TV

The alleged villain covered in Netflix's 'Dancing for the Devil' was the subject of two previous criminal investigations, but neither resulted in any charges ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us two sexual battery cases were filed against Robert Shinn and reported to LAPD in August 2023 -- which tracks with what was covered in the doc ... with some of his accusers coming forward and noting they'd gone to cops.

We're told one of the cases was filed by former 7M member Kylie Douglas, whose story was featured in the doc. Our sources say the LAPD conducted an investigation, and the case eventually landed at the L.A. City Attorney’s Office.

Chris Hansen's not supporting surgically castrating child predators ... arguing he's not sure it'll put an end to their criminal acts -- or if it'll stand up in a court of law.

We spoke with the "To Catch a Predator" host earlier this week and asked him about the controversial bill passed in Louisiana allowing judges to impose surgical castration on certain child predators ... and, he tells us he's pretty leery of the whole thing.

Hansen says he's met a ton of alleged predators over the years -- on 'Catch' and his new show 'Takedown' on streaming platform TruBlu -- and, he doesn't think surgically castrating them will stop them from abusing children.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus disagrees with her former costar Jerry Seinfeld on comedy turning too politically correct -- saying that stance usually set off alarm bells for her.

The actress sat down for an interview with the New York Times published Saturday where they asked her about remarks her longtime pal Jerry Seinfeld made ... when he called out the "extreme left" for ruining comedic television.

JLD says she's not in line with Seinfeld one bit ... saying certain comedies and dramas from years ago just don't work under modern scrutiny anymore -- and, being sensitive to that changing taste isn't a problem.

Kylie Jenner's showing love to her longtime pal Stassie Karanikolaou ... wishing her a happy birthday with a sweet, old school snap.

The reality TV mogul shared several photos in honor of her longtime pal -- who turned 27 Sunday ... and, on her IG story she went with a pic from their childhood -- showing them goofing around in pajamas.

Look at the pic ... young Kylie and Stassie had a fun time back in the day -- hitting poses and cracking up while the camera caught the candid moment.

Danny O'Donoghue says a night out with Tom Jones ended with him in the hospital ... 'cause he couldn't keep up with the legendary crooner -- despite being 40 years younger!!!

The singer -- best known as the front man of The Script -- says he once tried to go drink-for-drink with Jones while they both starred on the UK version of "The Voice" in the early 2010s.

O'Donoghue says he and Sir Tom hit a hotel in Manchester one night and started drinking champagne around midnight -- and, they didn't stop until around 6 AM.

Ryan Seacrest is now the host of "Wheel of Fortune," and he paid homage to his predecessor with a classy tribute.

Ryan posted a tribute to Pat Sajak, saying, "Pat, congratulations on an incredible run with Wheel of Fortune! Your dedication, charm, and wit have made the show a beloved part of American television for decades."

Ryan posted the pic of him and Pat with Vanna in the middle.

Eminem's latest music video for the single "Houdini" is out, and among the millions viewing the banger is the family of the OG Batman Adam West, who loved the rapper's salute to his work.

In the video for the track, which is part of Em's upcoming "The Death of Slim Shady" LP -- he's back in the ol' Robin outfit he was wearing back in 2002 .... when “Without Me” rocketed to No. 1 on the charts.

Nina Tooley, West's daughter, told TMZ her dad would have loved the video, which in the family's opinion spoke to the enduring brilliance of the TV show and her father's version of the Caped Crusader.

George Clooney is upset with President Joe Biden over Gaza, Vanna White had a tearful goodbye and there's some new info on the Scottie Scheffler arrest.

First up on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles break down why George is pissed with Biden, and the role Amal Clooney is playing here.

Jason Momoa's got one musically gifted family ... bringing his kids onstage with him during his band's Hollywood show in footage obtained by TMZ.

The actor took the Sunset Room Hollywood stage -- a venue just off the Hollywood Walk of Fame in L.A. -- with his group ÖOF TATATÁ ... and check out the vid, 'cause he also shares a pretty great moment with his kiddos.

The video starts with JM playing on his own before transitioning to a shot of him face-to-face with his son -- 15-year-old Nakoa-Wolf -- strumming on a guitar.

2:00 PM PT -- George Lopez's team has responded to the claims, placing the blame at the feet of Eagle Mountain Casino in a statement to TMZ, saying, "It’s the venue or casino’s job to provide a good experience for both the artist and the fans, but the casino failed in this regard. The audience was overserved and unruly, and the casino staff was unable to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for the artist and guests."

"George’s personal security team worked with the venue security staff to maintain order, ensure safety, and eject disruptive individuals. Unfortunately, the casino security team was not adequate to accomplish this task. George is not obligated to perform in an unsafe environment. He feels badly that those who came to see the show were unable to do so as a result.”

George Lopez is catching some flak online for allegedly walking out of his most recent gig early ... and not just from pissed-off fans, but from the venue too!

Meghan Trainor had a freaky experience while she was pregnant with her second child, believing at one point she suffered a miscarriage.

The singer made the shocking revelation while appearing Thursday on Mythical Kitchen's "Last Meals" with host, Chef Josh Scherer.

During their chat, Meghan went down memory lane, recalling the frightening episode that unfolded as she sat for an interview with Ryan Seacrest.

It's official ... Pat Sajak has retired from "Wheel of Fortune" after more than four decades, because his last show aired Friday night.

Wow! What a run for the now-former host of the popular TV game show, which also featured his beautiful sidekick, Vanna White, who will stay on as chief letter turner. Going forward, Vanna will be joined by Pat's replacement Ryan Seacrest.

Friday night's show was indeed the last for Pat after 8,000 episodes over 41 seasons.

Everyone, of course, knows Reese Witherspoon, but did you know that's not exactly her real name?

For those of you who didn't know, the actress revealed she was born Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon in a recent Vanity Fair interview ... while sitting down for a one-on-one chat with her good buddy, Nicole Kidman, to reminisce about shooting their TV series, "Big Little Lies," with costar Laura Dern.

At some point during their discussion, Witherspoon brought up that she shares the same first name as Dern. Here was her back and forth with Kidman about the big reveal.

Maitland Ward's stoked X is formally allowing porn ... saying it provides legitimacy for the adult film industry, and, it has her wondering if XXX posts are about to dominate Elon Musk's playground.

We caught up with the sitcom actress turned porn star in L.A., and asked her about X's change in policy. While Ward admits people have put nudes on X for years, she feels the content's been shadowbanned -- a problem she hopes the new rules will solve.

MW applauds the clearly-defined rules Elon and co. have devised for the content too ... adding the porn industry is totally on board with only allowing 18+ individuals to watch.

Bill Maher made a strong case Friday night for the U.S. to come to Jesus -- even though he doesn't believe in Jesus -- because of the way we treat prisoners.

The 'Real Time' host castigated us for the whole, "lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the key" mentality. You make a rape joke you get canceled, except for prison rape jokes -- for that you get laughs. As he says, we view sodomy as the appropriate comeuppance for criminal behavior.

Fact is ... 95% of prisoners get out, and they come out worse than when they went in. That's because conditions in many/most prisons are deplorable. Inmates sleep on the floor and fight for toilets because of overcrowding.

Former NXIVM sex cult member India Oxenberg says folks need to cut TikTok star Miranda Derrick some slack ... 'cause she may well be in a cult and not even realize she's been brainwashed.

India, who broke free from NXIVM after 7 years under the cult's spell, tells TMZ ... she's known about Miranda's alleged cult, 7M Films, for years and thinks it's likely Miranda doesn't fully understand the influence the group is exerting over her life.

Miranda denies 7M is a cult, and says she's not some mindless zombie under founder Robert Shinn's control -- pushing back against a narrative seen in the new "Dancing for the Devil" Netflix doc -- but India says groups like 7M and NXIVM have perfected the art of controlling communication with those on the outside.