Reality TV

Lindsay Lohan doubled down on what we'd already heard -- that her apparent dig at Cody Simpson and Miley Cyrus was much ado about nothing ... and nothing more than jest.

We got LiLo out Friday in NYC where we asked her to clarify her since-deleted Instagram post that seemed to shade both Miley and Cody ... in which she implied Cody had "failed" and "settle[d] for less" by dumping her sister, Aliana, to be with Miley.

Lindsay also said that he may have won 'The Masked Singer,' but had lost at life. She quickly took down the post after putting it up, but it had gotten screenshot and spread around.

The 'Masked Singer' jab stems from her time as a judge on the Australian version of the show, when she called him out for left-behind furniture she'd bought him, and wanted back.

Hitting the point home, she said ... "If it is you, we have a lot to talk about, and this is not the arena for it. I want my furniture back! Because I bought your furniture for your house in Venice!" While jokey, Lindsay also sounded somewhat serious about her demand.

Well ... we'd spoken with sources close to Lindsay, who told us she was only kidding around and that her IG post was merely an inside joke. She confirmed that with us here on camera, saying it was, in fact, a joke ... and that she loves Miley and thinks Cody's a great guy.

Kanye West and Kim Kardashian were like magnets in NYC Friday ... they go to lunch and a gaggle of fans assemble for a quick look and a quick pic.

K & K dined at Milos restaurant -- BTW the best fish restaurant in the Big Apple -- and a crowd gathered almost immediately after they entered through the turnstyle door.

They looked happy -- especially Kanye, who dropped his long-awaited, long-delayed album just hours earlier.

As we reported, Kanye's turned a page in his career and gospel is what you'll hear when you go to a Ye concert ... maybe with old beats, but new words.

Dog the Bounty Hunter says he's focusing on his health and recovery following a scary diagnosis last month ... starting with his diet.

We got Dog out in NYC as he was leaving Barstool Sports and asked how he's doing, and he tells us he's trying his best to get better ... specifically by laying off white foods.

So ya know, white foods -- aka "bad carbs" -- refers to sugar and other white-colored foods that have been processed and refined ... like flour, rice, pasta, bread, crackers and cereal. Natural, unprocessed white foods -- like onions, cauliflower, turnips, white beans and some fish -- are all good.

As we reported ... Dog revealed to Dr. Oz he was diagnosed with a life-threatening condition -- a pulmonary embolism -- which he called a "ticking time bomb." Dog added he wouldn't be around for long without improving his heart condition.

Seems like he's taking doctors' orders -- as well as the wishes of his family -- to make the necessary lifestyle changes he needs to keep on truckin'.

Vinny Guadagnino's book signing for his new Keto cookbook got stormed by carb-loving protesters ... led by his good buddy, Pauly D.

The 'Jersey Shore' star's devotion to the keto diet -- which cuts carbs in favor of quality high-fat foods -- has helped him shed some serious weight and look great ... and got him dubbed the "Keto Guido" on the first season of "Jersey Shore: Family Vacation."

Vinny also put out a cookbook as a guide for fellow Keto lovers, and held a signing in Vegas Wednesday night ... which was the perfect opportunity for Pauly to strike.

Pauly and the others marched outside the bookstore holding signs with photos of Vinny eating pizza and other carb-loaded dishes ... accusing him of cheating on the diet. The signs read, "Cheato Guido," "My Carbs My Choice," and "Ain't Nothin Keto About This Guido."

The protest then made its way inside the store and Pauly kept the chants going right in Vinny's face ... all in good fun, of course.

Cameras were on hand too ... so it's safe to assume Pauly's antics will be covered on the show.

Ronnie Ortiz-Magro won't face any felony charges for the nasty incident with baby mama Jen Harley that left him tased and in handcuffs.

Law enforcement sources tell us the L.A. County District Attorney's Office kicked Ronnie's case down to the City Attorney on Wednesday. Only the DA has the power to charge Ronnie with a felony ... the CA will now decide whether or not to hit him with a misdemeanor.

The DA's decision is the second turn the case has taken in less than a week. TMZ broke the story -- while Ronnie was originally arrested for kidnapping -- the case didn't meet the DA's criteria for the charge.

Sources told us the LAPD was instead pushing for a felony domestic violence charge ... but clearly, the DA didn't think that was necessary either.

If the City Attorney does hit Ronnie with a misdemeanor domestic violence charge, the maximum penalty is 1 year in county jail.

It was earlier this month when cops were called to a home Ronnie and Jen were staying at in L.A. for a domestic dispute. Jen alleged Ronnie had gotten physical with her, and their 18-month-old daughter, Ariana, was right in the middle of it all.

Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt are reuniting for a séance, and sources close to Bridget tell us she plans to connect with their famous ex ... Hugh Hefner.

We're told the former 'Girls Next Door' are hosting a séance at Holly's house -- which she happens to think is haunted -- and they'll be getting an assist from "Ghost Adventures" star and Hollywood psychic medium Patti Negri.

Appropriately, the paranormal chat is planned for the night before Halloween ... so spirits should be in abundance.

While our Bridget sources say she really hopes to contact her old squeeze, Hef, in the great beyond -- sources close to Holly tell us she's not trying to connect with anyone in particular. Any ol' ghost'll do.

Remember, Holly and Hugh have a rocky history -- she claimed Hugh verbally and emotionally abused her while she was in the Playboy Mansion.

Hugh, who died in 2017 at age 91, famously dated Holly, Bridget and Kendra Wilkinson back in the day. Since then, Holly and Bridget have gotten super into ghouls and ghosts.

Bridget hosts her own podcast called "GHOST MAGNET With Bridget Marquardt" on Apple Podcasts ... and the séance will be a special edition of her show. The ritual will also be streamed live on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

Holly's no stranger to paranormal activity either ... as we first told you, she started dating Zak Bagans after hitting up his Haunted Museum in Vegas.

Paul Shaffer says he had an awesome time on "The Masked Singer" despite his early exit ... once he overcame a small case of claustrophobia.

We got the legendary "Late Show with David Letterman" bandleader at LAX Monday and asked about his time as the Skeleton on the mysterious singing show ... which he calls "hilarious fun."

That is, of course, after he got used to the huge, elaborate costume. Paul says other than getting hot and sweaty in there, he freaked out a little the first time he put the suit on ... and needed to make a quick escape.

The good news -- he tells us the 'Masked Singer' crew took care of him and once he got acclimated it was all good ... no bones about it.

Shaffer also tells us his big reveal as Skeleton came as no surprise to his old pal, Dave. He says after 33 years working nonstop with Letterman, he had him pegged from the start ... and so did all of his friends.

Ex-'Love & Hip Hop' star Masika Kalysha is taking her crusade against sexuality in children's programming one step further -- she doesn't want her kid to see PDA anywhere.

Masika, who has a little girl with Fetty Wap, joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday for an interesting discussion on parenting ... defending her IG rant against Disney shows and movies showing PDA of any sort -- be it hetero or homosexual.

She insisted her stance is in no way anti-LGBTQ.

Instead, Masika said she's trying like hell to shield 3-year-old Khari Barbie from ALL signs of affection -- even in real life.

She says she's not OKAY with Khari even seeing parents kiss goodbye, and doesn't allow any friends visiting her house to kiss in front of her daughter!

The way Masika sees it, she should be allowed to guard her kid from cursing, kissing and alcohol in any way she sees fit ... and she's got loads of issues with the content kids are consuming from a young age.

Blac Chyna allegedly used her time with Kardashian family attorneys to change outfits, strike poses and take photos ... when she was supposed to be answering serious questions.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... BC was scheduled to appear on September 24 for a deposition in her lawsuit against the Kardashians. The Kardashians claim it got off to a bad start when Chyna showed up more than 90 minutes late for what was already scheduled to be a 7-hour session.

But, what REALLY pissed off the Kardashians' legal team was BC allegedly holding up the deposition by engaging "in a photoshoot during the lunch break."

That's right ... in docs, team Kardashian says Chyna brought a suitcase filled with several wardrobe changes and snapped off a not-so-quick photo sesh for Fashion Nova while at her lawyer's office.

One of the outfits included a black trench coat/dress. She captioned that picture, "Stepped into the office to handle some business."

The Kardashians' lawyers beg to differ. According to docs, Chyna did everything but handle biz. They claim she was uncooperative, and her lawyers had to coach her throughout the deposition.

Kylie Jenner's no fool ... when she sees something that's hot, she tries to own it, which is what she wants to do with the catch phrase, "Rise and Shine."

Kylie filed legal docs asking the feds for ownership of a slang version of the famous wake-up call ... "RIIISE AND SHIIINNEE."

The trademark would cover belts, pants, coats, dresses, footwear, gloves, headbands, headwear, jackets, loungewear, scarves, sleepwear, socks, swimwear and undergarments ... as well as cosmetics.

Kylie did a YouTube tour of her office earlier this month, walked into Stormi's room -- where she was sleeping in her crib -- and began singing "Rise and Shine" to wake her up. It exploded online and the Kardashians/Jenners are nothing if not brilliant business people, so what better ploy than to ride the wave and take advantage.

Judge Judy's birthday wish list was a little steep for her husband, but she says he did his best -- and, let's be real ... she can easily buy anything she wants, anyway.

We got JJ and her hubs, fellow jurist Jerry Sheindlin, Monday at the Montage in Bev Hills and wished her a happy birthday ... and she dished on what he got her.

It seems Jerry came up a bit short on the brand new Aston Martin she requested, but ya gotta see his pretty hilarious explanation for getting her the next best thing.

Speaking of gifts, our photog gave Judge Judy a birthday card and a lifetime pass to take a TMZ Celebrity Tour. We won't hold our breath, though, sounds like she's a little too busy to take advantage anytime soon.

Judy's now 77, but she's still signed on to do her show for a couple more years and like she tells us ... retirement's not really her jam.

"Shahs of Sunset" star Mike Shouhed is dumbfounded as to why his longtime friend and costar, Reza Farahan, is taking their beef to the next level by threatening to sue him.

We got Mike out at Equinox in L.A. Friday afternoon and asked about Reza firing off a cease and desist letter, threatening to sue if Mike doesn't stop selling t-shirts with Reza's face.

Quick backstory ... on the last season of 'Shahs,' tensions were running high between Mike and Reza, and they had several heated arguments. One of their biggest issues is the fact Mike's been hawking t-shirts on his website for 3 years ... and one of them has Reza's mug and the words "Reza is My Homeboy."

Reza's known about it, but now that they've been at each other's throats ... he sent the letter claiming Mike's merch sales violate Reza's rights to control the marketing of his own likeness and image.

Mike posted the letter on Instagram with the caption, "Guess he's not my homeboy! lol ... this is what happens when dudes got his panties in a bunch!"

Mike tells us he started selling the shirts as an homage to his friends on the show and he gets EVERYONE'S permission before pimping the shirts. His best explanation for Reza getting lawyers involved -- pettiness.

Mike says he's not trying to go back and forth on social media, and instead says he'll just lawyer up too.

Farrah Abraham is helping Jen Harley get over her drama with Ronnie Ortiz-Magro by hitting a Vegas strip club for a pizza party with the dancers!!! Beats therapy, right?

Farrah and Jen were among the reality TV stars throwing cash around Crazy Horse 3 Thursday night for the clubs 10 year anniversary. When it was time to take a break from making it rain, they decided to chow down on some za -- cause everyone knows strip club food is always gourmet.

As if Jen feeding slices to a topless dancer wasn't random enough -- "90 Day Fiance" star Larissa Dos Santos Lima also got in on the action.

The whole scene -- pure decadent fun -- was a 180 from the one Jen was in earlier this month when Ronnie was arrested in L.A. after an alleged domestic violence incident with her.

She seemed to be putting in her rear view on Thursday night. As we reported, Jen and the 'Jersey Shore' star have told friends they're done for good this time ... and plan to do what's best for their daughter.

Jenelle Evans' ex-BF, Nathan Griffith, now has legal problems of his own ... because he just got arrested for DWI.

The "Teen Mom 2" star was busted Thursday around 5:30 PM in Cary, North Carolina. Nathan was arrested outside a grocery store where he was handcuffed and taken into custody.

The 32-year-old, whose home address is listed in South Carolina, posted $10k bond and was later released. He's due in court next month.

As you know very well by now ... Nathan and Jenelle were in a nasty custody dispute this summer over their 5-year-old son, Kaiser. Nathan even got into it with Jenelle's hubby, David Eason, and it wasn't pretty.

Todd Chrisley tried to intimidate his daughter by accusing her of having an affair with a Georgia tax official, and warned her he had a sex tape of her -- at least that's what Lindsie Chrisley told Dr. Phil.

Lindsie spilled the tea on her dark meeting with her father, in which she says he tried to coerce her cooperation in his state tax case, but instead, ended up scaring her enough she went to cops.

Lindsie tells Dr. Phil she met with Todd thinking he wanted to reconcile, but instead he told her he had dirt -- proof of an affair with someone at the Georgia Dept. of Revenue's Office which was investigating him.

Separate from the Georgia tax man allegation ... Lindsie says her father told her he had nude photos and a sex tape of her -- allegedly purchased by her brother, Chase, for $5,000.

Dr. Phil asked if it was a veiled threat Todd might go to the media about her alleged affair and release the sex tape -- and Lindsie says that's exactly how she took it. She claims Todd wanted her to help him out out of legal woes. Lindsie says she opted to get her lawyer Musa Ghanayem involved and file a police report.

As we reported ... Todd and his wife, Julie, are suing Joshua Waites, the Director of the Georgia Dept. of Revenue's Office of Special Investigation, claiming he pursued a relationship with Lindsie in order to smear him.

In the lawsuit, Todd attached several texts between Waites and Lindsie. In one text, Waites writes, "So. Some stuff happened today. And we have a meeting the first of the year that is super big. And is all about Todd. Like serious. So. I want to know if you would be willing to talk about him or her."

Lindsie denies ever meeting Waites in person, but admits she communicated with him ... but only to protect her son. Todd and Julie recently settled the state tax evasion case, but are still dealing with a federal one.

As for that sex tape ... it became the subject of a federal extortion investigation in August, which is also still pending.

We've reached out to Todd's camp ... so far, no word back.

Todd Chrisley thinks his daughter sold him down to the river to a Georgia tax official -- but she's calling BS ... saying the only reason they talked was to run interference for her child.

Sources close to Lindsie Chrisley tell TMZ ... her father is dead wrong by assuming she gave up dirt on him and the family to Joshua Waites -- the Director of the Georgia Dept. of Revenue's Office of Special Investigation, whom Todd is now suing.

We're told that, contrary to Todd's claims, Lindsie was only in communication with Josh to protect her 6-year-old son, Jackson, from seeing the ugliness of it all.

Case in point ... we're told Todd got served legal papers at his home back in 2017 while Lindsie and Jackson were both there, and she was uncomfortable having the kid around that scene. Therefore, we're told she stayed in touch with Josh for updates on when he and the Dept. would be coming around ... in order to keep the boy away.

In fact, our sources tell us that Lindsie is adamant ... she never EVEN met the guy in person.