TV

If you're wondering when Lisa Vanderpump's relationship with the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" castmates went down the toilet ... look no further than Dorit Kemsley's dog.

Sources say the ongoing feud between Lisa and the castmates started back in September because some Housewives believe Lisa planted a story accusing Dorit of giving up a dog she got from Lisa's rescue biz.

We're told the cast thinks Lisa went all holier than thou -- putting out the story while simultaneously denying it and playing peacemaker. You'll recall, we caught up with LV a day after the story broke. We're told the clip set off such a crap storm between the ladies, it will be referenced in the upcoming season of 'RHOBH.'

Our sources connected to Lisa denied she had anything to do with the Dorit dog drama, and they maintain that to this day. We're told she only decided to talk to our photog in an attempt to set the record straight and protect Dorit.

It's been downhill since then. As you know, 'RHOBH' cast members have felt Lisa's isolated herself from them. For her part, LV's said she wasn't as involved in season 9 because of her brother's sudden death.

Of course, the latest brouhaha came this week after Kyle Richards says she misinterpreted a pap's question about Lisa not attending Andy Cohen's baby shower.

Donald Trump -- the man who complained the NFL was eliminating too many big hits -- admits tackle football is "a dangerous sport" and he'd have a "hard time" allowing his son to play.

POTUS sat down with CBS News' Margaret Brennan who asked Trump if he would allow 12-year-old Barron play football if he wanted to.

"It’s very, it’s a very tough question," Trump said ... "It’s a very good question. If he wanted to? Yes. Would I steer him that way? No, I wouldn’t."

When asked to elaborate, Trump said, "I just don’t like the reports that I see coming out having to do with football -- I mean, it’s a dangerous sport and I think it’s really tough."

He added, "I thought the equipment would get better, and it has. The helmets have gotten far better, but it hasn’t solved the problem."

"So, you know I hate to say it because I love to watch football. I think the NFL is a great product, but I really think that as far as my son -- well I’ve heard NFL players saying they wouldn’t let their sons play football. So ... it’s not totally unique, but I would have a hard time with it."

Back in 2017, Trump complained that the NFL "ruining the game," by calling too many penalties on big hits.

Jussie Smollett stood tall Saturday night as he made his first public appearance since Tuesday's attack, telling hundreds of fans, "I had to be here tonight. I couldn't let these motherf*****s win."

Jussie performed in WeHo at the famed Troubadour in front of a packed audience of 400 and generally addressed the incident in Chicago. He told the crowd he's okay and still healing.

He asked for solidarity and the crowd was with him, as he said, "I'm going to stand strong with y'all."

At the end of the show, Jussie lit up the stage with a call to action about being black, being gay and being proud. The crowd went absolutely wild.

As Jussie left the venue you can still see signs of the bruising he suffered on the streets of Chicago. TMZ broke the story, Jussie told cops he was walking home from a 2 AM Subway run when 2 men hurled homophobic and racial slurs at him, attacked him and screamed "MAGA country."

Police are still investigating.

Bill Maher's at it again -- he made yet another joke on his show many people are calling racist ... but this time he said it right to a black congressman's face.

Bill was interviewing Rep. Will Hurd from Texas during the one-on-one segment of 'Real Time' Friday night when he challenged Hurd to explain why he's a member of the Republican Party ... especially since he came from the CIA.

Hurd replied, "I was in the CIA for almost a decade. I was the dude in the back alleys at 4 o’clock in the morning collecting intelligence on threats to the homeland," ... to which Maher commented, "That's where they'd collect them, huh?"

It got some laughs, but then Bill added ... "Wow, by the Popeyes chicken."

Neither the audience nor Hurd seemed to really react to the comment, but it's getting a lot of backlash online. Of course, this isn't a first for Maher -- in June 2017 he dropped the n-word on his show while making a joke ... and later apologized.

The infamous glasses Ted Bundy owned to disguise himself and elude authorities have a new owner ... Zak Bagans.

The "Ghost Adventures" star tells TMZ ... he dropped a whopping $50k after a crime collectibles site put the bifocals up for sale. The glasses are also believed to have been worn by Bundy when he abducted 12-year-old Kimberly Leach in Lake City, FL, back in 1978.

Along with the glasses, Bagans got the original brown evidence bag complete with the exhibit tag ... and a crime scene photo showing the glasses inside the Volkswagen Beetle Bundy stole before he was pulled over, and finally arrested for his heinous crimes.

You can now guess where all these items are headed -- Zak's Haunted Museum in Vegas.

As you know ... Bagans has tons of creepy stuff, including this, this, this, this and, oddly enough, this. And, just like all those freakish items ... the glasses will have their own, specially designated area.

Bagans tells us the glasses will be behind a jail exhibit, made out of real jail bars. He says, "It's incredible to know that the eyes of pure evil looked out of these glasses at his victims and the pure hell of what these glasses saw."

He adds, "I shall forever keep them locked up inside my Haunted Museum's real jail exhibit where they belong!"

Jussie Smollett will not get up close and personal with his fans in L.A. this weekend, and it's because there are concerns about his safety just days after the Chicago attack ... TMZ has learned.

Jussie's playing a sold-out show at the famous Troubador Saturday night ... and he was scheduled to have a meet-and-greet session -- but it's been canceled.

An email was sent Friday afternoon to all ticketholders that reads, in part, "For security reasons we cannot accommodate any meet & greets." The email doesn't refer to any specific threat.

The fact Jussie's even going through with the show is a minor miracle. It was just Tuesday morning that Jussie says 2 men jumped him in Chicago, beat him, poured bleach on him and left a rope around his neck. He suffered a broken rib in the attack.

5:08 PM PT -- Jerry's attorney, Orin Snyder, tells TMZ, "Jerry has been working in good faith to get to the bottom of this matter. He has asked Fica Frio for evidence to substantiate the allegations. Fica Frio ignored Jerry and instead filed this frivolous lawsuit."

He continued, "Jerry consigned the car to Gooding and Company, an auction house, which is responsible for the sale. Nevertheless, Jerry is willing to do what's right and fair, and we are confident the court will support the need for an outside evaluator to examine the provenance of the car."

Jerry Seinfeld has a hit show involving cars, and now he has a lawsuit involving one.

According to the lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Jerry auctioned off a 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GS/GT Carrera Speedster and the winning bid was a whopping $1.54 million.

The buyer, FICA FRIO Ltd., says the authentication of the vehicle was bogus. What's more ... the buyer is saying Jerry intentionally misrepresented the authenticity of the whip. The suit says in the history file of the Porsche, the person who sold it to Jerry said, "Unfortunately we do not have a lot of information on the 1958 Porsche 356 A 1500 GT Carrera Speedster. We purchased the car from a broker who would not take me to the cars (sic) original location to meet the family that owned it originally."

The buyer took the car to one of the world's foremost historic Porsche dealers who expressed concern about the authenticity, and an investigation revealed it wasn't the real deal. On June 21, 2018, the suit claims Jerry called a rep for the buyer and left a voicemail that said he wanted to "offer my apology for this nuisance and assure you that you will be completely indemnified in full and not have to keep the car and get all your money back."

Porsche built only 151 Carrera Speedsters between 1955 and 1959, and fewer than 90 had the GS/GT trim the buyer thought he was getting.

The buyer says he didn't get his money, and is now suing to rescind the sale and get his money back. He's also suing for punitive damages.

We reached out to Seinfeld ... so far, no word back.

Originally Published -- 3:10 PM PT

Neal James -- known as "Banjo Man" on the popular Animal Planet series, "Call of the Wildman" -- has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The Washington County Coroner's Office tells TMZ, James had been battling heart issues for years now. He died of natural causes at his Kentucky home.

James became a sensation on the reality show, due largely in part to his friendship with the show's star ... "The Turtleman" Ernie Brown Jr. He endeared himself to fans with his twangy voice, easy-going attitude, long beard and, of course, his banjo.

It wasn't long ago when James suffered a heart attack ... prompting him to take to YouTube and say he's "seen the other side" and it's beautiful, but he was in no hurry to get there. James thanked his friends, family and the medical community for helping him continue living.

Seems the ice has thawed between Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Donald Trump -- because Kraft just praised POTUS on live TV ... and thanked him for his support of the team in the Super Bowl.

Kraft appeared on "Fox & Friends" early Friday morning where was asked how he felt about Trump sending a congratulatory tweet to the Patriots following their big win in the AFC Championship game.

"We can use every fan who wants to support us from wherever they are in their standard of life," Kraft said.

When asked if he's spoken with Trump -- or gotten advice from the President -- Kraft continued to throw nice words Trump's way.

"I have a lot of people who give me advice and he's been very supportive and I know he's working very hard to serve the best interest of the country."

It's interesting considering the relationship between Kraft and Trump has been rocky over the past few years.

The two were VERY close for years but then clashed in April over Trump's handling of the Colin Kaepernick kneeling situation.

Remember, Trump called for NFL owners to fire any "son of a bitch" who doesn't stand for the anthem.

Kraft called Trump's statements "divisive" and "horrible."

But, it seems it's all water under the bridge now.

Makes us wonder if Trump is also repairing his relationship with Tom Brady -- who he was also very close with.

However, Gisele has become a very outspoken critic of Trump ever since he took office and Tom and Trump have seemingly had a falling out.

But now, with Trump publicly supporting Brady again ... it'll be interesting to see if Tom returns the love.

8:20 AM PT -- Jussie's broken his silence on his attack, stating ... "Let me start by saying that I'm OK. My body is strong but my soul is stronger." He then expressed thanks, saying ... "The outpouring of love and support from my village has meant more than I will ever be able to truly put into words."

As for the investigation, Smollett says he's working with authorities and has been 100 percent factual and consistent. He says, "Despite my frustrations and deep concern with certain inaccuracies and misrepresentations that have been spread, I still believe justice will be served."

Jussie also reiterated his family's statement -- these sorts of attacks are happening daily ... and his wasn't an isolated incident. He says he'll address the details of the "horrific incident" soon, but adds ... "Most importantly, during times of trauma, grief and pain, there is still a responsibility to lead with love, It's all I know. And that can't be kicked out of me."

Jussie Smollett did not refuse to hand over phone records to cops ... rather, he didn't want to turn over his phone ... sources directly connected to Jussie tell TMZ.

The sources say cops "informally asked" Jussie if he would surrender his phone ... to verify he was talking to his manager on his cell when he was attacked. We're told he felt "uncomfortable" doing that and declined, but he was never asked about phone records. A Chicago police official had said Jussie refused to turn over both the phone and records. We're told Smollett has already said he will provide the records, and is in the process of gathering them.

The sources want to clear up 2 other points. First, there are reports that Jussie told cops his assailants were wearing MAGA hats. The sources underscore what TMZ first reported ... that Jussie never said the men were wearing the hats. Rather, they screamed "MAGA country."

And the last point ... there are reports that Jussie had the rope around his neck long after the incident when he was being treated at the hospital. We're told that is not the case. He did have the rope around his neck when cops arrived at his building 42 minutes after the incident. The sources say he kept it there to "preserve the evidence."

Bill Cosby isn't America's favorite dad anymore, but he's up there on the list of favorite prisoners at the State Correctional Institute Phoenix ... so says his spokesperson.

Andrew Wyatt tells TMZ ... he's visited Cosby at the Pennsylvania prison more than a dozen times, and whenever the disgraced TV father enters the visiting area, other inmates and their families shower him with cheers and applause.

We're told the adoration doesn't stop there -- one of the convicted sex offender's biggest supporters is a white, female correction staff officer who grew up watching "The Cosby Show."

Wyatt says the other guards are also very respectful -- they call him Mr. Cosby -- and the comedian often jokes around and regales them with stories ... especially of his days on "I Spy."

On top of getting the celeb treatment, we're told the other inmates and their visitors let Cosby know they think it's wrong he's locked up ... and blame a "corrupt" judge and DA in Montgomery County for his conviction.

Wyatt's statement to the media when Cosby was sentenced in September -- he called the trial "the most racist and sexist trial in the history of the United States" -- echo this sentiment.

There's a photo circulating trying to pin Colton Underwood as a non-virgin long before his reign on "The Bachelor" ... but, rest assured, he hadn't swiped his v-card before his reality TV debut.

Sources close to Colton tell TMZ ... the Snapchat photo of a young Colton is legit. We're told Colton admits the person is him from YEARS before he set foot in the 'Bachelor' franchise. But, our Colton sources are making it clear -- the caption is ONE MILLION PERCENT FAKE.

For those who still use Snapchat (clearly not you, Kylie) it's not that hard to grab anyone's picture, make up a caption, screenshot the post and then spread it like wildfire across various social media platforms. That's exactly what our Colton sources say went down.

The fake Snapchat post started circulating earlier this week ... adding fuel to the conspiracy theory shared by a small, but vocal group of dissenters who think Colton's v-card act is total BS.

Our Colton sources are adamant -- the ex-NFL athlete was as pure as Mary (yeah, THAT one) before starting his reality TV run. Emphasis on before.

It's unclear if he went the distance while shooting 'Bachelor.'

Jussie Smollett is back in Los Angeles and ready to get in front of a microphone -- with a show this weekend -- and we're told it's likely he'll address the Chicago attack.

The "Empire" star landed in L.A. Thursday, two days after the Chicago incident. Jussie has a concert Saturday night at the legendary Troubadour, and we're told the show will go on.

Tickets for the venue -- which has a capacity of 400 -- were available Tuesday, but with all the hubbub it's now sold out. The tickets were going for $20-$35 a pop, but they're being resold for 70 bucks and more.

We're told Jussie, who still bears scars and swelling, will almost certainly make reference to homophobia, racism and MAGA.

As we reported ... Chicago police are on the hunt for two persons of interest who were across the street from Jussie just before the incident.

Jussie's family said Thursday this was a case of domestic terrorism fueled by hate speech, which seemed like a shot at Trump.

Netflix is being sued by the company that carries the torch for Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh -- aka Osho -- who was featured in the hit documentary, "Wild Wild Country."

Osho International Foundation claims in a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, the documentary stole "substantial portion" of Osho's copyrighted works. For instance, the lawsuit claims the first episode alone includes 88 discreet instances of appropriation.

The Netflix documentary chronicles the Rajneeshpuram takeover of a small town in Oregon in the 1980s. The production was a massive hit for the streaming service ... earning 5 nominations for Primetime Emmys, and winning for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.

The suit claims Osho International gave Netflix a heads up in 2018 of the infringement, but got no response back.

Jussie Smollett's family is squarely addressing people who may doubt his story about being viciously attacked, and in the process they seem to be placing some of the blame on President Trump.

Jussie's family just gave TMZ a statement, saying the actor's story has never changed, and he is one of the increasing numbers of hate crime victims. They go on to say, "Hateful words lead to hateful actions." This seems pointed at the President, particularly because Jussie says the attackers screamed "MAGA Country" as they left.

The family says, "This was a racial, homophobic hate crime ... We want people to understand these targeted hate crimes are happening to our sisters, brothers and our gender non-conforming siblings."

The statement goes on ... "These are inhumane acts of domestic terrorism and they should be treated as such." They also make it clear Jussie won't be silenced by the attack, saying ... "We, as a family, will continue to work for love, equity and justice until it reigns supreme."

The family's strong words come just hours after Trump finally reacted to the attack ... although he didn't say anything about the MAGA connection.

As we've reported ... cops have confirmed with us they have video of Jussie with a rope draped around his neck as he walks through the lobby of his building. That video was captured by a building surveillance camera.

On top of that, police released photos of 2 persons of interest -- via shadowy surveillance footage -- in the area of the alleged attack about 15-30 minutes before it went down.

There is video of Jussie entering his apartment building with a rope around his neck, but so far cops don't have video of the attack.

And, as we told you ... a woman who lives in Jussie's building says she saw a suspicious man -- whom she said looked like a "redneck" -- loitering just near the entrance to the building an hour and a half before Jussie says he was attacked.