TV

Jon Stewart is back after a long hiatus -- and it sounds like he thinks a couple things are ripping this country apart ... sensationalism in the media, and focusing on Donald Trump.

The former 'Daily Show' host sat down with CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday, to plug his new Apple TV+ show, "The Problem with Jon Stewart," but to also discuss the current state of things as it relates to our politics, national discourse and culture wars we're going through.

On that last point ... Jon got pretty real on what he thinks about issues like CA's new gender-neutral toy section law -- and that feeling is ... this is trivial, so who gives a s***!!!

Check out his thought process ... we as a society -- plus the media, by selecting/feeding us headlines -- seek out the conflict lines as opposed to news that actually matters in our daily lives. The gender-neutral thing is one example, but he brings up Karens/masks too.

Jon notes we see a ton of anti-masker stories all across media ... but what about stories reassessing the efficacy of masks, which affects us day-to-day??? Nowhere to be found.

Of course, Jon also talked Trump after Tapper asked him about his role in the ongoing division in the U.S. -- but Jon doesn't think this issue lives and dies with DT ... if anything, he says Trump is just the latest incarnation of a phenomenon that has long existed here.

His point is that there've been many rulers and institutions of this nation, historically, that've been power hungry, and he thinks the solution -- as it always has been -- lies in the people.

It was as inevitable as snow in winter ... "Saturday Night Live" did a sketch Saturday night on Netflix's hit show, "Squid Games."

Pete Davidson and guest host Rami Malek did the honors, with a country-type song about the phenomenon.

The song was a takeoff on Branchez & Big Wet's hit, "Turn Up On the Weekend," and it was pretty hilarious. It went like this ... the 2 guys were in a deep financial hole, so they signed up for the game.

They played the usual kids games, like Red Light Green Light, and the results were fatal for some.

One of the lyrics ... “There’s a robot girl who caught me running, better duck behind the nearest guy.” At one point Pete's face is splattered with blood as he keeps singing.

There's a really funny reference to the confusion over Korean cash and the prize money.

Davidson boasts in song how he killed all of his friends to make a killing in the game. Pete returns to the U.S. triumphant and flush with cash ... which he loses on a really bad bet.  Sorry NY Jets, but it was super funny!

Pete goes back to Korea for more, but this time things don't work out as well.

Jussie Smollett is going to have to face the music after claiming he was attacked by racist, homophobic MAGA supporters -- and the City of Chicago's claim he made it all up.

The former "Empire" actor is heading to trial next month -- this after a Cook County judge shot down JS's final attempt to have the criminal case against him tossed ... setting the stage for Jussie to face a jury of his peers over the 2019 incident.

Smollett's attorney tried convincing the court that his client's rights were being violated, seeing how the guy had already forfeited his $10,000 bond and done community service ... which served as the terms he struck with Cook County prosecutors to have the charges dismissed.

Per reports, the attorney noted Smollett had held up his end of the bargain, saying ... "A deal is a deal. That's ancient principle." Not so, according to the judge -- who noted a new set of circumstances arose when a special prosecutor reopened the case ... and charged Jussie anew.

Because of that, the judge said he wouldn't tamper with the new case. As you know, Jussie faces charges of disorderly conduct for allegedly lying in the police reports about what happened to him.

As we've reported ... Jussie claimed he was jumped by two white males wearing red MAGA hats, who hurled racist and homophobic epithets at him ... poured bleach on him ... and then threw a noose around his neck. Jussie kept that noose on until cops arrived and got his story -- an interaction that their body cameras captured upon entering his Chicago apartment.

As the initial investigation unfolded, police say they found that his so-called attackers weren't white at all -- they were two Black men, the Osundairo brothers, whom knew Jussie well from working on "Empire" ... and who confessed to staging the whole thing at Jussie's behest.

There's footage of the guys buying the supplies they used that night ... and even walking past Jussie at one point on the streets. The brothers claim Jussie paid them to set up the entire attack ... something he's denied entirely at every turn, defiant to prove his innocence.

Katey Sagal got hit by a car while crossing the street and was taken to the hospital, but thankfully ... she's going to be okay.

The "Sons of Anarchy" and 'Conners' star was struck by a car as she was crossing the street as a pedestrian Thursday in L.A. ... a source close to the actress tells TMZ.

We're told the driver of the car did stop to help Katey, and she was transported by ambulance to a local hospital and treated for her injuries. Our source says they're not serious though, and she's expected to be released sometime Friday.

It's currently unclear if the driver has been cited for the accident.

Along with her award-winning performance as Gemma Teller on 'Sons' ... Katey also sang several songs featured on the show. Here's one to enjoy, as we say get well soon!!!

Eli Manning letting his birds fly on national TV was hilarious, but it turns out the Giants legend truly regretted the mishap ... this according to his bro, Peyton, who says he really felt bad afterward.

Remember, Eli was telling an anecdote about playing in front of Eagles fans in Philadelphia on "Monday Night Football" a few weeks back ... and got a bit too into it when talking about how 9-year-old kids would flip him off in the stands -- giving a visible demonstration on camera.

Peyton is now giving his take on the whole incident ... saying he's heard Eli share that story 100 times, but NEVER thought in a million years he would actually do the gesture.

"Out of all times to actually do it, I was in real shock about it," Manning said this week.

"But, he felt bad and he apologized. It was not intentional but it was just funny that was the one time he picked to do it."

We also talked about the Manning Bros' successful 'MNF' broadcast ... and Peyton says he's loved his time talkin' football with Eli -- and their star-studded guests have been having a blast, too!!

Jonathan Goodwin, a daredevil stuntman on the new "America's Got Talent: Extreme" suffered brutal injuries after a stunt he attempted went horribly wrong, and it was so bad people on the set thought he was dead.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Goodwin was suspended 70 feet in the air in a straitjacket hanging by his feet from a wire. Two cars were suspended on either side of him ... swinging back and forth. The stunt was for Goodwin to free himself from the restraints and then fall on an air mattress, and avoid getting crushed by the cars as they swung in the air.

Something went terribly wrong, and the cars smashed together, sandwiching Goodwin in between them. The impact caused the cars to explode, erupting in a gigantic fireball. Goodwin fell to the ground and hit his head.

Our sources say Goodwin was unresponsive after the crash, and people on the set thought he was dead.

However, Goodwin was responsive when he was airlifted to a hospital and rushed into surgery. We're told he's in a trauma unit and his condition is unclear.

Goodwin is no stranger to the 'AGT' family ... he was on the show in 2020, where he successfully completed another death-defying stunt.

'AGT: Extreme' is hosted by Terry Crews, and features judges Nikki Bella, Travis Pastrana and Simon Cowell.

Rosario Dawson says "Saturday Night Live" needs to give BF Cory Booker his due the next time 'SNL' impersonates the Senator ... and she's got a few ideas for the stars to workshop.

We got the actress leaving ABC Studios in New York and asked what she thought of the show's impersonation of her boyfriend.

Rosario doesn't seem too impressed ... she says she's yet to see anyone nail Cory's true personality, and she explains why he's like the Fred Rogers or Ted Lasso of the Senate.

The 'SNL' skit mocking the recent Facebook hearing in Congress featured tons of politicians, but the Cory jokes were mostly centered on him dating Rosario.

Next time, Rosario says, the show should instead give her man props for everything he's doing for his State, from cannabis to police reform.

Dog the Bounty Hunter and John Walsh are getting hammered by the Brian Laundrie family attorney, who says both men are inserting themselves in the Gabby Petito case purely for attention.

Steven Bertolino represents the Laundries and tells TMZ ... "Dusty relics like that Dog and John Walsh need a tragic situation like this so they can clear the cobwebs off their names and give their publicity hungry egos some food."

As we've told you ... Dog joined the manhunt for Brian last month, trekking through some rugged terrain in remote sections of Florida and even injured his ankle in the process.

The search has gotten him a lot of attention, and Dog's seen TV offers start rolling in, with multiple networks showing interest in resurrecting a show with him.

We also asked Bertolino if he feels Dog is impeding the official investigation, by showing up unannounced at Brian's sister's house ... and he said, "That's for law enforcement to determine."

As for John ... the "America's Most Wanted" host has a new TV special about the Petito case and the search for Brian.

"Squid Game" is the No. 1 show on Netflix in 90 different countries ... but North Korea's blasting it as a "sad reality of a beastly South Korean society."

The North Korean propaganda website, Arirang Meari, chimed in with its review of the survival-game drama ... claiming the show "gained popularity because it exposes the reality of South Korean capitalist culture."

The site went on to claim the show exposes "a world where only money matters -- a hell-like horror." The site views South Korea's capitalist culture as a place where "corruption and immoral scoundrels are commonplace."

The propaganda site also reportedly cited unnamed South Korean film critics saying the series shows an "unequal society where moneyless people are treated like chess pieces for the rich."

The 9-episode thriller pits cash-strapped contestants playing childhood games with deadly consequences ... and the last person standing taking home a pot worth $38 million.

The propaganda site is pissed about the plotline saying, "It is said that it makes people realize the sad reality of the beastly South Korean society in which human beings are driven into extreme competition and their humanity is being wiped out."

Netflix dropped "Squid Game" in September and it's the streamer's most successful show ever. BTW, North Korea levies stiff fines, and even prison, to anyone caught watching South Korean content. That the outlet's not a fan of the show should be no surprise.

Carole Baskin hasn't been this astonished since Joe Exotic ran for president -- she can't figure out how Kate McKinnon copycatted her so perfectly for the upcoming Peacock series.

Carole tells TMZ ... she was stunned to see the 'SNL' star's transformation for "Joe Exotic" ... the dramatic series based off the Wondery podcast with the same title. As you know by now, Joe and Carole have major beef, to put it lightly.

He's accused her of feeding her 2nd husband, Don Lewis, to a tiger.

Anyway, she's stunned because producers nailed the wardrobe -- Carole says she has almost exactly the same outfit as the one Kate's wearing in a new photo from the set. Even Kate's necklace is spot on, which surprises Carole because she never wore that piece of jewelry on the Netflix docuseries.

Her only explanation for Kate's doppelganger act is sooo Baskin. Carole says Kate must be channeling her inner cat lady to be rocking those flats, jeans, sunglasses, purse and messy hair. Hell, they're even using the same 2012 Toyota pickup CB drives.

BTW, Carole says Kyle MacLachlan also did a good job portraying her current husband, Howard -- but it's not identical. She says Howard never wears short-sleeve button-up shirts nor a wedding ring, but she still approves.

Carole says she heard the series will explore her relationship with Howard -- but she's in the dark when it comes to how her battles with Joe will play out on the show.

Remember, she's never actually spoken to him in real life, so she hopes whatever the writers come up with is based on facts.

Dog the Bounty Hunter hasn't given up his hunt for Brian Laundrie -- he's got one more vital person to speak with -- and he's en route to her now.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... Dog has NOT left Florida yet -- despite injuring his ankle earlier this week -- and is still working leads. We're told he's currently headed to the home of Laundrie's sister, Cassie, with whom he will attempt to discuss the case.

Earlier this month ... Cassie confronted a group of protesters outside her Florida home and told them she doesn't have the slightest clue where Brian's hiding, but added she wasn't sure if her parents had anything to do with his disappearance.

Our sources say Dog is still hobbling around on that bum ankle, but wants to make sure he's tried every possible avenue to locate Laundrie ... before heading to Colorado to get checked out by his doctor. As we reported, Dog hurt his ankle a couple of days ago in rugged terrain.

The Cassie meeting would come just a day after an autopsy report revealed Gabby Petito died by strangulation. The Teton County Coroner estimated the time she was killed might have been 3 to 4 weeks before her remains were found.

Gabby's family is heading to Wyoming to retrieve her body, and have her cremated.

For the first time ever, one of the costumes was even too outrageous for "The Masked Singer" ... and we're talkin' below the waist.

Jester, possibly the scariest costume to ever grace the 'Masked Singer' stage, almost didn't grace the stage at all ... TMZ has learned.

We're told the OG Jester costume had a specific vision for the look ... a codpiece to protect his, um, family jewels.

But, during rehearsals, we're told the codpiece caught the eyes of FOX execs and the network instantly deemed the Jester "too hot for TV."

The costume was adjusted to minimize Jester's private parts, much to the celebrity's dismay, and now he's got the green light.

While the spirit of the OG design is what folks will see on their TV sets, Jester is also family-friendly ... but our 'Masked Singer' sources say they still can’t promise kids won't go screaming when they see Jester's mask for the first time.

Dave Chappelle cracking jokes over the LGBTQ+ community is fair game, and should NOT be censored in the slightest -- so says a transgender comedian, who's backing the dude.

Flame Monroe -- a Black trans comic -- tells TMZ she's not in favor of taking Dave's new Netflix special, "The Closer," off the service ... because she says in the world of comedy, nothing is off-limits -- and she simply doesn't believe in censoring standups.

Watch her explanation here, because it's very interesting. Obviously, Flame has a multi-dimensional perspective to offer -- from race to gender identity, and also her chosen craft -- and the one she feels most strongly about is a comic's right to joke freely.

That jibes with what Damon Wayans told us just the other day on this whole debate. He, too, seemed more focused on the comedy side of things ... rather than the LGBT vs. Black comparisons Dave raised in the special.

Flame goes further ... praising Dave as "great," while also saying she believes he's brought people together in a way -- to have a much-needed dialogue.

Bottom line ... Flame seems to be OK with Dave using Netflix's platform to speak his mind -- and clearly believes that outweighs the actual inflammatory content itself.

The house where Sabrina Spellman and her witchy aunts cooked up mischief on TV has been summoned anew -- hitting the market in real life ... at a cost that'll make ya scream.

You might recall seeing the exterior of this Victorian home a lot during the original run of the 1990s comedy series -- it was where Melissa Joan Hart, Beth Broderick, Caroline Rhea and Salem (the cat) resided in the made-up Massachusetts town of Westbridge. Well, now the actual crib is for sale!!!

It's being listed by its mortal owners for a whopping $1.95 million in the New Jersey city of Freehold. Here's the weirdest part though ... the real estate agent is advertising it as an office building instead of an actual place to live -- which sorta makes sense considering the layout.

For starters ... this "house" is located in a business section of Freehold, and it actually has a small parking lot behind it. The inside is more office-y than home-y ... even though there are rooms -- they're not traditional bedrooms, per se ... and do seem more suited for a staff.

And yet ... there's a freaking kitchen inside -- so, we suppose any future would-be employees can cook up lunch on their break??? Whoever designed this place way back when didn't seem to know what they wanted it to be ... but in any case, it's going for a bundle.

If you're not inclined to plunk down nearly $2 mil for this pad/edifice ... you can rent it in two parts -- the front house goes for $9,750/month, while the back end's $3,200/month.

Wendy Williams is stepping away from her show after experiencing "serious complications" as a direct result of Graves' Disease and her thyroid condition.

"The Wendy Williams Show" announced Tuesday that while Wendy's making progress ... she's not 100% ready to return to her hosting duties due to her immune system disorder. Wendy continues to be under medical supervision and meets with her medical team on a daily basis.

That being said ... the show says it's been determined more time is needed before Wendy's able to return.

In the interim, the popular daytime program will start airing original shows on Monday ... "with an exciting lineup of guest hosts and panels to be announced shortly."

A statement from the show added, "Wendy is a valued and stalwart member of the Debmar-Mercury family and has been so for 12 years. We want her health to be her top priority. As soon as she's ready, she will be back in her treasured purple chair."

As we previously reported ... Wendy was taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. We were told she was voluntarily admitted to an NYC hospital last month. On top of all of that, Wendy also had COVID but, thankfully, she was asymptomatic.

Wendy's 13th season was set to premiere Sept. 20, and while the new season will kick off in less than a week ... it's clear now Wendy won't be taking part for the time being.

"Squid Game" is Netflix's surprising, massively successful survival drama out of Korea, but its popularity could pay dividends for people in India too.

Geoffrey Giuliano -- the actor who plays 'VIP 4' on the hit series -- tells TMZ ... he's planning to auction off the robe he wore on the show, as well as his copy of a "Squid Game" script and storyboard, to raise money for widows and children living in West Bengal.

Geoffrey says his auction will be held by a memorabilia dealer in North Carolina, and all the proceeds from it will go to the organization Sri Radhe International.

The actor says he doesn't usually hold on to scripts, but he happened to for "Squid Game" ... and he also asked to keep his robe because he liked it.

Seems like a shrewd move, but Geoffrey points out that nobody knew how big the series would become. Still, he hit the jackpot.

Giuliano tells us he hasn't set a date for the auction yet, but when the bidding starts he expects to see six figures for the robe and at least $10k for the script.