Report: TMZ’s Van Lathan reportedly got fired after putting hands on his co-worker

TMZ(LOS ANGELES) — After it was reported that TMZ personality Van Lathan was fired from his job after getting into a heated confrontation with his co-worker, more details have now emerged as to what allegedly happened.

According to Page Six, during Lathan’s on-air dispute with Michael Babcock, which happened on October 8, sources tell the gossip site that Lathan also put his hands around Babcock’s throat. 

In a Twitter feed of four frames, captured by a fan online, Lathan is seen putting his hands on Babcock’s neck from behind while Babcock sits in the TMZ Live host’s chair. In that frame, Lathan is seen seemingly whispering something into Babcock’s ear. In the second frame, Babcock appears shocked and turns to look at Lathan. In a third, Babcock follows Lathan out of the frame, and in a fourth, TMZ staffers are seen turning around in their seats to see what the commotion is about.

A source tells Page Six that Lathan had finished filming his segment but decided to return to confront Babcock.

“He walked all the way across the room, came from behind [Babcock] and grabbed him,” the insider said, noting that the segment was about Ellen DeGeneres hanging out with George W. Bush at a recent football game.

The insider also claims that Lathan wouldn’t have been fired if he hadn’t put hands on Babcock.

As previously reported, Lathan became a standout on TMZ after he famously stood up to Kanye West when he said “slavery was a choice.”

So far, neither Van nor Babcock has officially spoken publicly about the alleged incident.

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