Drugs & Alcohol

Joe Biden has finally gotten into contact with the wife of Brittney Griner ... and, according to the White House, POTUS assured her they're doing everything they can to bring the WNBA star home.

The White House said in a statement that both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke with Cherelle Griner on Wednesday ... this after Cherelle had pled with U.S. officials to have Biden call her for the last several weeks.

"The President called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible," the White House said ... adding that Biden also read her a draft of a letter he was planning to send to Brittney later Wednesday.

In their statement, White House officials added that Biden told Cherelle they are currently pursuing "every avenue to bring Brittney home."

As you know, Brittney has been in a Russian jail since mid-February ... after she was accused of having drugs in her luggage at an airport in Moscow.

Cherelle has been very vocal about speaking with Biden in the leadup to Brittney's trial -- which began last Friday -- saying last Thursday that she "would love" for the President "to tell me he cares."

White House officials said Wednesday in addition to the phone call, Biden also "directed his national security team to remain in regular contact with Cherelle and Brittney’s family, and with other families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, to keep them updated on efforts to secure the release of their loved ones as quickly as possible."

Bam Margera seemingly fell off the wagon after bouncing from a treatment center ... video shows him partying with a group of men while police and his family were desperately looking for him.

After Bam vanished from a Florida rehab facility on June 25th, we're told he met up with some folks at a sports bar Saturday in Pompano Beach and had a couple alcoholic drinks.

One of the people who say they were hanging with Bam tells us the "Jackass" star then asked to be taken to a hospital for an injured wrist, and the person says he drove Bam to the hospital and took a pic of him on a hospital bed on Bam's orders.

We're told Bam later left the hospital and went to a strip club in Pompano Beach ... though Bam told people around him to keep the dancers away from him because he loves his wife and kid.

After the strip club, we're told Bam went to a friend's house, and you can see in our video, he appears to lose consciousness before coming back around. A couple hours later, Bam was picked up by another friend.

Hayden Panettiere is opening up for the first time about a secret addiction to opioids and alcohol ... saying it took a huge toll on her life and career.

The "Nashville" star, in an interview on "Good Morning America," says she struggled with substance abuse, as well as a battle with postpartum depression after having her 7-year-old daughter, Kaya, saying, "I was on top of the world and I ruined it."

Hayden says at one point, her addiction to alcohol got so bad that she was hospitalized, suffering from jaundice, and the docs warned her liver was going to give out. Now, she says, trauma therapy and inpatient treatment over the last year has brought her to a place of peace ... but it's taken a lot of work.

As a childhood star, she says someone on her team gave her "happy pills" before she appeared on red carpets, "They were to make me peppy during interviews. I had no idea that this was not an appropriate thing, or what door that would open for me when it came to my addiction."

She says as the addiction got worse, she did have one place of sobriety, "My saving grace is that I couldn't be messy while on set and working ... But, things kept getting out of control [off set]. And, as I got older, the drugs and alcohol became something I almost couldn't live without."

Brad Pitt has pissed off a lot of people, so he says, because he fails to recognize them ... but Brad says he believes he suffers from a medical condition called face blindness.

Brad has talked about this struggle in the past ... he just can't recognize people by looking at their faces -- even family members.

The condition is called prosopagnosia ... in lay terms, face blindness. About 2 and a half percent of the population suffers from it in varying degrees. Some researchers have theorized the condition is brought on by underdevelopment in the womb.

Brad has said over the years he's taken a lot of heat by people who felt he was aloof and self-absorbed ... because he didn't care enough about other people to remember them. Brad tells GQ, "Nobody believes me!"

The 58-year-old actor says he's never gone for an official diagnosis, but he's confident he has the condition.

As for how people with the affliction deal ... they use other markers to ID friends, family and associates ... it could be the way they walk, their voice, etc.

Brad told Esquire back in 2013, "So many people hate me because they think I'm disrespecting them."

Brad was brutally honest about lots of things in the interview, including the heartache he felt after the collapse of his marriage to Angelina Jolie and the bitter divorce that followed. He said, "I think all our hearts are broken ... I always felt very alone in my life, alone growing up as a kid, alone even out here, and it's really not till recently that I have had a greater embrace of my friends and family."

Brad is clean and sober, having spent 18 months in AA. He's also cut out cigarettes.

Tyler Sanders' death is being treated as a suspected overdose ... sources connected to the death investigation tell TMZ.

We're told Tyler, who had roles in big shows like "9-1-1: Lone Star" and "Fear the Walking Dead," had a history of drug use and cops found a plastic straw and white powder in the room where he died.

TMZ broke the story ... 18-year-old Tyler was found dead June 16 in his Los Angeles home.

Our sources say Tyler's friends called police to conduct a welfare check because they had not heard from him following a night out ... and that's what led to his body being discovered.

Tyler was laid to rest in Houston ... and someone who attended the funeral tells us Tyler's dad, David Sanders, delivered the eulogy and told the crowd Tyler died of an apparent drug overdose.

We're told Tyler started battling depression when he began filming '9-1-1' and his father repeated some of Tyler's own words at his funeral, talking about how Tyler's brain was wired to where he could not feel happiness.

Bam Margera's emotional split from his estranged wife lead to him fleeing rehab -- but since he's gone back, he hasn't heard a peep from her or their child ... so he's hired an attorney.

Sources close to the 'Jackass' star tell TMZ ... Bam's estranged wife, Nikki Boyd, has made no attempt to speak to him directly or return his phone calls, only speaking to his team about child support and custody regarding their son, Phoenix Wolf.

We're told Bam has now hired a family law attorney to help him visit his son. Our sources say, in the past, Bam had been trying on his own to work out a visitation schedule.

Bam's new family law attorney will be working on hammering out a custody agreement with Nikki's lawyer, David Glass, so Bam can see their son.

Nikki and Phoenix are back in California while Bam is in a Florida treatment center due to his court-ordered rehab -- and the distance doesn't seem to be helping their communication.

Remember, Nikki filed docs in Los Angeles seeking full custody of Phoenix, and only wants Bam to have supervised visitation.

Our sources say Bam's recent disappearance from rehab was spurred by the fact he hasn't been able to see his kid, coupled with a belief Nikki's moved on. Nikki however, claimed when he was missing the 2nd time that she's been nothing but supportive of Bam -- even moving from California to FL to be closer to him ... and she thinks she's been unfairly blamed for his exit.

We're told Bam has been very upset, and no longer wants to try to make things work with Nikki. His only focus is on seeing his son, and he's worried he'll never see him again.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler is out of rehab, after a successful stay, and those around him are excited about the progress he's made in a lifelong battle.

Sources close to Steven tell TMZ he checked out of a facility earlier this week, and actually stayed longer than the 30 days he was supposed to complete in order to make sure he felt good.

We're told the singer is totally clean and sober, doing "amazingly well" and looks good physically too -- our sources say he's at a healthy weight and his skin looks great.

As for the rest of his recovery, we're told Steven's realistic, he understands he's fighting a lifelong problem and recognizes his addiction ... so everyone's hopeful he'll stay clean and sober.

It was back in May when Aerosmith announced, "As many of you know, our beloved brother Steven has worked on his sobriety for many years. After foot surgery to prepare for the stage and the necessity of pain management during the process, he has recently relapsed and voluntarily entered a treatment program to concentrate on his health and recovery."

Baltimore Ravens pass rusher Jaylon Ferguson died last month due to "the combined effects of fentanyl and cocaine," officials announced on Friday.

In a statement to TMZ Sports, a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore, Maryland added the death was ruled an accident.

No further details were made available.

As we reported, Ferguson was found unresponsive at a Baltimore residence on June 21 and, according to cops, never regained consciousness. He was pronounced dead by medics on the scene.

At the time, cops did not suspect foul play ... and added they were investigating the possibility that Ferguson had suffered an overdose.

He was just 26 years old.

Jaylon was selected by the Ravens in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft ... and played in 38 total games for the team the last three seasons, tallying 4.5 sacks and 67 tackles.

He had previously starred at Louisiana Tech, where he set the NCAA record for most career sacks.

Arguably the biggest days in Brittney Griner's life have finally arrived -- her drug case trial in Russia has begun ... and it appears she chose to send a loud and clear message with her fashion for the monumental moment.

Cameras at a courthouse in Moscow captured Griner in the minutes before the trial officially began Friday morning ... and they showed the WNBA superstar rockin' a Jimi Hendrix T-shirt for the occasion.

While we're sure Griner is a big fan of the musician's work ... it seems the 31-year-old -- who's been detained in Russia since mid-February after authorities claimed she had hash oil in her luggage at an airport -- was attempting to send an "I'm innocent" note to the world.

You'll recall, Hendrix was arrested in Toronto back in 1969 after he, too, allegedly had drugs in his bags at an airport. Hendrix eventually stood trial in the case, but was found not guilty.

Griner -- who's facing up to 10 years behind bars if convicted on the charges -- is clearly hoping for a similar result in her drug case.

Friday's hearing reportedly lasted around two and a half hours, and is scheduled to continue next week. U.S. officials said at the courthouse following the proceedings that Griner told them she is in good spirits and "is keeping up the faith."

Griner's wife, meanwhile, spoke with CNN on Thursday night ahead of the important hearing ... and stressed she still wants to get in front of Joe Biden to make sure he knows just how important Griner is to her, her fans and America.

"He has that power -- he is the person that ultimately will make that decision for BG to come home," Cherelle Griner said. "And, so while everyone else wants to tell me they care, I would love for him to tell me he cares."

Wrestling star Jeff Hardy is fighting back in his DUI case -- pleading not guilty to all charges this week, court documents show.

Hardy, according to the docs, pled not guilty on Tuesday to the three charges related to his arrest earlier this month.

During the June 13 incident, cops accused Hardy of driving while absolutely wasted in Volusia County, Fla. Officers said in police documents, breathalyzer tests following the arrest showed the AEW star had a BAC of .294 and .291.

Police footage from the stop shows Hardy slurred his words, stumbled on his feet, and admitted to cops he had drank shots of Fireball before getting behind the wheel.

Avalanche stars Cale Makar and Devon Toews weren't only losing their minds at the Stanley Cup title parade on Thursday ... they also lost their shirts -- after they stripped during the ceremony!

The hilarious moment was captured on live TV ... when Makar and Toews were celebrating Colorado's huge win on the upper deck of one of the fire trucks in the parade, which was held in downtown Denver.

You can see Toews and Makar were lit (and hot since it's 80 degrees there Thursday) -- and they both took off their championship T-shirts right near Makar's MVP trophy.

The broadcasters thought it was hilarious ... with one saying, "Probably fueled by liquid courage this morning."

They weren't the only ones takin' it off ... winger Mikko Rantanen pulled his shirt over his head so he could chug a can of beer in style.

Meanwhile, Avs center J.T. Compher made his way to the streets, meeting with fans and even taking a ride on a cop's bicycle.

Las Vegas Aces star A'ja Wilson was brought to tears after seeing Brittney Griner in shackles on Monday -- telling reporters it made her sick to her stomach.

Wilson made the comments just hours after Griner was seen in handcuffs and flanked by guards while at a court in Russia ... getting choked up while talking about it following her game against the L.A. Sparks on Monday night.

"I hated seeing it," Wilson said. "It made my stomach turn."

"That's our sister and I can't imagine what she's going through and I pray every single day that the people that are in high up are doing what they need to do to get her home because it's unacceptable."

The 25-year-old baller prayed the ordeal doesn't put a toll on Griner -- not just physically, but mentally as well.

Griner has been in Russian custody since February -- after she was accused of having hash oil in her luggage at a Moscow airport.

Seems only fitting the star of Khloé Kardashian's 38th birthday party is the woman who brought her into the world -- an event Kris Jenner brought up in a hilarious and boozy fashion.

Khloé popped up Monday in a sexy pink latex dress to celebrate her birthday with a lunch at her mom's $20 million mansion in Hidden Hills, and the drinks were flowing! Well, definitely for Kris who made a half-hearted attempt to reenact Khloé's birth -- something Khlo was NOT down to do.

Thank God Kim Kardashian was recording the whole thing, because, after that scene, Mom admitted during a toast ... "I know I'm a little wasted. But, what I want to say is how much I am so f***ing in love with you, Khloé Kardashian!"

Yeah, it was that kinda speech, but super sweet ... as Kris basically called her third-born the glue that holds the Kardashian-Jenner clan together.

Even with all the drinks, this was a true family affair, and the kiddos got in on the fun too -- Khloé posed with her daughter, True and her 5-year-old niece, Dream ... Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna's daughter.

Bam Margera is worried he'll never see his son again if he stays in rehab and that's why he bailed  ... but his wife is pleading for him to check himself back in.

A rep for Nicole Boyd Margera tells TMZ ... she's hoping Bam can get the help he needs by returning to the Florida rehab center where he's been undergoing treatment this year.

Nikki and their 4-year-old son Phoenix are in full support of the "Jackass" star finishing his program. She has no clue where he is and she's worried sick about his safety.

Bam's camp tells us he left the LifeSkills residential facility again because he was worried he'd never see Phoenix again ... he's afraid he'll never get the chance to prove he's a good dad if he's in rehab.

Nikki claims she's been nothing but supportive of Bam -- even moving from California to FL to be closer to him ... but she thinks she's being unfairly blamed for his exit.

"I would say 'kiss my ass,' but y'all can't afford it."

Sha'Carri Richardson gave an unfiltered message to all of her haters after failing to qualify for the world championships next month ... giving the double bird and vowing to return to dominance.

It all went down after the track star finished fifth with a time of 22.47 seconds at the 200-meter semifinals on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon ... which eliminated her from competing for Team USA at the 2022 World Athletics Championship.

The 22-year-old sprinter made sure to let her critics know she's blocking out all the negativity shortly after her disappointing outing ... and she didn't hold back.

"I normally don't be making video to post on here 'cause I really don't got nothing to explain to y'all," Richardson said on Instagram.

"But, to my supporters, I wanna thank y'all. It's been a long road. Ain't over yet. To my haters, I got another video for y'all."

Sha'Carri wasn't lying, because she posted a video laying on her back and spreading her legs ... basically telling all her haters they can "kiss my ass."

The critics weren't the only ones receiving the heat from Richardson ... she also went at the media about respecting athletes following her race.

"Be more understanding of the fact that they are still human, no matter just to the fact that y'all are just trying to get something to put out in an article to make a dollar. Thank you."

Of course, Richardson has been making headlines ever since the 2020 Tokyo Olympics controversy ... when she was banned for 30 days and missed the games after testing positive for marijuana.

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner appeared in a Russian court on Monday for an important hearing in her drug case ... and while she looked to be in good shape, she was flanked by multiple security guards and had shackles on her wrists.

The Phoenix Mercury center -- who had previously been ordered to remain in pretrial detention until at least July 2 -- made the appearance wearing a grey t-shirt and sweats.

At the proceedings, a July 1 trial date was set for Griner -- nearly five months after she was initially detained in the foreign country for allegedly having hashish oil in her luggage at an airport.

Photos from the court show the 2-time Olympic gold medalist had her eyes wide open ... and was cuffed to an officer who was leading her to her court appearance.

Griner, who was ordered to stay in custody for the duration of her trial, is facing up to 10 years behind bars if she's convicted on the charges against her.

While U.S. officials, including congressman Colin Allred, have claimed Griner is "a political prisoner" ... a spokesperson for Vladimir Putin, Dmitry Peskov, told NBC News that Brittney's detainment is because she broke the country's law, not because she's being used as some sort of pawn.