TV

Bill Maher got into granular detail about his dinner with Donald Trump nearly 2 weeks ago at the White House, and he's convinced the authentic Trump is charming and even self-deprecating, while the President is an actor of sorts ... but a bunch of people think Bill's got it backwards.

The 'Real Time' host broke down how he broke bread with 47, saying he's a good judge of people ... having been around for a minute and performing before crowds he had to win over -- performing for 4 decades.

Bill says the REAL Trump is literally a guy you'd like to have dinner with ... filled with charm, funny, able to take criticism and fully engaging. He thinks the President -- whose persona is vastly different -- is essentially creating a character or caricature who is acting out a role.

Ricky Whittle says the UK version of "Saturday Night Live" would go even harder after American politics than the U.S. show ... though he's not sure the humor would translate.

We caught up with the British actor -- best known in the States for his role in the fantasy series "American Gods" -- at LAX Thursday ... and, we asked him about news of 'SNL' expanding with a UK version of the show slated to kick off in 2026.

Whittle says he thinks the show will be a massive hit in the UK ... though he does admit the humor might not translate to America -- 'cause the self-deprecating Brit style and the aggressive jokes about the current state of American politics might drive some viewers away.

Lamar Jackson's gotta be quite the thespian to land a gig on "Power Book III: Raising Kanan" ... 'cause an actor on the show tells TMZ Sports the show's casting crew isn't easily impressed!!

TMZ Sports caught up with actor/comedian London Brown at LAX recently ... after it was revealed the Baltimore Ravens QB did a scene in the series as "E-Tone," a character the MVP describes as "dangerous."

Brown is thrilled to see Jackson branching out ... and mentioned if executive producer 50 Cent is a fan, then Jackson should come back for more!!

Erik and Lyle Menendez will get their day in court to seek a new sentence, and possibly win their freedom ... after an intense battle with L.A. County D.A. ended with the judge ruling in the brothers' favor.

The Menendez brothers appeared remotely in the L.A. County courtroom Friday where D.A. Nathan Hochman and his team of prosecutors presented their case to the judge for withdrawing the petition to resentence Erik and Lyle -- a petition that was filed by the previous D.A. George Gascon, and which the newly elected Hochman vehemently opposes.

The brothers -- wearing prison blues -- were seen on a video screen in court, and visibly reacted as prosecutors repeatedly stated that they had not changed since their conviction ... because they never admitted their claim they purchased guns in fear for their lives was a lie.

Bryson DeChambeau's 2025 Masters is off to a strong start ... but fans online are annoyed the golf star isn't getting more coverage on their TV screens -- and that even includes Lil Wayne!

Tunechi took to X to voice his displeasure Friday morning during the tournament's second round, dumbfounded as to why the powers that be aren't showing the man who currently sits in second place.

Weezy chalked it up to the 31-year-old's association with the Saudi Arabia-backed golf league LIV ... and the rap legend isn't the first to make that claim. Even greats like Phil Mickelson have received far less TV time.

Joe Tacopina is blasting the judge in Wendy Williams' conservatorship case for telling the TV star her career is over ... calling the statements "outrageous" -- and adding Wendy's going to have a massive comeback when the conservator battle is over.

We spoke with Tacopina -- who is serving as Wendy's personal attorney -- on "TMZ Live" Friday ... and, he says these statements by the judge shouldn't have been made in court or in front of Wendy ... especially since the judge who said it isn't in the entertainment industry.

Tacopina doesn't know why the judge would make such statements about Wendy's career in an unrelated court hearing ... and, he adds that from his numerous conversations with Wendy, he knows she's as coherent and lucid as she ever has been.

America's standing in the world is taking a hit, but Phil Keoghan says turmoil in the United States isn't hurting American competitors racing around the world on a reality TV show.

We got the 'Amazing Race' host at LAX and our photog asked him if he was seeing any consequences on the show from the second Trump presidency.

Phil says from what he's seen, Americans are still welcome in different countries and they're not being treated poorly in areas where Trump's policies, rhetoric and antics aren't being well received.

Can you guess which reality star shared this eye-popping photo of her preggo belly?!? We'll give you a few hints, but then it's on you to deliver the name.

She rose to fame SUR-ving crispy chicken and goat cheese balls.

Still need more help??? Her spin-off show -- "The Valley" Season 2 -- premieres next week.

Sydnee Falkner wants another chance at the grand prize on "Million Dollar Secret" ... saying she's disappointed she couldn't win it all this time -- but, that comes with the territory of being the game's greatest threat.

We caught up with the reality star outside a hotel in Hollywood Thursday ... and, we had to ask her about the hit Netflix show everyone's talking about.

If you don't know 'MDS' ... it's a reality game show a lot like "The Traitors" -- where one contestant is awarded $1 million at the beginning of the game. While they try to keep their identity a secret, the rest of the contestants work to figure out the identity of the newly minted millionaire.

Cooper Koch, who played Erik Menendez in a Netflix series about the infamous Menendez murders, is showing support for the Menendez Brothers ... because he's in the house for a court hearing for their resentencing petition.

The "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story" star was spotted Friday on his way into a courthouse in Van Nuys, in L.A. ... walking in arm-in-arm with his boyfriend.

At one point, Cooper -- wearing shades and a gray sweater -- stopped to talk to Erik's wife, Tammi Menendez, and Erik's adopted daughter, Talia Menendez.

Chris Appleton -- Kim Kardashian's hairstylist -- says he'd dip his toe in the lady pool for Khloé Kardashian ... saying she's so hot, it'd be hard for any man to turn her down.

We caught up with Appleton outside Craig's -- a popular restaurant in West Hollywood -- Thursday night ... and, we had to ask him about the revelation that Khloe would give him the ride of his life if he wanted to hook up.

ICYMI ... Kardashian admitted she would "f*** the s*** out of Chris Appleton" -- adding she's not sure if he'd feel the same about her.

Wendy Williams is being forced to choose her friends very carefully ... at least if she wants to be allowed to leave her assisted living facility.

Wendy was all smiles Thursday night in NYC, as she was granted permission to go out to dinner with her niece Alex Finnie, Don Lemon, and his husband Tim Malone. The foursome hit up Italian eatery Il Cantinori in Greenwich village, and it's no wonder Wendy looked so happy -- because just 24 hours earlier, the guardianship refused to let her leave the facility.

TMZ broke the story ... Wendy was less than an hour from a Wednesday night dinner reservation when her guardian blocked her from leaving. While Wendy wasn't told why she couldn't go, it's looking clearer now.

On Wednesday, she was going out to eat with her niece ... and also powerhouse attorney Joe Tacopina -- he's now Wendy's personal lawyer, and intends to push hard to end the guardianship.

The man who attacked Steve Buscemi on a New York City street last year reportedly offered an apology while being sentenced in the case this week ... though he tacked a caveat onto his mea culpa.

Clifton Williams -- the 51-year-old man who punched Buscemi in an east Manhattan neighborhood last May -- was sentenced to six months in jail, plus five years' probation for attacking Buscemi and another individual on the same day.

Williams pleaded guilty to the two attacks last month, and he apologized in court according to the New York Post ... though he did seem to indicate something went down between him and Buscemi to provoke the attack.

Patrick Schwarzenegger says he held out against his fiancée's attempts to cajole 'White Lotus' spoilers out of him ... though he did admit he hooks up on the show -- and revealed his better half's shocking reaction when she finally found out who he got down with.

The actor stopped by "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" Thursday ... revealing Abby Champion -- to whom he's been engaged since 2023 -- kept asking him questions about episodes before they aired.

Apparently, Patrick says AC wanted to know who dies ... and, when he wouldn't tell her, she followed it up with questions about who Patrick hooked up with on the show.

Eric Dane is sharing a scary diagnosis ... revealing he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ... also known as ALS.

The "Euphoria" and "Grey's Anatomy" star told PEOPLE about his diagnosis with ALS, telling the outlet ... "I am grateful to have my loving family by my side as we navigate this next chapter."

Eric says he's still going to continue working in Hollywood despite the diagnosis ... and he says he's going to be back on set next week filming the upcoming season of "Euphoria." Production on the HBO series is scheduled to begin Monday.

Khloé Kardashian says she would "f*** the s*** out of" Kim Kardashian's hairstylist Chris Appleton ... but there's one big problem for Khloé ... Chris is gay.

The Good American founder fessed up to having the hots for Chris on the season 6 finale of Hulu's "The Kardashians" ... saying she would rock his world in the bedroom.

Chris has been Kim's hairdresser for years and he appeared in the episode after getting an invite to Kim's 44th birthday party. Chris and Khloé end up hanging out, with Khloé joking she wants to move into Kim's Malibu estate with Chris.