TV

Bill Cosby has weighed in on the drama over his one-time costar, Phylicia Rashad, and her new bosses at Howard University ... agreeing that if they can her, they gotta refund him.

The freshly-released Cosby tweeted about the fallout from Phylicia's controversial comments last week -- in which she ecstatically celebrated Bill's conviction being overturned, calling it "justice" -- and he did so by simply concurring with another person's POV on the sitch.

Singer/actress Stephanie Mills actually spilled on how she felt about it, writing ... "I love you @phyliciarashad ❤️❤️❤️. If it’s true that Howard University wants to terminate her Position  because they feel her comments about Mr. Cosby were insensitive, then they should give back the millions of dollars that he donated to the university."

Cosby responded to that quite simply, writing ... "Thank you @iamstephaniemills your voice has always been powerful!" So, in other words, he seems to be fully in her corner on that.

A quick note ... it's not entirely clear how much, if any, dough Cosby has given Howard -- there doesn't seem to be any hard numbers on a donation. That doesn't mean he hasn't chipped in though -- and we know he's been generous when donating to HBCUs.

He famously gave Spelman College $20 million in 1998 -- also, he's an honorary degree holder at Howard. So, it's not outside the realm of possibility he's lined their pockets before.

The funny thing about Bill rushing to Phylicia's defense here ... we're almost certain she doesn't want it -- at least not publicly anyway. She low-key put this matter to bed this past week ... removing her "FINALLY" tweet, and even apologizing to the Howard student body.

So, BC reopening the scab like this probably isn't doing her any favors. If anything, she probably doesn't want Bill's name and Howard brought up in the same sentence around her at all. BTW ... it doesn't look like Howard will fire PR ... they admonished her and that's it.

Henry Winkler thinks the world needs to go through a "cataclysmic event" to help bring people together since we're so dang divided -- but his idea is getting a big fat ... HUH?!?

The actor tweeted out the controversial sentiment Sunday, seemingly out of nowhere and without much context. He wrote ... "We are So divided as a country .. only a cataclysmic Event , that makes us depend on one another again , can bring us back together."

Like we said ... not a whole lot of info here to get a sense of what Henry's talking about exactly -- but it could be anything ... frankly, we ARE quite divided these days -- from politics to just about everything else.

With that said ... his call for a big boom moment is being called insensitive, tone-deaf and weirdly out of touch -- especially since we, you know, just went through (and are still going through) a worldwide pandemic ... which you would think fits HW's criteria for this.

People obviously pointed this out to Henry, and he received the message ... but responded somewhat cryptically, writing ... "The Pandemic pushed the world inside creating a world apart." What we think he's saying is ... this pandemic isn't the catastrophe he had in mind -- if anything, he seems to believe COVID has only pushed us further apart.

Dan Schneider -- the ex-king of Nickelodeon programming -- has addressed a long-held theory that he's into feet, and channeled that on his shows ... something he says isn't true.

The one-time TV producer -- responsible for creating a number of hit series on Nick over the years, including "iCarly," "Drake & Josh," "The Amanda Show," "Zoey 101" and countless others -- did an interview with NYT ... which straight-up asked him about the foot fetish rumor.

Several people have compiled still shots from different shows of his, and they seem to find a common theme among his child actors ... they seemed to be in a lot of bare feet scenes.

Dan responded with this ... "The comedy was totally innocent," going on to say the foot fetish claims were "ridiculous" and chalked it up to kids finding feet funny/goofy ... insisting he never attempted to sexualize his stars.

Some of his on and off-camera behavior with said stars have been called into question -- suggesting Dan was, at the bare minimum, creepy and unaware of boundaries.

It's all much ado about nothing, though ... according to Dan, who also clarified his reasons for parting ways with Nick in 2018, after a historic 30-year run with the network -- saying he was simply attending to other personal matters in his life that he'd let "go by the wayside."

However, NYT reports an in-house investigation into Dan's workplace practices got underway around that time ... this after claims of verbal abuse from his ex-staffers. Apparently, the review found merit to some of those claims ... which made him seem high-strung and difficult.

What the HR didn't find any credence in ... allegations of sexual misconduct, something else that had been speculated about Schneider, especially amid the height of #MeToo and his coincidental departure around the same time, when allegations were flying like crazy.

Phylicia Rashad has FINALLY done an about-face on her Bill Cosby sentiments from this week -- issuing a formal apology to Howard U students ... and deleting the tweet in question.

The former actress -- who is now Dean of the HBCU's Fine Arts College -- sent a letter to Howard U students Friday, which flat-out said she was sorry for her controversial remark ... this in the wake of Cosby having his conviction overturned, and being released from prison.

In the letter, which has been making the rounds online, Phylicia writes, in part, "This week, I tweeted a statement that caused so much hurt in so many people -- both broadly and inside the Howard community. I offer my most sincere apology. I have since removed that upsetting tweet."

She goes on ... "My remarks were in no way directed towards survivors of sexual assault. I vehemently oppose sexual violence, find no excuse for such behavior, and I know that Howard University has a zero-tolerance policy toward interpersonal violence."

PR continued by saying that she intends to undergo training to reinforce HU protocol and practices as it relates to all this -- and also asked the HU community for its forgiveness, promising to do a lot of listening and learning so she can become a stronger ally to sexual assault survivors and anyone else who's suffered at the hands of an abuser.

You'll recall ... Phylicia was ecstatic at the news of Cosby's case being thrown out, initially writing ... "FINALLY!!! A terrible wrong is being righted - a miscarriage of justice is corrected!" She faced immediate backlash for her comment, following up by saying her tweet wasn't aimed at sexual assault survivors ... but she kept the Cosby tweet up nonetheless, which simply didn't square. Even after HU admonished her formally, she still left the tweet up.

Looks like someone higher up finally got in her ear and told her the truth -- which is, you can't openly support Cosby and sexual assault survivors at the same time. So, pick one ...

Tyler Posey has come out as a member of the LGBTQ community, and he says his girlfriend is the one who inspired the realization.

Tyler says he now identifies as a member of the queer community. The "Teen Wolf" star said in an interview with NME, GF Phem, whom he's been dating since February, opened his eyes that he falls 'under the queer umbrella."

Tyler told the publication, NME, "I’ve been with everybody under the sun, and right now I’m in the best relationship that I’ve ever been in with a woman, and she’s queer too," adding, "She’s helped me realize that I fit under the queer umbrella and that I’m sexually fluid, I guess. No, not 'I guess' ... I don’t want anyone to take this [interview] and be like: 'Well, he was kind of wishy-washy about it.'"

Sara Haines says "The View" should replace Meghan McCain with someone who shares her views ... i.e. another conservative.

We got "The View" cohost leaving Thursday's taping in NYC just moments after Meghan announced she's leaving the show after 4 seasons. Sara, who BTW has great fashion taste, tells us it's her hope the show adds another panelist who brings diverse opinions.

She says the reason is simple ... despite the name of the show in the singular ... it's best when it represents different views, although Meghan was the lone, conservative wolf.

What's more ... Sara says the so-called bad blood between Meghan and the other cohosts is not why she's bouncing. Simply put ... Sara says the pandemic made Meghan re-assess what matters to her right now ... and it's being in D.C. full time with her baby girl. Production sources tell TMZ ... the arguments that became super personal did take their toll on her.

Kelly Clarkson's getting a head start on her Fourth of July weekend ... filing for her own independence from her estranged husband.

Clarkson's lawyer, disso-queen, Laura Wasser, filed legal docs Friday ... asking the judge to officially grant Clarkson's request for a divorce, leaving other issues like money and child custody for another day.

As we reported, Clarkson's husband, Brandon Blackstock, has challenged their prenup, claiming it is invalid. Millions of dollars are on the line, and a judge has yet to rule on the validity of the prenup.

It seems there won't be an issue over custody and spousal support. The judge awarded Kelly primary physical custody on a temporary basis ... because Brandon moved permanently to Montana, far from the couple's family home in L.A. That order is expected to become permanent.

It also seems there won't be much of a fight over spousal support. The judge already awarded Brandon temporary spousal support and that order is likely to become permanent. Spousal support, however, would end in 2023 (half the length of the marriage).

The couple married in 2014 and have two kids.

The divorce has become nasty, and it is apparent now ... Kelly wants it over quickly.

Bill Cosby is huddling with his legal team Thursday, and a potential lawsuit against Montgomery County will be the hot topic on the table.

Sources close to Cosby tell TMZ ... the comedian and his wife, Camille, are angry he's been incarcerated for the last 3 years, and they're exploring his options for legal recourse, including potentially suing the county in Pennsylvania where he was tried.

We're told Cosby and his lawyers are looking into a possible lawsuit for abuse of process, and that's just one of several potential options they're discussing.

Legally speaking ... abuse of process refers to the improper use of a civil or criminal legal process for an unintended, malicious, or perverse reason. In other words, it means Cosby could argue the prosecutor deliberately misused the criminal justice process to prosecute him, despite the fact it meant breaking a promise to Cosby from the previous District Attorney.

As we reported, Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after Pennsylvania's Supreme Court overturned his conviction ... in part because it ruled he should have never been criminally prosecuted based on the agreement he made with former Montgomery County D.A. Bruce Castor.

"Jackass" is jumping the shark -- like, for real -- by joining Discovery Channel's "Shark Week" spectacle, and based on this first look ... we'd say someone's bitten off more than they can chew.

Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius and a couple new jackasses are returning to TV later this month for the "Jackass Shark Week Special," and as you can see ... they are up to their same old antics.

Steve-O's said the guys "went all out" for the special, adding "there were consequences" for doing so, and based on our sneak peek, those consequences were pretty severe.

Check it out ... a new 'Jackass' member named "Poopies" appears to get attacked by a shark after a jump attempt. Someone's heard yelling for medical assistance and a tourniquet as the teaser ends.

Yikes.

Meghan McCain is leaving "The View," and the reason why is absolutely because of a series of nasty back-and-forths with her cohosts ... TMZ has confirmed.

Sources tell TMZ ... Meghan felt it was too hard for her being the only conservative voice on the show and it had become too challenging, as she felt she was getting ganged up on every day.

We're told McCain will address her departure Thursday on the show. It's unclear exactly what reason she'll give the audience for her departure, but make no mistake ... it's about the politics. Remember, she gave birth to a daughter back in September, so it's possible she may also mention wanting to spend more time with her baby girl.

The news comes a little over a month after Meghan and Joy Behar's last major on-air blowup -- the one that prompted ABC News President Kim Godwin to step in and call a last-minute meeting demanding all of the 'View' cohosts chill with personal attacks.

Our sources at the time also said ABC was getting flooded with pleas to fire Meghan over her latest tantrum and attacks on Joy ... which is what sparked the virtual meeting.

We were also told Godwin told the staff their personal attacks are coming off as toxic to the audience. The issue, we were told, weren't the debates ... but the attacks between the cohosts.

This is the latest shakeup in daytime talk shows. Remember, their competition over at "The Talk" just had to blow up their show, firing Sharon Osbourne after her very personal on-air battle with Sheryl Underwood.

Bill Cosby's surprising release from prison means he's free to live his life again, and -- according to one expert in the booking industry -- free to cash in on showing his face in public again.

TMZ spoke with a major player in the booking biz who tells us ... even though the market will be very limited for Cosby, he believes the disgraced comedian will eventually be able to bank $10-15k per public appearance -- and possibly up to $20k for speaking engagements.

Our booking source points to O.J. Simpson as a precedent, saying that despite what he was accused of and found liable for -- killing 2 people -- he still made cash for events afterward. Same will be true for Cosby, according to our source.

Of course, it's not likely to happen right away, but the feeling is there will be a certain demographic of people -- likely older fans who loved "The Cosby Show" -- who are either willing to forgive, or truly believed Cosby was innocent all along.

We're told these people, along with organizations sympathetic to the man once known as "America's Dad," might be willing to shell out dough to see and hear from him.

Not everyone's enthusiastic, though -- Darren Prince of Prince Marketing Group tells us there's no way he'd book someone like Cosby, for any reason. He tells us the guy is just off-limits ... he needs to take some serious steps toward retribution and rehabbing his image ... things he's refused to do, up to this point.

As we reported ... Cosby was released from prison Wednesday after Pennsylvania's high court overturned his sexual assault conviction.

Child actor Justin Shenkarow was only 12 years old when he took on the role of his life as the older of the two sons Matthew Brock -- who navigated the bizarre town in Wisconsin while his parents try to keep the peace in the madness -- in the classic '90s American drama "Picket Fences."

Justin was cast alongside some epic actors including Kathy Baker as the medical mom of three kids, Dr. Jill Brock, Holly Marie Combs as the eldest sister, Kim Brock and Tom Skerritt as the straight-nosed Sherriff, Jimmy Brock.

Bill Cosby's conviction has been overturned and he will go free.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court just ruled ... there are 2 reasons why the conviction could not stand -- the judge allowed prosecutors to call 5 other accusers during the trial, and Cosby should never have been criminally prosecuted based on an agreement he made with the former D.A.

As for the first reason ... the Pennsylvania high court ruled it was unduly prejudicial to allow 5 women with stories similar to Andrea Constand to testify, trying to show Cosby had an M.O. for drugging women and then sexually assaulting them.

The second reason was fought hard during trial ... former D.A. Bruce Castor cut a deal with Cosby that if he testified in a civil deposition he would not face trial criminally. During that deposition, Cosby made incriminating statements about drugging women, and it was presented at trial. The Supreme Court ruled the deal was broken by prosecutors.

The judge vacated both the conviction and the sentence and ordered the 83-year-old comedian discharged -- presumably immediately.

The Court ruled not only is Cosby now a free man ... he cannot be retried.

Cosby had served more than 2 years of a 10-year sentence.

Cosby's team is on its way to prison to pick him up.

The accuser in Bill Cosby's criminal trial says his overturned conviction could discourage sexual assault victims from seeking justice in court in the future.

Andrea Constand, who testified in court Cosby gave her 3 blue pills and then sexually assaulted her, tells TMZ ... the Pennsylvania Supreme Court's ruling overturning the comedian's conviction and setting him free is "disappointing" and she worries about its lasting effects.

Constand says the court's decision is concerning because "it may discourage those who seek justice for sexual assault in the criminal justice system from reporting or participating in the prosecution of the assailant or may force a victim to choose between filing either a criminal or civil action."

What's more ... Constand and her team say they were never aware of any agreement made between Cosby and the former prosecutor that would grant him immunity.

As we reported ... Cosby has already arrived home after being released from prison, where he served more than 2 years of a 10-year sentence.

TMZ broke the story ... three of Cosby's other accusers -- Sammie Mays, Sarita Butterfield and Angela Leslie also spoke out against his release, saying they still think he's dangerous.

Two of Bill Cosby's accusers are afraid he didn't learn any lessons in prison ... with his conviction overturned and release in the works, they still think he is dangerous.

Sammie Mays, who claims Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her in the 1980s, tells TMZ ... his release is "disrespectful and despicable" for Andrea Constand -- the accuser in his trial.

Mays thinks Cosby is anything but reformed after serving more than 2 years of a 10-year sentence.

Sarita Butterfield, a former Playboy model who claims Cosby groped her, echoes that sentiment -- while another accuser, Angela Leslie, tells TMZ, "I'm surprised and shocked with today's news of Cosby's release. It seems the justice system served the criminal, in this case, as opposed to the victims."

Angela continues, "At this point, I just hope that he took time to reflect on the pain and anguish his actions caused so many women. And, also puts in the work towards becoming a better person."

As we reported ... the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled Wednesday Cosby's conviction had to be overturned and he couldn't be retried due to a deal Cosby had made with a former prosecutor ... who guaranteed him immunity if he gave a deposition for Constand's civil lawsuit.

As a result, Cosby is expected to walk free from prison at some point Wednesday.

Mays says she feels the ruling "shows that women do not have the respect of men." She says Cosby's release should be especially frightening for women.

Butterfield and Mays are also worried about Harvey Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell walking free too ... and Mays is planning to protest outside the prison when Cosby's released.

Former "Smallville" star Allison Mack has just shown up to court to face the music -- and by that, we mean she's about to be sentenced in her sex cult case.

Mack was bum-rushed by a crowd of photogs and reporters Wednesday as she made her into a NYC courthouse -- with several of them asking what sort of sentence she was hoping to get.

She was mum on all of that ... keeping her mask on tight and taking cover behind her team, who escorted her in amid all the chaos. Still, the questions are valid -- especially considering she recently made it clear she wants serious leniency.

Mack's judgment day comes shortly after writing a letter to address "those who have been harmed by my actions." In the letter, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Mack said, "it is now of paramount importance for me to say, from the bottom of my heart, I am sorry."

She also wrote she threw herself "into the teachings of Keith Raniere with everything" she had and "believed, whole-heartedly, that his mentorship was leading me to a better, more enlightened version of myself."

Mack -- who was with Raniere in Mexico when he got busted in 2018 -- called devoting her loyalty, resources and life to him "the biggest mistake and regret of my life."

In a memo filed in court ... Mack's attorneys had asked for no jail time given she has publicly denounced Raniere, who in October was sentenced to 120 years in prison.

As we reported ... Mack pled guilty in April 2019 to 2 counts ... racketeering conspiracy and racketeering. Prosecutors essentially alleged she was the pimp for the NXIVM sex cult that garnered headlines around the world. She faces up to 40 years behind bars ... 20 for each count.