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Millie Bobby Brown and her boyfriend Jake Bongiovi are officially taking things to the next level ... the young couple's announcing their engagement.

The "Stranger Things" star shared her big news Tuesday morning by posting a pic of Jake -- the 20-year-old son of Jon Bon Jovi -- hugging her. It looks like the shot was taken moments after he popped the question, because his now fiancée is rocking a stunning diamond ring on her left ring finger.

19-year-old Millie's caption for the engagement post included a quote from Taylor Swift's song "Lovers" -- "I've loved you 3 summers now, honey, I want 'em all".

Jake and Millie have been together since 2021 when they initially met on IG. They became friends IRL, and have been inseparable since.

JB, who happens to be the spitting image of his pops, also made sure to share the special moment with his followers -- the caption on his 2 photos simply read, "Forever 🤍".

It's unclear when exactly the engagement went down ... there had been recent speculation because Millie was seen potentially wearing the diamond ring in another photo, not too long ago.

Well, turns out that rumor is true. Congrats!

Fun fact: Neither Millie nor Jake used to work on the docks (IYKYK).

We covered it all in the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms!

Netflix straight up jacked the characters and plot for its hit show "Outer Banks" from an already published book ... at least according to the author of a novel, who's now out for some legal revenge.

The streaming giant is being sued by Jeff Wilson, who claims there are way too many similarities between a book he wrote, "Queen Anne's Revenge," and 'OB' for it to be pure coincidence.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Wilson says in 2013 he published his novel, which follows 4 friends on a treasure hunt from a famous shipwreck near the outer banks of North Carolina.

Wilson says his book was even promoted by Discovery and History Channel, and he claims the 'OB' creators have even confessed ... they relied on other books and authors for inspiration to write the scripted series.

The author claims his book was drawn from heavily ... he says the main cast and their character arcs are almost identical to his novel ... and he says the plot points and settings are eerily similar, too.

Wilson is suing Netflix for copyright infringement ... and he wants the streaming giant to fork over any profits they've made from infringing on his novel and an injunction stopping Netflix from distributing or advertising "Outer Banks."

It's worth noting ... another novelist, Kevin Wooten, previously sued Netflix and the 'OB' creators, claiming they ripped off his 2016 book ... but the suit was dismissed after a judge didn't find sufficient similarities between the two.

Noah Schnapp showed he was the life of the party on St. Paddy's Day at the University of Pennsylvania -- and he did a little Spider-Man routine to prove it.

The "Stranger Things" star was caught on video climbing up to the top of the PIKE fraternity house at the Ivy League school in which he's enrolled as a freshman ... studying business.

The footage, obtained by TMZ, started off with Noah scurrying on his hands and knees along the edge of a brick wall leading to the roof.

Noah then jumped to his feet and went into Spider-Man mode, scaling a portion of the façade before his buddies grabbed him and hoisted him to safety onto the roof. Once there, Noah cracked a big smile as he apparently beckoned someone to follow his lead.

He's obviously having a blast at college. You may recall, we also got video of Noah at a bar with a dirty swimming pool after he first arrived at the university in September. He was seen jumping into the pool filled with beer cans and cigarettes. All of his friends loved it and went totally nuts.

Joe Exotic is getting dragged for his recent presidential run announcement, but it ain't by Carole Baskin -- instead, it's by the party he says he's running with.

Angela McArdle, chair and spokesperson for the Libertarian Party, tells TMZ ... "We stand for personal and economic freedom, we are not a landing pad for former reality stars and D-list celebrities." Ouch.

She says the "Tiger King" star hasn't shown he has a full grasp on the ideas of the party, and even calls out his 2018 gubernatorial run as a Libertarian in Oklahoma -- saying that attempt was "just tigers and glitter."

She adds she's very sympathetic to people "being mistreated in prison," but notes that doesn't mean it's right to support someone who's made "poor choices."

Angela tells us, hypothetically, anyone can run for office as a Libertarian, and there isn't a whole lot the party can do to block it -- instead, she urges folks to send libertarian literature to Joe while he's locked away. In her words, "If he's going to be spouting about libertarianism, he might as well get educated about it."

Aside from understanding his party's platform, there's the not-so-small issue of candidate Joe's 20 remaining years on his prison sentence!

James Gunn's new DCU has yet to see the light of day -- and shedding the old guard is proving brutal ... both at the box office and on Twitter, where it's all Zack Snyder all day.

First, there's 'Shazam 2' -- which just hit theaters this weekend, and is already off to a tough start with a projected $30M domestic opening ... one of the worst for any DC movie. Remember, Zachary Levi's future in Gunn's world going forward hangs in the balance ... and you gotta imagine that his film here (part of the former DCEU) bombing doesn't bode well.

There might be more growing pains for Gunn and co. before they can get to their actual new slate -- which will start with "Superman: Legacy" in like two years. DC has yet to release 'Aquaman 2' and "The Flash" ... both of which were completed before Gunn came on.

Time will tell how those do, but for now ... 'Shazam 2' ain't paying off. In the meantime, Snyder fans are celebrating the two-year anniversary of his "Justice League" flick -- the "Snyder Cut" as it's known. And yes ... they're once again clamoring for more ZS superhero content.

There are a few "Snyder" trends going off on the bird app, including folks calling on Warner Bros. to release the rights to Zack's creations to Netflix ... where he's now making other movies. The reason ... they want their guy to continue the "Snyderverse," with all those former actors/heroes -- like Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, etc.

Of course, that probably isn't gonna happen ... but the fervent fan base demands it anyway.

Making matters even more complicated is Zack himself ... who, just this week, teased an announcement -- courtesy of one of his big DCEU villains, Darkseid. Unclear what it is ... but he had the internet on fire with speculation -- so ZS is not really going away either, it seems.

And, one last Zack mention -- where someone was, again, reveling in the glory days -- came from BA himself ... who was singing the director's praises in a new THR profile this week.

Bottom line ... the DCEU has left some mighty big shoes to fill, and those shoes keep on getting brought up as everyone waits for Gunn and Peter Safran's vision to come to life.

Starting over from scratch, as it turns out, is a long and tedious process. Lots to clear out from the garage, and not everyone wants the leftovers on sale ... as WBD is now finding out.

"The Crown" is returning for its sixth and final season ... and we've now got a visual of how they'll portray Prince William's first meeting with his future wife Kate Middleton.

Ed McVey, who portrays the prince during his late teen/college years, and Meg Bellamy, who plays Kate, were fully into character in a series of photos taken on set in St. Andrews, Scotland earlier this week.

In the photos, the younger "royals" recreate William and Kate's first encounter at St. Andrews University in Scotland in 2001 ... giving fans a glimpse into their romance in its earlier years. And, we gotta say, casting for the two appears to be spot on.

As you know, the Prince and Princess of Wales started dating back in 2001 ... building on their legacy ever since.

The Netflix hit series chronicles the royal family in the wake of Princess Diana's death in 1997. And, the show is expected to take fans along a royal ride well into the late '90s and early 2000s.

"Selling Sunset" is getting an upgrade ... the real estate office from the Netflix show is carving out a bigger footprint, and taking over the space next door.

Our sources tell us The Oppenheim Group's flagship office in West Hollywood -- where the streaming series shoots all the office banter -- is expanding, and construction is already underway.

As you can see, scaffolding is up in front of the office building adjacent to the current "Selling Sunset" HQ ... and we're told the Oppenheim bros are taking over the property and knocking down a wall to make the current office bigger.

Tourists and locals driving past the office, which sits on the Sunset Strip, might have noticed a ton of activity there this week ... with movers and construction crews hard at work.

Office supplies are being boxed up and carried out. but we're told it's just to clear the space for the renovations and expansion.

It appears new signage may be part of the office facelift ... the current sign has vanished, at least for now.

We also got "Selling Sunset" star Romain Bonnet at Sunset Plaza and asked him about the expansion .... and he told us he's helping oversee construction on the new and improved office.

Remember, Romain's a project manager on the show and is also married to another cast member, Mary Fitzgerald.

The Oppenheim Group office has been the backdrop of the hit Netflix series for all of its 5 seasons ... and it's since become a tourist attraction.

"The Last of Us" fans are talking about a new stand-out actor in the season finale -- a giraffe from the Calgary Zoo might be shopping for an agent after making its acting debut!

TMZ has learned the giraffe used in the episode is a 13-year-old bull Masai giraffe who normally resides in the Canadian zoo, where goes by "Nabo" ... and his big moment on camera came in a pivotal scene.

Diehard fans of the post-apocalyptic series will recognize the scene as a recreation from the original video game -- Joel played, by Pedro Pascal, and Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, stumble upon the beautiful creature, and it becomes a moment of pure bliss.

We're told Nabo is one of many giraffes at the Calgary Zoo, but he is the tallest resident to roam the establishment ... so, maybe that's why he got the nod.

He seemed to be a star in the making because his birth was well-documented and celebrated back in 2015 at the zoo.

Our sources say the scene was actually filmed at the zoo, which makes sense, considering the show is mainly filmed in Alberta, Canada.

We can assume their new costar made it a breeze for Pedro and Bella to get into character for the scene.

D.L. Hughley is pushing back against folks who say Chris Rock deserved to be slapped by Will Smith for making fun of Jada Pinkett Smith ... he finds the narrative extremely ironic.

The comedian ripped into The Root's Candace McDuffie, who went on CNN and claimed Chris had it coming after years of targeting Black women with his jokes, saying she's got it all twisted.

D.L. says Chris isn't punching down on marginalized women, as Candace believes, but rather making fun of celebs who put their business out in the streets ... he says it's all fair game.

The irony for D.L. ... Candace thinking the violent slap was justified while a comedic response goes too far, and everyone's allowed an opinion except for the man who actually got smacked in the face on live TV.

Joe Exotic says the hit Netflix series surrounding his life is the worst thing that's happened to him, because it made the public believe he tried to kill Carole Baskin -- and yet, he's forgiven everyone, including Carole, as he faces the possibility of dying in prison.

We spoke to Joe Friday, he called in from federal prison in Fort Worth, TX ... and said what "Tiger King" became is what ruined his life. He says all the content he filmed was for a separate project -- years before 'TK' -- and after that producers used his interview, and added everyone else in the series to create a fake "conspiracy to kill Carole."

He says it was all done to get TV ratings, and he maintains he's the innocent victim of that production plot.

As we reported, Joe's currently battling cancer that's believed to have spread from his prostate to his bladder ... and as he faces his own mortality -- he recently signed a do-not-resuscitate order -- he says he's found a way to forgive Carole and even Jeff Lowe.

When it comes to Carole, Joe chalks their rivalry up to good business maneuvers -- he says it's common in the animal rescue industry -- and admits both he and CB benefitted from going after each other.

Joe gave us some insight into his day-to-day behind bars -- saying depression is yet another struggle for him. He also says he's shacked up with some interesting characters over the years ... including cartel leaders and Ted Kaczynski, AKA the Unabomber.

As for what's next, he says he's still holding out hope he'll be released from prison, and wants to tie the knot with his fiancé Seth Posey. He also talked about the fact he's officially running for President in 2024 as a Libertarian, and told us why he's the man for the job ... even though he's behind bars.

Donnell Rawlings says there are no winners in the Chris Rock and Will Smith beef ... and he's hoping Chris' recent response will finally put an end to the saga.

We got Donnell at Gelson's Tuesday and asked him about Chris finally addressing the Oscars slap in his Netflix special, which Donnell says should even the score.

Donnell, who is super close with Chris, is slamming the folks who didn't like the way Chris joked about the incident ... claiming it was old news by now. He says no one has the right to put a timeline or restrictions on how comedians can respond.

Of course, some folks are pissed at Chris ... like The Root senior writer Candace McDuffie, who feels Chris had the slap coming to him following years of jokes she feels targeted Black women like Jada Pinkett Smith.

Donnell thinks anyone who has a problem with Chris' jokes is insane, because as they say ... they're just jokes. He's also not buying the theory jokes incite violence on any particular group.

As for Will, DR says he should be able to take a joke because Chris was able to take the slap.

While Donnell tells us Chris and Will have yet to speak to each other, he's hoping they can both get closure on the matter ... after Chris' verbal "clap back."

Chris Rock can, and should, joke about whoever he wants -- especially after being slapped by Will Smith -- even if some feel it's at Jada Pinkett Smith's expense ... according to 2 fellow comics.

We talked to Bill Bellamy and Jeff Dye Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and both defended CR's right to joke about the sitch, even if he did so somewhat mercilessly during his latest Netflix special ... which is now drawing the ire of some Black women.

Candace McDuffie, a senior writer for The Root, went so far as to suggest Chris actually had the slap coming to him after years of jokes she feels targeted Black women.

That's not how Bill and Jeff feel about it, though ... they're squarely on Chris' side, with BB telling us the dude used his own platform and creativity to address it as best he could, without violence.

Plus, there's the financial benefit -- Netflix paid a boatload for his "Selective Outrage" special.

But, even on the issue of whether Chris has it out for Jada and/or Black women ... Bill says he doesn't believe that to be the case. He says Chris takes shots at everyone, and sometimes certain groups might catch a stray.

It's nothing personal, just the business of being funny ... that's Bill's perspective anyway.

Now, Jeff -- who's hosting our new game show, "Who the Bleep Is That?" -- was a bit more forceful in his repudiation of suggesting Chris deserved what he got ... saying such a notion is insane, and disavowing the idea of anything or anyone being off-limits in comedy.

Chris Rock deserved to be slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars last year, and he may even be due for another round -- so suggests one writer who focuses on Black issues.

The Root's Candace McDuffie -- a senior editorial staffer for the G/O Media-owned online publication -- came on CNN to discuss the aftermath of Chris' Netflix special ... where he eviscerated Will and Jada Pinkett Smith for the hit seen around the world in 2022.

According to her, Chris was simply being held accountable by Will at the time for attacking a Black woman -- which McDuffie says is part of a larger pattern in this country, and which she says Chris has been guilty of in his comedy even before targeting Jada's alopecia.

As for how she feels about Chris' response nearly a full 365 days later ... well, the way she's talking here -- it almost sounds like she's just as angry with Chris yet again, saying he called Jada out of her name (he didn't once say her name, but did call her a "bitch" and refer to her as a "predator" in the special). In McDuffie's eyes, CR hasn't learned his lesson.

Don Lemon ever-so-gently pushed back on McDuffie, asking how she would respond to people who might say she's advocating for violence with this take ... and that Chris should, perhaps, be afforded a pass since he was going after Jada/Will in a stand-up comedy environment.

Her final thought is this ... as much pain as Will was in during the Oscars slap -- which Chris also addressed -- McDuffie feels like Chris was hurting just as much during his own special. She says there was more rage and resentment than there was humor ... from her POV.

Of course, this view isn't exclusive to McDuffie. There are many online who feel like Chris had the slap coming -- and even more who aren't happy that he continued to tear Will/Jada down for the sake of retribution and a laugh. On the flip side, just as many loved it.🤷🏽‍♂️

Jeff Ross says Chris Rock is walking away with the 'W' in the Will Smith Oscars slap saga -- and he commends his friend doing so without using his hands, just a silver tongue.

We got the comedian Monday in L.A. after he'd flown back from Chris' live special in Baltimore ... and he said the whole event was just as epic as it looked and sounded on TV.

Jeff, the famed roast master, says Chris got the better of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in the end ... and he's pretty high on how Chris handled it, even if it did take a year to address. However, he points out the special touched on a lot more than just the Smiths ... and he was impressed by its overall message.

He did have a fave bit, BTW ... the one about Beyonce and Jay-Z, which he says might be the joke of the year. We can't do it justice here -- you gotta see the special -- but it's basically about Bey being so hot she could get Jay no matter what her job was. Not so much for him, though.

Rock addressed the elephant in the room Saturday night during his live Netflix special, "Selective Outrage," leaving no doubt that he's still pissed at Smith for smackin' him on live TV as the world watched.

The comedian launched into the segment this way...“You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by 'Suge' Smith, everybody knows, everybody f--king knows. I got smacked like a year ago… And people are like ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears.”

But, don't ever ask Rock to sit for an interview with Oprah Winfrey or Gayle King 'cause he ain't doing it. “I’m not a victim baby, you will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. You will never see it…. It’s never going to happen. F--k that s--t, I took that s--t like Pacquiao" -- a reference to boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Rock also compared his situation with Smith to David and Goliath. He said Smith was a lot bigger than him and even played Muhammad Ali in a movie. "You think I auditioned for that? I played Pookie in ‘New Jack City.’ I played a piece of corn in ‘Pootie Tang,'" Rock joked.

Then Rock skewered Smith's wife, Jada, accusing her of doing something "f--king lowdown" by having an affair with her son's friend -- and then discussing it with her husband on her Red Table Talk.

Rock said, "We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here been cheated on. None of us has ever been interviewed by the person who cheated on us on television… Why the f--k would you do that s--t? She hurt [Will] way more than he hurt me."

Continuing along those lines, Rock said, "Everybody called [Will] a bitch. And who’s he hit? Me! A n**** he know he can beat. That’s some bitch ass sh--!”

Rock said he didn't strike Smith back "because I’ve got parents! And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people!”

The funnyman wrapped it up with...“They say, ‘words hurt.' You gotta watch what you say because ‘words hurt.’ Anybody who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face."

Sounds like Will still has more work to do to patch things up with Chris.

Kelsea Ballerini and Chase Stokes are making public appearances as a couple now, and they're all smiles about it ... despite her messy divorce drama with Morgan Evans.

KB and CS hit up the New York Rangers game Thursday night at Madison Square Garden ... and during their time in the stands, Chase grabs her by the chin for a kiss ... real romantic stuff.

The couple seems to be in great spirits -- while we've seen them all over each other at LAX, and havin' a great time at a Nashville honky tonk ... this is the first time they've both gone to a public event as a duo. That we know of, at least.

Of course, Kelsea being on cloud 9 comes on the heels of some serious turmoil between her and her ex-husband. The drama didn't end when she and Morgan called it quits last year, because Kelsea dropped an album on Feb. 14 about the end of their marriage.

What's more, she went on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast last week -- digging deeper into her side of what she saw as a nasty split, blaming him for forcing her to do stuff like give up half the house or cough up alimony.

As we reported, her recent comments got a public response out of Morgan, who said she's leaving out "what really happened."

He kept things pretty vague, but there are reports Kelsea cheated on Morgan back in 2019 with The Chainsmokers member Drew Taggart. Kelsea allegedly told Morgan about it in 2021, which led to the divorce.

Obviously, it's become a messy situation, but Kelsea and Chase still look pretty happy!