TV

Bob Saget did not die of a heart attack or a stroke -- which authorities believed was the case -- we've learned the cause of death was more shocking and tragic.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... after checking into the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Orlando on January 9, he hit his head on something. We're told authorities don't know what object he hit -- possibly the headboard -- but there was an obvious bruise on the back of his head.

Authorities believe Bob did not know the severity of the injury and got under the covers and went to sleep. We're told he never woke up and died from a brain bleed.

We're also told the toxicology report has come back and there were no narcotics or alcohol in his system.

TMZ broke the story ... Bob had just finished a gig at a comedy club in Jacksonville, Florida and then drove to the Ritz in Orlando ... arriving there just after 2 AM. His body was discovered in the room by hotel security at 4 PM.

UPDATE:  We just got a statement from Bob's family ... "Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities' investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us. The authorities have determined that Bob passed away from head trauma. They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved."

Rings, Hobbits, wizards, elves and even that creepy Gollum dude ... all things 'Lord of the Rings" are hitting the open market, but you're probably gonna have to outbid Jeff Bezos to get it.

Here's the deal ... The Saul Zaentz Company currently owns rights to the universe and characters created by J.R.R. Tolkien -- or almost all of 'em, anyway -- and has since 1976, but it's now reportedly ready to sell for at least $2 BILLION!!!

This might sound a little confusing, because as you know Warner Bros. (through ownership of New Line Cinema) made Peter Jackson's enormously profitable 'Rings' trilogy from the early 2000s, and 3 'Hobbit' films in the 2010s.

More currently ... Amazon is getting ready to roll out its "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" series on Prime.

So, here's how that all shakes out -- SZC has been battling WB over its share of profits from the 6 films, and reportedly believes it's reclaimed the movie rights because WB hasn't developed any new projects since 2014's 'Battle of the Five Armies.' So, lawyers will have to settle that part of the deal.

Amazon bought its rights back in 2017 due to a loophole in SZC's ownership that allows for the sale of TV rights, as long as the series is longer than 8 episodes.

That means Amazon will be highly motivated to purchase everything else in the 'Rings' franchise to capitalize on what it hopes is a new blockbuster series on its streaming service.

Let's face it ... $2 billion is a drop in the bucket for the world's 2nd richest man.

"The Wendy Williams Show" has been a revolving door this season as the host struggles with various ailments, and now TMZ has learned a "'permanent guest host" is about to be named.

Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Sherri Shepherd will take the reigns of the show beginning in September. Our sources say the deal is almost locked, and everyone involved expects it will be inked in the very near future.

Now, here's the way it will work. The folks who produce the show will be monitoring Wendy's progress between now and September. If Wendy gets better, there's an open door for her to return. If, however, it appears she is unable to return, then they would change the name of the show as early as September ... which will mark the 15th season of the show.

Our sources say the Fox Station Group -- which carries the show on its owned and operated stations ... is on board with the move.

Wendy stepped away from her show back in October after suffering "serious complications" from Graves Disease as well as a thyroid condition ... this all coming after she battled COVID-19.

Wendy's last appearance on the show came in July 2021, when she signed off at the end of season 13, telling fans she'd see them for season 14.

That never happened, but the show has since continued to air with a multitude of guest hosts including Bill Bellamy, Whitney Cummings and Leah Remini.

Micah Beals -- aka, Micah Femia -- was filmed this week harassing a couple guys on a NYC subway train over their mask-wearing ... and things got ugly quick.

Check out the clip ... you see a man we're told is Beals, who has appeared on "Parks and Recreation" and other shows, sitting by himself on a bench before turning his attention to another man down the way -- taunting and insulting the guy over his face covering.

The man seems to do a good job at ignoring Beals, but the dude persists in his barbs -- calling him a sheep, a "p***y" and then finally, a homophobic slur. Beals also appears to be drinking a beer, and once he realizes he's being filmed by a second person across from him ... he zeroes in there too.

The end of the video appears to show Beals ramping up to kick the man recording, but cuts out before we can see what happened.

We've got a call in to cops to see if Beals was reported. No word back yet.

Speaking of NYPD, Beals is the same guy police ID'd for allegedly splashing paint onto a bronze bust of George Floyd in Union Square a few months back ... and he ended up getting charged with criminal mischief. That incident, too, was caught on camera.

Simon Leviev -- aka the "Tinder Swindler" -- is gonna have a hard time finding new victims on dating apps ... because he's been booted from just about everywhere!

A rep for Match Group -- owners of OkCupid, Hinge, PlentyofFish, OurTime, Meetic, Pairs, and Match -- tells TMZ that Simon has been permanently banned from all of their properties ... leaving him out of options when it comes to scamming women.

The rep says he violated the terms of service at Tinder and therefore the other partner companies will also not allow him to create a profile on the other apps.

As we reported ... a Tinder spokesperson told us Simon -- and his many aliases -- would no longer be allowed to open an account on their platform, as he violated their terms of service ... specifically, impersonation and asking for money.

According to the new documentary, Simon would show off his lavish lifestyle to women on Tinder, in hopes of getting their trust and affection. Once hooking them, he'd convince them to "loan" him money ... before he ghosted and made off with their cash.

Much like a Ponzi scheme, the documentary claims he'd use one woman's money to impress the next, and so on. All in all, he allegedly took more than $10 million from his victims.

He was eventually arrested in 2019 and sent back to Israel, where he was released after just 5 months in prison.

Bill Maher for President??? Some folks are talking about it, and now a United States Senator is saying it's not the craziest idea in the world.

We got South Dakota Senator John Thune Monday at Reagan National Airport, and although he laughed out loud at first, he pivoted and said not only did Bill have the right to run ... he might even have an edge because celebrity matters in the world of presidential politics.

This all started a week ago, when Maher mused on 'Real Time' that Democrats are angry at him for criticizing the party but Republicans are now suggesting he throw his hat in the ring.

Fox News anchor Dana Perino suggested it a while back, and now Senator Thune is telling Bill ... if you wanna run, go for it. But, he offered a warning -- presidential politics is a rough and tumble business, so buyer beware.

A coupe of things ... first, Maher doesn't want to run. He called the "movement" "goofy s***," so he's keeping his night job.

Beyond that ... Maher is not criticizing Democrats because he wants them to lose ... it's the opposite. He's criticizing the Dems because he thinks they've done "goofy s***" and they're gonna lose to the Republicans if they don't get with the program.

Hoping to hear Tom Brady in a broadcast booth now that he's done on the field? Eli Manning says don't count on it ... explaining he believes there's no way TB12 gets into TV.

The New York Giants legend spoke with Adam Glyn out in NYC this week about what's next for Brady following his retirement ... and Eli said straight-up he doesn't believe it'll be talking X's and O's on a network.

"He's not going into broadcasting," Eli said. "He's too good."

As for what is next ... Eli said he's pretty certain it'll involve relaxation and family time.

"Enjoy life," the ex-QB said.

Actor and "Scandal" star Columbus Short has been arrested once again for domestic violence … law enforcement tells TMZ.

Cops say they were called to a home in the San Fernando Valley Wednesday night around 10:30 PM over a verbal argument between Short and his wife that allegedly became physical.

When police arrived, we're told Columbus claimed his wife punched him in the face ... but he had no marks. Cops say they then spoke to his wife and noticed a minor injury.

Even though we're told the injury did not require medical attention, cops arrested Short for felony domestic violence ... felony because of the injury.

This isn't the first time Columbus has had issues with his wife. Back in 2018, he was arrested for domestic violence and ended up pleading no contest and serving 34 days behind bars.

At the time of that arrest, he was already on probation for a bar fight in 2014. Regarding his latest arrest, Short spent about 12 hours locked up before posting a $50K bond.

He has yet to be charged.

Brian Austin Green and GF Sharna Burgess are expecting, and they showed off the bump on the beaches of Hawaii!

The '90210' star and the "Dancing With the Stars" pro were on a beach stroll and looked pretty glowing about their baby news -- or maybe that was just their suntans -- and Brian did the traditional cradling of the bump for photogs.

Anyway, these 2 started dating back in 2020. This will be their first child together.

Brian has 3 kids already with his ex-wife, Megan Fox. They reached a divorce settlement back in October. He also has one other kid from a previous relationship prior to Megan.

A few months later, Megan got engaged to Machine Gun Kelly.

One interesting comparison -- back in 2012, Fox and Green also did a photo shoot for a pregnancy announcement. They did it in a tropical setting, and even had similar poses.

It’s hard to shake the similarity between these photos… maybe just a coincidence?

The family of 'Walking Dead' actor Moses J. Moseley does not think he committed suicide ... they believe he was kidnapped and murdered.

Moses' sister, Teerea Kimbro, tells TMZ ... everyone who was close to Moses knew he loved life and she believes with all her heart he was kidnapped and then killed 3 days later.

We broke the story ... law enforcement sources told us Moses' body was found in Georgia Wednesday and cops were investigating his death as a possible suicide.

But, Moses' sister says he'd booked a taping for the Monday before his body was found but never showed up ... something she says he would never do. She went on to say he loved where his career was heading and they were planning big things in the near future.

Cops say they found Moses' body in his car with the doors locked, a gun in his lap and a facial bullet wound.

His sister says investigators told her the gun in question was one of hers -- she says she and Moses liked to go to the gun range and that he had a license to carry.

The family says cops told them they're looking at possible foul play, and Henry County Police Captain Randy Lee tells TMZ ... "It is being investigated as a possible suicide, however, detectives are following any and all available avenues and not ruling anything out."

Now here's an idea ... filming "The View" at the Museum of Tolerance to show support for the Jewish community and educate viewers about the Holocaust.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper from the famed Simon Wiesenthal Center in L.A. tells TMZ ... he'd love to have the show air live at the Museum of Tolerance. He thinks a special week-long visit to the Museum -- which focuses on the Holocaust -- would be enlightening, and he thinks given what was said on the show, the network has to show some accountability.

Ok, let's back this up for a minute. Rabbi Cooper thinks it's absurd to even suggest Whoopi Goldberg is anti-Semitic. She's been a tried-and-true friend of the Jewish community for decades.

That said, the Rabbi thinks her comment that the Holocaust was not racially-based was way out of bounds, and since she said it on the show ... the show should take steps to educate the audience.

It's an interesting take ... especially since the Prez of ABC News came out and proclaimed her network was a big supporter of the Jewish community.

Rabbi Cooper also has an opinion about Whoopi's 2-week suspension -- an opinion that is at odds with many others in the Jewish community. He thinks the suspension is appropriate, because he thinks accountability is important.

The head of the Anti-Defamation League and many others beg to differ, saying Whoopi apologized, recognized the error in her ways, and that should be the end of it.

Fact is ... lots of people think this is ABC reacting out of fear -- since Sharon Osbourne was suspended for defending Piers Morgan's take on Meghan Markle, ABC felt it had to do the same with Whoopi.

There's another way of looking at it ... that both Whoopi and Sharon shouldn't be suspended for stating their opinions on live, opinion-based TV. If neither said what they said from a place of malice, then why the suspensions? In Whoopi's case, she actually gave a mea culpa, so it's unclear exactly what the ABC President expects her to reflect on.

Cooper says one of his colleagues has a relationship with Whoopi, and they've reached out to her for a meeting. Since Whoopi seems to already get what she did, it's unclear what the point of the meeting would be.

A new Colin Kaepernick docuseries is promising to tell the former NFL star's story through his own words ... and Spike Lee has been tapped to direct it all.

ESPN Films announced the partnership and the plan on Wednesday night ... saying in a statement that production on the project has already begun.

No word yet on a title or how many hours/episodes it'll all end up being ... but ESPN officials promised the Lee-directed piece will tell a side of the Kaepernick story that has yet to be heard.

"Kaepernick, who has never given a full, first-person account of his journey, is collaborating closely with Lee who plans to use extensive new interviews and a vast never-before-seen archive to help Kaepernick tell his story from his perspective," ESPN said in a statement.

The two were spotted taking in a Knicks game at Madison Square Garden right around the time ESPN dropped the statement.

The director and the football player were seen chatting it up courtside -- and then they left the venue together as well.

The new docuseries, meanwhile, will be far from the first television project Kaepernick has been involved with ... you'll recall, his Netflix show, "Colin in Black and White," was released last year and received great reviews.

Anthony Anderson is sticking behind Whoopi Goldberg ... he says we all make mistakes and should be forgiven.

We caught up with the "Black-ish" star at The Dominick Hotel in NYC. Anthony says ... he only read Whoopi's comments, so he doesn't know the full context. But, he says he doesn't believe they came from a bad place.

Anthony added ... we all say things in the heat of the moment that we aren't fully informed about. He doubled down and said that as long a person can admit to being wrong and apologize, then he thinks that's fine ... something he says WG has done.

Anthony says these kinda things happen to us all ... for the most part, we come from a place of love and understanding.

As you know, Whoopi's been in the hot seat since she said that the Holocaust wasn't about race ... She has since apologized but ABC still decided to suspend her from "The View" for 2 weeks.

Whoopi Goldberg’s suspension is unnecessary, because she’s already made good with the community she offended -- so says AOC, anyway.

The New York congresswoman gave us her take on the controversy Wednesday in D.C., saying this was a learning moment ... and suggesting WG had, indeed, learned her lesson.

Check it out ... she says in situations like these, context matters -- and in Whoopi’s case, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez says it’s clear she’s got a good track record with the Jewish people -- who were in the crosshairs of her controversial comments about the Holocaust.

In her mind, that’s pretty evident in the fact the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, accepted Whoopi’s apology -- especially after he was invited on to explain why her take was misinformed.

Just a refresher ... Whoopi said the Holocaust wasn’t about race because a majority of the Jews who were killed were white. However, as many people have since explained ... the Nazis viewed and treated the Jews as an inferior race -- and carried out the Holocaust with an ethnic focus. So, yes ... the Jews are seen as a race in this context, even if it isn’t something you can check off on a census form in 2022.

Like we said, Whoopi saw the error in her thinking and delivered a mea culpa Tuesday -- yet she was suspended by ABC anyway, a decision that’s drawing a lot of criticism.

Steve-O and Chris Pontius are responsible for a 'Jackass'-style water stunt that left a man with a busted up head and a ruined life ... at least according to a lawsuit filed by the guy who claims he was injured.

The veteran stuntmen are being taken to court by Michael Vicens-Segura, who says he was approached by them back in 2018 to see if they could use his jet ski for a project they were filming in Puerto Rico.

Vicens-Segura insists the guys wanted to use it for a 'Jackass'-y feat -- where 2 guys are in the water on jet skis, facing opposite directions ... and attached to one another by a bungee cord, to see who would get yanked off first as they sped off.

Essentially, it's a jet ski tug of war ... and Vicens-Segura says the 'Jackass' guys have done something similar in the past -- in their movie, no less. It was called the BMX Tug of War.

Now, per the lawsuit, filed by attorney John Phillips and obtained by TMZ, Vicens-Segura was asked to hold one of the jet skis steady in the water because of the waves that day ... which he says he did. He claims, as Steve-O and Chris hit the gas, Steve's bungee cord snapped off the harness attached to his back ... which he says then flung in his direction and popped him hard on the side of the head, resulting in a massive gash.

Vicens-Segura says he had to be helicoptered to a hospital for emergency surgery, and even needed to be placed in a medically induced coma because he had a fractured skull and brain bleeding, among other things.

After several medical procedures, Vicens-Segura claims he was left in bad shape as he recovered ... and also had some pretty gnarly scars. He claims he's lost his ability to work, to think straight ... and continues to experience pain, suffering and agony because of what happened to him.

Of course, he's blaming Steve-O, Chris and others for the whole thing ... suing them for negligence and moreover the alleged incident. He's asking the court for more than $12 million in damages.

Ricky Gervais might just be the one comedian who’s welcoming cancel culture with open arms, because he says he's gonna lean into it hard with an upcoming performance.

The British comic and actor told Heat this week that his next stand-up special -- which he's appropriately calling "Armageddon" -- is likely going to force him to get the hook ... something he’s actually hoping for with giddiness.

RG says, in part ... “I'm treating it like it's my last one ever. It won't be, but I want to put everything into it. I want to try and get cancelled,” adding he can’t wait to get started.

The show’s gonna be about how we as a society are destroying ourselves, be it through the media, global warming or other means ... so you can imagine Ricky will be hop-scotching around some heavy topics, with no punches pulled.

One thing he believes in as an old-school, stand-up comic is that no topic is off-limits, which he’s recently reiterated in interviews ... but also hammered home with his actual material, especially on the biggest of stages.

You’ll recall ... Ricky hosted the Golden Globes a few years back, and he let the jokes fly at just about everybody’s expense. He was not invited back to host, and sounds like he's going for a similar outcome with his latest solo offering.