You Might Want to Rethink

Donnell Rawlings doesn't believe cracking jokes about the coronavirus is off-limits, but the pandemic definitely has him thinking bigger picture.

The "Chappelle's Show" star tells TMZ ... it doesn't matter what the source material is -- in the comedy world, it's never inappropriate or too soon for a funny observation.

Donnell admits he's been making light of the COVID-19 crisis himself and got called out for it, but he says he's simply accepting the reality of the situation ... and trying to make people laugh.

To his bigger point ... Donnell says the coronavirus and resulting fear of death are waking people up to what's truly important in life.

WWE is confirming someone in its ranks is infected with the coronavirus -- the first known case -- but the wrestlers will push forward with scheduled events.

The league confirmed Saturday an employee had come down with the 'rona -- after ProWrestlingSheet broke the news an on-camera talent (but not a wrestler) had contracted COVID-19 in recent weeks.

PWS says the person -- whose ID was not disclosed -- started showing symptoms in late March after the WWE's last batch of tapings, including WrestleMania 36. Apparently, the person went to dinner with some hospital worker friends, and got tested soon after.

When the test same back positive, the employee immediately went into quarantine and remained there ... according to PWS.

WWE says, "We believe this matter is low risk to WWE talent and staff, as the individual and a roommate became symptomatic in the days following exposure to two people working in acute health care on the evening of March 26, after WWE’s TV production on a closed set was already complete."

It adds, "The employee had no contact with anyone from WWE since being exposed to those two individuals, is doing well, and made a complete recovery."

In other words, the league will carry on with regularly scheduled wrestling events on closed sets, with essential personnel only.

That's what the WWE's been doing for several weeks now ... to some criticism.

The Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy are not being told to shelter at home, at least not in Montana, where the governor is telling kids the magical entities are free to roam around.

Montana Governor Steve Bullock just sent a super-cute letter to all the kids and families in his state ... telling them their Easter Sunday won't be ruined by COVID-19, because hiding eggs and swiping teeth are now essential services.

The way Steve sees it ... the Easter Bunny is essential because it hides Easter eggs, supports the chocolate-egg industry and brings springtime joy to Montanans.

As for the Tooth Fairy, the governor says it's an essential time for lost tooth collection and payments, with all the little ones chowing down on chocolate, Peeps and other treats.

Elves, unicorns and friendly dragons are also being deemed essential in Montana ... as long as they maintain their social distancing during essential travel. Six feet means six feet!!!

But, there's a catch ... the governor says the Easter Bunny and Tooth Fairy must do their jobs, which means they gotta leave behind eggs, chocolates and fair market value for teeth.

Louis Tomlinson's baby mama's giving the opposite of fire safety lessons ... so watch what she does, and do the exact opposite.

Briana Jungwirth -- mother of the One Direction singer's 4-year-old son, Freddie -- went on Instagram Live Thursday night with one of her friends to goof around and let off some quarantine steam.

The problem is that steam turned into smoke when Briana's sweatshirt caught fire from a candle. Instead of putting it out right away, she decided to show off the blaze to her friend and their viewers ... and it escalated quickly.

Jungwirth casually said, "You guys, I'm on fire," as the flames begin to spread and her friend freaks out. Fortunately, Briana was able to shake it out after a couple seconds of panic and her friend extinguished sparks on the floor.

Some people who were watching online said Freddie was sleeping in a room nearby -- we haven't confirmed that -- but fans were concerned because Briana kept messing with the candle afterward.

YBN Almighty Jay is not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously, and his approach to quarantine life ... is exactly what the doctor did NOT order.

The rapper told us he IS staying home, adhering to California's safer-at-home order ... but while he's there, he's still got women pulling up at the crib. That is aggressively NOT adhering to the order.

Almighty Jay is playing with fire, but clearly doesn't think so. He says things are way too boring at home, so he's not about to stop his usual parade of hookups. Forget social distancing too ... he admits that ain't happening. His only precautionary measure -- "I pick wisely."

Remember, Jay used to date Blac Chyna, but she dumped him because she claimed he was sliding into other girls' DMs, and had a side piece.

Look, we know he's 20-years-old, and probably thinks he's invincible -- but as scientists, politicians, and even celebrities have drilled into our heads ... it ain't just about you, YBN Almighty Jay.

It's about protecting everyone else from the spread of the virus.

Small businesses are folding left and right due to COVID-19 -- and now a bunch of 'em are suing the pants off China ... for TRILLIONS.

A group of small businesses in California -- including Cardiff Prestige Property, Little Saigon Chamber of Commerce, First Premier X and others -- just filed the lawsuit against the People's Republic of China, the City of Wuhan and that country's Health Commission.

According to the docs, obtained by TMZ, the small biz squad claims the Chinese government knew as early as mid-November that they were dealing with a "new" and potentially deadly virus, but kept quiet about it and even tried covering it up.

The lawsuit -- which this coalition is aiming to make a class-action by inviting similarly affected businesses across the U.S. -- also alleges it's possible a bio-weapons lab near Wuhan could be responsible for the infected bat that ended up in a wet market ... ultimately starting the pandemic.

It's pretty simple ... the suit claims since China was well aware of the simmering pandemic WAY earlier than February ... it had a responsibility to give a heads up to the World Health Organization and neighboring nations, but didn't.

As a result, this group of businesses says China has cost entrepreneurs dearly. The group is asking for a whopping $8 TRILLION in damages they say they and other small businesses have either already suffered, or will down the line due to government-ordered closures.

Former U.S. Congressman Paul Broun is turning to pandemic fear-mongering and a gun giveaway in an effort to return to the U.S. House of Representatives.

The GOP politician from Georgia's latest ad leans in hard on the 2nd Amendment, and includes what sounds like a racist dog whistle. In the spot, Broun says warns you might have to defend against "looting hordes from Atlanta" during these "uncertain times."

Broun, who served as the Rep. for GA's 10th congressional district from 2007 to 2015, also touts AR-15s as the ultimate "liberty machine" for fighting off a tyrannical government and the ever-looming threat of socialism.

Not only does Broun vow to never give up his guns ... he's also giving away a semi-automatic rifle to "one lucky person" who signs up for his email updates.

"If they die ... they die."

Yes, a now-infamous Louisiana pastor got all "Rocky IV" on us ... saying, if any of his church members die from the virus, they'll have done so in the name of God and freedom.

Tony Spell, leader of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, tells TMZ ... he thinks true Christians do not mind dying from COVID-19. He insists that what they fear instead is living in fear. As he puts it, "People that can prefer tyranny over freedom do not deserve freedom."

He's also not flinching at medical experts suggesting most of the nation will eventually contract the virus, even if only mildly. Spell's reaction is, "Let's get on with life."

As you've probably heard ... Spell's been defiant of Louisiana's shelter-at-home order. He opened his church last week for Palm Sunday where over 1,000 members attended. He had previously been arrested and charged for violating the state mandate.

Watch the video, Spell is sticking to his guns for Easter Sunday too. He was totally unswayed by our producer suggesting a different approach.

We've all heard that a Chinese bat got the coronavirus ball rolling, but that doesn't mean our domestic bats are a problem -- and if anything, we're a bigger threat to them.

U.S. federal wildlife workers have been talking amongst themselves about a so-called bat fear that's spreading due to the pandemic -- and they're saying it's misguided. They're also warning bat catchers to lay off for a while.

TMZ obtained an email sent by Dr. Michelle Verant -- a wildlife veterinarian with the National Parks Service -- to her colleagues, warning them humans could potentially infect bat colonies here at home with a strain of COVID-19.

The email reads in part, "The actual outcomes of this scenario are unknown, but the concern is that it could result in sustained transmission of the virus among wild bat populations in North America, which could have consequences for the health of bats as well as humans." It goes on to instruct her colleagues who might be partaking in any bat-catching studies right now to refrain, or at the very least ... take great precautions.

Dr. Verant confirmed she sent the email and expanded by telling us there needs to be a clear distinction between the horseshoe bat (the species blamed for transmitting the virus in Wuhan) and North American bats. She says they're much different and there's NO evidence the virus lives in the American species.

To sum up Verant's concerns: Bats here are virus-free right now, but if they catch it from humans -- then there might be potential for them to pass it back to livestock or humans. Talk about vicious cycles!

24 Hour Fitness has some nerve ... it's still charging members even though the coronavirus pandemic is forcing all of its gyms to remain closed.

Here's the deal ... 24 Hour Fitness has been shut down nationwide since March 16, but it's still making workout fiends pay their monthly statements. In fact, the gym says any payments made between March 17 and April 15 will NOT be refunded.

24 Hour Fitness says it's gonna tack on a free month to the end of membership plans for anyone who paid for a month of a closed gym -- but that's kind of a raw deal. People need money now to deal with the pandemic, and they're paying for a service that's unavailable.

The gym says it will stop billing members on April 16, when it plans to reevaluate if it can reopen -- but that doesn't seem likely.

24 Hour Fitness' policy falls in line with Disney and Six Flags -- both charged annual pass holders despite all their theme parks going dark.

A Baltimore police officer reacted to jeers at a housing complex by loudly coughing at residents without covering his mouth, and it's triggered an investigation.

The video shows the cop walking through the Perkins Homes complex in East Baltimore. Sounded like a few people were giving him crap when he seemed to purposefully cough right at the woman recording him.

She immediately fired back with a bunch of verbal cracks as the cop walked away. Baltimore PD spokeswoman Lindsey Eldridge says, "We have viewed the video, in its entirety, and believe it warranted being forwarded to the Public Integrity Bureau for an internal investigation."

TMZ's confirmed with police the officer, who's a sergeant, is still on active duty right now. It's unclear if he's been tested for coronavirus.

As disturbing as the cop's action was ... the woman recording shouted back some pretty ignorant info herself. For instance, she said ... "I ain't worried about that s**t. Y'all get that s**t, black people don't."

Not only is a total misconception ... there are recent reports indicating COVID-19 is having a more negative impact on the Black community.