Nurse!

Joe Rogan returned to his hosting gig 8 days after testing positive for COVID-19, and addressed his use of the controversial medication, Ivermectin, insisting he took a human version of the drug that was prescribed by a doctor.

"I literally got [Ivermectin] from a doctor. It's an American company. They won the Nobel prize in 2015 for use in human beings," Rogan said at the beginning of his first 'JRE' pod since beating the virus.

Remember, 54-year-old Rogan recently announced he tested positive for COVID on Sunday, August 29 ... and threw the proverbial "kitchen sink" at the illness -- taking everything from monoclonal antibodies, antibiotics, vitamins, Prednisone AND Ivermectin.

Discussion around the drug -- which can be used in animals and humans to treat parasites -- has ignited a white-hot debate ... and the CDC has expressly advised Americans NOT to take the medicine for COVID.

However, Rogan is adamant several physicians instructed him to take the med.

"Multiple doctors told me to take it," Joe said, later continuing ... "What [the media] didn't highlight is that I got better! They're trying to make it seem as if I'm doing some wacky s*** that's completely ineffective."

Of course, Joe's been a lightning rod for COVID controversy for almost as long as the pandemic has been around ... often running sideways of the advice of Dr. Fauci and the government experts.

Brielle Biermann looks like she's had a rough couple of weeks following surgery, but she says recovery's actually going smoothly ... and she can't wait to eat pizza like a normal person.

Kim Zolciak-Biermann's daughter says she had double jaw surgery a couple weeks ago, but that it was NOT an aesthetic procedure ... but to improve her quality of life.

According to the "Don't Be Tardy" star ... she suffered from TMJ and a significant overbite due to sucking her thumb for years, which resulted in her having major biting and breathing issues.

Brielle writes ... "Have you ever thought about what it's like to not be able to bite into pizza? or omg trying to bite into an onion on a burger? impossible for me. I had to use my tongue to help me chew and almost choked every time I ate."

So, she says she needed the surgery to correct her problems but was very scared, but her family, friends and support system came through for her ... along with her doctors.

Brielle says the first 2 weeks of recovery were supposed to be the hardest, but it's been "easy breezy" ... despite what the photos and videos she posted suggest!!!

Lil Uzi Vert says the large pink diamond he had implanted in his forehead got dislodged when he jumped into the crowd at Rolling Loud, but thankfully ... fiasco aVERTed.

The rapper says he had a $24 MILLION rock embedded as a flashy facial implant, claiming he saved up for years for the pink gemstone and wanted it put in his forehead because he was afraid he'd otherwise lose it.

According to Lil Uzi, the implant wasn't foolproof when he did a stage dive at the Miami hip hop festival ... and his fans ripped it right out of his forehead.

The good news ... he didn't suffer any serious facial damage and has a barbell piercing in its place ... and yes, he still has the diamond.

Uzi sent an ominous message about the implant back in February, posting a photo of blood seeping around the diamond and claiming he might die if it wasn't properly removed.

He actually had it removed this summer, but had it re-implanted for Rolling Loud.

Johnny Bench says he's tested positive for the coronavirus and will not be able to attend the upcoming National Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

The Cincinnati Reds legend announced Friday on social media he was battling the virus despite being vaccinated.

73-year-old Johnny, a Hall of Famer himself, says he's bummed to miss out on seeing the latest Hall of Fame class being inducted into Cooperstown.

The Baseball Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday in New York ... and Johnny sounds like he was looking forward to welcoming the Class of 2020, which includes Derek Jeter, Marvin Miller, Ted Simmons and Larry Walker.

Joe Rogan's contracted COVID-19 -- something he's spent countless hours talking about -- but says he's doing better thanks to a laundry list of meds ... but still has to cancel an upcoming show.

The famous podcast host, UFC commentator, conspiracy theorist and hot-take-giver says he got home from being on the road Saturday and felt like hell, so he quarantined from his family and got tested for the coronavirus.

Sure enough, he has COVID, so Rogan says he immediately began consuming all the modern medicine he could get his hands on -- seriously, listen to what he claims he took -- to combat the virus ... and it worked.

Joe says after 3 days on all those meds, he feels great ... but he's canceling his upcoming show in Nashville out of caution and rescheduling for late October.

As you may know ... Rogan's provided many controversial takes on COVID and the vaccine, stating in April that young, healthy people don't necessarily need to get it. This resulted in some pushback from Dr. Fauci, and Joe walked his comments back later ... saying he's not anti-vaxx, and that he is a moron.

More recently, Rogan's railed on vaccine mandates, alleging they are pushing the U.S. "closer to dictatorship." His inoculation status remains unclear, but if one thing's for certain ... he'll probably talk more about it on his podcast soon.

Amadeu Campos Silva -- a promising young bull rider -- died after a "terrible accident" at an event in California on Sunday, the Professional Bull Riders announced. He was 22 years old.

Campos was riding a bull named Classic Man during the championship round of the PBR Velocity Tour in Fresno ... when he was bucked off after about 5 seconds.

As he went down, Campos' spur got stuck in his rope, which led to Classic Man stepping on his chest. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he sadly passed away.

Campos was born in Brazil ... and came to the U.S. after competing in PBR Brazil in 2017 and 2018 to pursue a World Championship.

He also competed in the PBR World Finals in 2020.

"Amadeu Campos Silva was a son, a brother, a soccer teammate, and a smiling presence in the locker room, here in the U.S. pursuing his bull-riding dream," Sean Gleason, PBR's CEO, said on Twitter.

"Amadeu was a rising star in our sport; a cowboy with so much potential on and off the dirt," Gleason added.

"The entire PBR and western sports family extend our thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt condolences to Amadeu's family and friends."

"Please say a prayer tonight for them, and may Amadeu's soul eternally rest in peace."

Sharon Stone has lost someone near and dear to her -- her baby nephew, River, has died ... just days after she announced his organs had given out on him.

The actress provided a tragic update Monday, saying the 11-month-old had passed away ... and posting a video tribute in his honor. She lists his DOB as Sept. 8, 2020, and his death as Aug. 30 ... so the kid was just a week or so shy of his first birthday.

It's unclear what led to River's organ failure to begin with -- but it was quite clear he was in dire need of immediate life-saving measures just last week ... when Sharon posted a photo of him hooked up to a ton of tubes in the hospital and asking for prayers.

All she wrote at the time about the circumstances was, "My nephew and godson River Stone was found in his crib w total organ failure today. Please pray for him. We need a miracle."

River is the son of Sharon's brother, Patrick, and his wife, Tasha. Sharon was a proud auntie -- posting pics of the newborn when he came into the world. It's been a rough year for the Stone family all around ... Sharon also lost her grandmother and godmother in the pandemic.

Tony Dow, the former child star who starred in one the biggest sitcoms in American history -- "Leave It to Beaver" -- is in the hospital with pneumonia ... TMZ has learned.

Tony was taken to the E.R. Thursday. His wife, Lauren, tells TMZ Tony did not have COVID. In fact, she says he was tested 5 times in the hospital and all results were negative.

There is, however, a COVID connection ... Tony was in the E.R. for 24 hours because there were no beds -- a sign of the times with the Delta variant. Lauren says he's on the mend and his doctors think he could be released within a week. She adds, "On behalf of Tony and myself we thank you for your concern for him."

76-year-old Dow is best known for playing Beaver's older brother, Wally Cleaver, for the show's entire run from '57 to '63 ... having acted in all 234 episodes. Word is ... Tony landed the role with almost no acting experience, even though his mom worked in the biz.

He often played the straight man to the other quirky characters ... like his TV pals, Eddie Haskell or Lumpy, or even his kid brother himself, the Beave -- who was always creating problems somehow.

TD reprised his role as Wally in other 'Beaver' spinoffs and revivals in later years ... always keeping that all-American boy charm about him when playing the character.

He's also starred in shows like "The Greatest Show on Earth,' 'Never Too Young,' -- on which he had a significant role as Chet -- 'Lassie,' 'Mr. Novak,' 'Charles in Charge' and other hit series over the years.

His guest roles are also notable ... having appeared for one-off performances in 'Knight Rider,' "Quincy ME,' 'Murder, She Wrote,' 'The Love Boat,' 'Mod Squad,' 'Emergency!' 'My Three Sons' and more.

He's got quite the directing career too ... his credits include episodes of 'Babylon 5,' 'Harry and the Hendersons (the show), 'Swamp Thing,' 'Coach,' 'Star Trek,' 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,' among others. TD's also had a hand in producing a couple TV movies, and has even dabbled in visual effects work too -- including for shows like 'Doctor Who.'

The guy's a noted sculptor as well -- some of his work has been featured in the Louvre. Word is ... he's focused on the latter a lot these days at his Topanga Canyon home.

Scary news from Vinny Curry ... the New York Jets defensive end announced he's out for the 2021 season after he had to get his spleen removed due to a rare blood disorder.

The 33-year-old revealed the diagnosis on his social media page Wednesday ... the day after the Jets put him on the reserve/non-football injury list.

"In July, the Jets doctors diagnosed me with a rare blood disorder," said Curry, who signed a 1-year, $1.3 million contract with NY in the offseason.

"The diagnoses required the removal of my spleen and projected me to return to the field in the middle of September."

But, Curry says his comeback date changed ... after he developed blood clots during his recovery.

Vinny says he's now currently on blood thinners which will prevent him from having "physical contact for the next three to six months."

"While I am incredibly disappointed that I will not be able to play with my teammates this year, I am thankful that the doctors identified my condition in time," Curry said.

Curry added that doctors expect him to make a full recovery.

"I can promise them all that I will be back stronger and more determined than ever!" Curry said.

Letitia Wright was injured during an overnight shoot for "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," and while it's not super serious ... it's serious enough that she's been taken to a hospital.

Wright got hurt in an incident with a stunt rig while filming a scene in Boston, and a spokesperson for Marvel told Deadline she was hospitalized with minor injuries. She's expected to be released soon.

Wright's injury will reportedly not have an impact on the shooting schedule for the upcoming sequel to "Black Panther," in which the actor's reprising her role as Shuri.

As we reported ... Wright was on set in full costume this weekend with Danai Gurira, as the 2 were filming scenes together at the MIT campus in Cambridge, MA.

Huge bummer for Serena Williams -- the tennis superstar will NOT be competing at the U.S. Open next week ... saying it's best she lets her hamstring injury fully heal before returning to the court.

The 39-year-old made the news official on her Instagram Wednesday morning ... saying she thought long and hard about it, but the experts have advised her to sit out the Grand Slam tournament in Flushing Meadows.

Remember, Serena went down with the injury in the first round of Wimbledon back in June ... but her agent, Jill Smoller, told TMZ Sports last month Williams was hoping to be ready in time to compete for a 7th U.S. Open championship.

But, that ain't happening ... with Williams expressing her sadness in a heartfelt post.

"After careful consideration and following the advice of my doctors and medical team, I have decided to withdraw from the US Open to allow my body to heal completely from a torn hamstring," Serena said.

"New York is one of the most exciting cities in the world and one of my favorite places to play -- I'll miss seeing the fans but will be cheering everyone on from afar."

It's a massive blow to the tournament -- which was already without big names like Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal -- but here's hoping Serena can get back out there sooner than later.

Great news from the Oakland A's -- star pitcher Chris Bassitt underwent a successful procedure to fix his broken face on Tuesday ... and is officially on the road to recovery!!

Of course, the ace took a line drive to the face exactly one week ago against the Chicago White Sox ... which broke a bone in his cheek and required surgery.

Now, the team says their guy has gotten a plate in his face to fix the damage ... going under the knife in Chicago just hours ago.

In fancy medical talk, the team said the doctor "was able to stabilize and plate the tripod fracture with good fixation and debride other small fractured bones from the incident."

In other words, Bassit got fixed up!!

"Chris is stable and resting comfortably and will have follow-up appointments upon his arrival to Oakland," the team said in a statement.

"The A's anticipate Bassitt will return to the Bay Area later this week," the team added.

Ever wanted to ride a skateboard with Tony Hawk's blood INSIDE of it?!

You're in luck ... 'cause the skate legend has just released a line of boards that have a vial of his blood infused into the decks' paint jobs!!!

The 53-year-old skater teamed up with Liquid Death, a canned water company, to make the rides ... and they're gnarly.

Liquid Death documented how they were made in a video released Tuesday ... showing how Hawk's blood was drawn from his arm and eventually poured into the red paint that was used for the skateboards' graphics scheme.

Liquid Death says the boards -- which feature the company's "It's the Thirst Executioner" character holding a hawk skull and a bloody ax -- are limited to a quantity of just 100 ... and are currently selling for $500 apiece.

The water co. adds that each ride will come with a certificate of authenticity ... and Hawk says he's in love with it all.

"I am deeply thankful to have a connection with my fans, and I appreciate how Liquid Death connects with theirs," said Hawk, who added that he just recently became an ambassador for the water company.

"This collaboration is taking those connections to a new level, as I have literally put my blood (and soul?) into these decks."

Hawk continued, "And I take pride in knowing that organizations fighting plastic pollution and creating skate parks worldwide will be supported through our efforts."

Hawk says a percentage of the proceeds from the rides will go to Hawk's The Skatepark Project as well as 5 Gyres, an environmental nonprofit organization.

Webbie had to be carried out of a club this weekend after he stumbled off stage following what appears to be a medical emergency ... and the scary moment is on video.

The Louisiana rapper was performing Friday night at 213 Lux Lounge in Roanoke, VA -- and at some point during his concert (or perhaps shortly thereafter) he was caught on camera looking ill and being led out of the building by his team ... staggering along the way.

Right before that, he seemed fine ... playing to a packed crowd and having level footing with seemingly no issues.

That makes this clip all the more alarming ... you see Webbie struggling to stay on his feet as he starts to exit the stage and reaching out for assistance -- but before he can clear the doorway, the guy collapses on the floor.

His guys surround him and they appear to start calling for help and for someone to dial 911. Before long, though, they hoist Webbie up themselves and carry him out of the building ... this as people looked on in fear, and while someone else was on stage rapping.

It's unclear what exactly happened to him here -- some are speculating it may have been a seizure of some sort, but we haven't confirmed that. It's unclear where he was taken after this ... presumably, his team rushed him to the hospital -- because this looked serious.

We got calls in to his camp for more details ... so far, no word back.

William Petersen had a scary situation while on the clock this week -- he had to be taken by ambulance to the hospital after falling ill on set of his most popular show.

The longtime 'CSI' star's rep tells TMZ ... Petersen was working on set Friday in L.A. for "CSI: Las Vegas" when, at some point, he started feeling terrible ... and told the director that he needed a break.

It became clear he might've needed more than just a rest -- because we're told an ambulance was called on his behalf, and Bill was taken to a nearby facility. The rep says it was mostly done out of an abundance of caution, but it was clearly serious enough to call.

As to what led to the health scare ... WP's rep tells us his guy has been working nonstop long days for the past 12 weeks -- so this may have been a case of overexertion or exhaustion.

Some quick thinking by U.S. military pilots may have saved the life of an Afghan woman and her newborn after the woman went into labor mid-flight during an evacuation mission.

The C-17 was headed to a U.S. base in Ramstein, Germany -- where many evacuees have been taken -- when the woman went into labor and began having complications.

The pilots made a decision to descend to a lower altitude, which in turn, increased the plane's cabin pressure and helped stabilize the woman, and according to U.S. Air Mobility Command, saved her life.

Once the plane landed, Airmen from the 86th MDG boarded and helped the woman deliver a baby girl in the cargo bay of the C-17.

Photos taken on the runway show the new mother on a stretcher surrounded by troops.