TMZ Live

"Cake Boss" Buddy Valastro is sparing no details of his horrific bowling accident, but says the gruesome injury's left him more grateful than ever ... for his family and the doctors who saved him.

Jersey's other Boss joined "TMZ Live" Tuesday to give his account of the freak bowling accident, telling us he's got a long road to recovery ahead due to severe tendon, nerve and muscle damage to his right hand.

Word of warning ... if you're enjoying a piece of cake -- or any food -- right now, finish up before watching Buddy's description of the pinsetter machine impaling his hand.

As we reported ... Buddy was bowling with his fam on their at-home alley and tried to fix the malfunctioning pinsetter. Buddy said the "blunt force" he felt as a metal rod repeatedly rammed through his hand was by far the worst pain he's ever felt.

He also revealed it wasn't just his hand that was severely injured 😬 ... and gushed about the amazing job his family did to free him from the evil machine to get him to a hospital.

As for the road to recovery ... the "Cake Boss" told us it's gonna be a long one -- but he said it's giving him a newfound appreciation for the medical pros doing miraculous work to fix his hand.

Sounds like renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Michelle Carlson can expect a Christmas card, and probably a cake too!

Breonna Taylor's family attorney Ben Crump wants the grand jury transcript released to see if prosecutors tried to make a case for charging the cops with involuntary manslaughter ... or simply let them off the hook.

The civil rights attorney joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and tore into Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron, and got heated about something the 3 officers did NOT do the night they raided Breonna's home and shot her.

Police reportedly failed to give Breonna medical aid for at least 20 minutes after riddling her body with bullets -- and Ben explained why, under the law, that amounts to involuntary manslaughter. The question he has is whether Cameron even presented that potential charge to the grand jury.

For now, Crump says there's only one way to know, and he's calling for public pressure on Cameron's office to release the grand jury transcript ... something Cameron said Wednesday he would not do.

Crump also has an issue with the witness who claimed to hear police announce themselves before entering Breonna's home and gunning her down. Watch the clip, and it should be clear why he, and others, feel it's crucial to know what Cameron said to the grand jury.

D.L. Hughley wants Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to get something through his head -- celebs are invested in Breonna Taylor's case because they're BLACK. They also just so happen to be celebrities, not the other way around.

The comedian and author joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday and took issue with Cameron warning Kentuckians to not let celebrities, influencers and activists "capture our emotions" in wake of the Grand Jury's decision not to indict anyone in Breonna's death.

Cameron said, "There will be celebrities, influencers and activists who having never lived in Kentucky will try to tell us how to feel, suggesting they understand the facts of this case, that they know our community ... but they don't. Let's not give in to their attempts to influence our thinking or capture our emotions." By Cameron's logic, only those who live in Kentucky have earned the right to feel a certain way.

D.L. cites the great Martin Luther King, Jr. -- "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Point being ... you don't have to live in Kentucky to be a stakeholder.

D.L. says celebrities are speaking out first and foremost because Black celebrities have Black wives, Black daughters, Black nieces and nephews. His passion jumps off the screen.

But, the comedian -- like many pro athletes and other famous folks -- are outraged that, as he puts it, "the holes in the wall are getting more justice than the holes in our bodies."

President Trump's trying to keep voters' eyes off the prize of racial equality -- at least that's how NAACP leader Bishop Talbert Swan is viewing Trump's latest defunding threat.

The President of the NAACP's Springfield, Massachusetts chapter, joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and ripped POTUS for threatening to pull federal funds from Seattle, Portland and NYC ... cities he's now labeled "anarchist jurisdictions."

Swan pointed out the term "anarchist jurisdiction" has never existed in America, and believes the Trump administration made it up to rationalize his threat to cut federal funding to those cities. That threat is already facing legal challenges, but the Bishop told us it's also creating a distraction ahead of the election -- and he thinks that's exactly what the President wants.

He's imploring Americans to not lose sight of the mounting issues that truly matter -- racial inequality, coronavirus, the economy and the possibility of a Supreme Court he believes will "attack every Civil Rights gain made in the last 100 years."

Tarek El Moussa is a glutton for punishment -- at least that's what HE joked as he revealed he'd love to work side-by-side with wife-to-be, Heather Rae Young.

The "Flipping 101" star joined "TMZ Live" Thursday, and said, yeah ... he's down to walk that familiar path again of shooting a TV show with his spouse. He told us Heather -- who's on the Netflix show "Selling Sunset" -- tends to be with him nearly 24/7, anyway, so why not do a show with her?

Well, naysayers would probably remind Tarek about his ex-wife and "Flip or Flop" costar, Christina Anstead. They enjoyed incredible success together before a very public 2016 split that ultimately led to their 2018 divorce.

To their immense credit, they not only remained friends but also costars. That being said, Tarek says shooting a show as spouses did NOT lead to their divorce ... so he's not worried about working with Heather.

Christina, of course, has more than moved on. She and Ant Anstead welcomed a baby boy a little over a year ago.

Dr. Oz is appalled, and embarrassed, by stats like Black newborns are 3 times more likely to die under the care of white doctors -- and now he's on a mission to do something about it.

The doc joined "TMZ Live" on Tuesday to explain why he launched the #moreBlackdoctors initiative as part of his effort to raise awareness about racial bias in hospitals. He told us how one of his staffers opened his eyes to the Black community's view of the medical field.

Oz, who just kicked off the 12th season of his show, says he got goosebumps after learning Black babies taken care of by Black doctors have a higher survival rate than Black babies under the care of White doctors. It's shockingly true.

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S. (PNAS) showed the mortality rate of Black newborns dwindled from 58% to 39% when they're under the care of Black docs. But, when it came to white babies, their mortality rate was hardly affected regardless of the doctor's race.

You'll recall, activist Bakari Sellers recently shared his shocking tale about his wife's pregnancy -- and Dr. Oz says that's a stark reminder of the biases that exist even in medicine.

The Kardashian/Jenner family's decision to call it quits on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" means the world is now their oyster ... according to Daymond John, who has some suggestions on how they can take it over.

The "Shark Tank" star joined "TMZ Live" Friday to weigh in on Kris, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, Kendall, Kylie and co. announcing the end of the popular series that launched them into superstardom, telling us if you thought that was a phenomenon ... you ain't seen nothing yet.

Daymond says this is a huge move and allows the ladies to divide and conquer the media market, and he predicts a global takeover is coming.

As he points out ... the family now has several separate booming brands, and suggests the TV show may have actually been holding them all back from reaching full potential, business-wise.

The Kardashian clan combined has billions of followers as well, which is why Daymond suggests they could actually launch their own social media platform, or at the very least ... take some of that sweet streaming money.

After all, it's already proven to work for other big names ... the Obamas, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, etc.

Finally, just to show how incredibly far all the girls have come ... Daymond tells us a cool story about when he was responsible for product placement on 'KUWTK' in the early days.

Ice Cube has a list of demands to help Black Americans that he feels needs to be addressed in order to get his vote ... and says both sides of the aisle want to, at least, hear what he's got to say.

We spoke to Cube Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and he elaborated on his "Contract with Black America" that he's been promoting these past few months ahead of the election. Bottom line ... he says he'll vote for whoever implements his ideas, even if it's President Trump.

Check it out ... for Cube, identity politics is gone, and he's only looking out for his people at this point -- telling us that if a candidate doesn't clearly explain what's in it for the Black community if they're elected, he doesn't see a point in voting for them.

Specifically, he says economics is a huge part of his agenda -- explaining that there needs to be a monumental shift in the wealth gap between Black people and everyone else.

Now, Cube says he's heard from Joe Biden's camp AND Trump's about his 'Contract' ... and insists there's nothing partisan about his demands.

There's also this ... he says Biden should not think for a second he has the Black vote locked up. Fact is, Trump is still in office and could roll some of these things out before November, which would go a long way for Cube, and possibly other voters.

It's a fascinating take, and Cube is determined to hold Trump and Biden's feet to the fire.

The guy who helped invent Jelly Belly jelly beans is going full Gene Wilder in these dark times -- promising to give one lucky person their own candy factory if they play his game.

David Klein has kicked off a Willy Wonka-esque treasure hunt that's open to anyone in these 50 states, and he's got the ultimate grand prize ... a professional shop to churn out treats.

Klein explained some of the parameters of the contest Tuesday on "TMZ Live" where he also said that whoever wins the whole enchilada -- one of his actual operating candy factories -- will also get candy-making lessons in a university setting ... plus, his own expertise in running the biz.

There's one catch ... in order to play, ya gotta pay $50 and you're automatically entered into the ultimate factory lottery. As for the hunt itself, yes, there is a "gold ticket" component involved, and if you find it in your state ... you'll win $5,000 guaranteed.

The details are probably best explained by DK himself from the site he launched just for this new venture.

As for why he's doing it, Dave says it's his way of helping people get their minds off all the turmoil in the country.

Sure, we'll take a little sugar high for now. Why not?!

Tiffany Haddish wants to be just like Tyler Perry ... because she's ready to start her own production studio!!!

The actress and comedian joined us on "TMZ Live" and we asked her if she's got aspirations to be like Tyler and one day start a movie studio in her name.

Tiffany says she would love to follow Tyler's lead and tells us he's actually been teaching her how to start a studio from scratch. Tiffany's already got a name picked out, and it's pretty catchy and appropriate.

As you know ... Tyler just officially reached billionaire status, thanks in large part to owning Tyler Perry Studios, so his words of wisdom carry serious weight.

Speaking of billionaires, Tiffany tells us she's been hanging with other members of the triple comma club, and picking their brains about business. Smart woman.

Chasten Buttigieg's coming out experience didn't get off to a good start, but thanks to his parents it turned out well, and speaking of things working out ... he's focused on the bright side of his husband's unsuccessful presidential bid.

Mayor Pete's husband joined "TMZ Live" to tell his story about confiding in his family that he was gay, the difficulty and pain that followed ... and the life-changing call from his Mom that helped them heal.

Chasten tells us he's thankful for his parents' allyship, and describes what has to be done to make sure people like him are protected and supported ... something he says he's striving to do for others.

As for his famous hubby and the disappointment of not becoming the Democratic nominee for Prez ... Chasten says it was a bummer, but it's not all bad.

He points out that they've been able to regain a little anonymity in their lives while still focusing on their dreams and goals, and reminds us that they are both still very young ... and the future is bright.

Of course, Chasten believes the outlook will be much better if a certain person is elected president in November ... you can probably guess who, but watch the clip anyway.

Black Americans are in the midst of 2 pandemics -- COVID-19 and the systemic racism that took root 401 years ago ... so says civil rights attorney Ben Crump.

Ben joined "TMZ Live" on Thursday and didn't mince words ... saying there's a hypocritical justice system when it comes to how Black Americans are treated, and the fatal shooting of Dijon Kizzee in L.A. is just the latest evidence.

Kizzee's family has hired Crump, who says he's assembling a "dream team" of attorneys to push the L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. for more evidence. As you know, home security footage shows deputies firing on Kizzee at least 15 times as he was running away from them.

Crump finds Kizzee's death especially outraging because Kyle Rittenhouse killed 2 protesters in Kenosha, and was still able to walk right by police while brandishing his firearm.

He says it's a clear sign of the systemic racism Black Americans have faced since 1619 ... the first year African slaves were brought to American soil. You've gotta see his take on what he's now calling "COVID-1619."

Crump, who also reps Breonna Taylor's family, is baffled by the fact the L.A. County Sheriff's deputies were not wearing body cams ... but he's thankful that, especially in L.A., cameras are always rolling.

Taryn Manning is so sick and tired of the Karens of the world ... she's ready to play one in an effort to bring their racist behavior to a screeching halt.

The "Orange Is the New Black" star hopped on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss why she's embracing the villainous role in director Coke Daniels' new film aptly dubbed "Karen White" ... about a racist white woman who terrorizes her new Black neighbors. Yeah, sounds painfully familiar.

Taryn says she actually wants you to hate her in the film, not only because it means she did a great acting job -- but because she's hoping it shows how desperately society needs to change and embrace racial equality.

Coke says his script will dig deep ... in an effort to better understand the psychology behind people who act this way in real life. Don't get it twisted, he's not trying to justify the behavior -- he wants to illustrate how outrageous micro-aggressions can lead to racism and violence.

David Arquette's professional wrestling career has been both mocked and admired, but above all else, it's been bloody hard work ... and he says it's coming to an end soon.

The actor's journey as a pro wrestler began way back in 2000, but as he points out on "TMZ Live" ... he didn't have a clue then about what it actually took to be successful.

Fast forward a couple decades, and a battle-worn David is flying higher above the wrestling ring than ever before -- even at 48 -- thanks to a commitment to various types of training and a devotion to the sport he's loved for a long time.

David says he's still an actor, though, and despite his remarkable comeback -- which is the subject of his new documentary -- he claims he's calling it quits soon.

That's probably a good thing, because as you may recall ... David was badly injured in a bloody match in 2018, and damn near died in 2019 after continuing to dish out and take beatings in the ring.

Arquette's daughter Coco wasn't too pleased with all of this, but he tells us she's come to accept and understand it more after seeing the documentary ... which he calls a "love letter to wrestling."

Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter, Dr. Bernice King, is convinced that modern-day policing is structured after brutal slave tactics used for centuries in this country ... and needs to be completely uprooted if there's ever going to be progress.

Dr. King appeared Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and she says the shooting of Jacob Blake yet again proves Black lives don't matter to a majority of police officers in the U.S. If they did, we wouldn't see so much unhinged violence against them.

She says it's clear the systemic racism built into slavery is still alive and well today in how cops and the criminal justice system view African-Americans ... as bodies, as she puts it. It's not an easy thing to change either ... Dr. King makes that clear as well.

She adds it is crucial to keep our eye on the prize -- and part of that means keeping things peaceful. She discourages rioting and looting, just like her dad.

Speaking of him, she drops a quote of his that's just as timely now as ever .... and it basically gets to this point -- the longer we ignore this, the more it'll persist and worsen.

Leslie David Baker -- best known for playing the lovable grouch, Stanley, on "The Office" -- has witnessed the rise of racism along with the surge of the Black Lives Matter movement ... and he's speaking out about it.

The veteran actor joined "TMZ Live" Monday to address how his 'Office' spin-off project led to him becoming the target of hateful attacks, because at the same time ... he's been a vocal supporter of BLM.

Leslie says much like Black athletes being told to "stick to sports," racists began coming out of the woodwork to tell him to "stick to acting" and bombarding him with other vile messages ... and he's had enough.

The actor's urging everyone, including other minorities in entertainment, to call out racism when they encounter it ... because he says ignoring it only protects the bigots and allows the hate to continue.

That's exactly what Leslie's been doing -- he's sharing examples of what he believes is growing racism in this country, to raise awareness and motivate everyone to help put an end to it.