TMZ.com Home

Bill Maher is throwing in the towel on American democracy -- or so it seems -- and he makes a case.

The 'Real Time' host served up a scary parallel between the U S of A and Brazil, both of which had insurrections over their respective presidential elections -- the U.S. on January 6, 2021, and Brazil on January 8, 2023.

In both cases, as Bill says, the presidents who disputed the election were thrice-married, right-wing populists. But that's where the comparison ends.

In Brazil's case, almost everyone rose up against the rioters and the president, who's been banished from the country and is now living in Florida. In the case of America, the former president now living in Florida will be the Republican nominee by an insanely large margin.

Bill then dove into how we really have never been truly democratic ... California has the same representation in the Senate -- which, by the way, can convict a president for misdeeds -- as sparsely populated Wyoming. We have this fakakta electoral college which has no correlation to the popular vote.

Then Bill gets even more real with the confession, maybe we lost our taste for democracy because "we're just a s**ttier people than we used to be."

Ellen DeGeneres hit the gym hard for her 66th birthday, impressing her wife, Portia De Rossi, who pulled out a camera phone and started recording the intense workout.

The former talk show host celebrated another year on the planet Friday by pumping iron and doing other strenuous exercises at the gym, proving that she's as fit as an Olympian.

Portia was right there by Ellen's side, shooting it all on video, which was later posted on Instagram.

Check it out ... Ellen started off lifting dumbbells while asking Portia who was filming her, "Are you saying this is what 66 looks like?'

Portia sweetly replied, "what your 66 looks like."

Ellen then did one-arm overhead presses using a single dumbbell before pushing a large piece of exercise equipment across the gym floor and ending her routine with a series of pullups. Pretty Impressive, Ellen!

Portia thought so too, writing in the IG caption, "My darling wife! You continue to amaze me and inspire me. Happy Birthday to the strongest, sweetest, most brilliant person I know."

Dominique Dunne was a rising star -- delivering the iconic line in "Poltergeist" -- before her life was tragically taken at the hands of her then-boyfriend ... and there's a woman who was not allowed to testify who could have changed the outcome of his trial.

The decades-old case against John Sweeney -- the man who strangled the young star back in 1982 -- is being reexamined anew in a documentary produced by TMZ Studios ... which puts a fresh light on the trial, the aftermath .... and presents shocking new evidence.

At the time, prosecutors charged Sweeney with first-degree murder case. He was convicted of manslaughter, and he was back on the streets after only 2 1/2 years behind bars.

The jurors you'll hear from in the documentary were stunned when we showed them our interview with Sweeney's prior girlfriend, Lillian Pierce, telling us had they heard from her they would have thrown the book at Sweeney.

Pierce was not allowed to testify during the trial ... the judge felt it would be unfair to Sweeney if she explained how he had repeatedly brutalized her. Pierce has never spoken publicly about the abuse she suffered at the hands of Sweeney, until now.

Check out the video ... what Pierce went through was horrific, and it mirrors some of what Dominique experienced.  She says Sweeney was wired to attack his girlfriend when he got mad.

What's more, we found yet another girlfriend whom Sweeney brutalized AFTER he was released from prison.

Jay Leno is taking steps to manage his wife's affairs ... in the form of a conservatorship.

The comedian filed legal docs Friday to become conservator of his wife Mavis Leno's estate ... according to court records.

A source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... Jay's wife suffers from Alzheimer's disease.

The diagnosis, our source says, is the basis of the conservatorship ... meaning Jay's wife may not have the wherewithal to take care of herself.

We've seen Jay out in public with Mavis as recently as November, when they were photographed together at a comedy event in Los Angeles.

It's unclear when Jay's wife was diagnosed with Alzheimer's -- a progressive disease that starts with memory loss and is the most common type of dementia.

Jay and Mavis have been together for decades ... tying the knot way back in 1980 after meeting in the 1970s at the famous Comedy Store in West Hollywood.

Justin Timberlake's musical comeback will put him back in A-list contention ... at least, that's the prediction his producer Larrance Dopson wants fans to stamp!!!

TMZ Hip Hop spoke with the "1500 Or Nothing" maestro Wednesday at LAX, where he gushed about JT's new album, a project he's heard first-hand -- because he worked on it with Timbaland!!!

Last year, JT blessed 1500 or Nothin's music academy with scholarship money and their partnership was dipped in bronze ... leading up to the album's creation.

We gave you the scoop last week ... JT is set to release his upcoming 6th LP "Everything I Thought I Was" after scooping up all the trademarks -- and Rance promises he's going to blow up the game, again, with the album.

JT officially jumpstarted the project Friday with the lead single "Selfish" -- which was met with fairly mixed reviews online ... but fans were loving the live rendition during his Memphis homecoming concert last week. It just may be a grower, not an instant shower.

Rance also had time to stick up for Drake after Yasiin Bey (a.k.a. Mos Def) kicked him out of rap's b-boy section, declaring his music was too happy-go-lucky to be classified as authentic hip hop.

Later for all the rappity rap talk, according to Rance, who says Drake uses fewer words than even the most skilled MC and still nets a pop-sized audience.

Everyone's still talking about Jason Kelce's big reveal, and lots of folks are pissed Margot and Greta got passed over. So we gotta ask ...

Shawne Merriman says the Chargers knocked it out of the park with their Jim Harbaugh hire ... telling TMZ Sports he believes his ex-team now has a feeling of, "'Hey, we can go out and win a championship now!'"

The former pass rusher was fired up when we spoke with him shortly after the Bolts named the ex-Michigan coach their new head man ... explaining to us he thinks L.A. is now a real-deal Super Bowl contender.

Merriman says the roster Harbaugh is inheriting is "the most talented team to never make the playoffs" ... and he's expecting a turnaround to happen relatively swiftly.

"If I'm Jim Harbaugh, I'm licking my chops," Merriman said. "I'm walking in there one day like somebody just handed me the keys to a Ferrari and I'm about to slam on the gas, right?"

As for the fit, Merriman previously expressed concerns about Harbaugh's ability to connect with young players at 60 years old ... but it seems those qualms have been squashed since the hiring process officially kicked off a few weeks ago.

"It's just a match made in heaven," he said. "I don't think there could've been more of a perfect storm."

Merriman also expressed gratitude that his former team passed on the opportunity to sign Bill Belichick ... believing the fit just wouldn't have worked in the City of Angels.

It's the weekend, and best believe we finished strong at TMZ -- especially on the TV front ... where we covered everything from the ongoing Ozempic wars ... to shower eating. 😅

'TMZ Live' was yet another slug fest between Dr. Terry Dubrow and Jillian Michaels -- who seem to be at war with one another over the hotly-debated issue of Ozempic ... and whether it's actually healthy for people who wanna lose weight.

The latest shot was fired by Dubrow, who told Michaels she oughta get her M.D. before weighing in on medication -- but Jillian's been holding her own, and isn't backing down.

On 'TMZ on TV,' we ended the week on a bit of a lighter note -- namely, diving in on whether Jessica Biel's self-confessed "shower snacking" was efficient ... or downright gross.

Lotsa people in our newsroom had different opinions on this one ... just watch for yourself!

Finally, we get to 'TMZ Sports' ... where Mojo and Mike entertained the possibility of the famed L.A. Clippers fan, Darrell Bailey, of changing his allegiance to the Lakers.

The reason they're even talking about it ... Snoop Dogg is encouraging him to jump ship!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Jason Momoa may play a super hero on the big screen, but in his day-to-day ... he's just a cool dude ready to rock n' roll! See if you can slash through the discreet changes in these pics ... You may need to phone a friend!

The beefy actor made a suave entrance into Jimmy Kimmel earlier this week and was lookin' fresh and fierce in all black, however there's some shady business goin' down in the back alley ... Can you ring in the sketchy switch-ups in these two shots?

The new year obvi calls for new resolutions sexy snaps from the stars, and this month's chill had them escaping the cold, hittin' the tropics and showin' off their rockin' bods -- with their followers approving with hella head nods ... must be nice!!!

Emily Ratajkowski rang in the month with a voluptuous and sunny shot in a microkini ... Antoni Porowski displayed some juicy fruits accompanied with his washboard abs in Costa Rica, and enjoy a nightcap shot of Kendall Jenner donning a revealing red bikini in the night!

Vince McMahon is out at WWE.

The wrestling legend tendered his resignation as the Executive Chairman of TKO, the company that owns WWE ... just a day after an explosive lawsuit was filed by a former WWE staffer, alleging McMahon sexually assaulted her on numerous occasions.

78-year-old McMahon released a statement reiterating his innocence with respect to the disturbing allegations but would step down because it's the best move for the wrestling promotion he built decades ago.

"Out of respect for the WWE Universe, the extraordinary TKO business and its board members and shareholders, partners and constituents, and all of the employees and Superstars who helped make WWE into the global leader it is today, I have decided to resign from my executive chairmanship and the TKO board of directors, effective immediately."

McMahon was not running the day-to-day operations for WWE ... but still had a prominent role within TKO. TKO Group Holdings has owned WWE since its purchase in 2023.

Curent WWE president Nick Khan announced the news to his employees late Friday, sending an email to the staffers.

"[Vince McMahon] has tendered his resignation from his positions as TKO Executive Chairman and on the TKO Board of Directors. He will no longer have a role with TKO Group Holdings or WWE," Khan wrote.

The massive shakeup comes after a federal lawsuit was filed in Connecticut on Thursday by Janel Grant ... where she claimed she was subjected to degrading sexual acts at the hands of Vince.

Amid the allegations, Grant accused McMahon of defecating on her during a threesome in 2020.

She says the situation left her "miserable and enraged," though she didn't leave because "in her years of experience with McMahon, she knew her requests to stop would be ignored at best or used to destroy her career and reputation at worst."

Ultimately, Grant claimed McMahon distanced himself from her in early 2022 after his wife Linda McMahon became aware of their alleged relationship.

Some time after, McMahon, according to Grant, agreed to pay her $3 million in exchange for signing a non-disclosure agreement, but she says he failed to pay the full amount.

McMahon has claimed the allegations contained in the lawsuit are meritless, calling the suit "replete with lies, obscene made-up instances that never occurred, and is a vindictive distortion of the truth."

Former WWE executive John Laurinaitis was also named in the lawsuit.

An Instagram model famous for her big booty wants to make them bigger ... but Gracie Bon's not talking about her cheeks, she's talking about airplane seats.

Gracie's petitioning the airlines to expand their seating situations ... she says she's having trouble getting settled for takeoff, even when she's flying first class.

The busty poser lays out her air travel problems in an informative video -- a PSA, if you will -- demonstrating how her butt is way too big for a traditional plane seat.

Seems like legroom's not the big sticking point here ... Gracie either wants the seats to be wider, or deeper. She's still able to buckle, courtesy of a seatbelt extender.

Gracie says it's on the airlines to accommodate "big girls like me," and proudly adds ... "It's not my fault to have an ass this big."

The whole thing is pretty ridiculous to lots of folks watching Gracie's video plea -- several comments claim it actually is her fault she has such a big booty, accusing her of surgically doctoring her look.

Teyana Taylor says Iman Shumpert's playing dirty in their divorce war, claiming he's slowly shutting down all the utilities in the home where she lives with their 2 children ... TMZ Hip Hop has learned.

In a new court filing, Teyana's attorney says she woke up this month in the Georgia home they used to share, only to discover the WiFi and cable was cut off, and one day later, the water stopped running ... and she's fully laying blame on Iman.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ Hip Hop, Iman moved out back in October, and shortly thereafter, Iman's brother -- who handles his personal affairs -- told Teyana, Iman intended to shut off the power.

Since then, she claims Iman hasn't paid a cent of child support, or covered any of the kids' expenses ... including food and clothing costs.

With the water, cable and WiFi now gone, Teyana's attorney says they're concerned he's going to follow through and cut off the gas and electricity.

On top of that, Teyana claims Iman left her holding the bag on $200K worth of home renovations he started 3 years ago.

In the docs, she says Iman told her his money is tied up in investments, and proposed she cover the cost and he would reimburse her -- but she's yet to see a penny from him.

Mind you, it's not like Teyana can't afford to turn on any utilities that get shut off -- she's clearly got the cash to handle that, but her attorney's court filing makes it clear ... this is about holding Iman accountable.

Since their divorce is pending, Teyana's attorney points out the court put a standing order in place ... meaning both parties are supposed to maintain the status quo on their home and finances until the divorce is finalized.

Tyler Christopher died under sad circumstances -- according to officials, he suffocated to death ... and it appears to have been partially caused by him being drunk.

According to the Medical Examiner Office's report, obtained by TMZ, the "General Hospital" star's official cause of death is being listed as positional asphyxia due to acute alcohol intoxication. There's a contributing condition cited ... coronary artery atherosclerosis.

In layman's terms, Tyler suffocated to death because of how he was positioned when he died -- and the ME here is saying booze played in a part in him ending up that way. The latter description is basically plaque build-up in his arteries. His death was accidental.

We broke the story ... Tyler's friend found him deceased at his San Diego apartment -- this after trying and failing to get a hold of him for a while. His pal discovered his body in his bedroom ... and called 911 shortly thereafter.

Tyler's one-time costar, Maurice Benard, broke the news about his passing ... calling him a "truly talented individual that lit up the screen in every scene he performed and relished bringing joy to his loyal fans through his acting."

He'd been on 'General Hospital' for a very long time, starring in over 1,100 episodes. TC was only 50.

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are clearly well aware they have plenty of detractors ... but the Chiefs star admitted he and his boo talk about how important it is for their relationship to block out all of the "outside noise."

Kelce made the revelation while chatting with reporters about his off-field life on Friday -- just two days before Kansas City takes on Baltimore in the AFC Championship Game.

After one media member asked if he and Taylor had discussed the growing criticism they've received as they've gone more and more public with their love ... he said matter-of-factly, "The only thing we've talked about is as long as we're happy, we can't listen to anything that's outside noise."

"That's all that matters."

Kelce also said at the press conference there have been newfound challenges and critiques he's had to deal with this year as his star power has risen exponentially ... although he said he's been able to compartmentalize it all for the most part, allowing his teammates to believe in him.

Teresa Giudice is a big hit with New York's finest, because cops nabbed the 'Real Housewife' ... for selfies and such, that is -- which is ironic considering her legal history.

The 'RHONJ' star was in Manhattan Thursday night when an NYPD cruiser pulled up next to her SUV parked in Midtown on 5th Avenue ... and the officers gave her a friendly greeting over their loudspeaker.

Folks who were there say cops hopped out of their car and walked over to Teresa and asked for a photo ... and she obliged. As you can see, Teresa and a trio of NYPD officers were all smiles as they took snaps on the sidewalk.

It's pretty interesting to see Teresa chopping it up with police ... especially since she ran into some serious legal trouble.

TG ended up doing 11 months at a federal correctional institution in Danbury, CT for wire and bank fraud. Of course, her then-husband Joe Giudice was also convicted of the same crimes, and hit with a 41-month sentence.