TV

It's splitsville for Sofia Vergara and Joe Manganiello -- as the couple just announced they're throwing in the towel on their marriage ... and going their separate ways.

They issued a joint statement Monday, telling Page Six ... "We have made the difficult decision to divorce. As two people that love and care for one another very much, we politely ask for respect of our privacy at this time as we navigate this new phase of our lives."

The outlet reports they've been growing apart for quite some time and have recently been spending time apart to figure out a path forward.

The two actors got together in 2014, and were engaged 6 months later. They got married in 2015 --- but never had any children together ... although Sofia has a son from a previous relationship. They've often been considered one of Hollywood's big-time power couples.

Vergara -- whose been overseas celebrating her 51st birthday over the past several weeks -- appears to have been telegraphing she may be a single woman ... posting a ton of hot shots of herself in a bathing suit, with no sign of Joe in any of her recent snaps. Granted, the guy's been busy on the East Coast lately filming a new movie with Vince Vaughn ... pre-strike.

This is Sofia's second marriage and Joe's first. SV was in a long-term relationship with businessman Nick Loeb before she hooked up with Joe ... the remnants of which proved to be dramatic, as their embryo case dragged on for years in court.

Here's hoping this uncoupling isn't as eventful.

A miracle came down on behalf of one Hollywood show that can now continue to work with its actors amid the SAG-AFTRA strike ... and it benefits none other than Jesus, or at least fans of his story.

Showrunners for the popular Christian-based TV series "The Chosen" announced Sunday they'd gotten the green light to move forward with production ... including their main cast, several of whom are in the actors' union. It's the first show to catch this break.

The reason ... they received a waiver from the Screen Actors Guild, which essentially gives them an exemption to keep filming -- even though the rest of the major productions in town are shut down. Deadline was first to report the news.

The folks who run "The Chosen" Twitter account had actually been pleading with SAG to cut them some slack ... and luckily, it came in record time. They were worried they'd have to pause things in Utah -- where they're in the middle of shooting a new season -- unless they got the waiver ... and since they received it in just a few days, they're not totally off schedule.

Now, as for why they're getting the waiver while other productions have to wait in the wings ... it actually has nothing to do with what you may think -- namely, some kind of religious loophole. On the contrary, it has more to do with whether the show/movie is independent ... aka, not having major ties to a TV or movie studio as far as funding.

"The Chosen" certainly has a grassroots background -- it initially got off the ground via crowdfunding -- but has since kinda gone mainstream ... with licensing deals being struck among a number of major studios like Netflix, Amazon, CW, Peacock, and others.

Despite that, it'll be allowed to resume ... so, fans of the show gotta be stoked. Praise be!

Howard Stern gave fans a big shock, going live on his own station without warning ... and he brought some of Hollywood's biggest names along with him to hijack the airwaves.

Stern's SiriusXM show went live Sunday night -- it was NOT a promoted show -- and said he was going back to his roots to spin some tracks, but he wasn't alone in the studio.

Howard's pals Jimmy Fallon, Drew Barrymore, Robert Downey Jr., Brooke Shields and Jon Bon Jovi all jumped on the mic with him, making the surprise airing a real star-studded event.

Sounds like the gang was having dessert together when the idea came up for the radio host to play some tunes -- which is why his celebrity takeover was so spur-of-the-moment.

They all picked out some of their favs, with JBJ choosing The Eagles' "Hotel California" -- and the rock legend even belted out the hit with Jimmy and Robert!

The Quavo and Lori Harvey dating rumor's been fueled by a couple of misleading photos -- and we've learned all they really have in common right now is the same taste in restaurants.

The buzz is the celebs had a hot lunch date at the San Vicente Bungalows -- an exclusive L.A. hot spot -- and while it's true they were there at the same time this week, they were not together.

Sources close to the situation tell TMZ Hip Hop ... Quavo was sitting at a different table from Lori, and he was having a lunch meeting. We're told he was focused purely on business, and not Lori.

Even Lori's tried to squash it by commenting on the TikTok post that claimed they must be dating. She explained she was there with friends, and Quavo co-signed ... calling the post "cap."

Real talk? We're told the pics of them leaving the joint were taken 10 minutes apart. While that's a common tactic celeb couples use to throw off paps, this time it's just a coincidence.

Lori is still dating "Snowfall" star Damson Idris, and Quavo is putting the finishing touches on his "Rocket Power" album, which will feature his collab with Future -- the one with that direct shot at Russell Wilson.

Vanna White is awesome!!! She jumped on the TMZ Celebrity Tour Bus Saturday in the middle of her ice cream run, and who knew her son was so hot!

Vanna and 29-year-old Nikko had just hit up Jenni's Ice Cream shop in Bev Hills when our tour guide spotted her. Vanna jumped on the bus and had loads of fun with our guests.

TMZ broke the story, she's demanding at least half of what Pat Sajak makes if she'll continue her more than 40-year reign on the show. Pat makes around $15 million -- Vanna makes $3 mil and hasn't gotten a bump in 18 years. Remember, even "Wheel" refers to her and Pat as "the stars of the show," not distinguishing between the two.

If Vanna exits at the same time Pat hangs it up, it leaves the show without any familiar faces.

Everyone connected to the negotiations has gone radio silent, although a few weeks back a source with direct knowledge described the negotiations between Vanna and Sony as "very difficult."

Tom Holland is playing a gay man in a new TV show ... but it's not sitting well with some of his 'Spider-Man' fans while others are defending him.

Holland -- who recently announced he will return to the superhero role in "Spider Man 4" -- came under fire on social media Friday for his part in the Apple TV series, "The Crowded Room."

In one scene, Holland and another man have steamy sex, which sparked the online outrage.

One person tweeted, "Tom Gone Wrong #NotMySpiderMan."

Another wrote, "LMAOOOOOOO dis is really somebody’s favorite Spider-Man"

It's probably a mix of unabashed homophobia and people who think only a gay actor should play a gay role.

But some of Tom's fervent supporters responded to the online haters by arguing previous 'Spider-Man' actors had taken similar LGBTQ roles, such as Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Ron Perlman is super pissed at the studio executive who wants to bleed striking writers dry before coming to the table to end one of two Hollywood strikes ... so much so, he's making threats.

The "Hellboy" star did not mince words in a since-deleted social media rant Friday, making some ominous threats towards the anonymous studio exec who was quoted as saying studios are purposefully delaying negotiations with the Writers Guild of America "until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses."

In the video, an incensed Ron says ... "Listen to me, motherf*****, there's a lot of ways to lose your house. Some of it is financial, some of it is karma, and some of it is just figuring out who the f*** said that -- and we know who said that -- and where he f****** lives."

Ron continues ... "There's a lot of ways to lose your house. You wish that on people, you wish that families starve, while you're making $27 f***** million a year for creating nothing? Be careful, motherf*****. Be really careful, 'cause that's the kind of s*** that stirs s*** up."

The rant comes in response to a Deadline article this week that quotes anonymous studio executives as revealing their strike plan is to let writers fall into dire straits in order to force a studio-friendly deal.

Charles Barkley just threw all of his support behind the LGBTQ+ community and Bud Light while out in Lake Tahoe this week ... telling the haters to piss off during a powerful speech at a local bar.

While up on stage during a break in the action at the American Century Celebrity golf tournament ... the NBA legend grabbed a microphone and took aim at transphobes, homophobes and critics of Bud Light.

"I want y'all to drink this f***ing beer," he said. "I want y'all to drink this f***ing beer. I got three cases of Bud Light."

"Hey," he added, "And I want to say this -- if you're gay, bless you. If you're transgender, bless you. And, if you have a problem with that, f*** you!"

Of course, the LGBTQ+ community and Bud Light have been under fire recently following Anheuser-Busch's decision to partner with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney for a BL promotion.

The collab sparked so much outrage amongst conservatives, the beer giant reportedly lost more than $27 billion as people protested.

But, Barkley obviously believes there's no need for that hate and anger ... making his stance on the issue crystal clear out in Nevada.

This is not the first time, though, that Barkley has been vocal in his backing of the LGBTQ+ community ... in fact, at this same event last year, he delivered a similar speech.

"If you're gay and transgender," he told bargoers at the time, "I love you. Hey, and if anybody gives you s***, you tell them Charles said, 'F*** you!'"

Ariana Grande is an expert in the studio, even outside her sweet spot of the recording booth ... so claims her longtime collaborator Leon Thomas III!!!

Leon and Ariana starred on the Nickelodeon series "Victorious" together back in the day, and he recalled coaching the megastar singer during a recent sit-down on the "Shirley's Temple" podcast.

Leon says he advised AG, early on, to learn the art of engineering her own music and swears he saw her grow into a master wizard at Pro Tools software.

Their still-developing creativity led them to make their own rendition of Drake and Rihanna's "Take Care" duet.

Leon says he was too mortified to let Drizzy hear, but AG didn't sound half-bad -- about as good as a rookie who was destined to sell more than 90 million records!!!

AG's last album, "Positions," (which Leon helped produce) was released in 2020, and it just may be time for her to fire up those studio skills again ... now that the actors' strike is in full swing.

Michael Jackson and Prince are two names almost guaranteed to be on every artist's collab wishlist ... but not Dr. Dre's!

The hip hop giant says he turned down both late music legends to work in the studio ... because they were just too established. He also admitted to leaving Stevie Wonder in the studio hanging after personally being asked to go half on a track. What's the big deal, Dre?!!?

The music mogul made the puzzling revelations to Kevin Hart on the new season of his "Hart to Hart" podcast and admitted shaping a new artist's career — as we saw with Snoop Dogg and Eminem — is much easier for him than helping a living legend find their sound.

Fran Drescher is ripping Hollywood studios, saying their negotiation strategy was all a ploy to have extra time to promote upcoming blockbusters.

We got the actress and President of SAG-AFTRA on Friday's picket line outside Netflix HQ, and she said the studios duped the union leading up to Thursday's strike.

Fran says her union was sincere in extending the strike deadline 12 days in hopes to avoid a nasty standoff ... but she's convinced the studios weren't negotiating in good faith and only wanted to use the extension to hold premieres for some upcoming flicks, like "Barbie."

Fran's not holding back ... ripping the studios' negotiating tactics as "thoughtless, insensitive and not compassionate." She says they straight-up don't care about the actors who make this whole industry go forward.

As we reported, Fran went nuclear Thursday in announcing the strike ... the union's first walkout in 43 years, with actors joining already striking writers on the picket lines.

Fran sees an end to the standoff, even though she has said both sides are far apart ... telling us the public has the power to make this whole thing go away.

The way Fran sees it ... public opinion and the way people spend their money will dictate a lot of the outcome, and she's asking folks to stand tall with the folks in front of the cameras to give them some leverage against the studios and their CEOs.

There's nothing but an empty set behind the wizard's curtain on the set of "Wicked" ... looking more like a ghost town as the SAG-AFTRA strike begins.

The Buckinghamshire village that Universal transformed into some vibrant sets for the Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo-led musical has become a dreamland for the cast and crew hard at work on the production ... but as the actors' strike went into effect Friday morning, the hundreds of cast and crew are nowhere to be found.

FYI, this movie has been brewin' since first announced back in 2016 -- obviously COVID was a big setback, but things were finally moving smoothly for the blockbuster before the strike.

HBO's "House of the Dragon" is also a project that's shooting overseas, but while that production's still going forward, don't think that makes the stars a bunch of scabs.

For those unaware, the actors in the 'GoT' prequel operate under the UK's local union, Equity -- which has strict rules against striking in solidarity with other unions like SAG-AFTRA.

"Wicked" is slated to come out next November ... but who knows if the team will be able to defy the gravity of the strike in time for its release.

Fran Drescher is clapping back against criticism she hung out with Kim Kardashian at a publicity event in Italy amid contract negotiations between actors and studios.

The President of SAG-AFTRA addressed the controversy -- specifically a 'selfie' she took with Kim K --  during a press conference Thursday announcing thousands of actors were going on strike while bringing all TV and film production to a grinding halt.

Drescher insisted, "That wasn’t a selfie," adding, "I’m a brand ambassador for a fashion company and so is Kim. I had only met Kim seconds before that publicity picture was taken."

Fran continued, "It had nothing to do with being at a party or having fun – it was absolute work … We work, that’s what we do."

The photo, snapped at the Dolce & Gabbana soiree, was shared on social media and it quickly went viral, causing all the turmoil.

One actor tweeted, "We're asking to be better compensated by the studios and Fran Drescher is mugging for the cameras in Italy. The optics look f---king terrible."

Another one wrote, "Hey @frandrescher, why are you gallivanting around when our strike is looming? Super bad look."

During her speech Thursday, Drescher -- former star of the sitcom "The Nanny" -- also mentioned she regularly stayed in touch with SAG-AFTRA colleagues in L.A. while she was in Europe.

Rosanna Arquette got into a frightening car wreck in a Malibu shopping center ... but she managed to walk away unscathed, TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... the actress apparently lost control of her vehicle Tuesday morning and crashed into a building in Point Dume Village.

The accident occurred as Rosanna attempted to park ... while trying to go in reverse, the Malibu Times first reported. Instead, Rosanna's car lurched forward and plowed through three pillars supporting the roof of the structure.

Video posted to Twitter showed the aftermath of the collision and all the damage it caused to Rosanna's ride and the building.

Luckily, Rosanna didn't suffer so much as a scratch, but she was taken to a hospital anyway to get checked out.

Cops said no pedestrians were hurt either, and Rosanna was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time.

Doc Rivers says he has no idea if he'll ever return to an NBA sideline ... the coaching great tells TMZ Sports his future in the sport is completely up in the air.

We spoke with Rivers -- who was recently let go from his gig with the Philadelphia 76ers -- outside Jon & Vinny's in LA this week ... and he made it clear his main focus is enjoying his recently-cleared schedule.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do," Rivers told us. "I'm just gonna enjoy life."

The championship-winning coach was fired back in May after going 154-82 through three seasons in the City of Brotherly Love ... and if a coaching job isn't in the cards, there are rumblings he could put on the headset for a broadcasting role with ESPN.

Rivers didn't tip his hand on what's next for him ... but certainly seemed to be in great spirits as he deflected questions about whether teams were calling his line.

"I just enjoy life," he told us ... adding he was having a "phenomenal" summer.

The 61-year-old former NBA star is one of the most successful coaches in league history ... leading the sideline for the Magic, Celtics, Clippers and Sixers through the years.

SAG-AFTRA actors are facing a load of rules as the strike goes into effect ... and we're talking about everything, from acting on camera to even tweeting about projects.

TMZ has obtained a copy of the rigorous guidelines the 160,000 union members are required to follow until the strike ends ... and it cites the expected no-nos like acting, singing, and doing motion capture work in front of a camera.

But that's just the tip of the iceberg, because they also aren't allowed to do any voice acting, narrating, or re-recording their voice for a scene, also known as dubbing.

In addition, performers can't attend costume fittings, makeup tests, or rehearsals and they can't audition for upcoming projects.

There's also a ban on promotion, in every form -- they can't do interviews, tours, fan expos and conventions, podcast appearances, award shows or even post about a project on social media.

It appears pre-recorded promos are fair game for the studios, but SAG-AFTRA's asked publicists to add a disclaimer in front of pre-deadline press junkets so some actors don't come off as scabs down the line.

Stand-ins and background actors in the union are also forbidden from crossing that picket line ... leaving options incredibly limited for any shows or movies staying in production. Also, anyone not in SAG-AFTRA that crosses the line won't be getting future entry into the union.