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Amazon's desperately trying to get to the bottom of how a bunch of nooses mysteriously appeared at one of its warehouses under construction in Connecticut.

The e-commerce giant kicked in another $25k to double the $25k initially put up by developer RC Anderson LLC ... for any information about the menacing discovery on the construction site. It's now been weeks since police were first called to the Windsor, Conn. location to investigate a noose left at what will eventually be an Amazon fulfillment center.

Cops say a supervisor at the construction site spotted the "hangman's noose" dangling from a steel beam on the second floor back on April 27. Employees were informed about the incident and the company immediately held an anti-discrimination training class.

Just a couple of days later police were called back to the site when 5 more ropes "that could be interpreted as nooses" were found scattered across the facility.

Cops took the ropes and they're currently at a crime lab. The FBI is also reportedly aware of the incident but it hasn't joined the investigation yet. So far, there are no suspects and cops can't determine whether anyone at the site was specifically targeted.

Whoopi Goldberg was blindsided when we told her Ellen DeGeneres is ending her talk show ... it was news to her.

We got Whoopi at a COVID vaccination site Friday in East Orange, NJ and when our camera guy asked her reaction to Ellen's announcement, Whoopi literally took a few steps back she was so shocked.

Well, there's lots going on in this world ... COVID, re-opening, culture wars, etc., etc., etc., so so you can't keep up on everything. As for whether Whoopi might actually replace Ellen, she explains why that's never gonna happen!

Whoopi may not have been up to date on Ellen, but she definitely is on COVID.

Alex Rodriguez seemingly had an ulterior motive in sharing a nice photo of himself having dinner with his daughters -- sending a not-so-subtle signal to Jennifer Lopez.

A-Rod posted the pic Thursday night -- a pretty delicious-looking dinner spread with his teenage daughters, Tasha and Ella, and captioned it ... "Din din with my girls! #DaddyDinnerDate."

Sweet, right? Yes, it is ... buuut, it's kinda hard to ignore the fact he left 3 extra table settings and 3 empty chairs in the shot as well.

So, either A-Rod was expecting 3 more people to show up ... or he's pining for J Lo and her 2 kids, Max and Emme, to come back and be a big happy blended family again.

We're gonna go with the latter.

As you know, Jennifer has been cozying up with her famous ex, Ben Affleck, following her split from Alex ... though we're told the momentum for Bennifer 2.0 actually began building back in February.

Tamika Mallory is urging activists and allies in the fight for social justice to keep their eyes on the prize in the wake of Derek Chauvin's conviction for murdering George Floyd.

The Until Freedom founder, who's led and organized countless protests in the last year, joined us Friday on "TMZ Live," and admitted she's worried protestors will take a collective breather after the Chauvin trial ... as some might feel the movement's crossed the finish line.

Tamika tells us that's exactly why she keeps reminding folks now is NOT the time to let up.

The way Tamika sees it ... the Chauvin trial was one small form of accountability for law enforcement, but adds folks can't fall into the trap of believing it guarantees justice in all the police-involved killings we've seen since Floyd.

The one-year anniversary of Floyd's death is fast approaching in 11 days ... and Tamika says the one thing activists and demonstrators cannot do is become complacent. That's one of the messages in her new book, "State of Emergency: How We Win in the Country We Built."

It's official ... Tessica Brown is now forever etched, or glued, into pop culture, now that Nicki Minaj is shouting her out on a new track, and Tessica's flattered!!!

The Harajuku Barbie just dropped her song, "Fractions" and it includes lyrics referencing the moniker Tessica will have forever... Gorilla Glue Girl. Nicki raps, "... head game slicker than little miss gorilla glue."

Pretty dope, and Tessica tells TMZ ... she thought the line was cute. She says normally she's offended if someone calls her Gorilla Glue Girl, instead of her name, but Nicki gets a pass.

She says even though Nicki didn't reach out in advance to brief her about the shout-out, she hopes to meet her in person one day.

Nicki's still working on her next album -- which Tessica says she'll cop, for sure -- and the new track is part of the "Beam Me Up Scotty" mixtape she just dropped on streaming platforms.

Kyle Richards is telling a different story about Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant tab -- claiming her nemesis didn't pull a haha prank, she straight up dined and dashed like a broke college kid.

We got Kyle and her hubby, Mauricio Umansky, leaving Craig's in WeHo Thursday night and she was asked about the story TMZ broke ... that Lisa had a waiter deliver her check to Kyle's table earlier this week at a ritzy L.A. joint.

Now, as Kyle tells it, not only did she and the 'RHOBH' executive producer she was having dinner with NOT pickup LV's meal ... Kyle claims Lisa didn't pay for it either.

Now, watch the clip ... Kyle stopped just short of calling Lisa a cheapskate, and insists she's being nothing but nice about the situation. We suspect Lisa might have something to say about that. In any event, there are now 2 sides to this story.

As we first reported ... Lisa and her husband, Ken Todd, were out for dinner earlier this week and happened to hit up the same spot where Kyle and the 'RHOBH' EP were eating.

LV instructed the server to send her $132 bill to Kyle's table because she said she had a playful relationship with the producer, but they didn't bite ... and refused to cover the expense.

Lisa told us she left a cash tip for the server, and an imprint of her credit card in case the tab wasn't picked up. Obviously, that's not what Kyle heard. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Doug Kiker, the garbage man who brought Katy Perry to tears on "American Idol," is in police custody after cops in Alabama say he was involved in a domestic violence incident.

Mobile Police lieutenant Matthew James tells TMZ ... Kiker was busted Thursday for misdemeanor domestic violence (harassment) and he's now sitting in jail on $1,000 bond.

We're told officers responded to a report of domestic violence Thursday night allegedly involving Kiker and an adult woman and she's the one who called 911. The nature of their relationship is unclear.

Cops say responding officers investigated and determined there was probable cause to arrest Kiker ... and he was hauled off to jail, where he posed for this mug shot.

Robert De Niro is headed home after suffering an injury while working on Martin Scorsese's highly-anticipated upcoming project with Leo DiCaprio.

Production sources as well as sources connected to De Niro tell us the actor hurt his leg during filming of "Killers of the Flower Moon" in Oklahoma. He boarded a flight late Thursday for his home in New York City and plans to see a doctor Friday. The extent of the injury is unclear.

As for whether it'll delay production, a source close to De Niro tells us the actor was already planning to go home for a few weeks, but a production source tells us crew members were told they'll have Friday off because of the injury ... so it's possible there were still a couple scenes for De Niro to shoot.

The Apple Original film -- based on the nonfiction book by David Grann about a series of murders in Oklahoma in the '20s -- is set to wrap late this year or early 2022. It's reportedly got a budget of around $200M with an impressive cast beyond DiCaprio and De Niro that also features Jesse Plemons and Lily Gladstone.

And, they're off ... bettors are already suing Bob Baffert over the Kentucky Derby, claiming he knowingly cheated and screwed gamblers out of serious cash.

Baffert has been hit with a class-action lawsuit by several gamblers who claim they had money on the Kentucky Derby ... and feel Baffert cheated them out of their winnings by running a "drugged horse."

As we previously reported, Baffert -- the most famous trainer in the history of the sport -- trained Medina Spirit, which won the 2021 Kentucky Derby.

After the race, Medina Spirit tested positive for the banned substance betamethasone, an anti-inflammatory steroid.

Officials are currently awaiting the results of a 2nd test (known as a split sample) to confirm the betamethasone -- those results are pending and should be released in the next few weeks.

Baffert has DENIED using the substance to gain a competitive advantage -- instead saying he believes it got into the horse's system through a skin medication prescribed by a veterinarian.

In other words, Bob insists it was an accident -- nothing intentional.

But, the gamblers ain't buyin' Bob's excuse ... and in a new lawsuit filed in federal court in California, they claim Bob is a serial doper who is part of a larger horseracing conspiracy.

The Plaintiffs claim there are conspiracies "between Baffert and other owners and or trainers to commit the above-described acts to engage in illegal gambling and/or horse doping through a pattern of racketeering activity."

"For example, on May 1, 2021, Defendants entered a doped horse, Medina Spirit, into the 147th running of The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky and won $1,860,000.00 as part of a horse-doping scheme in thoroughbred racing."

The gamblers in the lawsuit claim they had bet serious money on the horse that finished in 2nd place, Mandaloun -- and if not for Baffert's dirty horse, they would have won a fortune.

One plaintiff, Michael E. Beychok, says he bet nearly $1,000 on Mandaloun, which went off at 26 to 1 odds ... and if Mandaloun would have won the race, the payout would have been anywhere between $10,000 and $100,000.

Another plaintiff, Justin Wunderler, bet $2,000 "and would have provided a minimum potential payoff of at least $40,000."

"Plaintiff Wunderler’s wagers would have won, but for the illegal, drug-induced win by Medina Spirit. Thus, Plaintiff Wunderler is entitled to bring a civil action against Defendants."

There are more plaintiffs involved with similar stories ... and attorneys are actively looking for more angry bettors to join the suit.

Gary Owen's estranged wife is seeking a steady flow of cash from the comedian as they head toward divorce ... and she claims he's rolling in the dough and wants a piece of the action.

Kenya Duke just filed legal docs asking for spousal support from Gary ... and she's looking for a nice chunk of change.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, Kenya wants $44,000 a month in spousal support ... she claims it's the amount Gary would normally deposit in her account to pay credit cards and finance her personal spending.

In the docs, Kenya says Gary left her with no choice but to request spousal support. Kenya claims she left her promising career to support Gary and his dreams. She claims their monthly income has been between $200,000 and $400,000 and never dipped below $100k, even during the pandemic.

And, get this ... in the docs, Kenya claims it's not uncommon for Gary to have $300,000 to $600,000 worth of uncashed checks from his stand-up shows just sitting around. She says he just deposits the big checks whenever he decides.

Mel B appears beaten, broken and trapped in a disturbing new video made to raise domestic violence awareness, and it has some people drawing connections to the singer's past.

The Spice Girls singer co-stars in the short film, "Love Should Not Hurt" by classical composer Fabio D’Andrea. Mel plays the role of a woman seemingly living a wonderful life in a mansion out in the country -- but behind closed doors, she's being battered and held captive by her partner ... played by Sam Mackay.

At the end of the short film, Mel's character -- shown with a bruised and bleeding face -- attempts to flee ... as alarming statistics about women being subjected to physical or sexual violence are displayed.

Though it's not explicitly suggested, Mel B's appearance in this video -- a collaboration with the UK org., Women’s Aid -- elicits an alleged violent chapter of her life with ex-husband, Stephen Belafonte.

Mel, who split from Belafonte in 2017, claimed he abused her throughout their 10-year marriage and previously described it as a "reign of terror."

Target says it's now OUT of the sports card business -- for the foreseeable future, at least -- this just days after the extreme demand for boxes led to violence at a store near Milwaukee.

The company says it will no longer sell popular baseball, football, basketball, hockey and Pokemon cards in its establishments ... claiming it's all "out of an abundance of caution" for its employees and customers.

It all appears to be a drastic response to a fight that broke out outside of a Target store in Brookfield, WI on May 7.

Cops say several people were involved in a scuffle in the parking lot after an argument over cards ... with things escalating so quickly, FOUR people were eventually arrested over it.

Similar events have happened at Targets all over the country ... as the demand for cardboard pieces has SOARED during the pandemic.

So, Target says it's now pulling out of the game to protect everyone involved ... issuing a statement this week explaining the sales of cards will stop in-store, though they'll continue to go forward online.

Target had already implemented several rules and regulations -- including limiting the number of boxes per customer -- to try to slow down drama ... but clearly, it feels this is the next necessary step.

Of course, the trading card company has lost its mind during COVID-19 lockdowns ... rare items that were previously selling for 5 or 6 figures are now selling easily for MILLIONS.

Even just unopened small boxes of cards that Target supplied were being flipped for hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars.

Mary Carey is gunning to become the next governor of California again ... and her campaign's gonna be all about M.I.L.Fs.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, the ex-porn star filed paperwork to enter the race for Governor of California ... joining a crowded field that already includes another celeb ... Caitlyn Jenner.

Mary tells TMZ ... she's hitting the campaign trail at strip clubs across the Golden State, where she'll be getting voter signatures for what she's dubbed her M.I.L.F campaign.

Mary says M.I.L.F is short for Moderates and Independents for Liberation and Freedom ... and she's calling it a grassroots movement to stop what she sees as an oppressive CA government driving families and businesses out of state due to "insane" taxes and regs.

Terrence Howard's hired some big legal guns to wrestle with producers of his new movie, "Triumph" ... claiming they don't have his consent to use him in the film, which has already been released -- and that's a problem.

TMZ's obtained a cease and desist letter sent by Howard's legal team to employees at Cinemark, Digital Ignition Entertainment, Argonaut Entertainment Partners and others, alleging the actor's name, image and likeness have been used in connection with the feature film without his permission.

According to the letter, signed by attorney Michael Saltz ... Howard's involvement with the movie -- which co-stars RJ Mitte of "Breaking Bad" playing a high school wrestler with cerebral palsy -- was "conditioned upon the satisfaction of material monetary and non-monetary promises made by the producers, which never happened."

Howard's attorneys claim these producers acknowledged as recently as April 15 that Howard's consent had not been obtained and "Triumph" could not come out until they got a signed release ... but the movie was theatrically released on April 30 anyway.

On top of that, Howard's heavily featured in promos for the film ... which makes sense since he plays the wrestling coach.

The letter goes on to threaten Argonaut with legal action if it continues involving Howard with "distribution, advertising, promotion, and/or exhibition of 'Triumph' in any manner" ... claiming it's a violation of his publicity rights.

Digital Ignition Entertainment tells us, "The producers made this film with a mission to help advance awareness of Cerebral Palsy and to do our part to promote inclusion in film.  We couldn’t be more proud of the job our cast and crew did to highlight the remarkable accomplishments of the writer of the film, who has Cerebral Palsy, and the lead actor of the film, RJ Mitte, who is also diagnosed with cerebral palsy."

Jake Paul is just a clout chaser going after easy fights to look cool ... so says ex-UFC champ Tyron Woodley, who tells TMZ Sports he's more than happy to put the YouTube superstar in his place with a violent beatdown!!!

Of course, The Chosen One is super tight with Paul's most recent victim, Ben Askren ... and even acted as his cornerman at Triller Fight Club last month.

Now that Paul's working on getting his next opponent, Woodley tells us he believes the guy's too scared to fight anyone he could actually lose to ... calling the 24-year-old a "culture vulture" for his wild antics.

"Jake Paul is -- well we kinda recognize he came from Disney, we expect him to be like this little f***ing macho macho man that he's playing, but he keeps calling out everybody but me," Woodley says.

"I'm the one with the real smoke with you."

The former welterweight champ added Jake will do anything to make headlines ... and says his "gotcha hat" moment with Floyd Mayweather stole the shine from his bigger bro, Logan.

"They just culture vultures. Like he'll vulch the juice from his own damn flesh and blood ... My dogs don't move like that."

Woodley says it's clear Paul picks low-hanging fruit to save his image as a boxing badass ... but if he wants to go up against a REAL fighter, Tyron's his guy

"Come and get this smoke for real. I'm in and I can actually find him. People that keep talking about fighting him, they're not even in position to fight him. I can actually fight him. I can fight him tomorrow if I want to."

But, it's not all talk -- Woodley tells us he's dead serious about fighting Paul ... and wants it to happen ASAP.

New York City native Glenn Scarpelli was only 14 years old when he landed the life-changing role as the young son Alex Handris -- who stayed on for 60 episodes from 1980 to 1983 -- on the long-running family comedy "One Day at a Time."

Scarpelli was cast alongside some iconic actors including Bonnie Franklin as the busy mother, Ann Romano, and Valerie Bertinelli and Mackenzie Phillips as the two teen daughters, Barbara and Julie ... and of course Pat Harrington Jr. as slapstick super, Dwayne F. Schneider.