TV

Jim Fowler -- the famous zoologist who made tons of appearances alongside Johnny Carson on the 'Tonight Show' and made a cameo on "Seinfeld" -- has died.

The longtime co-host of "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" died Wednesday at his home in Norwalk, Connecticut ... according to his family. The cause of death is unclear.

Fowler worked at a raptor sanctuary in Florida before landing his show 'Wild Kingdom' in 1963 ... co-hosting with fellow zoologist Marlin Perkins before going solo from 1985 to 1988. The show was later revived in 2002 and it aired until 2011.

Fowler, of course, appeared in over 100 episodes alongside Johnny Carson and also served as a wildlife correspondent for 'Today.' Fowler and Carson were tight ... to the point both families all went on a vacation to Africa after the 'Tonight' host retired.

Fowler was huge in the bird world ... becoming the first man to successfully trap a harpy eagle and bring it back alive in the U.S.

"Seinfeld" fans will remember him for his appearance on season 9 of the hit series ... "The Merv Griffin Show" episode. Kramer invited Fowler for his animals segment of the show. Fowler brings a hawk which hilariously attacked George Costanza, who was holding a squirrel.

Fowler was born in 1930 in Albany, Georgia. He was a standout baseball player who fielded offers from the Yankees and Phillies. Fowler was also rather tall ... standing an intimidating 6-foot-6.

But, he was a big softy when it came to all animals. The "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom" wrote on its page Fowler's mission as a naturalist was to "educate the public about wildlife specifies throughout the world and how to preserve environments for both animals and humans."

4:30 PM PT -- Jenelle just issued a statement ... "My mom and I had conversations with Marriage Boot Camp: Family Edition years ago, but David and i have never been approached by the show. We don't have any plans to appear on Marriage Boot Camp, and any claims otherwise are false." For the record, our Jenelle and show sources insist there were discussions, but everyone backed off because of the backlash.

WE tv claims they have no plan to put Jenelle Evans and David Eason on "Marriage Boot Camp" -- despite what we know, that the show has already told Jenelle they want them -- and now we've learned there's a contract in place with an acknowledgment that David poses a danger.

Production sources tell TMZ ... folks at "Marriage Boot Camp" have a contract in hand with one big caveat -- before they put David on the show, they want him evaluated by a psychologist to determine if he's a safety risk to Jenelle, the other cast members and the crew.

We're told if David doesn't pass muster with the shrink, he will NOT be on the show and neither will Jenelle.

The concern is real ... aside from brutally killing the family dog last week, Jenelle has claimed in the past he attacked her and his obsession with guns, along with his mental instability, is downright scary.

People connected to "Marriage Boot Camp" say they now think there's a chance WE tv might pull the plug on the plan -- although that has not happened yet -- because after TMZ posted the story that they were offered a spot on the show the network was flooded with negative comments.

As we told you ... "Marriage Boot Camp" has been trying to recruit the couple for 2 years, but their MTV deal with "Teen Mom 2" kept them from signing on. When Jenelle got fired this week -- in wake of David killing the family dog, Nugget -- it cleared the path for them to be on 'Boot Camp.'

As of now, Jenelle is still living with David at the family home with three children and the remaining pets.

50 Cent is dropping a bombshell, revealing he's shutting down "Power" after its upcoming season, but on-set drama is not to blame -- he just wants to ride off into the sunset on a high note.

Sources close to production on the hit series tell TMZ ... 50 wants the show to go out on top, because he's seen too many other series run themselves into the ground. "Power" is still hugely successful as it enters its 6th season on Starz.

While there's speculation that drama between Fiddy and Randall Emmett is behind the decision to pull the plug ... we're told that's simply not the case, and there's no lingering beef between the fellow executive producers.

You'll recall ... Fiddy's character, Kanan Stark, died last season, and we're told that's no coincidence ... because 50 wanted more time to get started working on other projects, including "Power" spin-offs, which are already being developed.

As we first told you ... 50 inked an 8-figure deal with Starz back in 2017 to bring 3 more projects to life, and the contract runs through this September.

JUNGLE BOY IS BACK!!!

David Arquette got beat up in public Wednesday night -- and the man who served up the smackdown is Jack Perry, son of Luke Perry.

Jack -- aka Jungle Boy -- had taken a hiatus from pro wrestling after his father passed away in March, but he took over the Bootleg Theater in L.A. Wednesday night where he put on a helluva show at Bar Wrestling's "It's Gonna Be May" event.

There were some high-flying acrobatics -- some brute power moves -- and finally, an athletic pin to seal the victory over Arquette.

After the match, Arquette wasn't bitter about the loss -- in fact, he was RAVING about Jungle Boy ... calling him one of the "greatest wrestlers working right now."

"He's just got so much talent, so much heart," Arquette told us ... "He's incredible. He's super smart."

Rick Schroder's bad month just got a lot worse ... he's been dropped by his entire team in wake of his domestic violence arrests.

Sources close to the former "NYPD Blue" star tell TMZ ... his agent, manager and PR people have severed ties with him as a result of 2 recent altercations with his girlfriend that could lead to felony charges.

We're told Schroder also got axed from his current gig, but it's unclear what he was working on. Truth is, he hasn't been seen in an acting role since 'Dolly Parton's Christmas of Many Colors' TV movie in 2016, but he did produce the 2017 war documentary, "The Volunteers."

More bad news for Rick ... law enforcement sources tell us even though prosecutors declined charges against Schroder after his April 2 arrest -- for allegedly hitting his girlfriend in the face and grabbing her hair -- the case could still be reopened.

We broke the story ... Schroder was then arrested a second time 30 days later on May 1 for felony domestic violence for allegedly striking his girlfriend again.

We're told his second arrest looks worse now because of the first ... so prosecutors have more to work with in building their case against him.

The D.A.'s Office declined to comment.

5/9 8:50 AM PT -- According to the divorce docs, obtained by TMZ, Leah says they separated on April 17, 2019. She's asking the court to award neither her or A.J. spousal support.

A.J. Trauth -- who rose to fame playing Alan Twitty on "Even Stevens" -- is getting divorced from his actress wife after nearly 5 years of marriage.

A.J.'s wife, Leah Marie Trauth, filed divorce docs Wednesday ... but the reason behind the split remains unclear.

The former couple tied the knot back in December 2014 in a ceremony in Santa Barbara. They did not have any kids together.

A.J. and Leah first met when they were teenagers, and their relationship turned romantic in 2011 ... about two and a half years later, A.J. got down on one knee to propose and they got engaged on Christmas Day in 2013.

On "Even Stevens" A.J.'s character was best friends with Louis Stevens, played by Shia LaBeouf. He appeared in 57 episodes across 3 seasons.

Leah is also a Disney alum ... and she was in the 2004 Disney movie "Pixel Perfect." Leah also starred in the slasher film "Sorority Row" as well as the CW's "The Originals."

"Little Women: LA" star Christy Gibel says she needs court-ordered protection against her husband, and she needs it now ... TMZ has learned.

The reality TV star filed court docs Wednesday in L.A. County asking a judge to grant her a temporary restraining order against her hubby of 5 years -- Todd Gibel.

Our Christy sources claim Todd has been making life for her and her 19-year-old daughter from another relationship miserable in a number of threatening ways. For one, Christy says Todd has been impersonating her via email and shutting her out of her social media accounts. She also suspects he's been ripping up her mail.

On a more petty level ... Christy says Todd's been doing stuff like unnecessarily raising the temperature in the house to unbearable levels. For that reason and others ... Christy says she fears for her life and needs a force field between her and Todd.

The married couple has certainly been going through a tough time lately, as Todd has been battling depression. He told us late last month that he'd be seeking treatment to better his condition -- which he explained was severely affecting his marriage to Christy.

At the time, Todd said ... "Right now Christy and I still live together, but we are just co-existing."

There's been more drama at home, it seems, in recent days -- social media posts Todd's been putting up paint a picture of constant arguing over family coming to visit and their dogs.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ, Todd even called cops late Sunday night ... complaining about Christy's pup not shutting its yap when her niece came to visit. We're told cops instructed them to figure it out amongst themselves.

They tried doing that by boarding all three of their dogs up for a day -- Monday, we're told -- but it appears Todd's now fighting with Christy about that too ... saying she's not releasing his own dog, Elvis, to him and holding it hostage against his will.

12:21 PM PT -- The network from his 2-season show tells TMZ, "The DIY Network family is sorry to hear about the passing of Troy Dean Shafer, a dedicated, driven entrepreneur and restoration expert who was admired by everyone who worked on the series."

They conclude, "We continue to extend our deepest condolences to Troy's family and friends during this difficult time."

"Nashville Flipped" star Troy Shafer died unexpectedly at the age of 38 ... according to his brother.

Troy's brother, Tim, tells us the TV star died in his sleep on April 28. We're told the entire family is in shock because Troy didn't have any known medical conditions.

The coroner's office in Erie, PA confirms an autopsy was not performed on Troy's body, but a toxicology report will be finalized in the coming weeks.

Troy was laid to rest last week, at a very small private burial for his family.

Troy rose to fame by saving, restoring and flipping dozens of historic homes in Nashville ... with a film crew from the DIY Network following him around. Troy and his team specialized in customizing historic properties to fit the design of a certain era.

Before he was a reality TV star, Troy moved to Nashville with dreams of pursuing a career in music ... but he eventually realized his construction background and talent for restoring historic homes was his big ticket, so he started his home renovation business, Nashville Flipped.

He grew up in Erie, Penn., and graduated from Penn State University.

Troy was 38.

RIP

1:17 PM PT -- WE tv finally got back to us, and it sounds like the network is trying to distance itself from the "Marriage Boot Camp" folks who reached out to Jenelle's peeps, because a spokesperson just said, "WE tv has no plans to cast Jenelle Evans on Marriage Boot Camp."

Jenelle Evans isn't missing a beat after getting booted from "Teen Mom 2" ... because we've learned she's already been approached by "Marriage Boot Camp," and our sources say she and her husband, David Eason, will be doing the show.

Our sources say the folks at "Marriage Boot Camp" have been trying to get Jenelle and David on the show for 2 years, but MTV -- which produces "Teen Mom 2" -- has always said no. We're told one MTV exec even warned her not to do 'Boot Camp' because it would ruin her image.

But, now the decks are cleared, and we're told Jenelle and David are both game.

And, that's not the end of it ... we're told Jenelle is going to New York City next week to meet with producers of other shows. It's uncertain if networks are interested in a package deal -- Jenelle and David -- or just Jenelle alone, but it's a safe bet everyone wants both.

And, we have more info on why Jenelle got fired from "Teen Mom 2." As we reported, David killing the family dog was the last straw, but now we know what a problem it created for MTV. We're told Briana DeJesus, who also appears on "Teen Mom 2" was shooting in Florida and 2 restaurants refused to allow the show to film because the restaurant owners were so upset over the dog killing.

We're also told there were similar problems in other states as well.

Short story ... Jenelle has lost 6 figures after getting fired from MTV, but she's still marketable.

We've reached out to "Marriage Boot Camp," so far, no word back.

How did one of the world's best soccer players react to meeting the Fresh Prince of Bel Air???

HE LOST HIS FREAKIN' MIND!!!!

Neymar and Will Smith connected for the first time ever Wednesday ... and the Brazilian star's reaction to seeing the "Aladdin" actor was priceless.

The unsuspecting footballer was on the phone when Big Willy walked in ... and as soon as Smith got his attention -- Neymar dropped the call and went wild.

They shook hands ... Neymar couldn't believe it ... Smith was laughing ... and good times were had by all.

"One of the Best days of my life!!!" Neymar said.

Unclear why the two linked up -- but it appears it was for an event put on by Otro, a news app that promises fans a deep look into the life of soccer's biggest stars.

Kim Kardashian is more popular in prisons than ever -- and that's saying a lot -- because scores of inmates are reaching out now that word is out she can offer non-violent offenders a path to freedom.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Kim and her team of high-powered attorneys are now inundated with letters, calls, emails and social media messages from people who are incarcerated, or the relatives of prisoners. We're told they're all seeking help to get released.

It's no secret why. TMZ broke the story ... Kim successfully helped release 17 inmates in the last few months by funding the 90 days of Freedom campaign -- which is spearheaded by lawyers Brittany K. Barnett and MiAngel Cody of the Decarceration Collective.

The people they've been helping are inmates who were serving unduly long prison sentences -- many of them life -- for low-level drug offenses.

Barnett and Cody are utilizing the newly signed First Step Act as grounds for the releases.

We're told Kim receives hundreds of letters each week -- not to mention the flood of letters and calls made to the attorney's offices as well -- and those numbers don't even come close to the social media tags Kim gets.

To be clear, this is not a rubber stamp process. On the contrary, our sources say Kim is setting aside time each night to sift through many of the inmates' stories -- and Brittany and MiAngel are doing the same. If Kim sees a case she feels strongly about, she brings to the team for further research.

When Kim started her mission, inmates referred to her as "The Princess of Prison Reform" ... we're told that nickname has stuck too.

TBH, since our post about Kim and the 90 Days of Freedom ... our own office phones have been blowing up with people trying to get in touch with her for prison help.

Rick Singer, the man who pulled all the strings in the massive college admissions bribery case, is living the Porsche lifestyle while the clients he ratted out face years in prison.

Shirtless Rick was chillin' at a public pool Tuesday in St. Petersburg, Florida ... when a staffer from C13Originals spotted him and fired off questions ... but the mastermind was impenetrable.

As we reported ... Rick copped a plea to racketeering conspiracy, tax conspiracy, money laundering and obstruction of justice. He faces a maximum of 65 years in prison, but he'll get way less for turning on those from who he richly profited.

Rick, who raked in more than $25 mil from wealthy parents like Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, has already been forced to forfeit millions ... but he's still got a fancy set of wheels.

"Jeopardy" phenom James Holzhauer says if he had to compare himself to a pro athlete, he'd DEFINITELY go with DeShaun Watson ... because he can do it all!!!

Holzhauer -- who's chasing Ken Jennings for most winnings in "Jeopardy" history -- appeared on FS1's "Lock It In" on Tuesday to talk about his pre-game show life as a pro sports bettor.

During the show, Holzhauer said he was a hardcore online poker player before making the jump to sports gambling -- but now he puts together complex mathematical models to find an advantage when it comes to wagering on games.

Holzhauer says he bets on everything from football to hockey to college basketball -- and LOVES to make in-game wagers because he thinks he has an edge because the oddsmakers don't have enough time to set an accurate line.

And, just to prove he ALWAYS wins, Holzhauer told the guys he bet on the Rams to beat the Saints in the 2018 NFC championship game ... but he had 3.5 points, so he didn't care which team kicked the winning field goal in overtime!!!

One last thing ... Holzhauer wasn't afraid to talk TRASH to the hosts of the show. When asked which host would do the best on "Jeopardy," James told the group whichever person is smart enough to "keep your trap shut" for the entire game so they wouldn't fall below $0.

Julian Assange won't survive extradition to the United States, because he may be a marked man ... so fears Pamela Anderson.

The former "Baywatch" star came on "TMZ Live" Tuesday hours after she visited Assange in prison and told us she's deathly afraid for his safety no matter where Assange is ... America, or otherwise.

As you know … Assange was forcibly removed from the Ecuadorean Embassy in the UK last month after the country withdrew his asylum. The United States has accused Assange of conspiring with Chelsea Manning to hack a classified Pentagon computer and wants the Wikileaks founder extradited to the U.S. to stand trial. He's currently in a maximum security facility in London.

Pam, a huge advocate for her friend Assange, believes there’s no chance he would withstand extradition … and she’s fighting like hell to make sure Julian isn’t extradited, telling us it's a matter of life and death.

Luann de Lesseps admitted to downing 2 mimosas ... and that's landed her a date in court with a judge.

The 'Real Housewives of New York' star told her probation officer last week she drank "2 glasses of mimosas after a performance" in Chicago ... according to docs obtained by TMZ. That, of course, is a HUGE no-no because she's supposed to lay off booze for a year under the plea deal in her 2017 Christmas Eve bust.

The probation officer presented Luann with 2 solutions -- immediately enroll in outpatient treatment for the failed sobriety test or submit to wearing an ankle monitor. According to the NY Post, Luann refused both ... saying her schedule's too busy for treatment, and the ankle monitor was too intrusive.

As a result, she's now due in court on May 23 for a probation violation hearing.

Not coincidentally, we think, Luann was accused back in February of not taking her probation seriously.

"Game of Thrones" fans had their fun, but now it's over ... HBO has digitally removed that disposable coffee cup seen sitting on a table next to Daenerys Targaryen from Sunday's episode.

As we reported ... the cup became the unexpected star of episode 4 of the hit show's final season when eagle-eyed viewers spotted it onscreen -- hardly for a second -- during a scene in "The Last of the Starks" while Tormund praises Jon Snow.

People originally believed the cup was from Starbucks, but 'GoT' Art Director Hauke Richter told us it's from a local coffee shop in Banbridge, Northern Ireland ... where they filmed.

Fans were shocked that 'Thrones' would make such a boneheaded mistake, but the show owned up to it ... with a double shot of humor.

HBO says the cup has now been edited out in the current episode available on HBO Go and will not be seen in any encore presentations or streaming/DVD versions going forward.