TMZ.com Home

Joey Fatone says 'Masked Singer' producers had him, and all the other contestants, jumping through hoops all season to conceal their identities ... even from each other!

The 'NSYNC singer tells us just how extreme their evasive tactics got -- agents, managers and security guards were all wearing masks too. If that sounds like a pain in the ass to you, think again ... Joey says it made shooting the singing competition a ton of fun.

If you're one of the few who missed it ... Joey competed as The Rabbit, singing big hits -- including Ricky Martin's "Livin' La Vida Loca" -- all season.

At one point, he tells us he was onstage with the other 'Masked Singers' -- eventually revealed to be Rumer Willis, Gladys Knight and T-Pain -- but could only guess who they were ... just like the judges and viewers.

Chris Brown's friend, Lowell Grissom Jr., will NOT face any rape charges ... this according to the L.A. County District Attorney's Office.

Lowell had been accused of raping a woman at CB's house during a February 2017 party. The alleged victim, Jane Doe, sued Lowell and Chris back in May 2018 ... claiming she was supplied with cocaine, molly and weed and allegedly forced into performing sexual acts.

But, the D.A.'s office now says it won't file any charges against Lowell ... citing insufficient evidence.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the D.A.'s office says, "Based upon the lack of corroborating evidence and some slight discrepancies in the victim's version of the facts, this matter cannot be proven without a reasonable doubt. Therefore, with the concurrence of the investigating officer, prosecution will be declined."

Doe's attorney, Gloria Allred, claimed during a news conference the case was "one of the most horrific sexual assault cases" she had ever seen. Grissom denies the allegations and his attorney accused Allred of a blatant attempt at a money grab.

T.I.'s older sister, Precious Harris, had an asthma attack on the road, which led to her crashing her vehicle and, ultimately, losing her life.

According to the Atlanta PD traffic accident report -- obtained by TMZ -- T.I.'s grandniece, Kairi Chapman, was riding passenger with Precious behind the wheel when Precious suffered an asthma attack. They were in T.I.'s 2013 Dodge Avenger.

Kairi went on to tell cops that Precious passed out and veered into a telephone pole. The responding officer says Precious was unconscious when he arrived, noting she was breathing ... but beginning to foam at the mouth. Paramedics eventually arrived and took her to a hospital.

Cops say Kairi was treated by EMS after complaining of chest pains, but was later released. The report says both the front driver's side and front passenger side airbags were deployed.

TMZ broke the story ... Precious died Friday after just over a week in the ICU and on life support. T.I. and his wife, Tiny, shut down production of their show, 'Friends & Family Hustle,' as soon as they heard about the accident.

Her daughter wrote, "From my bestfriend on earth to My beautiful angel in heaven. I love you so much. I’m so heartbroken but the way you looked so @ peace this past week has confirmed that you are resting... no more asthma attacks... damn but baby I am going to miss you."

T.I. also commented on his sister's death, saying ... "We Love You Dearly Baby Girl...."

Precious was 66. RIP

Jordyn Woods has changed her story ... we're told she now says she wasn't drunk when she made out with Tristan Thompson and she's really sorry for what she did ... and we've learned that's what she told Jada Pinkett Smith on "Red Table Talk."

Sources with knowledge of the conversation tell TMZ ... Woods made no excuses for her actions, which sent the Kardashians into outer space. She admits she was totally lucid during the party a week ago Sunday.

As we reported, Jordyn felt her life was destroyed by the fallout -- from being thrown out of Kylie's guesthouse to being blackballed in future Kardashian business ventures -- but we're told after she let it all out on Jada's Facebook show, she felt a lot better about her future.

TMZ broke the story ... Jordyn chose to tell her story to Jada because of her deep ties to the Smith family. She especially felt comfortable with Jada, whom Jordyn believes is extremely nonjudgmental.

As we previously reported -- our sources say Jordyn initially told friends she was drunk when she hooked up with Tristan, but we're told her version to Jada is without excuses.

"Red Table Talk" drops Friday.

Aretha Franklin's death was sad news for everyone except maybe one person -- the person who allegedly swiped nearly $200k from her bank account months before she died.

As we reported ... the "Queen of Soul" had assets stolen before she died in August 2018, and police in Michigan launched an investigation into someone pilfering her funds.

Oakland County prosecutors tell TMZ ... Aretha actually filed a police report in June 2018 claiming someone stole checks and managed to transfer $178k from her account. Investigators were able to ID a person of interest ... but not until after Franklin died.

We're told that's a big problem for the case, because prosecutors say they don't have enough evidence to file charges against someone on just the police report ... additional testimony from a witness to the crime and/or the alleged victim is needed.

The prosecutors tell us they weren't able to get crucial testimony from Aretha while she was alive, so they lack the evidence to confirm how the checks were accessed or whether she willingly gave the person of interest the dough.

We're told it's possible additional evidence could surface, but for now ... the case is on ice.

As we reported ... Aretha's estate is dealing with other financial issues too, including the IRS hounding her over back taxes and lawyers trying to collect on unpaid bills.

BlocBoy JB is handling a slew of criminal charges head-on -- cops in Tennessee say he turned himself in peacefully Thursday morning.

The Memphis MC was busted on multiple charges ... according to the Shelby County Sheriff's Office. You'll recall authorities over the weekend said BlocBoy was wanted for possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia, being a convicted felon in possession of a handgun and for theft of property.

Since the cops put out the alert on him, the rapper posted several videos on Instagram ... which certainly made it seem like he was NOT planning on going easily. It's unclear who or what convinced him to surrender.

BTW ... BlocBoy became a huge deal in February 2018 after dropping his hit single, "Look Alive" ... featuring Drake.

Super BTW ... BB's "Shoot" dance -- which went viral after appearing in the track's popular music video -- is the subject of a lawsuit against Fortnite.

Robert Kraft has formally entered a not guilty plea in his prostitution case, according to court records obtained by TMZ Sports.

"The defendant Robert Kraft hereby pleads not guilty to all charges and requests a non-jury trial in the above-styled cause," the court docs state.

As we previously reported, Kraft's attorney accepted the summons from the court on Feb. 26 -- and an arraignment was set for March 27 at 8:30 AM ... the same day Kraft was expected to be at the NFL's Annual League Meeting with other team owners in Phoenix, Arizona.

Kraft had already made a public statement denying he participated in any illegal activity -- in response to allegations he solicited prostitution at the Orchids of Asia Day Spa in Jupiter, Florida.

Officials say they have graphic surveillance video showing the 77-year-old New England Patriots owner entering the spa on January 19 and 20 ... and receiving sex acts in exchange for money.

If convicted on both misdemeanor counts, Kraft faces up to a year in jail.

Ariana Grande and Big Sean got their #ThrowbackThursday started a little early ... with a snuggle session in his car.

The exes were cozied up in Sean's car Wednesday night outside a recording studio in Los Angeles. For the record, Ariana was at the studio first, Big Sean showed up after ... and she came outside for the reunion.

Ariana showed off one of her pooches to her ex-bae ... great excuse to get closer. BTW, they left together in his ride.

You'll recall ... Ariana and Big Sean dated for almost a year before she pulled the plug on the relationship in April 2015. She claimed the rapper embarrassed her with his "billion dollar p***y" lyric.

They both eventually moved on -- Big Sean with Jhene Aiko ... but it appears old flames die hard.

Fast forward to last winter ... Ariana dropped her "Thank U, Next" song. The opening lyric goes, "Thought I'd end up with Sean but he wasn't a match."

But, in the music vid, her "Burn Book" shows she's still got it bad for Sean ... writing Sean's "so cute, so sweet" and "(could still get it)."

And, almost 3 months later ... it looks like Sean's getting it.

8:00 AM PT -- Tristan might not have been the lucky guy hooking up with the young lady. Witnesses in Carbone tell us he was dining with at least 3 other people -- the woman, his teammate Jordan Clarkson and another (not famous) guy.

We're told she arrived with Jordan and, at least, appeared to be his date.

Tristan Thompson isn't sulking over the war being waged in L.A. after he hooked up with Jordyn Woods ... because he's back in the game, with another hot chick.

Tristan had dinner Wednesday night in NYC at Carbone, and here's where we connect the dots. Check out his Instagram story ... you see his delicious pasta -- Carbone is an awesome Italian restaurant -- and you see in the background the hand of a woman holding a glass. She's sitting at the same table as Tristan, right across from him.

Now, check out the woman who left the restaurant alone ... specifically, check out her nail color. MATCH!

BTW ... we're told Tristan arrived at the restaurant with one of his teammates, and 5 minutes later she was waiting outside the restaurant. We're told the woman showed up and Tristan came out and brought her inside. We're told they were at the table for hours.

We're told Tristan left a few minutes later, sprinting from the kitchen door into a waiting Uber.

Tristan is far, far away from the drama he triggered nearly 2 weeks ago, after making out with Jordyn at a house party. Khloe kicked him to the curb, and the Kardashians are at war with Jordyn.

Earlier in the day ... Tristan was out and about with a hoodie emblazoned with the words, "The Eagle Soars Alone." 'Nuff said.

Jordyn Woods feels her life is ruined because she's no match when it comes to the wrath of the Kardashians ... so she went to Jada Pinkett Smith because she felt she'd get a fair shake to tell her story.

Sources tell TMZ ... Jordyn believes the Kardashians -- especially Kim -- can break her in every way -- professionally, socially and monetarily. We're told she's been "despondent" since we broke the story she hooked up with Tristan Thompson. She feels like she has a Scarlet Letter plastered on her forehead.

As for going to Jada ... Jordyn is like family to the Smiths ... she calls Will her uncle. She feels Jada is one of the most nonjudgmental people she knows, and she has a huge platform on the "Red Table Talk" Facebook show.

We're told Jordyn wanted to tell her story and express her regrets.

T-Pain's feeling validated after taking home the crown on "The Masked Singer," but he's not declaring himself the G.O.A.T. because he's doubling down on Soulja Boy holding that title. Umm ... okay.

We got the rapper leaving Beauty & Essex in L.A. Wednesday night, fresh off his win on the debut season of the hit FOX singing competition. During the finale, we learned T-Pain was the guy in the Monster costume who wowed judges with his beautiful voice.

T-Pain tells us this shouldn't have been such a big surprise, because his non-auto-tuned voice was featured on his first album. Still, he seems pretty happy people have noticed again.

Speaking of getting noticed ... Pain says nobody does it better than Soulja, which is why he considers him the greatest artist of all time -- seriously.

BTW ... T-Pain released a surprise new album this week too -- called "1UP" -- so he's killing it right now. This is how the Monster does it!

12:10 PM PT -- Demaryius Thomas is addressing the accident for the first time, telling TMZ Sports ... “Over the past several days I have had time to really think. It saddens me that I caused pain to those whom I love most.”

DT's rep added ... "Demaryius is extremely remorseful for exceeding the speed limit which led to the automobile accident in Denver, February 16th. Demaryius is taking full responsibilities for his actions and ensures that nothing like this will ever happen again!"

NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas was arrested Wednesday night for "vehicular assault" -- in connection with a February 16 crash in Denver, authorities say.

Officials say Thomas was driving at speeds exceeding 70 MPH in a 30 MPH zone -- which not only qualifies as reckless driving, but also felony vehicular assault.

If convicted on the felony charge, Thomas faces up to 3 years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

Officials say they conducted an investigation into the crash using "information from the vehicle and preliminary speed analysis" to confirm Thomas was traveling at over 70 miles per hour.

Thomas is listed on the police report as 6'3", 230 pounds.

We've obtained DT's mug shot -- you can see Thomas suffered a left eyeball injury.

As we previously reported, the 31-year-old ex-Broncos star was driving around Denver around 12:20 AM. We spoke with witness Michael Tafoya, who said he lost control of his car, hit a curb and rolled 3 times before landing in a grassy median.

Cops and emergency personnel arrived to the scene a short time later and took over -- managing to free Thomas and his 2 passengers.

Cops say all 3 people in the car were transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for injuries. One of the passengers suffered serious bodily injuries as a result of the crash.

A witness tells TMZ Sports ... Thomas seemed to be fine other than a "hellacious knot" on his head.

John Legend and Chrissy Teigen want to test Donald Trump's theory that there will be riots in the street if he loses the 2020 election.

We got John and Chrissy Wednesday night in Bev Hills leaving Madeo, and asked what they made of Michael Cohen saying Trump once told him black people would never vote for him because they're too stupid -- among other incredibly racist things. JL & CT didn't bat an eye.

According to John, it's been well-established Trump doesn't like African-Americans and exhibits racist tendencies time and again.

Feds investigating R. Kelly are about to get their hands on "physical evidence" against the singer ... courtesy of the family of one of his alleged victims.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Joycelyn Savage's parents are set to meet with federal investigators in New York to discuss matters related to 2 separate U.S. Attorney's Office probes into Kelly -- one by the Eastern District of NY, and another by the Southern District.

We're told the Savages will provide information on witnesses and those closely associated with Kelly ... AND turn over materials they refer to as "physical evidence." Our sources don't know exactly what that evidence includes.

The sources do say both federal investigations are "progressing very quickly" ... thanks to cooperation and testimony from several people, including Michael Avenatti and some of his clients.

As for what the feds could pin on Kelly -- we're told it could involve the Mann Act, which prohibits the transportation of minors across state lines for purposes of sex or debauchery.

TMZ broke the story, Joycelyn's parents also want to confront Kelly at his Chicago Trump Tower apartment in hopes of getting through to their daughter.

Travis Scott is as far away from the Jordyn Woods scandal as he can be without leaving the United States ... and we're told he couldn't be happier.

Our Travis/Kylie sources say the rapper, who's currently in Buffalo for his Astroworld tour, does not want to be caught in the quicksand of controversy that in many ways revolves around his baby mama.

We're told it's like a powder keg back home, where Kylie's sisters have declared war on Tristan Thompson and have been hammering Kylie to break all ties for good. Kylie's on board for now, but everyone believes she's torn because of her incredibly strong bond with Jordyn.

Short story ... home ain't a peaceful place to be these days, and Travis, who's always tried to avoid controversy, is happily 2,500 miles away.

That said, our sources say Travis has been fully supportive of Kylie and has been lending an ear whenever she needs it. But, the way he sees it ... he doesn't have a dog in the fight and he'll go along with whatever Kylie wants.

BTW ... Travis has spent a lot of time with Jordyn since he and Kylie got together nearly 2 years ago. Nevertheless, it's her friend and he's just going along for the ride.

For now ... Jordyn has been blackballed from the Kardashians. They cut all future business ties with her, and she's persona non grata at Kylie's home, where she had been living in the guesthouse.

8:00 AM PT -- Jamie shared some video clips from the comedy club that show what went down with the women hecklers that led to them being kicked out ... and before he lectured the remaining audience. He captioned the series of vids, "Judge for yourself."

He added about one of the hecklers, "She attacked me, I attacked back. I will do that all day. Fair is fair."

Jamie Kennedy seems to be at wit's end with audiences at his stand-up shows ... because a couple of hecklers made him lose his cool and walk offstage at his most recent gig.

The comedian was performing at Irvine Improv in Southern California on Tuesday night when -- just a few minutes into his set -- he grew frustrated with a pair of women texting and talking in the front row ... and told them to leave.

That's where the video -- obtained by TMZ -- picks up ... and it's pretty awkward. Kennedy gets into it with a couple of other audience members who want him to get back to the jokes, but he says, "This is war" ... and goes on a rant about the creative process.

Ironically, Jamie mentions his career can be wrecked if he goes viral for a bad show ... so he decides it's not worth it to try to win the crowd back and bails.

Kennedy vented on his Instagram story after the Improv fiasco, blaming hecklers for the plight of comedians like him ... who stuff their faces with pie to heal the hurt feelings.

He also claims something is awry in the comedy world right now -- there's just no damn respect.

Jamie's battle with hecklers goes back a little further too ... to Monday night at The Comedy Palace in San Diego. The comedian shared a video from his act in which he addressed another woman who was texting a lot ... especially when he did "an offensive joke."

The crowd seemed to have his back that time though.

Pick your battles, bro.