting Deepti further fuels relationship rumors ... as we reported, the two were walking the streets of Wicker Park in Chicago a few weeks ago, following their reunion episode.

As they walked into a restaurant, Kyle briefly put his hand on her back ... it's not a lock, but it's a sign for sure.

While their season ended with each getting engaged to other people, both called off their weddings -- with Deepti taking a hard pass at the alter. The reunion episode revealed Kyle's biggest regret was not proposing to Deepti.

Formula 1 superstar Max Verstappen is teeing off on Netflix's popular 'Drive to Survive' series ... saying the show unfairly makes fellow driver Lando Norris look like a "d***."

Many of the sport's biggest names have been critical of the series in recent weeks ... with producers getting called out for starting fake drama and taking comments out of context to stir the pot.

The Red Bull driver has avoided speaking with Netflix cams for several seasons ... and went in-depth this week about why he continues to take issue with the show in the 4th installment of the show.

"For me personally, what I didn't like -- and it isn't even about me -- it's about Lando and Daniel (Ricciardo), which I think are two great guys and are really nice, first of all, and it made it look like Lando was a bit of a d*** ... which he isn't at all," the 2021 champ said this week, according to WTF1.

Verstappen says new F1 fans who watch the show will get the wrong impression of the McLaren driver ... and he thinks that's completely unfair, as he knows Lando to be a good guy.

Verstappen claims the same thing happened to him in the early seasons ... saying, "You just immediately get a wrong picture of a good person, and that is exactly what I think happened to me in the beginning, and then I think I am someone that when you ruin it from the start, you don't fix it. That's it. you ruined it."

MV also spoke about the show with reporters ahead of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix on Friday ... comparing the show to "Keeping up with the Kardashians" -- and not in a good way.

As for Verstappen's appearances in the show, he says he was surprised to see himself featured so much, considering he's declined interviews for years.

"It's probably stuff from 2018 or something they picked up and used again, [talking about] fighting and what I like to do, but that already, of course, is not correct. I could hear it in my voice. It was a bit different."

Bob Saget's fans will finally be able to see the touching, and sometimes hilarious, tribute his close friends put together for him -- and the list of celebs who memorialized him is seriously impressive.

Mike Binder, one of Bob's best friends, was the brains behind January's event at The Comedy Store in West Hollywood, and he says it's coming to Netflix in June.

Mike made the announcement on the Dystopia Tonight! with John Poveromo podcast, and says he hooked Netflix when he showed a video of the star-studded event to the platform's head of comedy.

It's pretty easy to see why they decided to buy it as a stand-alone special. Mike shared one clip featuring Jim Carrey, Chris Rock, John Stamos, Jeff Ross and John Mayer.

The guys were jamming a bluesy tribute, and you gotta see the punchline Rock dropped!

There were only a limited number of Comedy Store tickets made available to the public, so very few fans have seen this ... another reason Netflix locked it up.

Mike says Carrey's appearance, in particular, is pretty special because these days he frequents The Store ... but usually just hangs backstage.

Sarma Melngailis, known as the "Bad Vegan" from the popular Netflix docuseries, is open to starting a new restaurant after she was convicted of stealing millions from her last one ... and her ex thinks she should go for it!

Chef Matthew Kenney wasn't just dating Sarma back in the early 2000s, they went into biz together, opening Pure Food and Wine. As "Bad Vegan" viewers know ... their relationship went south, and Matthew got bumped out of their restaurant venture.

Despite that, a rep for Matthew tells TMZ … he believes in second chances and wishes Sarma the best. If opening another restaurant is what she wants, he thinks she should pursue it.

Matthew hasn't seen the new series yet, despite being featured on it -- but it doesn't appear there's any bad blood between Sarma and her ex.

We're told Matthew spoke to her a few years ago, and actually wrote a letter in support of her.

ICYMI ... Sarma and Matthew opened Pure Food and Wine in 2004, but when they split up the next year, they asked investor Jeffrey Chodorow to choose which one to stay on board, and Sarma was picked.

SPOILER ALERT ... 'cause this is where "Bad Vegan" takes a real bizarre turn!!!

Sarma met Anthony Strangis through mutual friend Alec Baldwin in 2011, then tied the knot a year later. Anthony allegedly promised Sarma immortality for herself and her dog, but required large sums of money from her to prove she was worthy.

In the end, both were convicted for stealing nearly $2 million from the restaurant.

Restaurant employees protested outside the joint over unpaid wages, and the couple went on the run.

Gotta love how they got caught, though -- police got tipped off after Sarma and Anthony ordered chicken wings and pizza from Domino's in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.

Sarma served 4 months at Rikers Island, and was released in October 2017 with an additional 5 years of probation. In 2018, she filed for divorce from Anthony shortly after her release.

Peyton List and Jacob Bertrand are officially a couple -- TMZ got visual and verbal confirmation -- and neither's worried about the potential consequences of dating a coworker.

We got the "Cobra Kai" stars traveling together Tuesday at LAX, finally confirming their long-rumored relationship ... with Jacob joking we caught them red-handed.

Jacob tells our photog they've actually been seeing each other quietly for some time ... and they don't sound the least bit worried about their romance interfering with the show.

As Jacob put it, this is trial by fire ... but since he's been on the Netflix show longer than his girlfriend, he's not worried about being the one written off the show if things ever go south with Peyton.

He was pretty clearly joking.

And, get this ... Jacob tells us he and Peyton actually go way back. Watch the clip, he gives us the origin story of how they met way back in their teens.

The 'Love Is Blind 2' couples who got married in the season finale didn't just get together for the TV cameras ... they actually did it all legal and stuff.

Jarrette Jones and Iyanna McNeely, and Nick Thompson and Danielle Ruhl, all said "I do" on the show. But, the reality of reality TV is some things are just for show, though that's not quite the case in this instance. We checked with the Cook County Court in Illinois, and a rep tells us they have legit marriage records for BOTH couples.

Jarrette and Iyanna tied the knot on June 7, 2021 in Homewood, IL ... and the very next day they were followed by Nick and Danielle. Those couplings were, physically at least, shots in the dark, because they hadn't seen each other ... so, we know what you're thinking.

We also checked for divorce docs, and came up with zip.

As rabid "Love is Blind" fans surely know by now ... Jarrette, Iyanna, Nick and Danielle were the only couples who agreed to marriage when the show's second season wrapped up.

There's also been a reunion show, which made it look like both couples were still going strong in their relationships, and now we've got the receipts.

Netflix is giving viewers what they want -- and that would apparently be another taste of Volodymyr Zelensky's TV show that launched him into stardom ... and then the presidency.

The streaming giant announced Wednesday that 'Servant of the People' has been reintroduced to its library, saying ... "You asked and it’s back!"

It followed with a description of the show ... a teacher unexpectedly becomes President of Ukraine after a video of him complaining about corruption goes viral. Of course ... life ended up imitating art for Zelensky soon thereafter.

Netflix is running 2 seasons and change. This isn't the first go-round for "SOTP" on Netflix ... it was on its menu from 2017 to 2021.

There's intense interest in Zelensky, both with his ascendency to power and his evolution as a leader who now shows shades of Winston Churchill.

BTW ... the show is subtitled ... although there are moments when the cast breaks into English...

Tinder rolling out background checks isn't a response to Simon Leviev's alleged handiwork -- detailed in "Tinder Swindler" -- but if it prevents similar cases from happening, the app will be thrilled.

Tinder just announced this week it will require the new background checks for users, but we're told the program has been in the works for some time. A spokesperson for Match Group -- owners of Tinder, Match.com and Plenty of Fish -- tells TMZ ... the criminal background check feature was something users have been demanding for a while.

They say the company teamed up with non-profit organization Garbo back in 2020 to create a system that works for all users. The rep points out this partnership started well before the doc debuted this year on Netflix.

The process brings up offenses that are relevant to safety, and that includes financial crimes. They tell us it's a great way for women to get a deeper look into their matches. And, while they didn't create the system for him, they say someone like Simon would be flagged instantly.

As you know, 'Swindler' was all about Simon and some of his alleged victims, who claim he tricked them out of more than $10 million after meeting them on the dating app ... and then ghosted them once he got what he wanted.

Since the doc dropped, Simon's had quite the ride ... he got banned from most dating apps, allegedly earned $30K on Cameo, and got a criminal court complaint filed against him from the wealthy family to which he claimed to belong.

'Love Is Blind' stars Deepti Vempati and Kyle Abrams were spotted together after rumors spread the two were an item ... and the clip tells it all!

Kyle & Deepti were walking the streets of Wicker Park in Chicago Sunday. While they weren't holding hands or getting cuddly, people who saw them say they sure looked like a couple!

As they go down the sidewalk, a waitress calls out to them ... offering mimosas on the house. An irresistible offer apparently, as the reality stars beelined it into the restaurant -- his hand briefly on her back.

Season 2 of the Netflix series featured both Kyle and Deepti, as they ended up getting engaged to other people -- Shaina Hurley and Abhishek "Shake" Chatterjee.

As fans recall, Deepti said no to a marriage with Shake at the alter  ... after he constantly spoke about how he wasn't attracted to her. Kyle and Shaina didn't make it to the altar, breaking up in part because of religious differences.

On Friday's reunion episode, Kyle blew fans away when he said his deepest regret was not proposing to Deepti. The show did not highlight any of their dating interaction in the pods. In a recent interview, Deepti played it coy about her and Kyle's relationship post 'LIB' but said the two of them were "figuring it out".

"FBOY Island" star Garrett Morosky says his passport showing Russia as his birthplace just got his butt detained in a Mexican airport ... while trying to return to the United States.

We got the Netflix reality show star at Tocaya in WeHo and he told us he had all sorts of problems crossing the border ... an ordeal he's chalking up to his quirky passport and the Ukraine-Russia war.

Garrett says he was all set to board a flight from Mexico to Los Angeles this month when he was suddenly yanked out of line and detained ... with Mexican officials asking him all sorts of questions and even taking off his pants during a search.

Garrett has a U.S. passport, but he was actually born in Russia ... which is on his travel documents. "FBOY Island" fans will recall, Garrett was on a date with Sarah Emig when he told her he was adopted from Russia.

Given the increased tension between the U.S. and Russia -- due to the invasion of Ukraine and subsequent U.S. sanctions -- Garrett says he was scared he might not be allowed back into the U.S.

Ultimately, he was released and allowed to board a flight to L.A., but he says it was an eye-opening experience.

"Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn narrowly escaped violent intruders early Friday ... and what saved them is some sturdy glass.

Christine, her husband, Christian Richards, and their son were sound asleep when they were awakened by some noise outside the house.

They apparently didn't see anything when they peered outside, but when they checked their security footage they were horrified to see 2 armed people trying to break in through a window.

What saved them from a home invasion robbery -- triple-pane glass that just wouldn't crack.

They called 911 and cops got there in minutes, but the robbers escaped.

Christine lives in the Hollywood Hills above the Sunset Strip. That area, along with others in the L.A. area, have been hit hard by crime over the last year.

Christine says the window the robbers were trying to break was 4 feet from her bedroom. She says it was the most horrifying moment of her life.

The tables have turned on 'Tinder Swindler' Simon Leviev ... he was bamboozled himself in an Instagram scam.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Simon was hit up last Thursday by a verified female on Instagram. She claimed she'd help Simon and GF Kate Konlin get verified on the app through her BF -- saying he worked at Meta, Mark Zuckerberg's tech company that owns IG.

The alleged swindlers went to great lengths to pull this off ... Simon Facetimed the BF, who was in a busy office -- appearing like he was at Meta, with employees walking around behind him.

The fake "Metamate" said the only way he could give him the blue check on his profile -- as well as delete the fake accounts under his name -- would be to offer up a big chunk of change ... $6,664. The payments were sent via PayPal through 2 separate transactions -- one for him and one for his GF.

Shortly after, Simon's manager found the deal suspicious and reached out to an actual team member at Meta, who told them they don't charge for verifications. Before anyone could call out the swindlers, they completely scrubbed themselves from the Internet -- including removal of their IG accounts ... letting the swindlers walk away with the cash.

Simon allegedly swindled countless women out of more than $10 million through Tinder ... ghosting them once he got what he wanted. Since then, he's had "enemies" after him -- most recently a criminal court complaint against him from the true Leviev family, which he has no real part in.

Simon Leviev -- AKA the "Tinder Swindler" -- is now in the crosshairs of the extremely wealthy diamond-titan family that he pretended to be a part of ... they've just filed a criminal court complaint against him.

Guy Ophir -- lawyer for the true Leviev family -- says charges were filed Monday morning in Israel against Simon, telling us justice must be served for the malice brought against the Leviev name.

The legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- outline the ways in which Simon allegedly took advantage of the family, including most notably changing his name from Shimon Yehuda Hayut to Simon Leviev to give the appearance of wealth ... Simon claimed to be a part of a wealthy family, with ties to the diamond industry.

Ophir tells TMZ ... according to Israel law, only the state can file criminal charges ... but there is an exception to the rule -- in cases of "Malice Defamation" like this one.

In these cases, the person that was hurt can file a private criminal charge and ask for criminal punishment. By using the Leviev family name, Ophir claims Simon committed malice defamation and malice invasion of privacy.

He says this is the first step in an "all-out legal war" that the family's instructed him to unleash against Simon and everyone that will join venture with him -- past, present and future.

Ophir mentions, "The Leviev family intend[s] to donate the money that they will receive to all the victims of his crimes."

Simon Leviev is an expensive habit -- as several European women will attest -- and now he's got nightclubs lining up to hand him up to $20K just to pop bottles and party.

Leviev is now infamous from the Netflix documentary 'Tinder Swindler,' and becoming a household name -- even for negative reasons -- means some hot spot clubs are looking to book him for appearances.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ … Simon has several offers from clubs in Philly, Boston, Germany and Mexico, and he's at least interested, because his team responded with a laundry list of demands.

We're told he's asking for the $20,000 payday, plus bottle service ... but it doesn't stop there. Leviev's also requesting a private jet, suite at a 5-star hotel, black SUV car service and 2 full-time security guards.

Basically, he wants the same lifestyle his alleged victims say he pretended to have while he duped them into handing over millions of dollars. As we reported, Simon was recently shopping for Ferraris ... so, he's for sure, leaning into the image he portrayed in 'Swindler.'

You'll recall, the doc claims he bilked women out of more than $10 mil by gaining their trust on Tinder.

Ya gotta wonder if he really has Ferrari money now, but if not, he's now trying to get it legitimately ... if the nightclubs will bite.

Stand-up comedian Earthquake has the biggest platform of his more than 30-year career, and he's giving Dave Chappelle all the props for giving him the big break.

Earthquake joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to talk more about his upcoming special, "Legendary" ... the first of Dave's 4-part series, "Chappelle's Home Team." He told us, he's flattered Dave "reached back" to give comedians like himself such a huge opportunity to reach a wider audience.

Of course, Dave sparked lots of controversy for Netflix last year after his special, "The Closer," pissed off LGBTQ+ groups and some employees at the streaming service.

Rather than shying away, Netflix is capitalizing on its relationship with Dave ... and Earthquake and other comedians are benefitting. Earthquake says it all started with a surprising call -- which he thought was a prank -- from Netflix execs.

Chappelle won't be doing any stand-up specials this time around, but he is executive producing all of them and recording intros for the comedians. BTW, Earthquake gave us some insider intel about the other comedians who will be featured.