TV

Former "HQ" host Scott Rogowsky has some incredible items from the world of trivia ... courtesy of Alex Trebek's estate sale, and now he's ready to part ways with some of Trebek's sweet threads.

We got Scott Monday at his shop, "Quiz Daddy's Closet" in Santa Monica, and he says he took a trip to the late "Jeopardy" host's sale back in April and made a beeline directly for the closet items.

Seems to have been the right strategy -- Scott made off with a bunch of goodies, from custom jerseys to rare limited edition T-shirts, and he's using the goods for an auction that'll benefit those who are really in need.

Scott tells us the proceeds from Monday night's live auction will be going to the Lustgarten Foundation -- which supports pancreatic cancer research ... as you know, that's what Alex died of back in 2020.

John Aniston, the award-winning soap opera star and Jennifer Aniston's dad, has died ... she announced it Monday morning.

Jen said in her emotional post that her father passed away on Friday, November 11. She says, "Sweet papa ... You were one of the most beautiful humans I ever knew. I am so grateful that you went soaring into the heavens in peace - and without pain."

John famously played Victor Kiriakis on "Days of Our Lives" for nearly as long as his daughter's been alive. He joined the soap cast in 1970 and remained on the show right up until his death. In fact, his final credited show is listed as Friday.

Noting that he passed on 11/11, Jennifer says, "You always had perfect timing. That number will forever hold an even greater meaning for me now. I'll love you till the end of time 💔"

As Friday was Veteran's Day, it's worth noting John served in the U.S. Navy as an intelligence officer in the 1950s.

After 52 years with 'Days,' he earned the Daytime Emmy Awards' Lifetime Achievement trophy in 2022. He also won Soap Opera Digest awards in 1986 and 2001.

John was born in Greece, and before his TV fame, he acted in several dozen theater productions. He's also had roles in "The West Wing," "Star Trek: Voyager," "Mission: Impossible" and "Kojak."

He and "Kojak" star Telly Savalas were best friends, and John even picked him to be Jennifer's godfather.

John is survived by Jennifer, his son Alexander and his wife Sherry Rooney.

He was 89.

Jen Shah's sentencing in her fraud case isn't the only thing she's on edge about these days -- the 'Real Housewife' absolutely lost it during an explosive argument, screaming and cussing on the streets of Salt Lake City.

TMZ obtained this intense footage of Jen and 4 other people having a blowout in downtown SLC ... and you hear Jen scream several times, "F*** YOU!!!"

We're told this heated showdown happened around 9:50 PM on November 5 ... as they say Saturday night's alright for fighting! It's unclear what sparked the dispute, or who the other combatants are, but there's some clear chatter about someone's husband.

There's also one person, not Jen, who hurls a homophobic slur a few times.

You could understand why Jen might be wound pretty tight -- she's about to find out her punishment after copping a plea deal in her fraud case.

As we reported ... Jen went before a federal judge in July and pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing. As part of her plea deal, the feds dropped one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, but she could still get up to 14 years behind bars.

At the end of the Saturday night argument, Jen stormed off and our law enforcement sources say cops were not called to the scene.

Dolores Hughes, known affectionately as Mema, the unlikely/likely breakout star of the hit show, "Hollywood Hillbillies," has died ... TMZ has learned.

The exuberant grandma on the reality show died of heart failure at a hospital in Grayson, Georgia last Wednesday, according to her manager, David Weintraub.

"Hollywood Hillbillies," the #1 show on Reelz at the time, was a reverse version of "The Simple Life" and an obvious riff off the sitcom back in the day, "The Beverly Hillbillies."

Mema became the center of attention in her fam, which included grandson Michael Coppercab, who has gone on to become a YouTube star.

The show followed the family as they tried to navigate Hollywood, with the help of Ray J and Weintraub.

Weintraub tells TMZ, "Mema was the greatest, most outspoken 'tell-it-like-it-is personalities the world had ever seen on TV. I know that she will still be bossing all of us around from heaven."

Mema is survived by her husband, Paul Conlon, daughter Dee Dee Peters, son John Cox and grandson Michael Coppercab Kittrell.

Mema was 76.

Dave Chappelle zeroed in on Kanye during his opening monologue Saturday night on 'SNL,' explaining why Kanye now wears his chains outside his shirt.

Dave had an unusually long open -- 15 minutes -- and he spent lots of it talking about Ye's antisemitic rants. It was not exactly an embrace of the Jewish community -- he said it's not crazy to think Jews run Hollywood, but it's crazy to say it out loud.

Chappelle went on to say he denounces antisemitism and stands with his Jewish friends ... adding those words would have helped Kanye "buy time."

Dave said Kanye's words were so hateful even Adidas dropped him, and they were founded by the Nazis.

He went on to talk Kyrie Irving and the midterms, calling Trump "an honest liar" and Herschel Walker "observably stupid."

Bill Maher went after Donald Trump in the most personal way Friday night, but this was way more political than it is salacious. We will explain.

Bill mused, with the hundreds of books that have been written about Trump, no one has cracked the mystery ... who is he banging? As he says, Trump's been a dog all of his adult life, talking about how powerful people could simply grab a woman by the p***y and have his way. Bill's convinced Trump hasn't changed his ways, yet no one has addressed it.

Bill quickly rules out Melania, so then who?

Now here's the deal. The "Real Time" host is really not that interested in D.T.'s love life, and here's how we know. Toward the end, Maher suggests another theory ... Trump has the desire but not the ability, because he's impotent.

Now on the surface this may sound like high school humor, but that misses the point ... Bill knows Trump is as braggadocious as they come -- no pun intended -- and he will find it irresistible to defend his "manhood."

When you think about it, exactly how does Trump answer? Bill has put Trump in a box.  Again ...

The NFL is paying tribute to the late John Madden once again ... this time, it announced it's starting a huge Thanksgiving Day tradition to honor the legendary coach and broadcaster.

The inaugural "John Madden Thanksgiving Celebration" will kick off on the Thursday holiday later this month ... with the NFL saying it has several tributes planned in Madden's memory.

Before each of the three games slated for Turkey Day -- the Bills vs. Lions, the Giants vs. Cowboys, and the Patriots vs. Vikings -- a recording of Madden talking about football and the holiday will be played.

The league also said in its announcement Friday that each network broadcasting the trio of games will pick a "Madden Player of the Game" following the contests, and the NFL Foundation will give each recipient a $10,000 check in their name to a youth or high school football program of their choice.

In addition, the NFL said each player participating in Thanksgiving Day games will have a Madden sticker on the back of their helmet ... while a Madden logo will be painted on the 25-yard line of all three fields.

"No one cared more or contributed more to our game than John Madden," league commish Roger Goodell said Friday. "Honoring his memory and impact on the NFL is important, and Thanksgiving Day brings all of the elements significant to John to life -- family, football, food, and fun."

John, who initially gained fame for his role as Raiders head coach and later became the face of the most popular football video game ever, passed away last December.

Comedian Gallagher, famously known for smashing watermelons as part of his legendary act, has died ... his longtime manager tells TMZ.

Gallagher died while under hospice care in the Palm Springs area early Friday morning, TMZ has learned. His manager tells TMZ Gallagher died of massive organ failure. He had been in ill health for a while, suffering numerous heart attacks over the years.

The rep tells TMZ, "Gallagher stayed on the road touring America for decades. He was pretty sure he held a record for the most stand-up dates, by attrition alone," adding, "While Gallagher had his detractors, he was an undeniable talent and an American success story."

Gallagher started working as a comedian after college ... getting his big break after appearing on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show' back in 1975 ... showing off his prop humor and quickly becoming one of the most popular and recognizable comedians in America.

His trademark bit was the "Sledge-O-Matic," where he'd use a large mallet to destroy a bunch of foods and objects -- always ending with a watermelon. While it started as a parody of the Veg-O-Matic commercials, it would go on to be what millions would remember him for.

Gallagher's since become a pop culture phenomenon, getting parodied and referenced over the years for his act ... most recently being played by fellow comedian Paul F. Tompkins in "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story."

The comedian had 17 specials spanning decades of his work ... with his first special, "An Uncensored Evening," debuting in 1980. He appeared in episodes of "Hollywood Squares," "WTF with Marc Maron," "Tosh.0" and "Celebrity Big Brother."

He had a health scare back in 2011, as we reported, he collapsed onstage during a performance in Minnesota. He also suffered a heart attack the following year in Texas, moments before he was supposed to perform.

We last saw the comedian back in 2014 ... and he offered us some fantastic advice for those looking to get someone a gift while stuck on a budget -- and it's as hilarious as you'd expect.

Gallagher, who was retired, is survived by his daughter, Aimee, and his son, Barnaby.

He was 76.

Kevin Conroy, known as the voice of animated Batman for decades, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Kevin passed away Thursday, according to his rep Gary Miereanu ... following a short battle with cancer.

The actor moved out to California in 1980, first getting cast in the soap opera "Another World" ... before working in theater and television for a number of years.

Many remember Kevin as the titular voice of Batman for decades, first playing the dark knight in "Batman: The Animated Series" from 1992 to 1995.

Since first breaking out as the comic book hero, Kevin's played the character on TV, in movies and even in video games countless times -- including "Batman Beyond," 2001's 'Justice League' series, "Batman: The Killing Joke" and every Batman 'Arkham' series video game.

He took home 7 awards over the years for his voice acting ... including Best Actor for his video game work in 2015.

Kevin wrote a story called "Finding Batman" as part of DC Comics' Pride anthology in 2022 ... going over his experiences in his life as a gay man.

Fellow voice actor Diane Pershing, known for playing villain Poison Ivy alongside Kevin, shared her pain following Kevin's passing ... writing, "He will be sorely missed not just by the cast of the series but by his legion of fans all over the world."

Kevin is survived by his husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy, and brother Tom Conroy.

He was 66.

The tribe has spoken and past "Survivor" winner Nick Wilson is in the house ... Kentucky's House of Representatives, that is!!!

The competition series champ and former public defender took the W in this week's midterm election ... becoming a Kentucky state legislator after announcing last year he would run for the seat.

Nick was running unopposed in his 82nd district, making this one of the easier challenges he's faced in recent years ... and he didn't even have to get dropped in the jungle!

Fans of the show know Nick was voted the winner of the CBS show's 37th season, "David vs. Goliath" -- while many early on saw him as a bit lazy, he quickly proved himself ... making it all the way to the end.

Fun fact: Mike White, the creator of "White Lotus," was also on the "David vs. Goliath" season with Nick.

He returned in 2020 for "Winners at War," pitting him against other champions of the past ... but he didn't take home the gold that time -- instead, he got blindsided and ended up in 7th place.

Comedian Matt Rife is literally a stone's throw away from 'SNL' just in case its writers boycott upcoming host Dave Chappelle ... and says he'd be honored to take the gig.

Matt was standing outside 30 Rock in NYC Thursday with his friend and fellow comedian Alex "Fonzi" Cureau -- they were holding up signs reading "Will Write For Dave."

Dave's set to host 'SNL' this weekend for the first time since his controversial 2021 Netflix special "The Closer" ... which his critics have ripped as transphobic.

While all 'SNL' cast members are working with Dave, some of the writers are boycotting ... according to Page Six. As we reported, Chappelle's camp says they've seen no evidence of that all week.

But, just in case, Matt and Alex are at the ready ... and say they're not trying to make any statements about transphobia. Their message is much more simple -- "If you don't want your job I will take it."

Of course, not everyone sees it that way ... Matt and Alex were actually confronted by at least one person who had a problem with their public plea to work with Dave.

Bottom line for Matt -- who famously dated Kate Beckinsale back in 2017 -- Dave's the comedy G.O.A.T., so he's not missing out if there's a shot at writing his 'SNL' sketches.

Columbus Short's neighbor says the actor's got it out for him so bad, he's had to go to court to get protection ... and a judge is giving it to him.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, the neighbor says Columbus got in his face last weekend ... allegedly referring to himself as a "killer" while threatening to beat up the man, whose child was with him at the time. It's not clear what sparked the alleged altercation.

The man claims Columbus grabbed his wrist and tried to follow him into his home -- and a similar altercation went down 2 days after that.

That was enough for a judge to grant a temporary restraining order barring Columbus from coming within 15 yards of the neighbor, his spouse and his daughter.

We've reached out to Columbus for comment ... so far, no word back.

As we reported, Columbus was arrested back in February after cops were called to his home over an argument he had with his wife that allegedly got physical. He was charged with 2 misdemeanors, but those charges were later dismissed.

Columbus told us, "They dismissed the case from what I was told because the prosecutor felt there was no wrongdoing."

With this new case on his hands, we'll see how the neighbor drama plays out for Columbus.

Dave Chappelle's starting his third day of meetings with 'SNL' cast and writers, and his camp says there's been zero talk of an alleged boycott related to Dave's issues with the transgender community.

DC is hosting 'SNL' this weekend -- his first time since 2020, and since the release of his controversial Netflix special "The Closer" ... which sparked protests and much debate over jokes many people felt were transphobic.

The potential issue at 30 Rock this week is 'SNL' now has its first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney, and at least one writer who is transgender.

According to Page Six, the show's writers are boycotting, but a rep for Dave tells TMZ ... Dave's first 2 meetings with the staff have been full, and everyone's pitching sketch ideas as they normally do.

One of the writers, Celeste Yim, reportedly posted an Instagram story saying, “I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned.”

Their post said nothing about a boycott. It's unclear if Celeste has been in the staff meetings with Dave this week. We've reached out to NBC for comment.

This will be Chappelle's third time hosting. He previously hosted in 2020 and in 2016, which was memorable for being the first show after the election of Donald Trump.

Dave famously said America should give Trump a chance, but since then the comedian's admitted he was way off.

Nancy Grace says the upcoming Peacock docuseries on Casey Anthony is a sham ... she says Casey will lie her way through the series and laugh all the way to the bank.

The queen of true crime joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and we asked her why Peacock is coming out with a series on the woman Nancy called the "most hated mom in America" during the trial for her daughter Caylee's murder.

There's already tons of outrage over Peacock's three-part doc, "Casey Anthony: Where the Truth Lies," and Nancy says the only thing the network and Casey care about here is making money.

Nancy, who famously dubbed Casey the "Tot Mom," says she was actually invited to sit down with Casey for an interview as part of the docuseries ... but she says she refused when she was told she couldn't grill Casey the way she would in a court of law.

Translation: Nancy wasn't down for a bunch of softball questions.

As you know, Casey was acquitted of murdering her 2-year-old daughter back in 2011 during a trial that got wall-to-wall coverage on cable news ... especially from Nancy, who was convinced Casey was guilty.

The Peacock series is the first time Casey is giving an on-camera interview since her trial ... and a teaser for the doc was released Tuesday, sparking the backlash.

Dawn Lyn -- a former child star on the TV show "My Three Sons" -- is slowly recovering from the brain surgery that sent her into a coma ... she's now breathing on her own.

Tina Cole, who starred opposite Dawn back in the '60s and '70s when their sitcom was on the air, tells TMZ Dawn is continuing to improve, she's opening her eyes at times and is breathing on her own with oxygen assistance.

Tina says Dawn's husband, John, texted her a positive health update Monday night, saying Dawn was doing the best she has in the hospital since undergoing a brain operation.

Sounds like Dawn's got a big support system around her ... Tina tells us she visited Dawn in the hospital last week, holding Dawn's hand and talking to her while she was unconscious.

As we reported ... Dawn was fighting for her life last month after going under the knife to remove a brain tumor.

Tamera Mowry is giving out crucial and timely advice for the new Powerball winner -- as they cash in on that fortune, she's warning the instant billionaire to simply beware!!

We got the "Sister, Sister" star at LAX Tuesday ... and she got really candid about her thoughts on the SoCal resident who hit it big, and scored the winning ticket for the $2.04 billion jackpot.

Tamera warns that kinda money can actually be dangerous because, as several previous winners could testify ... the cash makes you a walking bank, and an easy target.

She tells us, there's actually a really grim history of lottery winners going missing ... or worse, getting murdered! It's a dark topic she says she got familiar with while working on daytime TV.

ICYMI, the winning lottery ticket was announced Tuesday. It was sold in Altadena, CA ...  making the ticket holder Cali's first billionaire winner ever AND it's the largest lottery prize in history!

The bottom line ... Tamera just wants the winner to steer clear of all the crazy folks out there. Her advice is simple ... whoever hit the jackpot should use it wisely, donate, and be safe in these streets.

As for the actress, she says if she ever comes across this kinda money ... she's giving away half.