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Apparently, the whole “self-isolate if you test positive for COVID” thing, doesn’t apply to everyone … at least, that’s what Sarah Palin seems to think.

Palin was spotted with former NY Ranger Ron Duguay and friends Wednesday night at Elio’s in New York. The issue? Palin, who is unvaccinated, tested positive for COVID two days prior ... causing a judge to delay her defamation trial against the New York Times.

Things got so overwrought, according to law enforcement, a heated dispute broke out between a stranger and Duguay.

We're told someone tried to record Sarah and Co., because it became big news she tested positive. Cops were called to the restaurant but no one was arrested.

Someone who worked at the restaurant scoffed at the criticism, telling the New York Post, "S*** happens. People come to eat. We are not the border police."

Palin and Co. did sit outside at Elio’s, but that wasn’t the case over the weekend. She was there a few days earlier and dined inside, which caused an uproar and forced her to return to apologize. When she came back to eat again, Elio’s said, “Palin returned to the restaurant to apologize for the fracas around her previous visit. In accordance with the vaccine mandate and to protect our staff, we seated her outdoors”.

We don't know if Palin got a negative result after her positive tests. Many doctors say the virus stays in the system of unvaccinated people longer than those who are vaccinated.

Cardi B shining light on the death of Lauren Smith-Fields helped spur a criminal investigation in Connecticut ... so says the girl's family, who is applauding the singer.

Smith-Fields' family attorney Darnell Crosland tells TMZ ... Cardi was instrumental in getting Lauren's tragic death to become a criminal case, because police launched their investigation only after Cardi spoke out.

As you know ... 23-year-old Lauren died while on a date, back in December, with a man she met on a dating app. The medical examiner announced Monday Lauren died from an accidental drug overdose, which the family questioned ... and as public pressure continued to mount, police finally said Tuesday they were opening a criminal probe.

The family's attorney says Cardi B's Sunday night tweet calling for "Justice for Lauren" -- and accusing Connecticut of failing her -- brought extra attention and made a big impact ... because there's been a ton of progress ever since.

'Jeopardy!’s AMAZIN' champ, Amy Schneider, has been dethroned after a 40-game winning streak, and she's walking away with a huge chunk of change – over 1 million bucks!

Schneider lost to Chicago librarian Rhone Talsma in the Final Jeopardy! category. Talsma nailed the final "Jeopardy!" clue -- Amy just drew a blank and wrote nothing.

The answer: "The only nation in the world whose name in English ends in an "H." It's also one of the 10 most populous."

30 seconds, folks ...

WHAT IS BANGLADESH.

Here's the thing. Amy was leading 27,600 to 17,600 going into Final Jeopardy!, but the librarian was in striking distance -- something Amy wasn't used to.  Afterward, Amy said of Talsma, "I could tell that he was here to play and that he was going to be good."

Don't feel too bad for Amy ... she walked away with $1,382,800!!!

Amy made more than her mark on the long-running show. She holds the second-longest consecutive winning streak, behind Ken Jennings. She's the winningest female contestant of all time. She has the 4th largest regular-season cash winnings of all time. And, she's now eligible for the Tourney of Champs this fall.

Amy is also the first openly transgender woman to qualify for the Tournament of Champions. She talked on 'GMA' about the positive impact she's had on the show for all to see ... a "smart, confident woman doing something super normal."

Dylan Postl is NOT here for Peter Dinklage's hot take on the "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" remake. Dylan says that the esteemed actor took things waaay too far... and as a result, he's actually hurting the dwarf community.

We caught up with the actor and former WWE wrestler Wednesday, and he doubled down on his stance, saying the fairytale remake actually gives 7 real-life people in the dwarf community a chance to star in a movie. He says getting work is elusive for these actors, so such roles are not only important ... they're life-sustaining.

Dylan says Peter's actually taking roles away from dwarfs and the little people community by being so critical ... the studios might back off such projects.

ICYMI, Disney decided to remake 'Snow White.' The "Game of Thrones" star had a lot to say about it. Peter said, on the one hand, Disney made a progressive move by casting Rachel Zegler, who's Latina, as the lead ... but on the other, Disney was tone-deaf when it came to its depiction of the 7 dwarfs.

Peter described the story as f***ing backwards"... and criticized Disney's portrayals of the dwarfs as primitive creatures who live in a cave. Turns out, they actually live in a cottage in the woods, but regardless ... he was not happy.

That's very different than Dylan's take -- he says there's absolutely no issue with how they're portrayed. He adds the dwarfs worked, had a lot of gems and were very dynamic ... as opposed to all checking one box.

Dylan took a slight jab at Peter, who didn't have much to say when he was cast as a dwarf in "Elf" or 'GOT' ... so Dylan feels it's disingenuous for him to be so vocal now.

Scary moment on the NHL ice on Wednesday ... Nathan MacKinnon -- one of the league's best players -- gushed blood everywhere following a violent hit, and had to leave his game early.

The gnarly scene all went down just minutes into the Avalanche's tilt with the Bruins in Denver ... when MacKinnon was trucked by Boston winger Taylor Hall as he tried to get after a puck.

Video shows Hall's shoulder went right into MacKinnon's face, and, unfortunately for the Avs star, his own stick caught him in the nose during the play as well.

The 26-year-old lay on the ice for several minutes ... bleeding all over the place, before he was eventually helped off by trainers into the locker room.

MacKinnon never returned to the game, and it's unclear the extent of his injuries. The Avs only said that he had an "upper-body" ailment.

Seems pretty clear from the images, though, that the guy might need to get his face fixed soon.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson certainly aren't cooling off, now attending fancy dinner parties at the home of one of the richest men in the world -- Jeff Bezos.

The bicoastal couple was spotted arriving at Bezos' L.A. estate Tuesday night in Kim's car, where we're told they spent several hours with Jeff.

After the event, our sources say Kim and Pete were seen arriving together at Pete's hotel in Beverly Hills.

Of course, it would appear things are getting pretty serious between Kim and Pete ... they're spending more and more time together -- with Pete almost becoming a regular on the West Coast.

A source with direct knowledge tells us he's been working in L.A. recently, and appears to find any excuse to mix work and play in order to spend the most time with Kim as possible.

Unclear exactly what was discussed at dinner, but Bezos isn't the only heavyweight Kim's been with this week ... she was spotted at Hot & Cool Cafe with Chelsea and Hillary Clinton Monday.

Tuesday marked the 2-year anniversary of Shaun Weiss’ sobriety, and he decided to celebrate the occasion with some takeout, but the original plan was meant to be much more symbolic.

Friend and fellow actor Drew Gallagher was supposed to go with Shaun to Brent’s Deli in the Valley. Back in 2017, this was the first place he got a meal once released from jail, so it meant a lot for him to come full circle.

Unfortunately, Shaun has been under the weather lately, but no worries – he chose the takeout option from Brent’s and still got his matzo ball soup!

Shaun struggled with drug addiction for years and at one point was living on the streets. He had multiple run-ins with the law -- arrested for meth and burglary -- but he's since cleaned up his act in a pretty spectacular way.

As we reported in July, Shaun graduated from a drug program and chose to celebrate his graduation at – you guessed it – Brent’s Deli. This place seems to hold a lot of meaning for him.

Brandon Moreno is breaking his silence following his unsuccessful title defense against Deiveson Figueiredo ... saying their next fight -- their 4th -- will settle the rivalry once-and-for-all.

After the fight, 34-year-old Figgy (while being booed relentlessly by the pro-Moreno crowd in L.A.) called for another fight with The Assassin Baby ... but this time, in Mexico.

TMZ Sports talked to Brandon on Wednesday ... and while it's obvious a fight in Mexico would be a dream come true, he says he will take the rematch anywhere.

"I would love to go to Mexico City and fight against him," Moreno tells us. "That would be awesome for me, for the Mexican people, and very brave for Figueiredo. A lot of credit for that. But I understand he has the ball. If he wants to go to Brazil. If he wants to go other places, I don't care, man."

FYI, Brandon was the first-ever Mexican-born UFC champ.

Of course, Moreno and Figueiredo's first fight in December 2020 was a draw. Brandon won the second fight via submission, and the third scrap was Saturday at UFC 270 ... where Figgy won via decision.

Brandon -- who suffered his first loss since 2018 -- says no matter the result, he believes the next bout will likely be the last time the men fight.

"I have 1 fight. He has 1 fight. I just want to see a clear winner in all of this. And if the next one I win or I lost, I think it's the end of the rivalry."

Moreno says it's without a doubt the best fight to make in the 125-pound division.

"It's the only exciting fight right now in the flyweight division. Like 4 or 5 years ago, the flyweight division was dead, and now it's more than alive, man. That fight, I really believe makes sense."

And, it's clear not even 3 fights was enough to squash their beef.

Child actors and twin sisters Noelle and Cali Sheldon were only toddlers when they were slung into stardom after they were cast to play the adorable daughter Emma Geller-Green on the final few seasons of the hit television sitcom "Friends."

The cute little girls shared the screen with some iconic actors including David Schwimmer as the bumbling lover and newly neurotic father, Ross Geller ... and Jennifer Aniston as Ross' star-crossed partner and new mom, Rachel Green.

The sisters were more recently cast as the terrifying twins in the 2019 freaky film "Us."

Television Actor Morgan Stevens, who appeared in some iconic shows, passed away at his home Wednesday ... TMZ has learned.

A source close to Stevens says he hadn’t been seen or heard from in a few days, which is when a neighbor called authorities to do a wellness check. Police have confirmed with TMZ ... Stevens was found in his kitchen, where he was pronounced dead. They suspect no foul play, and he most likely died of natural causes.

Morgan was best known for his work on the show “Fame”, in which he played teacher David Reardon for two seasons. He was also a recurring character on “Melrose Place” and “A Year in the Life”. He made guest appearances on a variety of shows, including “Murder, She Wrote”, “One Day at a Time”, and “Murder One”, with “Walker, Texas Ranger” being his last appearance on television.

In the ’90s, Stevens was a victim of alleged police brutality when he was arrested for an alleged DUI. He claimed after 90 minutes of waiting in a jail cell, he refused to hand back the shirt that was given, which is when two jailers kicked and beat him over two dozen times.

Stevens left jail with a broken nose, a fractured cheek, a dislocated jaw and nerve damage as a result. He later sued and an out-of-court settlement was reached.

Morgan was 70 years old.

Adele is out and Keith Urban is in ... and it didn't take Caesars Palace long to find a replacement after the singer postponed her Las Vegas residency.

The country music singer says he's just been booked for 5 shows at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in March and April ... and some of those dates were previously reserved for Adele's shows.

Keith says he's playing the weekends of March 25-26 and April 1-2 ... plus a weekday gig on March 30, and those weekend dates used to be part of Adele's 3-month residency, which is now on ice.

TMZ broke the story ... Adele's Vegas residency is postponed because she's displeased with the production, and not because of her initial claims of a massive COVID outbreak on her crew.

As we told you, our sources said Adele was unhappy with the sound system, choir and various set pieces ... plus other items associated with the show, and the folks at Caesars were "shocked" when she pulled the plug at the last minute.

A Texas home owned by NBA YoungBoy -- where his mother currently lives -- became the target of an intense SWAT raid ... resulting in the arrests of 3 men and the seizure of multiple weapons.

A spokesperson for the Harris Co. Sheriff's Office tells TMZ, SWAT officers served a warrant at the property Tuesday morning. We're told NBA Youngboy purchased the home, and his mom, Sherhonda Gaulden, lives there ... although it's unclear if she was home when cops arrived.

Neither YoungBoy or his mother were arrested ... but cops call the 3 men who were busted associates of YoungBoy. We're told they were arrested on charges ranging from aggravated robbery to aggravated assault.

The Sheriff spokesperson, Thomas Gilliland, tells TMZ the arrests are related to the November shooting. Cops say the man was shot multiple times in the body and head, but survived and is out of the hospital now.

We're told the SWAT team also seized weapons, including AR-15s, pistols and long guns.

A sculptor in Los Angeles has honored the anniversary of the deaths of Kobe and Gigi Bryant by placing a statue of the two at the site where they tragically passed away in 2020.

The artist, Dan Medina, tells TMZ Sports he created the 160-pound bronze figure and pulled it up to the scene in Calabasas via a wagon on Wednesday.

The sculpture is only a temporary piece -- Medina says he'll haul it back down at sunset -- but the artist tells us he's hoping the city will allow him to put up a larger, more life-sized version permanently at the site.

The artwork, while smaller than what Medina hopes it'll ultimately end up being, is incredible -- it's a depiction of Kobe in a Lakers uniform with his arm around Gigi, who's also in a basketball uniform holding a ball.

At the base of the statue, Medina added the names of all nine of the victims who tragically died in the helicopter crash on the Calabasas hillside on Jan. 26, 2020.

"Heroes come and go," words on the base of the statue read, "but legends are forever."

As we previously reported, Kobe, Gigi and the others were on their way to a girls basketball game, when the chopper suddenly wrecked in the terrain.

Tributes to the Bryants and the other victims of the crash have poured in on the anniversary Wednesday, with athletes and celebs from all over remembering them all on social media.

In fact, Kobe's old Lakers teammate, Lamar Odom, was gifted a diamond pendant on Wednesday to honor and remember the Bryants.

Travis Scott's fans are pushing hard for him to headline next year's Coachella, and even have a petition going to get him on stage this year ... and they're getting a big wave of support.

Following the tragedy at Astroworld, Travis has pulled out of multiple festivals, including Coachella, and while he's opting for a break ... his fans still want him to return to live performances.

The petition that's circulating online is pushing for a Coachella make-good -- they want organizers to commit to Travis being a headliner next year ... OR guarantee Kanye West brings him out as a guest during his set this year.

After 3 days, the petition has almost 70,000 signatures.

Keep in mind, there's another petition out there ... this one started immediately after 10 people died at Astroworld in Houston, and demanded Coachella ban Travis, who, at the time, was rumored to be headlining in the desert. Right now that one has 63,000 signatures and counting.

According to the new petition, many of Trav's fans feel Coachella did him dirty -- it says, "After Coachella unfairly removed Travis Scott for Harry Styles, they need to do the right thing and rebook him immediately."

It also absolves Travis of any wrongdoing in Houston, saying ... "We all know Astroworld tragedy wasn't Travis's fault. Let him get back to performing on the biggest stages!"

As for the potential guest spot with Ye? We do know they have the Kardashian-Jenners in common, and Ye recently thanked Trav for helping him find Chicago's birthday party.

Right now it seems unlikely he'd be up for performing -- especially because he voluntarily bowed out -- but then again, the festival's not until April.

You could say Chuck Palahniuk saw the Chinese government's censorship of "Fight Club" coming ... because the new ending is closer to the original one he wrote 25 years ago.

The famed author -- who penned the OG novel that became the 1999 movie -- joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to give us his take on China removing the film's big explosive climax.

Chuck says it's funny to him that folks are up in arms over the censorship overseas because he's been dealing with his books being banned for a long time right here in the U.S. -- and he calls out Texas, in particular.

Ironically, Chuck told us China's version actually aligns more with the ending he wrote in the novel. Even more twisted ... he says overseas publishers have been editing his novel to make it more like the David Fincher movie.

So, yeah ... unfortunately, he's kinda used to people messing with his art.

As we reported, China released a new version of the movie, starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, that ends without explosions, killings and general chaos. Instead, it ends with an on-screen graphic that reads, in part, "The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding."

The 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing will be a homecoming for 17-year-old skiing phenom Kai Owens ... and the Team USA superstar tells TMZ Sports she can't wait to return to her birth country for the very first time.

Owens' story is inspirational -- she was abandoned by her birth parents as an infant and was adopted by a Colorado couple when she was around 16 months old.

Now, the mogul skier is set to make the ultimate return and compete at the highest level during the 2022 Games ... and she tells us it's going to be an incredible experience.

"I'm just trying to explore everything I can and enjoy the moment," she told us at LAX this week.

Owens says she won't try to track down her biological parents during the trip ... but plans to make a return to China after the Games if the pandemic calms down.

"Right now, I'm mainly focused on competing, but my family and I have plans to return to China once COVID allows us to, to kind of go back to the province that I was born in and maybe do some birth parents research," Owens said.

"My primary goal for this trip is the Olympic games, but I'm definitely hoping to do a cultural experience later this year."