TV

Vince Jones -- who stars on History Channel's "Big Rig Bounty Hunters" -- died at his home in Delaware, OH on Wednesday ... TMZ has learned.

Vince's mother, Cathy Smith, tells us ... Vince's wife woke up at 4 AM and heard him making strange noises, and he was barely breathing. She says the wife performed CPR and his 14-year-old son tried to help as well ... but they couldn't revive him.

The family believes it was a heart attack.

We're told Vince was diagnosed with sleep apnea last year and wasn't wearing his mask Tuesday night ... which they believe deprived him of oxygen and triggered the heart attack.

Vince's daughter just got married last Saturday, and we're told he was fine at the wedding.

Vince leaves behind his wife and 6 children. He was 46.

Game show legend Chuck Barris -- creator and host of "The Gong Show" -- died Tuesday of natural causes at his home in Palisades, NY ... according to his publicist.

In addition to starting 'Gong Show' in 1976 ... Barris had also created "The Dating Game" and "The Newlywed Game" in the '60s. He claimed to have been a CIA assassin on the side, as chronicled in his autobiography, 'Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.'

The book became a movie in 2002, starring Sam Rockwell as Chuck, and was George Clooney's directorial debut.

And because TV and CIA work wasn't enough, Barris was also a songwriter! His biggest hit was 1962's "Palisades Park" ... sung by Freddy Cannon.

Chuck was 87.

He and Gene Gene the Dancing Machine (who died 2 years ago) are somewhere doing their thing again ... we hope.

#RIP

A "Wheel of Fortune" contestant named Kevin went down in game show history Tuesday night by flubbing a puzzle with just one blatantly OBVIOUS letter to go.

Hilarious brain fart, Kev. Get your mind out of the gutter, and one more thing:

Animal Planet's Jackson Galaxy is stepping up to solve Taylor Swift's cat troubles.

We got the unofficial cat whisperer and host of "My Cat from Hell" at LAX, and he said there's been a sea change -- cat ladies are in now, and that includes Ms. Swift ... who has two kitties.

Taylor's documented her feline issues -- the damn things won't let her sleep. It's an easy fix though, according to Jackson ... but she's gonna have to give him a call.

Sharna Burgess says pro bull rider Bonner Bolton made an innocent mistake when he nearly grabbed her crotch, but make no mistake about it ... she digs her "Dancing with the Stars" partner.

Sharna came on "TMZ Live" to defend Bonner, who she calls a Southern gentleman. But take a look ... the more she said, the more it seemed like Sharna wouldn't mind getting more touchy-feely with Bonner.

She definitely clears up the crotch incident, but as for any other "funny business" ... that remains to be seen. Or felt.

Hollywood is hiring way more Muslim actors than ever before ... and President Trump might very well be the one to thank.

Industry sources tell TMZ there's been a big uptick in the number of roles for Muslim actors this pilot season, and that TV networks are pushing for more Muslim-American story lines in primetime.

For example ... Omar Metwally (CBS), Mouzam Makkar (NBC), Zainab Johnson (ABC), Adeel Akhtar (FOX) and Hasan Minhaj (Netflix) ... are all starring in pilots right now.

Sue Obeidi, the director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council in Hollywood, says studios and production companies are reaching out to her group to consult on accurate plots.

She adds ... rather than just casting someone who might look Middle Eastern or Arabic, networks are pushing for actual Muslims to play Muslim characters. As opposed to the infamous casting of Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Prince of Persia.'

Sources at one of TV's biggest casting agencies say the demand has been on the rise since Trump announced his presidential bid.

As for why? The timing makes it seem obvious -- Hollywood power players, most of whom are vehemently anti-Trump, are pushing back against what they see as his exclusionary policies.

Professional bull rider Bonner Bolton knows how to rope 'em in ... but his move on "Dancing with the Stars" with partner Sharna Burgess may have crossed the line.

Cameras caught Bonner getting handsy below the belt during Monday's season premiere. Bonner brushed off the crotch grab saying it was an accident ... he was distracted and when she bumped into him he just randomly reached. Sharna gave him a pass too.

That said ... they have some serious chemistry.

Joy Behar says the Kardashians used to be TV's first family, but Donald Trump and the real First Family are putting them to shame.

We got Joy out in NYC where she told us she thinks the reality show going on these days is inside the Trump Tower, Mar-a-Lago and the White House. To her point -- FOX News, MSNBC and 'SNL' have all seen their ratings skyrocket since the prez was elected.

Tomi Lahren is either a sellout who betrayed the people with whom she works or just so successful her boss is lashing out at her in envy ... these are the 2 sides of the coin in Tomi's suspension saga.

TheBlaze honcho Glenn Beck benched Tomi for a week after she appeared on "The View" and proclaimed she was pro-choice.

Sources at TheBlaze say the staff was "on the verge of rebellion" ... incensed at Tomi's comment, claiming it was a betrayal of the core views of the network. The sources say Glenn had to suspend her or risk mutiny.

The other side ... people close to Tomi say this is about jealousy -- Glenn is threatened because she's getting the most attention of anyone on the network, including him.

The real question ... is Tomi staying at TheBlaze? It's unclear how long she's under contract. Sources connected with her say her deal's up some time later this year, but Blaze sources say she's locked in for a year and a half.

Thomas Payne's character, Jesus, from "The Walking Dead" finally came out as gay on Sunday night's episode, but he says his sexuality on the show isn't and shouldn't be a significant part of the story line.

We got Tom at LAX Monday where he told us the subtle moment was a long time coming. His character is gay in the comic books and it's also been hinted throughout the season.

Does the criminal craziness surrounding Tom Brady's jersey INCREASE the value? We went to the expert -- Rick Harrison from "Pawn Stars."

Huma Abedin's hanging out with the president -- not the one she was hoping to be with, but a day at Disneyland with Tony Goldwyn from "Scandal" is a damn good plan B.

Hillary Clinton's right-hand woman hit Disney with the TV prez, her son and one of his daughters. Tony got closer to Huma and HRC during the campaign.

He spoke at the DNC, and Hill and Huma visited the set of "Scandal" ... so yeah, he's a big supporter. Can't imagine what they talked about all day.

Your candidate just lost the election! What are you gonna do?

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!

"Modern Family" star Rico Rodriguez, who plays Manny on the show, publicly announced the death of his father who died last week.

The 18-year-old posted a photo of him and his dad, Roy Rodriguez, Sunday with a heartfelt caption that read in part ... "This has been the toughest week of my life. My Dad was the most kind hearted, loving, hard working, determined, and funny man I have ever known."

He added ... "I'm gonna miss your hugs. I'm gonna miss your advice. I'm gonna miss your smile, and I'm gonna miss your laugh. I know you're looking down at us right now giving us the green light to move forward. I miss you Daddy. I'll love you forever - Your youngest."

Roy passed away suddenly last Sunday ... he was 52. He is survived by his wife Diane, and his 4 children.

RIP

Kat's reps say she merely had food poisoning from eating at a restaurant outside of the resort.

Kat Graham got way too high, according to witnesses, and ended up in the hospital ... TMZ has learned.

"The Vampire Diaries" actress and singer was visiting Two Bunch Palms Resort & Spa near Palm Springs last month when she allegedly started throwing up and passed out on a lawn. It wasn't food or booze that put her there though -- sources at the resort tell us she'd downed a cannabis brownie earlier in the day.

We're told Kat ran out of the resort's restaurant saying she didn't feel well and needed to go to the hospital. She puked, passed out, woke up and then hopped an ambulance to a hospital.

The resort's report said she was extremely paranoid, anxious and seeing things. Some people call that a really good trip ... not so much for Kat.

We reached out to her people, but no word back.

Mike Aktari -- best known for being Olivia Blois Sharpe's bf on the show "Jerseylicious" -- has died at the age of 28.

Law enforcement sources tell us Mike died Monday in his hometown of Westbury on Long Island. We're told the cause of death is pending toxicology, but cops don't believe there was any foul play.

Mike was on the Style Network show from 2010 to 2012 ... when Olivia frequently butted heads with Tracy DiMarco, Mike's ex-gf.

Mike and Olivia weren't dating when he died, but she was clearly upset by the news.

Ronda Rousey had a blast shooting her episode on "Blindspot"and wants to continue her role on the show into next season ... this according to Ronda and Dana White.

We spoke (briefly) with the UFC legend -- who shot her scenes for the NBC show 2 weeks ago -- and she tells us, "Blindspot was awesome. I really loved it. I hope I get to go back."