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Reverend Jesse Jackson and his wife, Jacqueline, are in the hospital due to COVID-19 -- a worrisome update, especially considering his health problems ... and the fact he's vaccinated.

The civil rights leader's organization, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, broke the news Saturday ... saying the Jacksons were admitted to Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after contracting the virus. Their conditions are unknown, but they're being monitored closely.

The org also notes ... anyone's who's been around them in the last 5-6 days should quarantine and get tested, per CDC guidelines. Not much else was provided as far as updates -- but their son, Jonathan, says the family will release info accordingly.

Like we said -- Mr. Jackson (and presumably, Mrs. Jackson too) is vaccinated ... he actually got the jab way back in January, doing so publicly and broadcasting as a way to encourage the Black community and others to get inoculated early and often ... and to quell hesitation.

Rev. Jackson has had other health issues lately -- he was hospitalized shortly after getting the vaccine for abdominal pain and underwent surgery. He's also battling Parkinson's.

Sha'Carri Richardson's return to the race track wasn't quite as glorious as she'd hoped -- she came in last place against some of the same women she'd beat a couple months ago.

The U.S. sprinter -- who was disqualified from competing in this summer's Tokyo Olympics -- took her mark Saturday for the Prefontaine Classic at the University of Oregon ... where she was set to race in the women's 100-meter dash against 8 others, including three of the Jamaican Olympians who took gold, silver and bronze during the games in her absence.

When the gun went off, everyone was hurdling down the track ... but it quickly became clear that Sha'Carri was falling behind ... and not just the Jamaican runners, but everyone else too.

She ended up coming in 9th place with a time of 11.14 seconds ... which many people weren't expecting. BTW, the Jamaican athletes ran the table again here for 1st, 2nd and 3rd -- with Elaine Thompson-Herah finishing on top with a new record at 10.54 seconds.

No matter, though -- because Sha'Carri got ahead of the criticism.

In a post-race interview with NBC ... she made it quite clear, in spirited terms, that she wasn't "done" ... and that she couldn't care less what haters have to say. She also said this is one race, and that it doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things for her future competing.

Of course, cruel as ever ... the Internet was still quick to make jokes about her placement, which is very interesting. Sha'Carri almost became a hero when she was banned for smoking pot -- but now ... it seems people are all too happy to see her so-called "downfall." 🤔

Drake is stirring the pot again on his rap beef with Kanye West -- taking a new shot at the guy in a song he just dropped with Trippie Redd ... and it might be the ultimate insult.

The rapper is featured on TR's new track, "Betrayal," and at one point in Drizzy's verse, he brings up Mr. West by name ... acknowledging that they are, indeed, still apparently beefing -- while also going so far as to call Kanye "burnt out" ... and noting it's irrelevant to him.

Here's how the Kanye bar goes ... "All these fools I'm beefin' that I barely know // Forty-five, forty-four (Burned out), let it go // Ye ain't changin' s*** for me, it's set in stone." He adds ... "Rollin' stones, heavy stones (PinkGrillz) // Precious stone, let me make my presence known."

The "Ye" reference could possibly be interpreted as "they" or "you" -- but based on Drake touching Kanye's exact age (44) ... it seems clear he meant the former with some clever word play. The folks over at Genius heard it too ... they wrote out the lyric as "Ye."

Now, for some analysis -- as to why Drake is randomly bringing up Kanye again after years have passed since they beefed, with Pusha T in the mix, is anyone's guess at this point.

However, some people have a theory on these old foes -- there's been speculation of late that Kanye is, perhaps, trying to set up his "Donda" release so that it lines up with Drake's "Certified Lover Boy" album ... which he's on record as saying would be out by the end of summer at the latest. That's just a few weeks away ... and neither project has dropped.

There's no evidence to prove it one way or another ... but the fact that Kanye continues to delay the release date -- with seemingly no end in sight -- is curious in this context. That, coupled with the fact that Drake's going after him anew, is even more eyebrow-raising.

In any case, we're always here for some new beef. And, if it means more music from these two in the process ... we'll take it and then some. Ball's in your court, Ye (we think).

Amerie was jokingly compared to a Kardashian sister -- and despite the obvious playful intent ... the internet is NOT playing when it comes to this side-by-side.

A tweet went viral Saturday, with a user posting Amerie's 2005 music video for her hit single "1 Thing," which was featured on the "Hitch" soundtrack back in the day. His caption is what set all the outrage off, writing ... "Kourtney Kardashian had the block hot with this hit."

Pretty innocent, right??? Eh, apparently not ... folks were jumping down this dude's throat in fierce defense of Amerie, with a lot of people echoing the same sentiment ... namely, don't do her like that. And, by that, they seem to mean ... don't compare her to a Kardashian.

Of course, you can see what the guy was going for -- because, yes, in this specific video (and perhaps more generally) mid-2000s Amerie does, in fact, bear a passing resemblance to Kourt, especially in some of these shots. You might even call them doppelgangers. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Unclear what all the online hostility is toward the juxtaposition ... but a lot of Twitter users seem to have found this "disrespectful." There may be a race element at play -- Amerie is Black/Korean, while Kourtney is white/Armenian. Plus, the Kardashians have a history of being accused of cultural appropriation -- Black culture, specifically -- so that might be a factor.

And yet, in spite of all the people who took this a little too seriously ... some are taking it in stride and running with the joke -- noting the two ladies have some striking similarities (especially when compared to young Kourtney). So, a mixed bag of reactions, it seems.

At any rate, the one thing people appear to agree on is this ... Amerie was a major trendsetter in her day, and apparently hasn't gotten the attention/notoriety many believe she's due.

She's got four studio albums out, and despite reports in the early 2010s that she was working on a 5th, it never seems to have come to fruition -- and Amerie kinda fell off the music scene after that.

That's not to say she's not doing anything productive these days. Amerie has quite a popular book club that she's started -- this after publishing a NYT bestseller herself -- and she's plugging along with that pretty nicely ... plus, dealing with family life and her kids.

Gervonta Davis just, miraculously, walked away from a plane crash relatively unscathed -- and it sounds like what's hurting him the most in the aftermath are his feet ... and his caboose.

The professional boxer went live Saturday to document a terrifying encounter he says he and his crew had just gone through after boarding a private jet ... which apparently failed to properly take off and crash landed back down to the airport grounds it was trying to leave.

Thankfully, it doesn't appear the aircraft got very far up before coming back down to Earth -- because Gervonta and co. seemed more or less okay ... with their health and bodies intact.

That's not to say Gervonta wasn't feeling some hurt afterwards -- on his live feed, he noted that his booty was aching like no other ... this while he wrapped his feet in gauze. He's pretty jovial about the whole thing, which is great to see, but this could've easily been way worse.

GD also gets some shots of the downed plane, and it sure looks like something went wrong internally. There were also fire engines that showed up on the scene to evaluate the damage and tend to anyone's injuries. Again, though, most everyone seems to be fine ... which is absolutely incredible, because it appears there were even children aboard, based on a photo Gervonta posted shortly before getting on. His video doesn't capture any kids, though.

It's unclear what exactly caused the malfunction -- but you can hear Gervonta and his friends speculate on what happened ... seems like there might've been some overheating of some sort. They also appear to be discussing some of the flight maneuvers the pilot(s) were using in the air ... and the group seems to think that may have attributed to it going down.

We're trying to get a hold of Gervonta's team for more answers.

OnlyFans banning hardcore content will bite 'em in the ass, 'cause it's a tell-tale sign of selling out ... so says a guy whose porn star fiancee cleaned up there once upon a time.

We got "No Jumper" podcaster/host Adam22 Friday in L.A. and asked for his thoughts on OF nixing explicit material going forward ... something his baby mama, Lena the Plug, was posting on her own page in recent months -- and who often features Adam in her shoots.

Adam says it's a shame OnlyFans is getting rid of their best feature ... he seems to think it might be the end of the platform as it once was -- while also speculating that another competitor can swoop in right now and pick up all the creators who might jump ship.

The dude also tells us it's a mainstream move to bow to their corporate partners ... calling it exploitative to have built a rep on sex content, but then turn it off on a dime when they feel pressure from up high.

He calls it soaking in the clout, only to pull the rug out from under-sex workers ... which he considers screwed up, to say the least. Bottom line -- Adam thinks OF will become just like any other premium content platform now ... like Patreon or any number of sites like it. And, he suggests that he and Lena (plus thousands of others) might take their business elsewhere.

Now, we should make a point of clarification -- because while straight banging won't be allowed on OF anymore ... it seems people can still get naked on there if they so please.

Mississippi health officials seem to be dumbfounded they have to say this, but they're doing it regardless -- because people are dumb ... ingesting a livestock drug to battle COVID.

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs had to say as much this week during a press call, where he and others were forced to address the soaring number of people there who are apparently ingesting ivermectin at an alarming rate ... all in an effort to ward off the virus.

Local reports say that the majority of poison control calls in Mississippi lately -- a whopping 70%, no less -- are related to folks calling for advice after having taken ivermectin as some sort of COVID remedy. Supposedly, these are people looking for alternatives to the vaccine.

BTW, this drug is usually for livestock (like cows/horses) ... and it's made to fight off parasites that grow in their gut, like worms and whatnot. There have been instances where humans have also been prescribed ivermectin for similar purposes, but in way smaller doses.

As Dr. Dobbs notes in his remarks, taking ivermectin straight out of a box you might find at an animal feed or farm supply store can be VERY toxic and even kill you ... so, it goes without saying, that he doesn't recommend it -- and instead, suggests people just vaxx up.

Speaking of these stores, a photo was circulating this week purportedly showing a shop in Mississippi hawking ivermectin ... and apparently encouraging customers to stock up. It's unclear how exactly this quack treatment started making the rounds, but it looks like many are well aware of it, and a portion of them are even giving it a go with bad results.

Even the FDA had to step in and say something about this ... they tweeted out a direct warning against taking ivermectin, wisely noting that we humans are not cows or horses.

Ben Affleck and J Lo took yet another step forward Friday night, as they took their brood to learn about the Constitution and the Founding Fathers ... AKA "Hamilton."

Ben and Jen were out in Hollywood, along with Affleck's daughters, Violet and Seraphina, and J Lo's kids, Max and Emme. Ben's 9-year-old son, Samuel, didn't come along for the ride.

They took a trek to the Pantages Theatre ... giving other theatre-goers a choice ... watch the play or do some rubbernecking in their seats to catch a glimpse of Ben and Jen.

Also along for the ride ... Ben's mom. We know Ben has spent time with J Lo's mom, Guadalupe, when they were in Vegas, so now the circle is complete.

It seems only a matter of time until they seal the deal. They're already looking for houses -- who are we kidding, massive estates -- as they house-hunt all over L.A.

Ben took his 3 kids to the Century City Mall earlier in the day ... so Friday was mingle-with-the-crowds day in L.A.

J Lo is clearly making L.A. home base. She already has a house in Bel Air, and she's been looking at schools for her kids ... including the school that Seraphina attends.

J Lo and Ben have been inseparable since hooking back up a few months back. They sailed the seas of Europe last month to celebrate J Lo's 52nd birthday. This week they reunited after Ben's 49th.

This is undeniably on the fast track.

The Taliban is rubbing America's nose in the mess left behind in Afghanistan -- and they're doing so with a massive troll move ... recreating an iconic war photo, for their own purposes.

A Taliban military unit that calls themselves the Badri 313 Battalion put out a ton of propaganda footage this week -- showing a bunch of these guys rocking what appears to be American uniforms and gear left behind in the chaos from the past few weeks.

They're out there patrolling the streets in fatigues that are eerily similar to what U.S. soldiers have worn in the area ... only now, the Taliban seems to have gotten ahold of it. The B313B boys also have rifles in hand, and they're also using jeeps that seem to be American too.

That's not the worst of it though -- in what appears to be a total F-U to the USA, the battalion also posted a photo of them raising a Taliban flag ... in the same style as the shot of American troops raising the U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi in Iwo Jima during WWII.

There doesn't seem to be a caption attached, but the message couldn't be more clear ... they see this as them claiming victory in the region, which is exactly what this pic has gone on to represent in our history. It's a slap in the face, really ... an audacious one at that.

BTW, what you're seeing here as far as artillery and weaponry and whatnot being used by the Taliban is just a taste of what's said to be part of a total estimate of about $28 billion worth of gear we'd sent to Afghan army forces dating back to the early 2000s.

Britney Spears' dogs fell seriously ill with one close to death, and her housekeeper believed the only way to save the animals was an emergency trip to the vet, which turned into the dogs being kept away from Britney entirely ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... one of Britney's two dogs has serious digestive issues and both dogs were supposed to be fed a special type of food. We're told the housekeeper became alarmed when she saw the dogs regularly being fed table scraps ... causing the pets to become very sick, especially the one with digestive issues.

The housekeeper also said both dogs were dehydrated from a lack of water ... which ultimately caused her to take them to the vet.

Our sources say after examining the dogs, the vet was alarmed, and Britney's dog sitter decided it would be best if she cared for the dogs instead of Britney.

As we reported ... Britney's dogs never came home after the vet visit, and she suspected her dad, Jamie Spears, had something to do with their disappearance. She called the cops August 10 and was prepared to file a theft report over the pooches, but changed her mind.

TMZ broke the story, the dogs' whereabouts triggered a heated argument Monday between Britney and the housekeeper ... during which we're told the housekeeper showed Britney cell phone photos she'd taken of the sick dogs.

Our sources said Britney became enraged, believing the housekeeper was sending the pics to Jamie Spears. She allegedly grabbed for the phone and, according to the housekeeper, struck her arm in the process. The housekeeper filed a police report for battery. We're told Britney denies touching the housekeeper ... and that all she did was grab the phone.

As of Friday afternoon, the dogs were still not back at Britney's home and the police investigation had not wrapped. The police findings will eventually be sent to the district attorney's office to review the matter for possible misdemeanor battery charges.

The New England Patriots logo will be a symbol of much-needed relief for earthquake-ravaged Haiti ... the team's plane is heading to the island with medical supplies and doctors.

The 767 jet was loaded up Saturday morning at Logan International Airport in Boston, and is about to go wheels up ... carrying thousands of items like IV fluid and bags, oxygen masks, surgical supplies, hospital beds, sterilizers and generators. Just as importantly, it's carrying 2 orthopedic surgeons, 3 physicians and a nurse to assist victims in the wake of the 7.2 earthquake and a tropical storm. More than 2,100 have died and millions are injured or without shelter.

Build Health International coordinated the relief items, and team owner Robert Kraft donated the jet to transport the supplies. Additionally, we're told the Kraft family is donating drinking water, surgical masks and PPE that includes N95 masks and face shields.

These missions are becoming just as common for the Patriots as Super Bowl victories. You'll recall, the team jet was used in May to fly COVID vaccines to Central America ... and last year the Kraft family sent it to China to bring back tons of N95 masks to the U.S.

Kanye West is sending smoke signals that he's zeroing in on his album release, by posting a pic of the house he grew up in.

Ye displayed a photo of his childhood home on the South Side of Chicago. You'll recall, it's the house he bought last year for $225,000.

As for the clue -- well, the album is titled "Donda," an homage to his late mother, so it would seem he's telegraphing the album is, at the very least, top of mind.

The album was supposed to be released last month, but that date was moved to early August but still, no album. Fact is ... that's SOP for Kanye.

For whatever reason, Kanye scrubbed his entire Instagram page ... so all you get is the house photo. It's unclear why he did this ... maybe to really profile the pic and send some sort of message that the album is near.

He's been tinkering with the album ever since the first unveiling at the listening party in Atlanta for friends and fam back in July.

The first listening party broke the Apple Music Global Livestream record with 3.3 million viewers.

Kim has been really supportive ... showing up at both listening parties and wearing the same color outfit as her estranged husband.

They also had lunch together this week, so it seems the divorce is super amicable.

Bill Maher took a subject that, on the surface, doesn't seem debatable, and he then tore it apart ... Apple announcing it would scan customers' phones for child porn.

The "Real Time" host was incredulous ... calling it a shocking breach of privacy. Mind you, he was not pro child porn, but he said there's a much bigger issue. A phone, he argued, is no different than a wallet or a purse. No one would argue those items are fair game for others to peruse, so what's the different between a wallet and a phone?

He did get something wrong ... he called it a "blatant Constitutional breach" and a violation of the 4th Amendment's guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. Fact is ... that only applies to government intrusions -- not private companies. Nevertheless, we get the point.

Bill then went on to make a larger point ... the damage smart phones do to our society. As he says, "They turn people into assholes."

Adam Levine's lost it!!! Well, for a sec anyway 'cause he forgot the lyrics to "She Will Be Loved" ... and everyone got a kick out of it.

So, here's what happened ... "Maroon 5" had a show Thursday in Milwaukee at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater. Adam was sweet-talking the ladies -- and gents -- before crooning his 2002 banger off his debut album "Songs About Jane."

Adam quickly realized he mistakenly sang the SECOND verse first. He tried ignoring the hiccup but then ... he screwed up AGAIN. 😅

The crowd actually enjoyed the blunder... but Adam stopped the show and confessed ... "I f***ed up!!!" He told the crowd it's the first time he's EVER screwed up the famous track, which btw, celebrates its 20th anniversary next year.

BTW ... before anyone starts throwing stones -- Adam's show followed strict COVID-19 protocols as concertgoers had to either be fully vaccinated or show a negative COVID test.

Britney Spears is now the subject of a criminal battery investigation over a dispute with her housekeeper, and Mike Richards may be the shortest-lived game show host in game show history. So, we gotta ask ...

"FBOY Island" villain Garrett Morosky is out to make even more enemies ... 'cause he's calling out Jake Paul for a boxing match -- dubbing it "The Battle of the F***boys."

Garrett had an infamous run on the hit reality dating show ... and if you haven't seen it yet, we won't spoil it for ya -- but just trust us on this one.

Now that he's off the island, Morosky has changed his focus from breaking hearts to breaking the YouTube superstar's face ... telling us he wants to be Paul's next opponent in the ring after his Tyron Woodley fight next week.

While Morosky started off complimentary of Jake's accomplishments in the sport ... he quickly changed his tune when he brought up the possibility of stepping in the ring with the 4-0 fighter.

"I'll still beat the f*** out of him," Morosky tells TMZ Sports. "I'll still beat his ass."

He unloads some even more brutal smack talk ... name-dropping Jake's on-and-off GF Julia Rose in the process.

As for his fighting experience, Morosky says he's been in about 3 college bar brawls in his life ... and claims he's never lost!!

But, the dude understands that things are totally different in the ring, and he's dead serious about getting the training he needs to be able to compete with Jake.