TV

Ellen DeGeneres says she knew deep down it was time to step away from her talk show after 19 seasons on the air ... and she's thankful for one helluva ride.

Ellen got emotional Wednesday as she taped the Thursday episode of her talk show, talking about her big news -- that she's wrapping it up in 2022 -- and explaining, for the first time, what led to her decision.

She said she always knew in her heart the upcoming 19th season would be her last, and she's trusting her instincts as she prepares to walk away. Ellen got a little emotional during the monologue, but, of course, kept it funny too.

Ellen says 19 is a good number to go out on ... pointing out the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, and making a joke about the periodic table and conversations with herself and her wife, Portia de Rossi.

As a comedian, Ellen says she's always understood the importance of timing ... and the timing is right for her to end what she calls an "amazing chapter" in her life.

She'll get to discuss it even more with Thursday's guests ... Oprah and Pink.

Caleb Kennedy -- who was one of the final 5 contestants on this season of "American Idol" -- is no longer in the running to win after a video surfaced showing him sitting next to someone wearing a Klan-like hood.

The country singer just announced his departure from 'Idol' saying ... "Hey y'all, this is gonna be a bit of a surprise." He adds ... "There was a video that surfaced on the internet and it displayed actions that were not meant to be taken in that way."

Caleb claims the video is from when he was younger and he "did not think about the actions" ... but says that's no excuse. He's apologized to his fans and people he disappointed and says he's going to take time to better himself.

The singer closes by saying ... "I'm so sorry! I pray that I can one day regain your trust in who I am and have your respect."

Caleb recently wowed 'Idol' fans and the judges with his country-rock rendition of Coldplay's "Violet Hill" ... but that will be his last performance.

Ellen DeGeneres is about to hit the end of the road with her talk show -- the upcoming 19th season will be her last, TMZ has confirmed.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Ellen will make the announcement during a Wednesday taping. We're told when Ellen renewed her contract through 2022, she felt that would be the right time to end it, and it wasn't a secret to people close to her that she was walking away.

We're told Ellen's plans are NOT to retire. She'll take some time off to decide what's next. She recently signed a multi-year deal with Discovery ... on top of shows on NBC ('Game of Games,' 'Family Game Fight'), FOX ('Masked Singer') and HBO ('Ellen's Next Great Designer' and the upcoming Tig Notaro animated comedy special).

As for what her final season will entail ... we're told it'll be a huge celebration with tons of surprise guests. We're told Ellen's excited and looking forward to going out with a bang and focusing on ending the show on a strong note.

Ellen's planning to sit down with Oprah on May 13 to talk about the show's end.

As for why she's ending the show ... the comedian told The Hollywood Reporter, "When you're a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged -- and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it's just not a challenge anymore."

The news was not an abrupt decision. Ending the show had weighed on Ellen's mind since at least 2018. She told The New York Times her wife, Portia de Rossi, had implored her to call it a day. Ellen eventually signed on for 3 more seasons.

The show, which debuted in fall 2003, was philanthropic too -- reportedly making nearly $70 million in charitable donations and sinking more than $300 million into audience giveaways.

During her talk show run, Ellen earned the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 ... and Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

In 2019, former employees accused her of fostering a toxic work environment. In the wake of those allegations ... 3 of the show's executive producers were fired.

Ellen apologized to open her show last season saying, "I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that vey seriously. And, I want to say that I am so sorry to the people who were affected."

She added, "I know that I am in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility. I take responsibility for what happens at my show."

Legendary TV mom Phylicia Rashad is taking on a new important leadership role ... joining Howard University as Dean of its recently reestablished College of Fine Arts.

The iconic actress -- best known for her role as Clair Huxtable on "The Cosby Show" -- will begin her gig at the historically Black research university on July 1 ... according to the college.

Rashad's a Howard alum -- as well as a sister of Alpha Kappa Alpha -- who graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s in fine arts ... so it seems like a pretty perfect fit.

Provost Anthony K. Wutoh says ... "In this full circle moment, Ms. Phylicia Rashad will take the training and skills that she honed as a student at Howard and exuded in an outstanding performing career, and she will share those pearls of wisdom with the next generation of students in the College of Fine Arts."

Howard Univ. President, Dr. Wayne Frederick, adds ... "I can think of no individual better suited to take on this role than Ms. Phylicia Rashad."

Before joining the staff at Howard, Rashad had previously served as a guest lecturer and adjunct faculty member ... even conducting master’s-level classes. She also served on Howard’s Board of Trustees from 1996 through 1999 and then again from 2013 to 2016.

She also once served as the late Chadwick Boseman's mentor when he attended Howard -- and pulled some strings for him and other student actors by asking Denzel Washington to pay for a summer theater program that they couldn't quite afford on their own at the time.

Los Angeles local Ami Dolenz followed in her father's footsteps and shot to stardom in the '80s after landing some head-turning roles including the swan-story hottie, Katie, in "She's Out Of Control" and the eye-popping girlfriend, Sloane Peterson, in the television version of "Ferris Bueller."

Ami shared the big screen with Tony Danza as her confused father, Doug, in "She's Out Of Control" and the small screen with Jennifer Aniston as Jeannie in "Ferris Bueller."

Fun Fact: Ami's dad, Micky Dolenz, is also superfamous as the founding member of the '60s rock group, The Monkees.

Martin Lawrence's love for the Detroit Pistons has come full circle ... with a new line of merch honoring his hit '90s sitcom!!!

The NBA team's had a rough season -- it's currently dead last in the Eastern Conference -- but its collab with "Martin" should help it go out on a high note.

Nearly 29 years after the iconic show premiered with the city of Detroit as a backdrop ... Lawrence is teaming up with the Pistons for this limited-edition clothing line including jerseys, hats, shorts, sweatshirts, T-shirts and more.

As you can see ... the merch -- available Friday exclusively on Pistons313shop.com -- features the famed "Martin" intro text along with hilarious quotes and call-backs to the show mashed up with a Pistons hoops aesthetic.

The comedian says ... "Detroit has always shown me so much love and always shows up for me. From stand-up tours to fans on the street Detroit has felt like home. It’s an honor to be part of something that means so much to me to this many years later."

Good news Betty White fans ... more than a year into a pandemic and the Hollywood legend's still healthy and safe at home, but she's looking forward to summer when she can safely enjoy the outdoors and regain her freedom.

Betty's been keeping herself busy at home reading, watching TV and doing crossword puzzles ... so says her rep, Jeff Witjas. We're told there's one thing the pandemic has severely affected in her life ... her ability to regularly interact with friends face-to-face.

We're told, however, she still pens plenty of letters, makes phone calls and has limited visits with friends and loved ones through the window of her home.

Betty has always been a champion for animals, but currently has no house pets, so that's an empty spot in her life ... especially for a senior who is isolated from friends and family. She does, however, have a couple ducks on her property that we're told walk up to her door every day to say hello.

As for whether or not 99-year-old Betty's been vaccinated, Witjas is mum, saying it's a personal matter.

We're told it's unclear if and when Betty will ever return to work. But, after a Hollywood career that's spanned 60-plus years ... a break is well-deserved.

Elon Musk's big reveal on "Saturday Night Live" -- that he has Asperger's -- has other folks who live with the disorder seeking out support groups for the first time in their lives.

Elon's surprise announcement moved 68-year-old Joe Graca to become a member of the Asperger/Autism Network (AANE), where he's connecting with other folks going through the same things.

Joe, who discovered he has Asperger's when he was in his 50s, tells us he joined AANE Monday after Elon appeared on 'SNL' ... saying he likes the fact Musk didn't use Asperger's as a crutch, but showed how it can be a strength.

The Elon effect runs deeper than Joe ... Dania Jekel, AANE's executive director, tells us the org's website traffic saw an astounding 105% increase the day after the Tesla chief revealed during his monologue he lives with Asperger's.

Dania says the traffic boost has a direct correlation to Elon's announcement, telling us the fact a celebrity like Elon openly discussing the struggles he faces in front of millions of TV viewers will inspire others to consider they too might have Asperger's.

And, get this ... the AANE is now expecting to receive over 100 calls more than they'd usually see in a month, from people looking for the 4-1-1 on Asperger's or other kind support ... like Joe.

Looks like there will be one less award show next year ... NBC just axed the 2022 Golden Globes because of a lack of diversity within the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

The network announced its decision to cut ties with the Golden Globes Monday, citing the need for "meaningful reform" at the HFPA, which is stirring outrage in Hollywood due to a lack of people of color among its members.

NBC says it won't air the Golden Globes in 2022, but the network's leaving the door open for the award show's return in January 2023, as long as the HFPA follows through with a new plan to increase membership among POC.

Remember, the HFPA -- a non-profit made up of international journalists who put on (and vote for winners of) the Golden Globes -- has been called out for reportedly having ZERO Black members for several years now.

The hosts of this year's Golden Globes, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, even raised the issue during NBC's February broadcast.

NBC's decision to ax the Globes comes the same day Tom Cruise reportedly returned his 3 Golden Globe trophies to the HFPA in a sign of protest.

There's been growing opposition to HFPA ... as we reported, Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johansson recently called on Hollywood to "step back" from HFPA, and the Globes by extension.

Meanwhile, the HFPA says it's planning to make sweeping changes ... like admitting 20 new members with a focus on Black recruitment.

NBC says change at the HFPA "takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right."

See ya in 2023?!?

'Tiger King' star Jeff Lowe says he received a creepy, anonymous letter from someone indicating they know where Carole Baskin's missing ex-husband is ... though it's similar to a theory she's already shot down.

Jeff tells TMZ ... the letter was sent to his Tiger King Park in Oklahoma in May 2020, but the envelope only had the zoo's address on it, no name or return address. He says all they know is it was postmarked in Providence, Rhode Island.

As you can see in video of Jeff and his wife, Lauren, opening the letter back then ... it contains a single piece of paper with a handwritten note -- "The corpse lies under Her House." It's signed by "The Faithful Witness."

We're told Jeff and Lauren were speaking with a federal agent about the letter, and she claims she also informed law enforcement in Hillsborough County, FL ... where Don Lewis went missing in 1997.

Jeff and the agent on the phone speculate about what exactly the letter is alleging, but the gist seems clear ... the person who sent it believes Don's body is buried somewhere on Carole's Big Cat Rescue property in Tampa.

Here's where things get a bit weird -- even though Lauren says Hillsborough County authorities requested the letter in May 2020 ... Jeff refused, saying 'Tiger King 2' producers advised him to hold onto it.

Jeff says filming's wrapped now, so they are finally sending the letter to the Hillsborough County authorities, where he claims cops are planning to test it for DNA and fingerprints. We reached out to the Hillsborough Co. Sheriff's Office, they say they won't talk about evidence.

As we previously told you ... there's a Facebook group that also believes Lewis is buried on Baskin's property -- specifically under a septic tank system -- but she posted a video in August 2020 attempting to debunk that.

Phylicia Rashad was strangely thrust into a conversation about Bill Cosby and his so-called "enablers" -- which the Internet was NOT putting up with ... especially on Mother's Day.

Twitter was celebrating their favorite TV moms Sunday, and Phylicia was right up there near the top of the list ... with many remembering and paying tribute to her starring role on "The Cosby Show" as Cliff's wife, Clair Huxtable. That is, until someone took the convo left.

A lady who goes by Lisa Talmadge rained on everyone's parade, tweeting a bizarre claim, and didn't even use Phylicia's proper name in making it ... or her TV character's name for that matter.

She wrote, "Claire Huxtable was an enabler of the longest and most prolific drug rape predator In US history, Bill Cosby. Everyone on set knew he was a sadistic predator. Everyone. 75 women drugged and raped by Cosby and he got away with it because of enablers."

For starters, it's CLAIR Huxtable. Second, Mrs. Huxtable is not a real person (she's fictional and only exists in the show). More importantly -- and as Twitter users furiously noted in response -- Phylicia isn't responsible for what Cosby was accused of, or convicted over.

As countless people pointed out, Phylicia wasn't his boss on the set ... if anything, she was more of an employee of his, and a co-worker -- nothing more. To suggest she knew what was going on behind the scenes -- something she herself has already denied -- is absurd.

Now, for the record, Phylicia has come to Cosby's defense ... most memorably in 2015 when the sexual assault allegations against him resurfaced, which she brushed off at the time as a group of people trying to tarnish the man's legacy, and a conviction of guilt in the media.

After Cosby was convicted of assaulting Andrea Constand and incarcerated over it ... Phylicia has somewhat softened her stance, but she still seems to equivocate at times. Bigger picture though ... she's supported "The Cosby Show" and has asked folks to compartmentalize.

Elon Musk did well for himself on 'SNL' Saturday night, but his appearance did NOT do well for Dogecoin ... because its value plunged during the show.

Fans of Dogecoin were banking on Musk's on-air explanation of the cryptocurrency to drive the price to $1. That would have been a huge jump because just before the show it was hovering around 70 cents.

The opposite happened ... its value plummeted to 47 cents at the beginning of the show, and then partially recovered by bouncing back to 55 cents at around 2 AM ET.

At the time of this post, Dogecoin is down more than 37%.

The trading platform Robinhood seemed to panic, saying, "We’re currently experiencing issues with crypto trading. We're working to resolve this as soon as possible."

Musk talked about Dogecoin on the "Weekend Update" segment, playing a dude named Lloyd Ostertag who tried to explain to Michael Che and Colin Jost what exactly Dogecoin is, finally coming to the conclusion that didn't do it any favors.

Elon's been a fan of Dogecoin for a while now. We got him out in February when he gave some words of wisdom about investing and caution.

"Saturday Night Live" thinks Elon Musk hosting is an international affair -- they're doing something brand new to get as many eyeballs as possible watching ... around the whole dang world.

NBC made a massive announcement Saturday ... saying that tonight's episode -- starring Musk -- would be live streamed on YouTube, so different countries could tune in altogether. This appears to be the first time the network has done this, BTW ... so it's a big deal.

This stream will be available to over 100 countries, from down under to Africa ... and presumably, everything else in between. NBCU's chairman, Frances Berwick, says 'SNL' is a global phenomenon ... and this move highlights that.

She adds, "It’s incredibly exciting to create this worldwide event with host Elon Musk and musical guest Miley Cyrus." Unclear if this is the start of a regular thing, or just a one-off -- it appears to be the former, though. If that's the case ... talk about pressure, huh?!?

Elon's episode already promised to be one the most watched episodes in a long time ... as many think it'll either be a home run or a train wreck. Either way, people wanna watch.

Now ... it looks like that hype has been multiplied by 10, since there'll be potentially hundreds of millions (maybe even billions?!?) of people tuning in. And, of course, that means the skits better be damn good too ... maybe even a little better than Baby Shark Tank, a brainchild of Elon's.

There's no telling what's in store as far as content -- but a lot of folks are anticipating a major Dogecoin plug from the Tesla wiz ... who's kinda stepped in as a shepherd of sorts for the meme cryptocurrency, which many think is "going to the moon" with more exposure.

Looks like there's definitely gonna be some Doge-themed material ... at least based on Miley's not-so-subtle tease earlier Saturday. She posted a throwback clip of herself speaking gibberish ... which she said is what Elon sounds like trying to explain Dogecoin to her.

Welp, if they wanted publicity and fanfare ... they got it and then some. 'SNL' is set to begin at 8:30 PM PT, with a live broadcast on the East Coast as well. So if you're on the other side of the world and sleeping at that time ... ya better wake your ass up.

There could be one less award show next year if the Hollywood Foreign Press Association doesn't get its act together, 'cause Tinseltown is threatening to not play ball anymore.

You mighta heard about the drama this week with the HFPA -- a non-profit made up of int'l journalists who put on (and vote for winners of) the Golden Globes each year. They've been under a barrel lately due to a major lack of diversity in their ranks -- and after coming out with a new plan to increase membership among POC ... they're still getting torched.

Netflix and Amazon spoke out over the past couple days and said ... they're not participating with anything HFPA puts on until they expedite this reform process beyond what they're already planning, which they say isn't doing nearly enough to address their issues.

Ditto for Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo -- who are saying the same thing ... specifically calling on their peers to "step back" from HFPA (and the Golden Globes by extension).

ScarJo's statement is especially harsh, as she alludes to sexual harassment issues the org has apparently fostered over the years, even invoking the name of Harvey Weinstein.

She told Variety, "As an actor promoting a film, one is expected to participate in awards season by attending press conferences as well as awards shows. In the past, this has often meant facing sexist questions and remarks by certain HFPA members that bordered on sexual harassment. It is the exact reason why I, for many years, refused to participate in their conferences."

ScaJo adds this ... “The HFPA is an organization that was legitimized by the likes of Harvey Weinstein to amass momentum for Academy recognition and the industry followed suit. Unless there is necessary fundamental reform within the organization, I believe it is time that we take a step back from the HFPA and focus on the importance and strength of unity within our unions and the industry as a whole."

If you're unfamiliar with what all the fuss is about -- HFPA was reported to have had ZERO Black members for several years now, something the hosts of this year's Globes show -- Tina Fey and Amy Poehler -- lampooned over and over during the NBC broadcast in February.

Some high-profile members even trotted out during the show and committed to "doing better" ... but their current goals are pretty weak, according to the movers and shakers, who are the lifeblood of the Globes to begin with. Without studios or talent, there's no show.

Here's what HFPA plans to do ASAP -- admit 20 new members with a focus on Black recruitment, increasing membership by 50% over 18 months, losing the "must live in SoCal" requirement, opening membership to journos beyond print, no more promo gift handouts, a stricter code of conduct for press junkets and hiring a managing staff ... like CEOs and stuff.

Tawny Kitaen, the actress who starred in "Bachelor Party" and whose personal life was filled with radical ups and downs, has died ... TMZ has learned.

Kitaen died in Newport Beach Friday. The coroner has yet to determine cause of death.

Kitaen, whose credits include 'The Perils of Gwendoline' and "After Midnight," was a precocious child who got the showbiz bug at 14, when she saw Peter Frampton at Balboa Stadium in San Diego. She got a backstage pass and saw the All-Access VIP treatment Peter's GF, Penny, received, and that was it. She was hooked.

Tawny started out on a game show back in 1976 -- "To Tell the Truth." She migrated into movies and achieved some success with her roles, especially "Bachelor Party."

And, Tawny famously was featured in some music videos, notably Whitesnake's "Is This Love," and "Here I Go Again."

Kitaen dated Ratt guitarist Robbin Crosby while she was still in high school and even followed his band to L.A. in the late '70s. She was featured on the album cover of the band's album "Out of the Cellar" and their debut EP "Ratt."

Tawny's personal life was rocky. She married Whitesnake's lead singer, David Coverdale, back in 1989, but the marriage only lasted 2 years.  She went on to marry baseball star Chuck Finley -- with whom she had 2 daughters -- and the end of that relationship proved disastrous.  Finley claimed she repeatedly kicked him in the face with her high heels and she was charged with domestic violence. Those charges were later dismissed. He filed for divorce 3 days later.

She also had substance abuse issues and was arrested for drug possession and DUI ... which was well-chronicled in the media.

Tawny was 59.

RIP

Bill Maher scoffs at Republican claims the 2020 election was stolen, but he himself is leveling claims the Republicans are actually the thieves ... because he says they've stolen all the fun from Democrats.

The 'Real Time' maestro made it clear -- he's pissed off the drugs and sex that used to be associated with the Dems have somehow been co-opted by Trump's party. Matt Gaetz is someone who particularly sticks in Maher's craw. Frankly, Bill seems enraged.

But, as usual, Bill had a deeper point that goes beyond hedonism. He groused, "Once upon the time, the right were the ones offended by everything. They were the party of speech codes and blacklists and moral panics and demanding some TV show had to go.”

But, he says, the tables have turned ... "Well, now that's us. We're the fun-suckers now. We suck the fun out of everything: Halloween, the Oscars, childhood, Twitter, comedy. It's like woke kids on campus decided to be all the worst parts of a Southern Baptist."

Then he called for party introspection ... "If Democrats had always policed morality as hard as they do now, they'd be down a lot of heroes. No FDR, JFK, RFK, LBJ, Clinton, Martin Luther King. Democrats are now the party that can't tell the difference between Anthony Weiner and Al Franken."

He zeroed in on former U.S. Rep. Katie Hill, who had a bright career but resigned when it came out she was in a throuple and someone leaked nude photos of her holding a bong. Bill says Dems couldn't handle it ... "That was too much for our puritanical Democratic Party."