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One of Vanderbilt University's longtime employees says she's been bullied and viciously mocked by co-workers -- using words like "freak," and "gross" -- after she underwent transition surgery.

Olivia Hill is suing Vanderbilt for the abuse she says started back in mid-2018, when she'd informed her employer she'd been diagnosed with gender dysphoria ... and, therefore, needed to transition from male to female. She says she soon learned a direct supervisor was referring to her as "it," "trans freak" and "weirdo."

Olivia -- a U.S. Navy veteran who's worked at Vandy for 25 years -- says that sort of reaction made her second guess getting the surgery, and she even delayed it until February 2019. In the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, she says the abuse was even worse when she returned to work in May 2019 -- some people would leave rooms as soon as she entered, while others made crude remarks.

According to the suit, those comments included a bigwig commenting directly to her about her big feet looking strange. She alleges he also asked if she shaves her chest now, and added ... "Ugh, the thought of you shaving your tits is gross."

Olivia claims in the suit another employee asked if he could "be the first to use her new vagina."

Interestingly, Vanderbilt touted Olivia's transition ... even posting a video where she tells her story. However, Olivia's attorney, Abby Rubenfeld, says this only highlights the university's hypocrisy -- "The way Olivia was treated violates federal and state law, and is inconsistent with Vanderbilt's own policies and public presentation as allegedly being a model of LGBTQI tolerance and inclusion."

Olivia says she informed her supervisors, but got no relief, and even filed complaints with the University and federal employment agencies. She says the school placed her on paid administrative leave, and says she's been passed over for promotions.

She's suing Vanderbilt for damages, including lost wages and pain and suffering.

Monica Lewinsky says she had suicidal ideations during the scandal over her affair with Bill Clinton because she couldn't see a way out ... but a psychiatrist helped her through it and possibly saved her life.

Monica revealed her mental health struggles amid the investigation into the Clinton scandal to CNN's David Axelrod on Thursday's episode of his podcast, telling him she thought killing herself might be a solution.

Lewinksy says it went as far as her asking the lawyers working for Ken Starr -- who was leading the investigation -- what would happen if she died.

According to Monica ... it's inexcusable there was no protocol back then to help someone in her situation, but thankfully she began seeing a forensic psychiatrist who guided her through it.

She adds ... "And so I was, you know, pretty, pretty lucky."

Monica's infamous experience is back in the spotlight thanks to the latest installment of "American Crime Story" on FX -- 'Impeachment' -- for which she's a producer. BTW, the show is great and -- because Monica was so involved -- it gives never-before insight into her relationship with Clinton and Linda Tripp.

Tensions are boiling over on Brian Laundrie's block, a fight just broke out right in front of his Florida home involving one of the family's neighbors.

Ya gotta see the video ... the neighbor, in a red shirt, starts screaming at a couple of protestors who have set up camp outside the Laundrie family home ... accusing the couple of stepping on his property.

The man sounds like he's had enough of the protestors on his street, threatening to open a can of whoop-ass if the protestors step foot on his property ... something he's already accused them of doing before.

The showdown is super intense ... and it gives a sense of the tensions building on Brian's block.

As you know ... there's a manhunt for Brian, and the FBI has already searched the house.

The altercation outside Brian's home comes on the heels of a makeshift floral Gabby Petito memorial on the front lawn getting tossed in the garbage.

Bottom line ... Brian's neighborhood is on edge.

Blink-182's Mark Hoppus just got some great news on his battle with cancer ... his oncologist told him he's cancer free!!!

Mark says he just got done with his doctor's visit Wednesday, and the positive prognosis has him feeling blessed.

Hoppus adds ... "Thank you God and universe and friends and family and everyone who sent support and kindness and love."

Mark says he still has to get cancer screenings every 6 months and it will take him until the end of the year to "get back to normal" ... but he says the doc's news is amazing.

As we reported ... Mark revealed back in June he had been quietly battling cancer and vowed to remain hopeful and positive despite being scared about undergoing chemotherapy for lymphoma.

Hopefully, for Mark, the cancer is gone for good.

The Playboy Mansion is getting closer to looking like a classic party venue again, instead of the construction zone it's been for 2 years now.

These are some aerial pics showing the insane progress that's taken place at the iconic mansion after its massive facelift. You can see the roofs are no longer covered in plastic, and there are fewer piles of dirt scattered about -- always a positive sign on a construction site.

There's still quite a bit of work to be done, but the huge progress is undeniable. One legendary Mansion landmark is still visible -- the old grotto's still getting renovated. Some of the work includes adding "structural steel mesh" and replacing the walls.

As we reported, the mansion's overhaul was nearing 7-figures back in April 2020, and that was just the tip of the iceberg.

Some of the big-ticket items were the staff area and garage renovations for $400k ... and redoing the basement -- which included expanding the theater, golf simulator area -- cost $125k.

Cops in Brian Laundrie's hometown are sending a message to floral delivery people, and anyone else mourning Gabby Petito -- don't send flowers to Brian's parents' house ... they'll just get tossed in the garbage.

You can see from the video, a makeshift memorial was beginning to form on the front lawn of the Laundrie's Florida home, but on Monday ... as a local florist tried dropping off a delivery, a cop informed her it's a waste of time.

The officer says all flowers should be sent to city hall in North Port, FL -- apparently, a memorial is set up there -- but some had already arrived outside the house, where Gabby once lived with her fiance.

The cop added that city's public works staff will be clearing the yard in the middle of the night.

A reporter on the ground there said another delivery was made about an hour later but with the police gone ... the delivery person was able to leave the flowers at the makeshift memorial.

The FBI paid Brian Laundrie's parents' home a visit to get some personal items in hopes they might have his DNA on them.

Several FBI agents went to the Florida home Sunday after authorities requested some personal items belonging to Gabby Petito's fiance to assist them with DNA matching. An attorney for Laundrie's parents said they complied.

It's interesting ... one would have assumed authorities could have gotten their hands on some of his DNA from items in the van. Not to mention ... they also searched his car not long after he was named a person of interest, so it's puzzling why they'd need more.

Then there's this ... there's new dispatch audio that shows cops talking about a domestic dispute involving Gabby and Laundrie during a stop in Utah back in August.

You can hear the cop saying "RP (reporting party) states seeing a male hit a female, domestic. He got into a white Ford Transit van, has a black ladder on the back, Florida plate."

As we've reported ... Laundrie allegedly slapped Gabby and hit her in the run-up to them being pulled over by cops in Moab, Utah. According to 911 audio ... the caller claimed to have witnessed the violence.

Gabby was seen on video distraught, but Laundrie denied any wrongdoing and claimed nothing happened between them. Cops didn't cite or arrest Laundrie. The Moab City Police Dept. is now reportedly under investigation for how it handled the domestic dispute.

Decades after he last played the role, William Shatner's going to become a real-life Captain Kirk ... because he's going to space ... on Jeff Bezos' rocket ship ... TMZ has learned.

Though he won't be boldly going where no man's gone before -- because Bezos and his Blue Origin crew already did it -- sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the 90-year-old actor is slated to be part of the second crew to take the space flight in the New Shepard capsule. That would make him the oldest person ever to be launched into space.

We're told Shatner will be on board in October for the 15-minute civilian flight -- similar to the last launch. What we don't know -- BUT WHAT WOULD BE AWESOME -- is if he wears his Capt. Kirk getup.

Our sources say the mission will be filmed for a documentary. We're told Shatner's people were talking to Discovery about the special, but that didn't materialize ... but our sources say Shatner and Co. have taken the project elsewhere and are in negotiations.

It's unclear who will be joining William on the flight, but they'll join elite company as some of the first few amateur astronauts in space. You'll recall, when Bezos went up, up and away in July ... he was joined by just his brother, Mark Bezos, test pilot Wally Funk and recent HS grad Oliver Daemen.

That crew reached an altitude of 66.5 miles, floated around for a few minutes in zero-gravity while playing with ping pong balls ... then made their way back down for safe landing.

Daymond John says Black Entrepreneurs Day is going to be HUGE the second time around ... because the event is going live from one of the most famous stages in the world!!!

The "Shark Tank" star joined us on "TMZ Live" and filled us in on all the new happenings for the second annual venture -- he has tons of celebrities coming out to The Apollo Theater to inspire the next wave of entrepreneurs.

It's pretty cool ... Daymond says Kevin Hart, Tyra Banks, Shaquille O'Neal, Rev Run and Michael Strahan will be sharing biz tips live from Harlem, with a special performance from Khalid.

The celebrity backing is nice, but Daymond also tells us which major corporations are stepping up to help folks get a free $25,000 to help their small businesses.

Daymond and co. are streaming live for Black Entrepreneurs Day on Oct. 14 and you can tune in and take notes on Facebook.

Check out Daymond on Friday's "TMZ Live" in his weekly "Follow the Money" segment. He'll have more on those $25k grants -- which you can apply for at blackentrepreneursday.com -- and why, in some ways, they're a better deal than what he typically offers on "Shark Tank."

The hunt for Gabby Petito's fiance, Brian Laundrie -- who's believed to be the last person to see her alive -- may have broken wide open ... because someone thinks they spotted him about 500 miles from his Florida home.

Sam Bass says a man fitting Brian's description was seen on his trail camera set up in the wilderness in Baker, FL early Monday morning ... and he's alerted the authorities.

Bass' deer camera footage shows a man with a backpack trekking through the woods, and he certainly resembles Laundrie ... who was reported missing by his family after being named a person of interest in the disappearance of Gabby.

Folks were quick to point out Baker is about 450-500 miles away from Laundrie's home in North Port -- which would be quite a journey on foot over 4 days -- but the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office has confirmed it's actively looking into the footage ... but there's no confirmation it's Brian yet.

People have also pointed out that the man's backpack is similar to Laundrie's, and his parents told authorities he left with it on a hike Friday and never came back.

As we've reported ... the story of Gabby and Brian -- who were on a cross-country trip this summer and documenting it on social media -- garnered national attention when he returned to his Florida home without her on Sept. 1.

Gabby was reported missing 10 days later by her family, who claim Brian was not cooperative at all in trying to locate her, and the feds believe they found her body at a national park Sunday in Wyoming ... a place she was believed to have visited with her fiance.

There was also a domestic dispute between the couple in mid-August in Utah, but the authorities released them with no charges or arrests. A 911 caller from that incident said they had observed Brian physically attacking Gabby ... she went missing sometime after that.

On Monday, FBI agents tore up Brian's parent's home in Florida, searching for evidence and leaving with several boxes.

A makeshift memorial has already been set up at the site where the remains believed to be hers were found, though the autopsy confirming it's her has not been disclosed yet.

A cross made of stones is serving as a makeshift memorial for Gabby Petito in Wyoming ... on the exact site where cops believe they found the missing 22-year-old's body.

As we reported, the feds announced Sunday they'd found the remains of a young woman at the Spread Creek Dispersed Camping Area in the Bridger-Teton National Forest ... where the van used by Gabby and her fiance, Brian Laundrie, was spotted days earlier.

An autopsy is scheduled Tuesday to confirm the body is Gabby's, but the stone cross memorial is already set up right where investigators searched for her in Spread Creek.

As you know ... Gabby's story became national news when Laundrie showed up back at his Florida home without her on Sept. 1, even though they had taken the cross-country trip together and were documenting it on social media.

However, Gabby's family claims they lost touch with her in late August and Brian allegedly refused to give them any info on her location or what happened between them.

The family reported her missing on Sept. 11, and Laundrie was named a "person of interest" but never arrested.

Shortly after that, it was revealed the couple had a domestic dispute in Utah on Aug. 12, and even though a 911 caller alleged Brian slapped Gabby ... an official police account of this entire incident reportedly claimed "no one reported that the male struck the female."

Nevertheless, the couple was eventually released with no arrests in mid-August, and Gabby went missing sometime after that ... though it's still unclear exactly when.

Elon Musk's space company just made history ... the first ever, all-civilian spaceflight is way up above our planet ... and they blasted off without any astronauts.

Billionaire Jared Isaacman, a pilot himself, is leading the mission dubbed Inspiration4 ... and it looks like he's already having a blast up there in space with the rest of his lucky space tourists.

Chris Sembroski, Dr. Sian Proctor and Hayley Arceneaux took off with Jared in a SpaceX Dragon capsule Wednesday night ... blasting into space using a Falcon 9 rocket, which launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

As you can see ... the space tourists were clapping and celebrating as they took off into space, breaking the speed of sound on the way up, while those in mission control back home were hyped too.

Now that they're in orbit, Jared and co. will be in space for the next 3 days, zipping around Earth about once every 90 minutes and enjoying the views.

As we first told you ... Jared told us back in February he was most looking forward to overriding the automatic pilot and taking Dragon for a spin up in space.

BTW ... the civilian crew will be sleeping in the same reclining seats you saw them in on the launch ... and they've got to share a toilet and forego showers.

The New York Mets will honor 9/11 first responders on the anniversary of the attacks once again this year ... by wearing FDNY and NYPD caps during their home game against the Yankees on Saturday.

The team made the announcement Wednesday ... saying players will have the option of wearing FDNY, NYPD, Port Authority Police Department, Department of Sanitation and Department of Correction hats for when they hit Citi Field on Sept. 11.

Of course, the Mets and the Yankees both donned the caps on the 9/11 anniversary last year ... and it was clear back then that the players would prefer to keep the tradition going on a yearly basis.

NY also announced the Mets' and Yankees' managers from the 2001 season, Bobby Valentine and Joe Torre, will take part in the first-pitch ceremonies before the game.

The Mets also said 14 coaches and players from the 2001 season -- including Mike Piazza, who hit that famous home run in the days after the attacks -- will be at Saturday's game as well.

First responders will also be in attendance and will join the FDNY honor guard, NYPD honor guard and others on the field.

The Mets added that the game's national anthem will be done by the NYPD Cops and Kids Chorus, while FDNY Firefighter Regina Wilson will sing God Bless America.

A woman who seemingly got kicked off a flight for wearing a revealing outfit believes she was also harassed and discriminated against because of her weight ... and possibly other aspects of her appearance.

Ray Lin Howard shared a video on TikTok of the apparent aftermath of getting booted from her Alaska Airlines flight Friday, in which police are questioning her about what went down.

She tells the cops she was wearing a sports bra -- she shows them too -- and was told by the flight attendants to cover up ... so she says she did with a pink leopard print shirt.

According to Howard ... that didn't satisfy the airline staff and she kept getting harassed because her stomach was showing, and she was ultimately removed from the flight.

The cops imply she was booted for violating the airline's dress code -- something she rebuts -- but tell her it doesn't look like she acted criminally in any way.

In a follow-up TikTok, Howard says she was eventually released and the airline contacted her to apologize and offered her a discount on future purchases.

However, she tells Jam Press that this was about more than her outfit, saying ... "I felt like I was being discriminated against for being a fat, tattooed, mixed-race woman, which in turn left me full of emotions like anger, disappointment, helplessness, humiliation and confusion."

She also described the incident as the worst example of "fatphobia" she's encountered in her life.

We reached out to Alaska Airlines, who say they're in contact with the guest and "committed to finding out what happened and taking the appropriate actions." Alaska adds, "It's our goal to provide caring service to all of our guests. When we don't live up to that goal, we do everything we can to make it right."

Bad Wolves are firing back at their former frontman, Tommy Vext, over their bad blood ... claiming he was "abusive" and is still trying to take them down.

The heavy metal band says they've mostly stayed quiet as they've witnessed Vext's "never ending temper tantrums on social media, filled with fraudulent claims and sad attempts to defame members of our band and our team" ... but now they're calling him out.

According to the band ... Tommy was emotionally and physically abusive before he quit, and continues to demonstrate that behavior in an attempt to diminish the other group members' contributions and steal the credit for success.

Among some examples ... Bad Wolves claim 10 of the 13 songs on their 2018 album "Disobey" were musically written and recorded before Tommy joined the band, that he falsely claimed to be the mastermind behind the track "Killing Me Slowly," and he illegally leaked a music video after quitting.

Of course, all of this comes in wake of Vext suing Bad Wolves' manager, Allen Kovac, claiming he was ousted by Kovac due to his political stances and support for Donald Trump ... in an alleged scheme to steal the band from him.

Kovac, who's also the CEO of Better Noise Music, denied the claims and countersued Vext for copyright infringement.

Sarah Silverman is not mincing words -- the Texas anti-abortion law is a declaration of war, but only certain women are targeted.

We got Sarah Saturday night in WeHo on her way out of Craig's, and she was blunt ... the law which effectively outlaws most abortions is a war on poor people. As she says, rich women have the means to leave the state and get an abortion elsewhere.

Sarah is not a fan of boycotts ... she says it only hurts people in the state who are themselves, victims. The real targets, she says, should be the politicians who enacted the law.

As you probably know by now, the Texas law pretty much outlaws abortion after the first 6 weeks of pregnancy. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. And, the law puts a bounty on the heads of anyone who assists a woman in getting an abortion after 6 weeks. Anybody in the country can sue people who assist for $10k plus attorney's fees.