TV

Jussie Smollett isn't out of the metaphorical woods regarding his alleged hoax "attack" in Chicago, but he's heading into actual woods for a hike with an old friend.

The ex-"Empire" star ventured out Wednesday morning in L.A. with Taraji P. Henson and his sister, Jurnee Smollett. It was kinda hard for the trio to keep a low profile with Taraji's bright red hair. She's been rockin' that 'do recently.

Anyway, all three looked pretty chummy as they walked the hiking path, and kept things Fauci-friendly during the trek with their face coverings.

If you're doing a double-take at seeing Taraji with Jussie -- who was written out of the show in 2019 -- you shouldn't be. TPH has been very vocal in her continued support for him ... even after show execs gave him the heave-ho.

Sure, he's still fighting the City of Chicago in a civil case, as well as Cook County in another criminal case after a special prosecutor re-charged him. But, Jussie's got himself a ride or die in Taraji, who played his TV mom.

Roger Goodell has been a key figure behind the scenes in helping NFL players in their fight for social justice ... so says former NFL star Anquan Boldin, who's now praising the commish for his efforts.

The ex-Arizona Cardinals receiver broke it all down on 'The Daily Show' with Trevor Noah this week ... explaining Goodell has had his and others' backs when it comes to lobbying for equal rights.

Boldin says Goodell has taken trips with the NFL Players Coalition -- a group established by the league to help address social issues -- to key meetings over the years, and Boldin says he's grateful for it.

"When we're asking for support of the NFL, it's not just monetary," Boldin says. "It's coming to us when we have these meetings with congressmen and senators and those that are in positions of power because then those conversations change because there are a lot of owners in the NFL that can guarantee that some of those people are in the seats that they're in because of their support."

"When we ask the NFL to lend us your platform, it's coming to these meetings with us. It's understanding what exactly it is that we're fighting against."

Boldin added, "I can tip my hat to Roger because he's come along on several of those occasions. He's come along with us when we've spoken to people in position of power. He's come and tried to see, while we were doing court hearings, like what's the process."

Anquan says that's huge ... because having a guy who wields as much power as Goodell in their corner changes perceptions.

"I can give him kudos for trying to understand what exactly it is that we're talking about, trying to step outside of his self and put his self in our shoes and understand the issues that we're screaming about."

As we previously reported ... Goodell said last Friday he'll do even more for NFL players -- admitting to bungling the kneeling protests and vowing to do better going forward.

Former "America's Got Talent" champ Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. says he had a much different experience on set than Gabrielle Union ... but there's one thing that's still bothering him.

Landau -- who won season 6 of 'AGT' -- tells TMZ ... he didn't experience any overt racism or discrimination on the show like Gabrielle claims, but he's bummed out because even though he won, he never got asked back on the show.

While Landau isn't certain why 'AGT' gave him the cold shoulder ... he does wonder if it has anything to do with what went down in Vegas after he was crowned.

Landau thought things were going swimmingly, his residency shows seemed packed, but the shot callers apparently saw it differently ... and he tells us what led to his early Sin City exit. He suspects that's playing a role in the radio silence with the show.

The dude's got a good attitude about everything though ... joking about his last song on the show, Frank Sinatra's "My Way."

Landau isn't the only winner who hasn't gotten asked back though ... there's Kevin Skinner, Neal Boyd (who died in 2018) and the Olate Dogs too.

Hartley Sawyer just lost his TV job in a flash, after a collection of tweets in which he made racist comments and joked about sexually assaulting women surfaced this past week.

The actor -- who played Ralph Dibny, AKA Elongated Man on "The Flash" for the past 3 seasons -- has been fired by the show over the years-old tweets, which included racist and misogynist language in what appears to a be a poor attempt at humor.

Sawyer's Twitter account has been deleted, but his old tweets began to circulate at the end of May. In one from 2012, Sawyer says ... "The only thing stopping me from doing mildly racist tweets is the knowledge that Al Sharpton would never stop complaining about me."

In another from 2014, he tweets ... "Out at dinner and just exposed myself as a racist, AGAIN."

Many of his former tweets seem to also center around sexual assault and violence toward women, including this in 2012 -- "If I had a wife I would beat the hell out of her tonight lol."

A few more horrific examples, "Ice Breakers: all women should be in sex farms" and "Outside of the 7-11 where I assaulted my ex-girlfriend lol."

This gem, from 2014, had to make his coworkers feel great ... "Enjoyed a secret boob viewing at an audition today."

You get the point ... he HAD to go. The CW and the production companies for the series say they've parted ways with Sawyer for season 7, saying ... "we do not tolerate derogatory remarks that target any race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, or sexual orientation. Such remarks are antithetical to our values and polices, which strive and evolve to promote a safe, inclusive and productive environment for our workforce."

Hartley's issued an apology, saying ... "My words, irrelevant of being meant with an intent of humor, were hurtful, and unacceptable. I am ashamed I was capable of these really horrible attempts to get attention at that time. I regret them deeply." He added, "I am incredibly sorry, ashamed and disappointed in myself for my ignorance back then."

Jussie Smollett thinks the nationwide protests over George Floyd's killing in police custody relate to his case with the City of Chicago ... because he claims the city's trying to cover up for lying police.

The former "Empire" star is still in a legal battle with Chicago, which is suing him for $130k to recover the cost of investigating what authorities say was a fake "attack" -- and Jussie says he wants information the City is refusing to hand over.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Smollett says ... "As we see millions across the country rise up to protest and expose police misconduct, the City, by its refusal to produce the requested documents, is choosing to actively resist a citizen’s lawful efforts to reveal dishonesty."

Jussie's specifically seeking documents about the termination of Chicago PD Superintendent Eddie Johnson, who he says was involved in his case from the get-go ... so his firing is relevant to Jussie's defense.

The City of Chicago, on the other hand, maintains the case is about Smollett lying to cops, not Johnson, and is opposing Jussie's request.

Jussie maintains his innocence, though, adding ... "the City and CPD knew Mr. Smollett was innocent, and that the City has relentlessly pursued Mr. Smollett even after the charges against Mr. Smollett were dismissed."

As we've reported, the initial criminal charges against Jussie for allegedly staging a hate crime hoax were dismissed, but new charges were handed down in a 6-count indictment in February.

Ken Osmond -- famous for playing Eddie Haskell on the iconic '50s family TV series, "Leave It To Beaver" -- died after suffering a cardiopulmonary arrest ... according to his death certificate.

According to the document, obtained by TMZ, the actor's immediate cause of death is a cardiopulmonary arrest. The underlying causes are listed as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, anemia, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, depression, hypertension and pneumonia.

You'll recall ... Ken died May 18, surrounded by loved ones and family. The doc says he died at his Los Angeles home at 12:35 AM.

The death certificate also notes Ken was a veteran of the United States Armed Forces with 60 years in the entertainment biz. It also says he was cremated.

As we reported, at the time of his death, Ken's son, Eric, said ... "He was an incredibly kind and wonderful father. He had his family gathered around him when he passed. He was loved and will be very missed."

Ken started acting when he was just 9 years old, and his big break came in 1957 when he landed the role of Eddie Haskell on "Leave it to Beaver" opposite Jerry Mathers, who played Beaver.

He was 76.

Elmer Fudd is losing one of his signature items for the rebooted 'Looney Tunes' on HBO Max -- the guy's going gun-less moving forward ... but has other lethal weapons at his disposal.

The news was confirmed this weekend as people noticed the new animated series doesn't feature any firearms -- with one of the EPs telling the NYT, "We're not doing guns." Obviously, Elmer Fudd -- a hunter -- uses a rifle/shotgun in the OG cartoon show. Ditto for  Yosemite Sam -- he uses pistols -- who will also be without his usual weaponry from now on.

Funny enough, Elmer and Sam still get to use incredibly dangerous artillery in their never-ending pursuit of Bugs Bunny ... Elmer gets a scythe, and Sam is reportedly going with a grass hook. Of course, they still have access to dynamite and other ACME-certified products.

Lo and behold, a lot of people are "outraged" over this, accusing WB and HBO of going soft to appease to this generation's PC sensibilities ... especially as it pertains to gun violence.

It does seem a bit hypocritical to ban guns, but not other explosives that are depicted with as much verve and explicit violence as Elmer's rifle and Sam's pistols used to be in the old days.

Michael B. Jordan and Kendrick Sampson are demanding huge changes in policing, in Presidential politics and also in Hollywood ... and they're shouting it for everyone to hear.

The actors and activists led a long BLM march Saturday through parts of L.A. and also Bev Hills. "Insecure" star Kendrick was the most vocal, leading chants like "F**k Donald Trump" and "Black lives they matter here" as they went.

They led the crowd right to the doorstep of Bev Hills PD, and that's when Kendrick made a fiery speech that centered on two things: defunding police departments and getting President Trump out of office ... even before the election.

Michael also addressed the protesters but was much less political ... instead, he shouted down the Hollywood establishment. MBJ demanded studios and agents give black culture more of a voice and more power.

This wasn't their first time on the frontlines of the movement and, in fact, Kendrick was still scarred from an L.A. protest last weekend.

He says he was hit several times by rubber bullets and there's video of a cop beating him back with a baton.

The "Grown-ish" family is looking after one of their own ... setting up a college fund for the daughter of late "Twilight" actor Gregory Tyree Boyce.

The sitcom has launched a GoFundMe for Gregory's 10-year-old daughter, Alaya, and the proceeds will be saved for her future college tuition.

Gregory's father, Deon Boyce, is an assistant director on the show, and Greg -- who often worked behind the scenes -- was super close with 'Grown-ish' star Trevor Jackson.

As we reported ... Gregory and his girlfriend, Natalie Adepoju, died last month in Las Vegas. The Clark County coroner says the former couple died from fentanyl and cocaine intoxication, and ruled the deaths accidental.

The "Grown-ish" family says the fundraiser honors Deon, their "beloved friend, co-worker, and all-around amazing human being ... who lost his son and best friend, Greg, a few weeks ago."

The cast says they figured the college fund would be the best way to show Deon how deeply they care about him and his granddaughter.

Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are remembering Breonna Taylor on what would have been her birthday ... had she not been fatally shot by cops in Kentucky.

The famous pals got together Friday afternoon and headed into downtown L.A. to honor Breonna, who should be celebrating her 27th today. They left rose bouquets in front of the Hall of Justice ... then walked over to join a protest.

Ben brought his kids Violet, Seraphina and Samuel -- and some of their friends, apparently. The whole gang wore face coverings.

As you know ... Breonna was shot dead by police in Louisville back on March 13th, when cops stormed her home as part of a drug investigation.

Los Angeles-local Cirroc Lofton was only 15 Earth years old when he gained fame after he landed the role as the young human, Jake Sisko -- who lives on the space station as the son of the commanding officer -- on the '90s science fiction show "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

Cirroc Lofton was cast alongside a great cast of Earthless actors including Michael Dorn as the cool Klingon, Worf ... and of course Avery Brooks as the bald bossman (and Jake's dad) , Benjamin Sisko.

Fun Fact: Cirroc's uncle is Cleveland Indians' center fielder Kenny Lofton!

LeBron James is weighing in on that new viral video of Laura Ingraham ... questioning why she didn't tell Drew Brees to "shut up and dribble" the way she told LeBron back in 2018.

The clip shows the way Ingraham went after LeBron for criticizing Donald Trump back in the day ... when she told the NBA star, "Keep the political commentary to yourself, or as someone once said, 'Shut up and dribble.'"

Fast-forward to June 2020 ... when Ingraham defended Brees on her show, saying, "He's allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag means to him."

Enter, LeBron ... who says, "If you still haven’t figured out why the protesting is going on. Why we’re acting as we are is because we are simply F-N tired of this treatment right here! Can we break it down for you any simpler than this right here????"

He added, "And to my people don’t worry I won’t stop until I see CHANGE!!! #ShutUpAndDribbleThisPowerfulBlackManComingFullSteam"

Other superstar athletes across the country weighed in on the clip as well ... with L.A. Chargers receiver Keenan Allen saying, "Wow ... so Bron and KD need to shut up and dribble... but DREW BREES (white man) can have opinions ... RACISM!!!"

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans added, "People like her are f*cking disgusting."

Gabrielle Union is filing a new legal complaint, claiming she was fired from 'AGT' over her refusal to stay silent in the face of a toxic culture of racism, sexism and misogyny.

The actress filed docs Thursday with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, calling out Universal Television, Fremantle Productions, Simon Cowell and his production company. In the docs, she says she was canned because she took issue with "racist jokes, racist performances, sexual orientation discrimination, and excessive focus on female judges’ appearances, including race-related comments."

According to the complaint, obtained by TMZ, Gabrielle says the network is a "snake-pit of racial offenses" where racism and misogyny get a pass.

She's also ripping NBCUniversal for what she claims is a silent and unapologetic response to the Jimmy Fallon 'SNL' blackface controversy ... and says she took major issue with an 'AGT' contestant who performed with "blackface hands" -- gloves that changed the appearance of his hands from white to black -- and claims Simon signed off on it happening.

Gabrielle is also questioning the network's decision to hire Julianne Hough, who had been criticized in the past for wearing blackface on Halloween.

In her complaint, Gabrielle says she raised about 60 issues with higher-ups when she served as a judge on 'AGT' -- including racially insensitive acts, racist and misogynistic remarks and other instances of race and gender discrimination.

Gabrielle claims things got off on the wrong foot from her first day, when she took issue with Simon flouting CA law by smoking cigarettes indoors.

In the docs, Gabrielle says NBC picked at her appearance, claiming producers said her hair was "too wild" and needed to be "toned down" ... Gabrielle calls it part of a "larger animus directed towards women" and claims Simon and Howie Mandel were never asked to change their looks.

Gabrielle also says NBC tried to make her wear a cardigan for a photo shoot, claiming it was for a 1950s period piece ... but she thought the request was blatantly racist.

Jay Leno is also drawing Gabrielle's ire ... she says she had a huge problem with the comedian joking about Simon's dogs looking like the menu at a Korean restaurant.

The complaint matches the very public claims Gabrielle made last year about her time at 'AGT.' The difference here is she's now upped the stakes by filing a formal complaint -- and in the process, challenging NBC's investigation into her firing.

Just last week, NBC said an external legal review found Gabrielle's claims of racism and misogyny had "no bearing" on the decision to let her go. Although she says she was fired, NBC says her contract was simply not renewed.

That external review essentially cleared Simon and the network of wrongdoing, but Gabby's clearly not buying that assessment of what happened.

Her new complaint also accuses the network and producers of discrimination, retaliation, hostile work environment, unequal pay, emotional distress and more.

Fred Willard died from a heart attack ... according to his death certificate.

According to the doc, obtained by TMZ, the veteran comedic actor's immediate cause of death is a cardiac arrest. The underlying causes are listed as myelodysplastic syndrome and coronary artery disease.

We broke the story ... Fred died May 15, and his daughter Hope told us her father passed away peacefully and made his family "happy until the very end." The doc says he died at his home at 6:45 PM.

The death certificate also notes Fred was a veteran of the United States Armed Forces and had 60 years in the entertainment biz, and it says he was laid to rest at the famous Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

As we reported, at the time of his death, Fred's family said ... "He kept moving, working and making us happy until the very end. We loved him so very much. We will miss him forever."

Fred was famous for his role as Ron Burgundy's news director in the 'Anchorman' movies and he starred in countless cult comedies throughout his career, including ... "American Wedding," "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle," "How High," "The Wedding Planner," "WALL-E," "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" and on and on.

He was 86.

San Diego native Emma Caulfield (real name Emma Chukker) was only 25 years old when she landed the role of the vengeance demon turned high school student Anya Jenkins -- who sets out to retrieve her powers again in Sunnydale, California -- on the '90s supernatural show, "Buffy The Vampire Slayer."

Emma Caulfield was cast alongside some slaying stars including Alyson Hannigan as the book-smart BFF, Willow Rosenberg ... and of course, Sarah Michelle Gellar as the stab-happy slayer, Buffy Summers.

Caulfield can be spotted more recently on shows like "Fantasy Hospital" and "Once Upon A Time."

"My son had to ask me, 'Why didn't he get off of him?'"

Former Dallas Cowboys stud Marcus Spears broke down live on television talking about a white police officer's role in George Floyd's death ... and the scene was VERY emotional.

The NFL analyst explained on ESPN's "Get Up" on Monday he's so torn up by the tragic killing of the 46-year-old in Minneapolis, Minn. last month ... he's having a hard time putting his feelings into words.

"This spirit broke in this country. It broke," said Spears, who has three children. "It broke me."

Marcus -- who needed several seconds to wipe away tears, continued, "Everything that I've done in my life culminated to me having my children. And trying to give them a better situation."

Spears added, "This is a heart condition, man. What we're asking for help, and when we're asking for white people to understand, we need you to be against this."