TMZ Live

One thing ya know about Wendy Williams, she doesn't tiptoe around anything ... which is why she told us -- as only Wendy could -- about her ongoing medical struggles, and starting her new career.

Wendy joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to tell us more about why she's turning her back on TV, for now, and instead, choosing to produce her own podcast -- and, for her, it comes down to time and money.

Sounds like she's been doing some homework, because she told us ... "When you're famous, podcasts will make more money for me, being famous, than doing the Wendy Williams Show."

She made it clear, she's "100 percent retired" from the grind of her daily TV show.

Wendy's still in the planning stages when it comes to exactly what she's going to dig into during the podcast -- although, as we first reported, she has some celeb guests in mind already. But, the biggest revelation she dropped on us was about her battle with lymphedema.

She had no issue holding up her foot to reveal just how swollen it is from the condition -- which is caused by a blockage in the lymphatic system. Wendy says she can only feel "maybe 5 percent of my feet" ... but also explained how she's not letting it slow her down.

To that point, we got video of her out in NYC Monday night, and she seemed to be moving pretty well.

Wendy says it was an amicable split from Debmar-Mercury, her TV show's production company, and while she swears she's done with TV -- she did admit there's one gig she'd still do ... but only as a guest host.

Twista knows gun violence is a huge issue in his hometown, and he believes educating the public about proper firearm usage can go a long way toward making the country safer.

The Chicago rap veteran joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to discuss his firearm education course, "The Gun Camp," where he trains civilians to be smarter with weapons.

In the wake of the Buffalo and Ulvade mass shootings -- not to mention the continued spree of shootings in the Chi -- gun control and reform are once again front-burner debate topics ... but Twista's firmly embracing the "blame people, not guns" theory.

He repeated the oft-used line about it being the person behind the gun who ultimately makes fatal decisions.

As for the AR-15 -- which, according to polls, most Americans support banning -- Twista says there are many misconceptions about the rifle frequently used in mass shootings. He's optimistic that if people open up to the notion there can be positive ways to use firearms -- such as organized competitions -- they'll get past what he calls "negative vibes" portrayed in the news.

Of course, when the news is reporting, not portraying, a school shooting that takes the lives of 19 children ... it's hard to focus on anything uplifting.

Still, Twista says most of the response in Chicago to his Gun Camp has been positive, and he's leaning on the idea that law-abiding, safety-minded gun owners are a good thing for all communities.

Ben Crump says Black people in America have overcome the most dire of circumstances, and he has no doubt the community will continue to progress in the future ... no matter how concerning things appear today.

The high-profile civil attorney joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to talk about the overall state of civil rights and equality in America ... ahead of the release of the new Netflix documentary, "Civil: Ben Crump."

Ben tells us, he has no doubt Black people will win the war against inequality. He says, no matter how it feels today, "we are far better than we were yesterday, and we are going to be better tomorrow."

As you know, Ben has been involved in the country's most high-profile civil rights cases -- including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Andre Hill -- and he continues to shine a light on police violence ... now the leading cause of death for Black men.

The documentary -- which drops on Sunday, Juneteenth -- follows Ben through 2020 as the nation faced a reckoning on race and equality in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

Ben says, he's grateful for those who blazed a trail for him, and he hopes to inspire the next generation of civil rights attorneys and activists. He spoke to us about the 2 legal icons who inspired his own career and life philosophy.

Interventionist Ken Seeley says major cities offering sites for addicts to safely use drugs are important in the fight to save lives and curb overdose deaths around the country.

The "Intervention" star joined "TMZ Live" Monday to talk about the unconventional ways cities and states in the US are tackling the drug overdose crisis.

Ken tells us safe injection sites where drug users are supervised and provided with syringes and rubber straps -- are a key in helping to prevent overdoses ... now the leading cause of death for ages 18-45.

These sites are already being promoted in states like New York and are being considered in California ... while other states like Oregon, are decriminalizing hard drugs to try to stop deaths.

He says the injection sites allow users to get information for treatment and to test their substances for fentanyl ... and it's making a difference in major cities.

BTW, Ken does note that there is a downside to these sorta ads being plastered around cities and in subway stations, where kids and teens can see them ... but he says, it's a double-edged sword and it's a way to prevent deaths that are happening all over.

As a certified interventionist and former crystal meth addict, Ken has been helping drug abusers overcome addiction with the help of their family, friends and professionals through the A&E show, "Intervention".

Ray J hit the nail on the head when he said straight men should do more to support members of the LGBTQ community, so says Da Brat, who believes even more can be done when it comes to straight men in hip hop.

Da Brat and her wife, Judy Dupart, joined "TMZ Live" and gave us their thoughts on Ray J's take on homophobia in the Hip Hop community.

Da Brat says she feels Ray's comments are a step in the right direction and believes more artists -- like Snoop Dogg, for example -- who holds legend status in the biz could help too.

ICYMI ... Ray J posted an 11 minute video on IG, calling out straight men for not shouting out folks in the LGBTQ+ enough. In his caption he wrote "GAY PRIDE/ RAY PRIDE!!" and went on to say that the time is now to show more love.

As for Da Brat, who only came out publicly in the last few years, tells us Judy is someone who makes her feel like it's OK to be free and be herself. She says she never felt stuck with her sexuality, but she was conditioned to keep her dating life private as a celeb.

Ice Cube is pumped for the upcoming sixth season of his BIG3 basketball league, and given the news he's delivering ... fans should be too!

The legendary rapper and movie-maker hit TMZ Live Tuesday to spill the deets on Snoop Dogg's BIG3 involvement, as Tha Doggfather is now a part-owner of the team “Bivouac."

Cube revealed fans can be like Snoop -- by buying into teams with their custom cryptocurrency known as Forever Experience Action Token (FEAT) -- which he says is better than an NFT.

Boasting former NBA stars like Nick "Swaggy P" Young, Joe Johnson, Leandro Barbosa and several Hall of Famer coaches, Cube feels like the BIG3 is at its absolute strongest ... and he's firing on all career cylinders in 2022.

The BIG3 news comes on the eve of the release of "Bad MF," the debut album from hip hop supergroup Mt. Westmore (Cube, Snoop, E-40 and Too $hort).

Baltimore rapper Young Moose is $300,000 richer now that the city of Baltimore's reached a settlement with him over a dirty cop who was caught planting crack on him back in 2012.

Young Moose joined "TMZ Live" Wednesday in hopes his situation would help uncover other potentially corrupt police officers, and their victims, in the Baltimore area. He filed a lawsuit last March against the city and several Baltimore cops ... most notably, Daniel Hersl.

The saga surrounding Hersel, formerly a member of the city's Gun Trace Task Force, is at the center of the HBO series "We Own This City" ... and actor Josh Charles plays the crooked cop.

YM was also featured in the series, playing himself, but says that role almost went to someone else. He says since his acquittal and settlement, his DMs have been flooded with folks looking for legal advice, or even a hook-up with his attorney.

Although he admits harboring anger at Hersl, Young Moose says he's found ways to channel his emotions, such as rapping!

His latest album "My Life Story" chronicles much of his journey up to this point and features Boosie Badazz on several tracks.

Going forward, Moose plans to continue to build awareness for his career as well as other citizens who've been wronged by the justice system.

California's task force on reparations released a new report, detailing how slavery and racism have harmed generations of African Americans ... and now it's gearing up for some major reinstitution.

The task force chair, Kamilah Moore, joined us on "TMZ Live" to talk all about the 500-page report, which looks at all the harms Black people have endured from the start of the slave trade, up until to current day.

Kamilah says, the report is the most extensive completed by a government body on the African American community since 1968 ... and it explains how California has systemically oppressed Black residents in education, workplace, homeownership and several other aspects of life.

She explains, the report, which has 13 chapters, breaks down the role and responsibility of both California and the federal government in maintaining the institution of slavery and discriminatory policies -- like Jim Crow laws -- that followed emancipation.

Kamilah says the task force is calling for reparations to be paid to descendants of slaves or free Black people who lived in the U.S. prior to 1900. As of now, they have not finalized how much the compensation will be -- but they've hired 5 economists to help sort that out by next summer.

Nancy Hogshead-Makar, 3x Olympic gold medal-winning swimmer and civil rights attorney, wholeheartedly disagrees with Lia Thomas ... insisting trans athletes have a significant advantage over biological women.

Hogshead joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday ... and addressed statements Thomas made earlier in the day when she joined Good Morning America for her first interview, telling Juju Chang ... "Trans women are not a threat to women's sport."

But, Nancy, who also runs a female advocacy organization called Champion Women, told Harvey and Charles that Lia is just wrong.

"After somebody has been through male puberty, you cannot roll that back. So, it isn't fair," the former Olympian said, citing several experts.

"We're hoping that we can get sports governing bodies and legislatures and others to care more about fairness than any other conclusion."

It's not that Nancy isn't supportive of Lia Thomas -- she says she is -- everywhere except the swimming pool.

"I affirm who [Lia] wants to be for all of her life. Whether it's employment, the classroom, or anyplace else. But when it comes to sports, sports is not based on identity. It is based on biology. That is why we have the women's sports category."

FYI, the UPenn swimmer, an NCAA champ in the 500m freestyle event, is done with college athletics after recently graduating. However, Lia isn't done competing ... she's made it clear she wishes to compete in the Summer Olympics in 2024.

And, Hogshead believes the future of women's sports is literally on the line.

"If sport is not based on sex segregation, and if gender identity equals sex discrimination, we might lose the right as woman athletes to be able to have separate sex sports."

That's something Nancy is intent on preventing from happening.

"I am not going to allow this generation of women to have to be gracious losers to somebody that has a biological advantage that you can't train for, you can't eat better, you can't find better coaching," Hogshead said.

He's made his millions, but now, businessman Pete Kadens is taking on the U.S. wealth gap by storm through his nonprofit ... saying he's not paying it forward -- but backward.

Kadens joined "TMZ Live," to talk about his nonprofit Hope Chicago -- which is on its way to being the largest scholarship program in the U.S.

Pete tells us he started the org to send 4,000 high school grads in low-income communities to college -- debt-free. Now, that goal is to send 30,000 students to college with scholarships over the next decade.

Pete was able to retire at 40, after starting 5 companies --- one of which is the 2nd largest marijuana company -- which rakes in billions. He was motivated to not pay it forward, but backward, helping communities that don't have access to proper education ... a pillar in helping him succeed.

Pete recognizes he's made his millions in an industry built by black and brown people -- with a product that has put many behind bars -- and says it motivates him to help.

Pete's pledged $15 million of his own money -- a disproportionate chunk of his net worth -- and hopes other people will also do the same to give back.

Sean Paul is all set to release his new album "Scorcha" tomorrow, but he's also waving the flag for Jamaica's reggae artists, and demanding they get their due.

The legendary dancehall reggae hitmaker was on "TMZ Live" Thursday talking about his genre's prevalence now in hip hop and pop music. As we've all heard for years now platinum artists such as Drake and Ed Sheeran have adopted it, and, of course, Rihanna's infused the sounds she grew up with in Barbados.

Sean da Paul (ya gotta say it that way, right?) says Drizzy's never reached out personally, but he does give him credit for recording with Jamaican artists like Popcaan. However, when it comes to the awards shows, he says they tend to bypass his homeland of Jamaica and it's native artists. Translation: Where's the respect?

He also spoke on "bridging the gaps" of reggae and reggaeton by recording with current superstars such as J Balvin and Anitta.

The latest single combines the best of both worlds with legends Damian Marley and Nicky Jam assisting for the track "No Fear."

Even the "Kings of Pain" have a limit when it comes to voluntarily being bitten by poisonous animals ... telling us rattlesnakes are a no-go.

History Channel stars Adam Thorn and Rob Alleva joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and told us why they're down to keep getting bitten by animals whose poisonous venom is geared towards defensive purposes, and where the cutoff lies.

The guys puked and were hospitalized following a bite from a Mexican beaded lizard, and they say that's about as much as they can handle ... because if they were to cross into deadly venom territory, the stakes are obviously much higher.

The way Adam and Rob see it -- rattlesnakes, for example, are on the attack when they take a poisonous bite -- and those bites can have potentially life-changing consequences, or even result in death.

In the second season of their show, they're bitten by lizards, urchins, piranhas, lionfish, centipedes and this scary beast ... the tarantula hawk wasp.

Adam and Rob are all about pushing their boundaries ... but some animals are clearly out of bounds.

Lisa Vanderpump is going all out to celebrate some four-legged friends by hosting her 6th annual 'World Dog Day'!

The 'Real Housewives' star (and her pup) joined "TMZ Live" to give us the lowdown on this weekend's festivities in West Hollywood, which raises awareness about global dog abuse.

Lisa tells us, "World Dog Day' is a real feel-good factor ... especially coming amid some very tough times in America, around the world ... and even for Lisa's charity Vanderpump Dog Foundation.

From the sounds of it, it'll be a whole 'lotta fun ... Lisa says, they're doing it big for all the furry folks -- live music and a DJ, vendors with doggy treats ... also a dog water park, pie-eating contest and even a fashion show with dog models!

While the foundation puts on a great show for pleasure, it also gets down to business too. The org has rescued and adopted over 2,300 dogs domestically and hundreds internationally ... even more of a reason to celebrate!

This year's event is co-sponsored by WeHo as a part of the city's celebration of Pet Week.

Monkeypox may be less transmittable than COVID, but the virus is exploding and most folks aren't immune to its effects ... so says, Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.

The World Health Network Epidemiologist joined "TMZ Live," Monday, to talk about the once-considered extremely rare disease and why it might not be so rare this time around.

Dr. Feigl-Ding tells us, the virus may be less contagious than Covid-19, but we're in the early stages with numbers exploding all over the world.

He says, generally speaking, the big problem is most folks under the age of 50 have no immunity to the virus. On top of that, the incubation period is much longer than other viruses -- starting from 10 days up to 21.

Because of this, many folks can be further along before they realize they may have it ... and could potentially transmit it to more people.

Doc says we have to be careful, because Monkeypox didn't always transmit like this -- maybe a few cases here and there. Now, he hopes reluctant Americans will wake up and realize that wearing a mask might be a bonus to protect against all viruses like COVID and Monkeypox.

BTW, he says some folks still debate whether it is airborne or not, but no matter what, he says it's a huge issue.

Nancy Armstrong is changing the narrative about ADHD in a new documentary ... telling us the disorder can actually be a secret power.

The Executive Producer joined "TMZ Live" to talk about the new doc, titled "The Disruptors" and the upside for folks who have attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which she says is heavily misunderstood.

She tells us she wanted to do this documentary because there is a disconnect between what the public thinks and what scientists know about ADHD from decades of research and endless studies.

On a more personal note ... she's a mother of 3 children with the diagnosis, so she understands how overwhelming and challenging it can be for families.

However, she makes it clear -- while ADHD has some challenges that need to be managed, it also has some pretty impressive strengths. She adds understanding how to balance both can actually be a huge asset.

For example -- on the flip side of things like distractibility, hyperactivity and impulsivity, there are some positives -- such as curiosity, energy and creativity.

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which affects 10% of kids and a rising number of adults in the U.S. The doc follows the challenges of 5 families and sheds light on the beauty behind it all.

Bobby Shmurda is dancing for joy ... literally, now that the New York State Senate has signed off on the "Rap Music on Trial" bill.

The newly proposed law prevents cops and prosecutors from using rappers' lyrics against them in court cases. The bill has been championed by the likes of Jay-Z, Killer Mike, Fat Joe, Kelly Rowland and several other artists.

Although the new law would be too little too late for Bobby -- he served 6 years in prison for weapons possession -- the topic hits close to home for him. The lyrics of his big 2014 hit record "Hot N***a" made him a target for law enforcement.

While Bobby is excited for things to come, he really hopes to see the rest of the country adopt similar measures ... especially in Georgia, where Young Thug, Gunna and 26 other YSL members are fighting RICO gang charges.

Legal matters aside, Bobby's extremely hyped -- you really gotta see his energy -- about having a lock on hip hop this summer. He doubled down on what he'd previously promised during a chat with the "TMZ Hip Hop" crew.

His new visual for "They Don't Know" is out now and his EP that's dropping next month will feature his GS9 Records brother, Rowdy Rebel. On top of that, he has an LP coming later in the summer.