TV

Mike Richards is reportedly leaving "Jeopardy!" altogether ... after stepping down as the host who would replace Alex Trebek, he's now also leaving his role as the show's executive producer ... TMZ has confirmed.

An email sent to staffers Tuesday read, "Mike will no longer be serving as EP of Wheel and Jeopardy! effective immediately.  We had hoped that when Mike stepped down from the host position at Jeopardy! it would have minimized the disruption and internal difficulties we have all experienced these last few weeks. That clearly has not happened."

Richards' departure ties a bow on a whirlwind month for him and the famous game show ... he was tapped as the new day-to-day host, then went on the defensive after controversial comments from his old podcast were dredged up.

The email, sent by EVP Suzanne Prete revealed Michael Davies from Embassy Row will take over Richards' duties on an interim basis.

Prete says, "I know this has been a challenging time for the entire team, and I want to thank you all for your cooperation and professionalism over these last few weeks ... I will be more involved in the day-to-day on our shows moving forward and I am looking forward to working closely with all of you. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you need anything."

As we reported ... Mike resigned as the show's new daily host after the remarks from "The Randumb Show" podcast resurfaced -- featuring misogynistic cracks to his female co-host, and a disparaging comment about Jewish people's noses.

Richards apologized a few times to the "Jeopardy!" staff ... but it obviously wasn't enough to save his skin. He initially remained as EP, but now he's completely gone from the show.

Deadline was first to report he's leaving the program entirely.

Louis Gossett Jr. isn't hanging up his acting career anytime soon -- so says the Oscar winner himself, and his reasons are interesting.

We got the acclaimed actor at LAX where we asked about his prolific and prolonged career ... even at this point in his life. Our photog pointed out the 85-year-old actually has quite a few things in the works right now -- 8 projects, in fact, which is wild.

He's been in notable productions of late too -- like the 'Watchmen' TV series. So, the natural follow-up, of course, is to ask ... ya ever gonna retire???

Watch how LGJ answers here -- it doesn't sound like he has any plans to stop in the near future. As for why, it sounds like he likes/needs to keep busy.

As he puts it ... once you hint you're done, the industry's quick to slough you off and move on -- and it seems he just doesn't want that to happen. Also, he says flexing his chops on camera is a helluva lot better than any other day job he could pick up right now.

The guy's a true legend in his field -- with more than 203 acting credits, an Emmy and, of course, his Best Supporting Academy Award for "An Officer and a Gentleman." And still, there's no sign of Louis slowing down.

Ellen DeGeneres just expanded her real estate portfolio ... scooping up a home in Beverly Hills.

Our real estate sources tell us the talk show host dropped a cool $8.5 million for the 5-bedroom, 4-bathroom home.

The place is 4,614 square feet and it looks like a fixer-upper. Real talk ... the home looks dated. It was built way back in 1961 and has been through at least one renovation.

Ellen closed escrow on the place Friday. It's got a pool, fire pit, chef's kitchen and lush gardens. Some of the rooms are even heated by furnaces.

She'll have some famous neighbors ... among them, Adele and Cameron Diaz.

It's the second home purchase in as many months for Ellen ... as we reported, she threw down $2.9 million back in June for a 2-bedroom pad in Santa Barbara.

Ellen's pretty familiar with Bev Hills real estate ... she recently sold a 2-story monster of a property she bought from Adam Levine.

Tony Dow, the former child star who starred in one the biggest sitcoms in American history -- "Leave It to Beaver" -- is in the hospital with pneumonia ... TMZ has learned.

Tony was taken to the E.R. Thursday. His wife, Lauren, tells TMZ Tony did not have COVID. In fact, she says he was tested 5 times in the hospital and all results were negative.

There is, however, a COVID connection ... Tony was in the E.R. for 24 hours because there were no beds -- a sign of the times with the Delta variant. Lauren says he's on the mend and his doctors think he could be released within a week. She adds, "On behalf of Tony and myself we thank you for your concern for him."

76-year-old Dow is best known for playing Beaver's older brother, Wally Cleaver, for the show's entire run from '57 to '63 ... having acted in all 234 episodes. Word is ... Tony landed the role with almost no acting experience, even though his mom worked in the biz.

He often played the straight man to the other quirky characters ... like his TV pals, Eddie Haskell or Lumpy, or even his kid brother himself, the Beave -- who was always creating problems somehow.

TD reprised his role as Wally in other 'Beaver' spinoffs and revivals in later years ... always keeping that all-American boy charm about him when playing the character.

He's also starred in shows like "The Greatest Show on Earth,' 'Never Too Young,' -- on which he had a significant role as Chet -- 'Lassie,' 'Mr. Novak,' 'Charles in Charge' and other hit series over the years.

His guest roles are also notable ... having appeared for one-off performances in 'Knight Rider,' "Quincy ME,' 'Murder, She Wrote,' 'The Love Boat,' 'Mod Squad,' 'Emergency!' 'My Three Sons' and more.

He's got quite the directing career too ... his credits include episodes of 'Babylon 5,' 'Harry and the Hendersons (the show), 'Swamp Thing,' 'Coach,' 'Star Trek,' 'Honey, I Shrunk the Kids,' among others. TD's also had a hand in producing a couple TV movies, and has even dabbled in visual effects work too -- including for shows like 'Doctor Who.'

The guy's a noted sculptor as well -- some of his work has been featured in the Louvre. Word is ... he's focused on the latter a lot these days at his Topanga Canyon home.

Ed Asner -- one the most prolific actors to ever have done it -- has died.

His reps confirm to TMZ that EA passed away Sunday surrounded by family. No other details about the circumstances of his death have emerged.

The family issued a statement saying, "We are sorry to say that our beloved patriarch passed away this morning peacefully. Words cannot express the sadness we feel. With a kiss on your head- Goodnight dad. We love you."

Ed was a veteran actor, having gotten his start in showbiz way back in the '50s, and finding critical success in a recurring role with "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" by playing Lou Grant ... Mary's TV station boss. He starred in 166 episodes of the series, for 7 long years.

He even got his own spinoff out of it ... with a show called "Lou Grant" which ran for nearly as long -- and of course, Ed took on the lead role there for over a hundred episodes. He's the most decorated male actor when it comes to Primetime Emmys ... the guy won 5 alone for his portrayal of Lou Grant, and two others for different roles in other TV shows.

"Lou Grant" was a decorated series in and of itself -- racking up 13 Emmys and Golden Globes too along the way. It was actually the third spinoff off of 'TMTMS' ... and perhaps the most successful.

Other notable TV series he was involved in with recurring appearances -- "The Bronx Zoo," "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill," "Hearts Afire," "Thunder Alley," "The Closer," "Center of the Universe" and others. His voice acting career is actually even more impressive ... taking off in the '90s and beyond.

Of course, Ed is also quite famous for his role in "Roots" ... for which he won an award as well.

But, even for brief roles ... the dude literally touched just about every major television series that was out at the time -- including shows like "The Fugitive," "Iron Horse," "Mission: Impossible," "The F.B.I.," "Ironside," "Mod Squad," "Rich Man, Poor Man," "Hawaii Five-O," "Police Story," "Insight," "Tender is the Night," "American Playhouse," "Fish Police" "Roseanne," "Mad About You," "Ask Harriet," "The Closer," "Hercules," "The X-Files," "ER," "CSI: NY" and more.

He's lent his talents to shows like "Batman: The Animated Series," "Superman: The Animated Series," "Animaniacs," "Freakazoid!," "Captain Planet," "Max Steel," "Zorro," "Jumanji," "Spider-Man: The Animated Series," "Gargoyles," "The Simpsons," "The Cleveland Show" and several more over the years. He even played the lead voice of Carl Fredricksen in Disney's classic Pixar flick "Up" ... so that just an idea of how far and wide his work is known.

Ed's movie work was just as impressive -- he's been in flicks like John Wayne's "El Dorado," "Elf," "The Gathering," "JFK," "O'Hara's Wife," "Hard Rain," "The Christmas Star," "Gus," "The Fanatics," "Basil," "The Bachelor," "The Animal," "Gigantic," "Saving Christmas," "Faith, Hope & Love," "Too Big to Fail," "Let Go" ... and dozens and dozens more.

Ed's been a part of so many iconic shows and movies ... it's difficult to even attempt to list all of them. All in all, the guy has 416 acting credits to his name ... including stuff that's still being worked on right now for future release.

The last time we saw Ed in person, he was as jovial and nice as ever ... happily signing autographs and chatting it up with us while being pushed in a chair. That's just the kind of guy he was!

He was 91.

Not even Oprah is safe from a years-later look back at questionable behavior -- including an interview she did with Dolly Parton that's now under the microscope ... with a 2021 lens.

Clips from the 2003 sit-down with the iconic country singer resurfaced this weekend, and it seems some people have questions about what Oprah was asking Dolly, how she was asking ... and what exactly her goal was by probing for what some might consider personal deets.

In the first video, Oprah asks Dolly how she's able to look so good for her age ... and Dolly gives a jokey answer. O follows up, though, and presses ... noting she's been open about having cosmetic work done -- but Dolly rolls with the punches, and cops to it openly.

Dolly even says she'll probably continue going under the knife - and some people are pointing out that Oprah looks sorta disappointed that Dolly flipped it in her favor. Frankly ... that's kinda reaching -- but that's how some fans are interpreting the body language.

A 2nd clip from that same interview popped up as well, and Oprah dives right in on a heavy subject ... saying she heard Dolly fell into a huge depression at age 40. Yes, she's pretty flip and cavalier about it -- almost in a "gotcha" sense -- but DP is graceful.

There, too, she's nimble, and jokes she wasn't depressed about her age -- but about her whole look in general, to which she got a laugh. In other words, she expertly batted off Oprah's "tough questions" with the utmost charm ... that's what Twitter's saying, anyway.

Now, some analysis ... people are either coming to drag Oprah over this (yes, seriously) or racing to her defense -- pointing out that she's a champion for so many good things, and that this interview doesn't make or break her legacy. And to that point, it certainly doesn't.

With that said, Orpah's sometimes-abrasive style of interviewing is no secret -- she's used this head-on approach throughout her career (including recently with Harry and Meg), and has been called out for not being as sensitive as she perhaps could've been. More often than not, though, she's gotten a pass ... 'cause she's Oprah Winfrey ... and her goodwill with the public goes a long way. Also, a lot of people love her for the no-holds-barred attitude.

This could be the dumbest, most ridiculous woke move ever ... Sarah Paulson is getting dragged for wearing a fat suit portraying Linda Tripp in "Impeachment: American Crime Story," because some critics think the role should have gone to someone with Tripp's body shape.

Yes, there are people who think an actor of Linda Tripp's size was denied a role that rightly should have gone to her.

Now, this is not to say it's not legit to debate actors wearing fat suits. But, is it essential to the role? As Sarah says, "There's a lot of controversy around actors and fat suits, and I think that controversy is a legitimate one. I think fat phobia is real. I think to pretend otherwise causes further harm. And it is a very important conversation to be had."

But, saying size matters in casting a role ... that's another thing altogether. What about actors who use prosthetics? What about a blonde actor who plays a redhead? Or an actor who gains or loses a lot of weight for a role ... a la Christian Bale or any other method actor???

Sarah brilliantly shut down the haters ... "I do think to imagine that the only thing any actor called upon to play this part would have to offer is their physical self is a real reduction of the offering the actor has to make."

She goes on ... "I would like to believe that there is something in my being that makes me right to play this part. And that the magic of hair and makeup departments and costumers and cinematographers that has been part of moviemaking, and suspension of belief, since the invention of cinema. Was I supposed to say no[to the role]."

Sarah was vague at the end, saying now that she knows what she knows, she would respond differently if offered the Linda Tripp part. She says, "I think the thing I think about most is that I regret not thinking about it more fully ... Should I have known? Abso-f***ing-lutely. But I do now. And I wouldn't make the same choice going forward."

"FBOY Island" star Jarred Evans is reimagining the old adage "nice guys finish last" ... 'cause in the end, co-star CJ Franco chose him and their relationship's on 🔥🔥🔥.

Jarred tells TMZ ... he and CJ are most definitely still in a relationship since the HBO Max reality dating show finale aired 2 weeks ago, though the show was filmed in March and April in the Cayman Islands.

We're told, for now, Jarred and CJ are trying the whole long-distance thing. She's visiting him in Miami very soon. They've sporadically posted stuff on social media since the finale, but Jarred tells us that's all going to change soon ... vowing to post more on TikTok with CJ and pictures of them together.

Jarred makes it clear ... he and CJ are still very happy together. But, have they exchanged the 3 words every person in a relationship wants to hear? Not yet ... but Jarred did reveal a move to L.A. is imminent. Get ready, CJ!!!

For the uninitiated ... CJ had an up-and-down relationship with Casey Johnson, dubbed the "FBOY." When Casey got the boot from the show ... fans had a feeling she would still pick him. Nevertheless ... Jarred "the nice guy" entered the pic and CJ chose him.

The prize? Well, besides the blossoming relationship ... Jarred and CJ split the $100k pot. We're told he used it for his high-end tea company called Le Bon Thé.

James Corden hit the streets with Camila Cabello Friday for a skit that was fun and funny, but maybe not COVID-safe.

James and Camila were in West Hollywood for a Cinderella spoof. James played the mouse, Camilla was Cinderella and Billy Porter was the Fairy Godmother.

When the skit was over, James grabbed a blunt from a passing driver and took a hit. Not a great idea with the Delta variant raging in L.A. County and pretty much everywhere else in the country.

And, there's this ... you gotta see James/the mouse thrusting his hips to "Let's Get Loud" ... as an onlooker captures it on video.  Pretty hilarious.

Hopefully, James is OK. The skit will presumably air next week.

BTW ... James appears in the upcoming flick, "Cinderella," which was in production back in February 2020. It was shut down for months due to the pandemic, but it's in the can now.

Bill Maher was true to form Friday night, accusing conservatives of "over-romanticizing" America while liberals do just the opposite ... and his words were blistering.

The "Real Time" host drew a contrast between immigrants who fled brutal conditions in their own country, only to come to the U.S. and hear our own citizens rail against our country ... "If you knew about the country I [immigrants] came from, you'd stop sh**ing on your own."

Maher made a compelling case that conservatives have a monopoly on "I love America no matter what." As he says, it's in their DNA. On the other hand, he says liberals think of America as irredeemable, racist, homophobic, oppressive. He says that's why we can't even find a host for the Oscars ... or "Jeopardy!"

Maher contrasted his experiences with others who make similar critical comments in other countries. He points out an Afghan comedian was tortured and murdered for his comments. By contrast, he notes he's been called out by 2 presidents -- W and Trump -- and the Trump dustup is hilarious. 45 sued Bill for his side-by-side pic of Trump and an orangutan!

And, he had a lot more to say ... that there's a reason an Afghan mother handed her baby to U.S. soldiers to get them out of the country.

"Entourage" creator Doug Ellin says it's about time his famous show got the reboot treatment ... and he's got the main cast on board for another go around ... but it's Mark Wahlberg who Doug needs to make it happen.

We got Doug leaving his "Hollywood Wayz" podcast Friday in Los Angeles and asked if "Entourage" is going to get a second life like a lot of shows from the same era.

Doug says he's gotten word Adrien Grenier, Jeremy Piven, Kevin Connolly, Kevin Dillon and Jerry Ferrara are all down to reboot the HBO series ... and he's written lots of new material.

It sounds like the ball is in HBO's court right now ... Doug says there haven't been any formal meetings but he's ready to pitch HBO honchos and just needs Mark Wahlberg to make a call to HBO to get the ball rolling.

Doug's happy to point out "Entourage" was well-received by lots of folks, including Barack Obama, during its first run ... and he thinks a reboot will do just as well.

Zoë Kravitz is starting a new chapter as a single lady ... because her divorce has been finalized.

According to court records ... Zoë and Karl Glusman's divorce judgment has been signed by a judge. It brings an end to a short-lived marriage. The good news ... the dark cloud of a divorce case no longer hangs over her as she dates Channing Tatum.

As you know ... Zoë and Karl started dating in late 2016 and got married in June 2019. But, Zoë filed for divorce just 2 days before Christmas 2020 ... after just 18 months of marriage.

The Paris wedding was pretty spectacular ... and it included a star-studded guest list, including the likes of Denzel Washington, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Marisa Tomei.

Meantime ... seems Zoë and Channing have been getting cozy. They were first seen in public together in early August after a swirl of dating rumors. Things got a bit more serious last weekend when they were seen carrying traveling bags and jumping in a car for an out-of-town trip.

As rioters from Jan. 6 continue to get wrangled by authorities -- Trevor Noah wants ‘em to know he’s got their backs ... if they’re interested.

The ‘Daily Show’ host took out a full-page ad in the LAT and NYT, which just ran Thursday ... and it’s a bat signal of sorts for those who are still looking for a lawyer as the legal fallout from that day keeps piling up, even now. Fortunately, Trevor and co. are willing to help -- with their fake law firm.

Check out the newspaper insert for yourself -- they call themselves Trevor Noah & Associates & Sons (Patriot Attorneys) ... and they say they’re willing to fight an insurrectionist’s case for them and win. That, or say they won ... no matter what. 😅

It’s a tongue-in-cheek promotion for sure, but the folks running it went to extreme lengths for this gag, setting up a hotline for people to call 1-85-OOPS-JAN6 (1-856-677-5266). And yes, the damn thing works -- we won’t spoil the surprise, ring ‘em up and have some fun with their prompts.

There are more shots taken at those who stormed the Capitol 8 months ago -- Trevor says the lawyers will fight the charges like hell ... charges like “Attempted Vice Presidenticide,” “lectern theft” and more. It’s a hoot, we’ll give 'em that.

For what it's worth, Trevor and team did something similar last year, offering President Trump some assistance with his pending legal issues ... the advertisement featured a different phone number.

"Cobra Kai" fans may soon be able to stay in the famous mansion featured on the show, because the new buyer's got plans to make it happen ... via Airbnb.

Our real estate sources tell us ... the 9,214-square-foot home -- which is actually located in the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, GA and not Encino, CA -- just went under contract for $2.4 million ... though it's still in the process of closing.

When it does, we're told the anonymous buyer will turn the 6-bed, 6.5-bath Villa Flora mansion into a luxury Airbnb where devoted "Cobra Kai" fans can stay ... with plenty of room on the 1.1-acre lot to practice their karate moves.

It's interesting -- a few months ago Jamie Foxx showed interest in purchasing the property, but he didn't pull the trigger. Whoever did got a good deal ... more than $200k below asking price.

LeVar Burton might still be the fan favorite to take over as the permanent host of "Jeopardy!" following Mike Richards' exit, but he's never been seriously considered for the role ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us ... Sony Studios execs loved the "Reading Rainbow" star as a guest host, but they didn't think he was the right fit for the daily syndicated quiz show ... and the same can be said about almost all the other guest hosts.

As we first told you ... "Jeopardy!" honchos wanted Mayim Bialik to replace Alex Trebek as the sole host, but her busy schedule wouldn't allow it, so EP Richards got the daily gig. Of course, now they want her even more.

Our sources say Mayim and Mike were the ONLY guest hosts who had talks with Sony about hosting full-time ... so LeVar getting snubbed wasn't personal, and he wasn't alone.

However, we're told Sony did speak with LeVar about other projects outside of the "Jeopardy!" brand ... and those opportunities are still a possibility.

Sources close to LeVar tell us ... he has no hard feelings -- he got his shot at guest hosting, which is what he really wanted, and he gave it his all.

We're told he's fine with Sony's decision and is moving on ... which is a lot more than he had to say Tuesday about the "Jeopardy!" drama.

Our LeVar sources say he's had multiple other networks and Hollywood execs contact him about projects they can create with him ... including one with Ava DuVernay.

Pennsylvania native Billy Blanks was only a kid when he began his life-long dedication to martial arts ... but it wasn't until he started selling the wildly popular VHS workout series "Billy Blanks Tae Bo" that his career really started to kick into high gear.

Blanks didn't stop there ... he worked his way into some epic action films including "Lionheart," "Bloodfist," "The Last Boy Scout" and many more!

BB continues to motivate people to get up and move with both in-person training sessions and online workouts like Boom Boxing and even 1-on-1 private lessons.