TV

Aaron Grissom -- best known for competing on Season 12 of 'Top Chef' -- is dead after an apparent motorcycle crash in Washington state.

Grissom died Tuesday after suffering "multiple blunt force injuries" in a traffic accident, according to the Pierce County medical examiner ... who ruled his death an accident.

According to a friend and former coworker, the wreck happened in the area of Chambers Bay.

Grissom was one of 16 contestants on "Top Chef: Boston" in 2014, though he wasn't much of a fan favorite, and got eliminated pretty early. While appearing on the show, he was actually a resident of L.A. and worked as a chef at North Hollywood's Bow & Truss.

Before that, he appeared in an episode of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" when the show covered Dirty Oscar's Annex in Tacoma ... where Aaron made a name for himself.

According to reports, he had been working as a restaurant chef in the Tacoma area recently again, and was also cooking for touring singers, including Billie Eilish, before the pandemic shut things down.

Aaron was 34.

Thirty years after the premiere of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," the Banks family's together again with one very surprising inclusion -- Janet Hubert, the OG Aunt Viv is back!!!

Will Smith shared a screen grab of himself and Janet smiling and laughing at each other, which might make ya think hell is about to freeze over ... because that's basically what she said would happen before this reunion could happen.

Hubert, who played Aunt Viv for the first 3 seasons, has repeatedly said she hated Will and blamed him for her firing. In fact, back in 2011, she said, "There will never be a reunion ... as I will never do anything with an a**hole like Will Smith."

Thankfully, somehow, they've buried the hatchet. Will also posted a pic of the rest of the fam gathered to shoot the special -- Alfonso Ribeiro who played Carlton, Tatyana Ali who played Ashley, Karyn Parsons who played Hilary, Joseph Marcell who played Geoffrey Butler the butler, DJ Jazzy Jeff who played Jazz and Daphne Reid who played v.2 of Aunt Vivian.

The only missing cast member was Uncle Phil ... you'll recall James Avery, passed away in 2013.

The 'Fresh Prince' reunion is expected to air on HBO Max sometime around Thanksgiving -- and don't forget about the new 30th Anniversary clothing line, which just launched. Talk about master marketing.

Will's got this teaser thing down pat, 'cause everyone's dying to know how he and Janet squashed their beef.

Carole Baskin's got the eye of the tiger as she prepares for her big "Dancing with the Stars" debut ... and she's practicing her moves in a way that would make Billy Idol proud.

Sources close to Carole tell TMZ ... she's been dancing with herself in her Los Angeles apartment during her downtime this week as she gets ready for her first 'DWTS' number.

Carole's gearing up for her first dance, which will be to "Eye of the Tiger," but we're told she's not practicing to any specific music ... just the music in her head.

With Carole only getting 3 to 4 hours a day of official 'DWTS' rehearsal, she's taking her work home ... we're told she feels she needs more practice and moved the furniture in her living room to create her own dance floor.

Carole's documenting her progress too ... we're told she's recording her practice dances on her phone so she can look back and see how far she's come.

Remember ... Carole studied hard and cheaply, before getting on the 'DWTS' set ... picking up her ballroom basics by watching video tutorials on YouTube.

With some rehearsals under her belt, we're told Carole is mostly focusing on dance steps and staying on tempo when she's home alone.

Carole's costume for her first number will have no feathers or fur, and our sources describe the outfit as a "sunset" with a lot of "cattitude" ... whatever that means.

We're told Carole instantly fell in love with the getup ... and she's already asked producers if she will be allowed to keep it or purchase it after the show, but producers haven't indicated a final decision.

"I Love New York" star Tiffany Pollard is coming back to reality TV dating with a bang ... sucking face with Kamal "Chance" Givens on his new show!!!

Tiffany is back in a BIG way on Chance's dating competition reality series, "One Mo' Chance" ... and this time she's the one doing the pursuing.

In this clip from the upcoming season, Tiffany returns and makes out with Chance. It's a big deal ... remember, Chance rose to fame pursuing Tiffany on VH1's "I Love New York" but came up short as the show's runner-up.

My how the tables have turned!!!

As we first told you ... Chance is starring in his own show this fall on the video-on-demand network, Zeus ... and it gives him another shot at love and allows him to share how his life has evolved since finishing second on "I Love New York."

Danica McKellar's still breaking hearts after all these years ... 'cause unless someone invents a time-traveling machine, there's ZERO chance of seeing her in the 'Wonder Years' reboot.

Danica was out Thursday in Studio City grabbing a cup of Joe when she was asked about her involvement in the reboot centered around a middle-class Black family in late-1960s Montgomery, Alabama. Naturally, fans wanna know if Winnie Cooper's making a cameo?!?

The short answer is ... nope. Danica explained why that would be more like 'Mission: Impossible" for her or Kevin to pop up in the reboot.

The new take on 'Wonder Years' -- which originally aired from 1988 to 1993 to critical acclaim -- is being executive produced by Lee Daniels, and the original star, Fred Savage, is also involved.

Jussie Smollett still insists the alleged assault he suffered in January 2019 is not a hoax, but now says there's evidence to back it up ... and suggests there are forces working against him to keep the truth hidden.

The former "Empire" star opened up about the infamous "hate crime" that went down in Chicago -- more than a year and a half ago -- in a rare interview, because he's over staying quiet about the case.

Jussie tells activist Marc Lamont Hill he doesn't believe the City of Chicago or law enforcement will ever stop going after him, and he believes they are trying to make an example out of him ... even though he claims he didn't do what he's accused of doing.

Smollett blasts police for focusing on winning the case instead of trying to solve it based on truth, and hints there may be a conspiracy against him because of that. As he puts it -- law enforcement is willing to throw people under the bus, get people to lie, and switch the narrative based on their agenda.

As for the lack of video evidence of Jussie being attacked ... he claims it's out there. He also says there are 2 witnesses who can corroborate his story of seeing 2 white men -- one of them carrying a rope -- before he was attacked.

Smollett says this evidence has been buried by a bunch of lies and misleading information, but there's more. Jussie claims there's a tape that shows the action leading up to his alleged assault, but it cuts off right before it happens.

He doesn't say outright who may have doctored the tape, but strongly implies the Chicago PD may have had a hand in it.

To sum it all up ... Smollett says he now realizes he was set up from the beginning to look like he was lying, and he thinks it has something to do with "the MAGA of it all."

It seems Jussie believes if his alleged attackers hadn't yelled something suggesting they were Trump supporters, things would be different ... but he concedes he doesn't know that for sure.

What he does know for sure is he's done trying to convince people ... and the truth will eventually come out.

We broke the story ... on Wednesday, the City of Chicago requested the FBI hand over its records about the Bureau's probe into the "hate crime" and what may have led up to it.

So Jussie's right ... this case isn't going away anytime soon.

A bunch of 'Big Brother' houseguests don't like being under the same roof as Ian Terry ... simply because he's autistic.

Ian's been pretty outspoken this season about being on the autism spectrum, but now his fellow houseguests, Christmas Abbott, Dani Briones, Nicole Franzel and Memphis Garrett, were caught on the live feeds yukking it up about Ian. They openly, and cruelly, mocked his self-soothing technique -- rocking back and forth during conversations --- and said it turns them off.

Dani was caught on the live feeds saying she can't even look at Ian sometimes because his constant movement stresses her out ... and Nicole agrees.

Christmas and Memphis join in the bullying and make things worse ... Memphis describes Ian as the "red rum" of the house, a reference to "The Shining."

The group shares a big ole laugh when Memphis claims he might have nightmares of Ian standing over his bed, rocking back and forth.

Unfortunately, this kind of bullying has become par for the course on 'Big Brother' -- which has dealt with multiple racist and misogynist issues over the years.

Folks online and BB alum aren't letting these houseguests off the hook, though ... calling them out for their "Mean Girls" like mocking of Ian.

Joe Exotic's team has great timing -- or awful, depending on your perspective -- as they're handing his pardon request to President Trump on a day when there's A LOT going on in the Oval Office.

The Tiger Team leader, Eric Love, flew into D.C. Wednesday night with Joe's lawyers, packing a 257-page document he calls 4 months worth of hard work ... and he tells us it fully proves Joe's innocent.

As Eric says, this is the team's second major attempt to grab the President's attention ... but this time around they have more than a huge bus to persuade him to pardon Joe, and are even more optimistic about their pitch.

We asked him if going to the White House as the President's embroiled in controversy over his recorded convos with Bob Woodward was a good idea.  Eric thinks this timing could work in Joe's favor, and Trump's too.

As we first told you, Joe's 257-page case argues various reasons why he should be pardoned from his 22-year murder-for-hire sentence ... including a claim that he was sexually assaulted behind bars.

Love apparently has an in at the White House to deliver the goods, and he tells us Joe is so focused on the mission, he's even moved past hating on his rival Carole Baskin ... and wishes her well on "Dancing with the Stars."

"Big Brother" fans are trying to rig the game by yelling over the show's studio wall to help certain houseguests with outside info ... and now CBS is beefing up security.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... several fans have been posting up the last several weeks a stone's throw away from the 'Big Brother' house, using bullhorns to send messages to try and help certain houseguests advance.

Our sources say the fans watch the show and scour the live feeds, so they're aware of cast members' game plans ... and the whole thing is becoming very disruptive.

We're told CBS security and LAPD were initially tasked with keeping an eye out on the fans, but things weren't getting better so CBS recently brought in a private security firm to help.

Our sources say security got into a foot pursuit with a male fan who attempted to scale a studio fence, but the guy ended up getting away after jumping into a getaway car.

BTW ... we're told the folks trying to send messages to houseguests are mostly in their 40s, with no young fans in sight.

With season 22 still in production, our sources say the LAPD is also becoming more visible in the area and keeping a close eye on the area where the fans keep gathering.

We're told there was also a drone scare and a rumor floating around social media that someone was going to hurl a banner over the fence ... but so far the fans on bullhorns are the biggest nuisance.

'BB' has been down this road before ... we're told in past seasons fans resorted to throwing tennis balls inscribed with messages over the fence and onto the studio lot in hopes of reaching contestants.

Michael Strahan is finally speaking out about the death of his father, Gene -- saying he's still in shock roughly a week after his passing.

"It’s been a little over a week since I lost my hero and it’s still hard to believe my dad is no longer with us physically," Strahan said ... "but I know his spirit lives on thru me and the rest of the family."

Gene Willie Strahan Sr. passed away earlier this month. He was 83.

No cause of death has been released. Michael and his family laid him to rest on Friday.

Michael and Gene were particularly close.

"The biggest goal in everything I’ve ever done was to make him proud," Michael said.

"Knowing that I did that gives me peace but also pushes me to continue because I know he’s watching from above."

The NFL Hall of Famer says he doesn't know where he'd be in life without his father -- crediting him for fueling his personal and professional success.

"Without him I’m not sure where I’d be but I know I wouldn’t have anything close to the life I have now. Love you Dad and I’m honored to be your son!!"

Strahan concluded his statement with advice to his fans.

"Take time to hug your parents, spouse and kids. Let them know how you feel and don’t take it for granted that they automatically know that you love them."

Gene was a U.S. Army veteran who enlisted in 1955 and went on to serve with the 82nd Airborne division.

He married his wife, Louise, in 1957 and they had 6 kids together.

Last week, Strahan's coworkers on "Good Morning America" paid tribute to Gene and the rest of the Strahan family.

Now, this is a story all about how Will Smith's life got flipped-turned upside down 30 years ago today ... and now "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" is going the fashion route to celebrate that momentous occasion.

All the chillin' out, maxin' and relaxin' all cool began for Will on September 10, 1990, when NBC aired the first episode of what would go on to become a quintessential '90s show.

To commemorate the premiere and the show's cultural impact ... a nostalgic 'Fresh Prince' clothing line -- featuring jackets, tees, sweatshirts, sweatpants, sock, hats, masks and bags -- just launched. It's inspired by Smith and his music partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff.

The "30th Anniversary" collection includes 30 items that either pay homage to Smith’s Philadelphia roots or his Bel-Air experience on the show ... like starring on the Bel-Air Academy basketball team.

Of course, the whole line is also dripping with '90s fashion trends.

The clothing launch comes amid a very exciting few weeks for 'Fresh Prince' fans, as the cast is reuniting to film an HBO Max special to air around Thanksgiving ... and a 2-season order was just picked up for a dramatized reboot of the classic sitcom.

Jazzy Jeff says... "This is really a celebration of a legacy and it’s incredible watching the series evolve into a fashion brand and influence an entirely new generation."

The limited-edition apparel is available now at the newly-launched Fresh Prince Store website.

"Keeping Up with the Kardashians" started as a savvy biz move and it's going out as one too -- the primary reason it's ending is all about extending the family empire.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... there are a number of reasons Kim, Kris and co. decided to close this chapter of their lives, but a major one had to do with the Kardashian brand getting way more play on social media outlets and through their personal businesses than on TV.

Fact is, the Kardashians used their series as a platform to plug themselves, their products, their businesses and anything else they saw fit to help them grow. But, as time went on and more people ditched cable TV ... the appeal of staying on the airwaves diminished.

Frankly, our sources say social media has largely replaced what 'Keeping Up' once provided. And, that's easy to see in the numbers -- each of the Kardashian sisters has millions upon millions of followers, so their reach there far outweighs anyone still tuning in to E!.

Of course, we're told ratings played into the decision too -- yes, the numbers were down, but we're told that's also been chalked up to people watching in different ways these days, including streaming.

Despite reports they pulled the plug over money -- namely, that Kris allegedly sought upwards of $40 mil per season for a handful of more years -- we're told the actual reasons are much less cutthroat. It was just time to move on, and chase opportunities elsewhere.

Kim -- who is not-so-arguably the face of the show -- has also become busy over the years taking care of her kids, businesses and, most recently, privately working through the struggles in her marriage ... which included Kanye's mental health issues.

We're told not one person or incident specifically ended the show.

Speaking of moving on, our sources say the Kardashian clan is planning to stay off-camera for a while and enjoy themselves, while reassessing what might be next for them as a unit.

The City of Chicago wants a judge to force the FBI to hand over records of the Bureau's probe into the Jussie Smollett case -- especially his claim he was the target of a racist and homophobic threat before the infamous alleged attack.

According to new docs, obtained by TMZ, the City wants to know what the FBI dug up related to a letter that was sent to Fox Studios in Chicago on January 22, 2019 -- a week before Jussie claims he was attacked. The letter contained an "unknown substance" and contained "racist and homophobic imagery and slurs" ... according to Jussie.

The City also wants the FBI records about the "attack" itself ... according to the docs. Basically, Chi-town officials want to know if the FBI uncovered any evidence about Jussie faking the threatening letter or his "attack."

What's interesting here is the docs show the FBI told the City disclosing any of the requested material would "reveal information acquired as part of an ongoing criminal investigation."

Bottom line is ... as of now the FBI is refusing to hand over its investigation results because it still hasn't closed the case.

You'll recall ... in the aftermath of Jussie's "attack," President Trump mentioned the FBI was looking into the situation.

Ryan Seacrest is reflecting on the lasting impact "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" made on reality TV ... and he's amazed by how Kim and co. turned their slice of show business into BIG business.

We got Ryan leaving ABC studios in New York City Wednesday and our camera guy asked what 'KUWTK' meant to entertainment now that the Kardashians are officially pulling the plug on their show next year.

Ryan, the show's creator and executive producer, told us what the show's lasting impact will be on TV -- but he's even more blown away by the fact every family member used it to create their own brands.

Look no further than BILLIONAIRE Kylie Jenner, the youngest of the OGs, to prove Ryan's point.

As you know ... Kim shouted out Ryan in announcing the end of the road for 'KUWTK,' sending him a big thanks "for believing in us."

Lily Allen and David Harbour did indeed get hitched in Las Vegas this weekend, and they did it right ... with an Elvis impersonator officiant and everything.

The couple tied the knot on Labor Day, according to their marriage certificate, and the singer-songwriter and the "Stranger Things" star shared a few pics of their ceremony from the Graceland Wedding Chapel. Classic!

The lovebirds look totally smitten and full of joy inside the chapel -- with Elvis singing away -- and outside on a Vegas street as Lily showed off her vintage white wedding dress and veil.

Apparently, a day full of love and marriage in Sin City works up your appetite ... Lily and the fam chowed down on some In-N-Out after the nuptials.

We broke the story ... David and Lily obtained a marriage license Sunday in Vegas, the first indication they were about to seal the deal.

Up until recently, they've been very private about being together -- with Lily revealing their engagement via a selfie back in May -- but they're letting it all out now.

David even pointed out that wildfires ravaging California and a pandemic affecting the whole world couldn't stop them from becoming husband and wife.

It's one thing to bring back "The Golden Girls" for a reboot with superstars Regina King, Tracee Ellis Ross, Sanaa Lathan and Alfre Woodard -- but the table read event went over the top with its version of "Thank You for Being a Friend."

The first episode of "Zoom Where it Happens" aired last night and featured the award-winning cast doing a live table read of the 'GG' episode entitled "Flu" -- and the women got an awesome intro from Aaron Scott.

The viral video sensation added some serious soul to the show's classic theme song that you really gotta see and hear.

Aaron's gospel-tinged remix went viral back in 2016, and it was popularized again recently by TikTok. It obviously struck a note with the producers of the 'Golden Girls' reboot.

The new event was presented to "raise awareness, intention, and activation around voting rights." Mission accomplished, we're guessing, because fans raved about the show ... and are already clamoring for another episode.

When, and if they do, we know who'll be doing the theme.