Celebrity Health

Move over, Max Scherzer ... the Nats are now relying on Dr. Anthony Fauci to pump in a fastball on Opening Day -- the team says it's tapped the COVID-19 expert to throw out the ceremonial first pitch Thursday!

It's a huge honor for Fauci ... the guy is a self-proclaimed Nationals superfan -- and WA team officials say they couldn't be happier he accepted their invite to help kick off their season this week.

"Dr. Fauci has been a true champion for our country during the COVID-19 pandemic and throughout his distinguished career," the Nats said.

"So it is only fitting that we honor him as we kick off the 2020 season and defend our World Series Championship title."

Fauci will take the bump just minutes before the Nats host the New York Yankees at Nationals Park in D.C.

Unclear what Fauci's arm looks like from 60 feet, 6 inches ... but we ain't expecting any 50 Cent type shenanigans during the pregame ceremony.

Remember ... 79-year-old Fauci was quite the athlete back in the day -- running the point for Regis H.S. in NYC in 1958.

In fact, President Trump even praised Fauci's athletic ability a couple months ago at a White House briefing!

Kanye West's first presidential rally didn't help him get on the ballot in another important state ... he just missed the cut in South Carolina.

Kanye's campaign missed Monday's deadline to get on the November ballot in SC ... Chris Whitmore, Director of Public Information for the South Carolina State Election Commission tells TMZ.

Kanye is running with the independent Birthday Party, which gave him a hard 12 PM ET deadline to get the 10,000 signatures needed as a petition candidate, but we're told the State Election Commission didn't hear a peep from Ye or his campaign -- no traditional signatures and no digital signatures.

As we reported ... Kanye tried to grab enough signatures over the weekend, even asking folks to sign up over social media, and held a wild campaign rally that alarmed, upset and concerned his friends and the Kardashians.

None of that moved the needle, apparently.

Kanye's hopes of being on the state's ballot are pretty much dashed ... there is no write-in option for voters in South Carolina and the only way Yeezy could be on the November ballot now is as a legit party candidate (Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, etc.) and that ain't happening.

For those keeping score at home ... Kanye's on the ballot in Oklahoma, but he's now whiffed in SC, Florida or Michigan.

KJ Smith's enjoying her time in quarantine, because thanks to Tyler Perry ... she's able to work, make new friends without worrying about her health ... and the food's good too!

The "Sistas" star joined "TMZ Live" Monday to describe what life's been like inside Perry's massive studio complex in Atlanta, where she's been the past couple weeks filming her BET dramedy series.

KJ says the cast and crew are undergoing consistent COVID-19 testing, which makes her feel safe and secure, and everyone's being treated with their best interest in mind ... beyond just focusing on the business side of things.

On that note ... the actress says the bubble-like setup for shooting "Sistas" is allowing everyone to make real human connections they wouldn't otherwise make if it was a traditional Hollywood set.

KJ even called the experience fun ... and said on set they all refer to it as "Camp Quarantine."

It's official ... no high school football during 2020 in California -- the season will now begin in January and could pose some serious issues for multi-sport athletes.

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) issued a statement Monday, saying most teams can begin to practice in December with a January kickoff date for regular-season games.

Football season in CA usually begins in either late August or early September -- but COVID has obviously thrown a wrench in the usual plans.

Now, the season will run through April -- which could force some top multi-sport athletes across the state to make some tough choices.

Both baseball, basketball and track are now scheduled to begin around March -- and it could be very difficult or even impossible for players to meaningfully contribute in those sports at the same time.

Of course, a TON of major athletes played 2 or 3 sports in high school ... just look at Patrick Mahomes and Kyler Murray who were both big football and baseball guys growing up.

Other Fall sports that have been pushed back include volleyball, water polo, cross country, field hockey, gymnastics and more.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS TERRIFYING!!!

A motorcycle racing champ crashed his bike on a hairpin turn during a race in Spain on Sunday ... and the guy is lucky to have only escaped with a broken arm.

Here's the deal ... Marc Marquez -- a superstar champion in the MotoGP world -- was flying down the track during the Spanish Grand Prix when disaster struck near the end of the race.

The 27-year-old went into a turn ... but his bike wobbled, hit the pavement, and launched Marquez FEET into the air.

You can see in the video ... Marquez crashes down to the ground, and bounces and skids off the dirt several times.

Remarkably, the racer was able to walk away from the crash ... but he says an operation to fix a break in his right arm is now coming up.

"Sometimes things don't go as you expect but the most important thing is to get back up and move on," Marc wrote on his social media page after the crash.

"I promise you all that I will come back as soon as possible and even stronger."

What's even crazier about the accident? Marc NEARLY wrecked earlier in the race ... miraculously avoiding a tumble into the dirt by pulling off an insane save!!!

The NFL's biggest stars are speaking out days before they're set to report to training camp for another season -- and they're all saying the same thing ... THIS ISN'T SAFE YET!!!

On Sunday, studs like Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, J.J. Watt, Odell Beckham Jr. and several others expressed similar sentiments over having to boot back up again in the middle of a pandemic -- namely, that the league hasn't laid out a clear action plan.

It's pretty simple ... these guys say they're just a couple months or so from having to get back onto the gridiron, but claim there's been no guidance or direction from NFL's top honchos on how to keep the players safe, and what the protocol will be. It's alarming.

Russ, for example, made it clear that his family's safety is potentially at risk if the league doesn't get its act together, saying ... "I am concerned. My wife is pregnant. @NFL Training camp is about to start. And there’s still No Clear Plan on Player Health & Family Safety. 🤷🏾 We want to play football but we also want to protect our loved ones."

He, along with all the other high-profile players who chimed in, ended with the hashtag ... #WeWantToPlay. J.J., for his part, laid out crystal clear demands on what he and his teammates were looking for with a bullet point list. Sounds like the NFL's way behind schedule on these very basic precautions and procedures to handle positive tests.

J.J.'s list -- which called for more clarity on whether players would be tested/how often, standards on how to handle a player if they got sick, etc. -- made it clear that the league has the power here. He says the way their agreement is set up, the NFL can make them go to training camp and play games ... even if players want to opt out for safety concerns.

Nick Cannon seemed to have contemplated suicide ... calling 2020 the most "f***ed up year I've ever witnessed," talking about his friend who he says took his own life, adding, he was in "dark contemplation of continuing my physical existence on this planet," and admiring his friend who "had the balls to do it."

It's an alarming message, but not totally surprising. Nick's been called out from all sides, it seems, this week, after his anti-Semitic comments he made on a podcast, for which he apologized. Although Nick says he's trying to educate himself as he meets with rabbis and others, he's now being attacked for apologizing. On top of that, Viacom fired him from 'Wild 'n Out.'

Nick recounted the story of his friend, Ryan Bowers -- an up-and-coming rapper who Nick signed to his label -- who was shot in his own home last year by a San Diego cop.  Nick says Ryan was in a coma for months and Nick was by his side. Cannon says his friend fought hard, re-learning basic functions like walking.

Nick says on the surface, Ryan seemed to rebound ... returning to perform to sold-out crowds. But, behind the veneer, Ryan was hurting, whispering to Nick, "Everything still hurts."

Nick says, "I can't help but think if I wasn't so engulfed in my own bulls*** I could've been there for you when you finally took your life after several attempts ...F*** this place!! #CantWin #ForLosing🙏".

We have checked and the Medical Examiner tells us a Ryan Bowers died Saturday.

MLB outfielder Yasiel Puig says he just learned he has COVID-19... and will quarantine for the foreseeable future.

"Although I tested positive, I am asymptomatic, and I feel absolutely fine."

"I will be quarantined until I receive 2 negative test results, which I hope will arrive shortly."

Puig says he's sad about his diagnosis -- "but I believe that everything is in God's timing and that my return to MLB will happen in His perfect plan and timing for me."

"When I return to the field, I will do so knowing that I will have one less hurdle to overcome."

FYI -- the MLB's 60-game season is set to finally begin with Opening Day on July 23 and 24.

Puig says he never believed it could happen to him ... and is urging everyone to "take this pandemic seriously, this can happen to anyone, even the healthiest athlete."

The 29-year-old ended his statement with a reminder to his fans to wear a mask, social distance, and follow your local protocols.

"Please take care of yourselves. I will see you all very soon when I return to play ball."

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg recently completed a round of chemotherapy to treat "a recurrence of cancer" ... but insists she's still fully able to sit on the Supreme Court.

RBG says she began the cancer treatment on May 19 after a February biopsy revealed lesions on her liver. She says the chemo is yielding positive results -- and no new disease -- and she'll continue biweekly treatments.

The legendary justice points out that her recent hospitalization was to remove gall stones and treat an infection, but was unrelated to the cancer.

Ginsburg adds ... throughout her health issues, she has maintained an active daily routine and been keeping up with all her Supreme Court work.

Tamar Braxton may have attempted to take her own life.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... a 911 call was placed at around 10 PM Thursday. The caller said someone at the Ritz Carlton hotel in downtown L.A. attempted suicide.

When EMTs arrived we're told they found Tamar unconscious inside her room. Her boyfriend, David Adefeso, told cops she may have overdosed on pills and alcohol.

Our sources say the boyfriend also told police Tamar had been upset earlier in the day and had threatened suicide. Our law enforcement sources say Tamar did not leave a note.

Tamar was rushed to the hospital. We do not know her condition.

Tamar and David do a YouTube show called, "Coupled & Quarantined," and the latest episode was supposed to run Thursday night, but earlier in the day they said it was being postponed. They did not say why.

They also have an upcoming show on WE tv called, "Tamar Braxton: Get Ya Life." The first trailer for the show was released Thursday, and in it, Tamar is seen arguing with producers about being portrayed as the "angry black woman."

Tamar, whose latest album was "Bluebird of Happiness" back in 2017, may be even better known for her reality series, "Braxton Family Values."

She also won the U.S. version of "Celebrity Big Brother" last year.

Great news ... Atlanta Braves superstar Freddie Freeman is finally "feeling great" -- this just 1 week after his wife said he was in rough shape after contracting coronavirus.

Last Friday, Chelsea Freeman said her 30-year-old hubby was hit "like a ton of bricks" by COVID-19 ... suffering from fever, headaches, chills and body aches.

In her post, Chelsea sounded VERY concerned for the MLB superstar ... writing, "He is someone who rarely gets sick."

But, Chelsea provided an encouraging update Thursday ... saying Freddie is now "feeling great!"

"Our whole family is healthy," she said. "Thank God!"

Freddie has yet to rejoin the Braves for summer camp, and even though it seems unlikely at the moment he'll be a part of the team for Opening Day later this month -- manager Brian Snitker has said he's still hopeful.

Freddie is one of the best players in the entire sport ... he's a four-time All-Star with a career .293 batting average.

The #FreeBritney movement has re-emerged in a big way, with lots of people spinning conspiracy theories that she's being held against her will ... but they got the story wrong.

Folks on social media have been alarmed by Britney Spears posting a gaggle of dance and fashion show videos. They're odd, to say the least ... she's dancing, pacing back and forth and looking not quite put together.

So then, fans started sending Britney secret messages -- "wear black if you need help," and "wear pink if you are in trouble." Well, she wore pink shorts with black polka dots in a dance video, and that's all she wrote.

She also crossed her arms in an "X" fashion and folks interpreted that as saying, "I'm not okay." Well, people went nuts online, again suggesting her conservatorship -- led by Britney's dad, Jamie -- was holding her against her will.

Here's the reality. We've reported for the last 2 years ... Britney is struggling. Her meds stopped working and doctors were having trouble finding the right combination. Sources with direct knowledge tell us she's not been easy to deal with ... she sometimes complains she wants more freedom. Short story -- she hasn't been especially stable managing her mental illness.

There's collateral damage in all of this ... Kevin Federline has had their 2 kids considerably more than Britney -- and it all relates back to her mental state.

The conservatorship has been around for 12 years -- an incredibly unusual amount of time for a conservatorship to last, but this one's different. Our sources have said for years ... Britney's mental illness requires this conservatorship -- probably for life.

Lots of people think this is all Jamie lording over his daughter, but it's not the case. There is a slew of people involved in the conservatorship -- doctors, lawyers, therapists and a judge. There is no way Jamie could go rogue without one of the others taking it to the judge.