Reality TV

Kim Kardashian is sending a message to President Joe Biden in the hopes of preventing another Armenian Genocide ... asking him to help cut ties with Azerbaijan.

In a Rolling Stone piece released Friday by Kim and Dr. Eric Esrailian, she starts by saying she and countless others like her are "descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors" ... saying she doesn't want to have to talk about yet another genocide in the future.

Kim goes on to talk about how "Azerbaijan has blockaded the only lifeline between the indigenous Christian Armenians of Artsakh" and the rest of the world since December, adding the war in Ukraine has meant some countries have had to rely on Azerbaijan for oil -- resulting in using "starvation as a weapon against the Armenian population in the region."

She says we are past the point of "thoughts, prayers, or concern," outlining the conflict overseas, as well as the 2020 attacks on Armenians in Artsakh and a ceasefire agreement that she says wasn't upheld.

What's more, Kim, who is of Armenian descent, says the silence by governments across the globe has only been fueling the fire, and is now asking Biden to cut off foreign aid to Azerbaijan and boycott international events happening in the country.

As we reported, Kim donated $1 million toward the conflict in Armenia in 2020, as conflicts were heating up -- sources told us Khloe, Kourtney and Rob all made sizeable donations, too.

Famed plastic surgeon Lenny Hochstein is dragging a Florida plant store to court ... claiming the company made off with a bunch of plants from his home, years after he paid for them.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Lenny says he dropped thousands of dollars on plants from Threlkel Botanicals back in 2020 ... but he claims the store started removing plants and trees from his Miami mansion last week while his estranged wife Lisa Hochstein was moving out.

Lenny, who is divorcing 'The Real Housewives of Miami' star, claims he directly told the store and its owner, Jim Threlkel, not to take the plants from the property ... but Lenny says they were removed anyway.

In the docs, Lenny is crying foul ... he says removing the plants he bought amounts to theft and trespassing.

Lenny also claims Jim acted with "felonious intent and knew he was taking property he was not entitled to."

Lisa and Lenny's divorce has been pretty nasty -- he's already engaged to another woman -- and now Threlkel Botanicals is being pulled into the fray.

Lenny's going after the store to get the plants back and/or damages, and he claims those damages exceed $50K!!!

We reached out to Threlkel Botanicals ... so far no word back.

Kroy Biermann is tired of petty swipes with his estranged wife, Kim Zolciak, amid their divorce, and he's making one urgent plea ... sign off on the sale of their home, STAT.

The ex-NFL star's attorney, Marlys A. Bergstrom, tells us ... Kim's recent on-camera suggestion that Kroy asking a court to let him put the Georgia mansion on the market was actually her idea is simply posturing ... and it's meaningless considering how dire things are.

Bergstrom says Kroy is over all the gamesmanship and simply wants what's in the best interest of everyone involved -- including their 4 children -- and that boils down to selling this house yesterday, collecting whatever equity they can and paying off a ton of debt.

Per KB's attorney, the family's deep in the hole right now -- well north of a million bucks -- and they're also on the verge of having their home foreclosed on for good ... despite Kroy's best efforts to sell personal items and make mortgage payments.

Unless they act soon, we're told, they'll be out on the streets ... with other bill collectors continuing to come after them. Bergstrom says the only way to rectify their financial situation in one fell swoop is to sell the house -- and Kroy is basically begging his wife to come to the table and sign a joint consent agreement that'll get this ball rolling.

Kroy has gone to court in the meantime since he says Kim has failed to meet him halfway -- requesting an emergency hearing to get permission from a judge directly -- but Bergstrom says all that is unnecessary if Kim just plays ball.

Bergstrom tells us Kroy isn't out to hurt Kim, nor does he want to one-up her -- right now, his only focus is protecting their children and helping the family move forward.

Bottom line ... Kroy wants to turn the page, but feels his wife has her head buried in the sand. While she's gallivanting in L.A. -- his lawyer says he's in Georgia trying to navigate their money nightmare ... and he needs her to come back to Earth to face the music.

Paul Staehle says he never went missing in the Amazon, despite his family's fears ... chalking it up to some poor phone service and a snag on a river.

The "90 Day Fiancé" star tells TMZ ... he's been living by himself in Manaus, Brazil and he recently went out on a boat with a fan of the reality show in an effort to clear his head, a decision that had a snowball effect.

Paul says they were heading to a floating house in the Amazon, but along the way the boat had some mechanical problems, and his companion temporarily left him alone. Paul tells us he grew nervous and started reaching out to folks for help, but his buddy was ultimately able to fix the boat and they resumed their journey.

Once they got to the floating house, Paul says he didn't have a phone charger and there was poor cell service ... limiting his means of communication with his family back in America.

As we reported ... Paul's mom feared he was lost in Brazil after an alarming text exchange with her son, and his wife Karine made some cryptic social media posts, alerting folks in Brazil about his situation.

Paul says his family was just assuming the worst when they couldn't get in touch with him ... and he's denying this was all a publicity stunt. He says he didn't want the story to get out and was shocked by his mom's reaction and the ensuing media buzz.

Kourtney Kardashian says she underwent life-saving surgery for her and Travis Barker's unborn child ... a procedure that made her "forever grateful."

Kourtney broke her silence Wednesday on her recent hospital stay, sharing a pic of her and Travis holding hands and saying she's grateful to doctors, "for saving our baby's life."

She goes on to thank Travis, saying he "rushed to my side from tour to be with me in the hospital and take care of me afterwards, my rock." She also expresses gratitude for her mom, Kris Jenner, who also supported her through the scary process.

She continues, "As someone who has had three really easy pregnancies in the past, I wasn’t prepared for the fear of rushing into urgent fetal surgery. I don’t think anyone who hasn’t been through a similar situation can begin to understand that feeling of fear."

Kourtney ends the emotional post, saying the "truest blessing" was walking out of the hospital with her kiddo safe and sound in her stomach.

As we reported, Travis' band, Blink-182 had to push pause on their tour last week after an "urgent family matter."

Kourtney Kardashian contó que tuvo que someterse a una cirugía de urgencia para salvar la vida del bebé que está por tener junto a Travis Baker, un procedimiento con el que estará "eternamente agradecida".

Kourtney rompió su silencio el miércoles sobre su reciente estadía en el hospital, compartiendo una foto de ella y de Travis tomados de la mano y diciendo que está muy agradecida con los médicos, "por salvar la vida de nuestro bebé".

Continuó reconociendo a Travis, pues desde la gira él ha corrido a su lado "para estar conmigo en el hospital y cuidar de mí después, mi roca." También expresó su gratitud hacia su madre, Kris Jenner, quien la apoyó durante el aterrador proceso.

"Como alguien que ha tenido tres embarazos realmente fáciles en el pasado, no estaba preparada para el miedo de precipitarme a una cirugía fetal urgente. No creo que nadie que no haya pasado por una situación similar pueda empezar a entender esa sensación de miedo."

Kourtney termina el emotivo post diciendo que la "bendición más verdadera" fue salir del hospital con su hijo sano y salvo en la panza.

Como informamos, la banda de Travis, Blink-182 tuvo que hacer una pausa en su gira la semana pasada después de un "asunto familiar urgente".

Jim Tom Hedrick of "Moonshiners" has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

A family member of JT's tells us he passed away Wednesday morning in Robbinsville, NC -- although the exact circumstances are unclear. What we do know, per the relative, is that JT had kidney cancer and was receiving dialysis for a long time.

We're told Jim was in a nursing home for the last year, and photos of him in a hospital bed had been posted in recent months.

A statement from Sugarlands Distilling Co reads, "Jim Tom dedicated much of his life to the art of moonshining, becoming a legend in Appalachia along the way. Jim Tom’s well-earned reputation as one of the most skilled moonshiners in the South earned him a role on the hit television program Moonshiners, where his colorful personality endeared Jim Tom to the hearts of millions."

SDC goes on to say Jim Tom was one of the veteran moonshiners in the area who embraced them when they opened their doors ... and his stamp of approval went a long way.

Jim Tom appeared on several seasons of the long-running Discovery reality series -- which chronicles moonshiners running their illegal booze biz all throughout the Appalachian mountains. He joined during Season 2 in 2012 and stuck around through 2017.

He was known for his unique personality and manners of speaking -- not to mention his storytelling and, of course, his pristine skill at making homemade alcohol out in nature.

He was 82.

Britney Spears has been steering clear of a bunch of different social media deals, TMZ has learned ... despite a potentially big payday for some Instagram posts.

We've learned several companies have contacted Britney's reps, asking if she'd promote their products online for a decent chunk of change.

We're told Britney has turned thumbs down on the offers, in part because she wasn't crazy about the companies. We're also told the companies wanted more than just a post ... they wanted a photo shoot and some video of her pitching the product.

There is big money to be made ... we're hearing Gwyneth Paltrow gets around $100k for a single Insta post promoting products, and Kim Kardashian has snagged around a million bucks for a single post.

Britney has around 42 million followers on social media, so she could make a killing, but for now, she's taking a hard pass.

Erica Mena apparently wasn't just kicking and screaming during her arrest last weekend in Atlanta -- she was allegedly biting too ... not to mention dropping some fake baby news, so say cops and her lawyer.

The 'Love & Hip Hop' star was one of four people arrested Friday at a lounge there in town after police say all hell broke loose when they were asked to leave by the security -- and according to the police report, obtained by TMZ, it was a lot uglier than what we all saw.

The doc lays out what APD officers say went down -- and one of them describes a chaotic brawl he says he was trying to break up ... and says EM was in the middle of it all.

According to the cop, Erica was fighting like hell ... even brutalizing security guards as they tried to get her out of the facility. During the melee, the officer says one of the guards told him Erica had chomped down on his forearm ... and she allegedly kicked another in the face!

The officer claims he took some licks from Erica as well ... but after a lot of physical struggle, he was finally able to get her under control.

Another interesting tidbit -- the officer in this report says Erica made clear she was pregnant. Unfortunately, that didn't prevent her from getting busted ... and her lawyer tells us she was fibbing.

Erica's attorney, Drew Findling, tells TMZ ... "On behalf of Erica Mena (who is not pregnant), we will immediately start investigating the events of August 25, 2023. It is clear that this was an incident between citizens, private security and off-duty police officers that was not properly handled or de-escalated."

He continued, "We know this because the officer readily admits in his report that he punched a private citizen in the face 4 or 5 times and used unnecessary force against Erica as well. While Erica regrets some of the circumstances of that night, it is also important to understand the context and details of the incident so we will do our due diligence and review accordingly."

As for the others who were hauled to jail -- including Bambi Richardson and Zellswag, plus a mutual friend of theirs -- APD says they were all trying to prevent officers from restraining Erica the entire time ... which explains why they were booked for misdemeanor obstruction.

Tom Sandoval got in the middle of a tug-of-war during the wrap party for "Vanderpump Rules" season 11, after a man hurled a glass of wine at a security guard.

The man -- not sure who he is -- just launched as he hijacked the party. After throwing the wine, the dude picked up a chair. You see Tom run into frame trying to calm things down, as another security guard restrains the guy by grabbing his arms. An aggressive tug-of-war then begins.

The TikToker who shot the video says the dude is not a cast member and was not going after Tom. The TikToker said, “We were just sitting at a table and this random guy came and he grabbed the centerpiece [of a] flower vase [and] chucked it at the security guard.”

Travis Barker's family emergency appears to have been connected to his pregnant wife, Kourtney Kardashian -- as expected -- but she's still got their bun in the oven.

The Blink-182 rocker and eldest Kardashian sister were photographed leaving an LA-area hospital Saturday ... where they boarded a waiting SUV with some handlers and security guards in tow as well. As you can see, KK still looks very pregnant ... and she's on her feet.

More importantly, no sign of a newborn anywhere ... so, it looks like she hasn't popped yet -- which is what most people assumed had happened as far as the family emergency.

Remember, Travis' band announced a sudden postponement in their tour Friday while in Europe ... writing, "Due to an urgent family matter, Travis has had to return home to the States. The Glasgow, Belfast, and Dublin shows are being postponed. More information in regards to his return to Europe and rescheduled dates will be provided as soon as available."

No official reason was offered for Travis' departure ... but, obviously, the fact Kourtney is pregnant and quite far along came to most everyone's mind as a possible explanation.

Like we said, we still don't know what exactly went down or why Kourtney might've been in the hospital -- but, thankfully, she seems to be doing better now and heading home.

Erica Mena won't be on MTV's waves anymore, 'cause she called a Black woman a monkey on one of their biggest reality shows ... and the network's fired her over it.

The longtime 'Love & Hip Hop' fixture was cut loose from her current iteration of the popular show -- this according to the official 'Love & Hip Hop' account itself ... which just announced her departure Saturday.

The message reads, "The Love & Hip Hop franchise has never shied away from hard conversations in our community. Working hand-in-hand with our partners, viewers will see the impact of Erica Mena's remarks play out in the final three episodes of the season."

They add, "Effective immediately, she will not appear in the next season of Love & Hip Hop Atlanta." It's unclear if this means Erica won't/can't appear in other 'L&HH' series ... there are a lot of versions of it, and she's bounced around from coast to coast since way back in 2011 -- when she first started to appear in the franchise.

The news comes on the heels of a recent episode that aired, showing Erica fighting with fellow costar Spice -- with whom she gets into it over fractured family dynamics ... and whether her son loves her or not. Spice suggested he didn't ... and it sent EM into a rage.

During the brouhaha -- which saw Erica flip a table -- Erica called Spice a monkey ... and that appeared to rub people the wrong way on set. BTW, Spice is Black ... and Erica is Afro-Latina, coming from Puerto Rican/Dominican ancestry ... which complicates this a bit.

Anyway, that exchange drew a lot of backlash, with many calling for Erica's job ... and it sounds like the 'L&HH' honchos have given in to their demands. Strangely enough, now their decision is catching some flak as well ... as some argue the whole thing feels calculated.

Namely, many are accusing 'L&HH' producers of being exploitative -- having had this footage for a while, airing/marketing it for views ... and seemingly only responding to the public reaction. In any case ... Erica's out of there -- capping off a turbulent 2 weeks for her.

Remember, she was just arrested a little while ago for a brawl at an Atlanta club that allegedly resulted in her attacking police officers. Other 'L&HH' stars were busted too.

Shanna Moakler is narrowing down Travis Barker's "urgent family matter" that has Blink-182 postponing concerts ... she says the kids they have together are safe and sound.

The drummer's ex-wife told a photog in Los Angeles Friday that Travis' family issue doesn't involve their son or daughter, and she says tons of folks have been reaching out to her for clarity.

Shanna says whatever Travis is dealing with that forced him to leave scheduled tour stops in Europe and return to the United States ASAP must be serious ... and she's praying everything is good with Travis, his immediate family, Kourtney Kardashian and their pregnancy.

As we reported ... Blink-182 suddenly postponed three shows due to an unspecified "urgent family matter" involving Travis.

Kourtney's pretty far along in her pregnancy with their first child ... and Travis posted photos of a prayer room before the concert news broke ... though no one is saying what caused the postponement.

But, Shanna's reporting everything is good with her side of Travis' family ... so that narrows it down a bit.

Paul Staehle's family is worried sick about him ... because he's a world away over in the Amazon and now appears to be lost in Brazil.

The "90 Day Fiancé" star's mom, Edna, tells TMZ ... Paul has been traveling in Brazil since the end of July, but on Thursday morning he sent his family some alarming texts.

We're told Paul told his mom he needed her help and was lost in the South American country ... telling her needed a boat and giving her contact info for a few folks he said might be able to help him get out of his situation.

It's pretty alarming on its face, and Edna says Paul has since gone radio silent ... she can't get in contact with him and it appears his phone is off, lost signal or is out of battery.

Paul's mom says she reached out to the folks Paul said could help him ... but she hasn't heard squat from them either.

Meanwhile, Paul's wife Karine is alerting her family in Brazil that her famous husband might need assistance ... we're told she's in the United States and doesn't know if Brazilian authorities are actively searching for Paul.

Karine is also clouding the picture with some cryptic posts about him ... seemingly adding to his mother's angst.

TMZ broke the story ... Paul and his son were named in a missing persons police bulletin in 2022 in Kentucky, but they eventually turned up.

Kim Zolciak says it wasn't Kroy Biermann's idea to sell their house that is teetering on the brink of foreclosure ... it was hers.

Kim hit up Il Pastaio Friday night, and she said flat out ... the decision to sell their home was mutual.

TMZ broke the story, Kroy has filed for divorce a second time, although Kim has been acting like it's only a matter of time before he pulls the plug on it again. She's been wearing her wedding ring -- though not last night -- and is pooh-poohing the notion they're really getting divorced.

Kroy's lawyers have a different take ... they're saying Kroy is as serious as a heart attack ... he wants out.

At least from the filing, it looks pretty nasty.  He wants sole custody of their minor children and exclusive use of their home, for as long as they have it.

Kroy locked Kim out last month and left her pillow on the doorstep.  She called the cops.

The stars have been workin' their hineys off and deserve a time-out to toss up their pretty little tootsies and have a relaxing Labor Day weekend! So, sit back and treat yourself to these beautiful babes taking it easy in lounge chairs.

Where there's a cushion, there's a Kardashian ... all 5 sisters can be seen with their famous buns planted in the sun ... and, both Gigi Hadid and Jordyn Woods followed suit ... mellowing out from their usual grooves to firmly situate themselves!