Interview

Pete Davidson and Colin Jost seemingly bought a ferry together as a joke -- but, now one of those new owners says turning a profit on the damn thing is of the utmost importance.

The 'SNL' alum dished about the $280k Staten Island boat buy with Seth Meyers on a recent podcast episode -- in which he goes into detail about what led up to him partnering with Colin on this in the first place ... and where things stand now more than a year after.

Take a listen for yourself ... Pete acknowledges what he's said about going in on this ferry in the first place -- namely, that he and CJ were both stoned out of their minds when they decided to do it.

Before long, the purchase became reality ... and Pete says Colin called him up one day to talk business -- and to collect on his end of the bargain. PD says he was sent a link to wire over a deposit ... and suddenly, he was straddled with a massive ferry with no real plan.

Not to worry, though ... Pete and Colin have apparently devised a business model for their ferry that they're hoping to manifest -- including turning it into a one-stop shop entertainment hub ... complete with a concert venue, a movie theater, a restaurant and hotel rooms too.

Pete even says he and Colin have commissioned computer-generated mockups of all this ... and says it's well underway, although it's still years in the making. Like, 5 years specifically.

When Seth Meyers marvels at how well thought out their ferry future is, Pete quips -- "Yeah, we have to cause we’re in the hole." To what extent, exactly, is unclear ... but it seems Pete and co. certainly wanna get a return on investment -- because as he says, "Now I'm like stuck with a f****ing boat."

XXL Freshman alum K Camp fully understands Ice Spice's decision to skip this year's Freshman cover photo shoot -- but still recommends she keep a steady pace in the unforgiving rap game.

We linked with the Rare Sound CEO outside of Dash Radio this week, where he acknowledged Ice's red-hot rookie run. He tells us every rapper must choose their own path, but with Ice checking off all the boxes, she'll be good going forward.

TMZ Hip Hop broke the story ... the "Munch" rapper forfeited her XXL Freshman spot after she started getting booked for shows, left and right -- several festival gigs and a full tour supporting Doja Cat -- and couldn't lock in with all the mags requirements.

That being said, K Camp says blowing up too fast can hurt an artist, as the public can eventually grow tired and move on rather quickly.

Camp was in the 2015 XXL Freshman class, and admits it helped his career -- he signed to a major label and racked up several Platinum plaques.

He also told us no XXL class -- this year or even his -- can top the 2010s with J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, and Freddie Gibbs!!!

Harrison Ford might be 80 years old, but the guy's not ready to hang it up in Hollywood just yet ... in fact, it sounds like he'll continue acting for as long as he can.

The legendary actor was chopping it up with Chris Wallace on a forthcoming episode of his show, and CW asked him straight up ... any thoughts on retiring??? Obviously, the question is being posed because of Harrison's age -- but check out his initial reaction ... he scoffs!

HF follows that up with an interesting point -- namely, he says he doesn't do well without something to do, like professional work on a movie/TV set. The reason for that, he says, is that he likes to feel useful. Not just that, but he apparently gets a thrill out it ... being helpful and of service. Sounds like he's saying ... as long as he can do that, he'll keep going.

Harrison also explains what he loves about productions in general -- and, to him, it's the feeling of bringing something to life, with everyone having a common goal. What's more, he says he never actually plans out how he'll react to scenes ... and just lets it play out naturally.

There's another clip from this interview that's making the rounds as well -- and it's all about Harrison insisting on how he doesn't play "heroes" ... but, more so, regular people who do heroic things. It's pretty interesting to hear him talk about that ... he's pretty passionate.

FWIW, he's actually about to play a superhero in some upcoming Marvel projects ... dude's been cast to portray Thaddeus 'Thunderbolt' Ross, who eventually becomes Red Hulk.

"Simpsons" writer and producer Mike Reiss says he was super relaxed during his journey to the Titanic wreck aboard an OceanGate submersible -- but also scarily aware he might die down there.

Mike joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live," and detailed his experience on the Titan ... the sub that went missing this week in the Atlantic Ocean while attempting the exact same journey he made last summer.

For Mike, his trip included a few bumps and some technical difficulties ... but he says he kept his cool inside the cramped sub, even getting some shut-eye on the 2.5-hour descent to the ocean floor.

He says they stumbled upon the wreck and only had about 30 minutes to check it out from the tiny viewport ... but he got his pictures.

Mike was able to keep calm even in the face of some challenging conditions ... as he tells us, it's pitch black 2.5 miles under the surface and the sub creeps along in the dark looking for the wreck, usually without much help from the navigators back on the surface.

Plus, there's the fact Mike says the waiver he signed before the expedition made it very clear death was a possible outcome.

It's interesting ... Mike says he was actually comforted by the relative simplicity of the sub, including the video game controller steering the Titan.

As you know ... the Titan went missing Sunday during an expedition to the Titanic and a search and rescue effort is underway ... the clock is ticking and time is running out.

Our conversation with Mike is super interesting and insightful ... and he tells us why he went down there in the first place, and under what circumstances he'd actually go back again.

Babyface is speaking out about the alleged bad blood between Anita Baker and him which led to him getting canned as a supporting act on her Songstress Tour!!!

TMZ Hip Hop obtained the first clip of the R&B maestro's upcoming appearance on "The Jason Lee Show" where he addresses his newfound free time head-on.

Babyface clarified to JL that the tour belonged to Anita, as it celebrated the 40th anniversary of her debut album -- but he did suggest one of his last nights on the tour was far more "complex" than his fans know.

He was referring to the Newark show where technical difficulties drastically shortened the show, meaning only one of the legacy artists could perform -- and, as we reported, that was the headliner ... Ms. Baker.

Anita pulled the plug last week on Babyface's role as her opener ... after what she called cyberbullying from fans upset with his limited stage time. She also accused him of going over his scheduled stage time.

Babyface says he had no issues opening for Anita and enjoyed watching her perform after him.

UFC star Jared Cannonier is turning over a new leaf -- literally -- telling TMZ Sports he's quit smoking weed for his upcoming main event fight with Marvin Vettori.

We talked to the 39-year-old "Killa Gorilla" just days before his UFC Fight Night scrap, going down Saturday night in Las Vegas, when Jared revealed the change in his lifestyle.

"For this camp I have abstained from smoking marijuana, so the clarity is there," Cannonier told us, explaining ... "More mental clarity for me. There is a physical aspect to it. You are putting foreign substances into you [body], especially your lungs."

And, because it's potentially a 25-minute scrap, Jared wants to be ready in the event he doesn't get an early stoppage.

"This is a 5-round fight, so I want to be able to push the pace for 5 hard rounds, make it 5 hard rounds for him, but just another 5 rounds for me," Cannonier told us.

"I want to push the pace, be powerful throughout the whole thing, if it goes 5 rounds. That's a big if, 'cause I plan on putting it on him start to finish. I don't see him lasting long. Mentally,  physically, I feel like I'm in a much better place than I was in my last camp, so I'm ready to go!"

The fight has title implications, too. JC is ranked 4, while Marvin is the 3rd ranked middleweight.

Alex Periera is ranked 1, but is moving up the light heavyweight, so he's out of the mix at 185 pounds. Robert Whittaker (who is fighting Dricus Du Plessis at UFC 290 next month) is ranked 2nd. Israel Adesanya is the reigning champ.

With a win, Cannonier believes this puts him "right at the doorstep" of a title fight.

We also talked to 29-year-old Vettori, who, you guessed it, isn't exactly on the same page when it comes to how he sees the fight going.

"Me being young, and me being hungrier, the more the fight goes on, the more [Jared's] gonna struggle. And, I might catch him early, too. I heard he wants to come out like crazy, I welcome that. Please, bring it, 'cause damn sure you're not gonna get me out of there!"

As for what happens after a win over Jared, Marvin tells us he isn't sweating the future.

"I always felt it inside, I always knew a trilogy with Adesanya is gonna happen. So, I'm not even stressing about it. My whole focus is to go out and look amazing in front of Cannonier and the rest will fall into place."

Gear up to turn to the dark side of the Force, Inter Miami fans ... Alexi Lalas tells TMZ Sports that after adding Lionel Messi this week, he can see the team now becoming a "super club Death Star!"

We spoke at length with the Team USA soccer legend just hours after Messi confirmed he'll play for Miami's MLS squad in 2023 ... and Lalas said the move is a tectonic-plate-shifting one for the sport in America.

He told us he expects it to attract millions more to the game in the States -- and raise the MLS' profile significantly.

He also, though, predicted it could alter the fabric of Inter Miami tremendously ... telling us he's envisioning Messi recruiting some big names to the team -- and turning it into a villain-like superpower in the near future.

"We're already seeing incredible names now being linked to coming to Inter Miami," Lalas said. "It's almost as if they're in the process of potentially creating this MLS super club Death Star, and the hate-watching is going to be absolutely epic!"

Lalas said if it does, indeed, take that turn ... he's anticipating it to create some serious rivalries in the U.S. league -- which would be a big boon for fans here in the States.

"I know if I was on another team -- a less sexy team, for example -- and Miami was doing all of this," he said, "and one of the greatest to ever play is there, I would want to kick his ass."

But, Lalas did offer fans to proceed somewhat cautiously at least initially ... explaining to us that, currently, the Inter Miami roster is not exactly the best -- which could lead to some early frustrations for Messi.

Then again, he told us he's fully ready to see flashes of brilliance from Messi ... despite his roster's limitations and his 35-year-old age.

The man who turned his son into the "Baby Gronk" social media sensation wants all his critics to take a seat ... telling TMZ Sports they're just jealous because his kid's going to be set for life -- with or without football.

10-year-old Baby Gronk's rise to fame as a youth athlete has been polarizing to say the least -- some find it entertaining, while others view it as Todd Marinovich 2.0.

In fact, future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt voiced his displeasure over the Baby Gronk craze ... saying he believes "no kid should be training 'like a pro' until at least HS."

We spoke with Jake San Miguel about the negativity he's received as a result of the internet success ... and he believes anyone who has a problem with it is living in the past.

"It's a new era, it's a new generation," San Miguel tells us. "The people that are normally jealous of us is kinda older. They just don't get it. The times have changed -- Elon Musk about to move us to Mars."

"The internet is where it's at. All I did was made him a platform so if he tears an ACL or he doesn't make it in football -- which it's hard to make the NFL -- at least he has all this other money to start up a company or be a part of several companies by the time he's a senior."

Baby Gronk -- who boasts hundreds of thousands of followers -- has been trending all week ... after a TikTok showcased his meetup with massive LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, in which it hilariously claimed Livvy "rizzed up" the kid (she even hugged him).

We also spoke to Baby Gronk -- real name Madden (yes, because of John) -- and Jake about their big week ... and they both said it's just the beginning.

"The goal is to be a millionaire by senior year, with football or without football," San Miguel said.

Boxing star Adrien Broner is itching to show his critics he's far from washed ... telling TMZ Sports he's looking to knockout Bill Hutchinson later on Friday!!

The 34-4-1 welterweight hasn't stepped into the ring since 2021 ... but he says he's more than ready to put back on his gloves at the FITE event inside Casino Miami in Florida.

"It's been a crazy training camp," the 33-year-old said earlier this week. "I feel good. I'm ready. I can't wait to put on a show."

Many, however, don't believe Broner can return to the boxer he once was ... particularly because he's only taken one fight since he lost badly to Manny Pacquiao in Jan. 2019.

But, Broner says he isn't the least bit concerned about his detractors ... telling us they're all simply just like "ass****s."

"Everybody got one," he said. "If I didn't have critics or haters, then I wouldn't be doing something right, you know? I'd feel like, 'S***, why nobody hatin' on me?'"

AB's opponent, Hutchinson, is by no means a tomato can ... he's 20-2-4 with nine knockouts -- and will present a tough test for Broner. The fight is expected to begin around 10:30 PM ET.

"I love you, Sheik. I love you forever."

That's Sgt. Slaughter on the death of his rival turned stable partner, and most importantly close friend, The Iron Sheik ... who passed away at the age of 81 on Wednesday.

TMZ Sports talked to the WWE Hall of Famer about his friend's passing ... from Sheik's impact on the sport (and some of its biggest stars like Hulk Hogan) to how they met decades ago.

"I met [Sheik] when he was going through the training camp in Minnesota with Verne Gagne, along with Ric Flair," Slaughter explained, talking about his first interaction in the 1970s with the Iranian-born wrestler.

FYI, Gagne was a trainer and promoter who ran the Minneapolis-based American Wrestling Association (AWA).

Sgt. says he became fast friends with Sheik and the guys even worked together at his dad's roofing company.

The Iron Sheik was one of the greatest heels pro wrestling has ever seen and, although he was playing a character, fans take this seriously. We asked Slaughter if the hate ever got to Sheik.

"Never difficult [on Sheik]. It fueled the fire. It just fueled the fire," the HOF told us.

Slaughter also talked about Sheik's love for his family -- his wife and kids.

"He was a character. I was a character. But we both had families and we loved our families."

Tragically, Sheik lost one of his daughters in the early 2000s ... and despite missing his friend, Sgt. Slaughter, fighting back tears, says he's happy knowing he'll finally be reunited with his child.

"God bless him. He's finally gonna see his daughter that he lost. Love you Sheik. Love you forever."

Apple's newest fancy gadget -- an AR headset -- could be a massive hit, but considering recent tech history, it might be a huge flop ... so says one plugged in journo.

We're talking about Apple Vision Pro -- which Tim Cook and co. unveiled Monday as their latest "game-changer" ... and, yes, it took the internet/Twitter by storm. It's an augmented reality device that you slip over your face (much like traditional VR headsets).

The difference here ... the real world is only slightly digitized -- with iPhone screens/apps popping up in front of your eyes, almost making them seem like they're integrated into your actual reality.

The footage and photos they showed off at the big Apple showcase from their Bay Area HQ definitely made it look cool, but the question is ... will anyone actually buy into this???

Welp, according to tech reporter Ian Sherr ... the odds might be in Apple's favor for this one. He came on "TMZ Live" to break down the new toy -- and he says while it certainly has the potential to flop, similar to Meta's Oculus headset, he thinks it might actually catch on.

Ian says the fact Vision Pro offers a decent blend of reality with augmented reality, along with the functionality and addictive entertainment we get in smartphones ... might be enough to set it apart from previous headset failures.

In other words, this one gives you more to do than just play games ... which has, by and large, been what other VR headsets have been able to produce thus far. Here, Ian says Apple might've struck the right balance to give people a truly unique experience.

Plus, he notes Apple has gambled big in the past and won people over, despite initial doubters ... like there are now.

As for the price tag, it wasn't announced when we were talking to Sherr -- but it's since been revealed ... a whopping $3,500, which is A LOT.

Time will tell if folks wanna shell out that much just to close themselves off from the outside world. Another option, they could just go and buy an old Google Glass for much cheaper ... which, as many online have rightly noted, is essentially the same as this ... circa 2013.

Beneil Dariush has won 8 fights in a row, but if the UFC star extends that streak to 9, he'll earn himself a title shot against the lightweight champion ... all he's got to do is beat Charles Oliveira, one of the baddest men in the world.

TMZ Sports caught up with 34-year-old, #4 ranked Dariush a week before his UFC 289 co-main event scrap against current #1 contender "do Bronx" ... and asked him what a win would do as he continues his quest for the belt.

"The UFC said if I win this fight, I'm the number 1 contender, so yes [they told me I'll get the next title fight]," Dariush told us.

Dariush, who first fought for Dana White's organization in early 2014, has been fighting in every sense of the word for a title fight, and now he's finally on the doorstep.

Though, BD's supporters would argue he's long deserved the opportunity ... and it's hard to argue with his resume.

Beneil hasn't lost since March 2018. During his 8-fight win streak, he's beaten Tony Ferguson, Drew Dober and Mateusz Gamrot.

We asked Dariush if being so close to a title shot provided extra motivation ... and his answer may surprise you.

"To be honest with you, when it comes to motivation, I don't lack any. It's hard to add on to the motivation that I have right now," Beneil told us, adding, "My biggest motivation is knowing that God has given me a gift, and I'm not gonna waste it. I'm not gonna squander it."

There's much more with Dariush ... we talked to him about the stylistic matchup, pitting two Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belts against each other, and whether BD believes the fight will stay on the feet, or go to the ground.

We also talked to Oliveira ... who is looking to earn another title shot himself.

Of course, Charles was previously the champion at 155 lbs. ... but lost to current belt holder Islam Makhachev in October 2022.

Now, Oliveira is ready to make another run at the title ... "I feel good, I feel happy, I'm ready, and focused on getting the win," Charles told us.

As for a title shot ... CO says he hasn't explicitly been told he'd be next with a win, but he believes it's pretty clearly what should happen.

"Nobody told me, I don't know about Ben, but I think that will happen. I think we both deserve it, whoever wins this Saturday should get a title shot."

If Aaron Rodgers wants to trade footballs for fist pumps this summer, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino is all for it -- telling TMZ Sports he absolutely wants to link up with the NFL star after the quarterback's "Jersey Shore" shoutout last week.

"I think it is a must," Mike said of a meetup with the new Jets signal-caller.

If you missed it, Rodgers revealed he has a big-time love for The Situation, Pauly D, Snooki and the rest of the JC cast last week ... when he explained to reporters after a workout that the show was one of his all-time favorites.

When Sorrentino got word of the high praise from Rodgers -- he said he and his 'Shore' mates went crazy over it.

"Everyone just had a big smile on their face," Mike said. "The group chat was lit."

Sorrentino told us he's a huge fan of Rodgers after watching him play on NFL Sundays over the years -- and now that he knows the feeling's mutual, he'd love to catch up in Jersey ASAP.

Machine Gun Kelly went absolutely bananas after one of Megan Fox's movie costars made an artistic request -- so says Tyson Ritter ... who was allegedly on the receiving end of this.

The All-American Rejects front man -- who also dabbles in acting -- was telling the wild tale on Ted Stryker's podcast Tuesday, where he recounted a moment he claims went down in Megan's trailer while they were shooting the film "Johnny & Clyde."

Tyson says he wanted to pitch something to Megan for her death scene -- which they were about to film -- and that included putting his fingers in her mouth ... which made sense in the context of the script, and which he thought would've been a cool thing to try on the fly.

Well, MGK certainly didn't take that ask very kindly ... according to TR, the dude lost it and berated him in front of Megan -- going "apes***," as Tyson describes, and from 0-100.

Tyson says he just sorta WTF'd his way out of it, and it definitely doesn't sound like the finger-in-mouth idea was attempted. However, some good did come from the confrontation ... Tyson explains that he was actually inspired by Kelly's burst of energy and emotion.

You see ... Tyson says he was working on another movie around the same time, and he was trying to figure out a way to approach a certain scene in which he also needed to go ballistic out of nowhere. After seeing MGK do it in the flesh in front of him, he says he did the same on set for his other movie ... and that it ended up making it into the flick.

T.J. Newman is on a journey from flight attendant to Hollywood scriptwriter -- she wrote a book that became a bestseller, and now her second novel is getting turned into a screenplay, creating a bidding war in the process.

T.J. joined us on "TMZ Live" and told us all about her new book, "Drowning," which comes out today ... telling us why her story is so coveted by movie studios and big-shot Hollywood producers.

Like her best-selling debut "Falling," T.J.'s new novel takes place on an airplane ... with the jetliner crashing into the ocean after taking off from Hawaii, trapping passengers in a cabin as it sinks beneath the waves. It's aviation's version of the famous "Poseidon Adventure."

T.J. says she wanted to write about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances ... and there was a bidding war for the movie rights, pitting Nicole Kidman against the likes of Steven Spielberg and Jerry Bruckheimer, plus the usual movie studio suspects.

In the end, Warner Bros. emerged victorious ... shelling out $3 million and bringing T.J. along for the ride as an executive producer.

This makes T.J. 2-for-2 in Hollywood -- her first novel, "Falling," is also being turned into a movie after flying off the shelves ... Universal Pictures paid $1.5 million for the movie rights to her best-selling debut novel, also winning a bidding war.

T.J. says she's actually writing the screenplay for "Falling" ... an honor she says is "bonkers" and a process that brings new challenges.

Hulk Hogan will never forget the impact pro wrestling legend Billy Graham had on his life, saying Graham's influence on his career is one of the main reasons he became one of the greatest icons in WWE history!

Hogan reflected on his relationship with Billy after the 79-year-old wrestling legend died last week, recalling how he would take his father to watch Billy's matches  ... and was captivated by BG's larger-than-life personality on the microphone and stellar physique.

"I want to be just like him," Hulk used to tell his dad, referring to Graham, as he watched in awe whenever "Superstar" would flex his biceps at events.

Hogan says he modeled his career after Graham, a former WWE Champion, and WWE Hall of Famer Dusty Rhodes, aka "The American Dream."

"I stole a little bit from each of them," Hogan told Babcock on the "TMZ Sports" TV show (airs weekdays on FS1).

Hogan said he and Billy became good friends over the years and shared a full circle moment  ... telling a story of how Graham came to watch him in the main event at Madison Square Garden after years of watching Billy headline shows.

"We just bonded and just got along great," Hogan said.

One of Hogan's career highlights was when he joined forces with Graham, a moment The Hulkster appreciates all these years later when he reflects on his wrestling legacy.