TMZ Live

"The Apprentice" director Ali Abbasi isn't sweating Donald Trump's harsh criticism of his flick ... in fact, he's encouraging 45 to keep posting about the biopic.

We caught up with the filmmaker on "TMZ Live" Monday, where we got Abbasi's honest reaction to Trump blasting "The Apprentice" on his social media platform, Truth Social.

As Abbasi puts it ... he has no problem with the former prez taking to social media to air his grievances, as the reaction only brings more eyeballs to the controversial movie.

The DJ at Landon Barker's birthday bash is making a controversial Diddy joke, Elon Musk is making big moves with robotics and Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are getting carved into pumpkins ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles break down the controversy surrounding Landon's birthday, and marvel at the way he steered clear of the BS.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé are livid at Piers Morgan for airing an interview with some vague, but serious allegations against them ... and their attorney is questioning Piers' ethics.

The Carters' attorney, Alex Spiro, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and we asked him about Jay and Bey's response to Piers' show 'Uncensored' broadcasting an interview with Jaguar Wright, who claimed the couple had more "victims" than Diddy.

Alex says Piers was exploiting the rumor mill by allowing these false allegations to hit the airwaves ... and he says he gave Piers an ultimatum ... remove the claims and apologize, or face a court order to take the interview down.

A female juror from the Menendez brothers' first trial is speaking out -- about how sexism and homophobia impacted that outcome, and why she thinks they deserve to walk free now.

Hazel Thornton, who voted to convict Erik and Lyle Menendez of voluntary manslaughter back in 1994, joined us on "TMZ Live" ... and claims the male jurors she served with didn't buy the argument the brothers were molested by their dad, José Menendez, and also felt the public pressure to make a "macho" decision.

Hazel elaborated that homophobia was the biggest issue in the trial, highlighting how the case's prosecutor suggested the family's problems stemmed from Erik allegedly being gay.

Tekashi 6ix9ine isn't sweatin' the fine print in his new record deal ... which requires the rapper to stay out of trouble to keep his payday.

We caught up with the musical artist on "TMZ Live" Tuesday, where he explained why the special clause in his new contract doesn't have him worried. As he put it ...  he views himself as a "squeaky clean" individual -- and trouble just happens to find him "all the time."

At the end of September, Tekashi 6ix9ine found himself in a heated exchange outside a nightclub in Miami, and was sued for revenge porn by an ex-girlfriend. So, here's hoping all this drama was settled before 69 signed on the dotted line!!!

Big celebrities on the level of Diddy are going to be sued for allegedly helping him carry out and cover up sexual assaults, unless they settle out of court first ... so says attorney Tony Buzbee.

The Houston-based attorney joined us Monday on "TMZ Live," and we asked him what we should be expecting from his forthcoming lawsuits against Diddy ... specifically, if other major celebs would be named as defendants too.

Buzbee says a bunch of famous people everyone has heard of are going to be sued by his law firm in the coming weeks ... and he's already sent out demand letters, giving these celebs the chance to pony up a lot of money to settle and avoid a public lawsuit.

What a wild week it's been!!! So, be sure to settle in for a roundup of all the juicy TMZ TV hot takes you may've missed.

Kicking things off on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Babcock dive into all the latest Diddy developments, including his eyebrow-raising talk show appearance with a teenage Justin Bieber back in 2011.

Lyle and Erik Menendez's lawyer is feeling confident after the L.A. County District Attorney's Office announced they're reviewing new evidence in the Menendez brothers case ... which could potentially result in the brothers' release from prison.

We had Mark Geragos on "TMZ Live" Friday, where he explained why he has a positive outlook about his clients' case following Thursday's press conference. As Geragos puts it ... D.A. George Gascón is brave to touch the controversial 35-year-old case in an election year, as Gascón himself is on the ballot in November.

The lawyer feels the D.A. is serious when he said his office is reviewing sexual abuse claims Lyle and Erik have made against their late father, Jose Menendez. Those allegations were not allowed to be presented in the brothers' 2nd murder trial ... which led to their life without parole convictions.

Alison Eastwood has been championing animal welfare and rescue for over a decade -- and she's stepping up her game as California shelters are euthanizing cats and dogs at an alarming rate.

We chatted with Alison on "TMZ Live" Friday, and she said her Eastwood Ranch Foundation is hard at work providing a solution as shelters are putting down roughly 110,000 pets annually -- shocking figures, especially with Gov. Gavin Newsom's $50M pledge in 2020 to make California a "no-kill state."

Alison’s clearly heartbroken over the whole situation, and breaks down why this animal crisis is happening -- check out the clip to hear her full take on the devastation.

A fiery showdown ignited on "TMZ Live" when we tackled the explosive new California law banning legacy and donor preferences in admissions at private, nonprofit universities ... with the bill's author in the hot seat to discuss the details.

California Assemblymember Phil Ting threw down the gauntlet ... arguing education is the great equalizer of society, and it's totally unfair for well-off students to get a leg up into elite schools just because of family deep pockets. But our very own Harvey Levin fires back with some solid points from the private university perspective.

You’ve got to hear Harvey’s hot take on the whole donation debate -- but that doesn't sit well with cohost Charles, who questions the fairness of these universities’ DEI admissions policies.

Gary Estes, the Texas man who dropped $4,000 to smash a Taylor Swift guitar with a hammer, says she didn't actually put pen to instrument ... even though it features her autograph, and comes with a certificate of authenticity.

Gary joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and settled a point of debate about the viral moment ... namely, was this guitar signed by Taylor?!?

Taylor did NOT sign the actual guitar ... instead, Gary says, it looks like Taylor signed a different piece of memorabilia that was affixed to the guitar.

Diddy is facing a new lawsuit for sexual assault, Kim Richards is beefing with Kyle Richards over a psych hold, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have a quarterback controversy brewing ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles break down the new lawsuit against Diddy, in which he's accused of impregnating a woman who says he sexually assaulted her multiple times.

Meanwhile, over on "TMZ on TV," our crew reacts to Kim being put on a psych hold and getting into a heated exchange with Kyle.

And on "TMZ Sports," Michael and Mojo think the Steelers need to formally name Justin Fields the starting QB following a 3-0 start without Russell Wilson.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Deepak Chopra isn't turning his nose up at artificial intelligence ... rather, he's encouraging others to embrace the technology as the next step in human evolution.

We caught up with the New Age guru on "TMZ Live" Friday, where he defended his use of artificial intelligence, highlighting all the ways his online twin, "Digital Deepak," has helped others.

As Deepak put it ... his digital alter ego is not scanning the internet to splice together random or vague responses to users' questions. Instead, Digital Deepak combs through his vast collection of published works, including books, interviews, Q&As, columns and more to curate an answer that reflects his beliefs.

Diddy gets arrested in exclusive video obtained by TMZ, Kamala Harris says she's ready to shoot anyone who breaks into her house and the ball Shohei Ohtani hit for his 50th homerun is worth big money ... check out some of the best TMZ TV Hot Takes.

On "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles discuss the video of federal agents arresting Diddy and marching him out of a swanky Manhattan hotel.

Lady Gaga's dad is voting to make America great again, Lauren Sanchez is being sued and Terence Crawford is calling out Canelo Alvarez ... all this on today's TMZ on TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles explain why Lady Gaga's father is endorsing Donald Trump for president.

Justin Timberlake is pleading guilty, John Legend is pleading for sympathy in his hometown, and Dwight Howard is getting talked out of wrestling ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles break down Justin's big day in court in Sag Harbor, New York.