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Vince McMahon's time away from WWE lasted less than 6 months -- the former boss has returned to his organization's Board of Directors, according to a new SEC filing.

The move comes on the heels of reports McMahon -- the majority shareholder of WWE -- intended to resume his role as executive chairman to help negotiate the organization's next TV deal ... as well as explore a potential sale of the company.

The filing states 77 year old McMahon's return will provide maximum long-term value for all of the stockholders. It also reveals McMahon made changes to the organization's bylaws to ensure any media rights deals or company sales cannot be made without his consent.

With the filing, JoEllen Lyons Dillon, Jeffrey Speed and Alan Wexler have been removed from the board ... and George Barrios and Michelle Wilson will join McMahon as their replacements.

A December 20 letter from Vince to the Board of Directors -- presented as an exhibit in the filing -- states his return had full support of WWE's management team ... including Stephanie McMahon, Nick Khan, Paul Levesque.

WWE released a statement confirming the news.

As we previously reported ... McMahon retired from the company in July 2022 following allegations of misconduct. Reports claimed at the time McMahon agreed to pay "hush money" to several women on WWE's dime. The allegations are currently under federal investigation.

A response email from the board on December 27 shows that it welcomed Vince's return to the board to help with deal negotiations ... but referenced a draft letter agreement in which McMahon would agree to repay "all of the investigation-related expenses incurred by the company," and he would not serve as an "officer, director or employee" of WWE during the government investigation.

If McMahon did not agree to the conditions, the company would sue.

McMahon was pissed with the board's response ... saying if he didn't have direct involvement, he could not support any TV or company sale.

But since he's the majority shareholder, McMahon has the power to get what he wants ... but he says he does not intend to impact the roles, duties or responsibilities of the management team upon his return.

Prince Harry says he was probably bigoted/racist before he met Meghan Markle.

The Duke of Sussex was railing on the British news media, telling "60 Minutes" how racist they were toward Meghan, and then turned things on himself, saying he too may have harbored racist feelings before meeting his wife.

Harry told Anderson Cooper, "I had no idea the British press were so bigoted. Hell, I was probably bigoted before the relationship with Meghan."

He went on to say there was a rocky right of passage for other female members of the royal family, but adding race into the equation was a whole different thing.

Harry said he had no idea news outlets would react to Meghan the way they did.

As for how Meghan changed him, he said, "Put it this way. I didn't see what I now see."

Harry has made allegations of racism against other royals, telling Oprah a senior member of his family worried about the color of Archie's skin ... though he did not specifically say who.

Multiple officials were clearly gravely concerned for Damar Hamlin in the seconds after he collapsed on Monday night ... with new audio revealing at least two first responders pleaded for "everybody" to rush to the scene.

The concerned chatter was heard on emergency radio traffic airwaves at around 8:55 p.m. ... just after Hamlin fell to the turf at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati following a tackle during the Bills vs. Bengals "Monday Night Football" game.

One unidentified official, who appeared to be on the sidelines as the scene unfolded, could be heard in the audio initially saying, "Go ahead and go over to the cot. I don't like how he went down."

Seconds later, the need for urgency became clear ... as another official said, "We're going to need everybody. All call. All call."

The first commenter then added, "Bring everybody! We need an airway doctor, everybody. Bring the cot with the medics."

As we reported, the Buffalo safety went into cardiac arrest on the field ... but, thanks to the quick actions of those who first tended to him, doctors said Thursday he's made "significant progress" and appears to be "neurologically intact."

Further audio revealed multiple other officials helped make requests over the airwaves to coordinate Hamlin's safe and expeditious ride to the UC Health Medical Center in Cincinnati.

Billie Eilish's family home was burglarized in L.A. Thursday night ... and police arrested a suspect thanks to a quick-thinking house sitter as the crime was in progress.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ … cops responded to the house in Highland Park around 9:15 PM after receiving a report of someone scaling a fence to gain access to the property.

The masked intruder was apparently wearing all black and lurking around the backyard. We're told the house sitter -- who was not present at the location -- received an alert on an electronic device showing the unidentified man on camera. The employee didn't recognize the person and quickly called police.

Cops responded to the scene and nabbed the suspect about one block away during a sweep of the area. Investigators tell us they don't believe anything was stolen from the house, which they confirm is owned by Billie's family.

Prince Harry's tales of fights with Prince William and his infamous Nazi costume don't do much for Thomas Markle ... because Meghan's dad isn't going to read his son-in-law's new book.

Meghan's half-sister, Samantha Markle, tells TMZ ... her dad -- and other family members for that matter -- think the book is fiction and a money grab. Samantha says her dad is actually more upset with Meghan than Harry. She says the bad blood goes way back to their wedding, where Thomas feels he was iced out by his daughter ... and Harry just went along.

Samantha says her dad believes many of Harry's allegations in the book are rooted in jealousy over his brother's status.

As for Samantha, she says she wouldn't even use Harry's memoir "Spare" as toilet paper.

The Duke of Sussex's much-anticipated memoir is due out Monday ... but Samantha thinks interest in the book is more idle curiosity, and not a sign people believe Harry's story.

As we reported ... Harry is going hard on William in the book, accusing his brother of attacking him during an argument over Meghan, and blaming William and Kate for wearing a Nazi uniform at a costume party.

Samantha says in addition to being taken off the wedding guest list, he's still really hurt that Harry and Meghan never reached out to him when he suffered a medical emergency.

La La Anthony is walking back her past comments about only getting 22-year-old suitors -- but she's still on the lookout for a relationship with someone who's her match!!!

We got the highly eligible bachelorette out at LAX, and maybe it was the rain but she wasn't feeling too optimistic about her dating options in the new year.

You might recall, La La was on Alex Cooper's "Call Her Daddy" podcast a few months ago, and dropped a bombshell about only seeing barely legals sliding into her DMs.

She cracked a smile while quoting the late, great Aaliyah in revealing "age ain't nothing but a number" ... but does admit 22 is a bit young for her taste.

Lala has been on the market since filing for divorce from Carmelo Anthony in June 2021 -- ending 10+ years of marriage -- and for what it's worth, her career has been firing on all cylinders since then. Something for her potential dates to consider.

She recently joined 50 Cent's "BMF," has a recurring role in Hulu's "Wu-Tang: An American Saga" and is also slated to star in a couple of movies that are on the horizon.

Translation: She's popping!!! 💅🏽

Before this birthday boy in his strapping suspenders turned into a popular soap actor and a doting father of three, he was just blowing out his candles on his 3rd birthday and growing up in Italy before eventually moving to Illinois.

If you don't remember this handsome guy on "All My Children," you probably watched him on the CW's "Riverdale" next to Lili Reinhart and Cole Sprouse. He's often flexin' on the Gram, showing off his ripped physique.

Need one more hint? He cohosts with his wifey from time to time during the early hours of the morning.

It's curtains for Lisa Rinna on 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' ... she's announced she's leaving the reality show.

Lisa is exiting the Bravo hit after 8 seasons ... telling People, "This is the longest job I have held in my 35 year career and I am grateful to everyone at Bravo and all those involved in the series. It has been a fun eight-year run and I am excited for what is to come!"

Famous for her one-liners, Lisa joined 'RHOBH' way back in 2014 during the show's 5th season ... and she was not one to shy away from drama.

Lisa's contract reportedly expired at the end of the most recent season, and she's not signing a new deal ... with People reporting she and Bravo reached a mutual decision to go their separate ways.

For 'RHOBH' fans, Lisa's departure should not be a huge shock ... she seemed to be dropping hints during last season that it may be her last ... and that turned out to be the case.

Lisa's exit seemingly spells good news for Kathy Hilton's time on 'RHOBH' ... as we first told you, Kathy recently called out Lisa and Erika Jayne as villains who are desperate to stir up drama, and vowing not to return to the show unless they're gone.

The NFL has decided to cancel the Buffalo Bills vs. Cincinnati Bengals game, the league announced Thursday night ... days after Monday Night Football was postponed following Damar Hamlin’s medical emergency.

The Week 17 game will NOT be made up.

Of course, the game was postponed by the league Monday night after a terrifying incident involving the 24-year-old Bills safety.

The cancellation throws a wrench into the playoffs ... as the Bills-Bengals game had major postseason implications.

In an effort to mitigate any advantage, the league has proposed several options ... including potentially playing the AFC Championship game at a neutral site, removing any home-field advantage.

The issue is the Bills-Bengals game could have determined who was the #1 seed ... important not just because that team would have home field, but also a first-round bye.

There are 3 potential scenarios where the AFC Championship game would be played in a neutral area. Those scenarios depend on Week 18's games, but it's likely a Buffalo vs. Kansas City game would be at a neutral site. There's also a chance a Buffalo or Cincy vs. Kansas City game would be played at a neutral area.

As a result of the cancelation, the Bengals are now AFC North champions.

The Bengals will play the Ravens on Sunday ... while the Bills will take on the Patriots.

"Stranger Things" star Noah Schnapp has come out as gay.

The 18-year-old made the announcement Thursday on TikTok with a video of himself and text that reads, "When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was 'we know.'"

Interestingly enough, he also included the caption, "I guess I'm more similar to will than I thought."

Schnapp plays Will Byers on "Stranger Things" and fan speculation over the years has been that the character is gay, as it's clear he has a thing for Mike Wheeler on the show ... so it seems Schnapp is also confirming the fan theory.

Schnapp and his "Stranger Things" costar Millie Bobby Brown are super close -- the two hang out all the time and have appeared on late-night talk shows together over the years.

Bam Margera says he almost didn't make it out alive during his most recent hospitalization ... after suffering multiple seizures and a nasty blood infection.

The former 'Jackass' star got candid on "Steve-O's Wild Ride!" podcast, sharing just how dire his situation was last month -- in his words, "Basically, I was pronounced dead on December 8th."

He said it all started after he got a gnarly case of Covid -- his body began to shut down and he had 4 seizures, each one lasting about 10 to 20 minutes.

On the fourth seizure he says he bit his tongue so hard he began swallowing his own infected blood ... causing him to get pneumonia and sending him into another seizure.

He recalls waking up in the hospital on the 5th day, not being able to breathe on his own and was clueless he'd been there for so long.

As we've reported, Bam ended up in the ICU at a San Diego hospital last month for a serious case of pneumonia and COVID-19.

Bryan Kohberger's DNA was found on a knife sheath at the scene of the Idaho murders ... and authorities made a match by rooting through trash at his family's house and finding his dad's DNA, which had enough of a match to the DNA taken from the sheath for cops to pin the murders on Bryan.

According to the arrest warrant affidavit just released, authorities had Kohberger in their crosshairs less than 2 weeks after the murders. As we reported, cops were on the hunt for a white Hyundai Elantra. On November 13 -- the date of the murders -- there were several videos showing the white Elantra making 3 passes by the murder house before finally stopping at 4:04 AM.

Multiple surveillance videos show the car leaving the area of the murder house at 4:20 AM at a high rate of speed.

Police initiated a video canvas around the murder scene and it appears the car traveled toward Washington State University, which Kohberger attends -- 10 miles from the murder house.

On November 25, cops released info to law enforcement that they were on the lookout for a white Hyundai Elantra. On November 29, a WSU cop pulled up a hit on Kohberger's vehicle and license plate number. Cops went to his apartment in the middle of the night and observed a white Elantra sitting in the driveway.

Now, what we didn't know -- one of the survivors in the murder house says she saw a man 5'10" or taller, not very muscular but athletically built with bushy eyebrows, wearing black clothing with a mask.

Her description is absolutely chilling ... she says the man walked right past her as she stood in a "frozen shock phase," and then he walked past her and left the house.

She had only looked out of her bedroom because she'd heard a female voice, possibly murder victim Kaylee Goncalves, say something like "there's someone here." She also heard a male voice say, "It's ok, I'm going to help you."

Cops got a driver's license picture of Kohberger who had a listed height of 6', 185 lbs and the pic shows he has bushy eyebrows.

Cops say they have WSU cams showing Kohberger's car leaving the campus area at 2:44 AM on Nov. 13. They also have a cell phone number and the records show on the night of the murders, at 2:47 AM the phone left his residence and traveled south through Pullman, Washington. It then stopped reporting, but picked up again at 5:30 AM and showed the phone traveling back to his residence. Cops think he deliberately disabled the phone to conceal his travels.

They also have WSU camera footage of him returning at 5:25 AM.

The cell records also indicate Kohberger returned to the scene of the crime just a few hours later -- between 9:12 AM and 9:21 AM. Worth noting is the fact police were not called to the home until 11:58 AM.

BTW ... the cell phone records also show since June 22, he had been near the murder house at least 12 times prior to the murders, and they were typically in the late evening or early morning hours.

And, there's this ... Kohberger applied for an internship with the Pullman PD in Fall 2022.

Lil Uzi Vert's decision to add his Young Thug and Gunna collab "Strawberry Peels" to the deluxe version of his last album could prove to be a costly one ... the Generation Now rhymer is being sued over the song.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Uzi, Thug, Gunna, the song's producer Wheezy, as well as the record labels Atlantic and Generation Now are being sued by Sun City Publishing for allegedly stealing samples from Blackout's 1995 song called "Dim Da Lights."

Sun City claims it never gave Uzi permission to sample the track and says "Strawberry Peels" has been a huge success since its release ... amassing over 39 million Spotify streams and more than 4 million plays on YouTube.

Sun City believes the song has raked in well over $1 million dollars and now it wants at least that much in damages.

The suit obviously spells more bad news for Thug and Gunna ... remember, both were tied into the RICO criminal cases in Georgia.

Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tee Higgins says he's relieved to hear Damar Hamlin is doing better after his medical emergency on Monday ... revealing he's been in contact with the Bills safety's mom in the days following the game.

Hamlin tackled Higgins right before he collapsed on the field during the Bengals and Bills' Monday Night Football matchup ... and the former Clemson star says when he realized what was happening, he knew it was a serious situation.

"At first, me being a football player, I'm thinking he just flopped," Higgins said after practice on Thursday. "I looked again and seen what happen, I just turned my head and not think about it. I knew it was something crazy. Something tragic. It was hard."

After the game was suspended, Higgins went to the hospital to check on Hamlin ... and he's been in contact with Damar's family in the days following.

"Damar's mom hit me, texted me this morning, and told me about everything and it made me feel even more at home," Higgins said.

"I really appreciate them, just hearing from them and them having my back as well, so yeah. Feels good."

Of course, some misguided people have seemingly blamed Tee (something Bart Scott was accused of doing) for the medical emergency, so to hear Higgins say he's holding up is welcome news.

Prior to practice, Higgins appeared to gather his thoughts and reflect before running out with the rest of his teammates.

Hamlin is making serious improvements as he remains under constant care in a Cincinnati hospital ... and was even able to communicate in writing with nurses Wednesday night -- asking who won Monday's game.

Damar Hamlin's making incredible strides as he fights for his life in a Cincinnati hospital ... and nothing proves the point more than a question the Bills safety asked his nurse last night -- who won the game?

Hamlin's physicians, Dr. Knight and Dr. Pritts, from UC Health Medical Center in Cincinnati, virtually met with the media on Thursday and fielded questions about the health status of their famous patient.

The doctors revealed 24-year-old Hamlin was conscious Wednesday evening, and while he wasn't able to talk (he's still hooked up to a breathing machine), Damar, using pen, paper, and a clipboard, asked who won the Bills vs. Bengals game.

"You won. You won at the game of life," his healthcare team told Damar.

Of course, Hamlin wasn't aware the game was postponed.

As far as his current condition, the doctors say Hamlin's made "significant progress," saying they believe he's "neurologically intact."

There was fear Damar could've sustained a serious brain injury from lack of oxygen.

Knight and Pritts were also asked about Hamlin's long-term prognosis.

Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger stalked his victims for months before he allegedly murdered 4 innocent college students, according to the investigators who took him down.

Court records, obtained by TMZ, reveal Kohberger's cell phone was pinged close to the murder house at least twelve times between June 2022 and the date of the murders, November 13, 2022.

Investigators note that in all but one of those instances, the cell phone data was picked up in the late evening and early morning hours.

In one of the most chilling details from the murders, documents reveal one of the roommates told detectives she heard victim Kaylee Goncalves -- who lived a floor above -- around 4 AM the morning of the murder say "there's someone here."

The roommate says she looked outside, and didn't see anyone, but opened her door and heard what she thought was crying coming from victim Xana Kernodle's room. She then says she heard a male voice say something to the effect of, "It's ok, I'm going to help you."

What's not clear is who the male voice was, whether it was Kernodle's boyfriend, Ethan Chapin, who was also killed -- or whether it was Kohberger.

Investigators say a security camera on a neighbor's home picked up distorted audio of voices or a whimper followed by a thud starting at 4:17 AM.

The surviving roommate says when she opened her door a third time after she heard crying, and saw a man dressed in black clothing and a mask covering the man's mouth and nose walking towards her. The roommate says he was 5'10" or taller, not very muscular, but athletically built with bushy eyebrows.

She says she was in a "frozen shock phase" as he walked toward the sliding back door. The roommate says she locked herself in her room, and investigators believe the man left the residence at that time.