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Colton Underwood coming out as gay comes with a TV deal ... his new journey's being shot for a reality series.

TMZ has learned the former 'Bachelor' star has had a film crew following him for the past few weeks, and the show -- focusing on his life as a gay man -- will air on Netflix.

We're told several other prominent members of the LBGTQ+ community have been in Colton's corner throughout this process -- such as his friend, Olympian Gus Kenworthy -- and will make appearances alongside him in the series.

As we reported ... Underwood opened up about his sexuality, revealing he's gay to Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America."

He said ... "I've ran from myself for a long time. I've hated myself for a long time ... and I'm gay. And I came to terms with that earlier this year and have been processing it. And the next step in all of this was sort of letting people know."

Colton says his struggle with being gay got so bad that he contemplated suicide, but fortunately he had an epiphany ... and decided to take control of his life.

We reached out to Colton's rep ... so far, no word back.

Paul Blart: NFL coach!?

Kevin James is all set to play New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton in an upcoming Netflix project ... and it's all based around the fallout from the infamous "Bountygate" scandal.

Remember, Payton was suspended for 1 year after the NFL found Saints defensive players were getting cash payouts from 2009 to 2011 for targeting and injuring opponents during games.

But, the movie doesn't sound like a dark look into the violent side of the scandal ... it's reportedly based on Payton's decision to focus on coaching his son's youth football team during his time away from the league.

The movie is being produced by Adam Sandler's Happy Madison Productions -- so it seems the flick will be a lighthearted, family-friendly depiction of the situation ... despite the heavy and despicable nature of the suspension in the first place.

The movie is titled "Home Team" ... and Payton is reportedly heavily involved, according to Peter King -- who says Payton received a copy of the script and actually submitted a round of notes to producers.

In real life, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was FURIOUS with Payton and the Saints for the scandal -- saying it gave the league a serious black eye.

An NFL investigation found that Payton both knew about the bounty situation AND made efforts to conceal it from the league during subsequent investigations.

One of the players who had a bounty on his head was Brett Favre -- who got the snot beat out of him during the 2010 NFC Championship game. The beating he took that day was exceptionally violent.

The NFL ultimately found Payton failed to "act in a responsible manner" to shut down the bounty scheme and suspended him for the entire 2012 season.

During his suspension, Payton helped out his son's 6th-grade youth football team.

According to Peter King, Payton used the suspension to "re-assess his life and put it in some perspective" -- and that will serve as the theme for the upcoming movie.

There is already some backlash on social media from people who are afraid the movie will paint Payton as some sort of hero. Then again, people can change ... right?

DOMINATION!!!!

The Netflix-famous Navarro College cheer squad just straight-up CRUSHED their routine at Daytona on Friday ... in hopes of adding yet another national championship trophy to their collection.

The Bulldogs are looking to secure top honors at the NCA & NDA Collegiate Cheer & Dance Championship on Friday ... after performing a near-perfect routine.

If everything goes in the Bulldogs' favor, it'll be Navarro's 15th national championship -- and its third since 2018.

Of course, the Navarro cheer team blew up on the scene following the premiere of the docuseries, "Cheer," in early 2020 ... which followed their quest for a 14th championship in 2019.

Navarro's hopes of defending their title in 2020 were derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic ... but despite a year off, there was no rust detected!!!

The team was once again led by coach Monica Aldama and returning star Gabi Butler, who was prominently featured on the show.

Will a trophy-wielding sprint into the ocean be on the horizon?? Awards will be announced in just a few hours.

Stay tuned ...

Tim Stark -- famous for being one of the animal park staffers on 'Tiger King' -- threatened to take his own life after taking a loss in court ... and now police are involved.

Here's the deal ... Tim went on Facebook Live Wednesday night after an Indiana judge banned him from owning animals, and made several threats against himself and anyone coming to his property.

As you can see in the video, Tim shows what appears to be a syringe attached to his arm, which he claims is filled with drugs used for euthanasia.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... police are aware of the video and they contacted Tim Thursday to investigate the incident. At this point, they say he is fine, but add ... they'll continue monitoring his Facebook for any possible criminal activity.

The suicide threats are alarming and so is this -- law enforcement tells us Tim threatened to potentially shoot anyone who comes to his home. Cops have not yet made physical contact with him.

"Never Have I Ever" star Maitreyi Ramakrishnan is raking in the Netflix dough ... she made a cool six figures for the first season, and there's a substantial raise in her future.

The 19-year-old actress is off to a strong start in Hollywood after landing the starring role in Mindy Kaling's Netflix series. According to her minor's contract, obtained by TMZ, Maitreyi banked $20,000 per episode in the first season alone.

Maitreyi really hit the jackpot when Mindy selected her from the 15,000 actors who answered the show's open casting call ... because with 10-episodes in the can for the first season, she earned at least $200k.

"Never Have I Ever" has been picked up for a second season, thanks in part to Maitreyi's breakout performance ... and the contract says she's getting a 5% raise, which works out to $21k per episode.

Netflix says the upcoming second season will again consist of 10 episodes, so Maitreyi should bank at least $210k when the dust settles ... and that's before her cut from any merch deals and other compensation under the deal.

Jeff Lowe is moving forward with his plans to auction off an "official" Joe Exotic NFT collection ... despite legal pushback from the 'Tiger King' himself.

Here's the deal ... Jeff and his wife, Lauren Lowe, recently announced an auction of non-fungible tokens featuring Exotic and the rest of the 'Tiger King' stars and it seems to have caught the attention of Joe's legal team.

Exotic's attorneys fired off a legal letter to Jeff and Lauren, obtained by TMZ, claiming the couple does not have legal standing to sell the NFTs ... and demanding they call off the auction or risk financial and legal ramifications.

Lauren tells TMZ ... she and Jeff are still pressing on with the auction despite Exotic's legal threats.

She says they will defend their position that they're the only entity in the U.S. that holds the 'Tiger King' trademark, which Lauren claims Joe signed over to them way back in 2016.

The auction goes live Thursday at 5 PM ET with the bidding running through 5 PM ET Sunday ... so the clock is ticking for either side to blink.

Jeff Lowe is attempting to recover from a stroke that left him unresponsive in an Oklahoma casino ... and he and his wife suspect someone slipped something in his drink that put his life in peril.

The 'Tiger King' star's wife, Lauren, tells TMZ ... Jeff was not breathing when she found him on March 18 around 3 AM at WinStar World Casino where they were staying. She quickly called 911, but says, "I thought he was dying in my arms."

Lauren says when EMTs arrived they determined Jeff was suffering a stroke -- and decided he had to be airlifted to a hospital in Denton, TX. She says the medical staff there worked miracles to limit the damaging effects of the stroke and save Jeff's life.

Lauren says what's strange is that doctors have run a battery of tests, and so far at least, haven't been able to determine what caused Jeff's stroke -- and that's made her very suspicious about something and someone.

She tells us on March 17, hours before the stroke, she and Jeff were out on a dinner date when a strange man approached them ... claiming he knew them and even knew their favorite drink orders. Lauren says they have no clue who he was, but he lingered when a crowd of 'Tiger King' fans gathered to take selfies with them.

Lauren says they suspect that's when this mystery guy spiked Jeff's drink with something that might have caused the stroke.

Jeff's blood and urine tests came back negative for commonly abused drugs ... according to Lauren, but she suggests the suspicious guy might have used something more exotic. She says they just started connecting the dots on what happened that night, and have not reported it to cops yet.

The good news is Jeff's now back at home recovering -- after spending 3 days in the hospital -- but Lauren says he's still having difficulties with speech and coordination.

Imagine a world where the oceans have ZERO fish -- that's pretty much doomsday for the planet, and it could happen by 2048 ... at least based on Kip Andersen's research while making "Seaspiracy."

The producer of the popular Netflix documentary joined TMZ Live and laid out the dangerous impact he says commercial fishing's having on our oceans. He claims it's, in essence, creating a seismic ripple effect on climate change.

Kip makes no bones about it ... the leading cause of the ocean's destruction is the fishing industry, and he says it's a damn shame its impact has been intentionally covered up. But, not anymore.

Kip, who also made 'Cowspiracy,' says his latest doc shines a light on the impact commercial fishing has on our oceans -- but adds the damage goes well beyond environmental. He claims social rights issues also plague the industry -- including allegations of slavery -- and they uncovered it while making "Seaspiracy."

Believe it or not, it's already been one year since Joe Exotic was unleashed on the world ... and the man himself is dropping a footwear collection from behind bars to celebrate.

The shoes are part of Joe's "Revenge" collection with streetwear brand Odaingerous ... and they come with all the usual Exotic flair, like animal print, gold and Italian leather.

Oh, and there's also a thinly veiled dig at Joe's nemesis, Carole Baskin. Would you expect anything less?!?

As you can see, Joe's coming in hot with 3 different shoes ... there's the Dapper Don Trainer with its wedge heel and padded straps, plus a low-top Dapper Don sneaker and the pièce de résistance, a traditional tennis shoe dubbed the Revenge Exotic 1.

The Dapper Dons are a play on Carole's missing husband, Don Lewis, and the Revenge Exotic 1 is covered in gold and 3 types of animal prints. Joe's hawking the kicks at $219, $249 and $252, and they all come in a tiger print box.

The shoes drop online Saturday, the one-year anniversary of the 'Tiger King' premiere on Netflix.

Joe's REVENGE collection has already released an underwear line and a fashion line ... and each drop has sold out immediately.

The Netflix docuseries on L.A.'s mysterious Cecil Hotel is triggering a flood of new, and bizarre, theories on who was behind Elisa Lam's death -- some so strange they'd require time travel.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... ever since "Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel" started streaming, LAPD's 24/7 hotline's been ringing off the hook with tips. We're told most are connecting the hotel's haunted past to the unsolved mystery of how Lam ended up dead in a rooftop water tank.

If you've seen the series you know a former GM at the Cecil said she saw about 80 deaths at the hotel over 10 years.

Our sources say the strangest tip cops have gotten involved Richard Ramirez, AKA The Night Stalker. Now, he is mentioned in the series, because he lived on the 14th floor at the hotel while he terrorized California in the '80s.

That tip clearly didn't come from Sherlock Holmes since Ramirez had been locked up for nearly 30 years when Lam was found dead in 2013.

Will Smith says his encounters with blatant racism all involved pure stupidity -- as in, really stupid people, but he also has a theory about smart racists.

The actor dished on the 'Pod Save America' podcast, in which he discussed his experience with racism both before and during his time in Hollywood ... all with the backdrop of a new Netflix series he produced about the 14th Amendment, 'Amend: The Fight for America.'

Will was asked about how his own personal run-ins with prejudice helped steer the project, and he didn't hold back ... saying he'd been called the n-word to his face at least 5 times before.

Then, Will got a bit philosophical ... saying everyone who'd said that to him wasn't very bright -- which he chalked up to ignorance. But, he goes on to distinguish that form of racism from its ugly "twin" ... evil.

Watch the clip to see how Will phrases it, but essentially ... he's saying ignorance can be treated with education, but there's no easy fix for evil, if that's what's at the core of someone's racism.

Joe Exotic is getting the best revenge he can against Carole Baskin -- hiring the attorney who recently repped the family of her missing husband ... who's now working to free him.

John M. Phillips of the Phillips & Hunt firm broke the news Tuesday, saying he'd been retained by the 'Tiger King' himself in a bid to get a new trial arranged so Joe can plead his case in front of a new set of 12 jurors.

Phillips writes, "Work has already begun on @joe_exotic's New Trial Motion. We are proud to be leading his team. I was sworn into the Western District of Oklahoma this morning. This isn't about tigers, television or tomfoolery, it's about justice and evidence. More soon."

He also posted a video ... which took some shots at Joe's former legal team, who Phillips characterized as engaging in "buffoonery" in their bid to get JE pardoned by Prez Trump.

Doesn't sound like Joe disagrees -- at least that's how Phillips makes it sound. He says shortly after the failed attempt, the man himself reached out and asked about his services. One thing led to another, and now Phillips is on the case -- and he ain't looking to Joe Biden for a bail-out either.

Remember, Phillips was also brought on by Don Lewis' surviving family members -- who seem to believe Carole knows more about his mysterious vanishing than she's let on. They even bought air time during her debut appearance on 'DWTS' which aired mid-broadcast.

Taylor Swift is picking up the battle her fans started with Netflix -- ripping one of its hit shows for a sexist and misogynistic joke targeting her dating life.

Taylor fired back Monday morning at the streaming service and the writers of "Ginny and Georgia" over the show's finale which showed Ginny (Antonia Gentry) and her mother Georgia (Brianne Howey) arguing about relationships. Ginny quipped, "What do you care? You go through men faster than Taylor Swift."

Well, Taylor ain't laughing. She says, "2010 called and it wants its lazy, deeply sexist joke back. How about we stop degrading hard working women by defining this horse s**t as fuNny."

Swift's fans are also peeved ... #RespectTaylor started trending overnight, and one fan tweeted, "It's not sitting right with me [that] Netflix has two Taylor Swift projects on their platform and they are okay with treating her like this!!! RESPECT TAYLOR SWIFT."

The Colin Kaepernick TV production is taking security measures in the wake of a threat at the hands of anti-BLM protesters ... TMZ Sports has learned.

Executives on the project sent an email to the staff with measures to protect the cast and crew. We will not disclose the measures, but the honchos are clearly taking it seriously.

Production sources tell TMZ Sports, they were told the anti-BLM group was planning a protest last Friday at the location shoot. That protest did not materialize, but it caused worry among cast and crew.

The production -- starring Jaden Michael as CK -- was notified last week in a memo ... "anti-BLM sentiments may protest against the production."  Two production sources tell TMZ Sports there was also an ominous phone call made last week to the production office.

The production sources tell us the anti-BLM group that made the threat was the Proud Boys.

BTW ... we're told Colin was not on set last week.

The production -- "Colin in Black and White" -- chronicles Kaepernick's high school years and the racism he confronted. It highlights the events that inspired Colin's social activism. It's directed by Ava DuVernay and Colin will narrate the 6-part series.

Britney Spears does NOT have her own documentary in the works ... we're told fan speculation and media reports to the contrary are not accurate.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... a doc from Britney and her team is definitely NOT happening. We're told a project of this magnitude would need to be vetted and authorized by Brit and her conservators, which is a big hurdle.

Another source tells TMZ ... a female filmmaker has been reaching out to people in Britney's inner circle, telling them she's working on a doc about Britney's life, and the filmmaker claims she's going to pitch the project to Netflix.

There are reports and speculation circulating that Britney is quietly working on a doc with a top female filmmaker and Britney fears her father, Jamie Spears, could hijack the project to make himself look better ... but we're told neither Britney nor her team are involved in the production.

There's no shaking Jamie at this point either ... as we first told you, a judge denied Britney's request to have her father removed as her co-conservator during Thursday's court hearing.

Britney and her conservatorship are all the rage again these days ... the new doc 'Framing Britney Spears' is getting a lot of buzz, and it's resulted in Britney's boyfriend ripping Jamie, and Justin Timberlake offering her an apology for the things he said after their breakup.

Dave Chappelle says he got what he wanted from Comedy Central -- millions of dollars, and rights to his show -- so now "Chappelle's Show" is back on Netflix ... with his blessing.

Dave shared a bit from his recent stand-up Thursday night in which he revealed the show's return to streaming Friday ... just 2 months after Netflix yanked it at his behest.

On stage, Chappelle summarized his power struggle with Comedy Central to get paid for any "Chappelle's Show" deals they made ... and he gave all the credit to fans for not watching the show at his request.

Dave said ... "When you stopped watching it, they called me. And, I got my name back and I got my license back and I got my show back and they paid me millions of dollars. Thank you very much."

Dave went on to shower his fans with appreciation for putting him back after his 12-year hiatus from comedy, which he says "kept me free."