Health

Howard Stern is unloading on Novak Djokovic over his COVID-19 vaccine drama ... calling the tennis superstar a "d****bag," "f***ing a**hole," and a "f***nut" in a fiery rant.

34-year-old Djokovic has been fighting like hell to compete in the Australian Open this month despite the country's strict COVID-19 mandates -- he initially had his visa canceled after authorities claimed he did not meet requirements for a vaccine exemption ... before that decision was overturned on Monday.

Stern -- who's gone after sports stars like Kyrie Irving and Aaron Rodgers for their vax stances in the past -- sounded off on the Joker during Monday's episode of "The Howard Stern Show" ... saying Novak should be kicked out of the sport.

"The first I heard of this guy is he doesn't want to get the vaccine, he's running around ... they should throw him right the f*** out of tennis," Stern said.

"He's a d****bag."

But, what really set Howard off is Novak's claim that getting the jab is a private decision ... saying if that's the case, he shouldn't be out in the public and putting everyone else's health at risk.

Howard's co-host, Robin, points out Novak's view on the situation -- his people have claimed since he recently had COVID-19, he doesn't have to get vaccinated, but Stern says Novak can't be trusted.

"Well that's like saying smoking is a private decision," he added. "Well, that's true, but don't smoke in my face, f***nut. What a dummy. Just a big, dumb tennis player."

Djokovic -- the reigning AO champ -- is currently preparing to compete in the tournament next week ... although it's still unclear whether he'll actually be able to take the court ... as government officials could still boot him from the country.

Kyrie Irving was not pleased with Nassir Little Monday night -- the Brooklyn Nets star claims the Blazers forward could have seriously injured him while diving for a loose ball in the middle of the game ... calling the move "unnecessary."

Check out the play -- both players were trying to secure possession during the 4th quarter ... when Nassir dove to the floor, causing Kyrie to land awkwardly while trying to avoid stepping on Little.

Irving tweaked his ankle as a result ... but managed to finish the game. He spoke with reporters about the moment during postgame interviews ... saying it was a "bad" play.

"I tried to get out of the way, but I just felt like that was just unnecessary," he said.

"For him to dive that far to the ball, I just tried to get out the way. Just an unnecessary play."

Kyrie -- who's only playing in Brooklyn's road games at the moment due to his COVID-19 vaccination status -- says he spoke with refs ... telling them they need to do a better job of protecting players.

"I could have broke my ankle or done something worse," Irving said. "Not a good play. No place for that in basketball."

"I get the intent from Nassir, but it could've been avoided. All good, we move on."

Little got wind of Irving's comments ... and doubled down on the play via Twitter.

"I would never hurt someone on purpose, I have the utmost respect for Kyrie!" he said. "But y'all are delusional if you think this is a bad play, and id do it again."

"Idgaf what y'all talkin about."

Despite the tweaked ankle, Irving says he'll be ready to go when the Nets take on the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday.

Bob Saget's cause of death might not be determined for weeks, but law enforcement working the case see signs pointing to a sudden medical emergency -- specifically a heart attack or stroke ... TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... authorities involved in the investigation say the position in which Bob's body was found, and a lack of evidence supporting drug use or foul play are the main reasons they suspect a heart attack.

TMZ broke the story ... Bob was found in his Ritz-Carlton Orlando hotel room by security. Cops say the comedian was lying face-up on the bed, with his left arm across his chest, and his right arm lying beside him. We're told the hand on the chest could point to a heart attack.

Our sources say authorities are exploring Bob's revelation last week that he'd recently battled COVID-19. Developing blood clots has been reported as a possible complication from the virus.

Of course, we're told a final cause can't be determined until the medical examiner gets Bob's toxicology results. The Orange Co. M.E.'s Office says it could take 10-12 weeks to complete.

Saget performed a standup show in Jacksonville Saturday night before making the 2-hour trek to Orlando.

Novak Djokovic is making sure he's ready for next week's Australian Open despite uncertainty he'll be allowed to remain in the country -- hitting practice courts hard Down Under on Tuesday.

The tennis superstar was spotted getting in a lengthy workout at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne ... hitting balls and sweating just six days away from the start of the big tournament.

Of course, Djokovic needs all the practice he can get ... considering he was cooped up in a hotel for nearly a week after Australian authorities tried to bar him from entering the country.

Djokovic and law enforcement feuded over his COVID-19 vaccination exemption status ... but after the 34-year-old won a key appeal on Monday, he was let into the country so he can gear up for The Open.

And, by the looks of things, Djokovic seems to be ready to defend his title. In the photos, Novak appears to be in good shape.

Djokovic is still not 100 percent certain about his status for the event ... Australian authorities are still exploring the possibility of canceling his visa a second time -- which could lead to a three-year ban from the country for the tennis player.

Bob Saget's family was desperately trying to get a hold of him, not knowing he'd died in his hotel room -- and cops are now painting a more complete picture of what they found there.

An Orange County Sheriff's Deputy noted in his official report that Bob was discovered by a Ritz-Carlton Hotel security staffer who'd been sent to the room on the Saget family's request ... after they'd made several unsuccessful attempts to reach him Sunday.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, the deputy notes this staffer knocked on Bob's door multiple times before going in around 4 PM ET ... only to find all the lights off. Upon entering the bedroom, they found Bob lying face-up on the bed, with his left arm across his chest and right on the bed.

The staffer says he was cold to the touch ... and when they checked for signs of breathing or a pulse, none was detected.

Upon arriving, EMS personnel pronounced Bob dead on the scene.

Another interesting tidbit, the Ritz was able to pinpoint that Bob had last entered the room at 2:17 AM. He was scheduled to check out later that same day. He tweeted this message and photo shortly before that, at 12:42 AM, showing himself onstage in Jacksonville ... about a 2-hour drive from Orlando.

The deputy points out there were no signs of foul play or trauma. Bob's next of kin was listed as his wife, Kelly Rizzo, who was notified about his death.

For the first time ever, surgeons transplanted a heart from a genetically modified pig into a human patient, in order to save his life ... If all goes well, this could be the start of life-saving treatment for many patients in dire need.

57-year-old David Bennett received a heart like no other ... He was ineligible for a human transplant and, while doctors couldn't guarantee the transplant would work, the surgery was a matter of life or death, so he rolled the dice.

“It was either die or do this transplant. I want to live. I know it’s a shot in the dark, but it’s my last choice,” he said before undergoing the 7-hour surgery Friday at a Baltimore hospital.

The FDA had approved the operation for emergency use, since David had no other options.

Though it's still unclear if the transplant will actually take, he seems to be doing well days after the surgery... And, docs at the University of Maryland Medical Center say his transplant showed a heart from a genetically modified animal can work inside a human body without immediate rejection.

That's great news, because in the past such transplants failed because the patient's body would reject the animal organ. Now, Maryland surgeons used the heart from a pig that had received gene-editing ... to thwart rejection.

Bob Saget's recent bout with COVID-19 was fresh on his mind not too long before he died ... this according to the late comedian himself.

BS appeared on a podcast called "A Corporate Time with Tom & Dan" just last week and revealed he had already caught the 'rona. He wasn't specific about exactly when, but it sounded kinda recent, considering he was humorously debating whether he had omicron or delta.

Check it out ... Bob describes the virus as "not good," and cracks some jokes about which strain he might've had. He also explained what it was like performing comedy during the pandemic, saying audiences would often be dwindled down by at least half.

Eerily, he also jokingly said he might die from COVID.

Another topic brought up here is Bob's friend, Norm Macdonald, who died last year from cancer. He said there's dignity in the way NM handled his diagnosis, keeping it secret from almost everyone he knew.

Bob actually sounded ill on the phone, which the hosts noted once he left the chat. It's not clear if he was still under the weather while on the road there in Florida -- this podcast was recorded just after the New Year.

We've reached out to Saget's reps for clarification on when he had COVID, but no word back yet.

Tributes have been pouring in about Bob Saget, and how he touched so many lives, but few are as poignant as Pete Davidson's .. who says Bob stepped up for him during some pretty dark times.

Pete does not hop on social media -- period, but he made an exception for Bob, whom he called "one of the nicest men on the planet."

Pete wrote, "When I was younger and several times throughout our friendship he helped me get through some rough mental health stuff."

But, it wasn't just a "Hey, how ya doin'" call. Pete says Bob was genuinely concerned and wanted to help ... "He stayed on the phone with my mom for hours trying to help in anyway he can -- connecting us with doctors and new things we can try. He would check in on me and make sure I was okay."

It's one of a slew of tributes to Bob. TMZ broke the story, he died Sunday in an Orlando hotel room at age 65.

Novak Djokovic has just been set free Down Under -- a judge ruled in his favor in his visa appeal case, clearing the way for the tennis star to compete in the Australian Open next week.

Djokovic had been in a quarantine hotel in Melbourne the last few nights ... after Australian government officials canceled his visa shortly after his arrival in the country last Wednesday.

Authorities argued Djokovic did not meet the proper requirements to be formally granted an exemption to Australia's strict COVID-19 vaccination rules.

Djokovic, though, argued he did meet all the criteria ... saying he had been infected with COVID last month and therefore did not need to be vaccinated.

At a visa appeal hearing in an Australian courtroom on Monday -- a judge overturned the government's decision, pointing out that the 34-year-old had received vaccine exemption status from Tennis Australia and two medical panels prior to his arrival.

"The point I’m somewhat agitated about is what more could this man have done?" the judge said in the courtroom.

The judge's decision now paves the way for Djokovic to compete in The Open, which begins on Jan. 17.

"I'm pleased and grateful that the Judge overturned my visa cancellation," Djokovic said in a statement on Twitter following the decision. "Despite all that has happened, I want to stay and try to compete @AustralianOpen."

"I remain focused on that. I flew here to play at one of the most important events we have in front of the amazing fans."

There could still be more hurdles for Djokovic to leap ... Australian authorities have suggested they could still cancel his visa once again.

If that does happen, and Djokovic is deported, he could be faced with a 3-year ban from the country.

It remains unclear what the likelihood of a second cancellation is.

Two of the most prominent strains of COVID have reportedly fused together in what sounds like a science fiction flick gone wrong -- churning out a mutated baby called ... "Deltacron."

Leondios Kostrikis -- a professor of biological sciences at the University of Cyprus and head of the Laboratory of Biotechnology and Molecular Virology there -- told local media this week that his team had discovered what they believe to be a new variant.

The way he describes it ... "omicron-like genetic signatures within the delta genomes," which essentially means there are traces of both strains within this new monstrosity.

Kostrikis says they've identified only 25 or so cases thus far in people, with a majority of them befalling folks who were hospitalized for COVID. Their findings are being sent to GISAID, which is the leading international database for all things 'rona, to be studied further.

While it might sound pretty scary, Kostrikis says we shouldn't freak just yet ... because he truly believes it's just a bug that'll probably fall to the wayside. He explains, "We will see in the future if this strain is more pathological or more contagious or if it will prevail," adding that he thinks regular omicron will displace it in the end.

Naomi Osaka announced she's pulling out of the semi-finals of an Australian Open warm-up tournament after she says her body went into "shock" from playing hard tennis ... after she took months off to focus on herself.

Now, the Australian Open -- already possibly without superstar Novak Djokovic -- could also be without one of women's tennis' biggest stars, Osaka.

Naomi, clearly bummed, announced she was withdrawing from the Melbourne Summer Set over an ab injury.

“I had a lot of fun playing here in Melbourne,” Osaka said in an official statement. “Unfortunately I have an abdominal injury which I need to rest and prepare for the Australian Open.”

Osaka expanded on the injury on social media, tweeting her body "got a shock from playing back to back intense matches after the break she took" ... forcing the former No.1 ranked women's tennis player to pull out at the last minute.

As we previously reported, Naomi returned to the tennis court in November ... after stepping away from the game to focus on herself following an emotional loss at the U.S. Open in September.

Osaka -- a four-time Grand Slam singles champion -- has been outspoken about her struggles with mental health in the past, infamously boycotting the media at the French Open.

And now, 24-year-old Osaka -- who was scheduled to play Veronika Kudermetova of Russia -- is sidelined once again ... as she tries to rehab her way back to competition.

It's a cold, cold world out there ... and it got even chillier for a handful of skiers in North Carolina, who got hosed down with freezing water while already in below-freezing temps.

Check out this insane video that was captured Friday on the Beech Mountain Resort, where officials say someone slammed into a water/air hydrant while coming down the slopes during snowmaking operations ... and apparently knocked the whole thing off.

As a result ... an enormous amount of H2O was shot straight up into the air for a good long while through the waterline down below, creating a geyser effect on the ski lift passenger directly above.

Yes, a fair amount of them got drenched passing through ... but, for some reason, it looks like these poor guests got stuck right in the middle of the water -- getting absolutely drenched. Unclear how long they stayed in this position, but it was at least 30 seconds or so based on the video above, which was shot by a bystander.

Considering the harsh conditions, you can imagine these people were worse for wear afterward. Two guests were reportedly taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries ... and some people are reported to have been blown off the chair lift altogether.

Sinead O'Connor's son has died, according to police ... it appears he took his own life, and Sinead is clearly angry at people who were in charge of taking care of the teen.

17-year-old Shane O'Connor apparently was on suicide watch in an Irish hospital just one day before he took his own life, but someone was able to leave. Sinead wrote the day before Shane's body was found, "Like, how has a seventeen-year-old traumatised young person WHO WAS ON SUICIDE WATCH in Tallaght Hospital's Lynn Ward been able to go missing???"

She went on ... "Hospital of course so far refusing to take any responsibility. Anything happens to my son on their watch? Lawsuits."

Police in Ireland issued this statement ... "Following the recovery of a body in the Bray area of Wicklow on Friday, 7th January 2022, a Missing Person Appeal in respect of Shane O’Connor, 17 years, has been stood down."

Sinead's rep confirmed her son's death, and she posted the tragic news as well, saying, "My beautiful son, Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God."

She goes on ... "May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace:"

Police had been looking for Shane since Thursday, with Sinead pleading in a tweet, "Shane, your life is precious. God didn't chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing."

Her pleas got more desperate ... "This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it's not funny any more all this going missing. You are scaring the crap out of me. Could you please do the right thing and present yourself at a Gardai station. If you are with Shane please call the Gardai for his safety ... My world would collapse without you. You are my heart. Please don't stop it from beating. Please don't harm yourself. Go to the Gardai and let's get you to hospital."

The news has devastated the 55-year-old singer, who referenced a Bob Marley song ... "This is for my Shaney. The light of my life. The lamp of my soul. My blue-eye baby. You will always be my light. We will always be together. No boundary can separate us."

Shane's father is Donal Lunny, an Irish folk musician. He and Sinead are no longer together.

Shane was 17.

Novak Djokovic's attorneys say Australian border officials screwed up when they denied the tennis star entry into the country ... claiming he had COVID-19 last month, meaning he didn't have to comply with the vaccine mandate.

Attorneys for the 34-year-old tennis superstar filed docs with an Australian court on Saturday, according to the NY Times, arguing officials went against the advice of their own immunization advisory group when they canceled Novak's visa, believing he received a bogus exemption allowing him to skirt Australia's strict vaccine mandate.

Djokovic's lawyers say Australian health officials previously suggested recent COVID infections could exempt travelers from needing the vaccine. Novak's lawyers say their client had COVID in mid-December ... and should've been granted entry.

In fact, the attorneys say border officials "radically and fundamentally" misapplied guidelines set forth by the immunization health officials.

FYI, it wasn't publicly known that Djokovic had COVID in December 2021. However, it was known he contracted the virus in June 2020.

Of course, the defending Australian Open champ had his visa canceled when he landed in Melbourne on Thursday. Novak opted to appeal the decision, so rather than instantly being deported, he was taken to a quarantine hotel run by government officials.

Novak's family says he's being held captive ... while Australian officials have insisted the #1 tennis player in the world can leave whenever he wants.

Even before Djokovic touched down in Melbourne, his impending arrival kicked off a raging debate in the country ... with many upset, believing the tennis star was going to get preferential treatment.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison even got involved ... vowing to investigate the medical exemption Djokovic received, in order to check its legitimacy.

Djokovic has a hearing on Monday ... where his fate will be determined. If the cancelation of the visa is upheld, Novak won't only have to worry about missing this year's tournament. He could be banned from entering Australia for several years.

JoJo Siwa chatted with a 5-year-old cancer patient before surgery ... telling her everything would work out and she would kick cancer's butt.

As you see in the conversation between JoJo and Blakely Bergenfeld ... JoJo's a pro at putting her young fans at ease ... patiently answering the little girl's questions.

Blakely's parents, Jason and Kimberly Bergenfeld, tell TMZ ... the cancer diagnosis was sudden, after the little girl began experiencing headaches and fevers during a recent family ski trip.

We're told Blakely's parents took her to a pediatrician when they got back to L.A., and the doctor noticed her liver was swollen and rushed her to the ER at L.A. Children's Hospital.

Blakely's dad says his daughter underwent a series of tests, and that's when doctors discovered cancer in her kidney. She underwent surgery to remove a giant tumor on her kidney Friday.

We are told the surgery went even better than planned. She had to have her kidney removed because it was close to rupturing and would have been terminal if they had not treated it in time. The doctors also found tumors on her liver and lungs, which were removed. The doctors will know in the next few days exactly what stage and type of cancer she has, but she is stable and past the first step on her road to recovery.

It's been a whirlwind few days ... we're told Blakely had appeared completely healthy before she started feeling ill.

JoJo got involved after learning of Blakely's diagnosis through 'Dance Moms' star Kira Girard and her husband, who are close friends with the Bergenfelds.

Blakely is a huge JoJo fan and was supposed to meet her at the Nickelodeon awards last March before it was canceled due to COVID.

Dr. Peter Hotez says the key to getting the COVID pandemic under control is reducing the rise of variants in developing countries ... and his new vaccine could be just what doctors everywhere ordered.

The renowned vaccine expert joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" to tell us all about what could be a game-changing breakthrough -- his low-tech, low-cost vaccine, dubbed Corbevax.

Hotez, who's the Co-Director of Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development, says the Delta and Omicron variants sprouted from unvaccinated populations in India and Africa ... and he says there will be more coming if people in developing nations don't get the shot. That's where his vaccine comes into play.

Corbevax is NOT an mRNA vaccine, and actually uses an older process he and his team started developing a decade ago. It's already been authorized in India, Bangladesh and Indonesia -- and because it's more affordable, he says they've cranked out more than 300 million doses!!!