Drugs & Alcohol

Liz Carmouche -- the UFC's first openly lesbian fighter -- says public perception has come a long way since she came out ... and the UFC is finally ready to accept a gay male athlete.

"I do actually believe that a man could come out as openly gay and he could rise to the top," Liz told TMZ Sports.

You might remember ... Liz broke the glass ceiling back in 2013, when she fought Ronda Rousey in the UFC's inaugural women's title fight.

Back then, Carmouche had serious doubts about a man following in her footsteps ... but says she feels differently now after experiencing how LGBTQ fighters are treated in MMA gyms like her own (San Diego Combat Academy).

Liz -- who recently partnered with HempMeds -- also told us why she thinks the UFC's at a place where it can let its fighters smoke weed ... even though she's way more of an advocate for CBD oil.

Shemar Moore's not about to mess with a dude like El Chapo ... which is why he'd rather sit behind bars for a while than be a juror on the drug lord's criminal case.

The "Criminal Minds" and "S.W.A.T." star was at LAX Saturday when we asked him about jury duty, specifically about the concern for the jurors' safety in the El Chapo trial.

Moore makes it clear -- El Chapo's a scary man and thinks anyone connected to the former Cartel leader should be afraid ... despite what his lawyers say.

For that reason, Shemar says he'd take whatever punishment comes with skipping El Chapo jury duty ... because it's better than the alternative.

Mark Wahlberg might not be on 'roids, but there are a TON of Hollywood movie stars who are ... some of the biggest names in town, this according to Tyron Woodley.

The UFC champ -- who's also appeared in a bunch of big movies -- opened up about Hollywood's steroid habit on "The Hollywood Beatdown" after Wahlberg was called out by a PED kingpin ... revealing that he's met "lots of big-name, A-list actors that are openly on steroids."

But Tyron says he does NOT think Marky Mark is one of Tinseltown's PED pumpers ... and even if he is, explains why he shouldn't be shamed like all the juiceheads in pro sports.

Woodley also slams UFC star Nate Diaz, "nasty ass" Larry Nassar and the MULTIPLE Eagles fans who thought it was cool to punch a horse (it's not).

Kodak Black's legal eagle is ready to grill 3 officers to get to the bottom of what the rapper claims was a sketchy arrest.

Sources tell us Kodak's lawyer, Bradford Cohen, has some tough questions he wants answered ... why was there no body cam footage of last week's arrest for grand theft of firearms, neglect of a child and weed possession? Cohen also wants to know why a gang task force effected the arrest.

Cohen filed legal docs setting the gears in motion to take depositions of 3 officers involved in the arrest to determine if it was kosher.

The cruise on which "Storm Chasers" star Joel Taylor allegedly died of an OD continues to be party central ... with abundant drug use.

A "White Party" was held Thursday night on the cruise ship and passengers tell us drugs were everywhere ... including ketamine and ecstasy.

TMZ broke the story ... law enforcement sources tell us they believe Taylor's death was an OD. Passengers told us Taylor consumed enough GHB Monday night to lapse into unconsciousness on the dance floor. He was taken back to his room where he was later found unresponsive.

One big change the XFL can have over the NFL? Let the players use marijuana -- so says Tommy Chong!

Chong's argument is simple ... weed's good for athletes dealing with pain and concussion issues.

He also claims since so many states have legalized marijuana (either medically or recreationally), allowing players to use cannabis wouldn't really go against Vince McMahon's strict no-lawbreakers rule.

Of course, Vince has vowed to ban any player with a whiff of a criminal record -- but he didn't speak specifically to marijuana use ... at least not yet.

Joel Taylor's death is officially off the FBI's plate -- for now at least ... TMZ has learned.

Carlos Osorio -- a spokesman for the FBI's San Juan Division -- tells TMZ the feds have been pulled off the "Storm Chasers" star's case, and it's been passed back to local authorities.

Osorio says FBI members conducted a preliminary investigation on the cruise ship Taylor died on this week, and concluded his death was not the result of a violent crime. That, coupled with other factors he wouldn't elaborate on, made U.S. officials determine the case was no longer in the FBI's jurisdiction.

Here's the catch -- if it's determined Taylor's death is linked to murder ... we're told the feds could reopen the investigation. That doesn't seem likely -- Taylor's death appears to be tied to a drug OD.

As we reported ... Taylor was so out of it after consuming what we're told was GHB that he was rendered unconscious on the dance floor and had to be carried to his room. Passengers told us drug us was rampant on the cruise ship as passengers partied.

No arrests have been made, and local police in San Juan are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding Taylor's demise.

The cruise line on which "Storm Chasers" star Joel Taylor died of an apparent OD this week does not allow illegal drugs on the boat ... which raises the question -- how did they ignore a river of drugs on board?

Royal Caribbean International tells TMZ they have a "zero tolerance" policy when it comes to drugs. If the crew finds them, they confiscate them.

So the question ... multiple passengers tell us drug use was out in the open ... flagrant and notorious. The parties were drug-fueled and, as we reported, Taylor was so out of it he fell into unconsciousness on the dance floor and had to be carried to his room after allegedly consuming GHB.

As we reported ... we're told several passengers suspected of drug possession were stopped after drug-sniffing dogs zeroed in on them at the Ft. Lauderdale port where the ship departed.

TMZ broke the story ... the FBI is now investigating Taylor's death and has already spoken to folks at the cruise line to find out what went down on board.

The apparent drug overdose that led to the death of a "Storm Chaser" star on a cruise ship has triggered an FBI investigation ... law enforcement sources tell TMZ.

TMZ broke the story ... "Storm Chaser" star Joel Taylor had been doing GHB late Monday night going into Tuesday morning, dancing during a wild party, when he lapsed into unconsciousness. Taylor was carried into his cabin and left there. He was pronounced dead later that morning.

We're told there were huge quantities of party drugs on board the ship, including cocaine, Ecstasy and GHB. Our sources say several people were arrested before the ship left the Ft. Lauderdale port.

After Taylor died, the boat docked in Puerto Rico and passengers tell us there was a lot of commotion involving drugs on board the Royal Caribbean ship, Harmony of the Seas.

Passengers tell us, the night Taylor apparently OD'd, drugs were flowing freely among many of the partygoers.

We're told the FBI is investigating the circumstances of Taylor's death, how the drugs got on board and who supplied them.

Countess Luann de Lesseps has officially been hit with 3 charges for her alleged drunken holiday attack on a cop ... TMZ has learned.

The 'Real Housewives of NYC' star has been charged with a felony count of resisting an officer with violence, along with a trespassing and disorderly intoxication charge -- both misdemeanors ... according to new docs. She faces up to 5 years in prison for the felony charge.

The good news for Luann -- 2 additional felony counts of corruption by threat were not filed against her.

As we reported ... Lesseps was originally looking at 4 felony counts after being busted in Palm Beach, Florida around Christmas Eve. She checked into rehab a few days after the drunken arrest.

After completing a week at an inpatient rehab center in Jersey, Dennis Rodman is out ... but swears to continue working on his sobriety.

Rodman had checked in to the Turning Point treatment center following his DUI arrest earlier this month. Now, his rep Darren Prince says he's moving to a nearby outpatient center operated by Turning Point before continuing his long-term treatment in California.

"He’s been working with psychotherapists as well as in group recovery classes," Prince says ... adding, "[Rodman] has finally been accountable for his behavior from alcohol over the years."

Rodman also commented ... saying, "The doctors and nurses at Turning Point were really cool and made me feel comfortable and understand how I got myself into this position and what I need to do to stay on this path."

10:50 AM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, "It appears the death could be an overdose and Joel Taylor was consuming controlled substances."

A passenger who interacted with Joel tells TMZ, Joel had consumed enough GHB on the dance floor Tuesday that he was rendered unconscious and taken off the dance floor by 2 people and back to his room.

"Storm Chaser" star Joel Taylor died from a suspected overdose on a cruise ship ... this according to passengers on the boat.

Passengers on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Line Harmony of the Seas tell TMZ ... drugs on the party boat were plentiful, and they say 38-year-old Taylor was partaking.

A rep for the boat tells us Taylor was found unresponsive in his cabin Tuesday and law enforcement was alerted when the boat arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

We're told among the drugs ... Ecstasy and cocaine. Passengers even posted on social media when they were boarding that several people were arrested at the Ft. Lauderdale port -- where the boat departed -- for possession of drugs.

Olivia Newton-John and famous DJ duo Galantis both performed on the boat Tuesday night.

"Happy Gilmore" star Christopher McDonald has been charged with DUI ... TMZ has learned.

The San Bernardino County D.A.'s Office tells TMZ it charged the actor with 2 misdemeanors -- driving under the influence of alcohol and driving with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher.

We broke the story ... Christopher was busted back in October and allegedly tried playing the celebrity card after driving his Porsche off the highway.

Hours before his arrest ... the "Thelma & Louise" star was seen chugging beer during Oktoberfest in Lake Arrowhead, CA. Christopher's arraignment is scheduled for April.

Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino went booze-less during the "Jersey Shore" cast's first official night out.

Paps got Mike out Tuesday night with the rest of his GTL crew at a South Beach club, and he was clutching a Red Bull can the entire time.

Meanwhile, Pauly D and co. definitely partied it up and had bottle service at their table -- but the Sitch went dry throughout the night.

In case you're wondering, Mike's no-booze policy doesn't appear to be tied to his tax evasion case -- in which he just pled guilty last week, and is set to be sentenced later this spring.

On the contrary, Mike's said he's been "100 percent" sober since 2015 after battling a Rx drug addiction.

David Beckham doesn't play by the rules when it comes to getting trimmed ... or he's got an incredible hair dresser.

Beckham said goodbye to his long coif with the help of a big glass of wine and his feet up on the counter, which had to make getting that perfect line around the ear difficult for the guy blading away.

Becks shared pics of what looks like the most laid-back cut Tuesday on his Instagram story, including one of what came off and it certainly looked like a lot.

DMX is in rehab for substance abuse, but apparently those substances don't include alcohol ... based on this video of the rapper preaching ... in a Chili's bar!!

X was at the airport bar and grill Monday night in St. Louis when he started breaking down what the man upstairs has done for him in times of need. He'd been in town for a concert with E-40, but obviously still had some words of wisdom to share before leaving town.

Eyewitnesses tell us the rapper was buying everyone shots, and had some booze himself. His lawyer, Murray Richman, tells TMZ he's surprised because X is supposed to be traveling with his sober coach.