Reality TV

Jason Hitch's death has shocked "90 Day Fiance" fans and his family members, who want something positive to come out of their loss ... and that's convincing doubters to wake up and get the COVID-19 jab.

Jason's sister, Shannon Speagle, tells TMZ ... she's beyond devastated following her brother's tragic death from the coronavirus. She says he wasn't vaccinated and wants Jason to be a cautionary tale for others.

The way she sees it, Jason dying should highlight the importance of getting vaccinated and taking every preventative measure you can against COVID, even if you think you're healthy.

Shannon, who's vaccinated, says she'd argue with Jason about getting the vaccine ... as he was an anti-vaxxer -- at least for COVID -- and sent her misinformation about the vaccine not being effective.

She says her brother -- who was on season 2 of '90 Day' and married to Cássia Tavares -- just figured he was a healthy 45-year-old man, and if he did get COVID, he was certain he'd be fine ... like the majority of people.

During their final convo, Shannon urged him to get vaccinated because he was planning to visit her and her children. She says Jason ultimately refused, and didn't visit them.

Here's the really sad part ... when Jason got COVID, Shannon says she didn't want to call him because she thought it'd come off as her rubbing it in his face. It wasn't until Jason was hospitalized that she understood the severity of his condition, and flew out to see him.

By the time she flew out to see him, she says he was sedated and on a ventilator, and it was the worst sight she had ever seen. She was by his bedside when he passed away last week.

Jason Oppenheim and Chrishell Stause are both back on the market, and although some "Selling Sunset" fans doubt the relationship was ever real ... Jason's twin bro says it was real, and really serious.

Brett Oppenheim was leaving his famous real estate agency on Sunset Tuesday when he shot down rumors Jason and Chrishell were only faking a relationship to promote the show's current season. Instead, he says, "My brother and Chrishell love each other more than Jason has probably loved anybody."

As we've told you, the 'Selling' costars announced Tuesday they're calling it quits, 5 months after they started dating ... a relationship Brett has publicly supported from day one. When Chrishell first posted pics from their romantic European getaway, Brett commented ... "Love you Chrishell. Thank you for making my brother happy."

The breakup's still fresh, but he's confident they truly loved each other. As for why they split -- Brett was pretty mum, but Jason himself hinted it might be because only one of them wanted to have kids.

His breakup post on IG said, "While we have different wants regarding a family, we continue to have the utmost respect for one another."

Just last week, Chrishell told us height doesn't matter in a relationship when we asked her thoughts about dating a shorter guy --- after Tom Holland and Zendaya weighed in on the double standard.

Jason Oppenheim and Chrishell Stause are no longer a couple, deciding to go their separate ways 5 months after going public about their relationship ... according to a report.

As we previously told you, the "Selling Sunset" costars announced that they were dating back in July. Chrishell had posted lots of photos of the two on a romantic getaway ... with some PDA mixed in there as well.

As you may know, Chrishell works at The Oppenheim Group, which is an LA real estate company founded by Jason and his brother. Chrishell had previously told People it was "easy" working with her BF because they were best friends before and worked together all the time.

Chrishell works as a private contractor for the OG, and that almost certainly won't change moving forward. People was first to report the news of the split.

We caught up with the Chrishell just last week and asked her thoughts about dating a shorter guy -- after Tom Holland and Zendaya called out the ridiculous standard -- she says height is no biggie in relationships, but "it's more about what's inside."

So far, no word on what may have led to the split...

The cast members of "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" weren't the only ones at Bravo fighting COVID, honcho Andy Cohen had the illness as well, and just finished his 10-day quarantine ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Cohen tested positive for COVID -- his second bout with the disease -- two weeks ago. We're told Andy quarantined at home, and has since tested negative.

Our sources say Andy was fully vaccinated, helping to reduce his symptoms.

It was in March of last year when Andy first had COVID, posting, "After a few days of self-quarantine, and not feeling great, I have tested positive for Coronavirus. As much as I felt like I could push through whatever I was feeling to do #WWHL from home, we’re putting a pin in that for now so I can focus on getting better..."

NeNe Leakes and her new man are already at that stage -- the we're close enough for some public affection stage, and they're flaunting it in Miami.

NeNe and businessman BF, Nyonisela Sioh, hit up Mr. Chow in MIA Saturday night ... and on their way out of the hot spot they were smiling and holding hands. He also had a grip on a stogie in his other hand as they were reportedly celebrating his birthday.

Her smoking hot leopard print catsuit would've drawn plenty of attention on its own -- but the PDA with Nyonisela was even more eye-catching. It's a big deal, because, as we first reported ... this is Nene's first relationship since her husband Gregg's death earlier this year.

The ex-Real Housewife and the couture suit company owner first turned heads last week at her birthday party in ATL, where they were dancing together and clearly getting close.

We're not sure when exactly they started dating, but we know Peter Thomas played matchmaker for them. Peter and Nyonisela know each other from North Carolina.

Angela Simmons is NOT joining the cast of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" -- despite some signs pointing to her shooting scenes for the reality show ... TMZ has learned.

Our production sources tell us reports of Angela coming onboard 'RHOA' and getting in front of cameras to film are simply not true.

While Angela popped up at Marlo Hampton's party at Le'Archive in Atlanta, which was crawling with 'RHOA' stars, we're told she wasn't there to shoot scenes for the new season.

Still, her coincidental appearance led to wild speculation she was joining the cast.

Sources close to Angela tell TMZ ... she moved from New York City to Atlanta, but it's not because of 'RHOA' and she's still working on her other reality shows -- "Growing Up Hip Hop" and "Just Angela."

So, she's out ... but we're told the cast for the upcoming 14th 'RHOA' season will include Kandi Burruss, Kenya Moore, Drew Sidora, Sheree Whitfield, Marlo and Sanya Richards-Ross.

Emmanuel Acho -- former NFL linebacker and "The Bachelor" host -- just got himself the sickest birthday present ever ... a $6 MILLION mansion!!!

TMZ Sports has learned ... the ex-Philadelphia Eagles player bought the insane Hollywood Hills home for his 31st birthday last month, and he even copped a vacant, 10,156-square-foot lot next to it as well.

We're told the price tag on it all was $6,325,000 ... and check out the pics of the place -- it appears to be worth every penny.

The hillside house -- which sits just moments away from the iconic Sunset Strip -- offers an incredible view of the L.A. skyline from the hills to Downtown L.A.

The dope pad features four bedrooms and five bathrooms and over 5,900 square feet ... as well as a primary bed suite with a sitting area and balcony that overlooks city lights.

There's more -- the crib also comes with three additional guest suites and features large closets and en suite bathrooms ... as well as a massive kitchen fully equipped with state-of-the-art appliances.

Brooke A. Elliott of Aaron Kirman Group at Compass represented the seller, while Kennon Earl of Rare Properties at Compass represented Acho.

As for Acho's feelings on the sale, he's clearly pleased with it all ... posting from the pad last month, "I didn't know what to do for my birthday... #NewHomeOwner #LosAngeles."

Dorothy Wang is making the jump from one rich reality show to another ... and one coast to another -- she's starring in a new Netflix show that's a spin-off of the popular "Bling Empire."

Production sources tell TMZ ... the spinoff will be set in New York City, but will still focus on Dorothy's lavish lifestyle ... just in a new setting. Big Apple retailers gotta be licking their chops!

We're told filming is starting in early January, and Dorothy will be joined on screen by some of her super-rich friends.

As you know ... the OG "Bling Empire" follows a group of wildly wealthy Asian and Asian-American celebs in Los Angeles, including Dorothy's close friend Christine Chiu.

Dorothy has a history with this sort of TV show ... she famously starred on all 4 seasons of E!'s "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills."

"Selling Sunset" star Chrishell Stause agrees with Tom Holland and Zendaya -- when it comes to men, height shouldn't matter -- and it's a silly standard for women to hold.

Chrishell was on Sunset Blvd. (where else?) when asked about the recent podcast Tom and Zendaya were on where they said it was misogynistic to believe that a male partner should be taller than the female.

Stause -- who is dating her shorter costar, Jason Oppenheim -- simply laughed the standard off, saying she understands some people may have preferences, but it's what's inside that should really count.

She goes on to tell our photog ... women should really care about how they're treated over everything else -- including their partner's height.

Chrishell and Jason have been going steady since the summer, we first saw them coupled up in Capri back in July.

Bruce Springsteen's the Boss alright ... of the IRS, because the rock legend is gonna end up saving millions in taxes every year, courtesy of his record-setting sale of his music catalog ... according to Daymond John.

The "Shark Tank" star gave us some insight into why Springsteen and several other huge music stars are unloading their master recordings and publishing rights to corporations -- and turns out taxes are one major motivation.

Even before Sony bucked up big time for Bruce's songs we've seen Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Neil Young, Shakira, Imagine Dragons and others sell their tunes in 9-digit deals ... although, only Dylan's at $300 mil comes close to Springsteen's half a BILLION.

As Daymond explains on Friday's "TMZ Live" ... obviously these celebs are already in the highest tax bracket, which means they'd be paying around 40% in federal taxes on their income from annual royalties.

Now those royalties go to whoever buys the catalog, and that's the true brilliance of these deals. You've gotta see Daymond's explanation, but basically, Bruce is about to cut his tax rate in half!!!

There are other motivators too -- such as worldwide pandemics shutting down concerts and traditional revenue streams -- but at the end of the day, Daymond says the name of the game, for Bruce and others, is securing steady income for generations to come.

Todrick Hall came sooo close to winning "The Masked Singer" title, but he's not walking away empty-handed -- in fact, he's pulled off a super rare accomplishment in the singing competition.

So, if you missed Wednesday night's season finale ... Bull, aka Todrick, lost to Queen of Hearts, aka Jewel, in the closest vote in the show's history. The unmasking was pretty awesome, shocking almost all of the judges ... with the exception of Nicole Scherzinger.

Todrick and Nicole have worked together, and he told us on Thursday's "TMZ Live" ... they've actually become good friends. Still, it wasn't just his voice that gave him away. Todrick admits it was total bull scent!!!

Yes, his cologne was the giveaway, and TH gave us lowdown on which one he was rocking under that costume. Speaking of which, 'Masked' contestants always griped about producers not letting them keep the costumes -- but Todrick's clearly different.

Stephanie Matto says she's earning 6 figures just from farting into jars ... but all that gas is taking a bit of a toll on her health, both mentally and physically.

If ya thought buying NFTs was weird, the "90 Day Fiancé" star tells TMZ ... she's already banked about $100,000 from selling her jarred farts to fans, but her process almost put the artist in the hospital.

Stephanie tells us she usually sets aside 2 or 3 days a week to work on her hustle, eating foods typically associated with being gassy ... like beans and fiber bars.

While it sounds like easy money, Stephanie says she recently ate way too many fiber bars and it nearly sent her to the emergency room!!!

No rest for the flatulent though -- although fans keep clamoring for product, Stephanie says she's only going to keep her biz going as long as she feels up to it, and as long as the checks keep coming.

What's really interesting about this convo is ... she's straight-faced the whole time, even while explaining why which she puts a flower petal inside each jar. Serious stuff.

Jason Hitch, who was a pivotal part of season 2 of "90 Day Fiancé" has died after complications from COVID-19 ... TMZ has learned.

Jason's sister, Shannon tells us he passed away Tuesday night inside the ICU of a Florida hospital. We're told Jason's family was able to be with him when he died and held his hand in his final moments. Shannon says Jason was not vaccinated and did not have preexisting medical conditions, to the family's knowledge.

Hitch died from complications of COVID-19 and perhaps other factors, Shannon says.

Jason appeared on season 2 of the show in 2014 and was married to Cássia Tavares -- a Brazilian woman who had moved to the United States to be with Jason -- they separated in 2017 and filed for divorce in 2018.

Jason was a first lieutenant in the Army reserves in Florida. Shannon tells us he was a "true and honest shooter, a great officer and leader to his men."

Jason was 45.

NeNe Leakes is giving dating another shot after tragically losing her husband to cancer.

"The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star is dating a businessman named Nyonisela Sioh ... sources close to the new couple tell TMZ. We're told NeNe's new man owns a couture suit company in Charlotte, NC and he hails from Liberia, Africa ... though it's unclear how long they've been dating.

It's interesting... our sources say, Peter Thomas, the ex-husband of fellow 'RHOA' star Cynthia Bailey, played matchmaker here ... introducing NeNe to Nyonisela.

NeNe sparked dating rumors this week when she was pictured standing next to a handsome man at her birthday party in Atlanta.

The birthday bash, a surprise organized by her son Brentt, went down at NeNe's Linnethia Lounge in Georgia and she was surrounded by family, friends and celebs like Keke Wyatt and Porsha Williams ... plus Nyonisela, the fella in the purple suit.

NeNe's foray back into the dating scene comes 3 months after she lost her husband, Gregg, to a long battle with cancer. They were married for over 20 years.

Jim Bob Duggar won't be serving as an Arkansas state senator anytime soon, because he got crushed in the Republican primary ... just days after his son, Josh, was convicted in his child porn trial.

The "19 Kids and Counting" star got clobbered during Tuesday's special election ... which saw him going up against other Republicans for an open state senate seat. The numbers are brutal ... Duggar only raked in about 15% of the vote, while former Springdale City Councilmember Colby Fulfer ended up the victor, with a decisive 46%.

Timing of the election couldn't have been worse for Duggar ... coming the week after Josh was found guilty of possessing tons of child pornography. Hard to say how much of a factor that was for voters, but this is exactly what his own son-in-law predicted would happen.

You'll recall ... Derick Dillard, who's married to Jim Bob's daughter, Jill, told us he thought Josh's conviction would hurt his father-in-law's chances -- and sure enough, he seems to have been right. Derick also happened to endorse Fulfer.

Kathy Hilton is finally back in front of 'RHOBH' cameras -- after holding out for more money -- getting a deal done just in time to guarantee she'll appear on season 12.

Kathy had previously refused to film anything for the franchise's new season because she felt she was being undervalued by show producers. It took several weeks, but both sides were able to come to an agreement that will see Kathy as a friend of the cast, making regular appearances on the show.

We spoke with Kathy's sister, and full-time cast member Kyle Richards last month about KH's absence as the rest of the women were seen shooting across town. Kyle told us Kathy had just been busy planning her daughter, Paris Hilton's wedding -- but our sources say the real hang-up was money.

Kathy is expected to begin filming with the Bev Hills cast just after the holidays. As we reported, production had been suspended late last week when 3 members -- Lisa Rinna, Erika Jayne and Garcelle -- tested positive for COVID-19. Fortunately, we're told all women were vaccinated and have had mild symptoms.

As for everyone else who tested negative -- we're told production will resume at some point this week.