TLC

Jon Gosselin was bitten by a spider, and it really messed him up.

Jon tells TMZ ... he doesn't know exactly where it happened, but his leg swelled up to twice its normal size. He says ... and the pain was "excruciating." He could barely walk and rushed himself to an Urgent Care, where he got an Rx for antibiotics and antibiotic cream.

Jon told The Sun he believes it was a brown, recluse spider. If he's right, these critters are super dangerous. People have lost limbs after being bitten. Some have even died.

Jon made it clear to The Sun, 2021 has sucked for him ... "My first thought was 'What now?' I have had a rough year, my breakup was hard, then I got COVID, which was bad. It was really weird because when I looked at my leg I realized it was twice the size and there's a red-looking blister with a large red circle around it."

Gosselin went on to say ... "It kind of looked like a cigarette burn, but really raised. The doc immediately knew the pain was from a brown recluse, which is a deadly spider. My entire leg had swollen up from the cellulitis."

He wasn't done ... "The doctor told me that I was lucky to come in because if you don't treat this you can lose limbs or die from a bacterial infection. I just wish I knew where the spider was so I can take my revenge."

Freddie Combs -- the minister who became a fan favorite on the second season of "The X Factor" thanks to his heavenly voice -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

According to his wife Kay ... Freddie died last Friday surrounded by friends and family at a hospital in Florida. She tells us his death was not Covid-related, but the result of kidney failure.

Kay says Freddie was diligently working on his weight loss over the past 11 years -- he had weighed over 900 lbs, getting all the way down to 385 lbs. -- and she's very proud of him. Sadly, she says she knew he was going to pass the day before he did, adding ... "I have so much gratitude to be his wife for 25 years and to be his best friend."

You may recall ... Freddie wowed the judges and audience during his 'X Factor' audition in Season 2 of the U.S. series, as the 540-lb. minister belted out a beautiful rendition of "Wind Beneath My Wings."

Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid promised to back him if he promised to get healthy, lose weight and get out of his wheelchair ... and Freddie vowed to do so.

Though he was eliminated shortly after, his story inspired many folks because he'd already lost more than 400 lbs. since 2009 ... when he topped 920 lbs.

Freddie and Kay, who struggles with weight issues as well, were also featured on a 2010 TLC special called "Ton of Love."

He was 49.

Gina Krasley -- who appeared on Season 8 of "My 600-Lb. Life" -- has died ... according to TLC.

The official cause of death is unclear, but an obituary says Gina died Sunday at home in Tuckerton, New Jersey, where she was surrounded by family.

Gina joined the '600-Lb. Life' franchise in Jan. 2020, and in April of last year, TLC featured her in an episode called, "Time Is Running Out For Gina."

In the clip, Gina says she's been struggling with weight for as long as she can remember, saying her life has been hard, and she's always felt like "I was just pushed under the rug."

Gina said she turned to food as an outlet when she was 14 years old and already 300 pounds. She admitted it became harder to do everyday things as she approached 500 pounds.

TLC says the network is "saddened" by Gina's death and sends thoughts and prayers to her family.

Gina's survived by her wife, Elizabeth Krasley, her sister, her mother and her grandparents.

She was 30 years old.

Josh Duggar's child pornography case looks like the final nail in the coffin for his family's TV show ... TLC's canceling it after 11 seasons.

The network announced it will no longer be producing "Counting On," the family reality series that's a spin-off of the popular "19 Kids and Counting" ... which ended its run back in 2015.

TMZ broke the story ... Josh -- one of the stars of '19 Kids' -- was arrested by the feds in late April and charged with 2 counts of child pornography. He's accused of knowingly receiving child porn in May 2019 and knowingly possessing images of child pornography ... including images of minors below the age of 12.

TLC makes it clear ... the case is why it's pulling the plug, saying it "feels it is important to give the Duggar family the opportunity to address their situation privately."

Addressing the case in any way on the show would have been a legal risk for Duggar ... while not addressing it would mean producers were ignoring the biggest elephant in the room.

Just weeks before the country went into lockdown because of COVID, the cast of "Little Women: Atlanta" got in one last hurrah, which left a cast member bloodied and slashed.

The brawl went down in February of last year at Nouveau Bar & Grille. The initial fight pitted Amanda and Andrea against Abira. Ms. Juicy initially tried to act as peacemaker, but that went to hell quickly.

Unclear what started this and, for that matter, most fights on the show. Someone spit on someone and that was pretty much all she wrote. Glasses started flying, conking Juicy on the noggin, and leaving a big gash and a bloody mess. She ended up taking a trip to the ER where she got a CAT scan and stitches.

As we first reported ... Abria started clowning the twins over their plan to get in the rap game. As true 'Little Women' fans know ... they've been at each other's throats for some time ... but things really took a turn for the worse during their hangout that night.

Larissa Lima's landed another entertainment gig ... and just like magic, she's already back in the spotlight after splitting from the '90 Day Fiance' universe.

The Brazilian reality star's the leading woman in magician Jack Alexander's new edgy reality TV show, "Jack Alexander: Magician Exposed" ... and we got a little sneak peek.

Larissa appears out of thin air in a metal cage and walks out on stage to strut her stuff and show off her expensive Kylie-esque makeover with some sexy dance moves.

Larissa eventually gets back into another cage and disappears ... and we're told she was legitimately nervous Jack would make her vanish forever!!!

As we reported ... Larissa announced last month TLC released her from her '90 Day Fiance' contract, and she indicated her CamSoda performance was the last straw.

Didn't take her much time to find a new paying gig ... we're told Larissa trained for the part for several weeks and her only request -- no tricks with fire, after learning Jack was originally planning on having her appear from a box engulfed in flames.

The magic show's launching today and streaming through Jacks' YouTube channel ... and we're told he's interested in bringing Larissa on the road with him when he starts touring the world again.

Michelle Theriot -- who made her name as Gramma Mimi on the hit TLC show, "OutDaughtered" -- has been arrested for DUI ... TMZ has learned.

Mimi was busted last weekend in League City, Texas a little after midnight on her way home. Cops say Mimi's black Ford SUV was swerving while straddling the shoulder's solid white line.

Cops say when they tried pulling her over, Mimi was slow to stop and when they approached her, cops say there was a strong odor of perfume wafting from the SUV. Cops say they know the game ... people try to conceal certain odors with perfume or cologne.

Mimi was asked to produce her driver's license, and cops say she was lethargic. They also say Mimi's speech was slurred and she had bloodshot eyes. When cops asked if she had any booze, she told them she had 2 glasses of wine ... before changing her story later and saying she had no wine but 2 Michelob Ultra beers.

Cops say it got worse when Mimi stepped unsteadily out of the car ... swaying back and forth. According to cops, she also bombed several field sobriety tests and had to be stopped from trying to get back in her SUV. She was handcuffed and taken to jail.

Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins says there's no doubt the industry abandoned TLC after the death of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, but she wants to make it clear she's got no beef with anyone ... except maybe one guy.

T-Boz -- one half of the popular girl group which still includes Rozanda "Chilli" Thomas -- tells TMZ ... the recent comments she made on a podcast aren't as incendiary as they seem, she was just stating facts fans might not know about the biz.

Her remarks, on "Hollywood Unlocked," especially took aim at famed record exec L.A. Reid for allegedly bailing on the group. T-Boz isn't backing down from that, but says it wasn't because Reid didn't believe in the group.

Check out her explanation, and what's perfectly clear is she hasn't gotten over whatever went down between Reid and her.

As for the rappers T-Boz called out -- Drake, T.I. and Nelly, among others -- for backing out of the 2014 Super Bowl Blitz with TLC ... she says that was actually a blessing.

If you don't remember, that SB performance was a major TLC comeback, and T-Boz says she doesn't blame the artists for not wanting to rock with them at that time.

The family of Coliesa McMillian -- who appeared on Season 8 of "My 600-lb. Life" -- was thankfully allowed to see her in the hospital before she died ... something they feared would not be possible due to COVID restrictions.

Coliesa passed away Tuesday at a hospital in Louisiana, but her mother, Sadie Courville, tells TMZ she'd been at the Baton Rouge facility for quite a while ... and they hadn't been able to visit her due to pandemic rules.

She says the hospital made an exception when it was clear Coliesa was on her deathbed, allowing her and Coliesa's 2 teenage daughters in to say their final goodbyes.

Sadie says she patted Coliesa's arm while her girls cried and held her hand.

According to Coliesa's mom ... the family doesn't know the exact cause of death, but she says her health went downhill after she underwent weight loss surgery and sadly, she never recovered.

A rep for the East Baton Rouge Coroner's Office tells us ... a review of Coliesa's medical records shows she died of natural causes due to complications from that surgery months ago.

Larissa Lima says she's out of the '90 Day Fiance' universe for good -- but it's not because she wanted to leave ... it sounds like she's accusing the network of giving her the boot.

The Brazilian reality star made the announcement Saturday, which seemed to tie up a rocky week-and-a-half-plus she and her current boyfriend, Eric, have gone through ... ever since she raised a boatload of cash with a camgirl sesh, with a Kylie-esque makeover to show off.

Of course, shortly after that good fortune ... Larissa and Eric tried getting outta Dodge for the Rocky Mountains -- they said they were leaving Las Vegas and moving to Colorado Springs, presumably to start fresh. Their plans for '90 Day' were a bit unclear at the time.

Now, they're crystal clear ... because Larissa says she's out, and supposedly -- it's because TLC, which airs the series as well as its spinoffs, released her from her contract.

Larissa writes, "Dear Friends and Followers, I want to make a statement for you, I am no longer a cast member of the show '90 Day Fiance.'" She goes on to say, "Because of my show with CamSoda, I was released from my contract with TLC by phone the day before ICE arrested me." Larissa says she'll continue producing her own content on her own platforms.

As we reported ... Larissa dropped a small fortune -- upwards of $72k -- for a handful of cosmetic surgeries, all with the goal of looking as close to Kylie Jenner as possible. It would appear the investment paid off -- because we've heard her cam show raked in more than $100k for the one hour it was on. Assuming Larissa received anywhere north of half of that in her agreement with the porn company, she likely made her money back, and maybe some.

That might all be for naught, however, because we also learned ICE might be gunning to deport her after her brief detainment a week ago.

Coliesa McMillian -- who appeared earlier this year on Season 8 of "My 600-lb. Life" -- has died ... according to her family.

A relative tells TMZ she passed away Tuesday at a hospital in Louisiana. Coliesa was 643 lbs. when she appeared on the TLC show back in March. A mother of 4 daughters, she decided to do the show after a lifetime of eating to deal with trauma in order to regain control of her life for her girls.

Shortly before appearing, she suffered a heart attack and the loss of her fiance in a car accident ... and things only got harder for her after she opted for surgery to aid in her weight loss.

According to reports ... she suffered complications afterward and ended up on life support. Though her family said she was recovering, they said it was going to be a very long and difficult road ahead.

Coliesa's exact cause of death is unknown at this time. Her funeral services will be held on Thursday and Friday in Plaquemine, LA.

She is survived by her 4 daughters and several brothers and sisters.

Jorge Nava wants to get back to what he knows best, cultivating marijuana ... even though he just did hard time for having nearly 300 pounds of green!!!

The "90 Day Fiance" star tells TMZ ... growing ganja has always been his passion, and he wants to return to his roots. Jorge admits it might be tougher to find work in the medicinal marijuana field being a convicted felon in Arizona.

Still, if opportunity knocks, he tells us he'll jump at the chance to make some money ... with the blessing of his parole officer, of course.

Jorge was busted for allegedly trying to sell 293 pounds of weed and served a 2 and a half year prison sentence.

Jorge did use some of his time behind bars for good ... telling us how he was able to shed a whopping 128 pounds, despite some terrible prison food.

Frank Bielec, one of the stars of "Trading Spaces" has died ... TMZ has learned.

Frank's wife, Judy, tells TMZ, Frank passed away Friday ... a day after suffering a heart attack. He was taken to a hospital in Katy, Texas, and then transferred to a Houston hospital for specialized treatment. Frank died Friday in the Houston hospital.

Judy says the surgical team dissolved into tears when they couldn't save Frank.

Frank was an accomplished designer and appeared on the TLC show every season until 2008 when the show wrapped. He also appeared on the 2018 reboot.

No funeral service. Frank will be cremated -- ashes put inside a round wooden box and placed on top of a fireplace in their home.

Frank was an elementary school teacher back in the day, teaching classes in art and social studies. He got a masters of fine arts but eventually became disenchanted with the educational system -- he felt it focused too much on tests and not enough on what he called experimental learning.

Frank's next adventure was not television ... it was strictly floral. Frank became a florist, creating spectacular arrangements. It wasn't a passing thing ... Frank did it for 20 years.

He was also an artist ... accomplished enough to have his work displayed in galleries. Then, in 1989, he created a business called "Mosey 'n Me" with Judy, specializing in cross-stitches.

Frank had a soft spot for animals ... he rescued a dozen sugar gliders and any wildlife that happened to mosey onto his property ... well, they had a home.

He applied all that he learned over the years to his designs on "Trading Spaces," peppering every room with artistic touches ... stenciling, cross-stitching, drawing -- things like that.

Frank was 72.

"90 Day Fiance" stud Corey Rathgeber is selling himself on the Internet, offering a virtual striptease for the low, low price of only $39 ... because, apparently, a man's gotta eat.

Turns out Corey recently signed up for an account on Fanbound, a website very similar to Cameo and he's selling skin for cheap.

Corey's offering lots of options, but the striptease really stands out ... and it's oddly less than the price of a magic trick ($45) for a phone call ($50) from him. Guess he feels his voice and magic skills are more impressive than his bod.

Corey's marketing the $39 striptease to fans, telling customers it's great for personal use, or for a friend or loved one, and says it's great for birthdays and special occasions. It is Mother's Day weekend!

If possible, keep your mind outta the gutter ... Corey says the striptease is NOT X-rated, and it's only for fun.

If the striptease doesn't tickle your fancy, Corey's also selling a personalized video message for $29.99 and relationship advice for $34.99.

Corey's also throwing up a Hail Mary ... he says he'll promote products for $399.99, no questions asked.

James King, a fan favorite from "My 600-lb Life," died in a Nashville hospital ... according to his family.

James passed away on Friday after several different past battles with his health, including sepsis and cirrhosis of the liver. He last appeared on the popular TLC series back in the summer of 2018.

The news wasn't good for James back then ... he'd actually gained weight from his initial appearance on the show. He was 791 pounds when he made his debut, but by 2018, he was 840 pounds.

He lived in Paducah, Kentucky ... and it's unclear right now why he'd been admitted to the hospital in Nashville.

James had recently kept a relatively low profile on social media. Most of his posts were gushing over his 2 most recently born grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa Raisor King, 4 daughters, 2 sons and 19 grandchildren.

James was 49.

Bernie McGee -- one of the stars of "Seeking Sister Wife" -- has died from a heart attack according to his wife Paige, who's blaming her brother for causing the stress she believes killed Bernie.

Paige confirmed to TMZ ... Bernie was riding his bicycle Saturday when he overheated and felt ill, and he called her to come pick him up. She says by the time she arrived, EMTs were already working on him ... and she knew it was very bad.

Paige says the coroner told her Bernie died from heat stroke and a heart attack ... but she believes her brother, Patrick Marble, was the biggest factor in his death.

We broke the story ... Paige's bro accused the reality TV couple of harassing him, and they were arrested in March on stalking charges. Paige says the arrest greatly upset Bernie because it happened in front of their sons, and he never got over it.

Their court date for the case was approaching, and Paige says it had a terrible effect on Bernie, saying ... "the stress of going to court this coming Wednesday with fear of 1 year in jail wore on Bernie."

Paige claims, ultimately, her brother's actions led to her husband suffering a heart attack, saying ... "Patrick's constant lies and attacks against us caused this!"

She adds, "YOU KILLED MY HUSBAND AND I HOPE YOU BURN IN HELL!!!!!"

Patrick tells TMZ, due to Bernie's passing, he is dropping the stalking charges against Paige pronto. He says he last spoke to her a few weeks ago to try to resolve things. Paige says she doesn't have a relationship with her brother and never has.