Coronavirus

"Selling Sunset" star Mary Fitzgerald has had it with co-star Christine Quinn's lies and drama, and her COVID cry is the nail in the coffin.

We got Mary outside The Oppenheim Group office Wednesday ... and she's convinced Christine's recent COVID reveal -- which she says caused her to miss the reunion show -- is just a shady way to back out last-minute and avoid facing her fellow castmates.

Mary says the cast tested twice before the Sunday taping ... and according to Mary, Christine came back negative both times. Mind you, the last test was on Friday, but Christine says the next day she tested positive.

While Christine is undeniably an important character on the show, Mary admits it hasn't been pleasant to work with her in the office.

We also got Christine's boss, Jason Oppenheim, outside the office, but mum's the word on his thoughts about the COVID drama.

He wants everyone to be a team player and show up for filming, but he gets the other side of the coin -- Christine's been going through a lot with almost every cast member ganging up on her.

Sharon Osbourne is just 3 days into her new TV show, but a family health emergency has forced her to put things on hold ... Ozzy has COVID-19.

In a tearful interview with Talk TV -- the new network Sharon's joined -- she says Ozzy was only recently diagnosed, but she's "very worried" about him. Saying she'll fly back to L.A. to help him recover and "hold him and kiss him with about 3 masks on."

You can tell Osbourne is not only feeling for her husband, but also disappointed she'll need to pump the brakes on her new show. It's only the first week of her new UK show called "The Talk."

Sharon says it's the first time her 73-year-old husband has gotten COVID, so obviously, the timing is tough, but she's optimistic, saying, "It'll take me a week to get my old man back on his feet again, and I will be back in a week."

Ozzy's also been battling Parkinson's Disease ... and Sharon recently revealed he's got another surgery on the horizon.

It was last month when it was revealed Sharon would be joining friend Piers Morgan on the newly founded Talk TV.

Transportation Secretary, Pete Buttigieg, is here to clear up why the federal government seems to be pushing back on mask mandates that were set to expire.

The cabinet member formerly known as Mayor Pete came on "TMZ Live" and offered some much-needed clarity on the whole mask mandate confusion, particularly on planes -- namely, whether people still have to wear them.

As you know, a federal judge struck down the Biden administration's mask mandate rule for air travel earlier this month -- giving people the right to go maskless if they want -- but since then the DOJ has appealed the decision, and wants to make its case in court.

Of course, the reason people are scratching their heads ... if the federal mask mandate was going to end on May 3 anyway, why are Biden and co. trying to reinstate it?

As PB explains here ... it's not so much that President Biden wants to force people to mask up again, but more so -- trying to define and establish the federal government's legal authority on this sort of issue, which the judge kinda flouted with their ruling.

With that said, Pete says at this moment ... people do NOT have to mask up while flying, as long as the airline doesn't require it -- and none of them do, currently. As for ground-level public transit -- that's up to local, city or county policy.

Check out the full interview on Thursday's "TMZ Live," because we also grilled the Secretary on that infuriating issue affecting all of us ... gas prices!!!

After talking shop ... we kinda nerded out with Pete on his 2 babies, whom he welcomed to the world with his husband, Chasten, last year. We get into the nitty-gritty (and poopy) ... and it sounds like Pete's enjoying parenthood to no end.

A sex worker in Nevada tells TMZ Sports she's so grateful for the revenue that the NFL Draft has brought her this month ... she wants to give Thursday's #1 overall pick a free "sex romp."

Roxanne Price -- a 27-year-old licensed sex worker -- tells us that Las Vegas escorts have taken a hit during the COVID pandemic ... but with the NFL draft coming to town this week, big money is finally starting to come back to the industry.

And, Price wants to thank the NFL for it all ... specifically by giving the draft's #1 overall pick this week top-notch service at the Chicken Ranch Brothel just outside of Las Vegas -- 100% free!

"The least I can do is offer the top draft pick the most valuable thing I possess, my premium erotic services at no charge," Price tells us. "It's my way of saying, 'Thank you' to the athletes that inspire us all."

Roxanne -- the 2017 Lover of the Year winner -- tells us her offer comes with a complimentary limo service and a promise to "cater to his fantasies."

And, if the #1 pick doesn't have time this weekend, Roxanne tells us he can schedule it for a future date.

FYI ... according to most mock drafts, the Jaguars will likely pick either Georgia pass rusher Travon Walker or Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson with the top pick.

Howie Mandel's happy to be out of his quarantine after getting COVID ... but says his time locked away drove him insane, and thinks being vulnerable about your mental health is important now more than ever.

Howie was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to talk about his new show "Bullsh*t the Game Show" ... but before pitching his show, he opened up about his intense struggle with the virus ... which he contracted during his first public outing -- the Kids' Choice Awards.

He makes it clear ... the physical symptoms weren't bad, but the collateral damage to his mental health was real. Howie's a big proponent of talking about these struggles ... it definitely has helped him navigate troubled waters.

As for his new Netflix game show, Howie says he's been offered a bunch of game show hosting gigs, but this one checks all the boxes. It's not only fun, contestants can win a million bucks!

"Selling Sunset" has been hit with another COVID setback, star Maya Vander tells us she's tested positive and has given her castmates a heads-up that it's possible they could've been exposed during the show's reunion.

Maya says she tested negative on Friday for the show's reunion taping on Sunday. She tells us she began to feel ill on Tuesday, and has now tested positive. Out of a precaution, Maya says she let her castmates who were filming with her Sunday that she has COVID, just in case there was a chance of exposure.

However, Vander traveled from L.A. back to Florida Sunday after the filming, so she believes there's a chance she got it on the plane ... as she never had any symptoms prior to Tuesday.

Luckily, Maya says she's feeling ok and just has some body aches. She says everyone else on the cast is feeling fine.

Of course, Maya's positive test comes on the heels of COVID controversy with "Selling Sunset" villain Christine Quinn. Quinn skipped out on the show reunion after her rep told us she tested positive for COVID on Saturday.

That positive test became much more interesting when TMZ obtained photos of Quinn at a photoshoot from Tuesday -- just 3 days after her alleged positive COVID result -- and leading many to believe she faked having COVID to avoid confrontation at the reunion.

The CDC recommends someone who tests positive should remain in isolation for at least 5 days following a positive test.

"Selling Sunset" star Christine Quinn missed the reunion show Sunday because she says she had COVID, which makes this photo of her on a film set Tuesday very interesting.

We've obtained a photo of Quinn on her phone, while crew members stand around her to prepare for a shot. What's interesting ... it's 'RHONJ' star Melissa Gorga seated next to her.

Unclear what this gig entails, but her rep told us Monday Christine had to miss the "Selling Sunset" reunion over the weekend after testing positive for COVID on Saturday.

Of course, the CDC recommends ... someone who has tested positive for COVID should isolate for at least 5 days. Quinn's obviously not doing that, and while one of the crew members is masked up, Christine isn't.

If you've followed the most recent season of "Selling Sunset," you know Christine is the show's villain -- so when TMZ broke the story she'd have to miss the reunion because her rep said she had COVID, a ton of the show's fans thought she might've been faking it to avoid confrontation with the other cast members.

At this point, we're hoping she was faking COVID, cuz showing up to work just a few days after a positive test doesn't seem to be a very safe way of doing business.

Kyrie Irving is admitting it ... his COVID vaccine drama did become a "distraction" for him and his teammates this season.

Irving -- who was forced to sit out a large portion of the year after refusing to get the shots -- said following the Brooklyn Nets' 4-0 series sweep to the Boston Celtics on Monday night that his unvaccinated status did have a big effect on his team this year.

"It was just really heavy emotionally this season," Irving told reporters after the Nets' 116-112 Game 4 loss. "We all felt it. I felt like I was letting the team down at a point where I wasn't able to play."

"We were trying to exercise every option for me to play, but I never wanted it to just be about me. And, I think it became a distraction at times."

You'll recall, Irving was initially barred from Nets games and practices over his vaccine choice. He was later allowed to play in road games for the team, but not home ones due to New York mandates.

And, by the time Irving was fully allowed to suit up for Brooklyn ... the team had developed just too many issues on top of the whole ordeal to gel in time for a deep playoff run.

Head coach Steve Nash said following the loss Tuesday night it all certainly weighed on the team.

"I think that's a big reason why we were in that position," Nash said, "a lack of continuity."

The cast of “Selling Sunset” was without its biggest star for the show’s reunion … Christine Quinn missed out thanks to a positive COVID test.

Christine's rep tells TMZ, "Christine tested positive for COVID on Saturday and out of an abundance of caution, she did not attend the reunion." The reunion taped Sunday at Raleigh Studios in Hollywood.

If you’re familiar with the show, Quinn’s an essential part of the storyline, and has been labeled the villain time and time again. Cast member Amanza Smith also revealed she had to miss the reunion because of COVID, but she appeared virtually.

Christine's rep tells us producers offered Quinn the opportunity to video chat in for the reunion, but she declined as she wasn't feeling well enough to do it.

Josh Groban isn't ditching his mask in the air, despite the new rule allowing people to fly without covering their mouth and nose ... and he has reasons why.

We got Josh at LAX Tuesday, and he puts it plainly -- his voice is his livelihood, so extra protection is needed.

Josh acknowledges he may be in the minority -- people on his flight were cheering when the captain came on and said masks were no longer required. But, Josh has a different, personal point of view ... partly because of his parents. There's also the business of touring that makes going maskless problematic.

A federal judge ruled Monday the CDC's mandatory mask policy on planes was illegal. The Justice Dept. has said if the CDC wants to appeal they will oblige. For now ... no masks.

Post Malone spreads the love -- and the message of love -- at a wild party during Day 2 of Coachella.

Post performed Saturday night at Coachella Revolve Party at the Merv Griffin Estate in the Palm Springs area, and he had words for the crowd.

Post was emotional, talking about the need to spread love to family, friends and strangers. He talked about struggles -- in Ukraine, the COVID pandemic, and just dealing with life. He tried to inspire the crowd, saying it takes a second to help course-correct someone who is struggling.

Then he gave the crowd what they came to see ... an awesome performance of "Congratulations," and for good measure, he brought out Quavo.

Then, as the show was about to end, P.M. jumped into the crowd, lost his shirt and everyone went wild.

'SNL' had an Easter message Saturday night ... and it was hilarious.

The show opened with the Easter Bunny, who towed along a gaggle of celebs to wish everyone a happy holy day.

Mr. Bunny began by cautioning people not to freak out ... "It's really me, the Easter Bunny. Either that, or you're at Coachella and the shrooms are kicking in."

E.B. was followed by Dr. Fauci -- btw, Kate McKinnon just nails it with real talk about COVID.

Not to be left out ... Marjorie Taylor Greene then appears clutching an AR-15, and she takes a shot at Jews, the LGBTQ community -- nothing surprising.

Maybe the funniest ... Jared Leto, who looks similar to another famous, historical figure. And the caution he gives to movie reviewers is hilarious.

There were also really funny bits with Britney and NYC Mayor Eric Adams.

And lastly ... Donald Trump makes an appearance ... the best line -- remember when Trump said COVID will be over by Easter. Well, he didn't say which Easter, right?

Paul George is out ... the Clippers star has entered the league's health & safety protocols and will miss tonight's game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

... a gigantic blow for the Clips.

Adrian Wojnarowski reports sources told him the L.A. forward will not play in his team's win-or-go game against the Pelicans.

It's unclear if PG tested positive for COVID or is just experiencing symptoms, but either way the 7x All-Star won't be seeing the court in the biggest game of the season.

George was already sidelined for a number of games for the Clippers this season ... as he was dealing with a torn ligament in his elbow.

However, since returning to the Clips lineup, the team has enjoyed some success with one of the game's premier two-way players back in the mix.

George averaged over 24.3 points per game, 6.9 assists, and 5.7 rebounds despite only playing in 31 games for the Clippers this season.

The Clippers will have an uphill battle if they want to get past a tough New Orleans team ... and losing one of their best players certainly won't make it any easier.

Story developing ...

LeBron James might soon pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the NBA's all-time scorer, but the dude still has a long way to go to be truly great as a role model ... so say KAJ.

The Lakers legend shared his pointed criticism at LBJ Sunday amid his presentation of a new trophy bearing his name ... which he bestowed upon Carmelo Anthony for his social justice work during the 2021-22 season.

It seems that after the ceremony, Kareem stuck around and talked to reporters ... who asked him how he felt about the idea of LeBron overtaking him as the points leader, which is likely to happen sometime next season -- barring any prolonged sitting out on LeBron's part.

Kareem said he had no problem with Bron taking the mantle, but where he (still) has issues is with LeBron's legacy as a whole -- including his off-the-court comments/antics/stances ... some of which Kareem said were "beneath him" in the grand scheme of things.

While he praised LeBron for some philanthropy work he's done -- including sending TONS of kids to college on his dime -- Kareem said there are still some things the King should be embarrassed about.

He's also quoted as saying this ... "Some of the things he's done and said are really beneath him, as far as I can see." Kareem adds, "Some of the great things that he's done, he's standing on both sides of the fence almost, you know? It makes it hard for me to accept that when he's committed himself to a different take on everything. It's hard to figure out where he's standing. You've got to check him out every time."

Now, as for what exactly Kareem may be referring to -- it's no secret if you've been following along. Dude's been openly critical about LeBron's apparent vaccine hesitancy, not to mention his waffling on where he stands with COVID in general, a la that Spider-Man meme.

At the time, Kareem wrote an essay ... saying LeBron's joke was a blow to his legacy, asking he do better -- especially as a leader in the Black community. He's also opined about LeBron celebrating on the court (particularly in dancing), saying that's not G.O.A.T.-worthy.

Miley Cyrus says she's tested positive for the coronavirus after jet-setting around the globe, playing huge festivals and mingling with fans ... but she says it's not a bad thing.

The singer announced her COVID-19 diagnosis Friday on social media, explaining the positive result like this ... "Traveling around the world, playin for a 100,000 people a night & meeting hundreds of fans a day the chances of getting Covid are pretty high."

Miley says she's feeling fine and "it was definitely worth it."

Just in the last month, Miley played shows in Chile, Colombia, Argentina and most recently, Brazil. It's been a whirlwind tour, in advance of her new album, which dropped Friday too.

Miley had an eventful world tour ... in addition to getting COVID, her plane was struck by lightning and forced to make an emergency landing on her way to Asunción, Paraguay.

She dedicated her Brazil performance to late Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who Miley says was the first person she talked to after her plane incident.

We're not saying they're dropping like flies, but COVID is getting in the way of the Oscars ... at least as far as Lin-Manuel Miranda is concerned.

The "Hamilton" mastermind is staying home Sunday night, after his wife tested positive for the virus.

He said ... "Made it to Hollywood … This weekend, my wife tested [positive] for COVID. She's doing fine. Kids & I have tested [negative], but out of caution, I won't be going to the Oscars tomorrow night."

Nonetheless, he was cheering on "Cheering for my Tick, Tick... Boom!" ... which could end up with some hardware ... Andrew Garfield is up for Best Actor.

There are a lot of nervous actors ... to gain entry into the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, they have to produce proof of vaccination and not one but 2 negative PCR tests. There are exceptions -- performers and presenters don't have to show proof of vaccination, which is weird, right?