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ESPN analyst Jay Williams says people are wishing for his death after defending Kyrie Irving's COVID-19 vaccine stance ... going on an emotional rant slamming the hateful messages he's gotten this week.

Of course, J Will got in a heated debate with Stephen A. Smith on "First Take" this week ... saying while he doesn't personally agree with the decision, he believes Kyrie has every right to do what he wants with his body.

Williams says the hate has been flooding in following his appearance ... noting people have been spewing terrible things at him for not denouncing KI's position ... and mentioning his tragic motorcycle accident in 2003.

"Thank God I almost passed away when I was 21 years old," Jay said. "You know some of the crazy s*** that people say to me on the internet when they disagree with my opinion? Go hit a pole, go die again, aww Duke education."

"Thank God I went through that experience, 'cause I don't need other people to justify how I think about myself."

Williams then speaks on the Irving drama ... saying this is a real life situation -- not some over-the-top TV segment -- so people need to stop associating his character.

"Kyrie Irving doesn't owe you anything. He doesn't owe you a response on your timeline. He doesn't owe you answers that you feel like you need."

Hannah Gadsby just went scorched Earth on Netflix's honcho and Dave Chappelle over "The Closer," his controversial stand-up special.

The Australian comedian teed off on Ted Sarandos, the streaming giant's co-CEO, after he brought her name into the conversation about how Netflix is "working hard to ensure marginalized communities aren't defined by a single story."

Sarandos said, "So we have 'Sex Education,' 'Orange Is The New Black,' 'Control Z,' Hannah Gadsby and Dave Chappelle all on Netflix. Key to this is increasing diversity on the content team itself."

Hannah's reaction to Ted is basically ... keep my name outta your mouth, and she's hurling a few jabs at Dave too. Hannah says, "Hey Ted Sarandos! Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn’t drag my name into your mess. Now I have to deal with even more of the hate and anger that Dave Chappelle’s fans like to unleash on me every time Dave gets 20 million dollars to process his emotionally stunted partial world view."

Hannah gained a lot of popularity following her 2018 Netflix specials, "Nanette" and "Douglas" ... but clearly didn't get Chappelle dough.

Hannah adds, "You didn’t pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted. F**k you and your amoral algorithm cult…I do s**ts with more back bone than you. That’s just a joke! I definitely didn’t cross a line because you just told the world there isn’t one."

Hannah also noted -- for Chappelle fans, we presume -- that she's watched all of "The Closer" and added, "Leave me alone."

The scathing criticism comes after Sarandos said Netflix wasn't pulling Chappelle's special from the platform because its transphobic shots, don't "directly translate to real-world harm."

Tyga's dodging cancel culture -- at least to this point, because TMZ's learned he has NOT been yanked off the Rolling Loud CA lineup on the heels of his domestic violence arrest.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Rolling Loud is not pulling the "Rack City" rapper from his scheduled performance in December. The festival's position is noteworthy when you consider several music festivals were quick to remove DaBaby earlier this year, following his homophobic rant at Rolling Loud Miami.

In fact, Tyga was on a stage Thursday night at a club in Orange County ... just 2 days after LAPD booked him for felony domestic violence.

Our sources say Tyga felt he had an obligation to perform the club gig, and had a bunch of friends and family members on hand to support him. We're also told Tyga will continue to show up where he's slated to perform and hold his head high despite the allegations.

As we reported ... he voluntarily turned himself in to the LAPD following allegations his ex-GF, Camaryn Swanson, made against the rapper. Swanson claimed he roughed her up during a dispute at his house earlier this week.

Sources close to Tyga say Camaryn showed up at his house around 3 AM Monday and acted belligerent at the door -- but after Tyga let her inside, things allegedly turned physical.

Camaryn filed a police report, claiming Tyga struck her, and she later posted video showing her alleged injuries. A rep for Tyga tells us, "The allegations you have been reading about our client the past few days are false and will be disproven."

Joe Don Rooney -- lead guitarist for the country music trio Rascal Flatts -- allegedly told cops a wild story about what led to his DUI bust. Literally, wild.

According to a police affidavit, obtained by TMZ, cops say Rooney told them he was driving his BMW in Williamson County, TN back in September at around 4 AM when a deer ran out in front of him.

Cops say Rooney blamed the deer for causing him to veer off-road and crash into some trees, which deployed his airbags. Cops say Rooney smelled like booze ... and that he told them he played golf earlier before going to a friend's house for drinks. The officer says he admitted to "one more than I should have."

What's more ... cops say Rooney bombed several field sobriety tests. As we reported ... he was ultimately arrested and taken to county jail where he was booked on a misdemeanor DUI charge. He was later released after posting $2,500 bond.

Max Scherzer won the NLDS for the Dodgers ... and then he lost his shirt partying -- and the whole scene was EPIC!!

The Dodgers' ace came into L.A.'s win-or-go-home game in the 9th inning against the Giants on Thursday night ... and closed the door on San Francisco, securing the 2-1 win to move his team on to the NLCS.

And, just a few minutes after the stellar performance, Scherzer ditched his shirt and partied hard on the field!!

With a beer in hand, sandals on his feet and goggles on his forehead, Mad Max fired up Dodgers fans who had stayed in the crowd -- yelling and pacing down the first base line.

Apparently the drinking and festivities only went on harder from there ... 'cause Scherzer told media members "we can party hard tonight" -- and video from the team's locker room showed they did just that.

The dudes poured champagne and beer all over each other, and we're sure they drank a lot of it too.

If you're wondering, Game 1 against the Braves ain't 'til Saturday ... so plenty of time to sleep off any hangover.

Rosario Dawson says "Saturday Night Live" needs to give BF Cory Booker his due the next time 'SNL' impersonates the Senator ... and she's got a few ideas for the stars to workshop.

We got the actress leaving ABC Studios in New York and asked what she thought of the show's impersonation of her boyfriend.

Rosario doesn't seem too impressed ... she says she's yet to see anyone nail Cory's true personality, and she explains why he's like the Fred Rogers or Ted Lasso of the Senate.

The 'SNL' skit mocking the recent Facebook hearing in Congress featured tons of politicians, but the Cory jokes were mostly centered on him dating Rosario.

Next time, Rosario says, the show should instead give her man props for everything he's doing for his State, from cannabis to police reform.

Becky Lynch has some heartfelt advice for Ronda Rousey -- IF the WWE Superstar wants to return to the wrestling ring after giving birth to a beautiful baby girl ... DON'T!!

Of course, The Man and Rowdy Ronda have major beef ... but they also have something in common -- they are new moms.

Lynch -- who relinquished her title when she went on maternity leave -- gave birth to a baby girl in December with hubby Seth Rollins. She recently returned to the ring ... and is already SmackDown champ.

TMZ Sports talked to Becky and we asked her if she had any advice for Rousey, who also gave birth to a baby girl with husband Travis Browne in late September ... and she did, sorta.

"Don't [come back], cause I'm still on top, Ronda, you won't like it. That's my advice."

We also asked Lynch -- who has a huge match scheduled against Sasha Banks Friday night on a special 2.5 hour SmackDown on FS1 -- about her return to the squared circle ... following the baby.

"It's been crazy, Mike. It went from zero to 100 real quick. Coming back, and coming back on top after not wrestling for a year and a half. It's been wild, but it's been amazing. And, my baby comes along everywhere with me."

Swiss socialite Jocelyn Wildenstein was already in her 50s when she pounced into headlines after her big divorce from the billionaire businessman Alec Wildenstein in 1999 ... but it was her feline facial features and unique animal print clothing that hailed Jocelyn the "Catwoman" of Hollywood.

While Jocelyn may have retracted her claws from the Los Angeles nightlife... Wildenstein still likes to live out her nine lives by curling up to her Instagram account and kneading out a picture puuuurrfect selfie every meow and then.

Psp, psp, psp, psp, psp.

Former President Bill Clinton has been hospitalized with what his doctor says is an infection that spread into his bloodstream.

Clinton's docs say 42 was admitted to UC Irvine Medical Center Tuesday and is being closely monitored. The infection reportedly first started as a UTI, but became much more serious once it got into his bloodstream ... he's currently in the intensive care unit.

Dr. Alpesh Amin, from UC Irvine and Clinton's personal doctor, Dr. Lisa Bardack, say the former Prez is currently receiving antibiotics and fluids through an IV.

Reports say the 75-year-old is in good spirits while being cared for, and he's expected to be just fine.

His doctors told CNN, "After two days of treatment, his white blood cell count is trending down and he is responding to antibiotics well. We hope to have him go home soon."

Clinton was in California for a fundraiser before falling ill and being hospitalized.

Of course, Clinton has had his share of serious medical issues, he had a quadruple bypass heart surgery in 2004 and in 2010 he had two stents inserted to open an artery.

His doctors insist his most recent hospitalization has nothing to do with COVID or with his heart.

Howie Mandel went to his favorite Starbucks for a coffee, and left in an ambulance after passing out outside the coffee chain.

Folks who were there tell TMZ ... Howie was at his local Starbucks in Woodland Hills with his wife and friends Wednesday when he suddenly passed out, falling over and then being laid out on a cement bench.

We're told paramedics were called to the scene and the "America's Got Talent" judge was rushed to a hospital in Tarzana.

It looks like Howie was able to sit up by the time the Los Angeles Fire Department arrived ... but it was definitely a scary situation.

We're told customers who were there knew him and were shocked to see it all go down.

Sources close to Howie tell us he frequents this particular Starbucks ... and we're told they think he fainted from low blood sugar and doctors are now running tests at the hospital.

Robert Durst will spend the rest of his life in prison ... the judge just sentenced him to life in prison, without the possibility of parole, in the murder of Susan Berman.

The frail-looking 78-year-old's trial began in March 2020, was adjourned for 14 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... but now it's come to a close with Judge Mark E. Windham sentencing him to life behind bars, ruling Durst's guilt was proven beyond a reasonable doubt in multiple ways.

Before the sentencing, Durst's legal team tossed up a Hail Mary for a new trial alleging several errors by the court ... but the judge shot it down.

After that, there was a round of emotional victim impact statements -- including one family member calling for Durst to reveal the location of Kathy Durst's body -- and Susan's son spoke at length about how her death negatively affected his life.

As we reported ... Durst was found guilty in the murder of his best friend, Susan, and he was facing life in prison without the possibility of parole.

The first-degree murder conviction and sentencing come more than 6 years after Durst arguably confessed to murdering Berman and his wife, Kathy, on a hot mic during the filming of the documentary, "The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst."

In the HBO doc, you hear Durst muttering to himself, "You're caught ... What the hell did I do? Killed them all, of course." He claims he was high on meth when he made the confession.

You'll recall ... Kathy disappeared way back in 1982 and it's widely suspected Durst killed her, though she was never found and he was never charged. Kathy's family filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Durst, but he scored a legal 'W' in that suit.

Los Angeles County prosecutors set out to prove Durst killed Berman because she knew something about Kathy's death. Berman's body was found on Christmas Eve in 2000, and just 2 days later, the LAPD received a letter from someone telling cops where Susan's body could be found.

Police said they linked the letter to Durst, but the case went cold ... until it was reopened in wake of the HBO doc.

Agnes Tirop, an elite Kenyan long-distance runner who finished 4th at the Tokyo Olympics, was tragically found stabbed to death in her home, according to a Kenyan athletic commission.

She was only 25 years old.

According to reports, police are actively looking for Agnes' husband who hasn't been seen since her death.

The BBC is reporting Agnes' father called police Tuesday night, worried he could not reach his daughter.

Sadly, when police arrived at her home in Iten, Kenya, they found Tirop laying in bed, surrounded by a pool of blood, according to the UK outlet.

Police say the runner had what looked like a stab wound to her neck ... and that's what they believe caused her death. She also reportedly had a stab wound to her stomach.

Agnes' husband was not at the home when they arrived ... and has not been heard from since authorities arrived on the scene.

Tirop was one of the best long-distance runners in the world. In fact, just last month she set a women's world record at a 10-kilometer race in Germany. Agnes also took home bronze medals at the World Athletic Championships in 2017 and 2019.

"Athletics Kenya are distraught to learn about the untimely death of World 10,000m bronze medallist Agnes Tirop," the country's athletics body said in a statement.

Everyone from Adidas to Kenya's president weighed in on the tragic loss.

"It is unsettling, utterly unfortunate and very sad that we've lost a young and promising athlete who, at a young age of 25 years, had brought our country so much glory," Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya's president said in a statement.

"The Adidas family is deeply saddened by the tragic news about Agnes Jebet Tirop. Agnes was an incredible person, a record-breaking athlete and a beloved member of our family. She will be greatly missed by us all and her legacy will forever live on in our memory," the sportswear giant tweeted.

Rest in peace.

Jay-Z must have been feeling it after showing off his new movie, because he hopped on the mic and threw down ... on a classic track he did with Kanye.

The hip-hop mogul put on an apparently impromptu show Wednesday night at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium following a screening of "The Harder They Fall" ... a Western with a mostly Black cast that he produced.

Jay held a celebration event after the film, and gave a rare live performance with the band ... spitting some lyrics from "Gotta Have It," from his 2011 collab album "Watch the Throne" with Ye.

It's just another sign things are cool again between the legendary rappers ... on the heels of Jay surprisingly featuring on "Jail" from West's "Donda" album.

"The Harder They Fall" party only kept elevating, as Seal also joined the band and showed off his pipes ... and everyone appeared to be loving it.

Some of the other celebs in attendance included Regina King -- who stars in the movie -- Tiffany Haddish and Swizz Beatz.

Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy has turned his pizza obsession into a money-making machine ... revealing his One Bite frozen pies are flying off the shelves -- with nearly a quarter-million sold in just weeks!!

Of course, Portnoy became an extreme pizza savant about 5 years ago ... after a debate with a coworker over what food they could eat every day for the rest of their lives.

To prove his side of the argument, Portnoy started consuming pizza daily ... which led to making popular videos ranking 'za joints all over the country.

"El Pres" joined Harvey and Charles on "TMZ Live" to discuss his decision to join the pizza industry himself ... saying Stoolies have been asking him to start his own brand for years.

"When you're doing it organically for 5 years, you start to build trust," Portnoy said Thursday. "I don't want to say it was a logical step, but a lot of people were like, 'Hey, you should do your own frozen pizza.'"

"So, it was a while in the works. We finally got it out, and I don't want to say anything surprises me, but I think last call about a week and a half ago we sold close to a quarter-million of these things throughout Walmart. They're flying."

The famous Banksy painting that got shredded after someone bought it for $1.4 million just got sold again at auction ... and it set a record price for the mysterious artist.

The gavel went down Thursday at Sotheby's in London and the piece, called "Love is in the Bid," had a winning bid of $25.4 million. It's a record auction price for a Banksy.

The art includes the original spray-painted image of a girl reaching up for a heart-shaped balloon on canvas, which was famously shredded, hanging halfway out of an ornate frame.

As we reported ... the original painting titled "Girl With Balloon" went for $1.4 million at a Sotheby's auction back in 2018, and once the gavel dropped the canvas slid down the frame, which became a shredder, cutting the work in pieces.

The audience at the OG auction was stunned, and while the buyer was "surprised," they didn't back out of the deal.

It's a good thing they didn't ... because they just got a major return on that investment. That's one way to make a quick $24 mil!!!

Tristan Thompson and Khloe Kardashian aren't back together, but that hasn't stopped the NBA player from admiring his ex's bod ... 'cause he gushed over the latest pic of her physique Wednesday.

Khloe posted a sizzling photo of her on the cover of Health mag on her social media page ... and just minutes later, Thompson hopped in the comment section with a sweet compliment.

"Wow!!" Thompson wrote. "You are so motivational Koko! So proud of your hard work and dedication to your healthcare and fitness. Abs of steel!! BRB I need to do some sit ups."

Thompson added two heart emojis at the end of his sentence.

The two officially split back in June -- and while we're told they haven't rekindled a romantic relationship since, they have been spotted together an awful lot in the past few months.

You'll recall, the two were seen at LeBron James' wife's birthday party in late August ... and also photographed taking baby True out for activities several times in the weeks prior.