TV

Erin Hershey, a soap actress famous for "General Hospital," didn't want her kids tuning into Joe Biden's inauguration ... telling a teacher she'd never let them "watch a criminal."

Erin's got a daughter in elementary school in California, and after the little girl's teacher sent an email to parents Wednesday inviting kids to skip class to watch Inauguration Day, she replied with some nasty comments about the new Prez.

According to the email chain, obtained by TMZ, Erin blasted this out to the teacher and her fellow parents ... "Why watch a criminal on television? I’d never do that to my children. But thank you."

Another parent then rushed to the teacher's defense in the email chain, thanking her for considering the families who wanted to watch the historical moment and drawing Erin's ire by writing, "no matter the person taking office, we are lucky to be able to watch moments like this."

Erin quickly responded with another reply all, saying ... "I don't think we are lucky at all to watch a flat out joke."

Child star JoJo Siwa just confirmed she's part of the LGBTQ+ community -- but isn't quite ready to label herself with a letter just yet.

The former 'Dance Moms' star published a lengthy video Saturday, which pretty much hit the point home that she had, in fact, come out after much speculation these past few days. She says she's gotten tons of support, and has never been happier in her life to be her true self.

At one point, one of JoJo's fans asks how she identifies in terms of sexual orientation ... and she says she doesn't know yet. That's interesting to note, because everyone assumed she'd come out as gay ... mostly due to her own wardrobe, which literally had the word printed on.

JoJo showed off a shirt she received the other day, which reads ... BEST. GAY. COUSIN. EVER. Many took that as signaling, not to mention her lip-syncing to Gaga's "Born This Way."

It's a big deal, BTW. JoJo -- who's 17 years old -- has a massive audience with kids, so this is gonna reach them in some shape or form. Many think it'll help children be more comfortable with owning their sexuality, since one of their on-screen heroes now has.

Larry King -- the legendary TV and radio host who conducted more than 30,000 interviews in a storied 60-year career -- has died.

King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center early Saturday ... this, according to Ora Media, the media company Larry co-founded.

Larry was diagnosed with COVID-19 over the holidays, and was hospitalized in the ICU at one point, but had recently been moved to a regular hospital room, and was breathing on his own. Things took a turn, and King died Saturday morning.

Larry -- government name Lawrence Harvey Zeiger -- started his career in radio as a disc jockey at WAHR-AM in Miami ... after officially changing his last name to King.

His voice would ultimately land him jobs at radio stations across America before finding fame with "The Larry King Show." The nationally-syndicated late-night radio talk show debuted in 1978 across 28 cities ... and in just 5 short years the show was heard in 118 cities.

Larry's career catapulted to the big time when, in 1985, "Larry King Live" premiered on the fledgling CNN. He interviewed just about every iconic figure ... from Sir Paul McCartney, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Marlon Brando (they kissed on the lips in 1994) to Presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Larry also interviewed Vladimir Putin.

Larry was a unique talent and an incredible interviewer who made his craft look effortless. He was completely absorbed in conversations with his guests, and he did something that escapes many other interviewers -- HE LISTENED. Larry wasn't thinking about his next question -- he was always in the moment. And something else ... he never asked long questions just to hear himself talk. His questions were short, and almost always on point.

The popular late-night TV show aired its last episode on December 16, 2010 ... becoming CNN's most-watched and longest-running program. But, he didn't exactly go away quietly ... Larry's one-man comedy show "Larry King: Stand Up" debuted 4 months later. He also started "Larry King Now" ... an online series that later migrated to Russian-owned news channel, RT.

Larry loved getting married almost as much as doing interviews -- he did it 8 times ... to Freda Miller (1952), Annette Kaye (1961), Alene Akins (1961), Mickey Sutphin (1963), Alene again (1967), Sharon Lepore (1976), Julie Alexander (1989) and Shawn (1997). He filed for divorce from Shawn in 2019.

The last time we saw Larry was in February 2020, when he mused on the upcoming Dodgers season. The Brooklyn native and lifelong Dodgers fan watched them win their first World Series in 32 years after the COVID-shorted 2020 season.

Larry -- who published more than 20 books and had a USA Today column for decades -- coped with various ailments throughout his life ... mostly heart problems. He suffered several heart attacks and, in 1987, had quintuple bypass surgery. In fact, Larry married his most recent wife, Shawn King, at UCLA Medical Center where he was being treated for chest pains.

Larry tied the knot with Shawn just before undergoing heart surgery.

Just this past July, Larry's son Andy King, 65, unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack in late July, while his daughter Chaia King, 52, died just weeks later from lung cancer.

Larry's survived by 5 children ... Cannon, Chance, Danny, Kelly and Larry Jr. He was 87, and what an accomplished and full 87 years they were.

Ariel Robinson -- a former winner of 'Worst Cooks in America' -- jokingly discussed raising kids in a brutal manner before she was charged with killing one of her own ... and we've got the video.

We've obtained footage of Ariel performing an impromptu stand-up routine in Spartanburg, SC in 2019, in which she's discussing trying to adopt a daughter ... and a social worker coming to her home to make sure she was a fit parent.

As Ariel recounts the story, she talks about two other children of hers -- an 8-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy, both of whom wanted a little sister -- and how they were acting wild while the worker was there. She says she should've locked them up in cages as a result.

Nothing too crazy ... but watch what she says next. She jokes that at one point, she turned around and screamed upstairs to the boys, "Shut up before I come in there and punch in your throat!" ... adding that she'd reached her "mommy level" of frustration.

It got a bit of a mixed reaction from the crowd, which Ariel also played up ... saying the social worker looked at her like they all were. Then, she says she got "approved." Unclear if this story relates to the adopted daughter she and her husband are accused of killing.

As we reported ... Ariel and Jerry Robinson were arrested and charged with homicide of a 3-year-old girl -- who has since been identified as Victoria Smith, a toddler who'd spent a majority of her life in foster care. Reports say the Robinsons adopted her at some point.

Authorities list a series of blunt force injuries that led to her death.

Bill Maher broke with tradition Friday night from his "Goodbye Douchebags" segment celebrating the end of an administration ... this time it was "Hello, Douchebags!"

Bill did not disappoint with his list of "up-and-comers" ... as he put it, "the new, fresh-faced hate-for-profit, truth-bending opportunist that you'll be cursing out for years to come."

Senator Josh Hawley tops Bill's list ... we won't spoil it for you, with one exception -- Maher calls Hawley "the far-right JFK with a little dash of KKK."

Then there's Rep. Lauren Boebert, whom Bill describes this way ... "what would happen if Michele Bachmann smoked bath salts?"

Senator Tommy Tuberville made the list ... Bill notes 3 of his business associates were convicted of financial crimes, to which Tommy said, "I'm not smart enough to understand all the numbers." To that Bill notes, "Did I mention he wants to be on the Senate Banking Committee?"

Rep. Madison Cawthorn is on the list as well. Bill mused, "This one brags that he carries a gun on the House floor, but not irresponsibly. It's safely secured in his Paw Patrol lunchbox."

And, what would the list be without Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene ... well, just watch.

Dustin Diamond's cancer diagnosis has been hard for him to deal with emotionally ... and it has him questioning how this happened to him.

The "Saved by the Bell" star's rep tells TMZ ... Dustin's struggling to come to terms with having the type of lung cancer he has -- stage 4 small cell carcinoma -- because it's normally caused by smoking, and he's never been a smoker.

So, we're told Dustin can't help but wonder if his cancer is the result of his frequent work travel over the past 20 years.

The rep says Dustin's worked all over the country on film sets and at comedy clubs for meet-and-greets ... and sometimes had to stay in pretty questionable hotels and motels, because there were no other options.

We're told Dustin believes some of these spots might have had mold or asbestos ... which he could have breathed in, causing his cancer.

As we reported ... Dustin just completed his first round of chemo at a Florida hospital, and will start physical therapy soon while he awaits the second round of treatment.

We're told his doctors have not determined what caused his cancer, but as we reported ... he does have a history of it in his family. His mother died of breast cancer.

When Emma Roberts' baby boy arrived he was brought into this world by a doctor who did the same for Khloe Kardashian and Kylie Jenner's kids.

Emma and actor Garrett Hedlund's son, Rhodes Robert Hedlund, was delivered by Dr. Thais Aliabadi ... according to the birth certificate, which also shows he arrived at 5:07 PM on December 27.

The birth certificate, obtained by TMZ, says Dr. Aliabadi delivered Rhodes on familiar turf ... L.A.'s famed Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. We say it's familiar because it's the same place where Stormi Webster was born.

You'll recall ... Dr. A flew from L.A. to Ohio to deliver True Thompson for Khloe and Tristan.

TMZ broke the story ... Rhodes weighed in right around 9 lbs on the day he was born. It's Emma and Garrett's first child. During her pregnancy ... Emma wasn't shy about showing off her baby bump, as she was seen out and about town frequently.

New York native Alisa Reyes was only 13 years old when she shot to stardom after she was cast as one of the original wacky kids in the '90s children's sketch comedy show "All That" on Nickelodeon.

"All That" was packed with young talent on the rise including Nick Cannon, Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell, Amanda Bynes, Angelique Bates and Danny Tamberelli ... and spawned some iconic spin-off shows like "The Amanda Show," "Kenan & Kel" and "The Nick Cannon Show."

The program was revived in 2019 and even featured some of the classic castmates like Lori Beth Denberg and Josh Server.

Dustin Diamond has completed his first round of chemo after being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer ... according to his team.

The "Saved by the Bell" star is still in the hospital and is doing everything he can to deal with his diagnosis ... which his team tells TMZ is stage 4 small cell carcinoma.

This is commonly referred to as advanced lung cancer, but in Dustin's case ... we're told the cancer started elsewhere in his body and metastasized in his lungs. His next round of chemo is being scheduled soon.

His team says he will also begin physical therapy, and adds that Dustin is keeping a positive outlook and is looking forward to spending more time with his girlfriend. We're told he's also enjoying playing his bass guitar (learning songs by Tool and Foo Fighters) and video games ... and making videos for his fans on social media.

We broke the story ... Diamond, best known for playing Screech on the hit '90s sitcom, was hospitalized earlier this month in Florida after feeling pain all over his body and a general sense of unease.

From the get-go, there was concern he had cancer due to his family history, and sadly ... that concern became a scary reality.

Dustin's team says he's been receiving a bunch of fan mail wishing him well, and will be getting it to him at the hospital to lift his spirits soon.

Joe Biden ended his first night in the White House soaking in a fireworks show over D.C. ... with Katy Perry putting a bow on a historic day.

The new President and First Lady Jill Biden wore masks and hugged on a balcony outside their new digs, watching fireworks over the Washington Monument as Katy sang her hit, "Firework."

The "Celebrating America" inauguration concert saved the best for last ... with Katy bringing down the house.

Tom Hanks hosted the 90-minute primetime concert live from D.C., braving a cold winter's night at the Lincoln Memorial.

Former Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama delivered a special message too ... sending Biden words of encouragement and wishing him success for the good of the country, while taking some subtle shots at the guy Biden's replacing.

Demi Lovato, Justin Timberlake, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Foo Fighters and John Legend performed virtually before Katy's grand finale ... as did Ant Clemons, Tim McGraw and Florida Georgia Line's Tyler Hubbard.

Kerry Washington and Eva Longoria were also part of the action ... introducing the acts and sharing stories about young folks making differences in their communities.

Amanda Bynes is now in the rap game ... or so it seems, after she dropped a snippet of her new track.

The "She's the Man" star posted a new track on Instagram dubbed "Diamonds" ... in which she raps for around 12 seconds --- "Diamonds, Diamonds on my neck, on my wrist" and so on. The track is only the second thing she's posted to her 505k followers on Instagram.

She's also got a rapper by the name of Precise on the track. It's unclear when Amanda recorded the track or how serious she is about getting into the rap game, but back in June she rapped along to A$AP Rocky's "A$AP Forever."

The winner of season 20 of "Worst Cooks in America" has been arrested for allegedly killing a toddler.

Ariel Robinson and her husband, Jerry Robinson, have been charged with homicide by child abuse in South Carolina, according to police, and are being held at the Greenville County Detention Center without bond.

They're accused of inflicting multiple blunt force injuries on a 3-year-old girl named Victoria Rose Smith, resulting in her death.

Police say they responded to a call about an unresponsive juvenile victim last Thursday, and the child was pronounced dead after being transferred to the hospital.

Cops arrested the couple based on their investigation, which is ongoing.

Kamala Harris's achievements are off the charts -- District Attorney, Attorney General, Senator, and soon-to-be Vice President, but thing is -- according to her husband -- she's a normal person who really loves her Chucks!

Harris and her husband, Doug Emhoff, were grilled by Jane Pauley on "Sunday Morning" about her penchant for Converse Chucks. She wore them a lot on the campaign trail and Jane seemed genuinely disappointed Kamala chose something more formal for the interview.

Jane wanted to know when it became a thing, and Harris said this was not just something she started wearing on the campaign or, for that matter, on the cover of Vogue.

She explained Chucks have been part of her life forever. Harris says she loves them because they're super comfortable.

Then Doug piped in, saying Chucks are a marker of who she is, adding when they met Kamala was all about Chucks and jeans.

But then, Doug got in a little trouble by suggesting Kamala has closets full of Chucks. The Veep-Elect squashed that. No Imelda Marcos for her!!!

Doug recently started his official Twitter account as the Second Gentleman.

Andrew Zimmern says folks in custody need better food options ... even the bare-chested insurrectionist with animal horns and face paint complaining about a lack of organic grub.

We caught up with the 'Bizarre Foods' host this week and talked Jake Angeli, the Capitol attack suspect who complained about not being able to eat in federal custody because there were no organic options meeting his strict diet.

Andrew says Angeli's beef shines a light on an issue he believes runs deep in America ... the food being served in public hospitals, schools and prisons is in desperate need of an upgrade.

While Andrew says Angeli is an "evil, disgusting, human" who should be served nothing but bread and water, he admits it's not fair to single the guy out of his crusade for better prison food for all.

Kaley Cuoco is mourning the death of her pooch, Norman ... which has left the actress heart-broken, considering how big of a dog lover she is.

The 'Big Bang Theory' star broke the tragic news Saturday, posting two black and white photos of her with her beloved Norman, writing ... "💔 earth shattering deep gut wrenching pain I didn’t know was possible. Norman, you were my entire world for 14 years."

Kaley adds, "Thank you for smiling at me as you left this world, confirming for me once again our language was ours alone. You will always have my heart. 💔"

No word on how exactly her pit bull died, but he was a regular on her IG feed as one of several dogs she appears to own and/or adopts on a semi-regular basis. Kaley has a bunch of photos and videos of her and Norman specifically, where they are often snuggling.

She even made an Instagram page for him at one point, which had thousands of followers. It has since been deactivated.

Kaley rescued Norman when he was around 2, and he had a broken leg at the time ... which she nursed back to full health. She's publicly credited him with inspiring her to be an animal rescuer at large -- KC partnered with Paw Works shortly after taking him in, and she's been deeply involved in rescues, adoptions and fostering in and around L.A. ever since.

Norman's death comes on the heels of another one of Kaley's dogs dying just a few months ago -- a pit bull named Petunia, who she and her husband, Karl, adopted as a senior.

While Kaley's had different dogs under her care at various points over the years, it appears Norman was her rock ... and her day 1, so to speak. So, this one's gotta hurt.

Bill Maher is back with a vengeance!!! None other than Kellyanne Conway kicked off Bill's first show since the election, and there were some hilarious moments.

Bill reminded Kellyanne she once said Trump didn't hurl personal insults ... well, he then ticked off not 2, not 5, not 10, not 20 ... but 22 Trumpian attacks on the 'Real Time' host, including, "Moron," "Stupid guy," "A low life," "Failing comedian," "Dumb ass," and so on.

Kellyanne's response ... well, watch the video. It's hilarious.

Maybe even more hilarious .... Bill wanted to explain to Trump in the simplest terms that he really did lose the election, so he wrote a children's book called "Pack Your S*** and Go."

It begins like this ...

All the votes have been counted

All the courts said no

You're all out of options

Now pack your s*** and go