TV

Jenson Button, 2009 Formula 1 champion, tells TMZ Sports the popular Netflix show 'Drive to Survive' may not be super popular with all the drivers, but it's a helluva tool to bring American fans into F1.

Not familiar with the racing star? Button won the prestigious title driving for Brawn GP in '09. Jenson had an awesome season ... winning 6 of the first 7 Grand Prix's. Jenson ultimately finished 11 points ahead of 4x champ Sebastian Vettel.

During Jenson's time, there was no Netflix series ... but since the show's inception, Button says viewers have gotten to know drivers better -- and that's mostly a good thing.

"I think it's a great gateway to the sport. But, if the sport wasn't great, it wouldn't work, right?" Button says.

"The good thing is we all love behind the scenes, don't we? We love trying to understand the personalities involved in something. And, you don't get that from racing I guess if you just watch the sport initially cause everybody's got crash helmets on. So, at least you're understanding the personalities that are in those cars, and then you're going, 'Oh, the racing is pretty awesome as well.'"

Jenson added ... "I think it's good."

If there's a downfall ... it's that the show is, well, a TV show, and drama can sometimes be ratcheted up for entertainment value.

"For me, as a purist, and a racing driver for years, there are certain things where I'm like, 'That's not kinda how it happens,' but it's entertainment, and if it's bringing in a bigger audience into the sport, then that's fantastic, and they can really get to the nitty-gritty, what is the sport about."

'DTS' debuted in 2019, and it seems it has already had a positive effect on the fanbase. FIA (the group in charge of Formula 1) added the Miami Grand Prix to this year's slate of races, in addition to the Austin Grand Prix.

And, next year, they'll race in Las Vegas ... in a highly anticipated Grand Prix.

Bottom line ... fan interest is clearly surging in the U.S.

There's more ... we also talked to Button about his return to racing. This time, not in Formula 1, but in Travis Pastrana's Nitro Rallycross -- essentially the polar opposite of open-wheel F1 cars.

Jenson's still involved in Formula 1. He's a brand ambassador for Williams Racing ... the team he made his F1 debut in 2000.

BTW, haven't heard of Brawn GP, Button's team when he won the championship? BGP was (partially) bought by Mercedes after the 2009 season ... and in 2010, the team raced under the MB name.

Fred Savage's alleged on-set behavior appears to have caught up with him -- the guy was just fired from the reboot of his old TV show ... stemming from how he conducted himself.

The one-time child star and former star of the original sitcom was terminated by ABC Friday ... meaning he won't be able to direct or executive produce the revived series, which is exactly what he was doing before getting booted.

A rep for 20th Television (now under the Disney umbrella) says ... "Recently, we were made aware of allegations of inappropriate conduct by Fred Savage, and as is policy, an investigation was launched. Upon its completion, the decision was made to terminate his employment as an executive producer and director of 'The Wonder Years.'"

Unclear when this investigation started or what the details of the grievances entail -- everyone's learning about this all in one fell swoop, as the allegations themselves had gone unreported until now -- but THR does say there were 3 separate complaints.

The news is fairly shocking, but perhaps not all that surprising ... Savage was at the center of another on-set investigation a few years back during his new show "The Grinder," when he was accused of treating female crew members like crap ... for which he was sued.

Bill Maher delivered a scorching attack on the movement in the U.S. to censor what we say ... and gotta say, it may be his best commentary in a long time.

The "Real Time" host declared his position from the jump -- "Sorting out lies from truth is your job," adding it's ridiculous we treat everyone like "helpless dumb blondes ready to believe everything ... like Donald Trump!"

He makes the point ... people living today aren't special -- as he says, every age is the misinformation age. He harkens back to 1858, when the New York Times worried Americans couldn't handle the transatlantic telegraph because it was "superficial and too fast for the truth."

Go back even further, Bill says, to 1487, when the Pope cautioned against the misuse of the printing press, saying it was the source of pernicious writing -- hmmm, sounds like fake news.

And, then there's radio ... in 1938, some listeners freaked out listening to Orson Welles' "War of the Worlds," believing the Martians invaded New Jersey.

As Bill says, lies are everywhere ... like germs. He says you can't germproof the world, so develop a better bull*** meter.

And, then he makes a brilliant point ... "Sometimes misinformation is history's first draft" -- like the stories that circulated about COVID -- that 50% of those who are unvaccinated become hospitalized when it's less than 1%.

To drive home the point, he notes lots of folks believe in "an imaginary best friend in the sky who they can talk to to help them with their problems." Bill asks if there should be a warning label on that.

He's all for banning things like child porn, calls for insurrection, personal threats, etc, but people should be able to express their opinions even if they are repugnant. And, deciding whether something is true, half-true, a quarter true or false ... well that's our job, not the job of some publisher.

Mike Hagerty, a character actor famous for his work on "Friends" and "Somebody Somewhere," is dead.

Mike died Thursday in Los Angeles, according to his 'Somebody' co-star Bridget Everett. The cause of death is unclear.

Everett's remembering Mike as a beloved character actor and devoted husband, saying she "loved Mike the instant I met him. He was so special. Warm, funny, never met a stranger."

Mike's most known for his recurring role as building superintendent Mr. Treeger on "Friends" ... most notably in the season 4 episode, "The One With the Ballroom Dancing," where Joey reluctantly agrees to be his dance partner after Rachel and Monica are threatened with eviction.

Mike appeared on a ton of TV shows over the years ... including "Boston Legal," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine," "Cheers," "Community," "CSI," "Curb Your Enthusiasm," "Entourage," "ER," "Ghost Whisperer," "Glee," "The Goldbergs," "Grey's Anatomy," "Happy Endings," "Medium," "The Mindy Project," "Mob City," "Monk," "Seinfeld," "Shameless," "The Wayans Bros." and "Wonder Years."

He was also a series regular for two seasons of FOX's "The George Carlin Show" and one season of HBO's "Lucky Louie."

Recently, Mike starred in HBO's "Somebody Somewhere" with Everett, playing her character's father, Ed Miller.

Mike, who grew up in Chicago, is survived by his wife, Mary Kathryn. He was 67.

Tony Dow, the former child star who starred in the famous sitcom, "Leave It to Beaver," has been diagnosed with cancer.

Tony and his wife, Lauren, shared the health news Thursday ... announcing his diagnosis and saying they are heartbroken.

The couple did not specify the type of cancer Tony is battling, but they are thanking fans in advance for prayers.

It's another big health issue for Tony ... as we first reported, he was hospitalized back in August with pneumonia, which the family told us was not COVID related.

77-year-old Tony is most famous for playing Beaver's older brother, Wally Cleaver, during the sitcom's entire run on TV from 1957 to 1963 ... appearing in all 234 episodes.

He also played Wally in various 'Beaver' revivals and spinoffs in later years ... and starred in shows including "The Greatest Show on Earth" and "Never Too Young."

"General Hospital" star Steve Burton says his wife is having a baby, but he's not jumping for joy ... revealing the baby-to-be isn't his.

In a scenario that could happen on the soap itself ... Steve revealed his wife, Sheree Gustin, was pregnant -- but he "wanted to clear something up." Steve goes on to say, "The child is not mine. We are still co-parenting our three beautiful kids."

While it may come as a surprise to Steve's fans, he says he and Sheree are separated.

Steve and Sheree have been married for more than 20 years, and have kids Makena, Jack, and Brooklyn together. We've not yet seen any divorce docs filed.

Armando Bacot is entering the world of the Pogues and Kooks -- the North Carolina hoops star just landed a role with the super-popular Netflix show "Outer Banks" ... and he's been on set hanging with John B. himself, Chase Stokes!!

The breakout Tar Heels center will appear in several episodes of Season 3 of the series ... playing the fittingly-named character, "Mando," according to Inside Carolina.

The 22-year-old posted vid of his time on set ... bro'ing down with Stokes and Rudy Pankow, who plays JJ Maybank on the thriller series.

Now, Bacot taking an acting role might sound super random, but it actually makes a lot of sense ... especially considering two of the show's creators -- Josh and Jonas Pate -- are North Carolina natives.

On top of that, Josh and the other creator, Shannon Burke, are UNC alums ... so that Tar Heel network definitely had to help the 6'10", 240-lb. baller land the gig.

The big question -- is Bacot a Pogue or a Kook in the NC-based show?? We'll have to wait until the season drops ... and that might be quite a bit away.

Brian Dunkleman says he was "suicide adjacent" after quitting his hosting gig on "American Idol" ... but looking back, he says his fears and depression were unnecessary, and he's finally in a great place.

Brian, who co-hosted with Ryan Seacrest in season 1, joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us why he was in such a dark place when he left the smash hit show, and why he later found out things weren't as grim as he originally thought.

The way Brian tells it ... he was left twisting in the wind without a contract after season 1, and started abusing drugs and alcohol because he was severely depressed.

Brian feared he made a massive mistake when he quit the show to pursue an acting career, and the decision haunted him for years -- Howard Stern famously compared him to Pete Best, who left the Beatles before the band got huge.

But, BD says when he co-hosted the 'Idol' series finale (on FOX, anyway) back in 2016, he ran into one of his former bosses, and learned the network was going to drop him for season 2, anyway ... a huge weight lifted from his shoulders.

Now, Brian says he's cleaned up his act, he's doing standup comedy and improv, and he thanks his new documentary on Amazon Prime, "Dunkleman," for helping him heal from past traumas ... which, as he explained to us, go way beyond 'Idol.'

Now, he's not only glad he never followed through with his darkest thoughts, but he also has an important message for anyone fighting to overcome depression.

'RHONY' alum Jill Zarin isn't fretting that she hasn't gotten a call for the 'RHONY' throwback series ... she says even if she's shut out, she's grateful for everything the network has done for her.

We got the former NY housewife at LAX, Tuesday, and asked how she feels about the new series "RHONY: Throwback" that's in the works ... which will feature some of the OG New York women.

Jill tells us, she hasn't heard from producers but she's not worried because she doesn't think anyone has gotten a call, at least not yet. She thinks Bravo execs are focused on rebooting and recasting for the original 'RHONY.'

Of course, this is very different in tone from former 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star, NeNe Leakes, who just filed a lawsuit in federal court ... accusing 'RHOA' producers of ignoring her complaints about years of alleged racist remarks directed her way by a fellow cast member Kim Zolciak-Biermann.

She also claims Bravo execs blacklisted her ... making it hard to take legal action sooner and making it hard to find work.

Wendy Williams is doubling down on her return to TV -- vowing she'll be back on the air later this year ... this while partying it up during the Met Gala.

The longtime host -- who's been MIA from her program for about a year due to health issues -- was painting the town red Monday night in NYC with Jason Lee ... where she hit the Standard Hotel for an after-party hosted by Cardi B.

Speaking of red, her dress was quite the sight ... but check out the quick convo we snuck in as she was entering the building. Our photog asks if Wendy is, indeed, going to take the reins on 'The Wendy Williams Show' again -- and sure enough ... she tells us she will.

Watch to see what her timeline is ... sounds like WW is eyeing a fall lineup, but the details are still a bit hazy. Of course, Sherri Shepherd has permanently replaced Wendy ... so it's unlikely the OG will return to that show.

In any case, it's great to see her in such high spirits -- as you know, she's been dealing with a lot lately beyond just her medical care ... Wendy's in a financial battle, of sorts, but she put on a happy face for us here.

It's that time of year again ... the Met Gala is in full effect, as celebs make their way down the red carpet for the biggest night in fashion.

Regina King, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds are this year's co-chairs along with Tom Ford, Anna Wintour and Adam Mosseri.

Blake walked the carpet in a color-changing gown by Versace.

Celebs are starting to pour in, including Kaia Gerber, Caroline Wozniacki, Melissa King, Annie Leibovitz, Kacey Musgraves and Tommy Dorfman.

Austin Butler, who is set to play Elvis in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis biopic, walked the carpet with Priscilla Presley.

La La Anthony and Vanessa Hudgens are hosting Vogue's red carpet, and they have both arrived ... wearing floor-length gowns, along with Rachel Smith -- of course, with their own edge.

We're bound to see a variety of dresses and suits, to go along with the theme -- "In America: An Anthology of Fashion." This year's dress code is all about 'gilded fashion' and 'white tie' ... so it sounds like it'll be pretty extravagant.

We know "Euphoria" star, Zendaya, won't be in attendance tonight, but we will probably see some of her Euphoria co-stars ... including Sydney Sweeney, who is expected for the first time. Speaking of debuts, we're expected to see Kim and Pete pop out together.

Jared Padalecki's car crash was about as bad as his costar, Jensen Ackles, made it seem the vehicle he was in went for quite the ride ... eventually bouncing off a solid steel pole.

The "Supernatural" star was involved in a bad car accident a couple weeks ago in Austin, TX -- something Jensen referenced at a weekend fan event in New Jersey -- which left him injured and unable to attend.

According to the accident report, obtained by TMZ, Jared was one of four people who were knocked around that night -- this after the Tesla they were all cruising in jumped over a concrete wall on a left turn ... and smashed against a utility pole.

The report, issued by the Texas Dept. of Transportation, features a description of what happened based on what the responding peace officer observed ... and it says the Tesla was going too fast on the turn, which caused it to hop the retaining wall.

The car apparently went head-first into the pole, and it then spun off to its right. Jared appears to have been a passenger alongside a driver named Jeremy Padalecki ... who we're told is his cousin. Two other people were also in the car.

The driver appears to have been most seriously injured, and considering Jared couldn't make the fan event ... that's saying something. Jared did share an update on his health last week, saying he was on the mend and planning to return to filming soon.

Before this towheaded child became a pretty little liar, she was a young competitive dancer and a singer for her church in Anaheim Hills, California.

This little lady is best known for her role in a teen mystery drama series where she starred alongside Shay Mitchell and Lucy Hale. During this time, she also starred in films such as "Bring It On: In It To Win It" and "Spring Breakers."

Need another clue on who this starlet could be maybe you could ask some of her close friends including Cara Delevingne and G-Eazy.

Naomi Judd -- the Grammy-winning country star and one half of the mom-and-daughter duo The Judds -- has died ... this according to her kids.

Wynonna and Ashley Judd released a statement Saturday, saying ... "Today we sisters experienced a tragedy. We lost our beautiful mother to the disease of mental illness." They add, "We are shattered. We are navigating profound grief and know that as we loved her, she was loved by her public. We are in unknown territory." No other details were offered.

NJ's passing comes as a bit of a shock -- while she's been public in recent years about different personal struggles she's grappled with throughout her life, including depression dating back to her childhood, nobody seemed to know the extent of what she was battling.

Naomi had also made clear that her issues had left her and her country duo-daughter, Wynonna, estranged for a time ... but they'd recently reconciled and were actually due to hit the road again this year for an arena tour across the country -- the first in over a decade.

Plus, Wynonna and Naomi were supposed to appear together Sunday as inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame ceremony -- so the timing of this tragedy is stunning.

The Judds first formed in 1983 and had a massively successful career for about a decade thereafter -- during which they cranked out six studio albums, over 20 hit singles (many of which charted in the Top 10 and higher) ... and won 5 Grammys between '85 and '92.

Some notable songs ... "Love Can Build a Bridge," "Girls Night Out," "Grandpa," "Young Love," "Let Me Tell You About Love," "Maybe Your Baby's Got the Blues," "Give a Little Love," "Have Mercy," "Turn It Loose," "I Know Where I'm Going," among countless others.

The group disbanded in the '90s, during which each woman ventured out solo into their respective careers ... and Naomi even dabbled in television with one-off appearances, either as a side character or herself ... and eventually got into movies as well.

She's appeared in hit series like "Frasier," "3rd Rock From the Sun," "Touched by an Angel," "Sisters," "Maybe It's Me," and more. Naomi's also starred in flicks like "An Evergreen Christmas," "Someone Like You...," "A Holiday Romance," "The Family Tree," "Newlyweds," etc.

BTW, Ashley had her mom cameo in at least one of her films ... so they were obviously close. Naomi's survived by her husband, Larry Strickland, and her celebrity daughters.

She was 76.

Bill Maher thinks Elon Musk has a superhuman mission, and it's not about sending people to Mars ... it's about saving Twitter.

The "Real Time" host bore in on the current CEO -- whom he says will probably get a pink slip from Mr. Musk -- who boasted Twitter is not defined by the First Amendment. He said that because the First Amendment only applies to Congress making no laws abridging free speech. Well, Bill says that's a dodge, plain and simple.

Maher is reacting to Elon's promise to make Twitter a bastion of free speech. There's been a lot of criticism and fear over this, but Bill says let the sunshine and free discourse in!

As for how Twitter has failed by censoring free speech, Bill says there are plenty of examples. He notes the New York Post got booted from the platform for writing about Hunter Biden's emails, but turns out the story had validity. He notes Twitter blocked discourse over the theory COVID came from a lab, and there's now a school of thought among some scientists it did indeed.

But, the best is a Christian news and satire site that posted a skit about Twitter being too sensitive and twitter flagged it! As Bill said ... a complete lack of self-awareness.

As Bill concluded ... "If that's where the line is you have failed Twitter."

As for Elon taking over, Bill says thank God it's not a 23-year-old who's at the helm ... cause he thinks Gen Z kinda sucks.

Jonathan Rhys Meyers just unloaded one of his homes in Los Angeles ... and he got way more than he was looking for.

Our real estate sources tell us the actor sold his estate in the Hollywood Hills this week for $2,350,000 ... which is $500k more than the $1.85 million listing price.

Jonathan bought the mid-century style home way back in 2007 for just under $1.6 million and last month he put it on the market.

The place is 1,679 square feet with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms ... featuring an open floor plan with exposed steel beams and floor-to-ceiling windows opening up to the lagoon pool.

We're told Jonathan sold the home in part because his family is looking to spend more time abroad this summer ... and let's face it, he's gonna make a HUGE profit.

Jonathan's got another home in Malibu ... where one of his neighbors is suing him for trespassing. Unclear if he plans to sell that place too.