TMZ Live

Melissa Etheridge is remembering Dolly Parton for something that went far beyond her music -- her remarkable ability to bring people together, even across deep cultural and political divides.

The singer joined TMZ Live the day after Parton’s passing and reflected on her longtime friendship with the country music icon, praising Parton for the way she consistently embraced the LGBTQ+ community, while refusing to judge people for who they were.

Check the clip ... Etheridge pointed to their memorable 2003 appearance together on CMT’s "Crossroads," a groundbreaking pairing that brought the two artists together at a time when the same-sex marriage debate was intensifying across the country -- the episode marked the first time the series paired two women artists.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

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Suge Knight is making a bombshell claim amid the Tupac Shakur murder trial ... saying Duane "Keffe D" Davis' lawyers offered him up to $1 million to say Keefe wasn't in the car that allegedly shot up Tupac.

Suge joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday from prison and said he refused the alleged offer ... insisting his loyalty to Tupac "can't be compromised."

The Death Row founder also took aim at The Game ... pushing back on the rapper's recent claim that Keffe D is being used as a scapegoat.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Former NBA player Tamar Slay says some parents are hitting the rewind button on seventh grade ... all to give their kids a bigger edge in sports and potentially make more money in college.

Slay -- who now runs the Slay Basketball Academy in Charlotte, NC -- joined "TMZ Live" Monday and told us reclassifying has become a serious move for families chasing college offers, NIL money and, eventually, the pros.

Harvey pushed back on the trend ... arguing it can make school feel like an afterthought if a kid is repeating seventh grade mainly for basketball or football.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

One of Lindsay Clancy's supporters says the Massachusetts mom shouldn't be on trial for murdering her 3 children ... she says the mental healthcare system failed Lindsay.

Renee Kimball joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and we asked her what justice looks like for her.

She says Lindsay deserves to get the help she begged for and to be able to move on with her life and help others who are going through postpartum psychosis.

Renee organized Thursday's rally at the Massachusetts courthouse where Lindsay is on trial, and tells us her group's support for Lindsay is not meant to justify the deaths of her children.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Suge Knight is calling BS on the Tupac Shakur murder trial ... saying one of the witnesses taking the stand isn't telling the real story.

Suge joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday from prison and unloaded on James McDonald, who testified Tuesday in Duane "Keffe D" Davis' murder trial.

Suge flat-out denies McDonald's claim that he worked for Death Row Records.

What's more, Suge claims McDonald is an FBI informant and says he was never his head of security ... arguing there'd be plenty of proof if McDonald really worked for him.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

The 13-year-old boy in Arizona facing a misdemeanor assault charge over a gym class dodgeball game says he never meant to hurt anyone ... but admits he's nervous about going to court.

Abel Schipper and his mom, Cecily, joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and he insisted he never tried to hurt his ex-girlfriend when he and two friends threw foam dodgeballs at her during a warm-up.

Abel says the kids were throwing at random classmates before targeting his ex ... and denies they scrunched up the foam balls to make them hit harder. As for her large bruises, Abel says he has no idea how they got so severe.

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!

Tyga has a message for everyone calling "$TARFACE" an A.I. album ... learn to read.

The rapper -- dressed in '80s garb with a lit cigarette -- stopped by "TMZ Live" Thursday and said he only used A.I. for some synths and guitar solos ... stressing he spent three months in the studio, wrote every song, and performed every vocal himself.

Tyga blamed the confusion on Gen Z not reading his original comments ... and shrugged off Pitchfork's rare 0/10 rating ... joking, "I don’t really know what Pitchfork is. All I know is the devil uses a pitchfork."

We want you to be a part of TMZ, so every weekday, between 10:30 AM and 12:00 PM PT, we take you inside our newsroom via live stream.

You never know what you're gonna get ... a big story that breaks, an argument erupts in the room, or someone's just joking around.

Your comments are a big part of the stream, and the staff spends a lot of time speaking directly to you. Every day is different!