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''TMZ'' is an American
entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...
-focused tabloid news organization owned by
Fox Corporation Fox Corporation (commonly referred to as Fox Corp or simply Fox) is an American multinational mass media company headquartered at 1211 Avenue of the Americas, 1211 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan, with offices also in Burbank, Cali ...
. It made its debut on November 8, 2005, as a collaboration between AOL and
Telepictures Telepictures (also known as Telepictures Productions; formerly known as Telepictures Distribution and Telepictures Corporation) is an American television show and filmmaking company, currently operating as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainmen ...
, a division of
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
, until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. On September 13, 2021, Fox Corporation acquired TMZ from WarnerMedia for $50 million. The name ''TMZ'' is derived from the initialism for '' thirty-mile zone'' that was historically used in the film and television industry to refer to the so-called "studio zone"—an area with a radius centered on the intersection of
Beverly Boulevard Beverly Boulevard is one of the main east–west thoroughfares in Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California. It begins off Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills, California, Beverly Hills and ends on the Lucas Avenue overpass near downtow ...
and La Cienega Boulevard in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, California. It was called the studio zone because of the number of film and television studios within it. TMZ's
managing editor A managing editor (ME) is a senior member of a publication's management team. Typically, the managing editor reports directly to the editor-in-chief and oversees all aspects of the publication. United States In the United States, a managing edi ...
is Harvey Levin, a lawyer-turned-journalist who was previously a legal expert for the Los Angeles television station
KCBS-TV KCBS-TV (channel 2), branded CBS Los Angeles, is a television station in Los Angeles, California, United States, serving as the West Coast of the United States, West Coast flagship station of the CBS network. It is owned and operated by the n ...
.


Development

Three months before TMZ's official launch, America Online (AOL) had indicated its intention to create a Hollywood and entertainment-focused news site in collaboration with Telepictures Productions. During this pre-launch period, AOL expressed interest in establishing a website with a primary emphasis on celebrities. Upon the site's official launch, AOL confirmed that it would predominantly showcase Hollywood gossip, encompassing interviews, photos, and video content featuring celebrities. Additionally, the platform would provide information related to industry news, covering movies, television shows, and more. The site was described as "an effort to further feed the current American obsession with celebrities". Mike Shields of MediaWeek.com wrote, "the site also boasts of an expansive collection of archived star photos and videos", allowing fans to "trace changing hairlines and waistlines of their favorites performers over the years".


Company synopsis

Since 2005, TMZ has signed
New Line Cinema New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
,
Hilton Hotels Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton Worldwide. The original company was founded by Conrad Hi ...
,
Chrysler FCA US, LLC, Trade name, doing business as Stellantis North America and known historically as Chrysler ( ), is one of the "Big Three (automobile manufacturers), Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn H ...
and Revlon as charter advertisers to their website. ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' cited TMZ as "one of the most successful online ventures of the last few years." In October 2008, the ''New York Times'' reported that TMZ, at the time, was receiving more than 10 million viewers every month. Levin has acknowledged that TMZ has passed on multiple notable coverages because he felt that, while the stories are true, he questioned how the sources obtained their information. Levin has acknowledged that TMZ pays sources, but in the form of a "tip fee". Levin stated that TMZ pays for photos and for 'tips' or leads on stories, and defended TMZ's position by stating that the sources and tips are verified before being used or reported. In November 2009, TMZ's revenue was publicly disclosed for the first time. Telepictures (which TMZ is operated by) stated: "Subject to certain performance adjustments and the reimbursement of expenses, revenues are split evenly between the parties ..Telepictures received payments of 6.2 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2009, and 12.7 million, 9.6 million and 3.0 million in 2008, 2007 and 2006, respectively." Based on released figures, TMZ's revenues for 2008 was 25.4 million and is projected to have less revenue in the 2009 year with the revenue of $12.4 million in first three quarters of the year—unlike the previous year, which was within the 15 million range. On May 29, 2012, co-founder Jim Paratore died of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...
during a cycling trip in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. Paratore was known for his work in television production, producing several daytime and syndicated programs, particularly while serving as an executive at
Telepictures Telepictures (also known as Telepictures Productions; formerly known as Telepictures Distribution and Telepictures Corporation) is an American television show and filmmaking company, currently operating as a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Entertainmen ...
(which co-produced the website's companion syndicated television series).


Legal issues


Contempt-of-court motion

On June 20, 2007, a court-appointed bankruptcy trustee filed an emergency motion requesting that the TMZ website be held in
contempt In colloquial usage, contempt usually refers to either the act of despising, or having a general lack of respect for something. This set of emotions generally produces maladaptive behaviour. Other authors define contempt as a negative emotio ...
for its publication of the entire manuscript of '' If I Did It'', O. J. Simpson's purportedly fictionalized account of the murder of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson. The filing claimed TMZ's posting of the
PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...
of the entire book has "diminished or destroyed" its value.


Photographer altercation

While actor
Woody Harrelson Woodrow Tracy Harrelson (born July 23, 1961) is an American actor. He first became known for his role as bartender Woody Boyd on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1985–1993), for which he won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...
was at New York City's
LaGuardia Airport LaGuardia Airport ( ) – colloquially known as LaGuardia or simply LGA – is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City, situated on the North Shore (Long Island), northwestern shore of Long Island, bord ...
, he had an altercation with a photographer for TMZ. Harrelson defended himself stating that he had at the time just finished filming his scenes from the horror film, that consists mainly of zombies, '' Zombieland'', and that he was "startled" by the TMZ photographer. "I wrapped a movie called Zombieland, in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in character ... With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie."


Temporary block in the UK

On December 24, 2010, the gossip blog "
Oh No They Didn't Oh No They Didn't, also known as ONTD, is the largest community on LiveJournal with over 100,000 members. The community focuses on celebrity gossip and popular culture, pop culture with most of its posts aggregated from other gossip blogs. The sit ...
" reported that TMZ began blocking traffic from the UK, displaying the message: "Due to laws within your region, you are unable to view this website." Asked for further comment, TMZ responded that the blocking was due to "legal restrictions" related to English defamation law. The UK website " Popbitch Board" noted on December 31, 2010, that it is possible to get around the block by accessing the website through the Google Translate website. As of January 7, 2011, TMZ is accessible in the UK.


Branches


''TMZ Live''

''TMZ Live'' is a live-chat program from TMZ that features Levin and fellow TMZ
executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the production of media. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights or royalties). In film ...
Charles Latibeaudiere, and occasionally senior producer Michael Babcock filling in for one or both hosts. Other TMZ staffers (mainly those who regularly appear on ''TMZ on TV'') also appear on the broadcast as contributors to provide additional outline of the story as well as to provide opinion. The live webcast takes place at the TMZ offices in Los Angeles,Harvey Levin confirmed, during a TMZ live chat, that the live chat takes place in TMZ's office. and is broadcast on TMZ.com Monday through Fridays from approximately 1:30 to 3:00 p.m.
Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behi ...
(the length varies depending on the featured segments). The ''TMZ Live'' television and Internet programs review stories that TMZ is covering on the website, and at times, features live interviews (most of which are conducted through
webcam A webcam is a video camera which is designed to record or stream to a computer or computer network. They are primarily used in Videotelephony, video telephony, live streaming and social media, and Closed-circuit television, security. Webcams can b ...
conferencing) as well as viewer opinions via
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
, telephone and video chat (including
Skype Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, ...
). In addition, the program features regular segments towards the end of each edition: "Viewer's Choice" (aired as the penultimate segment) featuring viewer questions or comments about stories featured in the broadcast, with additional commentary or analysis by the hosts. "Hate Mail," featured on the Wednesday edition of the webcast (the Thursday edition on the television broadcast), in which negative emails and letters sent by viewers (some of which feature potshots at Levin or Latibeaudiere) are read by the hosts. "Tim's Rejects," featured on the Thursday edition of the webcast (the Friday edition on the television broadcast), in which staffer Tim Nowak presents three offbeat news stories (that are not entertainment or sports-related) which are critiqued by the hosts. "The Loser's Circle," featured on the Friday edition of the webcast (the Monday edition on the television broadcast) since February 2015, in which Levin, Latibeaudiere and ''TMZ on TV'' executive producer Evan Rosenblum judge a clip from a TMZ videographer that was originally rejected from being posted on TMZ.com by Levin or broadcast on ''TMZ on TV'' by post-production supervisor Chad Weiser following its initial pitch. "Tim's Rejects" and "Hate Mail" were previously aired as the last segment of their respective editions until April 2015, when they were shifted to the block preceding that occupied by the "Viewer's Choice" segment (at which point, all three segments as well as "The Loser's Circle" began to be followed by a story segment). In March 2012,
Fox Television Stations Fox Television Stations, LLC (stylized as FOX TV STATIONS; also known as FTS) is a group of television stations in the United States owned-and-operated by Fox Corporation. It owns LiveNOW from Fox, Fox Local, and Fox Soul. It also oversees ...
tested a syndicated broadcast of ''TMZ Live'' (which is an hour-long edited version of the live webcast that is broadcast on a one-day delay from its original tape date, with segments aired in a different order, mainly due to live interviews that require the segment to be shown out of order on the webcast for varied reasons) on its television stations in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
and Phoenix. In June 2012,
SiriusXM Sirius XM Holdings Inc. is an American broadcasting corporation headquartered in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, that provides satellite radio and online radio services operating in the United States. The company was formed by the 2008 merge ...
Radio announced that the show would be aired daily on its Sirius XM Stars channel. In October of that year, the television show was expanded to seven markets, adding
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...
,
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
and
Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...
. On September 9, 2013, ''TMZ Live'' began airing on all 18 Fox
owned-and-operated station In the broadcasting industry, an owned-and-operated station (frequently abbreviated as an O&O) usually refers to a television or radio station owned by the network with which it is associated. This distinguishes such a station from an network af ...
s. The program began to be syndicated to stations outside of the Fox Television Stations group in the spring of 2014.


''TMZ on TV''

On September 10, 2007, TMZ launched an accompanying television series, ''
TMZ on TV ''TMZ on TV'' (also known as ''TMZ on Fox'' and simply as ''TMZ'' or ''TMZTV'') is an American Broadcast syndication, syndicated Entertainment journalism, entertainment and gossip news television show that premiered on September 10, 2007 (its maj ...
''. The syndicated television program airs Monday through Fridays. In the United States, the show airs in various timeslots on stations of varying network affiliation (primarily on Fox stations), mainly either in early primetime or after late local newscasts, with an hour-long 'best-of' program compiling select stories from the weekday broadcasts airing on weekends. The show covers stories similar to those found on the website and ''TMZ Live'', with the main difference being that ''TMZ on TV'' largely delivers its stories in a humorous manner whereas a mix of humorous and serious news stories appear on the website and companion web/television series. TMZ offers viewers the option of being able to view the two most recent episodes of the program on TMZ.com after the episode's original airdate (being available for viewing for two days after the broadcast on weekdays and three days after the original broadcast on weekends). Chris Persell, of TVWeek.com, stated that the show is a "complement othe website, with news updates added to later airings of the show". Levin and Jim Paratore served as executive producers to the show, and the on-air cast originally included Teresa Strasser, John Fugelsang, Ben Mankiewicz and Michael Hundgen. David Bianculli of ''
The New York Daily News The ''Daily News'' is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, New Jersey. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson in New York City as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in tabloid format, and rea ...
'' strongly criticized the television show, its topics, and what he sees as its reporters' tactics and lack of professionalism.


''Dax Chat''

''Dax Chat'' is a live chat program on
Ustream IBM Watson Media (formerly Ustream and IBM Cloud Video) is an American virtual events platform company which is a division of IBM. Prior to the IBM acquisition, it had more than 180 employees across San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Budapest office ...
hosted by TMZ clip clearance producer Dax Holt. In the broadcasts, Holt talks to "Chizzlers" about celebrity gossip and articles that have been posted on the TMZ website.


''TMZ Sports''

As early as 2009, Levin was rumored to be interested in creating a TMZ branded sports site. The site was initially expected to launch in March 2010 but those plans did not see fruition. It eventually launched as a branded section on the main TMZ website in June 2013. Premiere Networks launched a daily ''TMZ Sports'' radio show in October 2013. A television show began testmarketing on select regional Fox stations in January 2014. It then aired during the 2014/2015 seasons on Reelz under name ''TMZ Hollywood Sports''. On November 9, 2015, the series reverted to being known as ''TMZ Sports'' and moved to
Fox Sports 1 Fox Sports 1 (branded on-air as FS1) is an American pay television television channel, channel owned by the Fox Sports (United States), Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 airs an array of live sporting events, including Majo ...
. ''TMZ Sports'' is co-hosted by TMZ Sports Executive Producer Michael Babcock, WNBA player Renee Montgomery, and former WWE Superstar and NFL player, Mojo Muhtadi.


''TMZ France''

TMZ France was created on December 18, 2012.


Criticism

Since the launch of TMZ, the website has faced criticism, varying from attempted boycotts to criticism of its journalistic tactics and of its focus. It has been criticized for its usage of photographs and videos obtained from
paparazzi Paparazzi (singular form paparazzo) are independent photographers who take pictures of high-profile people, such as actors, musicians, athletes, politicians, and other celebrities who go about their daily life routines. Paparazzi are known f ...
. Some have questioned the effect that aggressive and obtrusive photographers have on the subjects they cover. Many of the videos on the site show, in the footage, that their paparazzi chase people (mainly celebrities)—a practice that has been called dangerous and "creepy". Over the years, some have called for a boycott of TMZ and of the accompanying show. TMZ has also faced internal criticism due to Harvey Levin's emerging support for
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
in the run-up to the
2016 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 2016. The Republican Party (United States), Republican ticket of businessman Donald Trump and Indiana Governor, Indiana governor Mike P ...
. By 2020, dozens of former TMZ employees had spoken to the media about a racist and
misogynistic Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practis ...
workplace culture which TMZ's internal leadership was unwilling to change.


Reporting of suicide details

After
Linkin Park Linkin Park is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Agoura Hills, California, in 1996. The band's current lineup consists of vocalist/rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Mike Shinoda, lead guitarist Brad Delson, DJ/turntablist Joe Hahn, bass ...
lead vocalist
Chester Bennington Chester Charles Bennington (March 20, 1976 – July 20, 2017) was an American singer who was the lead vocalist of the rock band Linkin Park. He was also the lead vocalist of Grey Daze, Dead by Sunrise, and Stone Temple Pilots at various po ...
died by suicide in July 2017, TMZ reported in December 2017 that Bennington had attempted to drown himself nine months before his death; this information had been redacted from the Los Angeles County Coroner's report following a request from a lawyer representing Bennington's widow, Talinda. Talinda responded with criticism of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office for disclosing the information to TMZ as well as TMZ itself, concluding a
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
tirade with the
hashtag A hashtag is a metadata tag operator that is prefaced by the hash symbol, ''#''. On social media, hashtags are used on microblogging and photo-sharing services–especially Twitter and Tumblr–as a form of user-generated tagging that enable ...
"#FuckyouTMZ". In May 2018, TMZ reported intimate details of the suicide of Swedish DJ
Avicii Tim Bergling (8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii, was a Swedish DJ, remixer, and record producer. At age 16, he began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first record deal. He rose ...
, who had died that April, with the headline "Avicii's suicide caused by self-inflicted cuts from glass". Jennifer Michael Hecht, writing for ''Vox'', criticized TMZ's reporting as being sensationalist and going against the CDC's recommended guidelines for reporting suicides, which include not mentioning the method of suicide. Talinda Bennington also reacted unfavorably, urging people to " otclick on the TMZ article or any other about the private details of Avicii’s passing", adding "This is how ecan stop ilthy TMZ"


Stolen Indiana Jones items

TMZ faced strong criticism for purchasing stolen items pertaining to the fourth Indiana Jones film, ''
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' is a 2008 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp, based on a story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson. It is the fourth installm ...
''. On October 2, 2007, IESB reported that a number of production photos and sensitive documents pertaining to the production budget had been stolen from
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
's production office. ''Movie City News'', which strongly criticized TMZ for purchasing stolen items, remarked that the then-new website "wasn't getting off to a good start". According to IESB, TMZ had obtained some of the stolen property and was planning on running a story about the topic on their TV show, until the lawyers of the film's production company,
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...
, intervened. Shortly after IESB broke the story, TMZ broadcast details about the ''Indiana Jones'' production budget on their show on October 3, 2007.


Story-gathering tactics

Tony Manfred of '' The Cornell Daily Sun'' criticized TMZ in a September 2007 article entitled "I Want My TMZ", describing TMZ as being "a fusion of celebrity news blog and embarrassing video archive" and stating that he felt that the website had become "the poster child for the celebrity pseudo-news industry" and that the website has "distinct advantages" over "
gossip magazine A gossip magazine, also referred to as a tabloid magazine, is a magazine that features scandalous stories about the personal lives of celebrities and other well-known individuals. In North America, this genre of magazine flourished in the 1950s ...
s" because it can "show all the borderline pornographic clips that ''
Entertainment Tonight ''Entertainment Tonight'' (or simply ''ET'') is an American Broadcast syndication, first-run syndicated news broadcasting news magazine, newsmagazine program that is distributed by CBS Media Ventures throughout the United States and owned by Par ...
'' and ''
Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', briefly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...
'' can't." Jennifer Metz and David Muir of
ABC News ABC News most commonly refers to: * ABC News (Australia), a national news service of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation * ABC News (United States), a news-gathering and broadcasting division of the American Broadcasting Company ABC News may a ...
acknowledged that TMZ has long been criticized for their "aggressive tactics, antagonizing stars with video cameras" and noted that those "encounters, capturing at times violent celebrity confrontations with photographers, receive hundreds of hits online, and critics ask if entertainment reporters are crossing the line." Metz and Muir questioned whether TMZ's tactics "go too far". Ken Sunshine,
publicist A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a company, a brand, or public figure – especially a celebrity – or for work or a project such as a book, film, or album. Publicists are public relations specialists wh ...
for
Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
and
Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
, stated that his clients disliked the website because it has a tendency to be negative towards celebrities when reporting on them. "I hate that they have anything to do with trying to put celebrities into the worst light possible and that they play the ' gotcha' game". A student newspaper criticized TMZ for having a personality cult of figures such as
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...
and
Paris Hilton Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American media personality, businesswoman, and socialite. Hilton was born in New York City and raised there partially; shuttling between Los Angeles and New York City; she is a great-grandda ...
—celebrities who are known more as targets for paparazzi than for the work they do. In defense for TMZ's coverage, Levin said that certain celebrities are main subjects on the website because of their "relevancy" and because their relevancy helps draw viewership to the website. Liz Kelly of ''
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' attacked both Levin and TMZ in an article, stating: "I know this is like spitting in the wind, but I have to say it: Harvey Levin, please stop it."


Murder of Andre Lowe

On January 13, 2013, Andre Lowe was killed outside of a nightclub in Hollywood. A nearby reporter from TMZ filmed the attack and it was posted to the website without permission of the family. On January 22, 2013, TMZ took down the video after over two dozen advertisers revoked ads for the website.


Death of Kobe Bryant

At 11:24 a.m. Pacific Time on January 26, 2020, TMZ reported on the death of basketball player
Kobe Bryant Kobe Bean Bryant ( ; August 23, 1978 – January 26, 2020) was an American professional basketball player. A shooting guard, he List of NBA players who have spent their entire career with one franchise, spent his entire 20-year career with t ...
, being the first news outlet to do so. TMZ received strong criticism, notably from Sheriff Alex Villanueva of the
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department (LASD), officially the County of Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, is a law enforcement agency serving Los Angeles County, California. LASD is the largest sheriff's department in the United States a ...
, for reporting on the story before the next of kin had been notified as well as leaking photos of the crash site.


Johnny Depp Vs. Amber Heard

During the defamation trial against actress Amber Heard, TMZ was a point of discussion and raised much criticism. Lawyer Camille Vasquez confronted Ms. Heard, claiming Heard gave a video of Depp being agitated and slamming cupboards to TMZ a day before the temporary restraining order (TRO) was filed. Vasquez also pointed out that TMZ had been alerted of the alleged abuse and the upcoming divorce in 2016, where Ms. Heard in her deposition mentioned that TMZ had been alerted. On May 24, 2022, TMZ, through EHM Productions Inc, filed an Emergency Motion to prevent a former employee from testifying in the Depp-Heard case. The motion was denied.


Death of Liam Payne

On October 16, 2024, after the death of British singer and former
One Direction One Direction, often shortened to 1D, were an English-Irish pop boy band formed in London in 2010. The group consisted of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik (until his departure in 2015), Liam Payne, Harry Styles, and Louis Tomlinson. The group sold o ...
member Liam Payne, TMZ garnered controversy after posting pictures of his identifying tattoos of his dead body as well as the scene of the hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This sparked outrage on social media, including from Canadian singer Alessia Cara and British media personality Rylan Clark. The photos were later taken down after the backlash.


False news


John F. Kennedy

In what
The Smoking Gun The Smoking Gun is a website that posts legal documents, arrest records, and police mugshots on a daily basis. The intent is to bring to the public light information that is somewhat obscure or unreported by more mainstream media sources. Most ...
called "a colossal screw-up", in 2009 TMZ published an "exclusive" picture on their website of a man purported to be John F. Kennedy on a ship with several naked women that could have "changed history" had it come out during his presidential campaign. Despite having a
Photoshop Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor developed and published by Adobe for Windows and macOS. It was created in 1987 by Thomas and John Knoll. It is the most used tool for professional digital art, especially in raster graphics editin ...
expert proclaiming the picture as "authentic", the picture was later discovered to have not been of Kennedy at all. The photo was discovered to have been part of a ''
Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...
'' photoshoot from November 1967, which was later confirmed by ''Playboy'' representatives.


Lil Wayne

On March 15, 2013, members of TMZ's staff claimed that they had learned rapper
Lil Wayne Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper. He is often regarded as one of the most influential hip hop artists of his generation, as well as one of the greatest rappers of all ...
was in an "unstable" condition after he was hospitalized following a seizure and that the then 30-year-old rapper had been placed in an induced coma and was breathing through tubes. Soon afterwards, Birdman stated on his Twitter account that Wayne was healthy enough to be released from the hospital. Approximately one hour after these messages were made, Wayne himself stated on his Twitter account that he was fine.


Jerry Lee Lewis

On October 26, 2022, TMZ incorrectly reported that rock n' roll pioneer and
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
legend
Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
had died; they issued a correction a few hours later. A CBS affiliate in Sacramento also reported the false news. Lewis' death was announced two days later.


Beyoncé at DNC

On August 22, 2024, TMZ incorrectly reported that
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
would make a surprise appearance on the final night of the
2024 Democratic National Convention The 2024 Democratic National Convention was a United States presidential nominating convention, presidential nominating convention in which delegates of the Democratic Party (United States), United States Democratic Party voted on their party ...
. The report was widely shared. Later that night, a representative for Beyoncé said the singer was never scheduled to be at the DNC and that the report was false. After the convention, TMZ acknowledged "we got this one wrong" and was widely mocked on social media.TMZ Roasted for False Beyoncé DNC Report: ‘A Total Failure of American Intelligence’
/ref>


References


Further reading

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External links

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TMZ TV
Official
MySpace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...
page {{Portal bar, California, Journalism, United States American entertainment news websites Telepictures Former AT&T subsidiaries Former WarnerMedia subsidiaries 2021 mergers and acquisitions Fox Corporation subsidiaries Internet properties established in 2005 2005 establishments in California