Recently, Heated Rivalry star François Arnaud, who plays Scott Hunter in the Canada Crave/HBO Max series, has come under fire from fans of the show. It isn’t for anything he’s done, however: It’s about what he hasn’t done, which is talk about his relationship status. Now, none of us are owed that, of course, but that doesn’t stop headlines, or paparazzi-focused institutions like TMZ.
Paparazzi are, unfortunately, ubiquitous when it comes to celebrities. However, nothing they do shuuld be considered “exclusive,” since it was likely taken without permission. Despite this, TMZ recently posted an “exclusive” story about Arnaud and costar Connor Storrie having dinner together. Really, it’s less of a story and more of some photos with conjecture thrown in.
“So?! Friends, more than friends, it should only matter to them. I hope whatever their status is they are very very happy,” said another.
Going back to why Arnaud is suddenly enemy number one when it comes to fans of the show, there are some using these photos as an example of why this is something that Arnaud “staged” himself. Why? Who knows. He is private about his life, that doesn’t mean that he’s hiding a secret relationship with Storrie. And even if they were dating, that is nobody’s business but their own. They’re two consenting adults.
The fixation on picking apart celebrities’ personal lives and creating narratives about the most minor of details is concerning. TMZ only fuels it by feeding into that speculation. It’s one thing to document that they had dinner together; though still an invasion of privacy, it’s at least mostly harmless. Spinning a story that fuels into a narrative that is already causing issues online not just for Arnaud, but for Storrie as well?
Please keep your shipping to yourselves
Like I have said previously, I am no stranger to the idea of shipping. But that is something that should stay within fandom spaces unless it is a confirmed relationship. Sure, it’s not unusual for us as a society to speculate about whether or not so and so are dating. We’ve all read The National Enquirer at one point. The problem with what TMZ and other gossip rags are doing is that they’re adding context where there is none.
That kind of sensationalist “journalism” is more harmful than it is entertaining. Because god forbid men eat in restaurants, right?
The internet has swung wildly into toxicity in fandom spaces such as these. It becomes an echo chamber, and people feel empowered by those with similar viewpoints. Quickly, it spills from fandom spaces into public ones, like TMZ, or, worse, on the social media of the celebrities themselves.
Rachel (she/her) is a freelancer at The Mary Sue. She has been freelancing since 2013 in various forms, but has been an entertainment freelancer since 2016. When not writing her thoughts on film and television, she can also be found writing screenplays, fiction, and poetry. She currently lives in Brooklyn with her cats Carla and Thorin Oakenshield but is a Midwesterner at heart. She is also a tried and true emo kid and the epitome of “it was never a phase, Mom,” but with a dual affinity for dad rock. She also co-hosts the Hazbin Hotel Pod, which can be found on TikTok and YouTube.
Singer D4vd could be expected to face possible murder charges in the death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez, according to sources familiar with the case who spoke to TMZ. As Los Angeles Magazine previously reported, prosecutors are presenting evidence to a Los Angeles grand jury that could lead to an indictment. Earlier reports described the grand jury as “investigative,” a panel that can subpoena witnesses and gather evidence without returning criminal charges, but sources told TMZ the panel in this matter is expected to vote on an indictment. The grand jury was reportedly convened in mid-November and was expected to last weeks or even months.
High-profile criminal defense attorney Mark Geragos previously told Los Angelesthat he’s not sure the type of grand jury matters anymore, given the major secrecy around the case. “The cynic in me says the reason they’re using the grand jury is to figure out what’s happening without public scrutiny and to identify who, if anyone, is criminally liable,” he said. “They want this close to the vest.”
Rivas’s remains were discovered on September 8th inside the front trunk of a Tesla registered to David Anthony Burke, 20, the performer known professionally as D4vd. The Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed the case is now being treated as a murder investigation, though authorities have released few details publicly.
Witnesses, including D4vd’s day-to-day manager, Robert Morgenroth, have testified before the panel. Morgenroth reportedly was on the stand for three days, being questioned intensely by prosecutor Beth Silverman on “why he didn’t call the police.”
The case has drawn intense scrutiny amid delays in public disclosures and conflicting information about the relationship between Burke and Rivas, who had been reported missing in 2024. Private investigator Steve Fischer is working on behalf of D4vd’s former property owner, and has publicly shared additional uncollected evidence and raised questions about the investigation’s pace. Fischer was also believed to be a grand jury witness and did not express hope that anyone would be arrested anytime soon.
To be clear, the LA District Attorney’s office has not confirmed whether an indictment has been returned, with TMZ sources claiming grand jury proceedings could continue into February with more witnesses.
Defense attorneys for Brian Walshe rested their case without presenting a single witness to rebut the prosecution’s assertion that he was jealous of his wife’s Ana’s new lover, and worried about going to jail in federal art fraud case, when he killed her to collect millions in life insurance
The world of celebrity news is an interesting beast. Supermarket tabloids spouting weekly rumors have given way to a whole new culture online, with anonymous Instagram accounts and massive websites reporting on things as quickly as they possibly can.
Not only has that changed the way that a lot of us engage with our favorite famous people, but it has also led to a lot more overstepped boundaries… and once again, it appears that TMZ is at the scene of the crime.
This week, the outlet is under fire for their reporting on actors Chris Evans and Alba Baptista welcoming their first child. While TMZ reporting birth announcements before they are even remotely picked up by mainstream press isn’t anything new, the way they chose to broke the news is. Their article initially included a watermarked photo of the baby’s birth certificate, with only a handful of details redacted. This was quickly met with backlash from fans, and although the photo has since been removed from the article, copies of it are still circulating around on social media.
It’s unclear whether or not this could lead to a lawsuit over invasion of privacy, but either way, the damage has already been done. It was arguably already bad enough that Evans and Baptista, who have been notoriously private in their relationship since they began dating in 2022, did not have control of when and how their baby’s birth would be made public. But the “leak” of the birth certificate honestly goes beyond that, sharing personal information about the couple and their baby that very few in the public sphere (but especially people casually engaging on stan Twitter and fandom spaces) needed to know.
Another controversy for TMZ…
In a way, this shouldn’t be shocking for TMZ. For the better part of the 21st century, the outlet has built a brand out of brash “journalism”, whether in the articles on their website or on their syndicated television show. I will admit, I did spend a stretch of the 2000s watching episodes of TMZ, because it seemed like the most high-speed and “edgy” way to catch up on Hollywood gossip prior to all of us using social media.
But in recent years, the tide has shifted towards criticizing the outlet, for its attitude towards certain subject matters, and for its methods of going to practically any means necessary to get information or photos for a story. Sometimes, this has just meant paparazzi accosting subjects in public in an attempt to get the next viral clip. But other times, this has led to clear boundaries being crossed.
The way TMZ has reported on, or was otherwise involved with, the legal case between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp, as well as the deaths of Kobe Bryant and Liam Payne have all drawn massive amounts of backlash in recent years. There have also been the instances of the outlet reporting incorrect news before it could be verified, whether about celebrity deaths or about Beyonce maybe appearing at last year’s Democratic National Convention.
Again, with all of this in mind, TMZ’s “leak” of Evans and Baptista’s baby’s birth certificate shouldn’t be surprising… but it’s still disappointing.
Jenna Anderson is the host of the Go Read Some Comics YouTube channel, as well as one of the hosts of the Phase Hero podcast. She has been writing professionally since 2017, but has been loving pop culture (and especially superhero comics) for her entire life. You can usually find her drinking a large iced coffee from Dunkin and talking about comics, female characters, and Taylor Swift at any given opportunity.
TMZ founder Harvey Levin (right), at the company’s headquarters, talks to staff members, from left: Derek Kaufman, Arielle Port, Courtney Doucette, Roger Corral and Charlie Neff.Credit: Irvin Rivera
Just as thedark hallway outside the newsroom of TMZ gives way to the bustling chaos inside, the last thing you see is a self-portrait of Paris Hilton framed on the wall. The pencil drawing is cute and girly, like something scrawled in an eighth-grade yearbook, complete with hearts dotting the “i”s. It depicts the actress locked up at the L.A. County Jail with TMZ’s Harvey Levin on the jailhouse TV. The artwork is on a greeting card sent to the entertainment news show in 2007, thanking Levin for his fair coverage of her case.
The lanky blond heiress is the star who inadvertently jump-started the celebrity news empire two decades ago. On Nov. 8, 2005, the beta version of tmz.com launched, and a day later, the site posted a video showing Hilton’s Bentley, driven by her boyfriend, Greek shipping heir Stavros Niarchos III, crashing into a parked vehicle to escape paparazzi, then later being stopped by police, who let the couple go. TMZ’s caption notes the car “slams into a truck with a hit and run,” and then, “Paris makes things right by blowing a kiss to the cops.”
The TMZ formula of snark, sexy babes, exclusive footage and a wink back at the audience was born. Today, the TMZ brand reaches 70 million visitors each month and operates an integrated ecosystem with TV shows and websites dedicated to entertainment news, sports and hip-hop. A sister site, TooFab, focuses on fashion and red carpets. The brand also operates an array of podcasts (including one featuring Los Angeles magazine co-owner Mark Geragos), has a kiosk at LAX and boasts a documentary film division. Famous faces (think: JoJo Siwa, Ray J and Bill Maher) can sometimes be seen on TMZ’s battalion of branded Hollywood bus tours. An “After Dark” tour shuttles fans to bars to pound shots, ride a mechanical bull and hear candid tales of debauchery.
“It was just a different voice,” says Charles Latibeaudiere, an executive producer who has been with founder Harvey Levin since the beginning of the show. “It was a voice that made [reporting about celebrities] palatable, I would say, to a male audience. Yes, we’re covering entertainment news, but we’re gonna say it kind of in a mocking, snarky and, at times, funny way. It was done more for ‘let’s have a laugh.’ It’s how guys sit around stereotypically in a group and just take shots at each other. We stumbled into presenting the show that way.”
TMZ’s Charles
Latibeaudiere, Harvey Levin
and Liza Ovsianniko Credit: Irvin Rivera
Executive producer Ryan Regan thinks the show’s speed, agility and point of view put it in a unique position. “Harvey prioritizes movement,” he says. “We need to be making 100 calls. We’re good storytellers. We’re very cost-efficient and we can do things faster than anybody.”
“We are to celebrity journalism,” says Michael Babcock, head of TMZ Sports, “what the New York Times is to hard news.” Staffers report occasionally pulling all-nighters, leaving the newsroom just as the morning shift checks in. The New Yorker once quipped that “TMZ resembles an intelligence agency as much as a news organization.”
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During the first two years of the site — before the launch of the TV show that would bring celebrity chaos into American living rooms — tmz.com broke news about Mel Gibson’s DUI arrest, ensuing antisemitic rant and possible police cover-up; a bald-headed Britney Spears attacking a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella; and Seinfeld’s Michael Richards screaming the N-word at Laugh Factory hecklers. Levin was fascinated by the way law enforcement sometimes treated celebrities differently, and grew his network of informants in courthouses, law offices and police stations. He connected with the legions of omnipresent paparazzi roaming the streets of L.A. and built a newsroom of reporters doggedly chasing down leads. In short, TMZ reinvented the entire concept of Hollywood news.
TMZ offices in Marina Del ReyCredit: Irvin Rivera
In the decades that followed the probing celebrity columnists Louella Parsons and Hedda Hopper, entertainment coverage was filled with fawning fans like Johnny Grant, who emceed Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremonies, and softball-slinging oddballs like Skip E. Lowe, the inspiration for Martin Short’s Jiminy Glick. Levin’s plan was to subvert the sway of celebrity publicists by avoiding scheduled interviews in controlled environments and go looking for stories at the places they were unfolding.
The first version of TMZ’s TV show was similar to the competition, with glamorous anchors reading scripted news. Latibeaudiere thinks their early shows were terrible. “Our producer said these [episodes] should be in the library,” he remembers. “I said, ‘Please don’t ever play them.’”
Producers hit on the idea of inviting the entire newsroom to pitch their stories on the air. “They wanted everyone who is in the office to kind of be involved in the TV show,” says Brian Particelli, a supervising editor, who adds that anyone with a story that day is in the mix. Pitches go into a central email and get filtered through producers. “Harvey’s always been very ‘best idea wins’ no matter who it comes from,” says Particelli. “That’s kind of his motto.”
Actor David Arquette, who’s been a staple of TMZ stories from the beginning, sees the show’s interest as double-edged. “It’s typically pretty awful if they’re covering you. It’s usually for something embarrassing,” he says “The flip side is that when you have a big movie coming out, they’ll cover it. It’s the old Hollywood thing where it’s good they’re talking about you even if it’s negative. It means that you’re part of the culture and interesting enough that they’re paying attention.”
Shevonne Sullivan and
Courtney Doucette Credit: Irvin Rivera
Cast your mind back to the beginning of 2005 and a world before iPhones, YouTube and streaming Netflix. Dial-up internet was most often accessed on home computers connected to the same clunky cathode ray tubes that had powered televisions since they were invented. Most offices still had fax machines, and online video was rare. If you wanted to know who Orlando Bloom was dating back then, you might tune in to Extra or Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood around dinnertime and hope for red-carpet footage. You might have to wait until the next issue of People or the National Enquirer hit the stands.
TMZ gave the world scandal at the speed of light, pushing out story after story about celebrity shenanigans and beating the competition with the help of a huge newsroom that today sprawls over two-thirds of an acre inside a converted postal facility in Playa Vista, backed up by a New York office that filters the news overnight. At the helm is the indefatigable Levin, who his staff reports is approving stories at 3 a.m. before hitting the gym and commanding the office. The 75-year-old attorney and high-energy TV veteran has been a staple of L.A. news for almost five decades.
Levin started in media offering legal advice on the radio as “Dr. Law,” which led to regular columns in the Los Angeles Times and Herald Examiner in the 1970s before branching into long stints in TV news. Levin spent 26 years doling out legal analysis and interviewing bystanders on The People’s Court. “Harvey was always a legend for changing the game on breaking news,” says Christina McClarty Arquette, David Arquette’s wife and a former reporter for Entertainment Tonight. “Before TMZ existed, there was no source like it for breaking news. He also changed the game by making things a lot more salacious. People wanted to get the craziest stuff to compete with TMZ.”
Levin had been producing the slick syndicated TV entertainment news show Celebrity Justice when Jim Paratore, head of Warner Bros.’ Telepictures, canceled the show and offered to move Levin to a website. The company had merged with AOL and was in the market for new online content. Paratore imagined a celebrity news site with familiar coverage of TV, movies and red carpet fashion. But Levin wasn’t interested and left town. “I went to Mexico and was in this kind of margarita haze and it just hit me,” Levin says. “By the time they aired Celebrity Justice, it was old news. If you can break stories where you have producers and research and lawyers to vet everything and you don’t have a time period like a TV show, then you get it up and you beat everybody.”
Harvey Levin plans the show.
Credit: Irvin Rivera
Harvey Levin grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Meadowlark Park in Reseda was an instant neighborhood that popped up in the early 1950s, filled with quintessentially suburban midcentury tract houses that originally sold for about $10,000. A few feet from the family’s butterfly-roof home was his dad’s liquor store. Harvey remembers being fascinated by the blue and red lights outside his bedroom window as a kid— they weren’t from the store’s neon sign across the alley but from the LAPD squad cars that would show up when the store was being robbed.
“[He] would open the store at 7 in the morning and run it until 2 the next morning,” Levin remembers. “[The family was] in that store all the time. I ended up working there. My dad taught me how to be a salesman. I would learn all these terms like calling it a heady bottle of wine so I could sell a more expensive bottle. That whole experience taught me a lot.”
Levin became interested in politics at Grover Cleveland High School, where he served on multiple debate teams and became president of the Boys’ League. That’s the group that planned special events for the class of 1968, which included a performance by psychedelic band Strawberry Alarm Clock, an Arab-Israeli debate and a special assembly conducted by a skeptic of the official story of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. That one had Levin’s fingerprints all over it.
The teenager had long been fascinated by the case, and even camped out at the Reseda library to read the 888-page Warren Commission report. He repeatedly called New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison (played by Kevin Costner in Oliver Stone’s JFK) from an anonymous pay phone after reviewing stills from the Zapruder film, to offer a new angle on the case.
As a high school senior, Levin won a mock debate where he acted as Sen. Robert F. Kennedy in a battle against Richard Nixon. He dressed up the auditorium with fans, polls and friends costumed as a donkey and an elephant. “I started calling all the stations in town and they all came,” Levin remembers. “I was thinking, well, this is interesting how the media gets attracted to something because it was just different.”
Levin volunteered for RFK’s presidential campaign and was at the Ambassador Hotel the night he was shot. He soon left L.A. to study political science at UC-Santa Barbara and received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School.
The TMZ team in the bullpen.Credit: Irvin Rivera
Levin’s interest in the Kennedys is at the root of one of TMZ’s greatest flubs. In 2009, the website published a crumpled snapshot of a man who resembled JFK partying on a yacht with naked women. It turned out to have been a Playboy magazine photo, taken years after the president’s death. “We screwed that up,” Levin says. “That one was on me. I spent the last two weeks of the year bringing in Kennedy experts, machines to analyze this thing, going to the Marina del Rey boatyards. We spent so much time on it, and we got it wrong.”
“We do what everybody is supposed to do,” Levin says. “You get a tip, you chase it down, you accept the fact that you’re going to hit 100 dead ends and, you know, you find ways around the dead ends.” Levin says that plenty of stories consume resources yet never make it on air. “If we find out that something’s unfair or untrue,” he says, “it’s dead.”
The show has been accused of paying informants, but producers deny the claim. “People do sometimes look for money,” Particelli says. “But we only pay for photos.” Sometimes an unrelated news story has such shocking video that it rises to the top. “It doesn’t have to be celebrity-driven,” says director of audience development Cameron Lazerine. “It can be a crazy viral moment of a huge tidal wave crushing a ship.”
With some 200 contributors, the show boasts veterans of CNN, Extra and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Many of the crew come from less conventional backgrounds but all share a dogged determination to tell the show’s stories. Producer Charlie Neff started out as a fashion model; TMZ Sports producer Michael Babcock was a restaurant manager in New Jersey before he sent in a winning audition tape. “One of our most successful guys Harvey met while pumping gas,” says Latibeaudiere. “This guy was at another pump and selling speakers out of his trunk, just hustling. He worked with us for at least 10 years.”
TMZ staffers enjoy the niceties that once enticed tech workers into the office. There’s a volleyball court filled with sand, and replicas of vintage military bombs stenciled with the TMZ logo hang near a ping-pong table across from the complimentary Starbucks station. Clear tubes of Frosted Flakes and Cinnamon Toast Crunch beckon hungry employees, as does a free convenience store stocked with Kraft Mac & Cheese and Pop-Tarts. Pizza Hut delivers on Mondays. Fox purchased TMZ for roughly $50 million in 2021.
Derek Kaufman speaks at a
morning meeting. Credit: Irvin Rivera
One of the newest staffers met his future at a scoop shop in Brentwood. Twenty-one-year-old London native Jakson Buhaj started filming skits and live streams for YouTube as a tween. He learned Python and JavaScript as he was finishing high school and faced a “what am I going to do with my life” moment before a TMZ field producer wearing a camera over his shoulder walked into his Salt & Straw location. “I made this pitch to him,” Buhaj says. “‘Please take my information,’ and to sweeten the deal I gave [him] free ice cream and sent [him] out the door.”
After graduating Santa Monica College, Buhaj had offers from several schools but instead took a spot at the TMZ intern desk. “I made this software— this bot,” he says, “that surfaces a thousand different media outlets and celebrities the moment they posted something, so we would be the first to get to it. That put me on Harvey’s radar.” Buhaj’s efforts have made TMZ on YouTube a major destination that may one day eclipse the brand’s TV efforts. “Jakson is being very humble,” Latibeaudiere says of the channel’s explosive growth since the eager Gen Zer showed up. “Once he was here … Thank the ice cream gods.”
Levin isn’t afraid to predict the future. “The reality is, YouTube is totally dominating,” he says. “I don’t think there’s going to be television in five or six years. You’ve got to pivot to where the audience is going.” In today’s age of infinite customization of personal livestreams, everyone can be a celebrity to somebody.
“People want authenticity,” Neff explains. “The new generation wants to see relatable people. Alix Earle, who is a very famous TikTok’er, is just a regular college girl who would post makeup videos. But she wasn’t fixing up the background of her bedroom. She had her tampons out, she had, you know, bloody panties in the corner, she had a Plan B package in the background. People are watching and they’re like, ‘Oh my gosh! She’s so relatable!’”
Charlie Neff on the jobCredit: Irvin Rivera
But is being an internet streamer as significant in the culture today as singers, actors and comedians used to be? Kai Cenat posted skits on YouTube before turning the camera on himself all day and all night. By the time he reached 19 million followers on Twitch, more-established stars like Kim Kardashian and Mariah Carey were showing up on his livestream. “Streaming your life can be performance art. That’s what an actor is doing, right?” says Buhaj. “Nothing like that has been done in the history of entertainment.”
History buff Levin, whose life has long been colored by the promise and tragedy of the Kennedys, can relate. He has a favorite quote of RFK’s — words engraved on the late politician’s tomb: “Some men see things as they are and ask ‘Why?’ I dream things that never were and ask, ‘Why not?’”
D4vd’s manager, Josh Marshall of Mogul Vision, using the handle @JMogul on TikTok, appeared to clap back at comments accusing him of involvement in the death of Celeste Rivas Hernandez: “I had zero knowledge of anything”
D4vd performing on stage in Florence, Italy, June 18, 2023Credit: Photo by Roberto Finizio/NurPhoto via AP
Josh Marshall, the manager of music star D4vd and founder of Mogul Vision, has taken to TikTok under the handle “JMogul” (this also appears to be his verified Instagram handle as well) to address swirling speculation surrounding the tragic death of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez. Her badly decomposed body was discovered in the trunk of a Tesla registered to D4vd on September 8, 2025 (what would have been a day after her 15th birthday), igniting a high-profile investigation that has drawn intense public and media scrutiny. Marshall, who rented the Hollywood Hills home where D4vd was staying, has used the platform to deny involvement and call for factual reporting, marking his first public statements on the matter.
Celeste Rivas Hernandez, who was reported missing from Lake Elsinore multiple times in 2024 at age 13, was found deceased earlier this month, thrusting D4vd and his manager into the spotlight. Marshall, a music industry executive known for managing artists such as D4vd, KennyHoopla, and Lil Mosey, has faced questions about his knowledge of the teenager’s whereabouts and connection with his client. This scrutiny intensified after a private investigator reported that a 2024 email had surfaced, suggesting that concerned adults in Rivas’ life alerted Marshall to her absence, and speculated she was with the singer. It was noted that Marshall did not respond to the email (and perhaps he never received it); however, Rivas returned home the following day. This has led to speculation that Marshall may have informed D4vd and Rivas that authorities could be searching for her. Marshall is now setting the record straight, saying he received no email and has “zero knowledge of anything.”
In a series of comments and posts, Marshall has sought to clarify his position and deny receiving any email. On a video by TikTok user “GirlTownNJ,” he responded sharply to accusations. When a user commented, “I swear to god I been saying this to my boyfriend!!!! I think Josh did it,” and “GIRL TOWN” replied, “I THINK he’s heavily involved,” Marshall retorted, “How dare you say something like this with no facts.”He elaborated further in a detailed statement: “This video is false and the person is misinformed. This is the only time I’ll speak on this matter. FOR NOW. This has been a tough time for my family as I am a father of 3 children. I received no emails and I’m no one’s room mate, I live full time at home with my wife and kids. My daughter is 14 and this news is affecting so many lives. I never received any emails. I had zero knowledge of anything and I don’t live in California. Also I work remotely 95% of the time and my job doesn’t require me to have much interaction with any of my clients/David, as there are many others that work with him on a day to day capacity, not me. This news is tragic for so many and for her family. I hope the proper authorities get to the bottom of it soon. Let me remind people a lot of this is speculation and alleged. In the meantime, I am with my family helping them emotionally get through the news of this tragedy. Please report on factual information. – Josh Marshall”
Addressing rumors about his vehicles as it was previously reported that Marshall may have driven a red Tesla that was parked in the garage, Marshall posted, “I have no cars registered in my name in California. Nor have any of my cars been in that state… please use facts with supporting evidence when making comments.” Another handle noted, “TMZ is talking about this case on a mainstream LEVEL..We are small content creators and it is funny, Mr. Marshall would come to us instead of mainstream..,” Marshall replied, “lol I’ve never lived in that home. I live in an entirely different state with my family. I do not have access to any cameras nor anything on that property. Stop creating false narratives and Assumptions.”
Marshall’s comments come as the investigation continues, with some questioning his limited interaction with D4vd despite managing him. In a follow-up post, he addressed misinformation broadly: “This is for anyone that has spread Misinformation about me that greatly affects myself and my family without any regard for the facts. Also I hope the creator of this video pins my comment and corrects what she said with a new video and anyone else making false comments or following a narrative about me that isn’t true.”
TMZ recently revealed surveillance footage from March of 2024 from a local liquor store that showed Celeste Rivas both walking and running, without any of her belongings, and sporting a black hooded sweatshirt. The liquor store owner recalled to TMZ that Rivas got into a car, however could not recall the make or model, and it unfortunately was not captured on camera.
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LAPD issued a search warrant on the Hollywood Hills home that D4vd, real name David Anthony Burke, was staying on September 18, 2025. Following the search, D4vd’s belongings were seen being packed in boxes and removed from the property by movers, and it was reported by the homeowner that Marshall broke his $20000 a month lease with the property. D4vd halted the September 19th release of his new album “Withered Deluxe” and had cancelled his upcoming tour schedule, however has not made a statement to the public. His label Interscope also has yet to speak out.
As of September 19, 2025, the Los Angeles Medical Examiner’s Office classified Rivas’ cause of Death as “pending further medical evaluation.” Many outlets have stated that her manner of death has now been classified as a homicide; however, the ME’s website has not been updated.
(CNN) — You may want to avoid the Beyhive today, as it is buzzing and ready to sting.
There was heightened excitement among many heading into the final night of the Democratic National Convention, not just because Vice President Kamala Harris was set to accept the party’s nomination, but because of hope the woman behind her campaign anthem would “rain on the thunder” and “wave through the waters” of Chicago’s United Center.
Like most pop culture fantasies, speculation that Beyoncé would make an appearance at the DNC started – and ended – on social media.
From the moment CNN reported in July that Beyoncé had granted the vice president permission to use her 2016 song “Freedom” for her presidential campaign, there were questions.
Would Queen Bey make a formal endorsement? Might a concert in support of Harris happen? And even more mind blowing, could Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, two of the biggest artists on the planet, join together in support of Harris in Chi-town?
Some people swore they saw signs pointing to an inevitable Beyoncé arrival at the convention – her private plane was rumored to have landed at O’Hare, the house band was practicing Beyoncé songs, there were “Cowboy Kamala” sashes in the Washington delegation. Surely, she would come.
Shasti Conrad, the Washington Democratic Party’s chair, told the Washington State Standard that she is a fan of both the singer and the vice president – a Beyhive and “KHive” member.
“The Beyhive is sort of what the KHive built themselves after — sort of this rabid fanbase for both,” Conrad said. “So we were like, let’s celebrate the two of them and this cultural moment, political moment — and these incredible women of color.”
Delegates and attendees wear cowboy hats and “Cowboy Kamala” banners on the first day of the Democratic National Convention (DNC) at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois, on August 19. Credit: Eva Hambach/AFP / Getty Images via CNN Newsource
Abee emoji shared on X by White House political director Emily Ruiz further spiked the hype.
And in fairness to the fans, there was a concert vibe running through the star-studded DNC all week. After Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance on Wednesday night, a post by the X account “Angry Staffer” promised a more momentous moment on Thursday.
“I’ve been sworn to secrecy, but you don’t want to miss the DNC tonight,” the since-deleted post read. “If you thought the Oprah surprise was big, just wait.”
On Thursday evening, TMZ reported that Beyoncé would indeed be performing. Media outlets, including CNN, reached out to representatives to confirm, while social media held its collective breath.
After all, Beyoncé has appeared at numerous Democratic events in the past, including President Barack Obama’s presidential Inaugural Ball in 2008, Obama’s second presidential Inauguration in 2013, and a pre-election concert in Ohio for Hillary Clinton in 2016. Beyoncé also endorsed the Biden-Harris ticket in 2020.
Then the fever dream ended and the pop culture balloon popped.
The Hollywood Reporter was the first to have the news that the Grammy-winning singer would not be appearing at the DNC.
“She was never scheduled to be in Chicago,” Beyoncé’s representative Yvette Noel-Schure told CNN in a statement.
TMZ issued a mea culpa with “Texas Hold ‘Em” song lyrics to walk back its report.
The X account that appeared to have gotten the initial ball rolling, Angry Staffer, also offered up an apology on the site, writing “Re: special guest rumor – I’m not sure where it started, but the people who told me aren’t prone to hyperbole.”
The internet, however, is.
CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister contributed to this story.
Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s daughter is pregnant with the married couple’s third child … TMZ has confirmed.
Unclear how far along Katherine is in this pregnancy … ditto for whether it’s a boy or a girl on the way.
For what it’s worth, Chris and Katherine have been to some public events recently and there was no noticeable baby bump.
TMZ.com
We actually talked to Chris Thursday in L.A., but he didn’t let on about the new addition on the way — instead, he told our photog he’s cool with making the jump from Marvel to DC … if his director pal James Gunn has a role for him in the DCU films.
As you know, Katherine and Chris already have 2 young daughters together — 2-year-old Lyla Maria and 13-month-old Eloise Christina. Chris is also father to 10-year-old Jack, who he had with his ex-wife, Anna Faris.
So, this makes 3 pregnancies in as many years for Katherine and Chris, and he’s about to be a father to 4. Something tells us Elon Musk and Nick Cannon would approve.
Arnold and Sly sat down with Harvey for a new FOX special, airing tonight (Tuesday) at 8 PM/7 Central, to talk about their intense rivalry that eventually turned into a close friendship.
TMZ Studios
Arnold’s pick for the 3rd spot is interesting … not necessarily top of mind, but when you hear it it makes a lot of sense.
Sly’s pick for the remaining spot is a beloved actor who definitely earned his stripes as an action star extraordinaire. Check out the video!
Sly and Arnold have never sat down together before to talk about things they did to each other back in the day to topple the other, and each talk about things they did the other had never heard. It’s fascinating … and at times, downright psychological.
“TMZ Presents Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons” airs Tuesday at 8 PM/7 Central on FOX.
Sylvester Stallone came within a hair’s breadth of tanking “Rocky II” because of a gruesome injury, and you won’t believe how he powered through to shoot the flick!
Sly and Arnold Schwarzenegger sat down with Harvey, and for the first time ever together they talked about their unbelievable rivalry and how it blossomed into a close friendship.
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Arnold’s trainer and compadre, bodybuilding legend Franco Columbu, trained Sly for “Rocky II,” and when Franco challenged Sly to a bench press competition, the actor was game … until he ripped his pec off the bone.
Here’s the problem. The injury occurred a month-and-a-half before Sly was set to star in and direct the ‘Rocky’ sequel — so, you gotta see him explain how he pulled it outta the fire!
As ‘Rocky’ fans know, Balboa’s normally a southpaw (lefthanded), but in “Rocky II” he learns to fight righthanded. That wasn’t just a random plot twist — turns out it was the only way Sly could film with his injury.
TMZ Studios
As Sly put it to us … pushing through the pain is just what driven folks like himself and Arnold did to make it to the top.
“TMZ Presents Arnold & Sly: Rival, Friends, Icons” airs Tuesday at 8/7 Central on FOX.
Arnold Schwarzenegger epically punked Sylvester Stallone into signing on for the most disastrous film of Sly’s career, and that’s exactly what Arnold wanted to happen!
Arnold and Sly sat down with Harvey for a candid, sometimes stunning convo about the intense rivalry between the 2 mega-action stars.
Sly was stunned as Arnold explained how he got his now-good friend to star in “Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot.” Arnold knew the script was terrible, but he had heard Sly was kinda interested in it. So Arnold figured if Sly felt he wanted the role, Sly would jump at it.
So Arnold called his agent, who in turn called Sly’s agent to say A.S. was super interested in the script. Arnold then secretly called the director to express interest — something Sly didn’t know until now.
TMZ Studios
Well, short story kinda long, Sly jumped and took the role, and the movie was a disaster, which is exactly what Arnold wanted. And Sly isn’t shy about saying he got played.
“TMZ Presents Arnold & Sly: Rivals, Friends, Icons” airs Tuesday at 8 PM/7 Central on FOX.
Matt is joined by Van Lathan to discuss the complicated and nuanced relationship between TMZ and Hollywood. As a former TMZ employee, Van walks us through how the sausage is made at TMZ and outlines its aggressive reporting style, how it pays its sources, and how, despite its often negative perception, the mainstream media has become more like TMZ, not the other way around.
For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, What I’m Hearing …, click here.
Kanye West already tried apologizing for his rabid antisemitism — but it seems he feels he didn’t stick the landing, ’cause he recently did another one … which was MUCH longer.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … the controversial rapper got some camera guys together to shoot a lengthy apology video several weeks ago — and we’re told it ended up running about 40 minutes … with Ye talking straight to the camera.
We’re told in no uncertain terms, Ye was “rambling” and at times it was impossible to decode what he was saying.
One more thing about this apology … our sources say whatever was shot is supposed to be released sometime ahead of his new album, “Vultures,” which is scheduled to drop Feb. 9 — this after several delays dating back to late last year.
A couple interesting things about this … for one, Ye already issued an apology over all his antisemitic language — dropping a statement that was written in Hebrew right after Xmas.
You’ll recall, it was a very generic mea culpa, which read in part, “I sincerely apologize to the Jewish community for any unintended outburst caused by my words or actions, it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect, and I deeply regret any pain I may have caused.”
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InfoWars
The problem … many felt it wasn’t sincere, and more importantly a lot of people thought it might’ve actually been generated by AI. In fact, we did some digging and that may well be the case. Bigger picture … most just weren’t buying what he was selling.
Now, we have word about this … and it sounds like if he proceeds, we’ll be hearing/seeing this new apology in due time. However, based on what we’re hearing about it so far — it seems like this one might’ve been a little clunky as well.
The other mystery here is how exactly the album is going to come out. As far as we know, he doesn’t have any major distribution deal in place … so who’s gonna listen to this???
Arnold Schwarzenegger is speaking out against the barbaric, unprovoked Hamas attack on Israel … meeting with survivors and their families.
The former governor of California got emotional as he condemned the Oct. 7 slaughter of innocent civilians … saying it’s unlike anything he’s ever seen and offering his support for Israel.
Arnold met with family members of Israeli hostages who are still being held by Hamas in Gaza .. presenting them with bronze eagle statues.
After the meeting, Arnold told us he’s looking to spread peace … because it’s more powerful than hate and anger.
14-year-old Ella Shani was among the survivors traveling from Israel to Santa Monica to meet Arnold … she recounted how her father was murdered on Oct. 7 by Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Beeri, and how her 16-year-old cousin Amit Shani was kidnapped.
Ella says her cousin was hiding in a safe room in his home when Hamas set the place on fire and broke down the door. She says Amit and two other Israeli men from a neighboring house were ordered into a car, kidnapped and taken to Gaza.
As Ella spoke for about 30 minutes, Arnold teared up … and they hugged in the end. He also showed her some of his cool movie memorabilia, like a robot head from ‘Terminator.’
The meeting was organized by the Museum of Tolerance Jerusalem — Arnold has partnered with the museum for years.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is being sued by a cyclist he accidentally hit with his SUV earlier this year.
Joanne Flickinger is alleging that Schwarzenegger’s “negligent” driving led to the biking accident that landed her with hefty medical bills, according to the lawsuit, which was reviewed by The Times.
The suit states that on Feb. 5, 2023, Schwarzenegger was driving “with excessive speed and failed to keep a proper lookout” on San Vicente Boulevard when his vehicle struck Flickinger, “causing severe injuries.” The suit further alleges that Flickinger’s injuries are “permanent.”
The cyclist is seeking damages exceeding $25,000 — the exact amount is not yet known — for “past and future pain and suffering, emotional distress; past and future loss of earnings; past and future loss of earning capacity; past and future medical expenses; past and future healthcare expenses; past and future incidental expenses; and past and future household services.”
Representatives for Schwarzenegger did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment. Legal representation for Flickinger also did not immediately respond.
TMZ first reported the collision and published photos of Schwarzenegger, 75, sitting in his GMC Yukon. The outlet quoted law enforcement sources as saying the woman made a left turn in front of Schwarzenegger’s SUV before he could brake, and he was not driving at an excessive speed.
The woman did complain of pain after the accident and Arnold apparently took Flickinger’s bicycle for repairs at a local bike shop, TMZ said.
“No crime was committed,” LAPD Officer Mike Lopez told The Times in February. He said the cyclist didn’t have life-threatening injuries.
Last year, Schwarzenegger was also involved in a four-vehicle crash at Sunset Boulevard and Allenford Avenue in Brentwood, an incident that sent a woman to the hospital with minor injuries.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Demarcus Robinson was robbed of his luxury jewelry at gunpoint early Friday morning outside a Los Angeles hotel, according to media reports.
Robinson, 29, was leaving a hotel when two armed men approached and demanded his jewelry, law enforcement sources told TMZ.
The thieves reportedly made off with $100,000 worth of Robinson’s belongings — including a luxury watch.
The Los Angeles Police Department did not immediately respond to an inquiry for additional information on the robbery.
An irritated Ye — formerly known as Kanye West — was caught on video when he apparently snatched a woman’s cell phone from her hands as she photographed him from inside her car and hurled it into the street.
The Ventura County Sheriff’s Department confirmed to a number of publications that Ye was under investigation for alleged battery after the office received a complaint about the confrontation on Friday.
Ye left the area before sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene, TMZ reported.
The unidentified woman and West, who had been traveling in his car, were both stopped at a stoplight in Newbury Park in southern California when the rapper approached the woman’s vehicle.
“I wasn’t running,” she answers.
She continued to hold her phone up and photographed West as he demanded, “Stop with your cameras.”
“I know, but, Kanye, you’re a celebrity,” she said. Before she could finish her sentence, West yanked the phone from her hands and hurled it into the street.
He then returned to his SUV and drove off, TMZ reported.
No one was injured in the confrontation, and there were no arrests as of late Friday, reported The Ventura County Star.
Responses from Twitter followers were split, with some saying fans should leave him alone, and others saying people are free to photograph whom they please.
Several people who were once close to the artist formerly known as Kanye West told CNN that he has long been fascinated by Adolf Hitler — and once wanted to name an album after the Nazi leader.
A business executive who worked for West, who now goes by Ye, told CNN that the artist created a hostile work environment, in part through his “obsession” with Hitler.
“He would praise Hitler by saying how incredible it was that he was able to accumulate so much power and would talk about all the great things he and the Nazi Party achieved for the German people,” the individual told CNN.
The executive left his position and reached a settlement with West and some of his companies over workplace complaints, including harassment, which CNN has reviewed. The former executive asked not to be named due to a confidentiality agreement and fear of retribution by West. According to the agreement, West denied the executive’s allegations.
The executive told CNN that West spoke openly about reading “Mein Kampf,” Hitler’s 1925 autobiographical manifesto and expressed his “admiration” for the Nazis and Hitler for their use of propaganda.
This individual stated that people in West’s inner circle were “fully aware” of his interest in Hitler. Four sources told CNN that West had originally suggested the title “Hitler” for his 2018 album that eventually released as “Ye.” They did not want to be named, citing concern for professional retribution.
CNN has reached out to West for comment.
Universal Music Group, owner of Def Jam, which used to distribute West’s music, said in a statement to CNN Tuesday that the company’s relationship with his GOOD Music label ended last year.
“There is no place for antisemitism in our society. We are deeply committed to combating antisemitism and every other form of prejudice,” Universal Music group added.
The sources CNN spoke with did not have information about why the album was ultimately called “Ye.”
Van Lathan Jr., a former TMZ employee, who confronted West during his 2018 interview at their offices in which West said slavery “sounds like a choice,” recently claimed on a podcast that West also made antisemitic comments during their conversation that the outlet did not release publicly. That’s why Lathan said his current comments didn’t surprise him.
“I already heard him say that stuff before at TMZ,” Lathan said during an episode of the “Higher Learning” podcast earlier this month. “I mean, I was taken aback because that type of antisemitic talk is disgusting. It’s like, I’m taken aback any time anyone does that, right? But as far as [West], I knew that that was in him because when he came to TMZ, he said that stuff and they took it out of the interview. … He said something like, ‘I love Hitler, I love Nazis.’ Something to that effect when he was there. And they took it out of the interview for whatever reason. It wasn’t my decision.”
One of the sources who spoke to CNN and was at the TMZ interview said West had favorably referenced Hitler.
CNN has reached out to TMZ for comment.
The revelation of West’s alleged history of admiring Hitler comes amid a wave of inflammatory actions by West that began earlier this month. He wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt during his Yeezy fashion show in Paris on Oct. 3 and dressed several Black models in clothing with the phrase, deemed a hate slogan by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). He then posted a private text conversation on Instagram between himself and Sean “Diddy” Combs in which he claimed Combs was “controlled by Jewish people.” He followed that with a tweet in which he said he would go “death con 3 on Jewish people,” resulting in Twitter locking his account.
West’s offensive rhetoric in the last few weeks has resulted in a professional fallout for the rapper and designer. Tuesday, Adidas ended its seven-year partnership with West, calling his recent actions “unacceptable, hateful and dangerous.”
In a statement, the sportswear maker said it “does not tolerate antisemitism and any other sort of hate speech” and said that West’s recent comments violated the company’s “values of diversity and inclusion, mutual respect and fairness.”
Balenciaga also cut ties with West, as has talent agency CAA. Production company MRC stated they were shelving a documentary on West, and GAP announced the company would remove Yeezy Gap merchandise from its stores and shut down the YeezyGap.com website.
In an Instagram post on Thursday captioned “LOVE SPEECH,” West appeared to reference the severed business relationships, writing, in part, “I LOST 2 BILLION DOLLARS IN ONE DAY AND I’M STILL ALIVE.”
West was referenced in banners raised by antisemitic demonstrators in Los Angeles last weekend. His comments have been condemned by the American Jewish Committee and the ADL, as well as numerous political leaders and celebrities, including his former wife, Kim Kardashian.
