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Drake Bell says he feared for his life while being sexually abused ... noting the presence of serial killer memorabilia at his abuser's home, making the situation all the more terrifying.

The former child star appeared on "The Today Show" Monday, where he opened up about the trauma he faced at the hands of former dialogue coach Brian Peck ... confirming BP owned a signed painting of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.

Drake says ... "[T]hings were happening to me in a room where there’s a painting by one of the most prolific serial killers who preyed on young boys staring at me. So, now that puts in my mind, 'How far is this really gonna go?'" Gacy killed 33 young men and boys in the '70s.

Zak Bagans is turning up the heat with some paranormal passion, 'cause he's been busy conjuring up the spirit of a haunted brothel's former madam, and he says he captured proof she's still plenty saucy!

TMZ's got a sneak peek of the upcoming "Ghost Adventures" episode where Zak goes to an Ogden, UT brothel and tries to lure its long-deceased madam, named Rose, with a little cold, hard cash -- but what happens next is a historic, and hilarious, first for the series.

As you can see, Zak gets comfy on the bed waiting for Rose's spirit ... but when she quite literally ghosts him, he calls in his fellow paranormal investigator Aaron Goodwin to take his place.

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Austin Rogers isn't turning his nose up at the pop culture "Jeopardy!" spin-off ... saying trivia buffs like him are cool with the traditional game -- but, there's a new breed of fans out there.

We caught up with the "Jeopardy!" champ this week at his bar Gaf West in NYC ... and we had to ask him about his thoughts on the new entertainment-focused game coming to Amazon Prime.

Rogers says he loves the democratization of his fav trivia game ... mentioning people have different interests and knowledge bases -- and, that's something to celebrate, not denigrate.

Ready for another week to begin? Enjoy some clips from TMZ's recent shows to get off to the right start.

On "TMZ Live," Babcock and Charles discuss Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck reuniting in public, despite still living apart.

Dean McDermott's firing off at trolls shocked at Tori Spelling's acceptance of his new girlfriend ... this despite seemingly obvious tension between the exes.

The actor jumped into the replies of a post featuring his new girlfriend, Lily Calo, to defend himself and his estranged wife after several fans said they couldn't believe Tori liked the post ... essentially showing her support.

In response to one comment which seemed to really upset him, Dean wrote, "It’s because she is a highly evolved and compassionate loving person, which is a lot more [than] I can say for the trolls commenting on this post."

Cynthia Nixon's reflecting on the early days of "Sex and the City" ... remembering the show's doubters -- who said she and her castmates didn't seem like real women.

The actress -- who's played Miranda Hobbes in numerous incarnations of the show over the last couple decades -- reflected on the series during an interview with Page Six, calling out trolls for questioning the show's authenticity.

The way Nixon tells it ... early criticism of the show included a claim parroted by many detractors who she says claimed women didn't talk as openly about sex as the dialogue suggested.

Kim Zimmer -- a well-known soap opera star -- has breast cancer ... a shocking coincidence since her character on "The Guiding Light" suffered from the affliction.

The actress -- who played Reva Shayne on the show from 1983 to 1990 and then between 1995 an 2009 -- announced the news during "Daytime Stands Up: A Benefit for Stand Up To Cancer – We All Have a Story" Thursday ... saying she got the diagnosis late last year.

Check out the clip ... KZ says she's had a mastectomy and expects to have her last chemotherapy infusion later this month ... before cracking a joke about how happy she is with her new breast size and cutting straight through the tension.

Matt Prokop -- a former child actor who was the subject of a restraining order for allegedly abusing Sarah Hyland -- has been arrested in Texas, TMZ has learned.

Victoria PD Sergeant Dailey tells TMZ ... Prokop and his girlfriend were out together Saturday when she allegedly told someone Matt assaulted her. Police were called to the location, but say the two were gone when they arrived.

About an hour later, cops say they received a call about a disturbance at another spot in Victoria ... where they say they found Matt and his girlfriend.

Bill Maher's convinced the left and the right in America are way more similar than they each think, and he says they'll realize it soon enough ... y'know, in like a century or so.

It's no secret Bill loves to rail against the fringes -- be they Republican or Democrat -- and on this week's episode of 'Real Time,' he wondered out loud what future historians will think of this greatly divided era of American society.

Check out his clever jaunt through each side's, supposedly, opposing views on science, political leaders and conspiracies. He also points out both sides are cozying up to violent foreign regimes -- on the left it's Hamas, and on the right it's Russia and Vladimir Putin.

Gayle King is dishing on how she got cover ready for her photo shoot with Sports Illustrated ... giving cred to the very company her pal Oprah Winfrey just ditched, at least professionally.

We caught up with Gayle in NYC, where the CBS News anchor shared she never dreamed of being an S.I. Swimsuit cover model ... but hinted she really doesn't hate all the attention that comes with it.

She kinda said it all when she admitted, "I am still floating."

Dabney Coleman -- an absolute legend in Hollywood best known for his villainous turn in "9 to 5" -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The actor's daughter, Quincy Coleman, tells TMZ ... "My Father, Dabney Wharton Coleman, took his last earthly breath peacefully and exquisitely in his home on Thursday May 16th, 2024 at 1:50 PM."

She adds, "My father crafted his time here on earth with a curious mind, a generous heart, and a soul on fire with passion, desire and humor that tickled the funny bone of humanity. As he lived, he moved through this final act of his life with elegance, excellence and mastery."

Melissa Joan Hart feels a lot of regret over introducing a then-underage Britney Spears to her first clubbing experience in the nineties ... something she says she wishes she didn't do.

BS and MJH's friendship began in 1999 when the 'Sabrina' actress appeared in Spears' "(You Drive Me) Crazy" music video, and Britney guested on Melissa's ABC show.

Being 6 years older, Melissa says she felt a sibling-like bond with Britney ... hence why she feels she should've known better than to take her to a nightclub at 17.

Jessica Biel's been hitched to Justin Timberlake for 12 years now -- but even now, they still hit bumps in the road, including when they're apart ... something she says they work on.

The actress appeared on Thursday's episode of "The View" ... telling the panel that navigating distance and their busy schedules was a work in progress, and a balancing act they're always fine-tuning in their marriage.

Jessica gave a shoutout to Zoom and FaceTime for helping her and her sons, Silas and Phineas, stay connected with JT while he's on the move ... or vice versa, herself as well.

Steve Buscemi's alleged attacker has been arrested in NYC -- and cops say they picked him up after responding to a call at a homeless shelter ... TMZ has confirmed.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Clifton Williams -- the man police believe is the guy who walked up to the actor and punched him in broad daylight -- was taken into custody Friday after cops responded to a harassment call at a homeless shelter in Manhattan.

We're told cops say Clifton started making a lost property police report and showed officers ID ... when they recognized his name and then took him into custody. The NY Post broke the news first.

Kevin Spacey's on the outs in Hollywood ... but, big stars want to bring him in from the cold -- 'cause Sharon Stone and Liam Neeson just shared their support publicly.

In a new article from The Telegraph -- Stone, Neeson and more stars say they want Spacey acting once again, calling him a generous and kind person who deserves to get back to work in mainstream movies and TV shows.

The embattled actor's back in the public discourse because of the documentary “Spacey Unmasked” -- now streaming on Max -- which details more allegations of sexual misconduct against the actor ... all of which he's denied.