Interview

Wu-Tang Clan is being hailed by New York Knicks' fans as the savior of their historic NBA Finals comeback win ... and while RZA wouldn't say they helped the Knicks triumph, he tells TMZ the iconic group brought a spark to a deflated Madison Square Garden.

Here's the deal ... the Knicks were getting destroyed by the San Antonio Spurs at halftime of Game 4 when Wu took the floor for a performance that got the place rockin' and rolling.

RZA tells TMZ ... the group had to dig deep ... because they were also super bummed by the Spurs having their way with their team ... so they changed some lyrics to include the Knicks in their songs to make sure fans got back in the mood ... and the rest is, well, history.

Karmelo Anthony's parents say their son was not looking for a fight at a Texas high school track meet that turned deadly ... they say that's just the picture the prosecution was trying to paint.

Kala Hayes and Andrew Anthony were on Thursday's episode of "The Breakfast Club," where they told Mimi Brown their son's verdict sends a clear message ... you don't have a right to defend yourself, even if you're attacked or ganged up on.

Andrew insisted in the interview that their son did not show up with bad intentions ... and he said Karmelo was caught on camera fleeing the scene because he was running to a teacher for help.

Andrew added that the teacher testified in court and said he had to stop another kid from jumping on their son.

Miranda Hope is throwing a little shade Taylor Frankie Paul's way while opening up about where their friendship stands these days ... and spoiler alert, they're not exactly back to BFF status!

Speaking on the "Sorry We're Cyrus" podcast, "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives" star described their relationship as more of a gray area these days ... though she didn't sound bitter, chalking it up to being in a different season of life.

Miranda explained that in any big friend group, not every friendship operates the same way ... and while she and Taylor were once inseparable, life has changed ... and neither is pouring the same energy into the friendship these days.

Millie Bobby Brown is defending Jake Bongiovi after fans criticized her husband for not carrying her bags or pushing their baby's stroller during various recent outings.

The "Stranger Things" star appears on Kylie Kelce's "Not Gonna Lie" podcast Thursday ... and in a preview, she claps back at folks who are peeved about her doing the heavy lifting, asking ... "When did women become incapable of holding their own bags, car seats and stuff?"

Millie goes on ... "This stems from me holding all of my suitcases and bags and my kid and people are like, 'Your husband doesn't hold a single thing.' Because I'm three miles ahead. I have been planning this all night."

Bill Gates says he wasn't friends with Jeffrey Epstein ... and he claims the convicted pedophile tried to get close to him by using his extramarital affair against him.

The tech mogul testified Wednesday before the House Oversight Committee about his relationship with the disgraced financier ... and he tried to put some distance between them -- claiming he never went to Epstein's island, ranch or Florida home, according to a testimony transcript he posted online.

Bill also said he had no interest in developing a personal relationship with Epstein.

The billionaire testified Epstein "had become aware of sensitive information about my personal life, including the fact that I had been unfaithful in my marriage" ... and, after the two stopped speaking in 2014, Bill said Epstein attempted to use this knowledge to reopen the relationship.

Tracy Morgan is giving teachers an "F" for never living up to their full potential ... claiming he doesn't respect them because he believes they already peaked.

The actor and comedian sat down for a conversation with "Saturday Night Live" star Marcello Hernández on Variety's "Actors on Actors" series ... and Marcello opened up about his challenges in school.

Marcello -- who has talked about struggling with Attention Deficit Disorder when he was in school -- says teachers labeled him a troublemaker because of his behavior.

Tracy says his teachers probably just didn't understand Marcello or his gift for comedy ... before adding those same teachers should be jealous because Marcello's making bank -- while they're scraping by on meager salaries.

Jennifer Lawrence can officially add amateur detective to her résumé ... 'cause Andy Cohen says she helped crack the case of the leaked "Summer House" reunion audio.

While appearing on "Watch What Happens Live," Andy gave the Oscar winner a shout-out for going full internet sleuth and helping track down the source of the leak that had Bravo scrambling.

As it turns out, the audio was ultimately traced back to a member of the production staff ... bringing an end to the mystery that had fans buzzing for weeks.

Draymond Green is adding a Community Note to his own social media clapback ... claiming when he told a woman he'd "crush" her "dirty ass kids," he was still in Kevin Hart roast mode.

The Golden State Warriors star issued the wild comment after a basketball fan called him a "bitch" on X last month ... replying, "Watch your mouth before I crush those dirty ass kids in your banner."

Some folks were baffled by Green's words ... especially because the word "crush" can be interpreted as a threat.

Michael Jackson's infamous criminal trial is back in the spotlight thanks to a new Netflix documentary ... and it's apparently stirred up some strong feelings among die-hard MJ fans, who are allegedly threatening one of the trial's central figures.

Ron Zonen, the lead prosecutor in Michael's 2005 trial, joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday and told us he's received a handful of threats since appearing in the new Netflix doc, "Michael Jackson: The Verdict."

Ron says the threats are coming in over email ... and it's bringing him back to 2005, when he says he faced similar backlash.

Michelle Williams is finally setting the record straight on one of Destiny's Child's most infamous interviews ... insisting the group wasn't high -- they were just flat-out exhausted.

Michelle went on the "Baby, This is Keke Palmer" podcast and addressed the viral 2001 interview that's had fans convinced for years they were under the influence.

According to Michelle, there wasn't a single substance involved ... just a brutal case of jet lag.

Michelle explained the group was running on fumes when they sat down for the interview, leaving them tired, loopy, and a little delirious ... but definitely not stoned.

Joshua Bassett says fame came with a dark side he never saw coming ... revealing his substance abuse spiraled so badly at one point, he believes he shouldn't have survived it.

In an appearance on the "More Life with Carl Radke" podcast, the former Disney star gets brutally honest about a chapter of his life that was happening behind the scenes while his career was taking off.

Joshua says things reached a breaking point when he was 23, admitting ... "It should have killed me, the level of substance."

Madonna goes way back with Billy Idol ... she says she's known him since he was swiping her taxi cabs.

The pop star recently told Bilt she and Billy both lived at The Music Building during her early days in New York ... and they had anything but a meet-cute.

Taxis are a hot commodity in the Big Apple, and Madonna recalled a time she had just flagged one down ... when Billy himself swooped in.

Madge recalled ... "He steps in front of me with his punk, like, regalia ... He didn't even say 'sorry' or 'thanks' or nothing." She said the interaction left her wanting payback.

Jesse and Ashley Ridgway say the backlash they've faced since announcing they terminated a pregnancy because their unborn child had Down syndrome has been so intense, they started sleeping next to a firearm.

The influencer couple joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday, with Jesse revealing he keeps a loaded gun on his bedside table and installed a security gate at their home.

The couple's defense measures come as they're being flooded with hateful messages, death threats, and harassment ... following their abortion announcement.

Cara Delevingne is opening up about her shocking drug spiral that led to those infamous post-Burning Man photos -- admitting she had no idea just how serious things had become.

Speaking on "Call Her Daddy," the British model said the shocking 2022 images served as a major wake-up call ... especially because she'd convinced herself she could have one last blowout for her 30th birthday before getting sober.

Cara revealed she was using GHB to knock herself out and cocaine to keep herself awake ... creating a dangerous cycle she couldn't simply walk away from when she decided to quit.

Karamo Brown is opening up about his decision to cut ties with the "Queer Eye" franchise ... saying he often felt like an outsider ... and that was before he got backstabbed!!!

The last straw for Karamo ... castmates trashing him behind his back on a hot mic -- which TMZ first reported.

To this day, Karamo still doesn't say what his fellow cast members said about him on set during the reboot's final season ... he didn't want specifics -- because he knew it was so brutal, it devastated his mother, who overheard the trash talk.

TMZ broke the story ... Karamo walked away after the show's 10th and final season -- skipping the final press tour due to his hurt and bitterness over what he called a toxic workplace.

A$AP Rocky is looking back on the terrifying shooting at his Beverly Hills home while he, Rihanna and their family were inside -- and it's clear the whole thing still hits hard.

In a new interview, the rapper says it's "f***** up" somebody tried to harm him and his family ... explaining the incident took away the peace and happiness of just being free.

The shooting went down back in March, with prosecutors saying several bullets struck the property while Rocky was inside with Rihanna and their kids. The alleged shooter -- Ivanna Lisette Ortiz -- has since been charged with attempted murder and multiple felony gun charges. She insisted in court she "wasn't attempting murder."