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Matthew Perry's death has put a renewed focus on the dynamic of his old costars -- and one anecdote about David Schwimmer is resurfacing ... touching on his one-for-all spirit.

The Guardian dug up this sweet tale in Perry's memoir from last year -- 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing' -- in which the late actor recounts how money started to change on the set of 'Friends' while they were filming back in the '90s.

In his book, MP says all the stars were making about $22,000 an episode for Season 1 -- but by Season 2, Dave and Jennifer Aniston had begun earning a bit more ... on account of their popularity on the show due to the whole Ross/Rachel romance story line.

When Season 3 rolled around, WB wanted to throw even more cash at the 2 of 'em -- as they were now fan faves -- but Schwimmer put his foot down on behalf of his castmates. Apparently, Dave floated the idea of them collectively bargaining together ... so everyone could make the same amount of money, even if it meant a pay cut for him and Jen.

Matt says that's exactly what ultimately happened, writing ... "David had certainly been in a position to go for the most money, and he didn’t. I would like to think that I would have made the same move, but as a greedy 25-year-old, I’m not sure I would have."

He adds, "But his decision served to make us take care of each other through what turned out to be a myriad of stressful network negotiations, and it gave us a tremendous amount of power ... We had David’s goodness, and his astute business sense, to thank for what we had been offered. I owe you about $30m, David."

By Season 8, MP revealed that each of the 'Friends' actors were making about a million bucks an episode ... and he credits Schwimmer with establishing that precedent early. Apparently, they continued to hammer out salary negotiations as a group over the years.

This story, which technically came out last year, is making the rounds right now ... and just speaks to how close the 'Friends' really were on set -- adding to the devastation of Perry's sudden loss. TMZ broke the story ... he was found dead last weekend at his L.A. home.

As we reported ... the cast attended a small, private funeral for Perry Friday near the Hollywood Hills -- as did Perry's family and loved ones, including his parents.

Schwimmer, Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow all released a joint statement addressing Perry's passing ... saying the tragedy was "unfathomable" and that they were still processing it as a group. They've laid relatively low in the days since.

Kourtney Kardashian is a mommy once again -- she and her boo, Travis Barker, have welcomed a brand new bundle of joy after a scary rollercoaster of a pregnancy.

Kourtney gave birth to a baby boy in Los Angeles, sources confirm to TMZ.

TMZ broke the story -- there were strong signs KK had popped this week ... as Kylie and Travis were both spotted at Cedars-Sinai Thursday, and were possibly there earlier.

As we reported, Kourt first dropped the baby bombshell at Travis' Blink-182 concert in June ... showing off her baby bump at BMO Stadium in L.A. while holding a sign that says, "Travis, I'm Pregnant," a reference to the group's music video for "All the Small Things."

Things took a scary turn for the couple in early September when Kourtney needed emergency surgery to save the child's life. At the time, Travis was in Europe traveling with Blink-182, and he rushed back to be by Kourtney's side. Thankfully the surgery was successful.

Kourtney and Travis had a major Disney-themed baby shower for their kid not long after that health scare -- and all seemed to be well at the shindig ... with everyone celebrating. The big takeaway from that get-together, however, was the fact that the baby's name might've leaked. Remember, somebody threw up a tree ornament that referenced "Baby Rocky."

As it turns out ... that is their child's name -- Travis confirmed as much this past week ... saying their boy will be called Rocky Thirteen Barker. A little anticlimactic, but there you go!

The live concert pregnancy announcement came a little over a year after they got hitched at a Santa Barbara courthouse ... which was followed up with a massive wedding in Italy where they exchanged vows at Dolce & Gabbana's private villa before heading to a medieval castle for their reception.

Since the big announcement, the lovebirds have been looking happier than ever while waiting for the baby to come ... doing a couple of drummer-themed photoshoots with the bump on full display.

She also showed off her pregnancy glow on a Hawaiian beach in July during a tropical trip.

In case ya forgot, Kourtney's already a mother to 3 kids -- Mason, Penelope, and Reign, all of whom she shares with her ex, Scott Disick. Travis also shares Landon and Alabama with Shanna Moakler.

BTW, Kourtney shared her struggles with IVF in recent years, saying on her family's show that her experience with the process has been "awful."

Congrats!!!

Michael J. Fox's health problems are no secret to the world -- but they're far more dire than just about anyone could've imagined ... 'cause the guy nearly became an amputee.

The beloved actor got into the full extent of his medical hurdles with Town & Country, opening up about just how banged up he's been in recent years ... and revealing that he practically had to have a part of his body surgically removed.

MJF says, "My hand got infected and then I almost lost it. It was a tsunami of misfortune."

The context here is Mike discussing all the injuries he's sustained of late -- including breaking two of his arms, a shoulder, his orbital/cheekbone and one of his hands ... which somehow led to a far more dire diagnosis, albeit ... one that thankfully never fully manifested.

On top of these dings, Michael also underwent surgery in 2018 to have a spinal tumor removed -- which was unrelated to his Parkinson's disease. While rehabbing from that, he suffered a nasty fall ... and says he broke his other arm in the process.

In this T&C interview, he continues to reflect on his mortality -- just like he did earlier this year with CBS ... where he said he didn't see himself living past 80.

Here, Mike says ... "One day I’ll run out of gas ... Certainly, if I were to pass away tomorrow, it would be premature, but it wouldn’t be unheard of. And so, no, I don’t fear that."

The woman who went viral for freaking out on a plane and making the Internet think she saw something other-worldly is finally coming clean ... revealing what actually set her off.

Tiffany Gomas -- who's been holding on to this secret for a good while now -- dished on the 'Pardon My Take' podcast this past week ... telling the hosts that she didn't see jack in the cabin that day, and that her infamous "not real" line was just a bunch of mumbo-jumbo.

Take a listen for yourself ... Tiffany explains that she'd gotten into some sort of argument with a fella back there, and that the whole thing spiraled out of control -- ending in a tirade.

She says there was nothing supernatural or unexplainable that made her utter her tearful words -- it sounds like she just spat something incoherent out and misspoke in the moment.

As TG explains here ... she was highly distressed and simply in her feels, so whatever came out of her mouth was just a reflection of that. Tiffany says it's certainly not her proudest moment, and she's extra embarrassed by the fact that this was viewed by millions.

As for the many conspiracy theories that are out there about this whole thing -- and yes, there are A LOT -- TG says those folks can keep on thinking what they want ... 'cause the truth is much less exciting, and she just wants to put the whole thing behind her.

Tiffany has been fairly tight-lipped until this interview -- you'll recall, she was extra cagey with us at the airport a few months ago about what exactly she saw ... now, though, word's out.

Tom Sandoval and James Kennedy got really competitive at BravoCon, hitting the floor to see who could do more push-ups ... but there was one person totally turned off by their macho man contest -- Ariana Madix.

The "Vanderpump Rules" stars took to the stage at the Las Vegas event Friday when host Andy Cohen asked Tom and James how they got into such great shape over the past few months.

Tom credited his incredible physique to his new and improved lifestyle, working out all the time while staying away from booze and cigarettes.

James said he's been pumping iron at the gym and ripped off his t-shirt to show everyone his muscled abs, before challenging Tom to a push-up contest.

After Tom accepted as he wore a kilt, the two dropped to the floor and launched into their competition.

Enter Tom's ex Ariana, who was sitting there the entire time with a look of utter dissatisfaction. Before she turned away from Tom and James, Ariana said, “Jump scare…I needed a trigger warning.”

The push-up contest continued as Ariana fixed her stare on the screen in back of her, trying not to look back at her co-stars.

As James sailed to victory, Ariana asked the hosts if she could take some questions from fans.

Cringy moment indeed, but we understand why it happened. It's no secret -- unless you live under a rock -- that Tom cheated on Ariana with Rachel Leviss during the last season of "Vanderpump Rules." Leviss was not invited to BravoCon and is no longer with the show.

Also on Friday, several “Real Housewives of New Jersey” husbands ran out on stage to do half a striptease in front of the audience.

Frank Catania, Joe Benigno and Joe Gorga stood behind the "Magic Mike" cast and put on their slightly racy performance, tearing off their T-shirts, but keeping on their skinny jeans.

Taylor Swift went out for Friday date night in NYC, but it wasn't with her hunky NFL beau Travis Kelce ... linking up instead with fellow musician Phoebe Bridgers.

Taylor arrived at the famed Minetta Tavern in Greenwich Village to grab some grub with Bridgers last evening -- while Kelce was prepping for a football game in Germany.

Taylor looked stylish in her autumn attire, sporting a tan sweater, brown dress pants and chunky heels. Phoebe was wearing all black, which contrasted with her bright silver hair, making her stand out in the crowd.

Minetta Tavern owner Keith McNally later told the media ... Taylor and Phoebe noshed on baked oysters and foie Gras amouse bouche. McNally noted Taylor "really liked" the foie Gras.

After supper, Taylor and Phoebe left the restaurant, but not before Swift posed for photos with the chef. Taylor must have really loved that foie Gras!!

But, not as much as she digs her boyfriend Travis, who will be playing with the Kansas City Chiefs against the Miami Dolphins in Germany this Sunday.

Travis was grilled about his relationship with Taylor during a Friday press conference in Frankfurt ahead of the game.

When a reporter asked for an update on their romance, Travis said, "The latest status is, ‘I got to see her last week.'" The journalist also wanted to know if Travis was in love with Taylor, and the tight end replied, ‘I’m going to keep my personal relationship personal.'”

A California lawmaker is now in trouble with the law after she blamed her drunk driving arrest on a sneeze, causing her to crash -- while she was reportedly double the legal alcohol limit.

State Assemblymember Wendy Carrillo was cruising in her Audi in L.A. early Friday morning when she collided with another car, which lurched forward, striking a third vehicle.

A resident heard a loud bang and ran outside with his cell phone, filming what he described as an obviously intoxicated Carrillo, who was slurring her words and reeked of booze.

Check out the video ... responding LAPD officers approached Carrillo, who offered this explanation for the crash, "I'm sorry, I sneezed, and I lost track of the vehicle."

The cops administered a field sobriety test to Carrillo, who, at one point, lost her balance and nearly fell to the ground, but one of the officers caught her.

Carrillo was then arrested and booked for suspicion of driving under the influence during a traffic collision with a high blood-alcohol count, the L.A. Times reported.

LAPD Capt. Kelly Muniz told the media outlet Carrillo's alcohol level was “double the legal limit or more.”

After she was released from jail without bail, Carrillo issued a statement, accepting responsibility for her actions, while acknowledging as a public servant she must be held to a higher standard. She also apologized to her family, constituents and staff members and promised to "seek the necessary help and support.”

Matthew Perry was laid to rest this week -- and it looks like the low-key gathering featured his old costars ... who were suited and booted to honor their late, cherished comrade.

The actor's loved ones and fellow "Friends" castmates -- including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow -- attended Matthew's funeral Friday at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles ... a famous cemetery up near the Hollywood Hills.

In fact, this place appears to have been chosen for a very specific reason ... 'cause it's just a stone's throw from the Warner Bros. Studio lot -- where they filmed their hit show.

Matthew's family carried his coffin ... with his mother, Suzanne Morrison, his father, John Bennett Perry, and his stepfather, "Dateline" correspondent Keith Morrison, among the family members in attendance.

Anyway, the ceremony looked to be relatively small ... with no more than 20 people or so standing around MP's burial plot, and some SUVs lining his gravesite. Everybody is dressed in black, of course, and it also appears some hugs and condolences are going around.

One video, in particular, shows the three ladies heading into a church ... presumably where a service was held. No clear sign of DS and MLB, but ya gotta imagine they were on hand.

Matthew's funeral comes nearly a week after his sudden passing. TMZ broke the story ... he was found unresponsive at his home last Saturday, and law enforcement believes he died by drowning -- although what exactly led up to that is still a mystery at this point.

The world at large reacted in shock to the news ... but it took a little time for the "Friends" stars themselves to speak out publicly. When they finally did, they kept their remarks brief and united --- saying they were still processing an "unfathomable loss" to their TV family.

Now, it remains to be seen if a celebration of life for fans of Perry is going to be held at some point ... but it's no surprise that this burial here was carried out on the DL.

The "Friends" crew is pretty private as it is ... and with this loss hitting as close to home as it obviously does, it makes sense that they're handling this with a lot of care/consideration.

Like we told you ... an official cause of death is undetermined at this point, pending further testing and toxicology -- not to mention an investigation by the LAPD into the exact circumstances. His body was released to his loved ones Sunday after an autopsy was done.

He was 54.

Bill Maher was on a tear Friday night, calling out progressives and academics who crap on Israel as an "outpost of Western civilization" ... because Western civilization is responsible for the freedoms and opportunities we supposedly cherish.

The "Real Time" host basically thinks the growing movement in America justifying what Hamas did to Israel is absurd. If they support Hamas, BM posits, then they're okay with domestic violence, homophobia, child marriage and on and on, because that's that's the Hamas playbook.

Bill's not railing on Palestinians ... there's plenty of evidence the majority do NOT support Hamas, he's comparing the terrorism at the core of Hamas to the guardrails and freedoms that have been the core of Western civilization for centuries -- freedom of speech, freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial, women's rights, and on and on. Oh, and in Western civilization, there IS such a thing as a war crime.

Maher sees it this way ... "Western civ" for progressives and academics is shorthand for "white people ruin everything."

Some of the biggest names in music were honored at the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Friday night -- as a slew of artists put on memorable performances.

The 38th Annual star-studded event was held at the Barclays Center in NYC and, for the first time, was streamed live on Disney+ to highlight all of this year's winners.

To say the least, the list of inductees was impressive: Missy Elliott, Chaka Khan, Sheryl Crow, George Michael (posthumously), Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine, Kate Bush and The Spinners. Among the evening's entertainers were Rock icons Elton John and Jimmy Page.

Actress Laura Dern kicked off the ceremony, giving the first award to Crow while labeling her a “badass goddess.”

Crow then performed three of her hits, “If It Makes You Happy,” "Strong Enough" and "Everyday." Olivia Rodrigo, Stevie Nicks and Peter Frampton each jumped in separately to assist on the songs.

Chaka Khan also put on a mesmerizing show after accepting the "Musical Excellence Award" from R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan.

Chaka played 3 of her famous tunes, “I Feel You,” “Ain’t Nobody” and “I’m Every Woman." H.E.R., Sia and Common joined in to add their soulful voices.

Perhaps the most unforgettable moment was when Willie Nelson was inducted and performed with several other icons -- Crow, Dave Matthews and Chris Stapleton. Nelson and Co. featured a few of his most recognizable songs, “Whiskey River," “Crazy” and “On the Road Again.”

As for George Michael, he, too, was honored in a big way. The late Wham! frontman was dubbed “one of the greatest singers of our time” by his former band member, Andrew Ridgeley.

Miguel, Adam Levine and Carrie Underwood brought down the house with their renditions of Michael's “Careless Whisper,” “Faith” and “One More Try.”

Steven Tyler's latest accuser -- who claims he sexually assaulted her nearly 50 years ago -- filed her lawsuit against the singer in the nick of time, legally speaking ... as the statute of limitations was about to run out.

Jeff Anderson, attorney for the alleged victim Jeanne Bellino, tells TMZ ... he and his client recently decided to file against Tyler under New York City's Gender-Motivated Violence Act.

Under that act, Bellino -- who alleges the assault happened in New York City in 1975 when she was 17 -- has a much larger window for the statute of limitations ... but even so, Anderson says it was set to expire at the end of November.

As we reported, Julia Holcomb also sued Tyler at the end of last year, alleging she was sexually assaulted by the musician in 1973 when she was 16 -- and also claimed he pressured her to get an abortion.

Anderson is representing both women in their respective cases.

In fact, we're told Holcomb and Bellino plan to serve as witnesses for each other's cases. Anderson says Bellino first came to him to say she was open to testifying for Holcomb to establish a pattern of Tyler's alleged behavior.

There's a fresh round of evidence that Kourtney Kardashian has given birth ... Travis Barker is back at the hospital where her sisters usually have their babies.

The Blink-182 drummer returned Friday to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles ... pulling up in the afternoon behind the wheel of his black Range Rover.

Kourtney's husband has been in and out of Cedars the past few days ... we first saw him going in Thursday, the same day Kylie Jenner visited too.

Travis also shared a food photo Friday on social media, and he got pasta from Crossroads Kitchen ... which is only a few blocks from Cedars.

Friday's return visit from Travis is another strong indication Kourtney gave birth to their son Rocky.

As we've already told you ... tips started pouring in Monday about Kourtney showing up to Cedars. We talked to folks in the Kardashian orbit and they were unusually sketchy on the subject, but we confirmed this week was her due date, with one source telling us labor would be induced.

Then, there's this ... Kourtney and Travis have said they wanted the baby to be born on Halloween, which was Tuesday ... and now Travis has been to Cedars twice in as many days.

The suspect who snatched Lily Collins' belongings has been identified, law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... with the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. seeking the public's assistance in catching the thief.

Andreea Catalina Rosca has been unmasked as the alleged perp who stole the "Emily in Paris" star's possessions, including her wedding band, engagement ring and some electronics.

An active warrant is now out for Rosca's arrest in connection with removing jewelry and credit cards from lockers in a hotel spa and yoga studio .... and using the stolen items to create fake IDs and purchase over $67K in jewelry.

Keeping busy in her alleged criminal pursuits, she also holds a fake Washington State ID card under the name "Nicole Morri."

Andreea, aka Nicole, is described as a female white adult, approximately 34 years old, 5' 1", 100 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes.

With links to the Romanian Organized Theft Groups, she's known to travel the states committing similar crimes. Anyone with info on her whereabouts is urged to contact the West Hollywood Sheriff Station.

Remember ... TMZ first revealed Lily fell victim to major theft when her relaxing spa trip ended with over $10,000 of her valuables swiped from her locker.

The explosion of antisemitism in America and around the world is stunning, and, of course, there was plenty of Halloween blowback. So we gotta ask ...

Justin Bieber proved once again he's got serious game on the hardwood ... crossing over defenders and burying shots repeatedly during an organized hoops game on Thursday night.

The "Ghost" crooner hit up The Surgeon's studio in Los Angeles for the second time in the last couple weeks ... suiting up for Team Nahmias yet again in the famous shoe customizer's basketball league.

And, it didn't take long for Biebs to show that his last appearance at the venue wasn't a fluke ... as he blew by defenders over and over again, scoring easily throughout the night.

Bieber finished the game with 13 points, three rebounds, one assist and a ton of highlights ... although it wasn't enough to score his team a win -- as Nahmias fell to Surgeon, 110-102.

Bieber was hyped up for the game beforehand ... but afterward, he seemed to take the loss hard.

Items linked to John F. Kennedy's assassination are now up for auction, 60 years after he was killed ... including objects from the infamous grassy knoll and even the killer's grim past.

RR Auction has over 80 objects up for sale connected to November 22, 1963 ... including a section of the wooden picket fence behind the "grassy knoll" that overlooked the Presidential parade route. Lots of people -- including many who were there that day -- believe at least one gunman fired from that fence.

That's not all -- the auction house is selling a window from the Texas School Book Depository ... the building where Lee Harvey Oswald fired shots at JFK.

Also included in the auction are Oswald's first handgun, which he sold to his brother for $10 ... and Oswald's phone call receipt from jail -- the call he made just 1 day after JFK's assassination and one day before Oswald himself was shot and killed while in custody.

There are a ton of hidden gems for history buffs ... a lucky bidder can secure JFK's personal diary from 1945 ... which features a ton of insights before he became President.