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Henry Winkler is applauding legendary producer Norman Lear for making an enormous impact on America's TV landscape, and even bigger ... on American society.

Being a TV icon himself, "The Fonz" joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and admitted it's not easy to find the right words to describe someone like Norman, who accomplished so much in life, with "grace, intelligence, and fun."

Henry shared an anecdote about Norman's 101st birthday party, where someone asked how he felt about reaching that age, and he wittily responded ... "Not as good as I'll be at 102!"

His point being, Norman -- who passed away Tuesday -- was always a forward-thinking guy, who used his art to help Americans see the best and worst in themselves ... tackling topics like homosexuality, racism, the Vietnam War and women's rights -- which had never been done before on TV.

As for Henry ... well, his memoir, "Being Henry: The Fonz ... and Beyond," is approaching one month on the New York Times Bestseller list -- and after 50 years in showbiz, he told us why he's just now discovering his true self.

Turns out the new coupling of T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach's exes isn't as random as you might think ... as they actually posted a selfie together 7 years before going official.

In Dec. 2016, T.J.'s ex-wife Marilee Fiebig shared an IG snap with Amy's ex-husband Andrew Shue ... acknowledging in the caption it was great to catch up with Amy and her man, as both couples didn't hang out as much as they'd like.

Funny enough, Amy even commented on the pic back in the day, writing, "❤️ this!"

Of course, we all now know that Amy would go on to find ❤️ with Marilee's husband T.J. ... with their romance coming to light in Nov 2022 -- sensationally costing them their TV jobs.

However, both their exes called BS ... saying they had found out about their romance in the summer of 2022.

Nevertheless, Marilee and Andrew are clearly focusing on the future ... with news emerging earlier this week, they've been dating for 6 months after bonding over their divorces from the hosts.

The man convicted in the murder of Drew Carey's ex-fiancee was just sentenced to spend the rest of his days behind bars ... more than 3 years after she fell to her death.

Gareth Pursehouse was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Wednesday after he was convicted of killing Dr. Amie Harwick ... where a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder with a special circumstance allegation after a trial in September.

Prosecutors alleged he broke into Harwick's home in February of 2020 and waited for her to return before attacking ... and ultimately threw her off a third-story balcony.

The prosecution said his crime stemmed from not being able to get over their prior relationship -- which had ended years ago. Interestingly, Harwick had apparently expressed fear to friends and confidantes over Pursehouse not long before she died.

Pursehouse's defense team acknowledged in court he had, in fact, illegally entered Harwick's house that night -- but argued that he never intended to kill her ... claiming Harwick might've climbed over the balcony herself and fell on her own, noting the prosecution hadn't definitively proven their client was the one who threw her off. Obviously, the jury disagreed.

TMZ broke the story ... Pursehouse was arrested quickly after Harwick's death, and investigators pinpointed him as the prime suspect with the help of surveillance video.

Former NFL safety Sergio Brown is fighting back in his murder case this week ... pleading not guilty to charges that he killed his mom and concealed her body afterward.

According to a spokesperson for the Cook County State's Attorney's Office, Brown entered the pleas before an Illinois judge on Wednesday.

He's now due back for another hearing in the case late next month.

As we previously reported, Brown was first hit with one charge of first-degree murder and one count of concealment of a dead body back in October ... after officials claimed he killed his 73-year-old mom in Maywood in September and dumped her body near a creek behind her home.

Authorities alleged that following the killing, Brown hightailed it to Mexico -- where he was seen partying and dancing seemingly without a care in the world at a Tulum club.

Brown was eventually extradited and arrested ... and later transported to Illinois to face the charges.

Diddy's just been hit with a slew of new heinous allegations ... from an anonymous accuser who says she was still in high school when he, and others, sex trafficked her and gang raped her.

The lawsuit, filed by Jane Doe in federal court, alleges she met Bad Boy Entertainment President Harve Pierre in 2003 in the Detroit area, where Pierre allegedly called her "hot," dropped Diddy's name and invited her to jump on a private jet to go meet the mogul. The accuser says she was a 17-year-old, still in the 11th grade, when this meeting happened.

She says she accepted the invitation and ended up in NYC, where she met Diddy in a studio -- there was a recording session going on -- and she claims he invited her to sit in his lap ... and then they began plying her with drugs and alcohol.

The accuser included photos of that studio meeting in the lawsuit ... and you do see someone sitting on his lap. She's blurred her face in the images.

She says everything's a blur after that, but she remembers Diddy taking her into a bathroom where he penetrated her from behind as she was bent over a sink. She says she didn't consent to having sex. The accuser also claims Pierre and another man who she doesn't name ... also had forced sex with her during this night in the studio.

She claims she ended up in the fetal position on the bathroom floor -- and was eventually escorted out of the studio and flown back to Michigan.

This accuser says she suffered silently for 20 years, and although she knew speaking out would be difficult ... but felt confidence after seeing Cassie and several other women share similar allegations against Diddy.

The suit alleges Diddy violated NY State's Victims of Gender-Motivated-Violence Protection Law ... which has expanded the statute of limitations.

Diddy reacted swiftly to the filing, telling TMZ ... "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. For the last couple of weeks, I have sat silently and watched people try to assassinate my character, destroy my reputation and my legacy.

Flo Rida's performance at iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball Detroit brought good feelings out for Flavor Flav, surprising the crowd as Flo's hype man and running into an old friend backstage ... his 'Flavor of Love' Season 1 winner Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander!!!

The animated rap legend joined Flo for "Club Can't Handle Me" ... which ended in jolly fashion with Flo being carried off stage by a beastly Santa Claus.

A rep for Flav tells us he still has one more stop on the iHeart Jingle Ball Tour after making cameos in both Detroit and L.A.

As for his reunion, we're told Flav follows Hoopz on social media and loves watching her updates, but he hasn’t seen her in person in years ... neither planned on running into the other at the Jingle Ball.

As you can see in the video, the two were excited to hang -- they remixed the song "Hey Mickey" to insert Nicole's name in the lyrics ... a little inside joke from their past.

It appears Morgan Wallen is chasing Josie Canseco like a shot of whiskey -- the country superstar was spotted entering a London hotel and restaurant with the ex-MLB slugger's daughter this week ... and TMZ Sports has the pics.

The "Last Night" crooner and model arrived at the Chiltern Firehouse around 1 AM Tuesday morning ... and sources say they stayed there for about two hours before leaving in the same Mercedes Sprinter van.

We're told the two were having a great time ... laughing and smiling throughout their visit.

Morgan showed up to the venue in a green jacket, trucker hat and signature cowboy boots ... and Jose Canseco's kid donned an all-black ensemble.

It's unclear whether the two are really "dating," as neither follow each other on Instagram ... but perhaps they were trying to keep from having a paper trail.

Morgan has a son, Indigo Wilder, with his ex-fiancée, Katie Smith ... and has been pretty lowkey in the dating world following their split, outside of brief relationships with Paige Lorenze and Megan Moroney.

As for Josie, she famously dated guys like Mike Stud, Brody Jenner and Logan Paul ... but appears to be single at the moment.

2:26 PM PT -- Grace Jabbari's cross-examination continued this afternoon, and attorney Priya Chaudhry continued to question Jabbari's alcohol consumption -- including during the day/night in question. Chaudhry also asked why some injuries didn't appear as prominent when she finally got with cops ... and Jabbari said she'd cleaned herself up a bit after arriving at his place that night.

One highlight during cross ... Chaudhry attempted to ask Jabbari about the suicide of an ex-boyfriend of hers, and that made Jabbari burst into tears and require a break. Chaudhry went on to ask her questions about her visa status ... and also asked if she'd seen the security videos/photos of her partying that night -- to which Jabbari accused Chaudhry of "posting."

It appears today's court session is wrapping, and Jabbari's cross should continue tomorrow.

10:50 AM PT -- Grace Jabbari's cross-examination got underway this afternoon -- and right out the gate, Jonathan Majors' defense attorney Priya Chaudhry tried to paint the alleged victim as someone who was constantly feuding with her ex, and who had problems with alcohol to boot.

Chaudhry is reported to have asked a series of questions about her knowledge of Majors' background -- professional or otherwise -- and whether she once had a photo album of Majors' pics ... although it's unclear how Jabbari responded to these. Chaudhry also apparently spent a fair amount of time asking Jabbari about her trial prep with prosecutors, and whether she'd been instructed on pre-determined answers ... which Jabbari denied.

Chaudhry is also reported to have asked quite a bit about Jabbari's past drinking habits -- including whether she was downing a lot of booze during the night in question ... not to mention other times Jabbari might've resorted to alcohol throughout her relationship with JM.

Chaudhry appears to have gotten Jabbari to acknowledge she would, at times, resort to drinking during arguments with Majors. She hasn't gotten to the night in question yet, but Chaudhry is working her way there. They're on a lunch break now, and her cross-examination will continue later this afternoon.

Jonathan Majors' assault trial is heading into its third day and his accuser, Grace Jabbari, will be back on the stand -- but this time his attorney will have a chance to grill her about the alleged attack.

The actor's ex-girlfriend -- who is the prosecution's star witness in the case -- is all set for cross-examination from the defense Wednesday ... this after testifying Tuesday about her POV of the incident that's landed them in court.

Most notably, Jabbari backed prosecutors' assertion she was victimized that fateful night in March -- when Majors was arrested and ultimately charged with assault and harassment.

Early Wednesday, she testified she'd taken 2 over-the-counter sleeping tablets on the evening of the alleged assault. She says that's why she ended up asleep, and half-naked on the bathroom floor at Jonathan's apartment -- and when she woke up, police were standing over her and she could hear Jonathan in the adjacent room.

He's pled not guilty, and this entire time ... he and his attorneys have insisted he was the one who was attacked that night -- not the other way around. Prosecutors, however, told a different story in their opening statement ... insisting Jabbari had been in an abusive relationship with the guy, which boiled over in brutality in a private car they were in.

Jabbari reiterated that while on the stand, telling her side of the story by explaining she caught JM texting another woman and confronted him about it -- snatching his phone away, and then claiming he roughed her up in an attempt to get it back. She also testified that when she tried to flee the car, he grabbed her and threw her inside again ... something that was reportedly depicted in surveillance video that the prosecution played for jurors in court.

After their squabble ... Jabbari says she went to a party with strangers she'd just met in an attempt to take her mind off things -- and while she's appeared uninjured in photos and videos showing her at the club, GB testified she was actually hurt and licking her wounds.

There were other bombshell moments during her 1st day on the stand, including a recording she'd once taken of Majors during an argument -- in which he apparently called upon her to be more like Coretta Scott King and Michelle Obama, while shouting "I'm a great man!"

Jabbari also claimed Majors had been aggressive with her in the past, including one alleged time when she says he lost it on her after she brought up her ex-boyfriend's doggo.

Majors remained stone-faced during Jabbari's testimony, which will now pivot to her being questioned by his defense attorneys -- who will undoubtedly try to pick apart her story.

At some point, prosecutors will presumably call other witnesses -- including the driver of their private car that night ... who would be the only material, and presumably unbiased, witness to Majors and Jabbari's conflict.

Cardi B's already making a New Year's resolution, promising to drop all "dead weight" in her life -- a vow that comes on the heels of unfollowing her husband Offset on Instagram. 🤔

Cardi recently told her followers on IG Live they should not wait for 2024 to change their lives because that's exactly what she's doing.

Of course, the outspoken NY rapper used much spicier language while explaining her rationale, saying she's "taking that s**t to the f**king heart!"

Cardi also vowed to make adjustments to her music career and personal life, pointing out that she knows where she wants to be.

Then, as she got emotional, Cardi said, "You gotta rid of dead weight, and when it comes to dead weight ... I'll say mentality, procrastination, laziness and people. A lot of people are dead weight, too."

She added, "Next year is gonna be all about me."

Cardi's blunt statements come one day after she and Offset unfollowed one another on their respective IG platforms. Clearly, there's trouble in paradise between the hip hop couple, but it's unclear what the issue is.

She clearly alluded to marital problems on Monday as she posted, "You know when you just out grow relationships." Cardi also added, "I'm tired of protecting peoples feelings...I GOTTA PUT MYSELF FIRST."

Then Offset posted a famous clip from the 1983 film, "Scarface," that suggests he's the brains behind all their achievements.

These ain't even subliminal, at this point, folks.

It is interesting, though, that they're not calling each other out by name. Not yet.

Jennifer Lopez was dangerously close to going topless at a Hollywood event -- if that grabs your attention, then you're just like her husband ... who was loving her outfit!

J Lo appeared Tuesday night at the ELLE Women in Hollywood Awards in L.A. -- alongside Ben Affleck -- and her top appeared to be nothing but a breastplate that covered just enough to keep things legal.

It was certainly a fashion statement ... and like we said, BA appeared to dig the look -- 'cause he was packing on the PDA with his wife, whispering sweet-nothings into her ear and smooching her in front of cameras.

Now, as far as what sort of hardware was given to her inside ... Jen received another Icon Award, and she even gave a moving speech reflecting on her status in showbiz.

Jennifer said while she might not have any of the prestigious accolades a lot of A-listers in this town have hanging on their walls -- from Oscars to Grammys and everything in between -- she still felt like she'd left an impact with her art and work ... and the crowd agreed.

Speaking of her bona fides ... J Lo has a new album coming out on Feb. 16 -- it's called "This Is Me ... Now," and it marks her 9th studio project. Her lead single, "Can't Get Enough" is getting released early next month, so she ain't done cranking out content just yet.

Taylor Swift was asked about grouchy NFL fans who feel like there's way too much focus on her during games -- and insists she only has one purpose for being there ... cheering on Travis Kelce.

The pop star addressed the increasingly thorny issue -- a growing grievance for NFL diehards -- during her TIME Magazine profile after she was named Person of the Year, and her response basically amounts to ... take it up with Roger Goodell.

She says, "I don’t know how they know what suite I’m in. There’s a camera, like, a half-mile away, and you don’t know where it is, and you have no idea when the camera is putting you in the broadcast, so I don’t know if I’m being shown 17 times or once."

T-Swift added she was just there to "support Travis" ... and went on to explain, "I have no awareness of if I’m being shown too much and pissing off a few dads, Brads, and Chads."

It's fascinating this was brought up ... 'cause it has, in fact, become a point of conversation among those who tune in every week to watch their favorite football team.

While Swifties and casuals might be fascinated/intrigued to see as much as Taylor as possible during the broadcast ... the sport purists of the world have been up in arms over all the Taylor talk.

Based on her answer here, it sounds like she's passing the buck off to the league and whatever channel is airing any given game she might be attending -- as they're the ones who decide where to pan to with camera, and she can't help if they want the spotlight on her.

If it makes anyone feel any better, Taylor also said she'd become a huge fan of the gridiron action ... saying, "Football is awesome, it turns out. I’ve been missing out my whole life."

And speaking of Travis ... she shed more light on how they came together and when as well -- revealing they hooked almost immediately after he name-dropped her in his podcast way back in July, as he told the tale of shooting his shot and seemingly being rejected.

Taylor says she appreciated his boldness, and noted they'd been seeing each other long before she showed up to his first game in Kansas City. She also characterized their dynamic in a really glowing way, saying ... "When you say a relationship is public, that means I’m going to see him do what he loves, we’re showing up for each other, other people are there and we don’t care."

Taylor finished ... "The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you’re seeing someone. And we’re just proud of each other."

Yeah, these two might just be the real deal ... at long last.

Norman Lear, the TV icon who had a seismic impact on American culture and social change, has died.

Lear died at his home in L.A. Tuesday of natural causes, according to his publicist.

There is no way to overstate Lear's importance in media and beyond. He created "All in the Family" and it was more than groundbreaking when it debuted in 1971 ... a show about a bigoted, blue-collar dude with a family that did not align with his views. The character he created, Archie Bunker, was both despicable and, at times, loveable.

The show tackled issues never touched before on TV ... including homosexuality, racism, the Vietnam War, racism and women's rights. Archie became frenemies with George Jefferson, who became so popular Lear created another monster hit -- "The Jeffersons." Likewise, another character, Maude, played by Bea Arthur, became yet another hit spinoff.

That's just a short list of Lear's hits ... others include "Sanford and Son," "Good Times," "One Day at a Time," and "Diff'rent Strokes."

Lear had a unique knack for creating humor around touchy social and political issues. In short, he changed TV and American culture.

He was an activist until he died ... a staunch liberal who once took on the conservative Moral Majority. He was a die-hard critic of Donald Trump.

His family said in a statement, "Thank you for the moving outpouring of love and support in honor of our wonderful husband, father and grandfather. Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity, and empathy.

They continued, "He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all. Knowing and loving him has been the greatest gift."

Lear leaves behind his third wife, Lyn Davis, six kids and four grandkids.

Lear was 101 and lived those years well.

Taylor Swift is TIME Magazine's Person of the Year -- and if we're being frank ... nobody's really surprised, 'cause she stands out as the far and away winner of 2023.

The mega pop star was tapped by TIME's editorial staff to grace their big end-of-year cover -- and the publication's editor-in-chief, Sam Jacobs, apparently felt it was important for him to come on 'Today' to explain the pick ... considering everyone/everything else as possibilities.

Obviously, there were a lot of choices this year ... in fact, TIME's finalists included all the big names from Trump to Putin and King Charles to Barbie -- not to mention a ton of other notable people/groups that made a splash -- but Jacobs said the staff chose joy this year.

He says, "Taylor Swift found a way to transcend borders and be a source of light. No one else on the planet today can move so many people so well."

Jacobs adds, "Achieving this feat is something we often chalk up to the alignments of planets and fates, but giving too much credit to the stars ignores her skill and her power. Swift is the rare person who is both the writer and hero of her own story."

Check out his full explanation here ... he says he acknowledges the world's on fire right now and that they could've gone in a number of contentious directions with the POTY -- but considering how much light and happiness TS spreads, TIME went with a lighter pick.

Of course, her influence and success was unmatched this year ... so on that front, there's no justification needed. She rolled out a worldwide tour that sold just about everywhere it stopped, released a concert film of that same concert ... and dominated music services.

Plus, Taylor ended one high-profile relationship ... and started another one with NFL star Travis Kelce -- so even in the sports world, she transcended and drew eyeballs. BTW, Taylor revealed in her TIME interview that she and TK were a couple way before anyone knew.

TayTay's quoted as saying ... "This is the proudest and happiest I’ve ever felt and the most creatively fulfilled and free I’ve ever been," before epically adding, "Are you not entertained?"

While TIME might normally be considered for somewhat heftier/more serious editorial coverage ... they clearly opted to crown the people's champion this year, and it doesn't sound like anyone's grumbling about it. Like the EIC says ... she's just larger than life itself.

The piece they did on her was glowing and positive ... however, there are old issues Taylor brought up that she clearly has sour feelings about -- namely, her beef with Kanye West/Kim Kardashian.

Specifically, she brought up that whole phone call debacle from years ago ... when Kim and Ye had TS on the phone and discussed his "Famous" song that invoked Taylor's name.

Taylor claims Kim, at first, released an edited version of their conversation that made Taylor look like she hadn't been truthful -- and she reflects on that in this TIME interview, saying ... "You have a fully manufactured frame job, in an illegally recorded phone call, which Kim Kardashian edited and then put out to say to everyone that I was a liar."

Taylor adds, "That took me down psychologically to a place I’ve never been before. I moved to a foreign country. I didn’t leave a rental house for a year. I was afraid to get on phone calls. I pushed away most people in my life because I didn’t trust anyone anymore. I went down really, really hard."

Like we said ... it's an old feud that she felt she wanted to address, but generally speaking ... she seems to be in a much better place now -- and is clearly on top.

Congrats to her ... grudges be damned!

Kid Cudi isn't letting Rich Paul and Jake Paul slide after critiquing his loyalty and ties to Cleveland.

Rich recently shared his thoughts on the "BS w/ Jake Paul" podcast as to why "The Land" doesn't embrace the "Day N Nite" rapper after all his success over the years. Well, those words didn't sit well with Cudi, who says LeBron James' agent couldn't be further from the truth, and ripping him for making bogus assumptions.

Cudi says he actually returns to Cleveland all the time -- it's where his mom lives -- he's just not all about going to Cleveland sporting events or bars ... when he's back, it's family time.

He also noted his Moon Man's Landing festival in 2023 brought 20k people from the city together ... with plans to do it again in the future.

Jake Paul took shots at Cudi too, accusing him of leaving the city behind, while also revealing he asked Cudi to walk out with him when he fought Tyron Woodley in Cleveland a few years back. JP says Cudi wanted wayyy too much money, and wasn't about to give a hometown discount.

First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes ... the Laker game!!

Fresh off exchanging "I Dos" in Mexico over the weekend, newlyweds Vanessa Hudgens and MLB player Cole Tucker decided to stop by Crypto.com Arena to catch the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Phoenix Suns game on Tuesday ... and the married couple looked as happy as ever!!

The duo showed up to the venue in pretty casual 'fits ... with Tucker rocking a white crew neck and snapback, and Hudgens electing for a long coat and red ball cap.

As we previously reported, the actress and athlete had their closest friends in Tulum for the occasion ... with the whole crew celebrating their vows on the beach.

There were a ton of other celebrities in attendance for the Lakers' In-Season Tournament win over the Suns ... including Kim Kardashian, Flea, Druski, Rich Paul and Floyd Mayweather.

The A-listers picked a good one, as the home team won, 106-103 ... eliminating Phoenix from the tourney.

Greatness and athleticism are in Brock Lesnar's blood 'cause the WWE legend's daughter just made history at Colorado State -- with a school-record-breaking 18.5-meter shot put!

Mya -- a junior on the CSU track team -- launched the near 9-pound spherical ball during a meet over the weekend ... and the historic moment was captured on video.

"💥18.50m💥," Mya said on Instagram. "A new PR and a new school record!!😤 Happy with a strong start to my season."

Perhaps the record-breaking put isn't shocking when you consider her dad is one of the most impressive athletes that we've ever seen. Not only is Brock a WWE legend, but he was also a UFC heavyweight champion and NCAA div. 1 wrestling champ in 2000. Lesnar also had a cup of coffee in the NFL.

How's that for an athletic pedigree?

Only time will tell if Mya follows her dad's career path and gets involved in professional wrestling after college.

For now, Mya, who has competed in 16 meets this season, will continue racking up wins, and adding to her already list of impressive accolades.

In fact, she finished in the top 3 of the indoor and outdoor track and field championships in 2023. She was also named All-Mountain West.

When it comes to her dad, Brock hasn't wrestled since SummerSlam in August ... and the 46-year-old isn't expected back until 2024.