Since its launch, the TMZ website has faced criticism, varying from attempted boycotts to criticism of its journalistic tactics and its focus. It has been criticized for using photographs and videos obtained by
paparazzi. Over the years, some have called for a boycott of TMZ and the accompanying show. TMZ has also faced internal criticism due to
Harvey Levin's support for
Donald Trump in the run-up to the
2016 United States presidential election. By 2020, dozens of former TMZ employees had spoken to the media about a racist and
misogynistic workplace culture that TMZ's internal leadership was unwilling to change.
Reporting of suicide details After the July 2017 suicide of
Linkin Park lead vocalist
Chester Bennington, TMZ reported that he had attempted to drown himself nine months earlier. This information had been redacted from the Los Angeles County Coroner's report at the request of a lawyer representing Bennington's widow, Talinda, who responded with criticism of the Los Angeles County Coroner's office for disclosing the information to TMZ, and of TMZ itself. She concluded a
Twitter tirade with the
hashtag "#FuckyouTMZ". In May 2018, TMZ reported intimate details of the April suicide of Swedish DJ
Avicii with the headline "Avicii's suicide caused by self-inflicted cuts from glass".
Jennifer Michael Hecht, writing for
Vox, criticized TMZ's reporting as
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 not to "click on the TMZ article or any other about the private details of Avicii's passing", adding, "This is how [we] can stop [filthy TMZ]."
Stolen Indiana Jones items TMZ faced strong criticism for purchasing stolen items pertaining to
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
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".
Story-gathering tactics Tony Manfred of
The Cornell Daily Sun criticized TMZ in a September 2007 article titled "I Want My TMZ", calling TMZ "a fusion of celebrity news blog and embarrassing video archive" and saying he felt the website had become "the poster child for the celebrity pseudo-news industry" and that the site has "distinct advantages" over "
gossip magazines" because it can "show all the borderline pornographic clips that
Entertainment Tonight and
Access Hollywood can't."
Ken Sunshine,
publicist for
Ben Affleck and
Leonardo DiCaprio, said his clients disliked the website because of its tendency to be
critical of celebrities. "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
personality cults for figures such as
Lindsay Lohan and
Paris Hilton—celebrities better known as targets for paparazzi than for the work they do. Liz Kelly of
Washington Post attacked both Levin and TMZ in an article, writing: "I know this is like spitting in the wind, but I have to say it: Harvey Levin, please stop it." On January 22, TMZ took the video down 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, the first news outlet to do so. TMZ received strong criticism, notably from
Sheriff Alex Villanueva of the
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, for reporting 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. Lawyer
Camille Vasquez, representing Depp, said Heard gave TMZ a video of
Johnny Depp being agitated and slamming cupboards 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. Heard said in her deposition 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 case. The motion was denied and Morgan Tremaine, the former TMZ employee, gave testimony.
Death of Liam Payne On October 16, 2024, after the death of English singer and former
One Direction member
Liam Payne, TMZ drew controversy for posting pictures of the identifying tattoos on 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 English media personality
Rylan Clark. The photos were taken down after the backlash.
Assassination of Charlie Kirk On September 10, 2025, loud cheering and clapping could be heard in the TMZ newsroom during a live report about the
shooting of Charlie Kirk, seconds before Harvey Levin announced that Kirk had died. Clips were widely shared on social media and TMZ was heavily criticized. TMZ later apologized for the "tone deaf laughter" but said the employees were watching a car chase, not reacting to Kirk's death.
False news John F. Kennedy In what
The Smoking Gun 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 expert proclaim the picture "authentic", it was later found not to have been of Kennedy. It was part of a 1967
Playboy photoshoot,
Playboy representatives confirmed.
Lil Wayne On March 15, 2013, members of TMZ's staff claimed that they had learned rapper
Lil Wayne was in "unstable" condition after being 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 afterward,
Birdman wrote on his Twitter account that Wayne was healthy enough to be released from the hospital. A
CBS affiliate in Sacramento also reported the
false news. Lewis died two days later.
Beyoncé at DNC On August 22, 2024, TMZ incorrectly reported that
Beyoncé would appear on the final night of the
2024 Democratic National Convention. The report was widely shared. Later that night, a representative for Beyoncé said she had never been 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. ==References==