According to a report from PageSix.com, Van Lathan lost his job on the set of TMZ after he put his hands around the throat of his co-host, Michael Babcock. This Monday, it was reported by multiple outlets that Lathan had lost his job over at TMZ.
During the shooting segment of TMZ Live, Lathan had told Babcock he would be in serious trouble if he ever tried to “embarrass (him) like that again.” Van Lathan put his hands around Babcock’s neck while he made the comment.
Initially, doubt was cast on the story, however, later, pictures surfaced featuring the incident in question, and it appears as though Van Lathan really did put his hands around his neck. Insiders who spoke with Page Six claimed that Lathan never would’ve been fired had he not touched him.
https://twitter.com/DavidThielen1/status/1181713937928216581?s=20
Last year, Van Lathan challenged Kanye West’s assertion that slavery was merely a “choice.” In four parts of the video, which became available on a Twitter feed, it shows Van Lathan putting his hands around Babcock and resting his arms on his shoulders while speaking into his ear.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BinkhrbnPnF/
In another video, Babcock turns to look at Lathan, and then in another frame, other employees at TMZ offices look to see what all the fuss is about. In terms of how this all went down, reportedly, Lathan was finished shooting and he came up from behind Babcook and grabbed him.
Reportedly, they had been talking about the pictures of Ellen DeGeneres hanging around George W. Bush while at a football game. According to Page Six, Babcock and Van Lathan were speaking with one another, and when Lathan said he was going to start talking, Babcock told him he wouldn’t allow Van Lathan to determine when he was going to speak or not.
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As it was noted above, Van Lathan received considerable attention when he called out Kanye West last year when West was on the show talking about his support for Donald Trump, as well as the need for individuals to have their own critical thinking skills.
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