Nurse!

A suddenly infamous SoulCycle instructor is saying, "My bad" ... after calling herself an "educator" in order to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Stacey Griffith apologized Monday "from the bottom of my heart" after posting a picture of herself getting the highly sought-after vaccine. The 52-year-old later admitted she was eligible because she presented herself as an "educator" on vaccine sign up forms.

Upon further review ... she called the shady move a "terrible error in judgment."

In her since-deleted post ... Griffith -- who's taught the likes of Oprah and Kelly Ripa -- started her caption with, "VACCINE DAY! Step one of the Moderna magic!! One hour drive to STATEN ISLAND worth every minute! It takes a village."

Griffith even added, "Now I can teach @soulcycle with a little more faith that we're all gonna be OK."

Of course, some real school teachers are still struggling to get vaccinated in NY where there's a shortage.

NY is currently prioritizing people older than 65 plus teachers, school staff, in-person college instructors, child care workers, first responders, public transit workers, frontline workers and people working/living in group homeless shelters.

Yeah, fitness instructors? Even popular/famous ones? NOT on the list.

Tony Bennett is revealing he's suffering with Alzheimer's Disease ... but he says he's been battling it since 2016.

The beloved singer revealed his diagnosis to AARP magazine ... and his family says there were warning signs well before doctors confirmed it. Like in 2014 when he and Lady Gaga got together to record "Cheek to Cheek." Tony's wife, Susan, said Tony was already showing clear signs of the disease back then. The duo went on to tour together in 2015.

Moments after AARP posted the article ... Tony tweeted, "Life is a gift -- even with Alzheimer's. Thank you to Susan and my family for their support, and @AARP The Magazine for telling my story."

Susan and Tony were open about some day-to-day struggles ... like when she had to tap Tony on the shoulder to remind him they were doing an interview while talking to AARP.

But, there's also reason to be optimistic. Dr. Gayatri Devi, the neurologist who diagnosed Tony back in 2016, says, "He is doing so many things, at 94, that many people without dementia cannot do. He really is the symbol of hope for someone with a cognitive disorder."

Rob Gronkowski channeled his inner-Oprah to surprise 4 healthcare heroes -- YOU'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL, YOU'RE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL ... EVERYBODY'S GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!

The Tampa Bay Bucs superstar dropped in on 4 local healthcare heroes (via video chat) to deliver the good news ... that they've been hand selected by the team to attend the big game at Raymond James Stadium in person on Sunday.

The heroes include Mandy Mueske, Belinda Spahn, Woody Nixon, nurses who have been caring for COVID patients.

Heather Stegmeier is an infection control manager at AdventHealth -- who "educates and assists team members in obtaining and properly using personal protective equipment (PPE)."

And yeah, they're all STOKED about going to the game!!

"The first time the home team is the actual home team and I'm going to be there. I can't believe that," Woody Nixon said.

Mandy is pumped too -- especially since she's never been to a Bucs game before!

"I'm so excited! I watch games every Sunday. Go Bucs!"

The NFL says all 4 heroes will have completed their COVID vaccinations before being allowed into the stadium to watch Tom Brady and the Bucs take on Patrick Mahomes and the KC Chiefs.

Smart & Final's leaving workers twisting in the wind as the pandemic rages on ... the grocery chain put the kibosh on COVID sick pay before most employees could even get the vaccine.

Corporate blasted out an email to employees Thursday informing them supplemental sick days for COVID-related issues were no more.

We're told the feeling among employees is that it's a low blow after busting their butts for the company and risking exposure to the virus for 10 months and counting.

Like many other essential businesses, Smart & Final tacked on extra paid sick days early on in the pandemic, but now employees are being told they've gotta use regular sick days or even vacation days if they have to miss work because of COVID.

Problem is ... the pandemic is far from over, and we're told many employees are upset with the change because they still aren't eligible for vaccination and they're in the dark about how to even go about getting the shots once it's their turn in line.

We reached out to Smart & Final ... so far, no word back.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's in hot water following a report claiming his administration severely undercounted COVID-related deaths in nursing homes ... but he's not backing down.

Cuomo says he understands the pain and instinct to place blame, but Friday he adamantly defended his state's Department of Health ... claiming everyone has been doing the best they can do.

He also repeated his belief that the nursing home death count issue is a political attack started by President Trump's HHS. Cuomo claims his state health dept. was following federal guidelines ... and the whole issue's become a "political football."

As for the actual death count discrepancy ... both Cuomo and his health commissioner, Dr. Howard Zucker, claim they've been transparent about how nursing home deaths were only counted if they were in-facility, and that there were additional deaths at hospitals.

Cuomo added ... the COVID-related deaths of seniors are a tragedy, regardless of where they occurred -- hospital or nursing home -- but he's not accepting blame for any alleged coverup or undercounting.

The governor's reputation took a blow Thursday when a report from the New York State Attorney General, Letitia James, suggested state nursing home deaths due to the virus were thousands higher than reported.

The Health Department later increased the public death tally of nursing home residents by 3,800 ... putting the new total at 12,743, about a 40 percent increase.

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will have some real-life heroes cheering them on in Tampa next week ... with the team inviting a group of local healthcare workers to attend Super Bowl LV!!!

The reigning champs announced Friday they have hand-selected their guests for the big game on Feb. 7 ... as a "thank you" to the workers for their commitment to fighting the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.

Chiefs president Mark Donovan spoke about the gesture on Friday ... saying, "We are very excited to invite healthcare workers from Chiefs Kingdom, including a number of individuals from our official healthcare provider, The University of Kansas Health System, to be our Super Bowl guests in Tampa this year."

"These individuals, like so many healthcare workers throughout Chiefs Kingdom and beyond, have given and sacrificed a lot during the ongoing pandemic."

The group will be part of 7,500 vaccinated healthcare workers who have been invited to attend the Super Bowl by the NFL ... and among the 22,000 total attendees next week.

"Inviting them as our guests is one way we can thank them for everything they have done for the residents of Kansas City."

Donovan continued ... "It's been an unusual year and season, but it's incredibly special for us to make it to back-to-back Super Bowls and have Kansas City healthcare workers there as we try to finish the job and run it back in Tampa."

Of course, the league is trying like hell to make sure the Super Bowl is as safe of an experience as possible -- including practicing social distancing, wearing face coverings, installing hand hygiene stations and more to prevent a super spread.

Just weeks before the country went into lockdown because of COVID, the cast of "Little Women: Atlanta" got in one last hurrah, which left a cast member bloodied and slashed.

The brawl went down in February of last year at Nouveau Bar & Grille. The initial fight pitted Amanda and Andrea against Abira. Ms. Juicy initially tried to act as peacemaker, but that went to hell quickly.

Unclear what started this and, for that matter, most fights on the show. Someone spit on someone and that was pretty much all she wrote. Glasses started flying, conking Juicy on the noggin, and leaving a big gash and a bloody mess. She ended up taking a trip to the ER where she got a CAT scan and stitches.

As we first reported ... Abria started clowning the twins over their plan to get in the rap game. As true 'Little Women' fans know ... they've been at each other's throats for some time ... but things really took a turn for the worse during their hangout that night.

WARNING: THIS VIDEO WILL MAKE YOU WINCE!!!

NBA star Jamal Murray was so pissed during a play Monday night ... he straight-up uppercut his opponent right in the groin -- and then he was promptly kicked from the contest.

The wild incident all went down in the 3rd quarter of the Nuggets vs. Mavericks game in Dallas -- when Murray appeared to be enraged after getting bumped by Tim Hardaway Jr.

With no foul called after the two had collided ... Murray got up and appeared to take a swing at Hardaway Jr.'s family jewels like he was a young Johnny Cage (memba that?!)

The inner part of Jamal's elbow looked like it caught flush ... and immediately, the ref blew his whistle to signal for a foul.

After an ensuing video investigation by the zebras ... Murray was deemed to have done it intentionally -- and he was ejected.

Hardaway Jr., meanwhile, was in quite a bit of pain -- you can see in the TV replay, he grabbed his junk and screamed.

But ... the Dallas star ended up shaking it off -- scoring the game's next few baskets. Tough guy!!!

For Murray's part, his coach, Michael Malone, was hopeful after the game the nut shot wouldn't lead to more league discipline by the NBA.

"Hopefully, it's nothing more than Jamal being ejected tonight and we can use it as a learning experience," Malone said.

As for Hardaway Jr., he didn't appear to be all that mad at Murray after the matchup ... 'cause he was still getting over the fact that his team ended up losing, 117-113.

"Just playing the game and I guess he was just frustrated that they didn't call a foul," Hardaway Jr. said of Murray. "I was trying to do the best I can to deny the ball."

"The rest speaks for itself. It happens in the game. It sucks, but it doesn't even matter at this point. We lost."

Dustin Diamond's cancer diagnosis has been hard for him to deal with emotionally ... and it has him questioning how this happened to him.

The "Saved by the Bell" star's rep tells TMZ ... Dustin's struggling to come to terms with having the type of lung cancer he has -- stage 4 small cell carcinoma -- because it's normally caused by smoking, and he's never been a smoker.

So, we're told Dustin can't help but wonder if his cancer is the result of his frequent work travel over the past 20 years.

The rep says Dustin's worked all over the country on film sets and at comedy clubs for meet-and-greets ... and sometimes had to stay in pretty questionable hotels and motels, because there were no other options.

We're told Dustin believes some of these spots might have had mold or asbestos ... which he could have breathed in, causing his cancer.

As we reported ... Dustin just completed his first round of chemo at a Florida hospital, and will start physical therapy soon while he awaits the second round of treatment.

We're told his doctors have not determined what caused his cancer, but as we reported ... he does have a history of it in his family. His mother died of breast cancer.

Coronavirus be damned -- 22,000 people will get to sit and watch Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay next month ... with 7,500 of those scheduled to be vaccinated health care workers.

The NFL made the announcement Friday ... saying they consulted with officials and experts throughout the country to ensure they can keep that many people safe despite the pandemic.

The Shield also laid out the safety guidelines fans must follow if they do get a seat at Raymond James Stadium ... saying masks, social distancing and "podded seating" will all be requirements.

NFL officials also say there will be "touchless in-stadium experiences at concessions, restrooms, and security checkpoints" to further help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

As for the health care workers part of it all ... the NFL is doing some REALLY awesome things there -- giving out 7,500 free tickets for those who have put their lives on the line for others in the pandemic.

In fact, league commish Roger Goodell surprised a group of nurses and front line hospital workers with invitations on a crashed video call Friday that was seriously awesome.

"We owe them our ongoing gratitude," Goodell said. "We hope in a small way that this initiative will inspire our country and recognize these true American heroes."

The league says most of the health care workers who have been invited to the big Feb. 7 game will come from the Tampa and central Florida area.

FYI -- the NFL says it played host to more than 1.2 million fans at its 116 games this season.

Shout out to our pal, JT The Brick, for first suggesting the idea to gift Super Bowl tickets to health care workers.

Brett Favre is issuing a stern warning to Patrick Mahomes ... telling TMZ Sports the quarterback NEEDS to listen to the doctors when it comes to handling his concussion.

The NFL's most legendary ironman explained ... "I played 321 straight games, it kind of goes against everything I stood for when I played. But, you got to be smart. You've got to be smart."

Favre says he's legitimately worried about the Chiefs star's long-term health ... telling us if Mahomes rushes back to the field after suffering that head injury against the Browns on Sunday, it could have dire consequences.

"When you're in the moment, and you're young, you're bulletproof, man," Favre says. "But, I'm 51 years old and I'm wondering what tomorrow will bring because of concussions more than anything."

Mahomes and the Chiefs play the Bills on Sunday ... and many in Kansas City and around the league are hoping the QB can clear concussion protocol and play in the huge matchup.

But, Favre is stressing the need for Patrick to be honest with doctors and coaches about his symptoms ... and to take it all very seriously.

Of course, caring for head injuries is a cause very near to Brett's heart ... he's expressed concern he might have CTE due to all the hits he's suffered.

Liv Tyler has had a terrifying 2021, which began with a COVID diagnosis that left her in physical and emotional turmoil.

Liv said she found out on New Year's Eve she tested positive for the virus ... "Suddenly on The morn of the last day of 2020 ... boom it took me down. It comes on fast, like a locomotive, Owchie." She goes on ... "With it Feelings of fear, shame and guilt swirling through you, who could you have gotten it from and who could you have infected ... Terrifying. Luckily the rest of my family and bubble were negative."

And, then there are the symptoms ... "It F's with your body and mind equally. Everyday different. Being isolated in a room alone for 10 days is trippy to say the least."

The 'Lord of the Rings' star, who has 3 kids, says, "I missed My babies beyond but they visited my window and called up to me and I watch them play outside. Such a gift. They sent little messages and drawings under my door. Reminders of what's on the other side. What to get better for."

What's interesting -- and scary -- Liv took all sorts of precautions. In fact, she bowed out of returning to film "9-1-1: Lone Star" last year because she was so concerned about COVID.

Liv has now been reunited with 4-year-old Lula Rose, 5-year-old Sailor Gene, and 16-year-old Milo William, posting a pic of her embracing the 2 youngins, with the caption, "Reunited with my loves ... what a wild 2 weeks."

Dr. Dre will finally get to sleep in his own bed tonight -- he's been discharged from the hospital after suffering a brain aneurysm, but doctors are still watching him closely.

Sources close to Dre tell TMZ ... he went home Friday and while he's on the road to recovery, he still needs attention. We're told there are medical professionals at his home who will monitor him 24/7 for the next few weeks to make sure he's okay.

Our sources tell us Dre was in ICU at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in L.A. until Wednesday, when he was then moved to a private room at the hospital. Although he's been released, we're told doctors still don't know what triggered the brain bleed -- and that's part of the reason for the at-home care.

We broke the story ... Dre suffered an aneurysm at his Pacific Palisades home on Jan. 4 and was rushed by ambulance to Cedars.

Our sources told us Dre's doctors cautiously informed his family a "bad outcome" did not appear to be on the horizon.

"Saved by the Bell" star Dustin Diamond's suspicion is now a scary reality -- he has stage 4 cancer, and has already started treatment to fight it.

According to the actor's rep ... Diamond has cancer throughout his body, he's currently getting his first round of chemotherapy. We're told he first discovered a lump in his throat, which led to the diagnosis.

The rep says Dustin is also experiencing pain from having shingles.

We broke the story ... Diamond, best known as Screech from the '90s sitcom, was hospitalized this past weekend in Florida after feeling pain all over his body and a general sense of unease.

The L.A. County Dept. of Public Health is allowing clinics to throw unused vaccines in the trash rather than inoculate thousands of residents who are desperate to get the shot, and it has enraged at least one county leader who is on a mission to reverse this insane policy.

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn is reacting to a story TMZ broke last week, where a clinic administering the vaccine to health care workers ended the day with 150 unused vials of the COVID vaccine that were about to spoil ... because a huge number of people who signed up were no shows.

The clinic -- the Men's Health Foundation in Inglewood -- contacted people who were not on the priority list but desperately wanted the vaccine, and these folks got the remaining doses. Incredibly, that runs afoul of the County Health Dept's guidelines, which say ONLY people on the priority list should be vaccinated, EVEN IF THE VACCINES WOULD OTHERWISE END UP IN THE TRASH.

We worked this story for 4 days, and went back and forth with the Health Department, which never gave us an answer to our question -- ISN'T IT BETTER TO VACCINATE NON-PRIORITY RESIDENTS THAN THROW THE PRECIOUS VACCINES IN THE GARBAGE? We never got an official answer to that question, but sources who were on a call with the Health Dept. tell us they decided they would not take punitive action against clinics that replicated what the Men's Health Foundation did. But, that's a terrible solution.

Here's the problem ... the policy still says non-priority people cannot get the vaccine now, so clinics are essentially being told it's still wrong to vaccinate non-priority residents, even if the vaccines would otherwise go to waste. What's even worse, the County Health Dept. has NEVER EVEN STATED PUBLICLY THEY WOULD NOT TAKE ACTION AGAINST THESE CLINICS, so the fear is that vaccines are getting thrown in the garbage.

Supervisor Hahn is outraged, and wants the Health Dept. to get with the program and clarify this insane regulation ... IMMEDIATELY.

Fact is, the Department, led by Barbara Ferrer, has been utterly unprepared for the vaccine rollout, and folks inside her Dept. are enraged. There was no real plan for vaccinations, despite the fact everyone knew for months the vaccines were on the horizon.

To get real ... it defies common sense to throw these life-saving vaccines out rather than create a waiting list for ANYONE when there are unused vials that are no longer frozen and about to spoil.

This is probably an issue all over the country, and it must be addressed now ... as in NOW.

***WARNING: THESE IMAGES ARE VERY, VERY GROSS!!!***

A bodybuilder in the UK says he nearly lost both of his legs after he violently fell down his staircase about a month ago ... but, fortunately, he says his Amazon Alexa saved him.

The story is absolutely terrifying ... Dante McNulty -- a 40-year-old diehard gym-goer -- says he got up in the middle of the night to let his dog out when he slipped and fell down his stairs.

McNulty says the crash left him unconscious in a kneeling position for hours ... and with his entire 230-pound frame crushing his legs for that long, he suffered serious damage.

McNulty says blood flow was blocked to his lower legs ... resulting in acute compartment syndrome, which can sometimes be so severe, it can cause the loss of limbs.

"I just remember I couldn’t feel my legs," McNulty said of the incident. "I couldn’t walk or move, I felt paralyzed. Below my knees was cold, they didn’t seem swollen but I had a lot of veins pop just under my kneecap."

McNulty, though, says he was able to yell for his Alexa to call for help ... and he was able to get emergency medical care right away.

According to a GoFundMe set up for the bodybuilder, McNulty underwent immediate surgery ... with doctors cutting open his calves to the bone with the hopes of relieving swelling.

"He was put into an induced coma and on a ventilator, alongside dialysis and blood transfusions," McNulty's family said in a statement on the GoFundMe.

Thankfully, after several more surgeries and days recovering, McNulty's family says he was just recently discharged from the hospital and is attempting to re-learn how to walk.

"It really is unbelievable," McNulty said of the whole incident. "Thank God my WiFi was working that day."