TMZ Live

Chrishell Stause would love for her next boyfriend to be someone far from famous, but she says that's a tall order at the moment ... and she's gonna need help from her friends.

The "Selling Sunset" star joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and we asked how the dating life's going on the heels of her most recent breakup, and if she's ready to try a different kind of relationship.

Chrishell says she'd prefer to date non-celebs and tells us whenever a friend tries to set her up with someone, her first question gets straight to the point.

As you know ... Chrishell is just over a month removed from the split from her 'Selling' co-star Jason Oppenheim ... after 5 months of dating.

Before Jason, she dated 'DWTS' pro dancer Keo Motsepe for about 3 months -- and, of course, she's now divorced from "This Is Us" star Justin Hartley.

So, trying a relationship with a non-celeb seems worth a shot ... and while Chrishell says she's very open to the idea, she tells us why it's not exactly simple for her to meet an average Joe.

BTW, she opens up about past relationships and much more -- including her struggles to make it from small-town Kentucky to TV fame -- in her new book, 'Under Construction.'

You could say Chuck Palahniuk saw the Chinese government's censorship of "Fight Club" coming ... because the new ending is closer to the original one he wrote 25 years ago.

The famed author -- who penned the OG novel that became the 1999 movie -- joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" to give us his take on China removing the film's big explosive climax.

Chuck says it's funny to him that folks are up in arms over the censorship overseas because he's been dealing with his books being banned for a long time right here in the U.S. -- and he calls out Texas, in particular.

Ironically, Chuck told us China's version actually aligns more with the ending he wrote in the novel. Even more twisted ... he says overseas publishers have been editing his novel to make it more like the David Fincher movie.

So, yeah ... unfortunately, he's kinda used to people messing with his art.

As we reported, China released a new version of the movie, starring Brad Pitt and Ed Norton, that ends without explosions, killings and general chaos. Instead, it ends with an on-screen graphic that reads, in part, "The police rapidly figured out the whole plan and arrested all criminals, successfully preventing the bomb from exploding."

Byron Allen says losing Louie Anderson so closely on the heels of Bob Saget's death is a tremendous gut punch to comedians ... who were more like family than co-workers.

The TV mogul, who bonded with Louie over several decades, joined us on "TMZ Live" to take us behind the scenes of their most recent gig together ... the Byron-produced game show, "Funny You Should Ask."

Byron says Louie lived to make everyone laugh -- even when cameras weren't rolling -- and always preached kindness above all else.

There was one thing that especially stood out for Byron, though... he says every time they wrapped up their show, Louie would give him a hug and say "I love you. He would say goodbye to us as if it was the last time we were going to see him."

As we reported, Anderson died Friday morning after battling lymphoma -- and Byron explained why we've heard so many celebs -- especially comedians -- gushing about Louie and Bob.

He told us they're a tight-knit group, really a family, because they all came up together -- more than 40 years ago -- when no one knew their names.

Criss Angel could simply be celebrating his son's cancer going into remission, but instead, he wants to help other families feel the same hope and joy -- and he believes sharing Johnny's story is the best way to do that.

The famed illusionist got the great news Monday about 7-year-old Johnny, whose remission comes after he was first diagnosed at just 20-months-old. Criss captured much of his son's brave battle on camera, and joined us on "TMZ live" to talk about their new documentary "1095."

Criss tells us the 13-minute film documents the trials and tribulations his family faced with pediatric cancer ... and he knows it mirrors the experiences of so many other families. He says that's why he wants to use his platform to help people who are struggling but don't have the resources to raise awareness about this form of cancer.

Criss couldn't hold back tears as he admitted the ordeal has made him a different person. While he's still the same crazy guy onstage ... offstage he's focused on helping others in this dire situation.

After several streaming platforms rejected "1095" -- which is the number of days of chemo Johnny endured -- Criss simply posted it on his YouTube channel ... and we've included it above as well, so pass it on.

Fans from all over the nation are gearing up for what would've been Betty White's 100th birthday ... joining in on a challenge encouraging fans to spread the love to animals in need and donate to local orgs.

Brittany Vizcarra from Paw Works joined us on TMZ live to pitch the "Betty White Challenge." As you know, Betty was a fierce animal rights advocate who spent her adult life tirelessly working for animal rights orgs. Brittany says this challenge is about everybody doing more -- just like Betty -- by caring for abandoned and abused animals.

Paw Works is an animal rescue org that places unwanted animals in L.A. shelters into loving homes.

Since the Betty White challenge has taken off on social media, some orgs have seen an uptick in donations ... and with the help of people like Brittany, those donations are bound to pour in all over the U.S., as the 17th approaches.

Brittany says it's super simple to "be more like Betty" ... folks can volunteer, adopt, foster or find any other way to get involved.

It's a damn shame "Black-ish" is ending, because it sounds like Michelle Obama could have a permanent role on the hit show ... if you ask Marsai Martin, anyway.

The 17-year-old actress/director/entrepreneur and, as it turns out, interior designer ... was beaming about getting to work with the former First Lady on the episode which aired last week. Thursday on "TMZ Live" she told us it had long been a dream of hers, and other cast members, to get Michelle on set.

It's been said meeting your heroes can be disappointing, but Marsai says getting camera time with MO in the final season of "Black-ish" was a "surreal" dream come true.

Ya gotta see the joy on her face as she describes the experience, but we think she summed it up perfectly when she said it "felt like [Michelle] was an auntie" by the time they finished shooting the episode.

Btw, the show's got more big names lined up for its final episodes ... including Simone Biles, Magic Johnson and Babyface.

Fans have watched Marsai grow up on camera -- she started her role as "Diane" when she was only 9 -- and now she's got real pull in Hollywood ... enough to launch her own reality show.

It's called "Remix My Space with Marsai Martin" and it taps into her passion for design ... as we mentioned earlier.

On the show, she picks teenagers who've made an impact in their communities, and surprises them with personalized, stylish full bedroom makeovers. It's debuting Saturday on Discovery+.

Fat Joe says his famous friends are chipping in to make sure victims of that historically deadly Bronx apartment fire aren't left out in the cold -- but adds it's gonna take more than celebrities to get the job done.

Joey Crack joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and told us what inspired him to team up with NYC Mayor Eric Adams to help survivors and those who lost loved ones and property in the deadly blaze.

As we reported ... the inferno engulfed a 19-story apartment building in the Bronx, killing 17 people -- including 8 children -- the city's deadliest fire in more than 30 years.

Fat Joe says most of the people living in the building are immigrants, and they're now homeless amid freezing cold winter temps. He's used his contacts to help jumpstart fundraising, shouting out donations they've already received from Jay-Z, DJ Khaled, LL Cool J, Nas and former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey ... among others.

It's the first big crisis for Adams, who took office on Jan. 1, and Fat Joe tells us why the new mayor can cut through political red tape to make a difference here.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger says there's something that's not being talked about much, but it looms as one of the biggest threats to our country ... if Donald Trump steals the 2024 Presidential election, it could well be the end of democracy in America.

The Republican Congressman from Illinois joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... and we asked him about the GOP's full-court press to install lawmakers in critical states where the party could potentially certify an election for a candidate who actually lost at the ballot box.

Kinzinger says the scariest thing leading up to the insurrection was GOP memos exploring legal technicalities for states to certify elections how they see fit ... regardless of how citizens voted.

Rep. Kinzinger says he's trying to pass election reform, but Congress has so far come up short ... and given what he's watching in his own party, he tells us he's worried about the state of our elections moving forward.

Spice wants to show women how much can be accomplished on their own, and tells us making Grammy history with her debut album is a big step toward that goal.

The Queen of Dancehall is one of 2 female dancehall artists -- the other being Etana -- to be nominated for Best Reggae Album. That's a first for the Grammys, and on Tuesday's "TMZ Live" she told us about her rags to riches tale ... in life and the industry.

The title of her nominated album is "10" -- fitting because she says, "For the past 10 years I've managed myself. I've been my own record label, my stylist and everything, so I'm just super gleeful and excited."

Spice tells us she wants to show people it is possible to make dreams a reality ... "When one door closes you can open another one," she says.

This has been a huge year for the dancehall artist and "Love & Hip-Hop Atlanta" star.

She released her hit album back in August ... and a large part of that success came from the lead single, "Go Down Deh" ft. Shaggy and Sean Paul.

Folks in the music scene aren't the only ones who agree either. Just last month, the song even made it to former Prez Obama's 2021 playlist.

Spice says her slogan is "from homeless to greatness," and indeed she is living that out ... she told us she just bought a home in ATL and she has been doing extremely well for herself.

The LAPD officer who fired the fatal rounds in the Burlington Coat Factory shooting, killing the suspect and an innocent bystander, looked like he went rogue ... so says a retired cop.

Timothy Williams Jr., an expert on the use of force in policing and a retired LAPD detective supervisor, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" and he broke down the police body cam footage in the fatal shooting ... and it's his opinion the shots were not justified.

The first thing that jumped out to Timothy ... the cop with the AR-15 appearing to act separately from the rest of the cops and gun down the suspect, even though other police in the group had less-lethal weapons.

Remember ... the suspect was wielding a bike lock and chain, bloodying a shopper and injuring others before cops arrived ... and Timothy says the use of force was warranted in this situation, but he thinks police didn't need to use lethal force and fire an assault rifle.

As you know ... the bullets from the AR-15 killed the suspect, as well as a 14-year-old girl who was cowering in the background in a dressing room. The walls in these kinds of stores are usually paper-thin, and the L.A. County Medical Examiner says a bullet struck her in the chest and killed her.

Neil deGrasse Tyson says the new NASA telescope observing the origins of the early universe isn't a shot across the bow at religion ... but being flexible is the key.

The famed astrophysicist joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked if the research being done using the $10 billion Webb space telescope could challenge the foundations of religion.

Neil says the telescope, which launched into space on Christmas, will be used to fill in some gaps with the big bang theory ... but he's not buying the argument that such research will clash with generations of folks who believe God created the universe in 6 days.

The way Neil sees it ... religious folks are becoming more flexible and looking at things in a more spiritual sense ... so new discoveries won't cut to the core of belief systems.

The truck driver whose 110-year sentence outraged millions of Americans doesn't deserve ANY prison time at all, because the fatal crash was purely an accident ... according to justice reform activist Jason Flom.

Jason, who's on board of the Innocence Project, says Rogel Aguilera-Mederos getting such a severe sentence -- one even a Colorado prosecutor wants to be reviewed -- is purely about revenge, instead of justice.

As you probably know, Aguilera-Mederos was found guilty on 27 charges for the fiery interstate crash caused by his 18-wheeler smashing into multiple cars. 4 people were killed and more than a dozen more seriously injured.

Still, when Jason joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" he said, "If I were the governor I would sentence him to community service.”

His reasoning is Aguilera-Mederos had no intent to harm anyone that fateful day in 2019 -- the truck driver said his brakes had failed, and there was nothing he could do to avoid the tragedy.

The judge seemed to believe him, and after giving him 110 years -- the minimum under Colorado law -- said, "If I had the discretion, it would not be my sentence."

More than 4 million people, including Kim Kardashian, signed a petition for the case to be reconsidered. Jason says the justice system is flawed -- "Doubling down on the tragedy by destroying this young man’s life -- I believe he is a father as well -- how does that serve anybody’s best interest?"

Shaggy does his Christmas a little different than most of us, which is why he's dropping new holiday tunes to spread some holiday cheer ... Jamaican style, of course!

The singer was on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to reveal how he's spending this Christmas at his island home, and it sounds like the best party you can imagine. In fact, Shaggy says those festivities inspired him to release a deluxe version of his "Christmas in the Islands" album.

Yes, the record includes his reggae-flavored covers of classics like "I'll Be Home for Christmas" and "Silent Night" ... but it also has originals that reflect the way he and his family have always spent Christmas.

The difference between what he's singing and Nat King Cole's takes -- tons of reggae and dancehall. Shaggy admits his holiday traditions might not be exactly the same as the typical ones in America, and that's why he's out to blend cultures for everyone's get-togethers.

Jenifer Lewis is calling on Congress to open an investigation into the death of Kendrick Johnson -- a 17-year-old black boy -- whose body was found rolled up in a gym mat years ago.

"The Mother of Black Hollywood" author and exec producer of the Starz documentary "Finding Kendrick Johnson" joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and shared why she thinks his case is so important.

Jenifer told us, "This is the most important film I’ve ever worked on. What this family has gone through is unspeakable but we must speak it so the public knows the truth."

The controversial death was ruled "accidental" by the state of Georgia, although Kendrick's family hired a forensics specialist who said his death was caused by "non-accidental blunt force trauma." The case was closed, but reopened in March ... we're told the doc sheds light on new evidence in the case.

Jenifer's clearly outraged by the lack of action on the part of law enforcement, saying, "You know how much evidence the FBI has to have to storm somebody’s house with guns AK- 47s out? And then when they got in there and saw that it was an FBI agent, it was just pushed under the rug, just pushed under the rug. Another Black kid. So what?”

The actress also talked about her special connection to filmmaker Jason Pollock after his 2014 Michael Brown doc, since she grew up in a small town just outside of Ferguson ... and she now wants the people in Washington to do something about it.

Gene Simmons is selling his Las Vegas home overlooking the strip for $13.5 mil -- turning a massive profit if he sells -- but he doesn't want just any knucklehead to live in it.

The "Kiss" Frontman joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked why he decided to sell his beautiful estate and why the price has been reduced -- originally listed as $14.95 mil.

The 11,000-sq-ft home has 6 bedrooms and has many unique features -- including a courtyard, private oasis and 11-seat theater. The singer says he bought a half-acre lot next door and planted 137 trees, so it's really like no other property seen in Vegas nowadays.

Simmons stressed that Vegas is the perfect place to live with no income, state or local tax. So, why in the world is he selling it?! He says his family doesn't want to deal with the Vegas heat or any strippers -- for that matter.

His family might share an unpopular opinion, because in recent years out-of-state buyers have flocked to Vegas, and as far as the prices of homes? Soaring!!

In fact, Simmons says he could really sell the home for nearly double its price, but insists that he doesn't just want any random knucklehead living there. Instead, he wants to meet the next tenant and for them to enjoy living there.

Daymond John says Playboy is making its best move in years by joining forces with Cardi B ... because she'll bring her legion of young fans to the iconic brand, while also making much-needed changes to it.

The "Shark Tank" star joined us Friday on "TMZ Live" and we got his reaction to Cardi coming onboard with Playboy as its first-ever creative director in residence.

Daymond says the move makes sense for Playboy on several levels as they move away from traditional print magazine and focus in on a digital rebirth -- he envisions Cardi breathing life back into a brand with a following that skews much older.

Cardi says her new role with Playboy is a "dream come true" ... and Daymond tells us why he wants to see more of those dreams becoming a reality before deciding if Playboy is a worthy investment.