TMZ.com Home

Alex Rodriguez proposed to Jennifer Lopez with a heavy hand ... quite literally.

A-Rod and J Lo just released pictures from his beachy proposal over the weekend ... with the former MLB star's World Series ring from 2009 with the Yankees damn near taking center stage. You can see in the pics Alex down on bended knee with his lone WS ring on his right hand.

But, J Lo's eyes were laser-focused on her new diamond ring and seemed surprised as hell. If you click on the picture slides ... you can see the happy couple embrace each other with a kiss while A-Rod's still down on one knee. And, BAM ... both A-Rod's World Series ring and her gigantic diamond are both on display.

But, ya gotta wonder ... which ring's bigger?

10:47 AM PT -- We just got Mitt in D.C. who offered up an explanation as to why he plucked the candles off one by one -- and it's a legit reason -- dude just wanted to keep his staff healthy.

Mitt Romney's birthday got super freaky with lots of hot wax, Twinkies ... and his unique approach to blowing.

The Utah Senator turned 72 Tuesday, and his staff surprised him with a cake made of his "favorite snack," much to his delight. Check out the vid, though -- Mitt drops a quick dad joke ... then gets weird with it.

It's unclear why, but Romney takes his sweet time, removes each candle one by one ... and THEN blows it out.

Mitt's method doesn't seem very efficient, especially if anyone in his office has any place to be -- but he claims it rewards him with more than the customary single birthday wish.

On the upside ... less saliva to go around.

Chuck Schumer's very happy for his friends Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez, but when it comes time for their wedding ... he wants nothing to do with leading them through their vows.

The New York Senator was out in D.C. Monday and got asked about J Lo and A-Rod's recent engagement ... he seems to be all about it.

Schumer's not down with officiating their nuptials, though ... but it's nothing personal. Chuck says he has a bad track record so he's sworn it off forever -- basically, he's doing them a favor.

The Senator also has some solid and fitting advice for the power couple, who happen to be incredibly wealthy. Peep the clip.

Kim Kardashian West is making sure one man recently released from jail will have a roof over his head for the next 5 years -- she's picking up his rent bills -- TMZ has confirmed.

Matthew Charles -- who had served 20 of his 35-year sentence for a non-violent drug and weapons charges -- was the first to be released under new prison reform laws. Charles recently had his housing application denied because of his background.

Sources familiar with the situation tell us Kardashian heard about Charles' story and wanted to do what she could to help ... so she's going to pay his rent for the next 5 years.

Kim first heard of Charles' story through an article posted on Twitter -- Charles was first granted early release in May 2016 by mistake -- and two years later was ordered to finish out the rest of his sentence. Charles was able to start to get back on his feet by purchasing a vehicle and staying with friends ... but had a hard time landing a place to live.

We're told Kim reached out to Charles and his friend privately Sunday and generously offered to pay his rent and to help him find a stable place to live.

Charles posted about the good news Sunday, saying, "I just received the most wonderful news tonight that I just had to share with everyone. Kim Kardashian-West heard about my situation. Was moved and has decided to help me."

"Storage Wars" star Darrell Sheets has landed in the hospital after suffering a heart attack and he'll need to undergo surgery to address the health scare.

Darrell says he's been very sick for 3 months and a couple of nights ago he suffered what he called a mild heart attack. The reality star -- who said he'll undergo surgery Tuesday but did not specify -- also said he found out he has congestive heart failure and a severe issue with his lungs.

Famous for gambling on storage lockers, Darrell took to Facebook to update fans with a picture of himself in a hospital bed and next to his wife, Romney Snyder. Darrell captioned the pic, "Well here we go I wasn't going to say anything, but you all have been the greatest friends and fans."

He went on to say, "Today I am having surgery so all your prayers would be deeply appreciated. Thank you for being there for me. It's been a great #storagewars and as you can see Romney is right by my side. Love you Rom."

Get well soon!!!

8:00 PM PT -- Conor posted bail and strolled out of the Miami-Dade County Jail a little while ago. He was totally reserved as someone escorted him to a waiting SUV.

No billionaire strut tonight.

5:16 PM PT -- Conor's attorneys just released a statement on the arrest.

"Last evening Conor McGregor was involved a minor altercation over a cell phone that resulted in a call to law enforcement. Mr. McGregor appreciates the response of law enforcement and pledges his full cooperation."

Conor McGregor has been arrested again ... this time for allegedly smashing the phone of a fan outside the Fontainebleau hotel in Miami Beach.

According to the police report, obtained by TMZ Sports, at around 5 AM Monday, the owner of the phone was walking out of the hotel at the same time as Conor and as the fan attempted to take a photo, Conor slapped the victim's phone out of his hand, causing it to fall to the ground. McGregor then allegedly stomped on the phone several times, damaging it.

According to cops, McGregor then picked up the phone and walked away with it.

It appears the incident was captured on surveillance video.

He's been booked for robbery/strong-arm and criminal mischief over $1,000. He is currently being held on $12,500 bail.

It's unclear why Conor was outside the hotel at 5 AM, but it seems he and the fan were leaving LIV nightclub, which is inside the hotel. LIV closes at 5 AM.

It appears Conor went back to the Miami home where he was staying. The alleged victim subsequently filed a police report. Cops went to Conor's home and arrested him just before 6 PM ET.

He's been in South Florida over the last few days with his girlfriend, Dee Devlin, and their son, Conor Jr., along with other family members. Conor and his family were in Miami to celebrate his mother's birthday. He had rented out the Versace Mansion for the blowout.

The timing of the new arrest is interesting ... TMZ Sports broke the story Conor just completed his sentence in the dolly attack case. He completed 5 days of community service at churches in Brooklyn as well as completing an anger management class.

If Conor is convicted in the phone smashing case, the Florida can take Conor's previous transgressions into consideration during sentencing.

Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus are reunited ... and it looks so good!

The former couple was back together Monday night, taking a stroll through L.A. ... and they sure seemed to be happy to be in each other's company. Nothing beats an evening walk with your former bae ... who's sure looking like she's back to full-blown bae status.

Ben and Lindsay started hanging out again last month ... after splitting up last summer. They're already back to doing public events together too. The couple was super tight in NYC last week as they flew back to the west coast after one of his premieres.

Not much PDA during their L.A. walk, but we're still ready to call this romance rekindled.

After all, they've got some history, and now that Ben's clean ... why not go full steam ahead? We're guessing, anyway.

Not everyone's looking to be single for the summer.

Bam Margera is finally getting the help his family and friends firmly believe he needs -- days after that on-camera rant at his manager -- but he didn't go easily ... TMZ has learned.

A family source says the former "Jackass" star was admitted into a behavioral facility. We're told Bam was resistant, and family members had to have him committed. The plan now is for him to consult with multiple specialists to come up with a recovery plan.

As you know, Bam's been in and out of rehab in the past for alcohol abuse.

We're told friends and family think his drinking had gotten out of hand again, but they also believe he's suffering from a personality disorder.

TMZ broke the story ... Bam threatened to smash his manager's face after showing up to an empty NYC comedy club where he was slated to perform. In the video, Bam called his manager a "f***ing p***y" and threatened him.

Bam, who witnesses say appeared intoxicated, had canceled his 7 PM show after getting into an argument with his wife, Nikki.

Michael Blackson says Conor McGregor is a menace to America and should be kicked out of the country already -- telling TMZ Sports, "If it was me, I'd be deported by now."

"Somebody should call Donald Trump and get I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and get him deported. He needs to be deported."

Blackson is originally from Ghana, but the comedian/actor moved to the U.S. in 1987 and he's been here ever since.

Of course, Blackson is all fired up about McGregor's latest arrest for allegedly stealing and smashing a cell phone in Miami. It's the 2nd time Conor's been arrested in the U.S. following the dolly incident in 2018, when he threw a steel hand truck at a UFC bus, injuring multiple people.

"He's a very violent man," Blackson tells us ... "If it was me, I'd be deported by now. I.C.E., forget 21 Savage, go get Conor McGregor right now."

"Send him back to his raggedy country right now."

As for McGregor, he was released from police custody late Monday night and strolled into a waiting SUV. He didn't say a word but posted a statement on Instagram Tuesday morning, saying:

Another NY Knicks fan claims James Dolan banned him FOR LIFE from Knicks games for telling the owner to "sell the team" in 2018 ... and TMZ Sports has the stay away document to prove it!!!

The guy we spoke with is still so afraid of retaliation from Dolan and the Knicks, he asked us to keep his identity a secret ... but provided us with the letter he got from MSG informing he was never allowed back in The Garden.

This incident took place in 2018 ... the fan we spoke with describes the incident as nearly IDENTICAL to the one captured on video on Saturday.

Basically, the fan says he yelled at Dolan to sell the Knicks -- and that's when he was approached by 2 cops and 5 security guards who escorted him to the bowels of MSG where he got his lifetime ban.

In fact, the fan says Dolan personally grabbed security personnel to make sure his order was carried out.

"Dolan himself made sure, came down and shouted 'FOR LIFE' and kept walking," the fan tells us, "It was surreal to say the least."

The fan says he was fully cooperative with law enforcement -- and insists some of the guards sympathized with him -- but he still got the ban.

A short time later, the fan says he received a letter from the Senior VP of legal and business affairs at MSG spelling out his punishment -- "In light of this incident, you are hereby indefinitely banned from Madison Square Garden."

TMZ Sports posted footage of Dolan issuing the same lifetime ban to a different fan on Saturday. Guessing he'll be getting a similar letter sometime soon.

These guys aren't the only people who got the boot from Dolan -- ex-Knicks star Charles Oakley was famously dragged out of MSG in 2017 after an incident involving Dolan.

After the first incident from over the weekend, a rep for the arena told us, "Our policy is and will continue to be that if you are disrespectful to anyone in our venues, we will ask you not to return."

Jussie Smollett's case could cost him way more than just his gig on "Empire" ... many on the show fear his situation could bring the whole show down in the process.

Production sources tell TMZ ... anxiety is high among the "Empire" cast and crew, because Fox has yet to renew the show for a sixth season. We're told people who've been working on the show for years are griping they should've heard the news one way or another by now, and expected to get word on the fate of the show around 2 weeks ago.

For the record ... Fox has typically renewed the show in January ... 5 months ahead of the season finale. The exception ... this past season. Fox waited until a few weeks before the season 4 finale was set to air ... in May.

We're told folks involved in the production feel like Jussie and his case will be a big factor in how things shake out.

As for how Jussie's character is being handled on the show now ... Lee Daniels and co. have already announced Jamal is being removed from the final two episodes of season 5, which is set to return from a hiatus on Wednesday night.

Our sources say Jussie's character will be "out of the country."

Here's the kicker ... our production sources tell us even if Fox does renew the show, higher-ups have expressed serious reservations about Jussie returning ... as have many folks on the cast and crew ... even some who have publicly supported him.

3/11 -- J. Prince just weighed in on the situation ... and the Rap-A-Lot Records CEO is standing up for YBN, who is signed to his record label.

J Prince says ... "mob ties call to my real street n****s around the world, but especially on the East Coast in the Bronx. There's a clown by the name of Zae and his crew who want to become famous by bragging about robbing rap industry n****s. They recently bragged about robbing the artist YBN Almighty Jay, who I'm invested in. They've robbed him of his money and jewelry, including a Rap-A-Lot piece. So therefore they have robbed a piece of me."

"This is a perfect opportunity to execute our unity where we don't allow moment thinkers to muddy the water over the movement. With that being said, to the homies in the Bronx, if any of these clowns are yall's family or friends, speak now so we can get an understanding. To ignore this is a recipe for disaster. Other than that, it's these clowns vs. the realest n****s in every hood around the world and that's the meaning of mob ties."

6:40 PM PT -- Sources close to Lil Tjay tell us ... the rapper had nothing to do with YBN getting jumped later on after the street scuffle. Lil Tjay also shared a message for YBN on Instagram, saying ... "Keep ya head up bro stay strong."

YBN Almighty Jay got his ass handed to him and his chain snatched in an NYC street fight and, unfortunately for him, there's video of the whole beatdown.

The brawl erupted outside a Saks store, of all places ... we're told the 19-year-old rapper was shopping with his pals when another up-and-coming young rapper, named Lil Tjay, walked in with his squad. Witnesses say both sides started squawking, and then it got physical.

The fight spilled out into the street and, at first, it looked like Almighty Jay's side was holding their own. Later, though ... Jay got separated from his homies and you see him getting kicked HARD in the head by at least 2 guys.

We're told the guys who jumped him made off with Jay's wallet, his YBN chain ... and his shoes. Damn. Took the man's shoes.

Police were called, but no one wanted to report a crime.

Street s**t.

If it seems like R. Kelly is on the verge of coming unhinged that's because he is -- and his music might be the only thing standing between him and a full mental breakdown.

Sources close to the embattled singer tell TMZ ... Kelly has been focusing on producing new music. We're told he sees the writing process as a form of therapy, but maybe more importantly for him at this point ... it's a distraction from his mounting legal battles.

As you know ... R. Kelly was released Saturday from Cook County Jail after finally coughing up his unpaid child support. Actually, he didn't even pay ... he says a "benefactor" covered the tab.

He's still facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse in Chicago, new sexual conduct allegations in Detroit and multiple federal investigations -- and we're told it's all wearing on him.

After the CBS interview aired last week -- showing Kelly ranting and crying -- many viewers thought he was faking it, or having a very real breakdown.

We're told people close to Kelly think that's exactly what will happen if he stops working on music.

BTW, the new content isn't for public consumption -- we're told he doesn't have any plans to release the music. Besides, he doesn't have a distributor since his longtime label Sony/RCA recently kicked him to the curb.

Kelly's not even recording in a proper studio -- remember, he got booted out of his infamous Chicago recording studio, so he's doing it from his Trump Tower apartment.

Point is ... the walls are closing, and we're told Kelly's on the edge.

2:15 PM PT -- Wade's attorney says the tweet that has Aaron so pissed off ... did NOT come from Wade. His lawyer tells us the Twitter account was a fake, and adds Wade has been targeted by "several fraudulent postings and hackings" since 'Neverland' aired.

Aaron Carter wants to fist fight Wade Robson for the allegations he's making about Michael Jackson in "Leaving Neverland."

Aaron was on "TMZ Live" Monday to defend MJ's legacy. Aside from the accusations Wade made in the documentary -- which Aaron passionately believes to be false -- he's pissed about a tweet that he says dragged him into the conversation.

It came from an account purportedly belonging to Wade and strongly implies Aaron was either molested by MJ, or knew he was abusing other children.

Aaron says nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to his own personal experience with Michael.

The two of them used to hang out quite a bit back in the day when Aaron was a teen.

Aaron tells us he too has slept in Michael's bedroom, but assures us nothing inappropriate ever happened. He feels the 'Neverland' accusers are lying -- especially Wade -- because they had every opportunity to come forward while Michael was alive, but didn't.

In fact, both Wade and James Safechuck have previously denied Michael Jackson abused them as youngsters. Wade continued to support Michael well into adulthood as well, even testifying on his behalf in MJ's 2005 criminal case.

As Aaron puts it, they're stomping on an icon's grave ... who doesn't have a chance to defend himself now.