Celebrity Health

Simon Cowell insists he's not living dangerously by getting back on an electric bicycle less than a year after shattering his spine while riding one ... 'cause he's toned down his horsepower.

The "America's Got Talent" judge and music exec broke down the differences for us after he was spotted scooting around on a new bike, but one that still had an electric motor attached.

It looks like risky business, but Simon explains he wasn't concerned. Check out why this new ride of his isn't anywhere near as crash-prone as the one he crashed with last summer.

The long and short of it is ... one of them was basically a motorcycle with pedals, and the other is a lot more human-friendly and manageable.

SC actually tells us a pretty hilarious anecdote about a magazine he picked up recently that served as a painful reminder of the brutal injury he endured.

Speaking of that injury ... Simon has healed very nicely since August, which was pretty obvious from his vacation to Barbados over the holidays -- where he was spotted cruising around on a jet ski, something he tells us his doctor did NOT want to see happen.

Tough luck for the doc -- Simon likes living on the edge, but at least he's taking a much wiser, sensible approach now.

Elon Musk's big reveal on "Saturday Night Live" -- that he has Asperger's -- has other folks who live with the disorder seeking out support groups for the first time in their lives.

Elon's surprise announcement moved 68-year-old Joe Graca to become a member of the Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), where he's connecting with other folks going through the same things.

Joe, who discovered he has Asperger's when he was in his 50s, tells us he joined AANE Monday after Elon appeared on 'SNL' ... saying he likes the fact Musk didn't use Asperger's as a crutch, but showed how it can be a strength.

The Elon effect runs deeper than Joe ... Dania Jekel, AANE's executive director, tells us the org's website traffic saw an astounding 105% increase the day after the Tesla chief revealed during his monologue he lives with Asperger's.

Dania says the traffic boost has a direct correlation to Elon's announcement, telling us the fact a celebrity like Elon openly discussing the struggles he faces in front of millions of TV viewers will inspire others to consider they too might have Asperger's.

And, get this ... the AANE is now expecting to receive over 100 calls more than they'd usually see in a month, from people looking for the 4-1-1 on Asperger's or other kind support ... like Joe.

The injury Billy Joe Saunders suffered during Saturday night's loss to Canelo Alvarez was even worse than it looked ... and it's possible he may never fight again.

The 31-year-old didn't get off his stool at the end of the 8th round after it became clear his right eye was badly damaged.

Billy Joe was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation where he was diagnosed with a quadripod fracture, according to The Athletic's Mike Coppinger.

FYI, the injury essentially means Saunders' orbital bone was smashed so badly, his cheekbone area caved in.

BJ's promoter, Eddie Hearn, announced he would undergo surgery on Sunday -- though unclear how it went at this point.

Hearn told Coppinger the recovery will take several months -- and it doesn't seem like it's a certainty Saunders will ever be able to fight again.

The long story short, the integrity of BJ's cheekbone area has been structurally compromised since it was broken in 4 spots ... and for a guy who gets punched in the face for a living, that's a VERY bad thing.

Dr. David Abbasi -- an orthopedic surgeon who sometimes works combat sports events -- broke down the injury and it's scary stuff.

Saunders was 30-0 before the Canelo fight -- and looked pretty good in the moments before the fight ended.

He was sticking and moving and landing real shots ... but in the end, Canelo's power proved too much.

Here's hoping Saunders can make a complete recovery and get back to doing what he loves.

Welp, this is bad ...

The COVID pandemic is hitting Japan so hard, IOC president Thomas Bach has canceled a trip to the country ... leaving many wondering if the Olympic Games will actually happen in July as planned.

After a surge in cases in major cities, including Tokyo, the Japanese government extended a state of emergency from May 11 to May 31 ... which leaves less than 2 months before the Games are scheduled to begin on July 23.

Health officials in Japan are concerned the current 4th wave of the infection contains a variant that is spreading very fast and impacting a relatively large number of young people.

Officials say hospitals are overwhelmed and the health care system throughout the country is being pushed to the brink.

IOC President Bach was supposed to be traveling all over Japan next week to meet up with the Olympic torch -- but now, those plans have been postponed until Japanese officials end the state of emergency.

As for the numbers in Japan, there are more than 600,000 reported COVID cases and roughly 11,000 deaths.

One of the biggest issues at the moment is the fact only 2% of the 126 million people living in Japan have received at least one vaccine dose according to Reuters.

Alec Baldwin, Andy Cohen and Whitney Cummings are among the celebs pressuring New York lawmakers to stop puppy sales in pet stores ... because they say it's a cold business.

Some of Hollywood's biggest stars are teaming up with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to support a NY bill that would shut down what they say is a puppy mill pipeline funneling poorly-treated dogs into pet stores.

An ASPCA official tells TMZ ... thousands of pups are for sale in NY pet stores, and the dogs are shipped there from out-of-state breeders and middlemen, all of whom the ASPCA claims are running puppy mills.

Alec, Andy and Whitney fired off a letter in support of the Puppy Mill Pipeline Bill to NY lawmakers ... and it's also signed by Brooke Shields, Justin Theroux, Kristin Chenoweth, Sir Patrick Stewart and Edie Falco.

The bill, which would end the sale of puppies in pet stores once and for all, was passed by the NY Senate this month ... but it still needs to be approved by the State Assembly before landing on Gov. Andrew Cuomo's desk.

Edie, who played Carmela in "The Sopranos," tells TMZ ... her dog, Sami, spent 2 years living in a box in the dark without a name and was forced to have puppies who were sold to pet stores.

Falco says Sami's not the only dog who's been through this nightmare ... and she's urging NY lawmakers to take action and break this cycle of cruelty.

Simon Cowell is getting back on the horse -- or, more accurately, back on the bike ... this after breaking his back on one of these damn things less than a year ago.

The 'AGT' host was spotted cruising along on another electric bicycle Sunday in Malibu with his girlfriend, Lauren Silverman, and his young son, Eric ... who all had bikes of their own. Interestingly, though, it was only Simon who seemed to be using a motorized version.

You can tell it's an electric bike by that little box stuck to the down tube of the frame -- they help propel the bicycle forward with more acceleration as you pedal, giving you a boost.

The fact Simon's once again riding one of these raises eyebrows at first glance. Of course, Simon practically shattered his spine on this exact type of model back in August ... when he was testing out a new electric bike of his, in none other than the courtyard of his own home.

If he almost got paralyzed from just that setting ... this one here -- out in public, along a windy bike bath with other riders zipping by -- is definitely a lot more dangerous, potentially. Still ... it looks like he's got the hang of it, but seeing this does make one worry a bit.

Simon went through a 6-hour emergency back surgery at the time ... and has undergone intensive rehab since then to get back on his feet. Welp, now he's back on his ass.

Elon Musk took a hard left turn from comedy as he hosted 'SNL' Saturday night ... announcing he has Asperger's.

He made the announcement at the beginning of his monologue, speaking in a monotone voice. Musk revealed he's the first "Saturday Night Live" host with Asperger Syndrome.

However, Dan Aykroyd, a former 'SNL' cast member, also has Asperger’s and hosted the show in 2003.

Asperger Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It manifests itself with major difficulties in engaging in social interactions and nonverbal communication. It is characterized as an autism spectrum disorder. It does not affect one's intelligence or language abilities. People with autism can experience physical and communication difficulties.

Elon was funny ... he seemed relaxed and was super self-deprecating. He joked about how he smoked a joint on Joe Rogan's podcast and now everyone thinks he's a pothead.

He also told an O.J. Simpson joke ... that O.J. too had hosted twice "and he killed it."

Elon, who's 49, brought his mom, Maye Musk, on stage for a sweet moment that was also kinda funny.

Kentucky Derby winner Medina Spirit was allegedly juiced up when he won the race, because he apparently tested positive for steroids.

The legendary Bob Baffert, the horse's trainer, broke the news Sunday that the test results showed the presence of corticosteroid Betamethasone. It's kinda technical, but the sample came back positive for 21 picograms of the drug. It's used as an anti-inflammatory.

This means the horse could be disqualified. BTW ... Medina Spirit is the only horse in the race to test positive.

Baffert denies doing anything wrong ... "I don't know what's going on, but there's something that is not right.” It's not official till the split sample comes. Usually, we wait for that, but I wanted to get in front of it."

Facts are facts, and this would be Baffert's 5th medication violation since May, 2020.

The good news for bettors ... they won't have to give their money back. The bad news for Baffert, the trainer and the jockey ... they'll have to return their winnings if their appeal fails.

If Medina Spirit is stripped of the win, it'd be the first DQ since 1968, when Dancer's Image won but was later disqualified for an anti-inflammatory drug.

Trey Songz allegedly had a little road rage and took it out on a woman's car and her hand ... so she tells cops.

According to law enforcement sources ... the singer and the woman got into an argument while they were each in their cars Thursday ... shortly after midnight.

We're told the argument escalated, and the woman reported to cops at some point Trey bumped his car into hers ... so she got out to confront him.

The woman claims that's when Songz sped off and hit her hand with his vehicle. She called the police, but when they arrived she says Trey was long gone. Cops took a hit-and-run report.

According to our sources ... the woman complained of hand pain but refused medical attention. It's unclear what she and Songz were arguing about, but there's no indication the 2 have a prior relationship. We're told the incident's being investigated.

A source close to Trey's camp tells us the woman's allegations are false.

This is just the latest legal hot water Trey finds himself in. As we first told you, he got sued last week for allegedly punching a bartender working at a Cardi B concert back in 2019.

An anti-vaxxer has been going around stealing vials of the Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine, proclaiming it poisonous and urging people to turn their backs on it.

It's a bizarre story. A guy named Thomas Humphrey, turned the camera on himself as he showed up for his vaccine appointment Thursday at a CVS in Minnesota.

He tricked the pharmacy folks by saying he just wanted to look at the label on the vial, but once in his hand, he made off with it as he claimed it was toxic to humans. He said he was going to have it tested at a lab as he walked out of the store.

It wasn't the first time Humphrey pulled this stunt. The day before he did the same thing at a clinic, warning people the vaccine was toxic and they should roll their sleeves back down.

Humphrey is wearing a "National Action Task Force" shirt, an org that proclaims "enough is enough!"

Two elderly Asian women are recovering after this brazen and heinous stabbing in San Francisco -- so brutal the blade broke off inside one of the victims.

The attack happened Tuesday around 5 PM along Market Street where an 84-year-old and 63-year-old were randomly attacked by a man. You can see he comes up behind them, completely unprovoked and stabs them with a knife reportedly bigger than one of the victim's arms.

The 63-year-old was stabbed in the back, and then the attacker moved over to the 84-year-old, and used so much force while stabbing her, his knife was lodged in her body -- according to KGO-TV reporter Dion Lim, who first obtained the video

The older victim suffered a punctured lung, and her family shared her X-ray showing the huge blade which doctors later removed.

San Francisco PD says the 63-year-old victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries. Both women remain hospitalized.

A diehard Orioles fan who's in the hospital battling COVID cried tears of joy watching John Means' no-hitter Wednesday ... and video from the ICU room will hit ya right in the feels.

Sports-talk host Josh Graham shared the emotional footage from his father on Wednesday evening ... saying, "There’s no sports team my dad loves more than the Orioles."

"While he fights COVID in a Raleigh ICU, he just watched John Means toss the O’s first no-hitter since 1969. He just sent me this and now I’m an emotional wreck."

The video is awesome, Josh's dad filmed himself in tears while watching Means celebrate his incredible game.

In the clip, Josh's dad continuously praised Means for the effort ... saying several times out loud, "He did it!" and "Thank God!"

Means was RIDICULOUS against the Mariners on Wednesday ... he struck out 12 batters in the complete-game shutout -- logging the first no-no for the Orioles in 52 years.

And, the game clearly inspired Josh's father ... 'cause Josh said it brightened up the guy's day and recovery process for sure.

"After Means’ no-no, he’s been talking trash with his doctor, a Yankee fan, and showing off his Orioles mask this morning," Josh said Thursday.

"He’s been overwhelmed by the amount of reaction and support he’s seen on social media. Thank you to everyone who’s reached out to check in."

Amazing update from NFL QB Kyle Allen ... the Washington Football Team player is now moving laterally and jogging -- just 6 months after he suffered a gruesome ankle injury.

Allen's foot was dangling by threads during an NFL game last November ... but now, the dude looks as close to 100 percent as ever, showing off a sturdy ankle and some speed.

In the footage, shared by Allen's girlfriend, the 25-year-old can be seen hopping from side to side ... and then getting in full-length runs up and down a basketball court.

"So freaking proud of you," said Allen's GF, Summer Juraszek. "I screamed when I first saw these progress videos."

You'll recall ... Allen wasn't exactly guaranteed to ever walk again after suffering a horrific lower leg injury against the Giants on Nov. 8, 2020.

NY safety Jabrill Peppers had tackled the QB low as he attempted to escape the pocket ... and Allen was later diagnosed with a dislocated and fractured ankle.

According to his GF, Allen didn't even begin walking on the leg until January 2021 ... so, this week's steps are clearly HUGE for the guy.

Clemson football player Justin Foster is now back to being a Tiger ... the defensive end says he's unretiring after learning his health complications due to COVID-19 are subsiding.

The senior -- an honorable mention All-ACC player during his last full season in 2019 -- was diagnosed with coronavirus in August 2020, and he says it wiped him out.

Foster explained because of his history with asthma and allergies, COVID did a number on him ... and it forced him to miss the entire 2020 season.

Foster actually retired from football in February over it all ... saying he was still having breathing problems and a "severe difficulty" performing physically.

"While my situation has improved," Foster wrote in a statement on Feb. 24, "I am not in a position now, nor do I see that position soon, to step back on the field."

But, Foster said in a statement Wednesday he's now doing MUCH better ... and says doctors have ensured him he should be back to 100% in a matter of weeks.

“For me, the decision came when I went to Duke a couple weeks ago and the doctor was positive on me recovering in the near future,” Foster said.

"In the next month or two, she thought I’d recover enough to compete at the college level, and she motivated me and said that if I wanted to play again, she’d encourage me to and support me and she would do the best she could to get me back healthy."

Foster added, "She believed that I will be healthy and, for me, that was a big stepping stone."

Dabo Swinney -- who said in February he believed Foster had NFL potential -- was thrilled to welcome the guy back to the team, saying, "He’s a great leader with great experience and a really talented football player."

Pfizer is pledging to donate thousands of doses of its COVID vaccine to inoculate Olympic athletes in the hopes of saving the Games ... this, in the wake of a new movement in Japan to call the whole thing off.

The pharmaceutical company -- along with its German partner, BioNTech SE -- announced Thursday its plan to get the vaccine to all athletes participating in the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

Vaccinations would begin ASAP in the hopes all athletes would receive their 2nd of 2 doses BEFORE they arrived in Tokyo for the Games, which are set to kick off on July 23.

FYI, the CDC website suggests a 21-day interval between the 1st and 2nd doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

The issue ... the AP reports a new petition picking up steam in Japan calling for the games to be canceled out of fear of an outbreak,

The petition, which sports the headline, "Cancel the Tokyo Olympics to Protect Our Lives," reportedly already picked up tens of thousands of signatures in just a few short days.

The concern, obviously, is people flying in from all parts of the world could turn the Games into a super-spreader event and lead to a spike in COVID infections and deaths.

The Pfizer vaccine effort -- if effective -- should help ease those concerns ... but it all boils down to the athletes actually taking the shot.

IOC President Thomas Bach commented on the Pfizer donation -- saying it's "another tool in our toolbox of measures to help make the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 safe and secure for all participants."

George Jung -- the prolific cocaine smuggler portrayed by Johnny Depp in the movie "Blow" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ ... George died Wednesday morning at home in the Boston area. The cause of death is currently not known, though he had recently been experiencing liver and kidney failure.

We're told he had been in home hospice care since this past weekend and died with his girlfriend, Ronda, and friend, Roger, by his side. We're told he will be cremated.

George's Twitter account tweeted a quote from the film Wednesday, “May the wind always be at your back and the sun upon your face, and the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars. 1942-2021."

"Boston George," as he was known, served 20 years in prison for running drugs. He was released in 2014, but ultimately landed back behind bars just 2 years later for violating his parole by failing to inform his parole officer he would be hitting up San Diego.

He was famous for being part of the Medellin Cartel and helping Pablo Escobar smuggle planeloads of cocaine into the U.S. That was a big deal because, at the time, Escobar's cartel was responsible for distributing 80% of the world's cocaine -- and about 15 tons of blow reportedly came into the U.S. per day ... for a weekly haul of $420 million.