Netflix

PETA's making a strong effort to get Doc Antle in the USDA's crosshairs ... filing a complaint and asking the department to investigate him over Lil Pump's recent visit.

The animal rights org fired off a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture formally requesting it investigate the 'Tiger King' star for apparent violations of the Animal Welfare Act at his Myrtle Beach Safari.

In the letter, obtained by TMZ ... Debbie Metzler, associate director of captive animal law enforcement, cited Lil Pump's trip there this week, and a video that shows him make "direct physical contact with a juvenile tiger."

She claims it violates the law requiring that “dangerous animals such as… tigers… or elephants must be under the direct control and supervision of a knowledgeable and experienced animal handler."

Then there's the Lil Pump encounter with the elephant, Bubbles. Metzler calls the stunt exceptionally dangerous because it could have spooked the elephant and triggered the elephant to bolt and potentially injure people. PETA wants the USDA to hold Antle accountable for any and all violations it discovers during its investigation.

As we reported ... Pump and his boys took a trip to South Carolina and had one helluva close encounter with Bubbles. Video shows Pump getting picked up by the elephant's trunk. The rapper damn near fell off before safely landing on his feet.

Jeff and Lauren Lowe ain't nothing but mammals ... the 'Tiger King' stars are gonna get paid to do it on camera, but not for the Discovery Channel.

Sources close to the 'Tiger King' stars tell TMZ ... two of the biggest adult entertainment companies have reached out to Jeff and Lauren to offer them big money for a sex tape with lots of intercourse.

Our sources say Jeff and Lauren are being offered around $300,000 per video to shoot 3 videos.

We're told the XXX companies want one video of Jeff and Lauren banging together, another with them getting down with their nanny, and a third video with them and another guy of Lauren's choosing.

So, that's a couple's sex tape, a ménage à trois and a devil's threeway!!!

Our sources tell us Jeff and Lauren are definitely going to ink a sex tape deal, but they're still deciding on which company to sign with. We're told a deal is likely to be completed by the weekend, so it's coming down to the wire.

Jeff and Lauren are getting ready for lots of camera time ... sources say they're about to start filming 'Tiger King 2' and it's gonna cover the sex tape saga.

Lauren's already warming up for her first sex tape ... she just started an OnlyFans account.

Kim Kardashian's Halloween costume blew Carole Baskin away ... Carole tells us after seeing Kim dress up like her, she just can't live up to her own image anymore.

As you know, Kim dressed to the nines with her Carole Baskin costume, complete with animal print, a flower crown and her kids dressed as tigers ... and Carole tells us Kim's look is a "beautiful version" of herself.

Kim's best friend, Jonathan Cheban, also dressed as Joe Exotic.

Carole's getting the Halloween treatment for the first time this year ... and she says it's weird to see total strangers wearing flower crowns, cat prints and gaudy jewelry to channel their inner Carole Baskin.

You know you've made it when Kim K is dressing up like you for Halloween and not the other way around!!!

'Tiger King' is a huge hit with costumes this year -- Kelly Ripa dressed as Joe Exotic and Ryan Seacrest went as a tiger -- and Carole says Joe's the perfect icon for Halloween because he represents "pure evil."

Carole also tells us she's been so flattered by all the "clever renditions" of her look, she started a costume contest on her Big Cat Rescue Facebook page. Good luck looking better than Kim!

Colin Kaepernick has found his younger self ... with "The Get Down" star Jaden Michael landing the role of teen Kap in the upcoming Netflix series based on the QB's early life.

Kap and Emmy winner Ava DuVernay have teamed up to create a 6-episode limited series based on the QB/social activist's early experiences  ... titled "Colin In Black & White."

The project just announced it has added 17-year-old Michael -- a rising star in Hollywood -- to play the role of Kap in his high school days in Turlock, CA.

You may have seen Michael's work in the past -- he's starred in projects like Todd Haynes' "Wonderstruck" and Lorne Michaels' "Vampires Vs. The Bronx."

The show will focus on Kap's childhood -- growing up as a black man in an adopted white family, and how his life shaped him to become one of the most important activists of our time ... as well as an NFL quarterback.

32-year-old Kap (the real one) will also be personally involved in the project as the narrator.

Kaepernick tweeted about the news ... saying, "I never thought I would be casting a young me in a show about my life. I can’t wait for the world to see @ItsJadenMichael be an all-star on @netflix"

"Unsolved Mysteries" is once again bringing about renewed interest in an old case gone cold, but more importantly ... it might lead to the capture of a killer on the run for 47 years.

Volume 2 of Netflix's revival of the show features an episode called "Death Row Fugitive," which focuses on the escape of convicted child killer, Lester Eubanks, in Ohio in 1973. He's been on the lam ever since.

The creator of the series, Terry Dunn Meurer, tells TMZ ... they've received hundreds of leads on Eubanks' whereabouts since the episode aired Oct. 19, and have passed any that seem even slightly credible to law enforcement.

The U.S. Marshal Service has concurrently announced that they believe Eubanks is alive and they are getting closer to tracking him down. They've also doubled the reward for information leading to his capture from $25,000 to $50,000.

Eubanks was convicted in the '60s for the rape and murder of 14-year-old Mary Ellen Deener. Though he was sentenced to death, it was later changed to life in prison ... but he escaped in December 1973, near Columbus, while out on an honor assignment.

Deener's sister, Myrtle Carter, tells us she hopes the episode leads to Eubanks' arrest so her family can finally have some closure once and for all.

She says all she can do is be hopeful, but like the U.S. Marshals ... she's encouraged by the response and support from "Unsolved Mysteries" so far.

As you may recall ... the show sparked a similar reaction this summer with its episode about the 2004 death of Alonzo Brooks in Kansas. Tips flooded in, and a couple weeks later his body was exhumed and his case was reopened.

Joe Exotic's still managing to piss off Carole Baskin even from behind bars ... she's got beef over her old nemesis' new underwear line.

Here's the deal ... Joe's selling limited-edition "Casket Baskin Briefs" as part of the men's underwear line of his "REVENGE" fashion collection with Odaingerous streetwear ... but Carole's not feeling it.

Carole's legal team fired off a cease and desist letter to Joe and the folks at Odaingerous, obtained by TMZ, claiming Joe and the brand have no right to make money off her name.

She's threatening legal action if Odaingerous doesn't pull the merch. Carole is also demanding a full accounting of any sales they've made off merch featuring or referring to her name or likeness.

As we first told you ... Joe's underwear line is selling like hotcakes, and the top seller is the 'Casket Baskin' boxer briefs, which are going for $29 a pop. So, there could be a lot of money at stake here.

Carole Baskin's not only had 3 husbands, but also a wife ... but she says there's been one big difference between her male and female partners.

The 'Tiger King' star, who just this week came out as bisexual, tells TMZ ... she's had lovers from both sexes, and even had a "nonsexual wife" back in the day. Carole's said she could just as easily have married the woman in her life as she did Don Lewis, and then Howard Baskin.

However, we know Carole often sees things differently than most ... and marriage is no exception. First off, she says her "wife" was heterosexual, and that boundary was always respected.

So, with sex off the table ... Carole says they loved each other in a platonic way, and her partner did all the cooking, took care of their home and was even a secretary for Carole's real estate biz. BTW, she doesn't want to reveal the woman's identity to protect her from the media, but it seems they were together sometime in the mid to late '80s ... when same sex marriage was illegal, anyway.

As for Carole's rules of attraction -- she says for her it's more about who you are on the inside, and she doesn't have a preference for physical characteristics ... male or female. Of course, she takes it even deeper ... telling us human connection isn't about sex, gender, race or nationality because humans are ALL of those things.

Carole's also clearing up some statements about her sexuality ... telling us she doesn't identify as a transgender male despite telling PinkNews she feels she was born in the wrong body.

The Big Cat Rescue owner, who clearly believes in reincarnation, says you won't know why you were born as you were ... until you are between lives.

Kim Kardashian West took David Letterman's best shot, but even he couldn't get her to say anything bad about President Trump ... her ally in prison reform.

Kim's the premiere guest on the third season of Dave's "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction" on Netflix, and their one-on-one interview hits on some really personal topics ... especially when he grills her about working with Trump.

After the talk show host lauds her many accomplishments in business and entertainment, the topic moved to Kim working with The White House on clemencies -- most notably, Alice Marie Johnson's.

Kim says she hopes to continue to work with future administrations on prison sentencing reform, and that's when Letterman presses ... telling her he's grateful for her work but adding, "It doesn’t make me feel any better about the current administration."

Kim says she understands but refuses to criticize POTUS about anything while also refusing to answer Dave on who she's voting for this election. Instead, she pivots to her controversial White House visit in 2018 that preceded Johnson's prison release.

She tells Letterman, "Trust me, everyone called me and said, ‘Don’t you dare step foot in that White House or your reputation is done.'"

Kim says it was worth it, and in the end, even Letterman concedes that her work is a "positive force that diminishes what I consider to be unacceptable behavior by the President."

Once again, Kardashian doesn't touch on the "unacceptable behavior" and sticks with simply being grateful for the Trump administration partnering with her on criminal justice reform.

The interview was filmed in early 2020, before coronavirus and before Kim's husband, Kanye West, was in the presidential race ... but there was still plenty more to talk about.

Michael Blackson's bummed the "Coming To America" sequel won't premiere on the big screen this holiday season ... but he thinks Amazon is making a savvy business move.

We got the comedian outside Catch in WeHo and our camera guy asked about Amazon Studios cutting a $125 million deal to stream "Coming 2 America."

Michael, who stars in the sequel, tells us he would prefer a big-screen premiere ... but he knows it just couldn't happen in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

The movie's slated for its streaming debut the week before Christmas, and Michael says that's perfect timing ... theaters will likely remain shuttered, and folks will be home for the holidays and ready to watch something new.

Michael thinks Jeff Bezos' company just put Netflix on notice with this massive deal ... he says it's definitely going to bring extra eyeballs Amazon's way and it's all part of a bigger showdown with Netflix.

Jerry Harris will remain in custody until he stands trial in his child pornography case.

A federal judge just denied bond for the star of Netflix's popular docuseries, "Cheer." As we reported, Harris had a bond hearing Wednesday in Texas, where the judge heard arguments for and against cutting him loose before his trial. The judge finally ruled Friday, agreeing with the prosecution's wishes to keep him behind bars.

Prosecutors said they believe Harris could prey on minors if released on bond. They claimed he has multiple underage victims already, and would likely revert back to the same alleged behavior. Remember ... the feds claim he continued targeting minors despite being tipped off about the federal investigation.

The judge cited that allegation in Friday's ruling ... saying Harris was consistent in his pursuit of the alleged victims and demonstrated uncontrollable behavior.

Harris' defense team told the court he wouldn't pose a threat or hurt people if he was released pending trial, because he wouldn't have access to the Internet, and would have regular check-ins with a psychiatrist. The judge was unswayed and said community support and a lack of criminal history were not enough to prove Harris doesn't pose a threat to the community.

Instead, the judge said a lack of criminal history actually shows how easy it is for this kind of alleged behavior to go undetected.

Jerry Harris wouldn't be able to hurt people or pose a threat if he was released pending trial in his child porn case ... at least according to his defense team, which says he'd be cut off from the digital world.

The disgraced star of Netflix's cheerleading docuseries, "Cheer," had a bond hearing Wednesday in Texas, where a judge heard arguments for and against cutting him loose before he stands trial. Currently, he's in custody at MCC Chicago.

Prosecutors have already made it clear they believe Jerry could prey on minors if he bonds out of jail -- they claim he has multiple underage victims thus far, and will likely fall into the same alleged behavior. As we reported, the feds claim he continued targeting minors even after he'd been tipped off about their investigation.

His defense team had a different perspective ... telling the court Jerry wouldn't have access to a phone or the Internet, if released, and he'd have regular check-ins with a psychiatrist.

On that last part ... Jerry's team says he does not possess the mental development of an average 20-year-old but understands the severity of the charges he's facing.

The judge postponed a decision on bond, and, for now, he'll remain in custody.

As we reported ... Harris was arrested last month in Illinois. The feds claim he admitted to many of the allegations against him ... including sexually assaulting at least one minor boy in an unlocked public bathroom during a cheer event.

Two of his alleged victims have also sued him.

"Cheer" star Jerry Harris should remain behind bars until his trial because he's "a clear and present danger to the community and most notably defenseless children" ... so claim the feds.

Harris has a bond hearing scheduled for Wednesday, and federal prosecutors filed legal docs asking the judge to deny his release on bond as he awaits his trial for child pornography.

According to the new docs, obtained by TMZ, the feds claim Harris exploited and violated at least 5 to 10 minors for more than 2 years ... requesting they send him sexually explicit images of themselves.

Prosecutors also allege his criminal conduct includes sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy ... and repeatedly targeting young boys by reaching out to them via his phone and persuading them to engage in sexually explicit activity.

In the docs, the feds claim Harris fessed up to sexually assaulting at least one minor boy in an unlocked public bathroom during a cheer event.

To make their point about him remaining a danger to the public ... prosecutors claim even when Harris was tipped off to a possible investigation into his crimes, he was not able to control his impulses and continued to victimize multiple other minors.

'Tiger King' star Doc Antle is facing a slew of felony and misdemeanor charges now for his treatment and transport of lion cubs.

Antle, the owner and founder of Myrtle Beach Safari, was indicted Friday in Virginia for felony wildlife trafficking after a months-long investigation found evidence he trafficked lion cubs between South Carolina and Virginia ... according to Virginia's Attorney General.

You'll recall ... Netflix's "Tiger King" documentary mentioned Antle's safari park was raided last December, and now it seems that raid was part of this investigation.

Antle is also charged with 1 felony count of conspiracy to sell or transport endangered wildlife, 4 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and 9 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

In addition, 2 of Antle's daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, were charged with misdemeanors for animal cruelty and violating the Endangered Species Act.

The same investigation led to felony charges against Keith A. Wilson, owner of Wilson's Wild Animal Park. Authorities say they seized 119 animals, including lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats, water buffalo, and more from Wilson's roadside zoo and claim he got some of the animals from Antle.

Larsa Pippen is dating again, and it looks like she's bagged herself a young Netflix reality TV star ... who's also an Australian snack.

The estranged wife of NBA star Scottie Pippen hit up Il Pastaio in Beverly Hills Wednesday night with none other than Harry Jowsey from "Too Hot to Handle." They seemed pretty damn cozy ... snuggling up for selfies and leaving the joint together -- hence the dating rumors.

As you can see from the pics, they walked pretty close and appeared to be having a blast. Larsa explained their night out by saying this on social media -- "So, I decided I need dance lessons so I called my friend Harry." Harry chimed in with ... "We're going to be doing salsa lessons. Stay tuned."

Larsa and Harry also appeared to be at the restaurant with some friends. Either way, both are pretty much single and ready to mingle. Remember, Larsa split from Scottie in late 2018 and she most recently threw cold water on rumors she was banging NBA star, Ben Simmons. As for Harry ... some of his co-stars have gone on the record to say he was only dating fellow co-star Francesca Farago for clout.

For what it's worth ... Harry is half Larsa's age. So, good for her!

Netflix is being dragged into a criminal courtroom in Texas over the controversial film, "Cuties" ... a film a grand jury believes shows young kids in sexual situations.

The grand jury in Tyler County, TX just handed up the indictment ... and according to the docs, Netflix is being charged with promotion of lewd visual material depicting children. By streaming "Cuties," Netflix allegedly promoted the lewd exhibition of the genitals or pubic area of a clothed or partially clothed child younger than 18, appealing to the prurient interest in sex.

The criminal indictment -- a rare move against a company -- also says the movie offers no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value, and alleges the head honchos at Netflix recklessly authorized and/or tolerated its dissemination through its platform ... and, therefore, should be held accountable.

Critics have been very vocal about the controversial film -- some feel it encourages the sexual exploitation of pre-teens ... some have even used the word "pedophilia" to describe "Cuties."

The film is about a group of prepubescent girls who form a dance squad and practice moves they see in music videos. At one point, they even dress in revealing outfits and carry themselves like adults.

Ironically, the film's creators have said they intended the film to be a critique of the hypersexualization of kids ... but that message has been lost on many viewers.

There was a whole #CancelNetflix movement in the wake of the film's release. Netflix picked up the distribution rights after "Cuties" debuted at Sundance earlier this year.

If convicted, Netflix isn't going to prison. Most likely, the company would be forced to pay criminal fines, and possibly pull the movie from the platform.

Here's a couple of Joe Exotic's former zookeepers making their first dive into commercials ... a hilarious 'Tiger King' spoof with Todd Bridges as their old boss!!!

Saff Saffery and John Reinke -- who were featured in 'Tiger King' and used to care for the big cats at Joe's GW Zoo -- star in the ad for Insurance King, opposite the "Diff'rent Strokes" star doing his best Exotic impression.

The 'Tiger King' references are everywhere ... from the tiger roars, to Todd dropping infamous Joe quotes and rocking his signature mullet. Oh, and eagle-eyed viewers will notice the Insurance Company logo, which usually features a lion, swapped out for a tiger wearing a crown.

As we first told you ... Saff and John reunited for the first time in 3 years this week in Rockford, IL, celebrating Carole Baskin's 'DWTS' exit and meeting Todd ahead of the commercial shoot.