Interview

Michelle Williams is finally setting the record straight on one of Destiny's Child's most infamous interviews ... insisting the group wasn't high -- they were just flat-out exhausted.

Michelle went on the "Baby, This is Keke Palmer" podcast and addressed the viral 2001 interview that's had fans convinced for years they were under the influence.

According to Michelle, there wasn't a single substance involved ... just a brutal case of jet lag.

Michelle explained the group was running on fumes when they sat down for the interview, leaving them tired, loopy, and a little delirious ... but definitely not stoned.

Joshua Bassett says fame came with a dark side he never saw coming ... revealing his substance abuse spiraled so badly at one point, he believes he shouldn't have survived it.

In an appearance on the "More Life with Carl Radke" podcast, the former Disney star gets brutally honest about a chapter of his life that was happening behind the scenes while his career was taking off.

Joshua says things reached a breaking point when he was 23, admitting ... "It should have killed me, the level of substance."

Madonna goes way back with Billy Idol ... she says she's known him since he was swiping her taxi cabs.

The pop star recently told Bilt she and Billy both lived at The Music Building during her early days in New York ... and they had anything but a meet-cute.

Taxis are a hot commodity in the Big Apple, and Madonna recalled a time she had just flagged one down ... when Billy himself swooped in.

Madge recalled ... "He steps in front of me with his punk, like, regalia ... He didn't even say 'sorry' or 'thanks' or nothing." She said the interaction left her wanting payback.

Jesse and Ashley Ridgway say the backlash they've faced since announcing they terminated a pregnancy because their unborn child had Down syndrome has been so intense, they started sleeping next to a firearm.

The influencer couple joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday, with Jesse revealing he keeps a loaded gun on his bedside table and installed a security gate at their home.

The couple's defense measures come as they're being flooded with hateful messages, death threats, and harassment ... following their abortion announcement.

Cara Delevingne is opening up about her shocking drug spiral that led to those infamous post-Burning Man photos -- admitting she had no idea just how serious things had become.

Speaking on "Call Her Daddy," the British model said the shocking 2022 images served as a major wake-up call ... especially because she'd convinced herself she could have one last blowout for her 30th birthday before getting sober.

Cara revealed she was using GHB to knock herself out and cocaine to keep herself awake ... creating a dangerous cycle she couldn't simply walk away from when she decided to quit.

Karamo Brown is opening up about his decision to cut ties with the "Queer Eye" franchise ... saying he often felt like an outsider ... and that was before he got backstabbed!!!

The last straw for Karamo ... castmates trashing him behind his back on a hot mic -- which TMZ first reported.

To this day, Karamo still doesn't say what his fellow cast members said about him on set during the reboot's final season ... he didn't want specifics -- because he knew it was so brutal, it devastated his mother, who overheard the trash talk.

TMZ broke the story ... Karamo walked away after the show's 10th and final season -- skipping the final press tour due to his hurt and bitterness over what he called a toxic workplace.

A$AP Rocky is looking back on the terrifying shooting at his Beverly Hills home while he, Rihanna and their family were inside -- and it's clear the whole thing still hits hard.

In a new interview, the rapper says it's "f***** up" somebody tried to harm him and his family ... explaining the incident took away the peace and happiness of just being free.

The shooting went down back in March, with prosecutors saying several bullets struck the property while Rocky was inside with Rihanna and their kids. The alleged shooter -- Ivanna Lisette Ortiz -- has since been charged with attempted murder and multiple felony gun charges. She insisted in court she "wasn't attempting murder."

Alexa Demie isn't losing any sleep over not having Sydney Sweeney-level fame ... because she says that's never been the goal.

The "Euphoria" star is pushing back on online chatter comparing her career to some of her castmates' skyrocketing success ... making it known she's perfectly happy with her career and notoriety.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Alexa addressed comments about her relatively low profile compared to other stars from the HBO hit.

A Pennsylvania mayor isn't buying the fairy-tale ending for a former police officer who traded his badge for a spot on "Love Island USA" ... arguing the move left taxpayers holding the bag.

Bethlehem Mayor J. William Reynolds joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday and weighed in on ex-officer Sean Reifel's career pivot ... he says police departments across the country are already struggling to recruit and retain officers, even without the lure of a gig in reality TV.

Check out the interview ... Reynolds compares the situation to leaving litter behind for someone else to clean up, arguing cities pay a price when they invest in recruits who leave less than a year later.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard is reacting to Mackenzie Shirilla having hookups and getting hickeys behind bars ... saying kissing women is one way to make the days go by.

Gypsy sat down with TMZ's Charlie Neff on The TMZ Podcast and told us Mackenzie Shirilla having girlfriends in prison is pretty standard, but it's good for one thing only ... passing time.

Check it out ... Gypsy says Mackenzie needs more than a hookup ... telling us it would do a lot of good if an older inmate took Mackenzie under her wing. After all, it worked for Gypsy.

Vanilla Ice says President Donald Trump isn't the only politician who can book him ... he'd perform for Joe Biden, Vladimir Putin or pretty much anybody else willing to dance ... and he's not apologizing for it!!!

The "Ice Ice Baby" rapper joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and told us he isn't sweating the controversy surrounding the upcoming Freedom 250 event in D.C. ... 'cause he's not big on politics and isn't bowing out like many of his peers.

Ice argues music should bring people together -- not divide them -- and he doesn't care who's signing the check or hosting the party. In fact, he tells Harvey he'd happily show up if Biden called asking him to perform at a family wedding.

Gypsy Rose Blanchard says Mackenzie Shirilla has a lot of maturing to do behind bars before she feels remorse for the fatal car crash that killed her boyfriend and a friend ... and when that day comes, it's going to hit her like a freight train.

Gypsy sat down with Charlie Neff on "The TMZ Podcast" and was very outspoken about Mackenzie's situation.

Based on what she's seen in the Netflix doc, "The Crash," Gypsy thinks Mackenzie is NOT remorseful in the slightest ... and it's going to take a lot of reflection, hard work, and growing up.

Dominic Russo's sister Christine is ripping her brother's murderer, Mackenzie Shirilla ... and she's taking issue with the fame, notoriety, and money flowing Mackenzie's way on the heels of a popular Netflix documentary.

Christine joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, and we asked her about "The Crash" ... a Netflix production about Mackenzie's double murder case following the fatal car crash that killed Dominic and his friend, Davion Flanagan.

Dominic's sister says she's "furious" her brother's "cold-blooded evil killer" is getting a bunch of attention and, in some instances, support ... Christine says Mackenzie is a narcissist, and this is exactly what she craves.

Kevin Hart is in Tony Hinchcliffe's corner after the controversial comic was blasted for a George Floyd "joke" many believe to be racist during Kevin's roast ... and he wants people to quit beating him up for Tony's punchline.

As you know ... Hinchcliffe was torn apart by some comics and the family of George Floyd after he made a tasteless joke about Floyd, as well as quips about lynching and the suicide of comedian Sheryl Underwood's late husband.

Kevin disagrees with the haters, telling "The Breakfast Club" ... Tony is not a racist, and he was fine with the Floyd line in the context of a roast.

Byron Allen says late nights on CBS are going to look A LOT different when Stephen Colbert steps aside after Thursday's show ... and he says the key to replacing Colbert will be a comedy show that's light on politics and heavy on timeless, inclusive humor.

The billionaire comedian and media mogul joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us about his vision for filling Colbert's vacated time slot with a couple new shows.

When Colbert goes dark after his final episode, his weeknight hour on CBS will be replaced by "Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen" and another show Byron produces, "Funny You Should Ask."