Reality TV

2:52 PM PT -- Tom Sandoval just addressed the backlash he's been getting for his remarks about George Floyd and O.J. Simpson ... and he's apologizing, while also clearing the air.

He writes, "My intentions behind the comments I made in New York Times Magazine were to explain the level of national media attention my affair received. The comparison was inappropriate and ignorant. I'm incredibly sorry and embarrassed."

Tom Sandoval apparently thinks his cheating scandal last year was comparable to huge moments in pop culture ... like George Floyd's death, or the O.J. Simpson murder case.

The "Vanderpump Rules" reality star made the stunning comparison in a new New York Times profile -- where he was asked why he thought the so-called Scandoval got as big as it did in 2023 ... when he was revealed to have cheated on his longtime girlfriend, Ariana Madix.

While Scandoval was definitely a major moment ... TS seems to think it transcended things to the point that it elevated to a George Floyd moment, or an O.J. one. Yes, seriously.

Here's what he said ... "I’m not a pop-culture historian really but I witnessed the O.J. Simpson thing and George Floyd and all these big things, which is really weird to compare this to that, I think, but do you think in a weird way it’s a little bit the same?"

The writer of this piece tries to lend him some grace, saying ... "I think I knew what he meant. He was trying to express the oddity of becoming the symbolic center of a nationwide discussion and a major news story; what he communicated instead was something more honest, which is just how much the experience had made him lose perspective."

There was another wild quote in this interview, where he likens himself to a now-disgraced "That 70's Show" star who's in prison. Tom says, "I feel like I got more hate than Danny Masterson, and he’s a convicted rapist."

There's another telling moment in the interview ... where Tom explains his rationale for cheating on Ariana with Rachel Leviss. He's pretty blunt about it and straightforward too.

Tom says, "I did what I did because I was in an unhappy place in my life. I got caught up in my emotions and fully fell in love. Like, for real." Tom apparently got up and went up to his room after this to get ready to go out.

His PR assistant is also quoted as saying ...  "Sometimes he says too much."

We covered it all on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Turns out, former NFL player Blake Proehl is good on the gridiron AND on the keys ... 'cause he performed so well on the piano during his recent "American Idol" audition -- he brought Katy Perry to tears!!

The ex-Minnesota Vikings wideout -- who's the son of longtime Panthers receiver Ricky Proehl -- sang his heart out in front of Perry, Luke Bryan and Lionel Richie on the famed talent show ... and when his segment aired on TV on Sunday, it wasn't hard to see the dude's got a bright future in music.

Playing Brett Young's "In Case You Didn't Know" with his grandma by his side ... Blake, who played for the Vikes from 2021 to 2023, belted out every verse perfectly -- wowing Perry the entire time.

She not only got goosebumps, she also at one point appeared to wipe away a tear. After he finished, she even asked for his autograph.

The other judges, Bryan and Richie, were just as impressed ... and the trio gave him a unanimous golden ticket to the show's next round.

It was all quite emotional for Blake ... as he explained that a knee injury he suffered during his NFL days had him wondering if he'd ever run again -- let alone become a music star.

Some of Blake's famous pals congratulated him on social media following the show ... including Kirk Cousins, who wrote, "Cousins fam will be pulling hard for him this spring."

Bethenny Frankel's defending "Today" ... blasting Kelly Rowland for reportedly bailing on cohosting the show because her dressing room wasn't up to par.

Here's the deal ... Rowland was supposed to cohost the popular NBC morning show alongside Hoda Kotb Thursday after being interviewed about her new film "Mea Culpa" when she dropped out at the last minute.

Page Six says sources told them she left because her dressing room wasn't up to snuff. Rita Ora filled in, and the show went on just as planned ... but, Frankel couldn't help herself when she heard the news and filmed a TikTok about the whole situation.

BF started out by saying Kelly's right ... the dressing rooms are tiny, the catering's awful and the makeup area is communal -- before adding none of that matters.

Frankel called the show an "institution in entertainment" and said it's an honor to even be there alongside Hoda ... before ending by saying it was not the moment for "diva expectations."

BTW ... some fans online are pointing out Bethenny did something similar in the past -- posting her own video about the backstage area of "Today" ... though even in that clip Frankel reiterated how grateful she was just to be on the show.

Bethenny's since taken down her video ... deleting it from her social media accounts, and she's taking a lot of heat online over calling out the former Destiny's Child star.

Unclear if Rowland's caught wind of Bethenny's comments ... she hasn't said anything about walking off "Today" as far as we can tell.

Las esperanzas de que NeNe Leakes hiciera un gran regreso a "Real Housewives of Atlanta", totalmente alimentadas por el regreso de Porsha Williams están a punto de esfumarse, porque hemos sabido que NeNe no está siguiendo los pasos de su mejor amiga.

Fuentes conectadas a la serie le dicen a TMZ que NeNe no está en conversaciones para unirse a la próxima temporada 16 y, de hecho, nos dicen que los productores ni siquiera se han acercado a ella para discutir sobre la posibilidad. Por lo tanto, traer de vuelta a NeNe Leakes simplemente no está en los planes.

Para NeNe y los fans de "RHOA" esta no es la noticia que quisieran escuchar quienes sienten un vacío desde que NeNe se separó de la serie en 2020.

Todo esto es aún más devastador para los fans, dado que durante mucho tiempo han estado haciendo campaña por su regreso en las redes sociales.

Las esperanzas se elevaron aún más cuando ella siguió a Bravo en Instagram en noviembre de 2023, lo que sugería que podría estar de vuelta en buenos términos con ellos después de que las cosas se complicaran cuando Leakes presentó una demanda en 2022, alegando que los productores del programa habían tolerado un ambiente de trabajo tóxico y lleno de racismo.

Por ahora, la única persona que estaría haciendo un gran regreso a la temporada 16 de "RHOA" es Porsha, quien inicialmente salió del programa en 2021 después de 9 temporadas en el programa.

A pesar de no volver a nuestras pantallas en este momento, NeNe ha tenido mucho que decir sobre "RHOA", especialmente sobre sus bajos ratings. El mes pasado nos dijo que los showrunners necesitaban echar algo abajo para reforzar la audiencia.

NeNe Leakes fans' hopes of her making a big return to "Real Housewives of Atlanta" -- fully fueled by Porsha Williams going back -- are about to be dashed, because we've learned NeNe is not following in her BFF's footsteps.

Sources connected to the show tell TMZ ... NeNe isn't in any talks to join the upcoming season 16 -- and, in fact, we're told producers haven't even reached out to her to have any conversations about the possibility. So, bringing NL back just isn't in the cards.

For NeNe and 'RHOA' fans this isn't the news they want to hear with a NeNe-shaped hole in their lives, and storylines, ever since she parted ways with the show in 2020.

All this is even more devastating for fans, given that they've long been campaigning for her comeback on social media.

Hopes were raised further when she followed Bravo on Instagram in Nov. 2023 ... suggesting she might be back on good terms with them after things soured when Leakes filed a 2022 lawsuit claiming the show's producers tolerate a toxic work environment filled with racism.

As of now, the only person making a grand return for 'RHOA' season 16 is Porsha, who initially exited the show in 2021 after 9 seasons on the show.

Despite not coming back to our screens right now, NeNe's had a whole lot to say about 'RHOA,' especially about its low ratings ... telling us last month showrunners need to blow something up to bolster viewership.

Zak Bagans has a new cursed item going on display at his museum, one with a connection to recently deceased Playboy model Masuimi Max ... TMZ has learned.

The paranormal investigator tells us ... Charles Max, Masuimi's brother, met him at his museum in Las Vegas and was totally rattled by an innocuous-looking jewelry box he said once belonged to MM's mom.

After their mother died, Charles told Zak their father kept the jewelry box ... an odd move, because Charles says Korean people generally burn a loved one's possessions after they die.

Charles ended up taking the box, and quickly wished he hadn't -- he told Zak the box gives people amnesia, and detailed several other terrifying experiences with the creepy artifact.

For example ... Zak says Charles told him several mirrors in his house cracked when he put the box next to them, cold spots cropped up in different places in the home where Charles said he could see his own breath.

He even claims he would feel paralyzed at times, describing it as being grabbed by an unseen force.

Ultimately, Charles told Zak he gave the box to one of his sisters -- NOT Masuimi -- who swears she never gave it to Masuimi.

While the paranormal experiences stopped haunting Charles, the whole family has no explanation for how the box ended up in Masuimi's possession.

We broke the story ... Masuimi died last month at her Las Vegas-area home. Cops said no foul play was suspected at the time though her cause of death is still unclear. She was only 45.

On the same day she passed, Charles and his other sister went to her house, and found the jewelry box on the floor near the door -- again, shocking 'cause this other sister says she didn't give it to Masuimi.

Charles swears Masuimi would never have wanted the box -- she didn't have a good relationship with their mother, so there's no reason she'd covet it.

One more creepy fact/coincidence ... Masuimi died on the same date as her mother.

Big day at TMZ, and we're almost at the finish line in the week ... but just getting started on our TV coverage which was chock-full of good stuff.

Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were taking lumps -- at least by some -- in the court of public opinion -- this after we reported that they were both in attendance at a restaurant/bar for a private party they'd booked as a team in the aftermath of the Kansas City shooting.

We know Patrick had actually organized this -- having booked the spot well before the shooting -- but they're catching flak for actually having gone ... even after the tragedy.

We talked about it all on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... and yeah, it got pretty intense.

Over on "TMZ on TV" ... we were also talking about Travis Kelce, but in a much less serious way -- here, we just got into this new clip of him and Taylor Swift being "so magical."

Finally, on 'TMZ Sports' ... Mike and Mojo talked about Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan seemingly rekindling their romance -- this on the heels of their "breakup." How 'bout that?!?

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Pause, shmause -- Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan spent the most romantic night of the year together on Wednesday ... enjoying a Valentine's Day dinner fresh off putting their romance on ice.

Sources tell TMZ Sports ... the couple hit up ZZ's Members Club in Miami's Design District, where they looked very much like a couple throughout their meal.

Of course, this all comes on the heels of the two pumping the breaks on their romance ... as our sources told us earlier this week they had some trust issues to work on, among other snags.

But the two apparently stayed attached at the hip the entire day -- as we reported, they were also spotted buying roses at a Miami flower shop and Larsa's house on Wednesday.

So either Larcus figured out their problems and are back to normal, or they can at least put their drama on the back burner in the public eye.

Larsa and Marcus were first spotted together back in 2022 ... and have even sparked engagement rumors in the past, and Michael Jordan's son has consistently said a marriage is in the works.

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan are hanging out in public again -- the first time, in fact, since we revealed they'd taken a break amid a rough patch ... and boy, that was fast!

The couple was spotted together at Trias Flowers & Gifts in Miami on Wednesday -- AKA, Valentine's Day -- confirming our earlier report that they are very much on amicable, talking terms while figuring things out romantically. As it turns out, they're still seeing each other too.

The duo was photographed waiting in line at the flower shop ... and eyewitnesses tell us they appeared to leave the store with a huge vase and bouquet of 1-2 dozen roses.

From the looks of it, they're putting in the work to get their relationship back on track, and quite quickly ... seems V-Day's giving them the perfect opportunity to do exactly that.

BTW, Marcus and Larsa were also seen going to her pad in Miami on Wednesday -- so they were out and about together ... and weren't really hiding it either. On its face, it seems to suggest that their "break" might be coming to an end ... or at least nearing that anyway.

Again, they were at the florist ... and also at her house. Ya gotta figure they'll be spending the evening together as well.

We broke the story ... MJ and LP pressed pause in their relationship and were figuring out how to move forward romantically while remaining on good terms -- but they appear to have figured out some things in short order.

Our sources told us their split wasn't caused by one specific thing. Instead, they've just hit a difficult patch in their relationship.

But the fact that they're still communicating and going out to get flowers is a promising sign that things are bloomin' back into place.

Larsa Pippen y Marcus Jordan se están dando un tiempo... y la ruptura se produce después de algunos problemas personales, los cuales esperan solucionar pronto.

Fuentes directas le dicen a TMZ que Larsa y Marcus están cada uno por su cuenta en estos momentos debido a problemas de pareja. Larsa llegó a la conclusión el fin de semana de que tenían que darse un tiempo.

Larsa y Marcus fueron vistos juntos por primera vez en septiembre de 2022, y nos dicen que habían estado viviendo juntos y pasando 24 horas al día en compañía del otro, como nuestras fuentes dicen, era un noviazgo que iba viento en popa.

Ahora, ha habido una desaceleración importante, aunque nos dicen que Larsa y Marcus todavía se hablan y están tratando de arreglar los problemas.

El sexo parecía ser siempre algo importante para ellos, recordemos lo mucho que a Larsa le gustaba presumir de lo mucho que lo hacían. Por lo tanto, el problema no era por ese lado.

El hecho de que todavía se comunican llama la atención, como informamos, se dejaron de seguir en redes sociales y borraron todas las fotos en las que salían juntos de sus respectivas páginas.

Nuestras fuentes dicen que la ruptura no fue por una cosa en particular, en cambio, como todas las relaciones, nos dicen que Larsa y Marcus simplemente están pasando por una mala racha. Pero sabemos que están tratando de superarlo.

Recuerde, Larsa es 16 años mayor que Marcus, y Michael Jordan es ha sido muy abierto en decir que no aprueba su relación. El ex marido de Larsa es Scottie Pippen, pero nos dicen que nada de eso tuvo que ver con la ruptura.

Será interesante ver si Larsa y Marcus resuelven las cosas y vuelven a estar juntos. Nuestras fuentes dicen que podría pasar.

Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan are calling a timeout on their relationship ... and the split comes after some issues cropped up between them -- ones they're hoping to smooth out.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … Larsa and Marcus recently put a pause on dating while they work through a bump in the road, with Larsa coming to the conclusion over the weekend that they needed to call things off -- at least for the time being, anyway.

Larsa and Marcus were first spotted together in September 2022, and we're told they had been living together and spending 24 hours a day in each other's company ... as our sources put it, their courtship was moving 100 MPH.

Now, it's all grinding to a halt - or at the minimum, a major slow-down -- although we're told Larsa and Marcus are still talking to each other as they try to figure out how they can move forward romantically.

Sex seemed to always be a big deal for them ... remember, Larsa liked to brag about how much they were banging. So, on its face that wasn't the problem.

The fact they're still communicating is interesting ... as we reported, they unfollowed each other on social media and scrubbed pics of them together from their respective pages.

Now, our sources say the split wasn't caused by one specific thing ... instead, like all relationships, we're told Larsa and Marcus are simply in the middle of a rough patch. Something we know they're trying to get on the same page about ... trust.

Remember, Larsa is 16 years older than Marcus and Michael Jordan famously said he didn't approve of their relationship -- Larsa's ex-husband is Scottie Pippen -- but we're told none of that played a role in the split.

It will be interesting to see if Larsa and Marcus work things out and get back together somewhere down the line ... right now, our sources are suggesting that may happen.

La reunión de Tom Sandoval con Lisa Vanderpump se convirtió en un caos en la entrega del martes de "Vanderpump Rules", con un interrogatorio bastante tenso.

Recordemos que Tom fue arrestado por engañar a Ariana Madix con Rachel Leviss en marzo de 2023, con las cámaras rodando la nueva temporada unos meses más tarde y por lo que parece, en el momento de la filmación, que todavía estaba en el ojo de del huracán.

Los ánimos se caldearon cuando Lisa le preguntó a Tom por qué seguía viviendo con su ex Ariana en la casa que compartían... instándole a hacer lo caballeroso de mudarse, darle espacio a ella y vender el lugar. Tom no estuvo de acuerdo, diciendo que quería que Ariana le permitiera comprar su salida y agregó: "Uno de nosotros puede mantenerlo porque es una gran casa. He invertido mucho trabajo y dinero en ella".

Claramente no iba a cambiar de opinión, diciendo que ya le había enviado a Ariana una carta de intención y su agente de bienes raíces también había hablado con ella al respecto, pero hasta ahora, ella había guardado silencio.

Tom se puso nervioso cuando Lisa le preguntó si estaba haciendo lo posible para solucionar el escándalo que había creado en primer lugar, levantando la voz para dejar claro que él sabía que era responsable del lío, pero estaba haciendo todo lo posible por superarlo.

Sin embargo, a Lisa claramente no le gustó su tono, instándole a parar, tener algo de remordimiento y a dejar de estar enfadado... pero él dijo que su furia estaba justificada porque ella lo estaba atacando.

En cuanto a la posición de Tom con sus compañeros del show, parece que las cosas no estaban muy bien en ese frente tampoco. Criticó a todos por su mentalidad mafiosa... diciéndole a Lisa que cada vez que se disculpó no tuvo respuesta, y cuando lloró, lo acusaron de derramar lágrimas de cocodrilo.

Él le instó a ver las cosas desde su punto de vista, diciendo que no es exactamente vivir un estilo de vida de rockstar, añadiendo que ha luchado con pensamientos suicidas sobre las secuelas de la aventura.

Tom Sandoval's meet-up with Lisa Vanderpump descended into chaos on Tuesday's installment of "Vanderpump Rules" ... with her post-affair grilling not sitting well with him.

Remember, Tom was busted for cheating on Ariana Madix with Rachel Leviss in March 2023 ... with cameras rolling on the new season a few months later -- and by the looks of it, at the time of filming, he was still in the thick of it all.

Tempers flared as Lisa quizzed Tom on why he was still living with ex Ariana in their shared home ... urging him to do the gentlemanly thing of moving out, giving her space, and selling the pad. Tom wasn't having any of it, saying he wanted Ariana to let him buy her out instead, adding, "One of us can keep it because it is a great house. I put a lot of work and money into it."

There was clearly no changing his mind ... telling LVP he'd already sent AM a letter of intent and his real estate agent had also spoken to her about it ... but so far, there'd been radio silence from her.

Tom became more wound up when Lisa asked him if he was doing his best to move on from the scandal he'd created in the first ... raising his voice to get his point across that he knew he was responsible for the mess but was doing his best to navigate it.

Though, Lisa clearly didn't like his tone, urging him to stop, have some remorse, and stop being angry ... but he said his fury was warranted 'cause she was attacking him. Yikes.

As for where Tom stood with his VPR costars ... looks like things weren't great on that front either. He blasted them all for their mob mentality .. telling Lisa whenever he apologized, it fell on deaf ears ... and when he cried, they accused him of shedding crocodile tears.

He urged her to see things from his POV, saying he's not exactly living a rockstar lifestyle, ... adding he's battled with suicidal thoughts over the aftermath of the affair.

8:13 AM PT -- BOP tells TMZ that Todd and Julie actually could've communicated on Valentine's Day -- but they just had to get it approved and planned out beforehand. They also tell us inmates get their mail in a prompt timeframe, despite Todd's claims.

Todd and Julie Chrisley won't be sending their love to each other on Valentine's Day ... which their attorney says is coming as a huge drag.

The couple's attorney, Jay Surgent, tells TMZ the duo won't be able to communicate with one another on Valentine's Day 'cause inmates aren't permitted to get in touch while in different federal prisons.

You'll recall ... Todd was given a 12-year sentence at FPC Pensacola for a slew of fraud charges, while Julie was sent to FMC Lexington in Kentucky for 7 years -- so not only are they in separate prisons, but they're also in different states.

Their attorney tells us the Federal Bureau of Prisons has a no-crossover/contact policy... but Jay doesn't quite understand it, telling us it creates zero security problems or cause for concern.

Jay says the Chrisleys being unable to communicate during V-Day will be a real bummer ... especially cause their love for each other is unwavering and distance has only made the heart grow fonder.

Meanwhile, Jay says when he last spoke with Todd last week, TC said he wanted to pursue an investigation against FPC Pensacola prison administration for mail theft and general corruption ... among other things. He also claims he still hasn't received the mail he's been expecting, which raises further concerns with him.

As we all know by now, Todd's been vocal about the living conditions at his new digs ... ripping them apart for their disgusting food, possible mold, and bad plumbing.

But as it relates to the heart ... it seems like Todd and Julie's love is under lock and key for the time being.

Katy Perry acaba de hacer un anuncio sorprendente y es que planea dejar atrás su capítulo con "American Idol".

La icónica cantante estuvo en "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" el lunes por la noche, donde dejó caer la bomba después de 7 años como jueza junto a Lionel Richie y Luke Bryan.

Jimmy dio el pistoletazo de salida al preguntarle si iba a continuar en el programa o no.

Al principio, Katy no respondió tan directamente y dijo que estaba deseando actuar en el festival de música Rock in Río de Brasil este otoño.

Y luego dio la inesperada noticia: "Creo que este será mi último show, mi última temporada para 'Idol'. Me encanta 'Idol', me ha conectado con el corazón del país. Pero siento que necesito salir para sentir ese pulso de mi propio latido".

Muchos en la audiencia sonaban desanimados por la noticia, pero Katy lo manejó como una profesional experimentada con sus sonrisas y su comportamiento optimista, haciendo que todos volvieron a un estado anímico positivo.

Sin embargo, Jimmy parecía un poco sorprendido y presionó a Katy sobre lo que sus compañeros Lionel y Lucas pensaban de su salida.

Katy respondió: "Bueno, ellos se enterarán esta noche", indicando que los dos solo sabían que tenía algunos nuevos proyectos en marcha.

Está programado que la última temporada de "American Idol" comience el 18 de febrero y el programa de competencia de canto, en tanto, ya lleva 22 años en marcha.

Katy Perry just made a stunning announcement ... she's dunzo with "American Idol."

The iconic singer appeared on Monday night's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" dropping the bombshell after 7 years as an 'Idol' judge alongside Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan.

Jimmy kicked things off, asking Katy point blank if she was going to continue with the show.

At first, Katy didn't answer the question directly, responding that she was looking forward to performing in Brazil's Rock in Rio music festival this fall.

Then she delivered the 'Idol' shocker ...  "I think this will be my last show, my last season for 'Idol.' I love 'Idol' so much, it’s connected me with the heart of America. But I feel like I need to go out to feel that pulse of my own beat."

Many in the audience sounded bummed by the news, but Katy handled it like a seasoned pro with her smiles and upbeat demeanor, turning the mood back to a positive vibe.

Yet, Jimmy seemed a bit startled, pressing Katy on what her fellow judges -- Lionel and Luke -- thought about her exit.

Katy replied, "Well, they'll find out about it tonight," indicating the two were only aware she had some new projects in the works.

Her last season is scheduled to start on February 18 as the singing competition TV series hits the 22-year mark.