TikTok

El destino de TikTok pende de un hilo en Estados Unidos, con la Cámara aprobando la idea de prohibir la popular aplicación de redes sociales a menos que su matriz con sede en Beijing, ByteDance, venda su participación.

La votación tuvo lugar el miércoles y fue aplastante: 352 votos a favor y 65 en contra en un raro momento de acuerdo bipartidista, con 197 republicanos y 155 demócratas dando luz verde a esta moción y citando que la propiedad de la aplicación sea de China corresponde una importante amenaza para la seguridad nacional.

La Cámara no perdió el tiempo con la legislación, bautizada como Ley para Proteger a los Estadounidenses de las Aplicaciones Controladas por Adversarios Extranjeros, pero el futuro de TikTok aún pende de un hilo, ya que todavía tiene que pasar por el Senado y luego llegar a Joe Biden.

El proyecto de ley actual da a ByteDance un ultimátum estricto: o vende TikTok y sus otras aplicaciones en un plazo de seis meses o se enfrenta a la expulsión de las tiendas de apps online de Estados Unidos y otros servicios de alojamiento web.

Los legisladores llevan mucho tiempo temiendo que el gobierno chino obligue a ByteDance a entregar los datos de sus 170 millones de usuarios estadounidenses, a pesar de que TikTok ha negado vehementemente que esté espiando a ciudadanos del país.

El representante Dan Crenshaw no se anduvo con rodeos antes de la votación y dijo: "TikTok es propiedad de ByteDance. ByteDance está en China y cuando estás en China, tienes que hacer lo que te diga el Partido Comunista Chino".

Y añadió: "Si quieren que espíes para ellos, espiarás para ellos; así es como funciona".

Sin embargo, Liu Pengyu, portavoz de la embajada china en Washington, acusa a Estados Unidos de llevar a cabo una campaña de desprestigio para acabar con la empresa con sede en China, añadiendo en un comunicado que Estados Unidos "no ha sido capaz de dar pruebas contundentes para demostrar las supuestas amenazas de TikTok a la seguridad nacional de Estados Unidos".

TikTok's dancing on thin ice in the U.S. ... with the House voting to ban the popular social media app -- unless its Beijing-based parent company ByteDance sells its stake, that is.

A vote went down Wednesday and it was a landslide -- 352 to 65 -- in favor of the ban ... a rare moment of bipartisan agreement, with 197 Republicans and 155 Democrats giving it the green light, citing the app's Chinese ownership as a major national security threat.

The House didn't waste any time with the legislation -- dubbed the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act -- but TikTok's future still hangs in the balance ... as it still has to make its way through the Senate, and then over to Joe Biden.

This current bill gives ByteDance a strict ultimatum -- either sell off TikTok and its other apps within six months or face the chop from U.S. app stores and other web-hosting services.

Lawmakers have long been sweating bullets over fears the Chinese government could force ByteDance into handing over the data of its whopping 170M American users -- even though TikTok has vehemently denied it's snooping on U.S. citizens.

Rep. Dan Crenshaw didn't pull any punches before the vote, saying ... "TikTok is owned by ByteDance. ByteDance is in China and when you're in China, you have to do whatever the Chinese Communist Party tells you what to do."

He added, "If they want you to spy for them, you will spy for them; that's how that works."

However, Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, is accusing the U.S. of running a smear campaign to bring down the China-based company -- adding in a statement the U.S "has not been able to give hard evidence to prove the so-called threats from TikTok to U.S. national security."

FWIW, Biden's promising to put pen to paper on the bill if it lands on his desk. Nonetheless, it's gonna be a nail-biter to see if this bill actually sticks, especially since TikTok's survived previous ban attempts. We're sure the influencers are shaking in their boots!

La estrella de TikTok Leah Smith ha muerto después de luchar contra el cáncer de hueso en etapa 4 y los fans que han seguido su viaje a través de sus redes están devastados.

Su novio Andrew anunció la triste noticia el lunes con una actualización a sus más de 500.000 seguidores en la que reveló que la creadora de contenido falleció esta mañana.

En el video, que ya ha acumulado millones de visitas, Andrew agradeció a los fans por todo su amor y apoyo durante toda la lucha de Leah contra el cáncer, la que ella documentó ampliamente. Otros TikTokers como Katylee Bailey, Issey Moloney, Miah Carter y Ami Charlize han expresado sus condolencias a los seres queridos de Leah.

A principios de 2024, Leah, que a menudo documentaba su viaje contra el cáncer, compartió que estaba pasando por un momento difícil en medio de su batalla de salud, ya que la enfermedad la había vuelto a dejar postrada en cama. En febrero, la estrella de las redes sociales volvió a ser ingresada al hospital debido al dolor extremo.

En ese momento compartió: "Ni siquiera puedo moverme para ir al baño".

Poco después de esta actualización, Leah confirmó que su cáncer se había extendido y que nuevos tumores habían crecido.

En la medida que su salud seguía empeorando, Leah insinuó que estaba llegando al final de su viaje, detallando el aplastante dolor que estaba experimentando desde que sus medicamentos habían dejado de funcionar.

El hermano de Leah, Liam, y su amiga Vikki se habían hecho cargo de las publicaciones de la estrella en las últimas semanas. De hecho, hace solo 3 días, la última actualización decía que Leah estaba "todavía aquí y luchando".

Desde entonces, Vikki ha confirmado que la página de Leah no será desactivada, sino que permanecerá en TikTok para preservar el legado de la estrella. Solo tenía 22 años.

Que en paz descanse.

TikTok star Leah Smith has died after battling stage 4 bone cancer ... and her fans who've followed her journey on the app are devastated.

The content creator's boyfriend, Andrew, announced the sad news Monday -- posting an update to Leah's 500,000-plus followers ... revealing she passed away earlier that morning.

In his video -- which has already amassed millions of views -- Andrew thanked her fans for all their love and support throughout Leah's tough fight with cancer ... which she documented extensively. Fellow TikTokers Katylee Bailey, Issey Moloney, Miah Carter and Ami Charlize have all expressed their condolences to Leah's loved ones.

At the start of 2024, Leah, who often documented her cancer journey, shared that she was struggling amid her health battle ... as her sickness had left her bedridden. By February, the social media star had reentered the hospital due to extreme pain.

She shared at the time ... "I can’t even move to go to the toilet."

Shortly after this update, Leah confirmed that her cancer had spread and that new tumors had grown.

As her health continued to worsen, Leah hinted that she was reaching the end of her journey ... detailing the crushing pain she was experiencing since her meds had stopped working.

Leah's brother Liam and friend Vikki took over posting for the star in recent weeks. In fact, just 3 days ago, the latest update read that Leah was "still here and fighting."

Vikki has since confirmed that Leah's page will not be deactivated ... but will remain on TikTok to preserve the star's legacy. She was only 22.

RIP

The big shot Hollywood agents over at CAA are about to have buyer's remorse over their newest client in TikTok star Reesa Teesa ... at least according to the ex-husband.

Jerome McCoy -- dubbed "Legion" on Reesa's wildly popular 'Who TF Did I Marry?' video series -- tells TMZ ... Reesa does NOT have a career in Hollywood in front of her despite recently being signed to one of the biggest agencies out there.

The reason, according to him ... it's because he thinks she has no talent. Oof, brutal.

Reesa's ex also says she lacks the will to work hard for anything and has no discipline ... two key reasons he says led to their split in the first place.

CAA reportedly signed Reesa as a client this week, after her 'Who TF Did I Marry?' TikTok videos blew up ... the series reached 400 million impressions in just 3 weeks, which apparently caught the eye of the big-time Hollywood agency.

But, Jerome says the only thing Reesa's accomplished here is telling a compelling story ... and he thinks it's "horse crap that she might have a career" -- especially over something he considers a flat-out fabrication. Remember, her whole series details their relationship, which she characterized as full of lies.

Jerome -- who previously told us he's considering legal action against Reesa, as he claims she's smearing him in her videos -- doubles down here with us again ... saying it's disgusting she got quick fame from nothing but spinning a good yarn.

Reesa's ex also doesn't like the fact she added her CashApp to her TikTok account and is seemingly soliciting payments from fans ... he says the fame and fortune coming her way is BS, and that doesn't sit well with him.

Jerome's painted as the bad guy in the viral sensation that's raising Reesa's profile ... but he says the only thing he's guilty of is breaking up with a chick who had no ambition.

El hijo de Travis Barker, Landon, está hablando abiertamente sobre su vida con el síndrome de Tourette, algo que nadie parecía saber hasta ahora.

El influencer de 20 años compartió su viaje este lunes, después de que un fan en TikTok especulara que podría tener el trastorno. En el video que compartimos más arriba, Landon detalló que tiene un leve caso de Tourette, que fue diagnosticado cuando era un niño.

Landon recordó cuando experimentó el síndrome de Tourette por primera vez en preescolar, después de que una profesora lo acusara de poner los ojos en blanco en frente de ella. El hijo de Travis, que comparte con Shanna Moakler, explicó que la mirada en blanco fue finalmente diagnosticada como un tic, un síntoma de la condición neurológica.

Luego describió otros tics, que incluyen sacudir la cabeza de un lado para otro y mover la mandíbula repetidamente, cosas que hace cuando está nervioso o ansioso.

Sobre por qué decidió compartir su diagnóstico ahora, Landon dijo que solo tenía ganas de compartir su verdad y desde entonces los fans lo han aplaudido por su franqueza.

Landon ha estado abriéndose mucho sobre su vida personal en las últimas semanas, después de haber confirmado la separación de la TikToker Charli D'Amelio en febrero.

En ese momento, Landon le dijo a los fans que él y Charli se separaron en buenos términos y que se estaban tomando un tiempo para centrarse en sí mismos.

Travis Barker's son, Landon, is opening up about his life with Tourette syndrome ... which nobody seemed to know about until now.

The 20-year-old influencer shared his health journey Monday -- this after a fan on TikTok speculated he may have the disorder. As Landon detailed in the video above ... he has a minor case of Tourette's -- which he says he was initially diagnosed with as a child.

Landon recalled first experiencing Tourette's back in preschool ... after a teacher accused him of rolling his eyes at her. Travis' son -- whom he shares with Shanna Moakler -- explained the eye-rolling was eventually diagnosed as a tic ... a symptom of the neurological condition.

He went on to describe his tics -- which also include jerking his head to the side and moving his jaw repeatedly -- stuff he'll do when he says he's nervous or anxious.

On why he decided to share his diagnosis now ... Landon said he just felt like sharing his truth -- and fans have since applauded him for his candor.

Landon has been opening up about his personal life quite a bit in recent weeks ... having previously confirmed his split from TikToker girlfriend Charli D'Amelio in February.

At the time ... Landon told fans that he and Charli split on good terms -- as they're taking time to focus on themselves.

This is not the headline NBA Clippers owner Steve Ballmer envisioned when he sunk $2 billion into building a brand new state-of-the-art arena.

Cops are on the lookout for the 2 male teenagers who broke into the Intuit Dome -- which is still under construction in Inglewood, CA -- and ran around the place like they owned it ... shooting hoops, climbing on scaffolding and spraying fire extinguishers.

They pulled off the brazen caper last week, recording the whole thing ... and proudly posted it on TikTok, which is likely what will get them busted.

The video shows them climbing a construction crew's ladder at night to gain entry, and then strolling around the empty hallways and bleachers. When they found an unfinished basketball court, they decided to take a few shots.

They did all of this while showing their faces, and, as a result, Inglewood Mayor B has since identified the pair and their parents. Butts told ABC 7, "It will be very clear to these young men -- and to people who are TikTok followers -- that you have a moment of TikTok greatness followed by a little bit of misery. And so we don’t play around with these things.”

It's unclear if cops have made contact with the suspects yet, or what their punishment might be.

El ex de Reesa Teesa está contando su versión de la saga viral que se ha tomado completamente TikTok, y aunque ha sido pintado de una manera, él dice que tiene una historia diferente y que podría terminar en los tribunales.

Jerome McCoy, que se hace llamar "Legion" en la ahora infame serie de videos de Reesa "Who TF Did I Marry", que tiene al menos 50 partes en este momento, le dice a TMZ que todo lo que Teresa Johnson (verdadero nombre de Reesa) declaró sobre él es falso.

Reesa hizo muchas acusaciones contra Legion, incluyendo mentiras acerca de su carrera, su familia y su riqueza, etc., y ahora él está contraatacando con sus propias acusaciones.

Legion afirma que él y Reesa estaban teniendo problemas de confianza en un momento dado y que ella trató de reconciliarse supuestamente con él, amenazando con "exponerlo" si no cumplía. Sugiere que no cedió y es por eso que todo esto está saliendo a la luz.

No hace falta decir que el ex de Reesa está sintiendo el contragolpe de los videos de TikToks y afirma que está perjudicando su trabajo en el área de las relaciones públicas, que dice que hace para un hospital. En medio de toda esta vorágine, Legion nos dice que se reunió con unos abogados el lunes en el trabajo para discutir la adopción de medidas legales contra Reesa, a primera vista, parece que su empresa cree que podría haber sido dañado por su narración. Legion dice que apoya cualquier movimiento que puedan hacer.

No está claro si está considerando un abogado privado en este momento, pero sin duda está reflexionando sobre sus opciones. En resumen, Legion dice que no es la persona que ha sido retratada por Reesa y siente que ha sido agraviado por la historia que ha dicho.

No se puede negar que los videos de Reesa han sido un gran éxito en Internet. Un video acumula más de 11 millones de visitas en TikTok. La cuenta de Reesa también cuenta con casi 32 millones de "me gusta".

La actriz Danielle Pinnock, de la serie de televisión "Ghosts", ya se ofreció para interpretar a Reesa si la saga viral llega a tener una adaptación para la pantalla chica y algo nos dice que podría convertirse en una película o serie más adelante. De hecho, es así de salvaje.

Reesa Teesa's ex is telling his side of a viral TikTok saga that's taken the internet by storm -- and while he's been painted one way, he's got a different story ... which might end in court.

Jerome McCoy -- who goes by "Legion" on Reesa's now-infamous 'Who TF Did I Marry?' video series, which is at least 50 parts deep at this point -- tells TMZ ... everything Reesa, whose real name is Teresa Johnson, declared about him in her lengthy video series is false.

While Reesa made many allegations against Legion -- including claims that he fibbed about his career, family and wealth, etc. -- he's hitting back with accusations of his own.

Legion claims he and Reesa were having trust issues at one point -- and goes on to claim she attempted to reconcile with him while allegedly threatening to "expose" him if he did not comply ... and he suggests him not budging is why this is all coming out.

It goes without saying ... Reesa's ex is feeling the backlash of the TikToks going viral and claims it's hurting his job in PR -- which he says he does for a hospital. Amid all this attention, Legion tells us he met with attorneys Monday at work to discuss taking legal action against Reesa -- on its face, it seems his company believes they mighta been damaged by her storytelling. Legion says he's supportive of any moves they might make.

Unclear if he's considering private counsel for himself at this point ... but he's certainly mulling his options right now. Bottom line ... Legion tells us the way he's been portrayed by Reesa is NOT who he is at all -- and he feels he's been wronged by the tale she's told.

There's no denying that Reesa's videos have been a huge hit online ... with one video garnering over 11 million views on TikTok. Reesa's account also boasts nearly 32M likes.

Actress Danielle Pinnock -- from the TV show 'Ghosts' -- has already pitched herself to play Reesa if the viral saga ever gets a small screen adaptation ... and something tells us this thing might just get made into a movie or show down the line. Indeed, it's that wild.

Natalie Portman está viendo cómo el cine está perdiendo popularidad entre los jóvenes, y parece que tiene sentimientos encontrados al respecto cuando se refiere a su responsable.

La actriz se sentó con Vanity Fair a principios de esta semana para una entrevista, donde se abrió sobre la gran influencia que están teniendo las estrellas de redes sociales en los niños en comparación con las estrellas de cine tradicionales, como ella misma.

Portman dice que el cine se siente "mucho más de nicho" por estos días y que si le preguntas a alguien de la generación de sus hijos -ella tiene un niño de 12 años y otro de 7- tienden a conocer mucho más YouTubers y personas virales que actores.

Ahora, Natalie no está diciendo que esto sea necesariamente algo malo. Señala que la libertad para realizar películas en una época en la que el comercio no es la principal preocupación, mientras transitas la delgada línea de no hacer proyectos demasiado elitistas, requiere tener a la audiencia en mente.

Además, Natalie dice que es genial que los niños de ciudades más remotas y pequeñas tengan acceso a grandes obras de arte en cualquier lugar, lo que ha llevado a que los actores tradicionales sean degradados, haciendo que Hollywood sea más inclusivo.

Esta liberación a la que Natalie se refiere en la industria del entretenimiento no está sentando bien a todo el mundo, sin embargo. Recuerden, Billie Eilish fue pillada hablando mal de los influencers invitados a los People's Choice Awards el pasado fin de semana.

Por si no lo saben, Eilish estaba hablando con Kylie Minogue y, aunque trató de susurrar, se podía oír claramente que se estaba quejando de la cantidad de TikTokers en el evento. Ella no parecía muy feliz por su participación.

Natalie Portman is seeing declining popularity of film with young people ... and it seems like she's got mixed feelings about it -- pointing out the double-edged sword of its downfall.

The actress sat down with Vanity Fair earlier this week for an interview, and she opened up about the increased influence of social media stars on kids when compared to traditional movie stars, like herself.

Portman says film feels "much more niche" these days -- and notes if you ask someone in her kids' generation -- she's got a 12-year-old and a 7-year-old -- they tend to know way more YouTubers and viral people as opposed to actors.

Now, Natalie's not saying this is necessarily a bad thing ... she points out the freedom in making movies in an era when commerce isn't the chief concern, while also walking the fine line of not making projects that are too elitist -- saying ya gotta keep the audience in mind.

Plus, Natalie says it's cool kids in more remote small towns now have access to great art anywhere, which has led to traditional gatekeepers being demoted -- making H'wood more inclusive.

This liberation Natalie's referring to in the entertainment industry isn't sitting well with everyone however ... remember, Billie Eilish got caught talking some smack about influencers being invited to the People's Choice Awards this past weekend.

ICYMI ... Eilish was talking to Kylie Minogue and -- despite trying to whisper -- she could clearly be heard complaining about the number of TikTokers at the event. She seemed none too happy at their involvement.

On this episode of The TMZ podcast ...

The controversial college student who was tracking Taylor Swift's private jet posted a lengthy letter to social media that his lawyers sent to her, claiming he's done "nothing unlawful."

Travis Kelce is reportedly eager to get involved in more avenues of entertainment, as the NFL star met with some top-level Hollywood executives about some potential projects in the reality scene.

Bryce Hall is clapping back at Billie Eilish after she was heard shading the TikTokers in attendance at the People's Choice Awards.

Plus, actor Frankie Muniz wrecked out in his first Daytona 500 race Monday night.

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Bryce Hall is clapping back at Billie Eilish after she was heard wondering why a bunch of TikTok stars were at the People's Choice Awards ... sarcastically apologizing for her disgust.

The internet superstar responded to Billie on, where else, TikTok ... jokingly saying he was sorry for not acknowledging her greatness or bowing down to her at the award show they both attended.

As we reported ... Billie was filmed chatting with fellow singer Kylie Minogue at Sunday's People's Choice Awards when cameras caught her pointing out that there was a bunch of TikTokers in the house.

Billie was clearly not a fan of the TikTok contingent ... which included Bryce, Tana Mongeau, Chris Olsen, Gigi Gorgeous, Alix Earle and James Charles ... among others.

Bryce says he and the rest of his TikTok pals were invited ... so Billie should direct her anger at the folks running the PCAs instead of the TikTok generation.

The response is dripping with sarcasm ... he also wipes away a fake tear and bows to Billie.

What's more, Bryce says he was a huge Billie supporter ... but now the incident has him rethinking his fandom, and he says he's not going to be posting TikToks with her music anymore.

Billie Eilish parecía decir la verdad en los People's Choice Awards este fin de semana, preguntándose abiertamente por qué un montón de "estrellas" de redes sociales se estaban mezclando entre las verdaderas estrellas.

La cantante fue filmada charlando con Kylie Minogue tras bambalinas en la entrega de premios en Los Ángeles el domingo, y se le pudo escuchar señalando que había una tonelada de TikTokers en el edificio... algo que parecía no gustarle demasiado.

Billie estaba sentada junto a Kylie cuando hizo la observación, y una vez que se dio cuenta de que estaba siendo filmada, trató de ocultar cómo se sentía al respecto, sin éxito.

Se pudo escuchar a Billie señalando que había algunos TikTokers "por allí"... luego hace una mueca, sacude la cabeza y dice algo así como "no lo necesito". Ahora, en terminos de a quién se podría estar refiriendo Billie, solo hay un puñado de sospechosos.

Realmente no había una gran cantidad de personalidades de TikTok en el show, más bien parecía haber más gente de Hollywood (actores y músicos convencionales) que la gente viral.Tana Mongeau, Chris Olsen, Gigi Gorgeous, Alix Earle y James Charles fueron parte de las celebridades de redes sociales que se presentaron.

Eso es lo que hace que sus comentarios sean tan llamativos. Un pequeño puñado de TikTokers fue suficiente para molestar a Billie.

Billie Eilish seemed to speak some truth at the People's Choice Awards this weekend -- namely, openly wondering why a bunch of social media "stars" were among real A-listers.

The singer was filmed chatting with Kylie Minogue behind the scenes at the award show in L.A. Sunday -- and she could be heard pointing out that there was a crap-ton of TikTokers in the building ... something she didn't look to be a huge fan of.

Watch ... BE was sitting next to KM when she made the observation -- and once she realized she was being filmed, she tried to cover up how she felt about it, unsuccessfully.

Billie could be heard noting there were some TikTok heads "over there" ... she then grimaces, shakes her head and says something to the effect of "I don't need it." Now, in terms of who exactly Billie might've been referring to, there's only a handful of suspects.

There really weren't a lot of TikTok/social media personalities on hand at the show -- and they did seem to be more filled with actual Hollywood types (mainstream actors/musicians) than viral people. But, among those who have a huge following ... Tana Mongeau, Chris Olsen, Gigi Gorgeous, Alix Earle, James Charles and maybe a couple more here and there.

That's what makes her remarks so funny ... even with the small handful of TikTokers, it was still enough to rub Billie the wrong way -- and we gotta admit, she ain't really wrong here!