TMZ.com Home

6:10 PM PT -- We're told one man was arrested inside the house for the crime of selling, possessing or transporting illegal assault weapons. We do not know if he was a squatter or had permission to live in the home. As we reported, the owner hasn't lived there in years and is now in Europe.

4:23 PM PT -- The ATF now says, "Pursuant to an anonymous tip ATF and LAPD became aware of an individual conducting illegal firearms transactions outside the scope of the federal firearm license that the individual possesses." The ATF says they have seized more than 1,000 firearms, adding the public is in no danger.

A massive stockpile of firearms has just been confiscated in a super rich area of Los Angeles ... and the sheer number of guns is jaw-dropping.

The weapons were recovered after a search warrant was served at a home in Bel-Air ... and the huge pile of guns are currently being laid out on the street.

It's all going down right now, near the Playboy Mansion and close to the estate where Michael Jackson died.

Cops got a tip that someone was in the house selling and manufacturing weapons. They are on scene right now.

There are 3 SUV's in the driveway and we know at least 2 are registered to a Cynthia Beck, who also owned the home and may still own it. We do not know if there is any connection between her and the weapons or the search warrant.

A person familiar with the neighborhood tells TMZ, Cynthia hasn't been seen at the house in years, and may be in Europe. The person adds there have been "caretakers" coming and going at the estate. It well could be ... someone knew Cynthia wasn't in the country and squatted in the house.

The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is the lead agency. We're told they were doing surveillance Wednesday morning before making their move and they are still on the scene.

Our LAPD sources tell us as far as they can see they have not had any problems associated with the residence in question.

5/9 8:50 AM PT -- According to the divorce docs, obtained by TMZ, Leah says they separated on April 17, 2019. She's asking the court to award neither her or A.J. spousal support.

A.J. Trauth -- who rose to fame playing Alan Twitty on "Even Stevens" -- is getting divorced from his actress wife after nearly 5 years of marriage.

A.J.'s wife, Leah Marie Trauth, filed divorce docs Wednesday ... but the reason behind the split remains unclear.

The former couple tied the knot back in December 2014 in a ceremony in Santa Barbara. They did not have any kids together.

A.J. and Leah first met when they were teenagers, and their relationship turned romantic in 2011 ... about two and a half years later, A.J. got down on one knee to propose and they got engaged on Christmas Day in 2013.

On "Even Stevens" A.J.'s character was best friends with Louis Stevens, played by Shia LaBeouf. He appeared in 57 episodes across 3 seasons.

Leah is also a Disney alum ... and she was in the 2004 Disney movie "Pixel Perfect." Leah also starred in the slasher film "Sorority Row" as well as the CW's "The Originals."

"Little Women: LA" star Christy Gibel says she needs court-ordered protection against her husband, and she needs it now ... TMZ has learned.

The reality TV star filed court docs Wednesday in L.A. County asking a judge to grant her a temporary restraining order against her hubby of 5 years -- Todd Gibel.

Our Christy sources claim Todd has been making life for her and her 19-year-old daughter from another relationship miserable in a number of threatening ways. For one, Christy says Todd has been impersonating her via email and shutting her out of her social media accounts. She also suspects he's been ripping up her mail.

On a more petty level ... Christy says Todd's been doing stuff like unnecessarily raising the temperature in the house to unbearable levels. For that reason and others ... Christy says she fears for her life and needs a force field between her and Todd.

The married couple has certainly been going through a tough time lately, as Todd has been battling depression. He told us late last month that he'd be seeking treatment to better his condition -- which he explained was severely affecting his marriage to Christy.

At the time, Todd said ... "Right now Christy and I still live together, but we are just co-existing."

There's been more drama at home, it seems, in recent days -- social media posts Todd's been putting up paint a picture of constant arguing over family coming to visit and their dogs.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Todd even called cops late Sunday night ... complaining about Christy's pup not shutting its yap when her niece came to visit. We're told cops instructed them to figure it out amongst themselves.

They tried doing that by boarding all three of their dogs up for a day -- Monday, we're told -- but it appears Todd's now fighting with Christy about that too ... saying she's not releasing his own dog, Elvis, to him and holding it hostage against his will.

Kim Kardashian is making house calls to some of the inmates she's recently helped free -- as one of them in North Carolina just discovered -- and she's pitching in to get their lives back on track.

This is pretty incredible -- Azaria Algarin's twin brother, Paul, got out of Central Prison in North Carolina on April 19 after serving 7 years, but while he was locked up he asked for Kim's address so he could send her a letter because he'd heard of the prison reform work she's been doing.

Azaria says she thought her bro was being ridiculous and it was a pipe dream that Kim would even read his letter, let alone respond. Turns out she did ... with a personal visit to meet him and his family.

Kim and Kanye West flew to Charlotte Tuesday -- the day after attending NYC's Met Gala -- to meet Paul, Azaria and their mom. She also brought a doctor to discuss removing Paul's face tattoos so he can have a fresh start post-incarceration. Kim and Kanye are covering the cost for the procedure.

Azaria's floored by the gesture, saying ... "Never in a million years did I think Kim would write him back (or even read his letter), fly in right after the met gala (not to mention her 4th baby is due at any minute), invest in our family & laugh / relate to us over the smallest things."

Azaria tells TMZ the group had lunch at The Lights Juicery & Cafe, then went to MedSpa nearby for Paul's first lasering session to remove his facial ink.

She says ... "I’m so proud of my brother for taking steps in the right direction," and she's grateful for Kim's involvement in "such a special day that I will forever cherish."

Brooke Shields is suing a beauty company over a product she says is using her famous eyebrows to make huge amounts of money.

The actress and model filed legal docs, obtained by TMZ, claiming Charlotte Tilbury is marketing an eyebrow pencil dubbed "Browlift" in a shade labeled "Brooke S" ... and she claims it's clearly a ploy to cash in on her iconic brows.

In the docs, Brooke claims she never signed off on the use of her name ... and she says the product is misleading consumers into thinking she's endorsing it. Sounds like a solid eyebrow point.

Brooke claims she was out shopping earlier this year when she noticed her name emblazoned on an eyebrow pencil ... and she says it's now being hawked at a ton of retailers, like Neiman Marcus, Sephora, Nordstrom and JCPenney.

Diana Ross' gripe about an alleged overly handsy TSA agent doesn't warrant any action or change -- according to the agency, which closed its investigation into her complaint.

A TSA honcho tells TMZ ... airport security personnel on the ground there at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International conducted an investigation into Ms. Ross' description of what she says went down over the weekend, when she claimed she felt "violated" by a pat-down.

TSA reviewed surveillance footage and interviewed the officers involved with Diana's screening -- which happened after she went through a body scanner machine -- and says everything was kosher.

The TSA official says, "Protocols for resolving alarms during Advanced Imaging Technology screening were correctly followed," adding that TSA procedures are designed to protect all travelers from potential threats to aviation system.

You'll recall ... Diana took to social media to complain about what she felt was an "over the top" search, which left her feeling violated.

Diana says the female TSA agent had told her she was just doing her job, and it looks like her bosses agree with her. The agency had asked Diana to reach out and elaborate on the incident -- but it's unclear if TSA ever spoke to her during the investigation.

5/8 11:47 AM PT -- A judge just granted the restraining order ... Lutfi must stay 200 yards away from the singer and her family and must not make any disparaging statements about Spears.

In court docs -- obtained by TMZ -- Lutfi claims he hasn't made any direct contact with Britney since 2009. However, he says he recently contacted Lynne through phone calls and "non-confrontational" texts. Lutfi also says he offered Lynne financial assistance if she decided she wanted to challenge the conservatorship in court, but insists he wasn't trying to bribe her.

In the docs, Lutfi says Britney disparaged him by making negative comments about him in a recent Instagram video.

Britney Spears' mental health is at risk and it's all because her ex-manager, Sam Lutfi -- with whom she has a dark past -- is harassing her, her parents, and stirring up her fans ... this according to new legal docs.

Britney's requesting protection from Lutfi -- she filed for a restraining order against him Tuesday in L.A. County Superior Court. According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Lutfi's been firing off texts to Britney's mother, Lynne Spears, and posting "disparaging and threatening comments" on social media -- which include calling for the public to "raise hell" to free Britney.

Translation: He's the one instigating followers of the #freebritney movement.

In docs, Brit's lawyers say Lutfi sent Lynne a text last week, calling her out for not getting involved in Britney's conservatorship and decisions about the singer's mental health treatment. In a completely bizarre move, they claim Lutfi offered Lynne $1,000 to "disrupt and take over" the conservatorship. Lynne refused the money.

Lutfi has also threatened to release "trunks" of old personal items of Brit's from when he was her manager in the early 2000s ... according to the docs. The Spears family has long blamed Lutfi for taking Brit down the bad path that ended with her 2008 mental breakdown.

Brit's lawyers say Lutfi's recent activity has a negative effect on her. As they put it, his "vigilante action, bribes and release of private information" is a clear attempt to derail the actions of the conservatorship.

They say the restraining order is needed to "prevent future harm and further psychological trauma."

If granted, Lutfi would have to stay 200 yards away from Britney, Lynne and Jamie Spears ... as well Brit's kids, her boyfriend and her sister. Also, he would be banned from all contact -- by phone, text or email -- with them.

12:21 PM PT -- The network from his 2-season show tells TMZ, "The DIY Network family is sorry to hear about the passing of Troy Dean Shafer, a dedicated, driven entrepreneur and restoration expert who was admired by everyone who worked on the series."

They conclude, "We continue to extend our deepest condolences to Troy's family and friends during this difficult time."

"Nashville Flipped" star Troy Shafer died unexpectedly at the age of 38 ... according to his brother.

Troy's brother, Tim, tells us the TV star died in his sleep on April 28. We're told the entire family is in shock because Troy didn't have any known medical conditions.

The coroner's office in Erie, PA confirms an autopsy was not performed on Troy's body, but a toxicology report will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Troy was laid to rest last week, at a very small private burial for his family.

Troy rose to fame by saving, restoring and flipping dozens of historic homes in Nashville ... with a film crew from the DIY Network following him around. Troy and his team specialized in customizing historic properties to fit the design of a certain era.

Before he was a reality TV star, Troy moved to Nashville with dreams of pursuing a career in music ... but he eventually realized his construction background and talent for restoring historic homes was his big ticket, so he started his home renovation business, Nashville Flipped.

He grew up in Erie, Penn., and graduated from Penn State University.

Troy was 38.

RIP

R. Kelly avoided another trip to the slammer ... by ponying up ALL of the back child support he owed to his ex-wife, Drea Kelly.

The disgraced singer appeared in court Wednesday in Cook County and forked over $62k. He currently is supposed to pay just over $20k per month to Drea. Wednesday's payment covers March, April and May.

Kelly's Crisis Manager, Darrell Johnson, tells TMZ that after paying the principal balance of the child support, his client has also put June, July, and August payments in an escrow account, and he "now looks forward to clearing his name in and being cleared of all charges in the near future."

However, during Wednesday's child support hearing ... Kelly was informed he still owes Drea $32k in interest on child support.

Additionally, Drea is now requesting he cover educational expenses for their 21-year-old daughter, Joann ... who goes by Buku Abi. Kelly's attorney asked the court for proof that she's enrolled.

As we reported ... Kelly was sprung from jail back in March after a benefactor covered his $161,633 tab for back child support. After he was released, Kelly went back to court to ask the judge to lower the $20k amount, claiming he could no longer afford it.

That hearing was scheduled for Wednesday but in the meantime ... he's still on the hook for $20k+ per month.

Problem was ... Kelly fell behind AGAIN on child support payments.

As we first reported ... Kelly stopped writing checks after claiming his ex trashed him to their kids ... the move that ultimately landed him in Cook County jail.

Kelly later booked a 1-hour nightclub gig in Illinois last month that earned him $22k -- which Drea was totally cool with for obvious reasons -- but as it turned out, he never forked over the dough to get square with her.

LaVar Ball is NOT folding the Big Baller Brand -- in fact, it's the opposite -- he's expanding BBB with plans to make it bigger than ever, TMZ Sports has learned.

LaVar has had some big problems with BBB recently -- claiming cofounder Alan Foster stole a FORTUNE from the company and his son, Lonzo Ball.

Lonzo was so pissed he sued Foster for more than $2 mil and later covered up the BBB tattoo on his arm ... which many people considered a death blow to the brand. In the wake of the chaos, the BBB website was also taken down.

But now, we've learned LaVar is in the process of building a new BBB team with plans to get back into the sportswear game and expand into other markets as well. He's already made some key hires.

Our sources tell us LaVar and his team are currently working on a battle plan and hope to get everything up and running again very soon.

LaVar launched Big Baller Brand back in 2017 -- selling ZO2 sneakers for a whopping $495 per pair. A bunch of influential celebs snatched up the shoes including Jay-Z who bought 3 pair.

1:17 PM PT -- WE tv finally got back to us, and it sounds like the network is trying to distance itself from the "Marriage Boot Camp" folks who reached out to Jenelle's peeps, because a spokesperson just said, "WE tv has no plans to cast Jenelle Evans on Marriage Boot Camp."

Jenelle Evans isn't missing a beat after getting booted from "Teen Mom 2" ... because we've learned she's already been approached by "Marriage Boot Camp," and our sources say she and her husband, David Eason, will be doing the show.

Our sources say the folks at "Marriage Boot Camp" have been trying to get Jenelle and David on the show for 2 years, but MTV -- which produces "Teen Mom 2" -- has always said no. We're told one MTV exec even warned her not to do 'Boot Camp' because it would ruin her image.

But, now the decks are cleared, and we're told Jenelle and David are both game.

And, that's not the end of it ... we're told Jenelle is going to New York City next week to meet with producers of other shows. It's uncertain if networks are interested in a package deal -- Jenelle and David -- or just Jenelle alone, but it's a safe bet everyone wants both.

And, we have more info on why Jenelle got fired from "Teen Mom 2." As we reported, David killing the family dog was the last straw, but now we know what a problem it created for MTV. We're told Briana DeJesus, who also appears on "Teen Mom 2" was shooting in Florida and 2 restaurants refused to allow the show to film because the restaurant owners were so upset over the dog killing.

We're also told there were similar problems in other states as well.

Short story ... Jenelle has lost 6 figures after getting fired from MTV, but she's still marketable.

We've reached out to "Marriage Boot Camp," so far, no word back.

Former "Big Brother" star Christmas Abbott struck a pretty sweet deal in her criminal mischief case -- she has a hefty bill to pay ... but won't spend any time behind bars.

Abbott -- who finished third on season 19 of 'BB' back in 2017 -- has been sentenced to 12 months probation and 25 hours of community service for a violent altercation with her baby daddy's girlfriend last year.

As we reported ... Christmas was arrested in November for the August 2018 incident, in which she drove to a Tampa gym to confront the woman and ended up flying off the handle and ramming into her car in the parking lot.

The only reason Abbott wasn't hauled in on the spot ... she was 8 months pregnant at the time. She turned herself after she gave birth to a son in October.

Ezekiel Elliott is covering funeral expenses for an 8th grade football star who was shot and killed by a stray bullet last weekend while leaving a party in St. Louis, sources confirm to TMZ Sports.

14-year-old Jaylon McKenzie was at a house party following a school dance late Saturday night when a fight broke out involving other people.

As McKenzie and others walked outside to leave the home, he was struck by a stray bullet and died at a nearby hospital a short time later, according to the Illinois State Police.

McKenzie was a rising star on the field, dominating as a running back, WR and defensive back. He reportedly had scholarship offers from the University of Missouri and University of Illinois.

He was also spotlighted by Sports Illustrated when he was 13 as a teen athlete to watch.

So, when Ezekiel Elliott -- who grew up in St. Louis -- heard about his passing, we're told the NFL star felt compelled to help McKenzie's family by paying for the funeral costs.

McKenzie's mother, Sukeena Gunner, spoke with the Belleville News-Democrat about Zeke helping out.

"For him to reach out to me was unbelievable," Gunner said ... "Jaylon loved Ezekiel Elliott. He talked about him all the time."

"Just for him to reach out to me and help me in this difficult time leaves me speechless."

R. Kelly just got a small victory in the sexual abuse lawsuit, which he'd lost by not responding -- 'cause the judge is giving him a do-over in court ... TMZ has learned.

As we first told you ... R. Kelly's new attorneys filed a motion in Cook County asking a judge to throw out the default judgment entered against the singer back in April when he didn't show up to fight the claims he'd allegedly sexually abused Heather Williams at age 16.

R. Kelly's lawyers argued he was confused and overwhelmed when he got served the court papers in jail. More importantly, they said he's illiterate, and didn't know what he was reading.

Looks like the judge bought that, and vacated the default judgment... which now means he can fight the lawsuit on its merits. Kelly's attorneys, Zaid Abdallah and Raed Shalabi tell us ... "We’ve never been part of a criminal case where an alleged victim has filed a civil case during a criminal proceeding."

9:05 AM PT -- If you're the betting type, and the type who loves a long shot ... you might have just cashed in big time. Ladbrokes, an online betting site, had Archie odds set at 100/1. Congrats if you just came up.

And the Palace wants to make it clear ... his name is Archie, NOT Archibald.

BTW ... the middle name of Harrison is quite fitting. The root of the name is Henry's son, and Henry is Harry's actual birth name. So, there ya go.

8:42 AM PT -- Welp, it's official. Baby Sussex is now Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.

What a mouthful.

All of Queen Elizabeth's descendants take the family name Mountbatten-Windsor -- which is a combination of the Queen's official last name, and Prince Phillips' surname.

The long wait to see the royal baby is over ... but the wait to learn his name continues.

Meghan Markle and Prince Harry made an appearance outside of Windsor Palace with their newborn son and the royal couple was all smiles as they introduced their baby to the world.

When asked how the baby has been, Meghan told reporters, "He has the sweetest temperament. He's really calm."

"I wonder who he gets that from," Prince Harry responded with a smile as he cradled "Baby Sussex" in his arms. Meghan called them her "two best guys in the world."

The couple plans to bring the baby to meet the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh this afternoon.

In the days leading up to the big reveal, oddsmakers in the UK were taking bets on what names the couple might choose ... with Spencer a strong favorite. Spencer was the maiden name of Princess Diana, Harry's mother.

Other names heavily favored included the more traditional Alexander, James, Arthur and Philip.

Oddsmakers were uncertain if the couple would go with a traditional name ... or buck tradition and go their own way as they have in other ways. For now ... everyone waits. As we reported ... Meghan gave birth at 5:26 AM Monday, London time to a healthy baby boy weighing in at 7 lbs. 3 oz.

Harry announced the happy news, telling the media he was thrilled and in awe over what women go through during childbirth. He said they were still thinking about the name even though they had some extra time, and also ... he couldn't stop smiling.

Kensington Palace revealed in October 2018 that Harry and Megs were expecting ... just about 5 months after their star-studded wedding ceremony.

The couple's kiddo is 7th in line to the throne, right behind his father.

Kim Kardashian is more popular in prisons than ever -- and that's saying a lot -- because scores of inmates are reaching out now that word is out she can offer non-violent offenders a path to freedom.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Kim and her team of high-powered attorneys are now inundated with letters, calls, emails and social media messages from people who are incarcerated, or the relatives of prisoners. We're told they're all seeking help to get released.

It's no secret why. TMZ broke the story ... Kim successfully helped release 17 inmates in the last few months by funding the 90 days of Freedom campaign -- which is spearheaded by lawyers Brittany K. Barnett and MiAngel Cody of the Decarceration Collective.

The people they've been helping are inmates who were serving unduly long prison sentences -- many of them life -- for low-level drug offenses.

Barnett and Cody are utilizing the newly signed First Step Act as grounds for the releases.

We're told Kim receives hundreds of letters each week -- not to mention the flood of letters and calls made to the attorney's offices as well -- and those numbers don't even come close to the social media tags Kim gets.

To be clear, this is not a rubber stamp process. On the contrary, our sources say Kim is setting aside time each night to sift through many of the inmates' stories -- and Brittany and MiAngel are doing the same. If Kim sees a case she feels strongly about, she brings to the team for further research.

When Kim started her mission, inmates referred to her as "The Princess of Prison Reform" ... we're told that nickname has stuck too.

TBH, since our post about Kim and the 90 Days of Freedom ... our own office phones have been blowing up with people trying to get in touch with her for prison help.