TV

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were just a handful of celebs who bent the knee for HRH last night -- and no, we don't mean King Charles ... we're talking LeBron James.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex had box seats Monday at Crypto.com Arena -- having come on down from the Santa Barbara area to catch the big playoff game against the Grizzlies  ... which King James and co. secured in down-to-the-wire dramatic fashion.

Their presence came as a surprise to many when the TNT broadcast showed them in their private suite up in the stands -- and they seemed to be enjoying themselves ... flashing grins.

Later, they were caught on the Kiss Cam ... with their image being plastered on the giant jumbotron. The couple didn't really lock lips or anything, though ... they just giggled until the camera cut to someone else. However, it does seem PH might've considered a smooch.

Pretty neat to see 'em in such a public setting like this ... considering we hardly ever do. Harry and Meg tend to stick to the 805 area code, more or less, and hardly venture to the heart of L.A. And if they do ... they come privately, as they're hardly snapped by paps here.

Like we mentioned, they were in good (famous) company yesterday -- other stars in the building included Kim Kardashian, Adam Sandler, Timothy Olyphant, Flea and more.

We'll see more of Harry next weekend for his dad's coronation -- where Harry's expected to be front and center for the actual crowning ceremony on Saturday. Meghan won't attend.

Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson are now without a work home -- but they could land at the same place in the near future ... and that might be NewsNation, which wants 'em both.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the television network -- which has been growing steadily over the past few years -- is interested in potentially hiring DL and TC and adding them to their growing roster of high-profile anchors.

We're told the announcements of their oustings Monday came at a perfect time for NewsNation -- which just started running 24-hour programming starting this week.

Plus, we're told the fact both of these guys are huge, recognizable names in the news game is appealing to NewsNation honchos -- who feel like they both could bring in big swaths of a diverse audience on both the right and the left ... with NewsNation being the hub.

Our sources tell us NewsNation is aware that Don and Tucker each come with their own baggage -- but we're told the execs feel like they could manage it. BTW, the idea of bringing both of them on would not be a replacement move ... but a supplemental one, where they'd simply be expanding their talent and creating new shows for the air.

Now, on the issue of money ... there could be a hurdle, seeing how our sources tell us NewsNation would not pay either guy anywhere close to what they were making. In Tucker's case, we're told he's been making $20 million per year at FOX of late.

For Don, our sources tell us he's closer to $7 million/year -- and if they were gonna work at NewsNation, they'd have to be comfortable with a pretty big pay cut ... as we're told the org wouldn't be able to come anywhere close to either number. Still, though, our sources tell us their potential salaries would be fat nonetheless ... in the millions for both.

One final note ... we're told NewsNation is serious about this -- and that their executive team flew to NYC Monday to discuss this internally. So, it sounds like they might just pursue this plan -- as they clearly feel it could work out.

Chris Cuomo is a good example of that -- he was booted from CNN a couple years ago. It's actually interesting, because we're told Cuomo, who was close to Don back in the day, feels Don betrayed him after he was booted.

The fact NN has studios in big markets like D.C., Chicago and NYC, we're told, also makes the team feel like they might have a shot at hooking these 2 big fish. Of course, there are reports Don and Tucker have retained the same entertainment attorney, Bryan Freedman.

Don Lemon is out at CNN, after 17 years at the network, a move he says he was never given any heads-up was happening.

In a statement Monday, Lemon said, "I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly."

He continues, "At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play."

Finally saying, "With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best."

Don was on air Monday morning, without a hint that anything might be off, and ending his show with the words, "Bye, everyone."

The move comes just 2 months after Lemon was benched briefly for sexist comments he made about Nikki Haley, when he said she was no longer "in her prime" at age 51.

He was also recently caught on a hot mic making comments about Jon Stewart ... however, it seemed those incidents had both cooled off with the network.

Unclear if there was something more happening behind the scenes.

Tucker Carlson is out at FOX News -- a stunning development that comes on the heels of the cable news giant's massive nine-figure settlement of the Dominion Voting defamation case.

The often controversial media personality's been a ratings king for years now in his primetime slot, but the network says this past Friday was his last show. The company says it's agreed to part ways with him, not giving any further reason or context.

They add, "We thank him for his service to the network as a host and prior to that as a contributor."

Instead of "Tucker Carlson Tonight" coming on at 8 PM ET, which was his usual start time, FOX says "FOX News Tonight" will air live in its place as an interim show with a rotating list of FOX personalities hosting until a permanent one is named.

Tucker has been helming his program at FOX for years now -- dating back to 2016 -- and killing his competition at other networks. Prior to getting his show, he had worked at FOX as a contributor and journalist since 2009.

This move comes after FOX agreed to pay $787.5 million to settle the lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems -- which accused the network of embracing/airing outright lies about their voting machines during the 2020 election.

If it had gone to trial, Tucker and several other FOX personalities would likely have been called to testify.

Tucker was a key figure in this litigation ... text messages of his were aired out during the discovery process, and he was found to have trashed Donald Trump in private to colleagues.

Interestingly enough, Tucker signed off his last show on Friday with "We'll be back on Monday."

It goes without saying ... his tenure at FOX has been incredibly controversial, but also successful by the same token. However you look at it, it's the end of an era.

Len Goodman, the popular longtime judge on "Dancing With The Stars," has died, his manager confirmed.

Goodman passed away Saturday in a hospice center in Kent, England after a battle with bone cancer, according to the British Broadcasting Corporation.

His manager, Jackie Gill, announced his death Monday morning, saying in a statement that Goodman was "a much loved husband, father and grandfather who will be sorely missed by family, friends and all who knew him."

A once professional ballroom dancer, Goodman served as a 'DWTS' judge from 2005 to 2022 and was known for his wry humor. He acted as head judge in the 2005 season. From 2004 to 2016, he was the top judge on the British adaption of the show called "Strictly Come Dancing."

Friends and family took to social media to remember Goodman.

TV personality Piers Morgan tweeted a photo of himself with Goodman and a caption that read, "Always had a laugh with Len, and swapped a few strong opinions. A quintessential Londoner and a top bloke."

BBC Director-General Tim Davie tweeted that Goodman "appealed to all ages and felt like a member of everyone's family."

Goodman was 78.

Suge Knight says he has no hard feelings about his ex-protégé, Snoop Dogg, swooping in to buy Death Row Records -- the label he co-founded -- but he's skeptical about the legality of that transaction.

The incarcerated ex-music mogul tells TMZ Hip Hop ... personally, he doesn't feel like it's really Death Row without his name attached. That being said, Suge's also floating a theory --  that his ex-business partner Michael "Harry-O" Harris committed bankruptcy fraud to get the company out from under Suge.

Speaking to us from the CA State Penitentiary -- where he's doing 28 years for voluntary manslaughter -- Suge claims the label was only forfeited after a lawyer failed to attend court. So, he lost it in a 2013 default judgment to MNRK Music Group.

He considers the whole bankruptcy proceeding -- which screwed almost all of Death Row's artists -- a sham and, in his eyes, a direct violation of the law.

One problem with his theory is Snoop had nothing to do with the bankruptcy case, and only purchased Death Row from MNRK in 2022 ... and Harry-O had no involvement, at least publicly, in that transaction.

Per his upcoming TV series on BLK Prime, Suge says all truths will be revealed from his lens ... and also shared his favorite releases from the label, with the "Murder Was the Case" soundtrack ranking exceptionally high in his book.

After seeing the 1994 film "Natural Born Killers," Suge says he was approached by the studio to contribute a song but had to relinquish creative control.

Zendaya is the star of one of the biggest shows on TV ... and she became the star of one of the biggest music festivals in the world when she made a surprise appearance during Labrinth's set.

Labrinth -- who has written, sings and produced a bunch of the songs featured on HBO's "Euphoria" -- took to the stage Saturday during Coachella's second weekend.

Fans went absolutely insane when unexpectedly, Zendaya joined Labrinth onstage to perform "All For Us" ... a song the two have together. It's the first time Zendaya's performed in years, and she didn't pop up during Weekend 1 of Coachella ... so the show was extra special.

We should note -- "All For Us" is a song featured on "Euphoria" -- and in 2020 Labrinth won an Emmy for Outstanding Music & Lyrics for the tune ... so it's super popular.

Zendaya marks the second surprise guest for Labrinth in as many weeks ... he brought out Billie Eilish last weekend ... much to the delight of fans.

Haley and Hanna Cavinder's college basketball careers are over, but they could have a bright future in professional wrestling ... so says WWE Hall of Famer Booker T, who tells TMZ Sports the twins can succeed in the industry if they remain a dominant duo.

We spoke to Booker about the Internet sensations -- whose agent, Jeff Hoffman, confirmed earlier this week they would start training at the WWE Performance Center -- and the wrestling legend shared some words of encouragement for the sisters as they embark on their new journey.

"The best advice I can give to siblings is [to] learn this craft and stick together because it will be a ride," Booker said. "It's going to be a journey. This is a marathon. You got to be ready to run the long haul."

After Haley and Hanna -- who helped Miami reach the Elite 8 this past season -- announced they would not return to The U for a fifth season, speculation grew about the next endeavors the twins would pursue.

"We love the WWE," Haley said during their appearance on The Today Show last week. "The fan base, the sport, the fitness side of it ... they’re great, our partner, and we’re very excited in a future with them."

Of course, Booker T -- a five-time WCW champion -- knows what it feels like to break into the wrestling business with a sibling. The King of the Spinaroonie was one half of the legendary "Harlem Heat" tag team with his real-life brother, Stevie Ray.

In April 2013, Booker was inducted into WWE's Hall of Fame. Harlem Heat reunited for one final match in February 2015, where they won the ROW Tag Team Championship and were inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame together as part of the 2019 class.

If the Cavinder twins ever make it to WWE's roster, they won't be the first set of trailblazing twins. Nikki and Brie Garcia -- formerly known as the Bella Twins -- and Jimmy and Jey Uso created a blueprint for how siblings can dominate in professional wrestling.

"These young ladies that are coming in," Booker said, "they are so athletic."

"So much more athletic than the crop when I came up. I see this business going in a really great direction."

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney are living out the plot of 'Ted Lasso' in real life -- 'cause their British soccer team just got bumped up to a whole new level of competition.

Wrexham won their match Saturday against Boreham Wood to come from behind and secure a 3-1 victory -- which guarantees them a promotion from the National League (the level 5 league in which they'd been playing of late) to the next tier ... League Two (4th tier).

If they get three more promotions ... Wrexham would be playing in the English Premier League alongside mega teams like Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, etc.

They're not quite there yet ... but you could argue they're well on their way -- and Saturday's small step into the next chapter was not without celebration and ecstasy. Literally, you could see it all over Ryan and Rob's faces when the final whistle was blown.

RR and RME embraced in a hug as they were overcome with shock ... and eventually stormed the field with the rest of the team -- not to mention the rest of the fanbase.

Indeed ... Wrexham supporters were over the moon and rushed the pitch to ring in the win. And eventually, Ryan and Rob held up the big trophy -- which brings this Cinderella tale full circle. They became owners of Wrexham back in 2021 ... and have documented their journey.

The whole was showcased on an FX series called "Welcome to Wrexham" ... which dove into why Ryan and Rob got involved with this down-and-out club in a tiny town in North Wales.

Since their takeover, the team has turned around their luck ... and they've been playing well and ascending in the ranks. Now, the team has reached the milestone they've been battling for for a long time -- and they'll get to play in the league above them next year.

Like we said ... this is pretty much exactly what Jason Sudeikis goes through weekly on Apple TV -- except, in this case, Rob and Ryan are even more so fish out of water.

Steve Martin and Charlie Sheen are but a handful of celebs who seem to really want their blue checkmarks back on Twitter -- and they're making their concerns known, publicly.

The two Hollywood heavyweights took to the bird app over the past couple days to express their dismay at not being verified anymore -- and they tweeted their gripes too ... letting everyone (as well as Elon Musk, specifically) know they want to be 1 of 1 on Twitter.

First, Steve ... who may or may not be joking here. He writes, "I no longer have a blue check. But I would appreciate it if told me that you still see it. I really need this."

He's getting a lot of responses from fans who say he's still blue checkmark verified in their books ... and that he doesn't need Twitter's validation to be considered legit. Again, considering SM's sense of humor -- we feel like he's low-key trolling in this instance.

Then there's Charlie ... who, perhaps, sounds a bit more serious about wanting back in the blue club. He says with some zest, "dear @elonmusk i’m sorry your fancy rocket exploded in spectacular fashion. I’m certain you’ll build an even bigger and more explody one."

CS adds, "now, may i please have my blue check back? it would mean a lot to me. thank you in advance, sincerely - c sheen." Elon responded, saying he feels Chuck's pain.

Of course, some are responding to both Charlie and Steve and asking the obvious -- if you want a blue check, why not just pay for it ... especially seeing how you can easily afford it??? It's a fair question -- but it's also tricky ... 'cause blue checks are kinda cringe now.

Indeed ... the consensus online seems to be, if you still have a blue check -- except for LeBron, William Shatner and Stephen King (whose checks Elon has explicitly said he's comping) -- you obviously pay for it now ... aka, you're sorta in the "loser club," if you will.

If that is, indeed, the case ... there sure are a lot of "loser" A-listers who still have their checks and who presumably pay Elon $8/month -- including Taylor Swift, Arnold Schwarzenneger, LL Cool J, Khloe Kardashian, John Cena, Soulja Boy, Ellen DeGeneres, Rihanna, Miley Cyrus and The Weeknd (who's got a gold checkmark, surprisingly).

All these people have opted to retain their verified status ... and clearly see some value in letting the public know they still are who they say they are. Can't really knock 'em.

Feels like we're back in high school again ... so, pick your clique, we suppose. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Charles Barkley and Gayle King are teaming up to take CNN by storm -- they're gonna be hosting a new show together later this year ... which may be forcing HRH into a double take.

The announcement was made Saturday during TNT's pregame coverage ... where Gayle came on set with Chuck and the guys to talk about their new venture together -- namely, a weekly primetime slot on CNN that sees them both talking politics and timely topics.

The program's gonna be titled "King Charles" ... and while, on its face, it might sound Chuck-centric -- you'll remember, King is Gayle's last name ... so she's in there as well.

Now, as for what sort of stuff they might get into -- well, they teased a little bit on TNT ... including the hot-button issue of guns. Charles and Gayle brought up a string of shootings that have happened over the past few months ... including school shootings and even ones that have randomly occurred to innocent bystanders -- like Ralph Yarl and Kinsley White.

Now, while they'll certainly cover stories that touch on politics ... Charles insists the show itself won't be political by nature -- meaning, it won't pander to Republicans or Dems. The way they're pitching it is ... Gayle and Charles giving their "straight shooter" opinions live.

Gayle also says it doesn't always have to be so heavy ... adding they might get into food, pop culture and whatever else they wanna touch on that's in the news cycle that week.

"King Charles" will air Wednesdays starting this all, and both will retain their gigs at CBS and Turner, respectively ... the latter of which is an already subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Drake Bell is at his breaking point with internet trolls calling him a pedophile, saying they're driving him to the point of suicide, and will have "blood on their hands" if things don't stop.

Bell's been replying to various Twitter accounts over the last few days -- specifically, those calling him "pedo" and claiming he's a registered sex offender -- and trying to defend himself against the false allegations.

Bell tweeted, "Noooo Immmm Nooooooottttt!!!! You people are going to kill me" in reply to someone who called him a sex offender. He responded to another with ... "Nooooo I wasn't!! You people are destroying my life."

In another back-and-forth, one fan wrote, "Let’s not forget he’s a pedo" ... but another actually defended Bell by saying, "He's not though."

Bell eventually chimed in on that convo with, "Do a second of research This is what I have to live with everyday they are literally going to kill me. Bloods on their hands..."

The examples are endless, and clearly, something that's had a serious effect on the actor/singer ... especially in the wake of going missing last week, and his wife filing for divorce.

As for why the trolls are teeing off on him -- remember, Drake was sentenced to 2 years probation back in 2021 after pleading guilty to one felony charge of attempted endangering children. A woman claimed she and Bell started exchanging sexual messages and photos when she was just 15, and eventually met at one of his shows, where she alleges she performed oral sex on him.

Bell did not have to register as a sex offender as a result of that case ... which is why he's so pissed about the repeated tweets accusing him of that.

TMZ broke the story, Bell was reported missing last Friday, and cops considered him "endangered" before they located him several hours later.

Bell's brother had told cops Drake threatened suicide over child custody issues.

His month got worse when we broke the story his estranged wife, Janet, filed for divorce Thursday.

Interestingly enough, Bell also sounded off about his divorce, tweeting, "I found out my wife filed for divorce from TMZ...check out my new song" and dropping a link to his song "Going Away."

Bill Maher told a great story Friday night about an AAA-list Hollywood shindig where all the beautiful people were railing against cancel culture. They didn't have the balls to follow through, but Bill certainly did -- with the first annual COJONES AWARDS!!!

Bill says a big-time producer invited him to his Brentwood home to moderate a discussion on how to put the brakes on cancel culture. He says it seemed every big actor in Hollywood was there, and they were all charged up. When Bill suggested an awards show to honor those who pushed back, everyone was charged and promised to follow through. They didn't.

Well, on 'Real Time,' Bill did.  He presented awards to folks who, as Bill says, told the eggshell skull-whiners ... "F*** off you over-sensitive little s****."

This year's award recipients include the President of Cornell University, who refused to offer a "trigger warning" to students in lectures that may prove too much for them to handle.

Another recipient -- Trader Joe's, which refused to yank Trader José beer from its shelves.

And Netflix honcho Ted Sarandos snagged a set of balls for refusing to pull Dave Chappelle from the menu.

Shannen Doherty is pulling the plug on her 11-year marriage, filing for divorce from Kurt Iswarienko ... and we're told things are nasty behind the scenes.

Shannen filed docs, obtained by TMZ, Friday in L.A. stating the two have been split up since back in January ... they were married in October 2011 and did not have any kids together.

Shannen's rep, Leslie Sloane, tells TMZ ... "Divorce is the last thing Shannen wanted. Unfortunately, she felt she was left with no other option. You can contact Kurt's agent, Collier Grimm at PICTUREKID as she is intimately involved." Not hard to read between the lines.

Sources close to the estranged couple tell us Shannen's living with stage 4 cancer and the divorce is very acrimonious ... which makes things all the more difficult.

According to the docs, filed by Disso Queen Laura Wasser, Shannen is asking for spousal support, but for it not to be awarded to Kurt. We're told there was no prenup.

Barbara Walters' longtime home is now up for grabs ... the place the late news anchor called home for decades has hit the market.

The apartment sits on Manhattan's Upper East Side and it's going for $19.75 million. BW first moved into the luxury apartment back in 1989 ... and it's as glamorous as you'd expect the home of one of the world's most recognizable news anchors to be.

As we reported, Barbara passed away back in December at the age of 93 ... and she spent her final years living in this particular estate.

The Wall Street Journal first reported the listing and the home is said to be in the exact same shape it was when the legendary journalist called it home ... all the way down to the furniture, art and other collectible pieces.

The home overlooks Central Park and is currently arranged into 2 bedrooms but can be converted into 4. It's got a ton of other cool features -- including a wood-burning fireplace, 10-foot-high ceilings, and nearly floor-to-ceiling windows to enjoy the park views!

The primary bedroom suite has a room/office, an expansive closet and beautiful views of the city!

Of course, Barbara became one of the longest-serving journalists ever and the first woman to anchor on NBC's "Today" -- it goes without saying she hosted many big guests in her home ... including Monica Lewinsky before she agreed to let Walters interview her about the Bill Clinton scandal.

Timothée Chalamet might wanna pump the brakes a little earlier next time, slamming into a camera during a shoot in an apparent case of some serious miscommunication.

Kylie Jenner's new boo was in NYC Wednesday shooting a commercial called "Vertigo" when the mishap went down. You see the actor come down a set of stairs to be greeted by two other actors when the camera jets out and collides with Chalamet.

Unclear who's to blame for the poor choreography, but you can see a piece of the camera break off in the process.