TMZ’s Van Lathan Fired After Dispute With Colleague Michael Babcock: Report

Van Lathan has undoubtedly become one of the most noticeable members of the TMZ case, especially after he confronted Kanye West for the “slavery” comments. Unfortunately, it appears that Van Lathan has been let go from his position at the tabloid publication. According to Page Six, he and his ex-colleague, Michael Babcock, got into a dispute on camera that ended up being edited out. Apparently, their little disagreement happened a week and a half during a “TMZ Live” episode.

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The dispute was reportedly over politics. There isn’t much information on what went on behind the scenes but apparently, Babcock leans to the right politically. The dispute continued even after the cameras were off with Lathan telling Babcock he would be in trouble if he “ever embarrassed [Lathan] again.” Lathan met the site’s attorneys then was reportedly suspended. He was fired a few days later.

“Van’s not mean-spirited. Anything that happened is a product of that environment,” said an insider. The source explained that the newsroom is a high-pressure environment and members of the staff are put against each other for the purpose of entertainment.

After the news broke, Van seemingly addressed it on social media. He tweeted, “I’m okay. Promise you guys. Seriously.” He shared a screenshot of the tweet on Instagram, doubling down on his initial claims in the caption. Hopefully, we get to see Van Lathan doing bigger and better things in the future.

Following his tweet, new reports emerged claiming that Van Lathan got physical with Michael Babcock by allegedly wrapping his hands around Babcock’s throat.