TMZ Live

Michael Knowles says the controversy regarding Jeffrey Epstein had a "client list" or not won't break the MAGA movement ... but, he admits it might be the biggest challenge the coalition's ever faced.

The Daily Wire host appeared on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss Donald Trump's recent Truth Social post where he told people he doesn't want the support of people who are doing the work of the "Lunatic Left" by focusing on Epstein.

Knowles says people in the MAGA movement want justice ... either in the criminal justice system or through political consequences if it comes out that our government or foreign countries played a part in assisting Epstein's abuse.

D.L. Hughley says President Trump's attempt to downplay the Jeffrey Epstein controversy seems to implicate Trump ... and he's calling for the Epstein files to be released so folks can see who was hanging out with the pedophile.

The comedian joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" and ripped into Trump for even associating with Epstein back in the day ... and he says if Trump has nothing to hide, it should be a no-brainer to release the files.

Trump promised to release the files if he was elected to a second term ... but earlier this month the DOJ and FBI sent out a memo saying there was no "little black book," that Epstein killed himself in jail, and that no one else in the case would be prosecuted.

Dan Bongino and Kash Patel completely flipped their public views on the Jeffrey Epstein files once they got into power ... and now it's got them embroiled in some White House turmoil.

Marc Caputo, a White House reporter for Axios, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday and took us inside the divide in D.C.

He says Dan and Kash were on board with the DOJ memo that came out saying Epstein didn't keep a client list of potential blackmail targets and wasn't murdered in jail while awaiting trial ... despite the two stating opposing views on podcasts before Trump's election. Bongino and Patel were both prolific podcasters before their appointments.

"Love Island" alum Sharon Gaffka is not buying what Cierra Ortega is selling in her apology video for using an Asian slur ... Sharon says Cierra knew full well what the hateful word implied.

Sharon -- who was on "Love Island" back in 2021 -- joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and we asked for her reaction to Cierra's apology video for some past use of a racial slur online.

The thing that bothered Sharon the most was Cierra saying she didn't know the "word held as much pain, as much harm, and came with the history that it did" -- Cierra's from Arizona, and Sharon says anyone with access to the internet in America should know it's a hateful slur.

Jeffrey Epstein's "client list" may in fact actually exist, and Donald Trump's pissed because he can't expose it to the world ... this according to conservative commentator Michael Knowles.

The Daily Wire host stopped by "TMZ Live" for a weekly chat about politics with Harvey and Charles ... and, the trio discussed the president lashing out at a reporter who asked about Jeffrey Epstein.

ICYMI ... on Tuesday, a reporter asked about a Justice Department memo asserting there's no Epstein client list, and no evidence he was murdered in his jail cell prior to his trial.

D.L. Hughley says justice was served in the Diddy criminal trial, but he's ripping folks for celebrating the verdict ... telling us it's a morally bankrupt response.

The comedian joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, and we asked him about some of the favorable reactions to Diddy being acquitted of sex trafficking and racketeering charges.

Folks outside the courthouse danced in the streets and poured baby oil on themselves when the verdict came back last week ... and D.L. says that's a horrible look.

The government better come clean about UAPs, or the people will -- that’s the warning from Jeremy Corbell, who’s cranking up the pressure after a newly released video from 2020 shows a massive disc slicing through clouds over the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.

Corbell popped up on "TMZ Live" today ... revealing he and journo George Knapp spent over two years verifying the jaw-dropping footage -- showing the 200- to 400-meter-wide disc with zero visible propulsion or heat signature, which was reportedly leaked from a confidential source.

Corbell -- a journalist and filmmaker -- made it clear they’ve gone to serious lengths to protect their whistleblowers ... who, he says, are now locked and loaded to testify at the next congressional UAP hearing.

The feds are hesitant to pursue criminal charges against powerful men named in the Jeffrey Epstein files because they aren't confident they can secure a conviction ... at least according to investigative reporter Tara Palmeri.

Tara's been covering the Epstein case for years now, and she joined us on "TMZ Live" Monday to give us her read on the DOJ/FBI memo announcing no "further disclosure" and no investigations against uncharged third parties.

While Tara agrees there's no client list, she says the FBI definitely has evidence linking the rich and powerful to Epstein's prostitution ring ... but she says the memo makes them sound gun-shy about prosecuting.

Diddy might be headed off to prison, but his image will recover given a little time ... so says prominent defense lawyer Jose Baez.

The lawyer who repped Casey Anthony and Aaron Hernandez joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday -- hours after Diddy was found guilty on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution and not guilty of racketeering and sex trafficking.

Jose says Diddy's going to "bounce back" from this ... especially in the music industry, where he guesses artists will be willing to overlook his convictions if it means making a hit record.

Joe Tacopina is taking a victory lap at the expense of federal prosecutors ... because he's always said the racketeering and sex trafficking charges against Diddy didn't add up -- and a jury agreed.

The famous defense attorney joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and ripped prosecutors for bringing what he says were trumped-up charges against Diddy.

Joe, who's been banging this drum for months now on our weekly series on Tubi, "TMZ Presents: United States V. Sean Combs: Inside the Diddy Trial," says the evidence and testimony never pointed towards racketeering or sex trafficking.

Nancy Grace says Sean "Diddy" Combs is getting off easy for one major reason -- the cross-examination of Cassie Ventura and "Jane" ... but she's absolutely disgusted and "shattered" by the jury's decision to acquit him of sex trafficking.

Make no mistake, Nancy firmly believes jurors in Diddy's federal trial got it wrong, and they should've convicted him on all 5 counts -- not just the 2 counts of prostitution -- but she acknowledges Diddy's lawyers did their jobs when they showed both of his exes frequently consented to freak-offs.

What's enraging to Nancy is that she sees the verdict as another case of "rich man's justice," ... saying Diddy only got off because he can afford high-powered attorneys, and because jurors frequently hesitate to convict famous people.

Not all Venetians are losing sleep over Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez tying the knot in their city -- in fact, TikToker and proud local Giulia Raffaello is welcoming the whole circus with open arms.

Giulia joined us Tuesday on "TMZ Live" to point out ... this isn’t the first celeb wedding Venice has hosted, and when done right, these events breathe life into the floating city. Think support for small businesses, jobs for locals and a rare spotlight on forgotten Venetian gems.

While critics and protestors are up in arms over Bezos' billions, Giulia says the focus should be on what’s really impacting Venice day to day -- not a couple dropping serious cash and lots of good intentions for local citizens.

And about all those heavily scheduled wedding events? Giulia’s betting the merchants of Venice ... boat drivers, flower vendors and other community pros are already in the mix.

Fireworks on "TMZ Live" during a segment on President Trump with special guest D.L. Hughley ... and things got racial, explicit, nasty and extremely personal.

D.L. was ripping Trump for tearing up Barack Obama's deal with Iran and scoffing at the idea of Trump getting the Nobel Peace Prize when our Michael Babcock joined the conversation and asked the comedian what Trump would have to do to get some props ... and things escalated very quickly.

The heated back-and-forth on Trump's presidency, in general, quickly shifted to a convo about race -- with D.L. asking Babcock why Trump's changing military base names to honor Confederates?

Aiden Kearney, the citizen journalist intensely focused on the Karen Read retrial, says he was ecstatic when he heard "not guilty" three times when the jury verdict was read yesterday ... and while the trial is finally over, he says his connection to Karen is not.

Aiden -- who lots of Read supporters know as "Turtleboy" -- joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday, and we asked him how he reacted to the trial outcome ... seeing as how he was so involved in her story.

He says Karen getting acquitted of second-degree murder in the 2022 death of her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O'Keefe, is most meaningful for her family ... and he told us what it was like at her celebratory dinner after the verdict was read.

Here's a new love triangle that may become more common ... a man who shares a daughter with a woman asked an A.I. chatbot to marry him ... and she's totally down with the arrangement.

Chris Smith and Sasha Cagle joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and took us inside their relationship ... telling us why Chris' flirtation with the chatbot actually strengthened their bond IRL.

The way Chris tells it, he needed an outlet to listen to him ramble about politics ... Sasha was too busy and social media wasn't cutting it, so he found a chatbot ... and fell in love.

D.L. Hughley’s not here to tell people to pipe down and keep quiet in the midst of law-enforcement and military responses to immigration-enforcement protests -- he says breaking the law just may be exactly what’s needed right now ... just like Rosa Parks did.

The comedian went off on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, speaking about escalating protests in L.A. against ICE raids targeting undocumented immigrants, and city-imposed curfews as a result -- and he makes it crystal clear ... civil disobedience is sometimes the only reason we have certain freedoms that we do, and sometimes the only way to fix a broken system is to disrupt it.

D.L. also took aim at the heavy military presence in L.A. right now -- pointing out there are currently more personnel stationed in Home Depot parking lots than in Afghanistan ... so if they’re bringing that kind of force, they should expect a response just as strong.