Reality TV

Caitlyn Jenner is throwing her hat in the ring to become the next governor of California.

There was a lot of talk that she might run and Caitlyn didn't stop the buzz. She made it official Friday, saying, "I have been a compassionate disrupter throughout my life, from representing the United States and winning a gold medal at the Olympics to helping advance the movement for equality. As Californians, we face a now-or-never opportunity to fundamentally fix our state before it’s too late.”

Her path isn't set in cement. There is a petition to recall Governor Gavin Newsom ... a movement that has gained steam in the wake of the pandemic. If the recall movement qualifies for the ballot, California voters will be asked 2 questions. Should Newsom be recalled? If a majority of voters say yes, then the second question is on the table. Who do you want to replace him? That's where Caitlyn's name will land.

Here's the reality ... she has an edge because of her name. You may recall, years ago California Governor Gray Davis was recalled and Arnold Schwarzenegger led the large pack of candidates to become the next governor.

There will almost certainly be a large number of candidates vying for the job, but Caitlyn may be the most famous of the batch, which would give her an edge.

Caitlyn already took a shot at Newsom, saying, "This isn’t the California we know. This is Gavin Newsom’s California, where he orders us to stay home but goes out to dinner with his lobbyist friends." She's obviously referring to Newsom's notorious dinner at the French Laundry.

She's not the only celeb flirting with a governorship. Matthew McConaughey is not only interested in running ... he seems to be leading the pack and even pulling way out ahead of current governor Greg Abbott.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is in police custody after cops say he was involved in a domestic violence incident ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us the "Jersey Shore" star was busted Thursday in Los Angeles for felony domestic violence.

The arrest is seriously bad news for Ronnie, because he's currently on probation. As we first told you, he got 36 months probation as part of a plea deal he copped last year in a previous domestic violence case involving his ex, Jenn Harley.

It's unclear if Jenn was involved in this alleged incident. Ronnie avoided jail last time, but getting arrested while on probation could churn up a whole host of problems for him.

Ronnie's attorney, Scott Leemon, tells TMZ, "We have just learned of the new allegations against Ronnie and need some additional time to further investigate. As such, we will not be making any other statements at this time.”

Story developing ...

"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" star Dolores Catania knows how to sniff out a good party ... and she's all about chipping in for it too!!!

Dolores was apparently hanging out around the Liberty House at the Liberty State Park in Jersey City on Sunday, where -- full disclosure -- one of our NYC camera guys, Jeremy, was having his wedding reception.

We're told the NJ 'Housewife' popped in around 8:30 PM and stayed for over an hour, mingling and snapping pics with the bride and groom and other guests who are big 'RHONJ' fans.

Dolores showed up solo and left by herself too ... but not before gifting the happy couple $250 via Venmo. We're told they were ecstatic about her surprise appearance ... truly a memorable moment.

BTW -- this was actually Jeremy's second wedding ceremony ... you may recall he had a small, socially distant affair last year in the early pandemic days that was memorable for totally different reasons.

One of Colton Underwood's first orders of business as a new openly gay man was to hit the town and dip his toe into the scene -- but it looks like he got distracted along the way.

The former 'Bachelor' -- who just came out publicly last week -- went to a gay bar in Denver Sunday ... a place called Charlie's, which seems like a pretty happening place complete with a dance floor, private booths and bumpin' music.

All that was in full flex while Colton was there ... but based on these pics and video we got of him there, dude was more interested in his phone, at least for part of the night.

Anyway, eyewitnesses tell us CU was at Charlie's with his friend, and mentor of sorts, Gus Kenworthy. The Olympic skier's kinda showing Colton the ropes in the community ... and will be featured on Colton's Netflix docuseries.

Sunday Burquest -- a former contestant on "Survivor" -- has died after battling cancer.

The youth pastor's daughter, Kennedy, confirmed her mother's passing on Instagram ... posting a touching tribute that thanked Sunday for teaching her to be a Christian, and for being the best role model possible.

She writes ... "It breaks my heart to know you will never get to see me on my wedding day, or be there when I have my first kid. But I know you’re watching over me." Kennedy went on to say that she's happy her mom will be with Jesus, and that she doesn't have to be in pain anymore, adding ... "I know one day we will meet again. Until then, I’ll spend every minute missing you, and trying to make you proud. Rest easy mom, I’ll see you soon 🤍."

Sunday had previously disclosed that she'd been diagnosed with esophageal and ovarian cancer -- with a new iteration of the disease re-infecting her last summer ... when, at the time, doctors had told her she only had months to live.

Prior to the latest diagnosis, she'd fought breast cancer in 2012 ... and came out the other side after several surgeries and treatments.

Sunday competed on the 33rd season of "Survivor" ... dubbed 'Millennials vs. Gen X,' which aired in 2016. She made it pretty far, as she was the 14th person voted out, coming in at 7th place. She ended up going from being on a tribe with people mostly her age to the other tribe, full of 20 and 30-somethings, with whom she didn't appear to gel that well.

Before coming on to compete, she'd been cleared medically after beating her breast cancer -- and was one of the feel-good stories of the season. She's survived by her husband and four children.

Sunday was 50.

Colton Underwood's gay and single, but apparently not ready to mingle ... TMZ's learned dating is not even on his radar after coming out.

Sources close to the former 'Bachelor' star tell us ... Colton isn't dating anyone now and wasn't dating anyone before he made his big announcement this week on "GMA."

Our sources say shortly after Colton came out publicly to Robin Roberts, he left NYC and is back home with his family in Denver to hang out.

Of course, as we first told you, there's also a film crew in tow ... as Colton's new journey as a gay man is being documented for an upcoming reality series on Netflix.

Colton's dating life is an interesting topic because his coming out sparked talks among 'Bachelor' producers about having a gay season of the show, and obviously his name came up as a likely candidate.

North Carolina comic Courtney Jackson is best known for being cast as the Southern sweetheart "Goldie" -- with her light-hearted antics and party-until-you-puke attitude -- on the debut season of the classic VH1 dating reality show "Flavor of Love" featuring Public Enemy rapper Flavor Flav.

Even though Goldie only made it to the final four in the competition and fell behind the combative "New York" and "Pumkin" ... as well as the winner "Hoopz" ... she was still one of the fan favorites because of her care-free approach to like and down-to-Earth personality.

JoJo Siwa's happy for Colton Underwood, because she's pretty sure his coming out means he's happy too ... and she has an uplifting message for him to keep in mind as he goes forward on his journey.

The YouTube star -- who recently came out as a member of the LGBTQ+ community herself -- gives the former 'Bachelor' props for announcing he's gay, and encourages him to just be himself.

JoJo was at LAX Thursday when she told us ... even though there are some people out there who are intolerant or hateful, the world as a whole is "really accepting," and it's a wonderful thing.

She also weighs in on the chatter about a potential gay 'Bachelor' season in wake of Colton's announcement. She's all for it, and took the occasion to remind us how she's already found love with her girlfriend.

JoJo undoubtedly looks happy since coming out in January, and even though it's only been a couple days ... the same can be said for Colton.

We got him out in NYC a few hours after his interview with Robin Roberts, and he says he feels "awesome and free and happy."

Colton Underwood's coming out story is not only going to be covered in a new reality show ... it may inspire a major change in the reality show that made him famous.

'Bachelor' production sources tell TMZ ... Colton's been getting a lot of support not just from former cast members and Chris Harrison, but also from many producers of the popular dating series.

We're told a number of producers were moved by Colton's revelation, and they've informally talked over the last few days amongst themselves about a gay 'Bachelor' season.

Our sources say the bigwigs on the show haven't weighed in and there has been no formal discussion, but creative ideas for TV shows typically begin with shop talk among producers and other staff, and that's happening now.

We have no idea whether Colton would be interested, but we do know this ... there's a lot of love for him in the production offices of the show. We're told many people on staff cheered Colton as he revealed to Robin Roberts he's hidden the fact he's gay for most of his life.

Colton is not under contract with "The Bachelor" anymore. We're told he booked the interview on his own and chose Robin because he's appeared with her in the past and felt comfortable with her. Nevertheless, we're told Colton called producers the night before his interview aired and gave them the heads up.

We broke the story ... Colton's been filming the past few weeks with a Netflix crew for a new reality series chronicling his journey as a newly out gay man.

'Bachelorette' alum Michael Garofola claims he was on the receiving end of an anti-Semitic attack from a maskless security guard in his own apartment complex ... and now he's suing.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Michael claims his simple plea to a security guard to wear a mask indoors during the pandemic turned into an anti-Semitic diatribe and parking garage beatdown.

In the docs, Michael says he was trying to get to his car back in January when he encountered the maskless security guard. Michael says the guard responded to his request to put on a face-covering by spewing anti-Semitic comments and attacking him.

The season 9 'Bachelorette' alum claims the security guard punched him in the head, slammed him into a wall, pushed and shoved him around and smashed up his iPhone while he tried to record the attack.

In the docs, Michael claims he suffered a ton of injuries in the attack, including cuts to his hand, a torn calf and injuries to his back. He says he's still scarred and is getting physical therapy.

As we first reported ... cops arrested the security guard back in February, charging him with felony battery and felony vandalism.

Michael, who also appeared on "Bachelor in Paradise" and "The Bachelor Winter Games," claims the security guard never should have been hired because the guy's social media is littered with anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. He also claims he had previously notified management the guard wasn't wearing a mask, but believes they didn't take any action.

MG's suing the security guard, his Marina del Rey apartment complex and the guard's employer.

There are no hard feelings coming from the 2 women who came up just short of receiving the final rose from Colton Underwood ... they're both fully in his corner.

As 'Bachelor' fans will recall ... Hannah Godwin and Tayshia Adams finished as co-runners-up in Colton's season, and both are voicing support for the former target of their affections now that he's come out as gay.

Hannah tells TMZ ... "I support Colton for having the courage to finally be able to live his life authentically. Nobody should have to hide from who they really are." She adds ... "I’ll always wish Colton the very best and hoping he has found his peace."

A rep for Tayshia tells us she's very happy that Colton's "able to now live his life openly and without fear of being his true self," adding ... "There is absolutely no ill will -- only support for Colton, his willingness to share his truth, and the additional representation for the LGBTQ community."

Colton revealed he's gay Wednesday morning on GMA, telling Robin Roberts he struggled with his sexuality for years, but is taking control of his life now.

TMZ also learned his journey as a newly "out" gay man is being chronicled as a reality series for Netflix.

BTW -- Tayshia and Hannah have been doing great since departing from Colton's season, as well. Tayshia went on to become "The Bachelorette" and is engaged to Zac Clark. She's also co-hosting the next 'Bacherette' season -- which is currently filming -- after replacing Chris Harrison.

Colton Underwood -- former star of "The Bachelor" is opening up about his sexuality ... telling the world he's gay.

Colton opened up to Robin Roberts on "Good Morning America" saying ... "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."

Underwood added, "I got into a place for me in my personal life that was dark and bad and I can list a bunch of different things but they'd all be excuses ... I would have rather died than say I'm gay and I think that was sort of my wake-up call."

Colton said it was so bad he thought of taking his life ... "There was a moment in L.A. where I woke up and I didn't think I was going to wake up. I didn't have the intention of waking up and I did. And I think for me that was my wake-up call ... this is your life, take back control."

As 'Bachelor' fans know ... Colton's virginity became a hot topic when he appeared on Becca Kufrin's season of "The Bachelorette" in 2018. Of course, this storyline continued when he became the 'Bachelor' for Season 23 ... but there was a lot more drama than that.

Colton notoriously jumped a gate during filming in the middle of his season and threatened to leave the show, but ultimately decided to return. He wound up choosing Cassie Randolph, though the 2 never got engaged and -- as we reported -- had a very messy breakup.

In his GMA interview, Colton said he was sorry for how things ended with Cassie, and that he truly loved everything about her, which made things more difficult. He says he remembers thanking God once he was picked as 'The Bachelor' because he believed his prayers to be straight had been answered.

Also worth noting -- Colton stated in his March 2020 memoir, "The First Time," his time on "The Bachelor" actually helped him realize he WASN'T gay. He said he questioned his sexuality in his early 20s ... the result of being bullied growing up. The bullies said he was gay, and he says he believed it.

A group of popular women in the country music world have folks whispering about a "Real Housewives of Nashville" series, and while TMZ's learned the buzz is a little premature ... it's not far from the truth.

Several of these ladies -- including country star Jana Kramer and Jason Aldean's sister, Kasi Wicks (Chuck Wicks' wife) -- have been teasing on social media that they're filming something together ... something that seems like it could fit in the 'Housewives' canon.

Sources with direct knowledge of the project confirm with us that yes ... these women -- Sabina Gadecki (Tyler Rich's wife), and Jenna Perdue (wife of Dee Jay Silver) -- are shooting a pilot for an ensemble show that's in development.

Our sources said Jason Aldean's wife, Brittany, may have also been involved in the project, but she seemingly shut that down on social media Monday night.

We're told NBC is handling the production, which is currently filming with the women in Nashville ... but it's NOT guaranteed to be part of the 'Housewives' franchise. In fact, our sources say it would likely end up on one of NBC's other networks -- like E! or Peacock -- instead of Bravo.

What's interesting is ... all the buzz being generated by Kramer and the Aldean's sister on social media is coming despite nothing official from the network. We're told no contracts have been signed, and there's been no green light for a series.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is sending his love and support to "The Challenge" star Ashley Cain ... as doctors say his 8-month-old daughter only has days to live.

Ashley and his wife posted the video message Dwayne sent to them just days after they got the heart-wrenching prognosis for their baby girl, Azaylia. The Rock said, "Brother, I'm so sorry to hear this news. My heart breaks for you."

But, he also sent words of encouragement, saying ... "You tell that little lion I said, 'Let's go Champ, and to stay strong."

Ashley -- who was a UK soccer player before joining MTV's hit reality series -- and his girlfriend announced last week little Azaylia was battling leukemia and had tumors on several of her organs.

His fans, in Great Britain and the States, are showing incredible support. The family started a GoFundMe for Azaylia's medical bills, and it's already raised nearly $1.8 million.

Henry Cavill's got a new girlfriend!!! And he said so himself.

The "Superman" stud introduced GF Natalie Viscuso to his followers, although a bunch of you probably know her already. She was featured on "Super Sweet 16" back in 2005. It's a show about rich kids and their birthday parties. On the show, she somewhat famously said, "I deserve everything I have because I've always been the nice girl, never just the rich girl."

As for Henry, he posted a pic of them going at it in a game of chess, with the caption, "This is me looking quietly confident shortly before my beautiful and brilliant love Natalie, destroys me at chess."

Braunwyn Windham-Burke, the first real housewife to come out as lesbian, has reached another couple of firsts ... her first breakup with her first girlfriend.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star called off her romantic relationship with Kris over a month ago, and the split was amicable.

We're told Braunwyn and Kris, who met on a dating app, remain friends and their relationship didn't end abruptly ... it was a typical end to any relationship that simply runs its course.

TMZ broke the story ... Braunwyn and Kris were all over each other during a WeHo lunch date in November, not long after she came out.

Since the split, our sources say Braunwyn continues to date other women, but she's not in any committed relationships. We're told she's still finding her footing after coming out.

While Braunwyn's seeing other women, she remains married to her husband, Sean Burke, and we're told they still have no plans to divorce after 20 years of marriage and 7 children together.