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Ariel Robinson -- a former winner of 'Worst Cooks in America' -- jokingly discussed raising kids in a brutal manner before she was charged with killing one of her own ... and we've got the video.

We've obtained footage of Ariel performing an impromptu stand-up routine in Spartanburg, SC in 2019, in which she's discussing trying to adopt a daughter ... and a social worker coming to her home to make sure she was a fit parent.

As Ariel recounts the story, she talks about two other children of hers -- an 8-year-old boy and an 11-year-old boy, both of whom wanted a little sister -- and how they were acting wild while the worker was there. She says she should've locked them up in cages as a result.

Nothing too crazy ... but watch what she says next. She jokes that at one point, she turned around and screamed upstairs to the boys, "Shut up before I come in there and punch in your throat!" ... adding that she'd reached her "mommy level" of frustration.

It got a bit of a mixed reaction from the crowd, which Ariel also played up ... saying the social worker looked at her like they all were. Then, she says she got "approved." Unclear if this story relates to the adopted daughter she and her husband are accused of killing.

As we reported ... Ariel and Jerry Robinson were arrested and charged with homicide of a 3-year-old girl -- who has since been identified as Victoria Smith, a toddler who'd spent a majority of her life in foster care. Reports say the Robinsons adopted her at some point.

Authorities list a series of blunt force injuries that led to her death.

Getting vaccinated -- or at least a willingness to -- might be the key to love in the 21st century ... because it's apparently all the rage on dating apps these days.

Reps for Tinder, Bumble and OkCupid have all recently said they're seeing a major uptick in how many times their users are mentioning the words "vaccine" or "vaccinated' in their bios, not to mention how many are using vaccination readiness as a screener for matches.

Tinder says the number of times "vaccine" has been mentioned in user bios has risen as much as 258% between the months of September and December ... including casual mention of it, like ... "if you believe in the 5-second rule...don't worry about what's in the vaccine."

Bumble says it's seen a "steady increase" in how often "vaccine" is mentioned in bios, and OkCupid says those who indicate they've already gotten vaccinated or willing to are being liked at double the rate of people who openly say they're not interested in getting it.

OkCupid has also tailored its profile questionnaire to cater to the pandemic, with questions about what one might consider an ideal lock-down date, etc. Bumble has similar filters.

Here's the thing though ... there's a big chance that the people being mentioned here are simply TALKING about vaccines, as opposed to actually being vaccinated -- assuming we're talking about 20-somethings, who make up the biggest group of users on these apps.

Unless you work in healthcare or education as a 20-something, you're probably not vaccinated yet -- as it isn't available for that age group. For now ... frontline workers, essential workers and the elderly have priority, and who are supposed to be getting it first.

Conor McGregor is getting ready to enter the UFC Octagon in what promises to be one of the biggest fights ever ... and he could draw some inspiration from this kid, who clearly drew inspiration from Conor.

Brice Gonzalez is amazing. The 5-year-old, with the help of his dad Randy, mimicked Conor after an earlier, 1st round K.O. against Dustin Poirier. The kid's attitude is spot on, and he's exceptional at memorizing his lines.

Randy has created a hugely successful comedy show with his son, which gets millions of views on social media. Randy, who served time in prison, was having a hard time finding a job. Then he came up with the idea of a comedy show, and it exploded.

Randy and Brice have gained a bunch of celeb followers, including Kevin Hart and Snoop.

Inauguration Day Bernie Sanders freezing his ass off is the hottest thing on the internet ... and now it's also a huge fundraiser in his home state.

Here's the deal ... Sanders' campaign started hawking crewneck sweatshirts Friday with that incredibly meme-able shot of the Senator rocking his mittens for $45 each.

All proceeds are going to Meals on Wheels Vermont ... and within just a few hours they were completely sold out.

Demand was incredibly high from the jump, with the campaign website quickly adding a disclaimer saying it would be 4-8 weeks until the gear was delivered ... due to an overwhelming number of orders.

Inventory was wiped out by Friday evening, and folks late to the party were greeted by a "sold out" message on the site.

It's unclear how many sweatshirts Bernie's campaign sold, but ya gotta imagine at $45 a pop there will be plenty of Meals on Wheels served up at a crucial time for hunger across the country.

Joe Exotic's lack of being guilty and abundance of being gay is why he didn't get a pardon from Trump ... according to the 'Tiger King' star himself.

The disgraced former zoo owner's not taking his presidential pardon snub very well, and says ... "I was too innocent and too GAY to deserve a Pardon from Trump."

Joe adds that he thinks he only got some pardon attention initially from Don Jr. because Trump's son "needed to make a comment about me to boost his social media post."

He also threw some extra shade at the former Prez, saying ... "Boy were we all stupid to believe he actually stood for Equal Justice? His corrupt friends all come first."

As we've told you ... Joe's legal team was confident all the hard work they put in would lead to a pardon. They even had a stretch limo waiting for Exotic to go pick him up from prison once they got word Trump had freed him.

Unfortunately for Joe ... it never happened. Trump pardoned 73 people and commuted the sentences of 70 others, but not him. Team Tiger told us they were very disappointed, but added that they "will never leave Joe’s side and will continue to work until his freedom is gained."

We spoke to Joe's nemesis, Carole Baskin, who came out as bisexual in October ... she says Joe's latest statements are, "Just further evidence that he has no remorse for all the harm he's caused to exotic cats and the people in his life."

Sarah Fuller's used to performing under pressure, but doing it barefoot and in freezing temps was something new as she played a key role in President Biden's Inauguration celebration.

The Vanderbilt University football/soccer player was in Nashville for the "Celebrating America" special and introduced the nation's first female VP, Kamala Harris.

Vanderbilt's associate athletic director tweeted photos of Sarah at a freezing cold stadium recording her intro ... and she showed up in heels.

The AD says Sarah started out shifting side to side in the turf, probably to shake off the nerves -- but then she lost the heels, and once barefoot ... nailed it.

Sarah's intro for VP Harris referenced her own challenges on soccer and football fields. She said, "I faced a lot of challenges as a goalkeeper on the Vanderbilt University women’s soccer team and as a kicker on the football team. But seeing other women break barriers and being first at what they do inspired me and gave me the strength to succeed."

She continued, "and that’s why it is such an honor to introduce a true groundbreaker. And after 232 years of waiting, being able to say these words — our nation’s first woman vice president, vice president Kamala Harris."

Sarah, of course, became the first woman to play in a Power Five football conference when she filled in as an emergency kicker last fall ... and she was also the first woman ever to score in a Power Five game against Tennessee.

Donald Trump is no longer president, but his supporters still turned up at state capitols across the country to protest President Biden's inauguration ... a handful of them anyway.

It appears that in at least a few states -- Maine, New York, Utah and Arizona -- only a lone supporter of 45 arrived at the government building to express their right to peacefully protest.

In New Hampshire ... those numbers were doubled, maybe tripled.

A man named Mark Leggiero was the solo Trumper out in front of the New York State Capitol. According to reports he drove 45 minutes for the demonstration and expected a few thousand others. So, he's disappointed.

As we've reported ... the authorities have been warning of the potential for big turnouts and violence by far-right groups gathering at state capitols ever since the U.S. Capitol attack on January 6.

Arnold Schwarzenegger just got the shot needed 'round the world -- and he was happy to play up some of his best Hollywood lines to make it all the more familiar.

Arnold posted video of himself Wednesday, which shows him pulling into Dodger Stadium to receive his vaccine for COVID. You see him sitting passenger-side in an SUV as a medical staffer sticks with a needle and injects the serum ... Arnold, of course, didn't flinch.

It's funny ... he dropped two famous movie lines of his during his vaccination -- a well-known one from "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and a more obscure one from "Jingle All the Way." If you're a die-hard Arnold fan, you know both off the top ... but it's unclear if his vaccine giver did.

He tells her to "put that needle down!" as she's injecting him, which is a reference to 'JATW' when he told his schmucky neighbor, Ted, to put the cookies down that he was salivating over. The woman doing the deed didn't seem to respond to it, though 😅

Then came the more iconic Arnold line in the aftermath ... "Come with me if you want to live," which is what the Model 101 Terminator told Sarah Connor in the legendary sequel.

That quote is probably more relevant, but in any case ... AS gives a ringing endorsement of the vaccine, and invites everyone who's eligible to come get one ASAP.

Pro surfer Makua Rothman successfully rode a wave that was estimated to be about 100 feet tall over the weekend ... and the insane ride -- which some believe is a world record -- was all caught on video!!

The drop-in went down in Hawaii on Saturday ... when Rothman and some of the rest of the country's best big wave surfers hit up a famous area known as "Jaws" in Pe'ahi to tackle some gnarly swells.

At some point during the day, though, Rothman beat out the other surfers to catch a Holy Grail type of ocean ride -- tackling a wave that was estimated to be between 80 and 100 feet high!!

Surf industry officials close to Rothman tell TMZ Sports the wave might very well be the tallest ever surfed -- beating Rothman's previous record of around 66 feet.

After he finished the epic ride, Rothman was PUMPED over it all ... telling us, "I'm so stoked on this ride and everyone who made that day possible!"

FYI, for as good as Rothman is ... he ain't a stranger to falling on these types of waves -- remember back in 2018 when he got thrashed by a huge one??

The son of Patrick Warren -- the man with mental health issues who was shot and killed by a cop this month -- says he felt betrayed when the officer arrived, because he didn't want an armed police officer dealing with his dad.

Patrick Jr. appeared on "TMZ Live" Monday ... where he talked about the horror of watching his father die in front of the entire family.

As we reported, the family called 911 the day before Patrick Warren was gunned down. A mental health resource officer came out and talked to the man, who was outside praising God and would not come inside the house. The officer sat on the sofa, reasoned with Patrick and they then walked calmly to a car where the officer took the man to a hospital to get checked out. It was peaceful and successful.

Patrick Jr. says the next day they had a similar problem and he called the mental health unit again, expecting a mental health officer would return. Instead, Patrick Jr. says he saw an armed cop with a gun, who almost immediately escalated the situation.

Patrick Jr. says his dad was not violent either day, and he pleaded with the cop not to use his gun.

Sadly, Patrick Jr. says he has a little brother who also has special needs, but now he's afraid to call anyone for help.

A Capitol rioter from Texas threatened to shoot his own children if they snitched on him to the feds ... at least according to the FBI.

According to his wife, Guy Reffitt told his son and daughter, "If you turn me in, you're a traitor and you know what happens to traitors ... traitors get shot" ... and it's all spelled out in an affidavit signed by FBI special agent Thomas Ryan.

In the affidavit, obtained by TMZ, the FBI agent says Reffitt was seen in restricted areas of the Capitol during the riots. Reffitt's accused of unlawful entry and obstruction of justice.

Reffitt's alleged threats didn't stop there, according to the feds ... he told his daughter he would "put a bullet" through her phone if she told friends her dad was at the Capitol.

Images of Reffitt from the insurrection show what appears to be a camera on his helmet, and the FBI says he admitted to his son he "stormed the Capitol" and told his family he had to scrub his Go-Pro footage from Jan. 6 because the FBI was on to him.

The guy's wife told the feds he's a member of a right-wing militia group, the Three Percenters, adding she didn't believe he would follow through with his alleged threats and was more disturbed by his extreme rhetoric.

Staging preparations for Joe Biden's inauguration were interrupted Monday morning when smoke billowed up nearby ... prompting a lockdown of Capitol Hill.

As multiple groups were meeting to practice for the festivities on Wednesday, smoke was seen rising up behind the Capitol Building ... forcing an evacuation.

According to reports ... Capitol Hill staffers received a message warning of an "external security threat" prior to the dress rehearsal for the inauguration.

Everyone was ordered back inside and instructed to stay away from windows and doors and seek cover if outside.

The good news -- the D.C. Fire Dept. located the fire and put it out ... and nobody was hurt. Our sources say the fire was started at a homeless encampment and is no longer viewed as any sort of threat.

Of course, there is a very strong security presence everywhere in the area -- bolstered by some 20,000 National Guard troops -- and the brief evacuation is a sign of the high alert that remains since the Jan. 6 Capitol riots.

We already knew Joe Biden was bringing 2 dogs to the White House, but now he'll also have Doggface -- the TikTok superstar -- as part of his welcoming committee.

TMZ's learned viral "Dreams" skateboarder Nathan Apodaca will be part of Biden's virtual inauguration parade next week, which will feature the stories and talents of Americans from all across the country.

Sources close to the President-elect's inauguration planning team tell us ... they reached out to Nathan to ask him to join the project, because they saw how his feel-good video uplifted the world this past fall during social unrest and pandemic anxiety.

We're told Biden's team was impressed by Nathan's humble response to the immense worldwide reaction to his video ... and suggested he incorporate the skateboarding into Biden's digital celebration on January 20.

We're told Nathan agreed and has already shot something for the virtual parade from his home in Idaho Falls.

Doggface is one of the few people who had an amazing 2020 after the TikTok of him skateboarding and grooving to the Fleetwood Mac tune -- while sipping cranberry juice -- blew up online.

Ocean Spray gifted him a brand new truck, his merchandise biz took off, he bought a home ... and he got engaged to his girlfriend, Estela! Unfortunately, he and his fiancee also got COVID in December ... but thankfully they've recovered.

Bow Wow's the fall guy for all of the events in Houston this weekend that didn't follow proper COVID-19 protocols ... according to the rapper himself, who believes the mayor has it out for him.

As we reported ... BW was criticized for drawing a large, mostly unmasked crowd at a club Friday night, and caught the attention of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner because he had more gigs scheduled the rest of the weekend.

The mayor tweeted Sunday that Bow Wow's scheduled events in Houston were on his radar, adding ... "Other bars/clubs that are operating as restaurants, beyond capacity and social distancing requirements, please expect visits."

Though the mayor cited rising COVID cases and deaths in his city and made it clear "Concerts are not allowed in Houston at this time unless it is virtual," Bow Wow's taking it personally ... griping, "Safe to say the mayor of houston hates my guts."

The rapper says he's skipping town but he can't believe he's getting blamed for the whole weekend, and points out he wasn't the only celeb there over the weekend.

That's true -- as we told you ... Meek Mill and J. Prince Jr. were also at the club with Bow Wow Friday night, and neither seemed to be wearing masks, like most of the crowd.

Joe Biden's getting sworn in as the 46th President of the United States in just a few days, but his dog's getting sworn in right now -- with none other than Josh Groban helping out.

Joe's second German Shepherd, Major, is being honored Sunday with a virtual celebration via Zoom, which has been appropriately tagged -- "inDOGuration." During the event, Major will get some serious screen time with ticketholders and partake in pooch-friendly activities, with Jill Martin from the "TODAY" show hosting, and Darius Brown appearing as a guest.

They won't be the only human faces to drop in though ... Groban was added as a bit of a last-minute booking for some live entertainment. He willed his desire to perform for the "inDOGuration" into existence, recently asking Joe's team to let him sing for it.

Looks like his wish was granted, because on Sunday Josh wrote, "IT CAME TRUE!! I am so happy. The world is a mess, but we can all agree dogs rule. Let’s celebrate Major’s Indoguration and raise $$ for his rescue shelter, Delaware Humane Association."

Tickets go for $10, and the show starts at 3 PM ET. As for what Josh is gonna be doing exactly ... word is, he'll be singing an original dog-themed song. Sounds about right!

As you might know, Joe adopted Major in 2018 from the animal shelter mentioned above ... making him the first shelter dog to occupy the White House. The Bidens have another German Shepherd, Champ, who's been in their family for well over a decade now.

It's been 4 years since we've had some canines in the White House. Trump infamously didn't have any pets ... despite it being a tradition for Presidents to have some furry friends.

Joe Biden's inauguration will still have some semblance of normalcy when he's taking his oath of office, because there's going to be a crowd out there watching him ... whose seating arrangement is now becoming crystal clear.

Construction for the inauguration stage -- as well as for the surrounding viewing area, as it were -- at the Capitol is in full swing, and on Sunday ... somebody captured a full front-to-back shot of what the layout is looking like thus far, just three days before Jan. 20.

As you can see, there will be butts in those chairs watching JB and Kamala Harris be sworn in ... which are spaced out for social distancing. They only go back so far, taking up just the first patch of grass on the west side of the Capitol. It's unclear if they're planning to set more before Wednesday, but probably not. It's gonna be relatively small crowd.

The Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies laid out the ground rules in December, saying only members of the 117th Congress were allowed to attend and watch in-person ... plus one guest for each member. All in all, that accounts for about 1,000 people.

As you might've heard, the National Mall and surrounding roads/bridges throughout D.C. have been closed ahead of the ceremony ... so you're not likely to see any normies out there trying to watch the festivities. That closure, of course, is because of the Capitol riot ... law enforcement's running a tight ship, so gatherings of any sort probably won't fly.

The way things currently stand, it looks like just members of Congress and other invited guests of Biden and Harris will be there in the flesh to witness the inauguration. The rest of it, including the traditional parade through the streets, will be broadcast virtually.

Lady Gaga and Jennifer Lopez are also set to perform that day, and it appears they'll also be there in person to put on a show.