By now, you've probably heard Harvey Levin chanting "OWTA" in the TMZ newsroom, but might be wondering ... what exactly does that mean?
Well, it stands for "Out With Their Asses" ... and it's HL's message for every single member of Congress.
Basically, if the senators and representatives don't get their s*** together and compromise so the government can actually function ... the TMZ founder and executive producer is calling on U.S. voters to unseat all members of Congress who are up for re-election in this year's midterms.
While not every incumbent is at risk of being voted out -- some terms aren't up yet and some are retiring -- TMZ is hoping this movement can really shake things up for the good of the American people ... regardless of party.
Here's everything you need to know about the "OWTA" movement.
Last October -- when the government was shut down and would remain closed for over a month -- Harvey decided he'd had enough of Congress refusing to come together and do their jobs.
He rallied the newsroom to send a message: the American people need to demand action ... and vote out every single senator and representative who fails to reopen the government -- even if you like them.
Harvey was particularly outraged that air traffic controllers had to work without pay -- they're considered "essential" employees for obvious reasons -- while Congress continued to collect a check.
"OWTA" drew national attention not just from voters ... but from the officials in the hot seat, and several members of the House of Representatives sounded off on TMZ's new mantra.
While Maxine Waters, a Democratic rep from California, was pointing fingers across the aisle ... she urged Harvey to keep pressing the public with his message.
She hopes the mounting pressure will reach the Republicans in charge and encourage them to meet in the middle ... as the Dems claim to be doing.
Jasmine Crockett -- a Democrat representing Texas' 30th congressional district -- appreciated our frustration with the current Congress ... but wasn't too optimistic about "OWTA."
She argued that voters will applaud the idea, but continue to vote for their faves ... keeping us in this cycle.
But, TMZ explained, the whole point of "OWTA" is that everyone is on the chopping block if Congress can't compromise ... even if voters are a fan of them and their policies.
Representative Pat Harrigan, a Republican serving North Carolina's 10th district, is all for "OWTA" ... telling TMZ that no one wins in a shutdown, especially not the American people.
He agreed that every congressman -- Republican and Democrat alike -- is accountable for the shutdown at the end of the day.
Last month, the "OWTA" movement decided to try out a new tactic ... before you vote 'em out, call 'em out!
The move was inspired by Congress breaking for a 2-week vacation while thousands of federal workers had gone without pay for months.
Harvey asked our audience to send us pictures of politicians living it up while the partial government shutdown continues on ... and they sure delivered.
Because if threatening their positions of power wasn't working ... maybe some shame would move the needle!
Check out our gallery to see where your congressmen went! (Spoiler: It wasn't Capitol Hill to negotiate.)
Plea Before Primaries
And now here we are ... Congress is going on ANOTHER break. As they gear up to take another 10 days off amid the ongoing partial shutdown ... Harvey is asking our audience to once again call 'em out!
While our first attempt at shaming politicians into compromise wasn't as successful as we'd hoped ... we're not giving up!
So if you see any senators or representatives out and about, send us the snaps!
What You Can Do
Here's the thing ... "OWTA" only works if we actually follow through on our threat to vote out every single congressman ... regardless of party and whether or not you like them.
We've already had a few primary elections in March, but the majority start next week and run through September ... so make sure you're registered to vote, if you aren't already!
Not sure when the 2026 primaries are in your state? Here's when you should hit the voting booth and say "Out With Their Asses":
May 5: Indiana, Ohio
May 12: North Carolina, Nebraska, West Virginia
May 16: Louisiana
May 19: Alabama, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Oregon, Pennsylvania
May 26: Texas
June 2: California, Iowa, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, South Dakota
June 9: Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, South Carolina
June 16: Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma
June 23: Maryland, New York, South Carolina, Utah
June 27: Louisiana
June 30: Colorado
July 21: Arizona
July 28: South Dakota
August 4: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Virginia, Washington
August 6: Tennessee
August 8: Hawaii
August 11: Connecticut, Minnesota, Vermont, Wisconsin
August 18: Alaska, Florida, Wyoming
August 25: Oklahoma
September 1: Massachusetts
September 8: New Hampshire, Rhode Island
September 15: Delaware
And if you aren't able to unseat any uncompromising congresspeople during the primaries ... you'll still have a chance during the general election on November 3.
Shilo Sanders had a controversial approach to defending his brother, Shedeur ... telling an award-winning journalist to "go make a sandwich" for saying Deshaun Watson should be named the Cleveland Browns' starting quarterback.
The sexist comment came under an Instagram post that reshared Cleveland reporter Mary Kay Cabot's recent take on the team ... when she said it was best if the Orange and Brown went ahead with the former All-Pro as the guy under center instead of Sanders, who started seven games as a rookie in 2025.
Shilo wasn't having any of it ... and resorted to the misogynistic clapback.
4/30 - 5:02 PM PT -- A spokesperson for the Soho Grand Hotel tells TMZ ... "We are committed to full compliance with all federal, state and city non-discrimination laws, including those protecting individuals on the basis of gender and sexual orientation, and we have always been a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community since our inception. But we cannot comment on pending litigation."
Wesley Han, a non-binary actor famous for their work in "Power Book II: Ghost," is suing a swanky hotel in New York City for harassment and discrimination ... and it sounds like it's all about which bathroom they allegedly used.
In a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Wesley claims they were attending a private event at the Soho Grand Hotel when they were accosted by a security guard who forcibly removed them from the women's restroom.
Wesley says they were dressed in women's clothing when they attempted to use the women's restroom ... and they say a security guard asked women in the foyer, "Excuse me ladies, have you seen a man enter?”
Bonnie Blue might want to sit this one out -- Ray J’s out here claiming marathon level bedroom stats, saying he’s slept with 12,500 women!
The singer dropped the jaw-dropping number on “Funky Friday” with Cam Newton ... saying an adult club called Booby Trap even threw him a full-blown party to celebrate the X-rated milestone ... complete with up to 500 women in attendance -- many of whom he claims he hooked up with that same night.
We’re talking up to 500 potential partners in attendance and yeah, Ray claims he hooked up with a bunch of them that same night.
Cam, like pretty much everyone listening, wasn’t buying it ... doing the math on the spot and pointing out that would mean Ray’s been averaging more than one woman a day for 30 years.
Stephen Miller's wife, Katie, wants everyone to know her husband was not using her as a human shield during the alleged assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents' Dinner Saturday night ... despite what photos seem to show.
She went on Monday's episode of "The Ingraham Angle"on Fox News to set the record straight ... insisting the White House deputy chief of staff was protecting her, not hiding behind her.
Katie told Laura Ingraham ... "I went first because the threat was behind us."
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If you look at the picture circulating social media ... it's easy to see why people thought Stephen was shielding himself behind his 8-month-pregnant wife.
Lisa Kudrowsays life behind the cameras of the "Friends" set wasn't always as warm and fuzzy as it looked onscreen ... claiming the show's writers' room could be downright toxic -- and even included alleged sexual talk about her costars.
The actress -- who played Phoebe Buffay for all 10 seasons of the hit sitcom -- opened up in a new interview with The Times of London ... revealing the off-camera environment could get "mean" and "brutal."
"There was definitely mean stuff going on behind the scenes," Kudrow said.
Representative Thomas Kean Jr. has been absent from Congress for almost 2 months and no one knew why ... until now.
On Monday -- after weeks of missed votes -- the Congressman from New Jersey posted on X that he's been having a "personal medical issue" ... but didn't go into specifics.
He did say he's expected to bounce back from the mysterious ailment, writing ... "My doctors continue to assure me that my recovery will be complete and that I will be back to the job I love very soon. I expect to return to a full schedule and be at 100 percent."
Clooney and his wife, Amal, attended Monday night's 51st Chaplin Award Gala, where the actor/director gave a speech, during which he reportedly said Jimmy is a comedian and "jokes are jokes," while addressing the issue that has captivated the country.
As you know, President Trump and First Lady Melania called for Jimmy to be fired by his bosses at ABC for doing a skit on his late-night show last Thursday, in which he made a joke about Melania "having the glow of an expectant widow" during a mock version of the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries isn't ready to weigh in on a joke Jimmy Kimmel made that triggered an angry First Family demand ... but he has an opinion about toxic talk, and he's not sparing the left.
Jacob got the House Minority Leader Monday on Capitol Hill ... turns out Jeffries hadn't heard Kimmel's joke last Thursday, in which he called Melania Trump an "expectant widow."
It prompted the First Lady and the Prez to call on ABC to fire Kimmel's ass. The comment was made 2 days before the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.
Ben Stiller has the MAGA army coming after him over a social media post about his beloved Knicks ... misinterpreted as a comment on the White House Correspondents' Dinner shooting.
Here's the deal ... the actor merely posted "Got it done" Saturday night, in reference to the Knicks Game 4 road victory over the Atlanta Hawks to even their playoff series. And it just so happened around that time ... suspected gunman Cole Tomas Allen opened fire at the Correspondents' Dinner.
Due to the timing ... MAGA supporters jumped all over Ben's X post, assuming that, since he's a Hollywood liberal who's been critical of President Trump in the past ... CLEARLY he must've been rooting on the gunman.
President Trump got hot under the collar during his "60 Minutes" interview with Norah O'Donnellthat aired Sunday night, slamming her for bringing up Jeffrey Epstein's pedophile ways in connection with the White House Correspondents' Dinner alleged gunman, Cole Allen.
On Sunday, Trump sat down to chat with O'Donnell at the White House about Saturday night's shooting at the Washington Hilton, where the prez was gathered with the press and his cabinet for the WHCD event.
Donald Trump defends himself after ‘60 Minutes’ anchor reads manifesto of gunman from the correspondents dinner, which refers to an administration official as a pedophile and rapist. pic.twitter.com/lNe2xbIiSU@PopBase
As you know, Allen allegedly dashed through the lobby, heading toward the ballroom where the world's most powerful people were celebrating, but he got tackled along the way by federal agents.
Fans are jumping out of their seats to moonwalk alongside Michael Jackson during the new biopic -- but it's causing mixed feelings online.
People are going viral for bringing the energy to theaters ... with dancers busting a move on opening weekend. However, others are straight-up disturbed and would rather watch the show they came for.
As we told you, "Michael" follows the Prince of Pop's rise to superstardom from his beginnings with the Jackson 5 to his mainstream solo success. The film ends during the height of his popularity -- finishing with his 1988 "Bad" tour -- 5 years before he was accused of sexually abusing a minor.
Some nasty folks are going after the lawyers defending D4vd in his murder case ... and they're going so far as to flood his defense team with horrendous emails, wishing them the worst simply because they are Jewish.
TMZ got ahold of one piece of hate mail sent to D4vd's defense team ... and it's just a taste of some of the Jewish hate the D4vd case is drumming up.
Here's the full email ... "With the recent shocking news about the crimes D4VD committed on a 12 year old girl. It sickens me that your law firm would pick up this case and defend such a filthy human. I'm not surprised you are all JEWS! the only race that puts money above all morals and will go to the pits of hell for a dollar." It doesn't end there ...
The "Summer House" reunion is currently filming in NYC, and the seating chart is already telling a story.
Bravo spilled on where everyone's sitting for the Season 10 reunion with head honcho Andy Cohen in the middle, flanked by Ciara Miller and Amanda Batula ... putting the Amanda/West Wilson front and center.
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And yeah, the sides are pretty clear. Ciara's wing includes Amanda's ex, Kyle Cooke ... plus Lindsay Hubbard and more ... while Amanda's posted up with West (bold move), alongside Carl Radke and her crew.
As we reported ... Amanda and West confirmed last month their longtime friendship turned romantic, but the timing raised eyebrows given their recent ties within the group.
Things got bloody in Rome ... but it's all for the cameras, with actor Andrzej Chyra going full method as Pope John Paul II.
Check the video -- the acclaimed Polish star was deep in character for the upcoming historical thriller "Santo Subito!" ... recreating the 1981 assassination attempt and dramatically collapsing after the "shot," fake blood splattered all over.
The scene's no joke ... packed with extras to mirror the real-life moment when Mehmet Ali Ağca opened fire as the Pope entered St. Peter's Square in Vatican City.
In a statement Wednesday, Vrabel said he would be headed to counseling this weekend while also spending time with his family outside of Massachusetts. As a result, Vrabel will miss Saturday's third day of the NFL draft.
In addition, Vrabel repeated his vow, promising to give his wife, Jen, their two sons, and the Patriots organization, "the best version of me that I can possibly give them."
