Coronavirus

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.

Joe Rogan had a super-interesting convo with CNN's Sanjay Gupta ... it was confrontationally civilized.

The good Doc was clearly on a mission to counter Rogan's message about the COVID vaccine. "The Joe Rogan Experience" is a huge platform -- 200 million downloads per month -- so Gupta was clearly there to challenge Joe over not getting the shot.

Rogan made it clear --- he's not anti-vaccine. In fact, he says he made an appointment to get the shot but ended up a no-show. As for why ... Rogan said, "I'm a healthy person, I exercise constantly, I'm always taking vitamins, I take care of myself."

Gupta was gentle, but clear -- asking Rogan if it's better to have the virus than to become infected. Rogan, who got COVID, conceded it was no fun going through it, but added he's been sicker with a bad cold.

That doesn't address the fact more than 700,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID, and Joe agreed certain people -- including the elderly and the overweight -- should get jabbed, but not everyone.

Then Joe dropped a theory that stunned Sanjay ... "I think it would be better to get the vaccine and recover and have amazing immunity ... you know what I think you should do? I think you should get vaccinated and then get sick ... the vaccine protects you from a bad infection and you get COVID so you get robust immunity ... get vaccinated, let it wane and hang around with a bunch of dirty people."

Gupta made it clear .... the win is for someone not to have the virus at all, and that's what the vaccine does.

Kyrie Irving is finally speaking out publicly about his anti-vaccine choice ... explaining he believes nobody should be told what to do with their bodies -- and he's tired of feeling "demonized" over his decision.

The Brooklyn Nets star -- who's been barred from playing and practicing with his team until he either gets the vaccine or gets some sort of exemption -- broke his feelings down on the matter in a lengthy video on his social media page Wednesday.

In his talk with his camera, which lasted over 20 minutes, Irving repeated over and over again he's against vaccine mandates.

In his explanation, Irving made it clear he wants people to be able to make their own decisions on the shots without a threat of potentially losing their jobs, livelihood and money.

The NBA star added he's tired of hearing critics blast him for his decision ... saying he hasn't done anything criminal.

"I haven't hurt anybody," Irving said. "I haven't committed a crime. I'm not out here acting dumb, stupid. I'm out here taking care of my family, my kids."

Irving said he would not retire over it all ... but did not reveal his plan for getting back on the court despite his strong, anti-vax stance.

The Nets, meanwhile, have stated they're moving on from Irving in wake of his decision ... with the team's general manager, Sean Marks, saying this week, "we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability."

Ray J is no longer battling pneumonia from a Miami hospital bed ... he's been discharged and is continuing to recover at home.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... Ray was released from the hospital over the weekend and he's also stopped using an inhaler and isn't on oxygen anymore.

As we told you ... Ray J was admitted earlier this month, where doctors discovered he had pneumonia and assumed he had COVID too. Ray tested negative for the virus and was eventually moved out of the COVID wing, but was super scared.

Our sources say Ray thinks his busy schedule and constant travel were to blame for his illness, and now he's realized he needs to take care of his health.

At one point in his bout with pneumonia, we're told Ray thought he was going to die, and now he's just thankful to have made it out.

TMZ broke the story ... Ray filed to divorce Princess Love while he was hospitalized, the third time the couple's walked down the divorce aisle.

The NHL is damn near 100% vaccination status -- with commissioner Gary Bettman announcing just 4 players league-wide have not received the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Commish shared the big news prior to the start of the 2021-22 season on Tuesday ... applauding the "great collaboration and cooperation" between the players and players' association.

"Our vaccination rate is incredible," Bettman said. "4 players, not 4% of players. All of our officials are vaccinated. All of the personnel that come into contact with the players are vaccinated."

FYI, there are 32 NHL teams with roughly 23 players on each squad. That's 736 players ... and again, only 4 aren't vaxxed.

Bettman gushes over the whole league's efforts throughout the pandemic ... saying everyone was on board over the past 2 years -- including the bubbles in Toronto and Edmonton, where there was not a single positive COVID-19 test.

"Everybody banded together to do the right thing," Bettman added. "Maybe that's why hockey is the ultimate team sport."

The league is still dealing with some issues surrounding the virus, however -- San Jose Sharks star Evander Kane is reportedly under investigation for allegedly submitting a bogus COVID-19 vaccine card.

On top of that, several Seattle Kraken players were placed in COVID-19 protocol before getting cleared to play in the franchise's first-ever game.

Kyrie Irving will not be allowed to play or practice for the Nets until his COVID vaccine situation is resolved, the team announced Tuesday.

Brooklyn general manager Sean Marks said in a statement that unless Irving gets vaccinated or the NBA provides him an exemption ... the star point guard will be barred from the team.

"Given the evolving nature of the situation and after thorough deliberation, we have decided Kyrie Irving will not play or practice with the team until he is eligible to be a full participant," Marks said.

"Kyrie has made a personal choice, and we respect his individual right to choose. Currently the choice restricts his ability to be a full-time member of the team, and we will not permit any member of our team to participate with part-time availability."

Irving has not commented publicly on his choice to avoid the vaccine -- he told his followers on social media last month that was a "private" matter -- but he's made it clear through social media activity that he is, in fact, anti-vax.

Of course, due to New York City mandates, in order to play games and practice in NYC, players are required to be vaccinated.

So far, Irving has missed all of the team's workouts in NYC as well as the Nets' preseason games over the vaccine choice ... and it's now clear he won't be a part of any of the team's activities moving forward unless something gives.

"It is imperative that we continue to build chemistry as a team and remain true to our long-established values of togetherness and sacrifice," Marks said.

"Our championship goals for the season have not changed, and to achieve these goals, each member of our organization must pull in the same direction."

It's been reported that Irving -- who's in the middle of a 4-year, $136,490,600 contract -- stands to lose MILLIONS based on the decision.

Coachella is making a U-turn ... ditching its plan to enforce a mandatory vaccination policy for ticketholders, and instead settling for testing negative right before the event.

The announcement came down Tuesday via an update on Coachella's official IG page -- which is run by AEG Presents -- saying, "After seeing first-hand the low transmission data and successful implementation of safety protocols at our other festivals this past month, we feel confident we can update our health policy."

The change ... allowing folks to come to Coachella (and other AEG Presents events, it seems) without having to prove they're vaxxed. Instead, you can just show a negative COVID test taken within 72 hours of the day you're attending.

This is a serious about-face from what AEG honchos said just a couple months ago -- when they announced they'd be requiring proof of vaccines, adding they felt they'd be on the right side of history, and that it was in the best interest of everyone.

The explanation is sure to thrill any anti-vaxx, or anti-mandate, folks on the fence about attending Coachella -- but something feels weird about the change of heart.

Frankly, if ya wanted to be cynical ... you could argue AEG's making a business decision -- especially in light of the massive pushback we're seeing around the country in relation to vaccine mandate.

Wendy Williams is stepping away from her show after experiencing "serious complications" as a direct result of Graves' Disease and her thyroid condition.

"The Wendy Williams Show" announced Tuesday that while Wendy's making progress ... she's not 100% ready to return to her hosting duties due to her immune system disorder. Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis.

That being said ... the show says it's been determined more time is needed before Wendy's able to return.

In the interim, the popular daytime program will start airing original shows on Monday ... "with an exciting lineup of guest hosts and panels to be announced shortly."

A statement from the show added, "Wendy is a valued and stalwart member of the Debmar-Mercury family and has been so for 12 years. We want her health to be her top priority. As soon as she's ready, she will be back in her treasured purple chair."

As we previously reported ... Wendy was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. We were told she was voluntarily admitted to an NYC hospital last month. On top of all of that, Wendy also had COVID but, thankfully, she was asymptomatic.

Wendy's 13th season was set to premiere Sept. 20, and while the new season will kick off in less than a week ... it's clear now Wendy won't be taking part for the time being.

Here's Blac Chyna having a very public freakout in an airport terminal ... yelling at folks to "go get f****** vaccinated!!!"

Ya gotta see the video ... Blac Chyna's standing in the terminal with her bodyguards when she yells at someone to get vaxxed and "stop being stupid, hoe!"

Folks who saw BC go nuclear in Miami International Airport tell TMZ ... the incident went down late Sunday night, and she was apparently set off by a fan's request for a picture.

We're told a lady holding a baby went up to Chyna to ask for the photo, and that's when BC started ranting about how the woman better be vaccinated.

Blac Chyna, BTW, is vaccinated ... she got her jab earlier this year while live streaming.

As you can see, most of the airline travelers just sit there in stunned silence ... and no one seems to react much to the animated, blue-haired Blac Chyna as she keeps going off. By the end of the rant, she's not even talking about vaccines -- instead, she was going off about her Washington, DC roots. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Southwest Airlines blames weather and tower issues for nearly 2,000 of their flights getting nixed this weekend -- but many think the real reason is ... a pilot strike over vaccines.

Here's the deal ... upwards of 1,800 SA flights (and counting) were straight-up canceled between Saturday and Sunday all over the country -- leaving even more would-be passengers stranded or without air travel for the holiday weekend.

Southwest has said poor weather conditions in FL and subsequent air traffic control roadblocks there were responsible for the mass cancelations -- but the FAA pushed back, admitting Friday was a bit of a mess in Jacksonville ... but noting Saturday/Sunday seemed fine. Other airlines also reported significantly less cancelations over the same time period.

So ... what gives??? It appears somebody's not being forthright on why so many Southwest flights continue to stay grounded -- but there's a theory that might have some credence.

On Friday, Southwest's pilot union filed legal docs seeking to halt a vaccine mandate that went into effect last week -- following Biden's order for federal workers and/or contractors, which applies to the airline. That was left unresolved heading into the weekend, it seems.

While Southwest hasn't spoken on a possible strike ... the union itself shot down the notion they were to blame, saying ... "[W]e can say with confidence that our Pilots are not participating in any official or unofficial job actions." Then ... some major shade.

They add... "Our Pilots will continue to overcome SWA management’s poor planning, as well as any external operational challenges, and remain the most productive Pilots in the world."

On the record, they're denying any sort of protest -- but there are reports, citing airline sources, that a massive "sickout" went down, and that ripple effects are still being felt.

The battle between Mark Cuban and Cole Beasley over the COVID vaccine is still going strong ... 'cause the Dallas Mavericks owner tells TMZ Sports he's still pushing for the NFL star to get vaccinated.

The two have gone back on forth on social media for weeks over Beasley's anti-vax stance ... and when we got Cubes out in NYC this week, he reiterated he desperately wants the Bills player to get the shots.

"Cole's a good guy, but, you know," Mark said, "getting vaccinated isn't just about you, it's about everybody else as well."

Cuban tells us he believes getting the vaccine is necessary to help protect at-risk people from contracting COVID-19 ... and he REALLY wishes Beasley would change his stance.

"There's 16.9 million cancer survivors in this country," Cuban said. "Three million-plus people who are immuno-compromised. And, when you don't get vaccinated, it's not just about you. It's about other people as well."

Of course, Beasley has dug his feet firmly in the ground on not getting the vaccine ... saying earlier this summer, "I may die of COVID, but I'd rather die actually living."

Beasley has been booed even at home this year in Buffalo over his comments ... but he's remained staunch in his beliefs regardless.

The Brooklyn Nets are poised to win an NBA championship with or without Kyrie Irving this season ... so says Charles Oakley, who tells TMZ Sports the star's availability won't derail the team's title hopes.

Of course, Irving -- who is not vaccinated -- could miss more than half of the season due to COVID vaccine mandates in NYC and California ... which has folks like Shaq saying the Nets should get rid of him.

Oakley doesn't think KI's absence will be that big of a deal, though ... after all, it helps they still have Kevin Durant and James Harden.

"I think they can still win it with him playing this way," Oakley said on TMZ Live this week.

"You still have James Harden and KD -- 2 of the top 5 best players in the league."

Oakley -- who's coming out with his own cooking show, "Chopping It Up with Oakley," added, "They wasn't healthy last year, so you think if James Harden comes back healthy this year with KD healthy, they still can win it even if Kyrie play only half of the season."

Besides missing playing time, KI is gonna lose a TON of money -- $380k per game!

So, we asked the NY Knicks legend if he was on the Nets would he talk to the point guard about his decision ... he says he would but at the end of the day -- "he's a grown man."

"He knows he losing 300, 400 thousand a game and it's not about the money. We see that."

"He believe what he believe in."

Nicki Minaj showed up for the taping of "The Real Housewives of the Potomac" reunion, causing some folks to wonder if she's changed her tune on getting vaccinated ... but TMZ's learned her vax status is irrelevant.

As you know ... Nicki caused quite a stir last month when she tweeted some COVID vaccine misinformation -- specifically, that her cousin's friend in Trinidad and Tobago had a severe side effect resulting in swollen testicles. She also implied that she was still not vaccinated.

So, with her appearance on the 'RHOP' reunion set Thursday night -- something that came to fruition after she jokingly pitched guest-hosting to Andy Cohen in July -- fans believed she might have gotten vaccinated in order to get the gig.

But, we've learned that's not necessarily the case ... because being vaccinated was not a requirement for the reunion taping.

Instead, Nicki and the 'Housewives' and the rest of the crew only had to comply with local orders in New Jersey ... so in this case, getting a PCR test that came back negative for COVID.

Obviously, everyone who participated in the reunion taping, including Nicki, had a negative test ... but it's still unclear if the rapper's vaxxed or not.

More troubling allegations for Evander Kane -- the NHL star is now being accused of using a fake COVID-19 vaccination card ... which is not only against league rules, it's also illegal.

The NHL is currently investigating whether Kane -- the 2009 4th overall pick -- submitted a bogus vaxx card to league officials, according to the AP and Front Office Sports.

FYI -- the league implemented strict guidelines for unvaccinated players during the 2021-22 season ... forcing those who haven't got the jab to stay at the team hotel, practice facilities or arena on road trips.

On top of that, unvaxxed pros will not be allowed to have guests in their hotel rooms ... and teams will be allowed to suspend players who aren't able to participate in team activities for COVID-19-related reasons.

Worth mentioning ... the NHL recently stated the majority of players are already vaccinated.

The new Kane investigation adds to a growing list of allegations made against the San Jose Sharks left winger -- as we previously reported, his estranged wife recently accused him of sexually and physically assaulting her ... which he's denied.

Kane's ex also accused him of betting on his own NHL games, which he's also denied. The league also investigated those claims, but he was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Ray J is in bad shape, struggling to breathe as he battles pneumonia in a Miami hospital ... it was so bad he thought he was going to die.

Ray J's manager, David Weintraub, tells TMZ Ray went into the hospital 4 days ago and doctors learned from the jump he was battling pneumonia. David looped Ray in on the call and we spoke to him for several minutes, and it was apparent he wasn't out of the woods.

Ray told us ... when he was admitted doctors assumed he had COVID, so they placed him in the COVID wing of the hospital, which he said was frightening, telling us, "I thought it was over. I started praying and knew God is good so I just kept praying."

He says he was given 5 COVID tests, all of which came back negative, and after 2 days he was moved out of the COVID wing.

He's currently getting oxygen but he still has difficulty breathing and talking. He says when he wakes up at 6 AM he feels like he could go home, but by 6:30 things deteriorate and he fears the worst.

Ray says all he thinks about is getting better so he can see his 2 kids. Weintraub says Ray will hopefully be out by week's end.

COVID-19 is still ruining spooky season traditions -- virtually killing off any chance of pumpkin carving on a popular Food Network show, and it's seriously pissing off fans.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... yes, as some eagle-eyed viewers have sourly noted during this season of "Halloween Wars," slicing up the traditional winter squash is NOT happening at the moment. And, we have more bad news ... it's gonna continue that way, at least for this year.

The reason ... we're told it's because of the pandemic, and the timing of production -- something that's out of the hands of showrunners, who are doing their best to adapt.

As you may or may not know, a lot of these shows film at different points in the year -- including 'HW,' which our sources say has often filmed well before Fall in years past ... where pumpkins were plentiful, and they were able to knife 'em to their heart's desire.

That, unfortunately, hasn't been the case this year ... and it's all due to COVID screwing up when and how TV networks have been able to shoot.

You can count "Halloween Wars" among the programs falling victim to that. We're told they weren't able to start filming until recently ... and, as a result, there was an actual shortage of pumpkins available for the competition. Seasonal demand, an already-stressed supply chain and new COVID-safety protocols for shows with group settings made it impossible to pull off on 'HW' this year.

It would appear procuring pumpkins, in the abundance needed for TV filming, is, apparently, more difficult than just heading down to your local patch set up in a grocery store parking lot.

In any case, our production sources tell us Food Network is happy with their final product, and the involvement of one Zak Bagans, who definitely brings the Halloween vibe home ... pumpkin or not.