While the dating rumors surrounding aespa’s Winter and BTS’ Jung Kook continue to heat up, the girl group’s agency, SM Entertainment, is reportedly taking legal action in response to the backlash its singer is receiving.

Speculation about the two K-Pop idols dating started back in 2023 … but have recently gained more traction with fans noticing them sporting similar ‘fits and what appear to be matching tattoos.

Positive reactions to the potential romance have hit social media, but there has also been a ton of backlash from people who disapprove … forcing aespa’s label to step in to protect Winter from posts that they feel have crossed the line.

SM stated, “In particular, we have identified numerous acts damaging Winter’s character and reputation, as well as malicious postings and sexually harassing content made with the intention of publicly slandering the artist … After reviewing these posts, we will be expanding the filing of complaints in stages.”

The label said it is “currently pursuing both criminal complaints and civil claims” against people posting such content.

The two idols have yet to confirm any romance (which is usual in the K-Pop world) … but a lot of folks seem convinced they’re the real deal.

Somebody’s hot for teacher! Khloe Kardashian got flirty in the comment section of a California school teacher’s social media post … and now the educator is shooting his shot with an incredible response.

Jacob Myers of Santa Cruz, California is out to become the next Kardashian companion in a TikTok post … asking Khloe to be his date to his school’s staff holiday party.

This all started when Jacob wrote he was looking for a companion in a post sharing his dating profile. The profile included his attributes — like his master’s degree and cooking skills — as well as what he’s looking for … a “woman who’s gonna ask how my school day was.”

The post went viral when Khloe responded in the comments, “How was your day??” clearly flirting with him.

Jacob says this development is all anyone’s been talking about in his life … “My entire town knows about it. My students keep bugging me about it. My group chat’s just been non-stop. I figured, ‘Why not shoot my shot?'”

And he’s willing to make it work … he says if she can’t come to him, maybe he could come to her as a plus-one for Kris‘ holiday party since he’ll be in L.A. visiting anyway.

Jeff Garcia — the beloved voice actor who appeared on many popular 2000s shows — has died … TMZ has learned.

Multiple family members tell TMZ … the comedian and actor was pronounced dead early Wednesday morning after he was taken off life support Tuesday night at a Southern California hospital while surrounded by family and friends.

We’re told Jeff’s was dealing with multiple medical complications in the months before his death … suffering a brain aneurysm back in the spring during which he fell and hit his head. He recovered from the aneurysm, but our sources say he suffered a stroke several weeks ago.

Our sources say Jeff canceled multiple shows recently because he wasn’t feeling well … which wasn’t like him at all, but he didn’t go to the hospital, believing he’d be fine without treatment.

We broke the story … sources told us Jeff had previously been hospitalized around November 20 with pneumonia. He recovered enough to be discharged, but his health took another turn in recent weeks. On Monday, he went to the hospital with difficulty breathing and on Tuesday, his lung collapsed.

Jeff might not be a household name, but his voice will certainly be familiar to many … with the actor first grabbing notice with his iconic voiceover work in the “Jimmy Neutron” franchise — bringing fan-favorite Sheen Estevez to life in the 2001 film “Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius” and in 59 episodes of “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius.”

Sheen proved so popular, Garcia starred in his own-spinoff show titled “Planet Sheen” … which ran for 26 episodes beginning in 2010.

Among his other credits … the movie “Barnyard” and its accompanying TV series “Back at the Barnyard”; both “Happy Feet” movies; “Marmaduke”; both “Rio” movies; and the live-action sitcom “Mr. Box Office,” just to name a few.

We caught up with Jeff back in 2012 … and he wasn’t afraid to weigh in on Ashton Kutcher‘s shocking Popchips brownface commercial.

Outside the film and TV world, Jeff built a career as a standup comic … performing regularly and even appearing onstage in early November, just weeks before his hospitalization.

Jeff was 50.