Reality TV

Jen Shah is trying to pack in all the fun -- and paychecks -- during what could be her last few months of freedom ...  'cause she's hosting an event at Larry Flynt's strip joint.

"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star's set to make a pretty penny on October 22 at Flynt's Hustler Club NYC, just days after her heavily-publicized telemarketing fraud trial was supposed to begin ... though it's now been pushed to March 2022.

We're told Shah will be doing meet-and-greets and signing autographs at the popular strip club, and will also get an onstage shout-out with Alexis Monroe ... an adult actress who's celebrating her bday that night.

According to a Hustler Club rep ... Jen was all about hosting the event, and she's "receiving a large sum (of money) in exchange for her appearance, most likely enough to put a dent in her legal bills." Sources with direct knowledge tell us it's tens of thousands.

As you know ... Shah was arrested in March for allegedly targeting and scamming people -- "vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people" -- out of their money, and the feds have recently accused her of "greater culpability" in the scheme.

She claims total innocence and pled not guilty. She was released on strict conditions. In fact, Jen has to get permission to travel, so we've reached to her to confirm that's what she did for this gig. Court records show she hasn't yet requested a travel accommodation.

Her legal issues have been airing on the current season of 'RHOSLC,' with a recent ep showing her arrest on the federal fraud charges that could land her up to 30 years in prison.

While millions are tuning in to see the 'RHOBH' reunion, one pair of eyes won't be -- those belonging to Erika Jayne, who is not looking to re-experience all that tension and drama.

Sources tell TMZ ... Erika has no plans to watch the 4-part special because what she went through while shooting it was grueling enough. If she were to watch, she knows that would mean going through the roller coaster of emotions again ... and she's just not up for it.

Instead, we're told she'll keep busy by working on a couple of business ventures and, overall, staying in a good headspace.

Erika, of course, spent an entire day filming the reunion on September 10. She was in the hot seat amid allegations her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, stole money intended for families of those who died in the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia.

During Part 1 of Wednesday's reunion ... around 1.5 million viewers tuned in to watch host Andy Cohen grill Erika about the legal woes. She took the opportunity to address people accusing Girardi of siphoning millions, saying the biggest misconception is "that I'm cold and have no sympathy."

Erika added that she wants anyone who was wronged to be whole again, and that it's important that the alleged victims hear that from her.

As for what's keeping her busy ... we're told some of the new business ventures include a beauty-related project and a big social media project. But, while she's trying to move on ... 'RHOBH' might not make it easy to do so.

Dog the Bounty Hunter and John Walsh are getting hammered by the Brian Laundrie family attorney, who says both men are inserting themselves in the Gabby Petito case purely for attention.

Steven Bertolino represents the Laundries and tells TMZ ... "Dusty relics like that Dog and John Walsh need a tragic situation like this so they can clear the cobwebs off their names and give their publicity hungry egos some food."

As we've told you ... Dog joined the manhunt for Brian last month, trekking through some rugged terrain in remote sections of Florida and even injured his ankle in the process.

The search has gotten him a lot of attention, and Dog's seen TV offers start rolling in, with multiple networks showing interest in resurrecting a show with him.

We also asked Bertolino if he feels Dog is impeding the official investigation, by showing up unannounced at Brian's sister's house ... and he said, "That's for law enforcement to determine."

As for John ... the "America's Most Wanted" host has a new TV special about the Petito case and the search for Brian.

"Southern Charm" star Madison LeCroy is ready to walk the aisle ... 'cause TMZ's learned she recently got engaged and, no -- it's not to Alex Rodriguez or Jay Cutler.

Sources tell TMZ ... Madison's boyfriend, Brett, popped the question and Madison didn't hesitate for a second with a "Yes," because, as one source put it, he treats her better than any man has before. She also loves that he's a good father-figure to her 8-year-old son, Hudson.

Our sources say Madison and Brett didn't meet that long ago and weren't even living in the same state when they first started dating.

We're told the relationship is so mysterious ... a lot of her friends haven't met Brett but she's ALWAYS talking about how much she cares about him. Back in April, Madison, who previously dated co-star Austen Kroll, teased on social media she was dating someone new. And, 2 months later, she and Brett went IG official.

The engagement comes not long after Madison was rumored to be at the center of A-Rod's split with Jennifer Lopez. Remember, there were claims A-Rod got cozy with Madison, but A-Rod's team said they never even met.

She had also previously been linked to ex-Bears QB Cutler... though that was a brief fling. Nevertheless, Madison now seems more than content to have a new man.

While we don't know much else right now about the relationship, our sources say Madison and Brett's relationship is documented in the upcoming 8th season of "Southern Charm" ... though it's unclear if production cameras captured the proposal.

Carole Baskin hasn't been this astonished since Joe Exotic ran for president -- she can't figure out how Kate McKinnon copycatted her so perfectly for the upcoming Peacock series.

Carole tells TMZ ... she was stunned to see the 'SNL' star's transformation for "Joe Exotic" ... the dramatic series based off the Wondery podcast with the same title. As you know by now, Joe and Carole have major beef, to put it lightly.

He's accused her of feeding her 2nd husband, Don Lewis, to a tiger.

Anyway, she's stunned because producers nailed the wardrobe -- Carole says she has almost exactly the same outfit as the one Kate's wearing in a new photo from the set. Even Kate's necklace is spot on, which surprises Carole because she never wore that piece of jewelry on the Netflix docuseries.

Her only explanation for Kate's doppelganger act is sooo Baskin. Carole says Kate must be channeling her inner cat lady to be rocking those flats, jeans, sunglasses, purse and messy hair. Hell, they're even using the same 2012 Toyota pickup CB drives.

BTW, Carole says Kyle MacLachlan also did a good job portraying her current husband, Howard -- but it's not identical. She says Howard never wears short-sleeve button-up shirts nor a wedding ring, but she still approves.

Carole says she heard the series will explore her relationship with Howard -- but she's in the dark when it comes to how her battles with Joe will play out on the show.

Remember, she's never actually spoken to him in real life, so she hopes whatever the writers come up with is based on facts.

For the first time ever, one of the costumes was even too outrageous for "The Masked Singer" ... and we're talkin' below the waist.

Jester, possibly the scariest costume to ever grace the 'Masked Singer' stage, almost didn't grace the stage at all ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the OG Jester costume had a specific vision for the look ... a codpiece to protect his, um, family jewels.

But, during rehearsals, we're told the codpiece caught the eyes of FOX execs and the network instantly deemed the Jester "too hot for TV."

The costume was adjusted to minimize Jester's private parts, much to the celebrity's dismay, and now he's got the green light.

While the spirit of the OG design is what folks will see on their TV sets, Jester is also family-friendly ... but our 'Masked Singer' sources say they still can’t promise kids won't go screaming when they see Jester's mask for the first time.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are way further along in their divorce proceedings than we thought, because their most valuable asset is already signed, sealed and delivered to Kim at a price of $20 million.

According to legal docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Kim is now the sole owner of the Hidden Hills estate ... Kanye signed over his rights to the property and the transfer was recorded with the County of L.A. on Sept. 28.

This is really significant, because there have been rumblings Kim and Kanye have been trying to salvage their marriage. If that were the case, it's doubtful huge assets like the family home would be formally transferred. What would normally happen is that they'd make an agreement to transfer various properties, but they wouldn't pull the trigger until they knew the divorce would go through.

This is a screaming signal there will be no reconciliation. The divorce is full steam ahead. In return for becoming sole owner of the Hidden Hills estate, Kim paid Kanye $20 million -- that's the so-called "buy out." Fact is ... Kim did well for herself, because that's the price they paid in 2014, before Kanye literally razed the house to the ground and rebuilt it, and it's now worth around $60 mil.

The home is a masterpiece, Kanye worked with architects and designers from around the world to finish it ... complete with a basketball court, detached gym, massive swimming pool ... and 2 kitchens!

Kim and the kids have remained in the home since February when she filed for divorce, and our sources say the home is the most important part of the property settlement for Kim.

So, the question ... what was the deal with Kim and Kanye hanging out, Kim attending the various "Donda" listening party events, Kanye showing up for 'SNL,' and on and on? Well, whether they tried to work it out, it seems that's in the rearview because the divorce is barreling down the tracks.

Chris Pearson's death was the result of someone losing it on him for being loud and disruptive in his apartment complex in the middle of the night ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

Our sources say the former "Ex on the Beach" star was down in the pool area with his girlfriend, making a lot of noise around 2 AM Sunday.  We're told Chris was yelling ... it's unclear at who, but it pissed off the other residents who were trying to sleep.

We're told Chris ignored everyone, but then someone on one of the balconies amped things up and was yelling hard at Chris, who in turn started screaming back at the guy. Our sources say Chris went inside the building to confront the guy ... and that's when he was fatally stabbed in the area around his heart.

Our sources say the guy who stabbed him fled before authorities arrived.

As we first told you ... Chris was rushed to a hospital, but died around 3:30 AM from his injuries.

According to our sources ... Chris was not normally a confrontational guy, but that wasn't the case during the incident.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... cops are investigating and looking for witnesses and videos that may help them figure out what went down, but so far no arrests have been made. Our law enforcement sources say cops are confident they'll catch the guy.

Kim Kardashian's in the middle of some O.J. Simpson and Nicole Brown family drama ... and it's all because of what Nicole's sister views as a "distasteful" joke in Kim's 'SNL' monologue.

Tanya Brown, sister of Simpson's late ex-wife, tells TMZ ... Kim's O.J. cracks were in "poor taste" and Nicole's death should not be portrayed as a joke.

As you know, Kim hosted 'SNL' and her monologue featured a few O.J. jokes ... leading with a line about her father, Robert, one of O.J.'s defense attorneys, introducing her to her first Black person. She invited the audience to take a "stab in the dark" who that is -- referencing the gruesome manner in which Nicole and Ron Goldman were slain.

Tanya says the jokes were "beyond inappropriate and insensitive" and she's questioning just how much the Kardashian's actually cared about Nicole.

The fact is Kris Jenner was one of Nicole's close friends, but the way Tanya sees it ... Kim should have pushed back or refused to do the jokes, assuming 'SNL' writers came up with the bit.

Tanya herself has done that -- she says she once stormed out of a scheduled appearance on "The Meredith Vieira Show" when she was told, at the last moment, jurors from the murder trial would also be on the show.

She wishes Kim had a similar reaction to the 'SNL' lines.

Chris Pearson, one of the first contestants on MTV's hit show, "Ex on the Beach," is dead from a stabbing incident ... TMZ has learned.

Chris died over the weekend according to several of his friends and law enforcement. We're told he got into an altercation early Sunday, around 2 AM, in L.A.'s San Fernando Valley, and the other person ended up stabbing him. He was transported to a hospital, but died around 3:30 AM from his injuries.

Friends have started a GoFundMe for his family back in Colorado -- Chris' home state -- and the page describes the circumstances of his death as a "tragic encounter."

Chris, a professional DJ, appeared on the first season of 'EOTB' ... and, although the whole concept of the show is bring together castoffs from other reality shows ... Pearson was one of the few who seemingly had no prior TV experience.

On the show, 2 of his exes were brought on to confront Chris -- which is the whole gimmick of the show -- who came off as a party boy, but also got vulnerable ... crying on camera over one his old GFs.

All-in-all, he appeared in all 11 episodes, and provided some of the show's best drama. Since his time on 'Ex' ... he's gone on to continue his music career with much success.

One of Chris' fellow MTV stars acknowledged his passing -- Taylor Selfridge from 'Teen Mom' commented under his last IG post ... dropping sad face emojis and prayer hands. Others are leaving similar comments.

We're told police are investigating the stabbing, and they have leads. Our law enforcement sources say it's a "solvable case."

Chris was only 25.

Here's Blac Chyna having a very public freakout in an airport terminal ... yelling at folks to "go get f****** vaccinated!!!"

Ya gotta see the video ... Blac Chyna's standing in the terminal with her bodyguards when she yells at someone to get vaxxed and "stop being stupid, hoe!"

Folks who saw BC go nuclear in Miami International Airport tell TMZ ... the incident went down late Sunday night, and she was apparently set off by a fan's request for a picture.

We're told a lady holding a baby went up to Chyna to ask for the photo, and that's when BC started ranting about how the woman better be vaccinated.

Blac Chyna, BTW, is vaccinated ... she got her jab earlier this year while live streaming.

As you can see, most of the airline travelers just sit there in stunned silence ... and no one seems to react much to the animated, blue-haired Blac Chyna as she keeps going off. By the end of the rant, she's not even talking about vaccines -- instead, she was going off about her Washington, DC roots. 🤷🏽‍♂️

President Biden is starting his week off with a wedding ... because his nephew is about to tie the knot with a real housewife.

The White House says the President and First Lady Jill Biden will be in attendance when Biden's nephew, Cuffe Owens, marries 'Real Housewives of Orange County' star Meghan O'Toole King today.

Monday's ceremony is said to be pretty small and reserved for family ... and it's going down at the home of Biden's sister, Valerie Owens.

Cuffe is a 42-year-old attorney based in Los Angeles, and he only recently went public with his relationship with Meghan.

It's the third marriage for Meghan ... remember, her last marriage to former MLB star Jim Edmonds ended in a messy divorce complete with a nude text messaging scandal and alleged infidelity with their nanny.

POTUS is attending the wedding after spending the weekend back home in Delaware, then it's back to The White House.

No word if Biden's planning to say a few words at the ceremony.

Scratch CMT off the list of possible landing spots for Dog the Bounty Hunter's return to TV ... despite his history with the channel.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ .... Dog hasn't made a pitch of a Brian Laundrie show to CMT just yet, but it sounds like he shouldn't waste his time, because we're told the network would not be interested.

One reason for passing ... we're told CMT has a renewed commitment to country music programming -- it's in the name after all -- so the network would likely not be doing another series with Dog in the future.

Dog fans will recall ... he did a spinoff show with CMT, "Dog and Beth: On the Hunt," debuting in 2013 and running 3 seasons until 2015, after which Beth announced they were leaving CMT programming.

TMZ broke the story ... Dog has TV offers rolling in now that he's on the hunt for Brian as part of the Gabby Petito case, with multiple networks expressing interest in resurrecting a show with him as the star.

As we've seen, Dog's been willing to get dirty on the manhunt for Brian -- but so far, he hasn't found the guy or a home for his show.

Dog's OG show aired on A&E, but that network's already passed on his Brian Laundrie show pitch.

Chumlee is a whole new man ... after practically losing an entire man's weight.

The guy from "Pawn Stars" tells TMZ ... he was tired of struggling with his weight, which constantly fluctuated 100 pounds at a time. He says it had been a years-long battle and he felt it was time to make a drastic change after getting all the way up to 350 pounds in January 2019.

That dramatic change started the following month when he went in for gastric sleeve surgery ... a popular weight-loss procedure in which a large portion of the stomach is removed to create a smaller stomach pouch.

This, of course, reduces the quantity of food one can eat while making them feel fuller even when consuming less food. The stomach size is brought down to about the size of a banana.

As you can see, Chumlee's looking slim at 190 pounds now. He says he went through the 160-pound transformation because he wanted to not only get healthy, but stay healthy ... unlike his years of yo-yoing.

Chumlee, who got the procedure done at Blossom Bariatrics in Vegas, says now that he's slimmed down he's committed to maintaining his weight by embracing a lifestyle change ... eating clean, healthy food and getting his sweat on.

Kanye West will almost certainly be in the building when Kim Kardashian hosts 'SNL' and we're guessing we'll see his mug and maybe hear his voice during the show, but before the show, Ye had a chitchat over coffee with one Michael Cohen.

Kanye and Cohen were spotted at an Upper East Side coffee shop Friday, according to Page Six.

It's interesting for a couple reasons. First, Cohen -- who was famously Donald Trump's fixer -- has turned on Trump in a big way. Ye's feelings, on the other hand, are not as clear. As you know, Kanye loved sporting his MAGA hat and visited Trump in the Oval back in the day.

The other interesting thing ... Cohen is under house arrest after serving time for tax fraud and lying to Congress. He got in hot water a while back after dining at a fancy French restaurant without getting permission from the Bureau of Prisons, and it's unclear whether this meeting was approved or whether provisions have been made so Cohen can venture out.

As for Kim ... she's been pulling 20 hour days rehearsing for the big show. That sounds nuts, but it's true. She's been getting to the studio at around 5 AM and staying until 3 AM the next day.

As we reported, she's getting tips from huge names in comedy, including Chappelle, DeGeneres, Corden and Schumer (not Chuck).

Nicki Minaj showed up for the taping of "The Real Housewives of the Potomac" reunion, causing some folks to wonder if she's changed her tune on getting vaccinated ... but TMZ's learned her vax status is irrelevant.

As you know ... Nicki caused quite a stir last month when she tweeted some COVID vaccine misinformation -- specifically, that her cousin's friend in Trinidad and Tobago had a severe side effect resulting in swollen testicles. She also implied that she was still not vaccinated.

So, with her appearance on the 'RHOP' reunion set Thursday night -- something that came to fruition after she jokingly pitched guest-hosting to Andy Cohen in July -- fans believed she might have gotten vaccinated in order to get the gig.

But, we've learned that's not necessarily the case ... because being vaccinated was not a requirement for the reunion taping.

Instead, Nicki and the 'Housewives' and the rest of the crew only had to comply with local orders in New Jersey ... so in this case, getting a PCR test that came back negative for COVID.

Obviously, everyone who participated in the reunion taping, including Nicki, had a negative test ... but it's still unclear if the rapper's vaxxed or not.