Celebrity Health

Kanye West's new album didn't drop today, like he said it would, but he's still busy shooting music videos for it instead.

The rapper's directing a small cast on crew Friday on his massive Wyoming ranch in what looks like production for a short vid. The cameras were mostly focused on someone in a yellow coat of some sort -- and it's hard to make out if any of his famous friends are involved in the shoot.

As we reported ... both Dave Chappelle and Damon Dash have visited Kanye this week, as close friends have grown concerned about his mental health.

He seemed at ease during the shoot, and from the looks of it ... you wouldn't even know Ye's wrapping up an erratic week, which started with that surprise campaign rally Sunday in South Carolina where he made controversial comments about how Harriet Tubman didn't free any slaves.

He also got deeply personal at the SC event about abortion, and brought up the topic of getting divorced from Kim Kardashian.

He'd raised that subject again in 2 separate Twitter rants, in which he slammed Kris Jenner, claimed she and Kim were trying to have him involuntarily committed ... and suggested his wife tried to cheat on him with Meek Mill.

All of that appears to be out of sight, out of mind for Kanye and co. ... same goes for the COVID-19 pandemic, since almost everyone on the video set is without a mask.

We broke the story ... Kanye and Kim have not been communicating much since his bizarre behavior began, and he's rejected her offers to come be with him in Wyoming.

Kim also acknowledged her husband is dealing with a bipolar episode, and it's been difficult for everyone involved.

Megan Thee Stallion's injuries to her feet, after Tory Lanez allegedly shot her, were so bad she had to go into the operating room ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the investigation tell TMZ ... the rapper's hospital records show she was treated for a "gunshot injury" when she was admitted to L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Hospital. That was shortly after police pulled over Tory's chauffeur-driven SUV around 4:30 AM on July 12.

We're told, Megan told doctors she was barefoot when she heard a loud noise and immediately felt pain in both feet, and said she initially thought it was from stepping on glass.

Instead, our sources say Meg underwent a surgical procedure to remove bullets, or bullet fragments, from her feet.

As we've told you ... Megan says the incident has left her "hurt and traumatized," and the LAPD is still investigating Lanez for assault with a deadly weapon, but so far, he has not been charged.

As we reported, video of the ordeal showed cops pulling over the SUV -- with Lanez lying face-down on the street and Megan tip-toeing gingerly ... leaving bloody footprints with each step.

Our sources say Tory allegedly shot Megan in the feet as she exited the SUV, on the heels of an argument that erupted in the SUV. He was arrested and booked for possession of a concealed weapon ... the handgun cops found in the vehicle.

Dr. Phil has some ideas about how best to help Kanye West, or anyone coping with bipolar disorder, and says it's all about protecting him from himself ... on several levels.

The good doc joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to discuss a tactic known as "containment." He says it's important for Kim Kardashian and co. to remember they're not dealing with the Kanye they know and love.

Phil says people going through bipolar episodes often engage in destructive behaviors that put themselves at risk -- buying 5 cars in one day would be an example -- and containment is all about blocking them from things, events or people that could have long-term consequences.

Kanye's not gonna go broke, but Phil says he could still get into bad situations that have lasting ramifications on his life. Beyond that, he says Kim's gotta hope to catch him in a moment where he'll agree to go back on his medication.

As we reported, Kanye's made it a struggle for Kim to reach him, ducking calls and turning down her pleas to join him in Wyoming, and claiming the family is trying to have him involuntarily committed.

That's why Phil says containment, even from afar, might be best for now.

Kanye West's making it a struggle for Kim Kardashian to reach him -- he's ducking some calls and rejecting her pleas to join him in Wyoming.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... there's been very little communication between husband and wife since he jetted off for his South Carolina rally last weekend, and zero face time.

We're told Kim has made attempts to talk to Kanye about his mental state ... but he's not receptive. Our sources say she's twice tried to fly to their ranch where Ye's been staying to help him out, but he's refused to see her both times.

Obviously, there's been a lot more to talk about, as Kanye's gone on 2 separate Twitter rants this week blasting Kris Jenner, comparing his life to "Get Out," claiming his family's trying to have him involuntarily committed ... and suggested Kim tried to cheat on him with Meek Mill, so he wants to divorce her.

This all went down after that bizarre SC rally, where Kanye declared Harriet Tubman didn't free any slaves, and got very personal about abortion and started crying.

Our sources say Kim was concerned about Kanye's behavior well before the rally though. We're told she was worried earlier in the month when he was in the Dominican Republic, so she flew to be with him ... and knew then something was seriously off.

We're told Kim had to leave Kanye to get back to their kids, and after that -- without any heads up -- he went to SC for his rally, and it's been all downhill from there.

Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers has left the NBA Bubble in Orlando due to an "urgent" family matter ... but plans to rejoin the team soon, according to reports.

The 27-year-old shooting guard left Orlando Friday and expects to return "sometime this weekend," The Athletic's Shams Charania says.

Of course, Rivers will have to quarantine for 10 days before he can re-enter the bubble ... as part of the league's strict safety protocols.

As we previously reported, Rivers' teammate, Russell Westbrook, tested positive for COVID-19 before the NBA restart and quarantined before joining the team in Orlando this week.

Rivers joins Pelicans superstar rookie Zion Williamson and Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell ... who also recently left the bubble due to family matters.

Rivers -- the son of L.A.'s Clippers coach, Doc Rivers -- is averaging 8.7 points per game, shooting at 41% from the field.

No word on if coach will be leaving the bubble as well.

Kerry Washington says access to online dental care should be a basic human right ... which is why she's going to bat for minorities by lobbying California officials.

The actress fired off a letter, obtained by TMZ, telling California State Senator Steve Glazer why she opposes a bill known as the Dental Practice Act -- which would require dentists to conduct in-person visits with patients before using telehealth. For example, if someone wants direct-to-consumer services -- like aligners or teeth whitening -- they would first need an in-person trip to the dentist.

Kerry says the bill would adversely affect minority groups that often don't have access to healthcare, especially dental care. Kerry said, "I believe strongly that all communities and especially those that have been historically marginalized, deserve access to quality and affordable health care — and in this case dental care — for themselves and for their children. This is a basic human right.”

BTW ... Kerry's partnering with the company, Byte ... a teledentistry and orthodontics company. She says, "Companies like Byte expand access to teledentistry and offer the opportunity for all groups, especially low income, Black and Latino communities, to receive the dental and orthodontic care they need and deserve."

NBA star Draymond Green and LeAnn Rimes have also opposed the bill. California NAACP Prez Alice Huffman, says, "Now, more than ever, the African American community needs as many options as possible to close the disparity gap for oral health care. African Americans and other people of color have the right to affordable, quality health care treatment."

You've seen players use hats, puppies and hidden jerseys ... but the newest way top college prospects are announcing their school decisions -- COVID MASKS!!

R.J. Keene -- a top H.S. basketball player in Texas -- set the new trend Thursday ... heading to a table full of face coverings to drum up excitement for his college choice.

Custom masks with logos from Utah State, Hawaii, George Washington and a few others were lined up ... with news cameras rolling to see which one the 6'7", 190-pound forward would choose!

In the end, Keene locked in on the Boise State mask, picked it up and put it on -- and boom!

He unveiled a Broncos shirt as well -- and it was all met with applause.

Unique, right?!

FYI -- Keene's a baller ... dude had offers from a ton of schools after lighting up courts in Texas -- so the Mountain West Conference is getting a pretty good one.

Horrible news for the Nationals ... phenom outfielder Juan Soto has tested positive for COVID-19 -- and he's now out for the foreseeable future.

Of course, the Nats are opening the MLB season against the Yankees in just a few hours ... and Juan was expected to be the team's best hitter.

FYI, Soto is just 21 years old ... but he hit 34 home runs and logged 110 RBI last season, helping lead the team to its first-ever World Series title.

But, Juan came down with a positive diagnosis for coronavirus Thursday ... and is now expected to miss at least the next two weeks -- a huge deal considering the season is just 60 games long.

Soto had already missed a huge portion of the Nats' camp this month ... after he had to self-isolate after coming into contact with somebody who had the virus.

Kim Kardashian and Meek Mill's prison reform chat -- along with philanthropist Clara Wu Tsai -- looks like it was exactly that, plus some grub ... based on a photo of the meeting that really upset Kanye West.

Here's the photographic proof ... Kim and Meek really did have a meeting on prison reform in 2018 at the Waldorf Astoria restaurant in L.A.

Kanye tweeted Tuesday he didn't believe the meeting was legit and insinuated Kim was there to hook up with Meek. The photo makes it clear ... this was a meeting, and nothing more.

What's unclear is Kanye saying he's been trying to divorce Kim ever since. Remember, during his off-the-rails campaign rally in South Carolina Sunday ... he raised the issue of divorce several times.

Of course, the photo just backs what we already knew and what Meek himself stated on Twitter when he wrote about Kanye's allegations ... "Sh** is cappp cmon ....." In other words ... it's all BS.

We broke the story ... friends and family are deeply upset and concerned about Kanye because they believe he's in the grips of a bipolar episode.

Kim broke her silence earlier this week by publicly acknowledging he's in the middle of a serious mental health issue, describing how "incredibly complicated and painful it is to understand" ... but also voiced her continued support of her husband.

"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" is NOT documenting any of Kanye West's current bipolar episode -- and the order came down from Kim herself ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us ... as soon as Kanye went off the rails, Kim made the decision none of it would be used as a storyline on the show. We're told the series had just recently started shooting again after a lengthy hiatus because of COVID.

Our sources say Kim takes her husband's mental health very seriously and doesn't want it exploited for ratings or good TV drama -- some things are off the table, and this is one of them. That policy extends to her kids too ... we're told production was told not to profile any of them during this ordeal because she wants them to avoid seeing it down the road.

With that said, we're told she and other family members are still filming ... but they're simply following other storylines right now. We're told they were out in Malibu Wednesday shooting for the show.

Fans of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" can rest assured they'll get their fix for a new season soon enough -- and even better ... it'll look like the show they know and love, but with tweaks to accommodate these crazy times.

Production sources tell TMZ ... 'RHOA' got back to filming in-person this week, but they did it with a safety plan in hand -- one they'll continue using as the season progresses.

For starters, we're told everybody on set -- including the cast and crew members -- all get their temperatures checked every day before shooting starts. If anyone shows any COVID-19 symptoms or has a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher ... they can't film. Plain and simple.

There's more the showrunners are implementing to keep folks safe -- we're told the plan is to film the housewives themselves in more outdoor locations, rather than congregating inside if they can help it. They'll also keep the ladies away from large crowds and stick to their immediate families as much as possible. Only essential crew members -- camera people, hair/makeup, etc. -- will be around the housewives, and only when necessary.

Another thing during filming ... mask-wearing, for the production crew anyway. We're told everyone behind the camera will have one on while working, but it's unclear if any of the on-camera talent will wear them. The state of Georgia is kinda in limbo on the issue -- ATL's Mayor is trying to mandate them, but the Gov.'s suing to stop her.

At any rate, the good news is that the show's gonna look a lot more like viewers are used to in seasons past -- unlike this past season's reunion, which was shot digitally from everyone's home. That was all fine and good, but people tune in to see in-person reactions/fights.

As for who's coming back ... it'll be the familiar faces people have gotten to know of late -- Cynthia Bailey, Kandi Burruss, Porsha Williams, Kenya Moore. There'll be some new cast members too ... actress Drew Sidora and Youtube personality LaToya Ali.

The jury's still out on if longtime fan fave NeNe Leakes is coming back -- word is she's still in negotiations.

Kanye West has a steady stream of close friends showing up in Wyoming -- the latest being Damon Dash, who he took for an essential items shopping trip.

It appears Dame arrived at Ranch West sometime Wednesday, and the duo hit up the Walmart in nearby Cody ... wearing face masks to enter, as required.

The hip-hop superstars weren't exactly trying to stay incognito -- once outside they removed their masks and sat on a bench for a bit talking.

Of course, these 2 go way back to their Roc-A-Fella Records days, and it seems Dame flew in to check on Ye ... on the heels of his Monday and Tuesday night Twitter attacks against his wife and mother-in-law.

Dash posted a pic of Kanye, himself and a few others touring the ranch grounds with the caption, "We good."

Remember, on Tuesday morning it was Dave Chappelle who dropped in at the ranch and certainly seemed to lift Yeezy's spirits ... at least for a while.

Kanye is reportedly working on new music while he's in Wyoming, so it's possible Dame came by for that too -- but we know family and friends have been concerned about his mental health since the Sunday rally in South Carolina.

Kim Kardashian's made it clear her husband is in the grips of a bipolar episode and adds, "Those who are close with Kanye know his heart and understand his words some times do not align with his intentions."

Kanye West's jealousy over Kim Kardashian meeting Meek Mill last year seems misplaced ... since it was in a very public group setting, and purely to talk prison reform.

Sources connected to the Kardashians and Meek tell us Kim's prison reform summit did go down at the Waldorf Astoria in L.A. -- as Kanye said on Twitter last night -- but Meek and Kim never met in a one-on-one setting.

We're told they were joined by philanthropist Clara Wu Tsai ... and the trio met in Jean-Georges restaurant at the Waldorf. The group discussed plans to keep the prison reform movement going forward. A witness says Kim left the hotel -- solo -- immediately after the meeting.

Worth noting ... both Kim and Meek work with Cut50, the org that fights for reduced incarceration rates and criminal justice reform.

Our sources say Kim was aware of Kanye's jealousy over the situation ... and it's something the two spoke about. However, outside of that one public meeting ... we're told Kim and Meek have never been alone together.

As we reported, Kanye accused Kim of being "out of line" for the meeting, and claimed he's been trying to divorce her ever since the meeting.

TMZ broke the story ... friends and family are deeply concerned about Kanye because they believe he's in the grips of a bipolar episode.