TV

Bill Maher has a message for all the celebs who are running for office or thinking about it ... "You're not good enough, you're not smart enough, and doggone it, it completely doesn't matter that people like you."

Maher's back after a mild COVID bout, with a blistering and, dare we say, dead-on attack. He's incredulous the likes of Caitlyn Jenner, The Rock and Matthew McConaughey, among others, are either running or seriously considering it.

As for The Rock entertaining a run for President in 2024 ... Maher says the fact that he thinks he can tackle the hardest job in the world is proof he has poor judgment.

As for Caitlyn ... Bill calls her a "background character in a reality show not about her."

And, poor Randy Quaid thinking of running for Governor of California ... Bill calls him a "guy rooting through your recycling bin."

And, Matt thinking of becoming the Guv of Texas ... Bills says "not alright, alright, alright."

Mr. Maher seems in disbelief Americans are still all in with celeb candidates after 4 years of Trump.

The Chinese government tries to keep a tight lid on what its people can and cannot see, so it's not surprising it's censored parts of the "Friends" reunion show.

In case you haven't seen it yet, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and K-pop megastars BTS all made appearances on the show, but if you live in China you won't see any of them because they were 86'd.

The government has a bone to pick with all of them. Let's review.

Lady Gaga pissed off Chinese officials by having a sit-down with the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet.

Justin Bieber posted a photo of Tokyo's Yasukuni Shrine ... a memorial honoring Japan's fallen soldiers.

As for BTS ... well, they've pissed off the government for various acts, including what officials believe is a snub by overlooking China's contribution in the Korean War.

Bill Cosby struck out on his attempt to get released from prison ... the parole board denied his request.

Cosby was denied parole this month, with the Pennsylvania Parole Board saying a lot of factors went into its decision to rule against the comedian. For instance, they say he didn't participate in a treatment program for sex offenders and he failed to develop a parole release plan.

The Board says strike 3 against Cosby is the fact he got a negative recommendation from the Department of Corrections.

Cosby's rep, Andrew Wyatt, tells TMZ ... Bill isn't surprised by the denial because members of the parole board told him he would be denied if he didn't participate in the sex offender program.

He's not giving up hope in his quest for parole, though ... Wyatt tells us Cosby is hopeful the Pennsylvania State Supreme Court will vacate his conviction and potentially grant him a new trial.

Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer were sooo close to being the real-life Rachel and Ross ... but alas, the timing just wasn't right.

Jen and David reveal -- during the "Friends: The Reunion" special -- they had mad crushes on each other! David, in particular, said he had a major crush on Jen during the first season.

He said, "At some point, we were both crushing hard on each other -- but it was like a two ships passing [in the night] because one of us was always in a relationship."

David added they never crossed the line because they respected that. Jennifer says she remembers telling David, "'It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is ... on national television!' Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop."

No word if Ross revealed his crush with an 18-page letter ... FRONT AND BACK!!!

Matt LeBlanc had a little fun with that real-life storyline ... coughing and blurting "Bulls***" when David suggested he and Jen kept things platonic. But, Matt later laughed and said, "I'm kidding!" Or was he? The world may never know.

Pretty cool moment during the reunion when Lisa Kudrow was joined by Lady Gaga, dressed in a very Phoebe Buffay outfit, for a rendition of "Smelly Cat."

It's that time again, "Shark Week," and Discovery is rolling it out ... and we got this promo that's absolutely hilarious!!!

The video starts out with a couple old ladies sitting on a park bench while feeding some birds, with one gal trying to tell her friend her favorite thing about summer.

The friend's hard of hearing, naturally, but she gets the picture soon enough ... when a huge shark comes crashing through the lawn!!!

Discovery is bringing back "Shark Week" Sunday, July 11 ... and we're all just as stoked as these old ladies. We're guessing one of them will be watching with closed captioning.

"Shark Week" is airing on Discovery and streaming on Discovery+ ... and you know it's gonna be enjoyable, fun and educational.

Remember ... last year we found out why male sharks have two penises, so we can't wait to see what's in store for this season.

The search for Ellen's successor didn't take long, and doesn't come as much of a surprise ... "The Kelly Clarkson Show" will take over the slot currently held by "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" after her 19th season concludes.

NBC made the announcement that Clarkson's show -- currently in its second season and airing in all of the network's markets -- is expected to replace Ellen's by Fall 2022.

As we first told you ... Kelly had been penciled in as the front-runner for Ellen's coveted, syndicated hour of television pretty much since her talk show launched in Fall 2019.

The show debuted to huge ratings, and with NBC honchos predicting DeGeneres would pull the plug on her show eventually ... Clarkson seemed like the perfect successor.

Problem is, Kelly's show's ratings dipped big time during the pandemic -- as did a lot of other daytime programs -- so there was some uncertainty if NBC would still go with her, or opt for someone new ... like, perhaps, Tiffany Haddish.

Clearly, the network wanted to eliminate all doubt by crowning Kelly.

Mark York -- best known for playing Billy Merchant in the early goings of "The Office" -- has died following an illness.

The actor died last week at Miami Valley Hospital in Ohio. His death came quickly after the illness surfaced, but the exact cause of death has not been disclosed.

York grew up in Ohio, but left for California to pursue acting ... he eventually landed small TV roles such as "CSI: New York" in 2004 and "Fighting Words" in 2007, but undoubtedly his most memorable gig was playing Billy Merchant in seasons 1 and 2 of "The Office."

Mark, a paraplegic since 1988, had some memorable moments on the show, but his funniest came in season 2, episode 14 in "The Injury" episode ... where Mark's character is brought in for Michael Scott's disability-awareness meeting.

More recently ... Mark had been working as an inventor and had recently secured 2 patents for his inventions. He was an avid Cincinnati Reds, Kentucky Wildcats basketball and Ohio State football fan.

He's survived by his brother, mother and father.

Mark was 55.

RIP

Bryshere Gray -- known for his role as Hakeem Lyon on "Empire" -- has entered a guilty plea in his domestic violence case ... and he'll have to spend some time behind bars.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Gray pled guilty to felony aggravated assault and, as part of his plea agreement, he's been sentenced to 10 days in county jail and 3 years probation.

As part of the deal ... Gray has also been ordered to pay restitution. He must also enroll in a domestic violence offender treatment program.

During his probation, Gray won't be allowed to consume any illegal drugs and he'll also have to submit to drug and alcohol testing. He's gotta stay out of trouble ... and he can't possess any stun guns, Tasers or any other kind of firearm.

He also must check in with his probation officer within 72 hours of being contacted by law enforcement and he needs written approval from police before associating with anyone who has a criminal record.

Lady Gaga says she was never the same after she was raped as a teenager ... explaining the way she underwent a "total psychotic break."

The singer explains the trauma that followed being raped and impregnated at 19 years old in a new series with Oprah and Prince Harry, "The Me You Can't See," saying her body went numb as a result of burying the pain.

Lady Gaga says she was sick for weeks after a producer allegedly threatened to torch her tunes if she didn't take off her clothes, and she says during the incident she froze and basically blacked out.

Gaga says she was vomiting and sick after the rape, which caused her to get pregnant and had lasting effects. She says the trauma caused her to have a "total psychotic break and for a couple years I was not the same girl."

Lady Gaga, who first revealed she was raped back in 2014, did not name her assailant ... but she says she's dealt with self-harm, including throwing herself against a wall and cutting herself.

She says it's been a slow process to regain her mental health and fears she could be easily triggered and slip back into dark thoughts of wanting to cut herself and thinking about dying.

Elyes Gabel -- who starred in all 4 seasons as the computer genius on "Scorpion" -- allegedly flew into a violent rage ... after cops say his girlfriend accused him of shoving and choking her in a profanity-laced argument that turned violent.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Gabel’s GF told cops she and Gabel got into a verbal argument last week after he returned to their room at the Bowery Hotel at around 3 AM ... following a night of drinking.

We're told at some point things turned physical ... with Gabel allegedly spitting at her face and threatening her saying, "c*** f***ing bitch. I'm going to punch your f***ing face in."

Our sources say Gabel’s GF claims Gabel grabbed her phone, flung it to the ground and cracked it before shoving her onto the couch. She told cops he then wrapped both hands around her neck and squeezed. We're told she didn't lose consciousness but did suffer substantial pain and redness around her neck.

Here’s what's interesting ... our sources say cops weren't called until 1 PM later that day. Unclear why.

We’re told the GF refused medical attention but Gabel eventually was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault, criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation, aggravated harassment, attempted assault and harassment.

Gabel was later released without bail and our sources say a judge issued a temporary order of protection for the GF against Gabel, who is also known for playing Rakharo in seasons 1 and 2 on "Game of Thrones."

We've reached out to Gabel for comment and his attorney, Stacey Richman, tells TMZ ... Gabel vehemently denies the allegations.

Ryan Seacrest is sharing the secret to his immaculate feet, so grab a pen and paper to take some notes ... if "gawgeous" dogs are your thing.

Ryan joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about his footcare routine after his co-host Kelly Ripa sent folks into a frenzy with a video of his little piggies.

So, why are folks all gaga over Ryan's feet? We gotta say, he gave us a close-up, and this one might be more mesmerizing than the view Ripa got. Plus, we got Seacrest to reveal the skincare secret he applies to his feet. Watch and learn!

Ryan also tells us he didn't even know Kelly was shooting video when he stopped by her dressing room the other morning, and she started interviewing his feet like one of their guests.

He says the whole obsession is ridiculous -- but he was still a good sport and spilled the beans on how he ended up with such sweet feet.

The long-awaited, highly-anticipated "Friends" reunion is suffering from a major case of buzzkill ... at least for fans who don't like James Corden ... or are worried about Matthew Perry's health.

News that "The Late Late Show" host will be hosting the "Friends" special on HBO later this month has many on social media miffed ... mostly because he has no known connection to the popular sitcom.

Fans pointed out that there are so many other notable celebs -- Brad Pitt, Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon and Bruce Willis for instance -- who had roles on the show and would have made way more sense to host ... but HBO honchos went with Corden.

Of course, some of the criticism is also coming from folks who seem to simply dislike James for other reasons ... and you can't win 'em all.

There's another issue putting a damper on the reunion fun too -- Matthew, AKA Chandler, appeared to be unwell during a recent interview promoting the upcoming special.

In the video, sitting with Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer, some fans felt Perry sounded like he was slurring his speech, and appeared to be gazing off into the distance at times. He's been open about his struggles with addiction in the past.

As we reported ... Perry's the cast member who officially confirmed the reunion show was filming back in April in a now-deleted Instagram photo which whipped fans into a frenzy.

Courtney Stodden says the non-binary community got a huge ally in their corner when Demi Lovato came out as a member ... and Courtney has zero doubt DL's announcement will save lives going forward.

Courtney tells TMZ ... a celebrity of Demi's caliber coming out as non-binary will help the community feel validated, and make those still struggling to come out feel strong and confident enough to do it -- and that decision, ultimately, could help to prevent suicide.

Courtney -- who also recently came out as non-binary -- says they haven't yet reached out to Demi, because they want to give them space and time during what can be a scary experience ... but Courtney plans to try chatting with Demi about it in the near future.

Courtney knows the importance of young people being able to relate to celebs, especially in a community at risk for suicide.

The Trevor Project, a suicide prevention and crisis intervention org for LGBTQ youth, just released a new national study that found LGBTQ youth of color and transgender, along with non-binary youth, have a much higher risk of suicide than their peers.

ABC News recently reported that 42% of LGBT youth surveyed said they considered attempting suicide in the last year alone, and more than HALF that tally was for transgender and non-binary youth.

As we reported ... Demi came out Wednesday saying they are now identifying as non-binary and changed pronouns to they/them.

Demi said the switch best represented the fluidity they feel in gender expression.

Paul Mooney -- the longtime comedian, writer and actor known best for his work with Richard Pryor -- has died from a heart attack ... TMZ has learned.

According to his family ... Mooney died Wednesday morning at his home in Oakland. We're told the paramedics tried unsuccessfully to revive him after he suffered a heart attack.

Paul, who's been out of the public eye for a few years, had also reportedly been suffering from dementia for some time and was staying with a family member.

Though born in Louisiana, Mooney moved to Oakland and grew up there, and got his start in entertainment as a circus ringmaster ... which led to a passion for telling and writing jokes.

This led to his first professional gig in show business as a writer for Pryor, and the 2 would maintain a working relationship for years to come ... with Paul contributing to Richard's legendary stand-up performances such as 'Live on the Sunset Strip.'

Mooney was also the head writer on "The Richard Pryor Show" and wrote a few episodes of "Pryor's Place." His other notable writing credits include "Sanford and Son," "In Living Color" and "Chappelle's Show."

As an actor, Paul's best known for playing Sam Cooke in the 1978 film, "The Buddy Holly Story," and for his role as Junebug in Spike Lee's "Bamboozled" ... along with regular appearances on "Chappelle's Show."

Paul was 79.

Billy Porter is HIV-positive -- something he's known since 2007 when he was first diagnosed, but he's opening up about it now because, as he says ... "The truth is healing."

The "Pose" star says after his HIV was first detected 14 years ago, shame and fear drove him to keep it a secret ... especially while trying to make it in an industry he says hasn't always been kind to him.

Porter, in an essay for The Hollywood Reporter, says ... "I was trying to have a life and a career, and I wasn’t certain I could if the wrong people knew. It would just be another way for people to discriminate against me in an already discriminatory profession. So I tried to think about it as little as I could. I tried to block it out."

The actor says people who needed to know about his diagnosis knew, but he hid it from everyone else -- even his mother. However, Billy says the past year of quarantine has taught him a lot and he began real trauma therapy to deal with his past ... and it led him to decide to reveal his truth.

Before that, Porter says he used Pray Tell -- the HIV-positive character he plays on "Pose," a role that won him an Emmy -- as his proxy. Billy explains, "I was able to say everything that I wanted to say through a surrogate," while acknowledging nobody involved with the show knew he was drawing from his own life.

In an emotional interview with Tamron Hall Wednesday, Billy revealed he used to question why he was able to survive ... and says he felt like his casting on "Pose" was a sign from God.

Now everyone knows, and Billy says that's liberating. He also points out that he's the healthiest he's ever been in his life and he's hopeful the stigma around HIV can become a thing of the past.