You Might Want to Rethink

LeVar Burton might still be the fan favorite to take over as the permanent host of "Jeopardy!" following Mike Richards' exit, but he's never been seriously considered for the role ... TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us ... Sony Studios execs loved the "Reading Rainbow" star as a guest host, but they didn't think he was the right fit for the daily syndicated quiz show ... and the same can be said about almost all the other guest hosts.

As we first told you ... "Jeopardy!" honchos wanted Mayim Bialik to replace Alex Trebek as the sole host, but her busy schedule wouldn't allow it, so EP Richards got the daily gig. Of course, now they want her even more.

Our sources say Mayim and Mike were the ONLY guest hosts who had talks with Sony about hosting full-time ... so LeVar getting snubbed wasn't personal, and he wasn't alone.

However, we're told Sony did speak with LeVar about other projects outside of the "Jeopardy!" brand ... and those opportunities are still a possibility.

Sources close to LeVar tell us ... he has no hard feelings -- he got his shot at guest hosting, which is what he really wanted, and he gave it his all.

We're told he's fine with Sony's decision and is moving on ... which is a lot more than he had to say Tuesday about the "Jeopardy!" drama.

Our LeVar sources say he's had multiple other networks and Hollywood execs contact him about projects they can create with him ... including one with Ava DuVernay.

They say opposites attract, but one woman has taken that too far, and is banned from a Belgian zoo after the owners felt her relationship with one of their primates had gone too far.

The lady's name is Adie Timmermans, and she just got the boot from the Antwerp Zoo after a 4-year "affair" she'd carried on with one of their chimpanzees, a male named Chita ... per reports. Apparently, she'd stop by weekly and interact with the thing behind glass.

As for why she got banned ... turns out, Timmermans' affection for the little guy was screwing with his ability to socialize with the other chimps in his habitat. The zoo reportedly said Chita was being isolated after visiting hours ... which is something that happens, it seems, if one starts to get too close to humans. Makes sense -- word is Chita used to be an actual pet, so his fondness for people isn't really his fault, we suppose.

Don't worry ... this unrequited passion didn't get physical -- they say it amounted to blowing kisses and waving and whatnot. So, no monkey sex or anything ... thank God.

Still, Timmermans is pretty pissed about it ... saying it ain't fair that she can't come see Chita, while scores of other people will continue to do just that. She genuinely seems upset -- as she's on record as saying this is "all" she has in her life ... SAD!

Chopmaster J -- co-founder of the pioneering hip-hop group Digital Underground -- was told to stay the hell away from an event honoring the group and its late co-founder Shock G ... and he certainly isn't happy about it.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... Chopmaster J was ecstatic when he found out the city of Oakland would be honoring the group and Shock G at a city-wide event last weekend. The day included a Digital Underground Day of Proclamation.

Problem is ... we're told a former band manager reached out to CJ and told him he was NOT welcomed at the event. Making matters worse ... we're told the city of Oakland's Digital Underground Day of Proclamation is only to highlight Shock G, and not CJ.

Digital Underground broke up in 2008 after a fallout between Chopmaster J and Shock G ... but we're told while they didn't speak for years following the breakup, they still considered each other brothers outside the group. Shock G died in April.

Chopmaster J -- along with his son, who goes by SOTU -- formed a new group ... D.U. Next Generation.

We're told Chopmaster J is bummed his contributions to the group's legacy are not even mentioned in the proclamation. The language's exclusive to Shock G's contributions ... even though August 25, 2021, is slated to be Digital Underground Day in Oakland.

Mitch Trubisky is making it clear -- he did NOT send a tweet about kissing boobs back in 2011 ... explaining it was his friend who posted it to his account as a prank!

The Buffalo Bills QB finally publicly explained the origins of the infamous social media post this week ... saying it all started while he and some pals were on the road for a basketball tourney a decade ago.

"So, you're in the hotel with your buddies, and you're just messing around on each other's phones or whatnot," Mitch told Barstool Sports' "Pardon My Take" podcast.

"And then, eight years later, I found out that somebody tweeted out that."

Mitch didn't reveal the friend's name ... though he did say the guy is now part of the Chicago White Sox's organization.

You'll recall, the tweet was met with some backlash after it resurfaced during Trubisky's draft night in 2017 ... but the 27-year-old says it's hardly had any effect on his life or career since.

"I actually gained a lot of fans from that," Trubisky joked. "So, it was, like, positive in a way."

Doc Antle letting Chris Brown's young daughter take a joy ride on an elephant's giant noggin wasn't just dangerous and irresponsible, but illegal too ... at least according to PETA.

The animal rights org fired off a letter Tuesday to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, calling on it to investigate the 'Tiger King' star's operation of his Myrtle Beach safari ... alleging he's violating a number of regulations ... spotlighting the most recent incident with Chris' kid.

According to the letter, obtained by TMZ, PETA claims Doc has violated the Animal Welfare Act by allowing 7-year-old Royalty to swim with Bubbles, one of the elephants. The org claims it was super dangerous for the girl to dive off the animal's giant head.

PETA cites a reg requiring certain animals to be kept at a safe and reasonable distance from people with proper barriers to ensure the safety of visitors.

By letting Royalty jump around -- not to mention get lifted up by Bubbles' powerful trunk -- PETA says it's obvious Doc's screwing up ... and they insist it's just the latest alleged violation at the property.

They're asking for a full probe ... calling on the USDA to hold him and his cohorts accountable for what PETA deems dangerous and irresponsible behavior.

Doc tells us PETA sent a similar letter when Lil Pump visited, saying, "Not a thing came of that elephant complaint after USDA investigated it. Just a huge waste of time and resources for the federal veterinarians who have to check out these erroneous allegations. We are in no ways in violation of the animal welfare act. We have continuously perfect inspections. We are well aware of the USDA protocols to conduct this type of filming; as we have been involved in film work of this nature for decades, including more than 500 films, documentaries, television productions and advertisements."

He continues, "Animal Rights activists that are unfamiliar with USDA film protocols routinely report these regulated activities to federal and state regulators as if there has been a violation. Rest assured that we are in full compliance with all federal and state regulations. USDA is our partner in animal welfare and we share a passion and commitment to providing the highest possible care for our animal ambassadors at the preserve."

Dog the Bounty Hunter let his daughter's passion for racial equality and BLM sink their relationship ... at least that's what she's claiming -- but Dog's pushing back, calling her brainwashed.

Bonnie Chapman, biological daughter of Dog and the late Beth Chapman, tells TMZ ... she believes her continued work with UnleashedTV -- a network that canned her dad this year -- is the true impetus behind her and her half-sis, Cecily, not getting an invite to his wedding.

The whole thing boiled over this past weekend when Dog's new fiancee, Francie Frane, allegedly sent Bonnie a scathing text, which seems to allude to Bonnie's continued partnership with the network.

It reads, in part, "[L]et's not beat around the bush, You & Cecily both know You haven't been invited to the wedding because your (sic) living under the same roof with people who stabbed (him), robbed, lied, manipulated, smeared his name and tried to ruin his career."

Bonnie tells us Francie is referring to Dog's canceled reality series 'Unleashed' -- which mysteriously got cut short earlier this year. Bonnie claims her dad got the boot over racial/homophobic epithets he allegedly used, which she says led to the company terminating its contract with him.

Bonnie still works with UTV on a show, "The System" -- which focuses on racial justice and supporting BLM ... which she claims grinds Dog's gears. She also alleges Dog has called BLM protesters "thugs" and other derogatory terms.

Bonnie says her passionate support of equality for all is her way of keeping her mom's legacy alive -- she says Beth always spoke up when she saw someone being wronged.

Dog, for his part, says Bonnie's allegations about him are "false" -- and nothing but a misguided attempt to derail his and Francie's wedding.

He goes on to say she and Cecily are being "groomed" by unscrupulous former associates of his -- guys he tracked down when they'd allegedly jumped bail -- and he suggests they're up to no good now.

A volleyball coach is calling out Denver's Valor Christian High School -- claiming the administrators "grilled" and belittled him after they found out he was gay ... and forced him to resign.

Inoke Tonga shared the details on Sunday ... saying he had a meeting with the campus pastor and athletic director last week about a Facebook post he made suggesting he's gay.

"I was asked if I had any changes in lifestyle that were life changing," Tonga said on Instagram.

"As I was asked repeatedly that question, they finally asked if I had posted something inappropriate on my social media that would go against Valor's culture and beliefs."

"Eventually they asked if I did an interview, or posted anything about being gay. My answer was yes."

Tonga -- who started coaching the boy's team in 2020 -- says he was then "grilled about how being gay is a danger to the school and to the kids."

"They proceeded by telling me that they weren't trying to convert me into being a straight man and that ultimately I had two choices."

Tonga says those two choices were to denounce that he was gay or accept his sexuality but know that they "can't have you in front of the kids if you identify that way".

Tonga refused to denounce being gay and was released ... but when the school made the announcement, they said he resigned -- not that they forced him out.

"They told my girls, and the volleyball community that I was my choice to leave, which is a sense, yes, I chose to not denounce my sexuality but they left out the part where they pushed me out."

The school told the Denver Post that their faculty has to agree with the Christian beliefs and after talking with Tonga -- who is Christian -- they realized he did not support that and he decided to leave.

Amid all the chaos in Australia over renewed COVID lockdowns, a damning report claims a local government killed a bunch of rescue dogs ... to keep the volunteers from going out.

The allegation stems from a Sydney Morning Herald story published Sunday, which cites a watchdog org that keeps tabs on the Bourke Shire Council ... which sits in a rural area in New South Wales. The shelter, which isn't named, apparently lies in the town of Cobar.

Per the outlet, the watchdog claims it'd been informed of the local council's decision to recently gun down a handful of rescue pups at a nearby pound -- this as a result of what they say is the government's twisted interpretation of Australia's newly imposed restrictions.

The idea behind this alleged onslaught ... keep the volunteers from leaving their home and potentially interacting/spreading the virus. To that end, apparently, they offed the pooches.

The watchdog also says they're investigating whether any laws were broken by the command -- namely, whether any companion animal or cruelty violations were at play. The cruelty one certainly seems like a viable claim ... 'cause this might've been totally unnecessary.

SMH says an anonymous source directly familiar with the shelter's staff/protocol claims they already had COVID measures in place to handle the dogs ... adding one was a new mom.

The drastic move speaks to just how crazy things are down under at the moment -- the government is enforcing strict rules for its residents ... which has led to a lot of unrest, protests and clashes with police -- especially this weekend, where people are out in force.

The issue has gotten so heated that people are finding creative ways to push back -- including reports of big rig truck drivers refusing to deliver goods en masse and slow down the economy. Some people have even gone the Paul Revere route to rally the citizenry.

It's a complicated matter. Like we said ... cases are through the roof there and the government appears to be doing what it thinks is best for its people. But, they're clearly not all down with the method -- and as it relates to the dogs that were allegedly killed ... it's BS.

A husband was not down with his wife allegedly hectoring a Black couple -- berating her in front of them ... but there may be more to the story here than meets the eye, in a bad way.

Check out this wild confrontation that was apparently shot a couple months ago at a gas station somewhere, at which an apparent husband and wife got into a shouting match/scuffle on camera ... all in front of a Black man and woman who were filming.

It's unclear what exactly led up to this ... but you can see the hubby scolding his gal loudly for what sounds like some trouble she may have been giving the bystanders, seemingly over race. It gets pretty heated here -- the guy demands she get in the car and leave them alone.

The woman is defiant ... refusing to cooperate, and at one point -- calling the Black couple drug dealers. To that, the man asks ... why, 'cause they drive a Buick??? It's crazy.

Now, it appears there was a battle going on between these 2 even before whatever run-in the woman might've had with the couple ... because there's the first part to this encounter, and it's pretty ugly. The man and woman are seen physically fighting, and come to blows.

Drake is stirring the pot again on his rap beef with Kanye West -- taking a new shot at the guy in a song he just dropped with Trippie Redd ... and it might be the ultimate insult.

The rapper is featured on TR's new track, "Betrayal," and at one point in Drizzy's verse, he brings up Mr. West by name ... acknowledging that they are, indeed, still apparently beefing -- while also going so far as to call Kanye "burnt out" ... and noting it's irrelevant to him.

Here's how the Kanye bar goes ... "All these fools I'm beefin' that I barely know // Forty-five, forty-four (Burned out), let it go // Ye ain't changin' s*** for me, it's set in stone." He adds ... "Rollin' stones, heavy stones (PinkGrillz) // Precious stone, let me make my presence known."

The "Ye" reference could possibly be interpreted as "they" or "you" -- but based on Drake touching Kanye's exact age (44) ... it seems clear he meant the former with some clever word play. The folks over at Genius heard it too ... they wrote out the lyric as "Ye."

Now, for some analysis -- as to why Drake is randomly bringing up Kanye again after years have passed since they beefed, with Pusha T in the mix, is anyone's guess at this point.

However, some people have a theory on these old foes -- there's been speculation of late that Kanye is, perhaps, trying to set up his "Donda" release so that it lines up with Drake's "Certified Lover Boy" album ... which he's on record as saying would be out by the end of summer at the latest. That's just a few weeks away ... and neither project has dropped.

There's no evidence to prove it one way or another ... but the fact that Kanye continues to delay the release date -- with seemingly no end in sight -- is curious in this context. That, coupled with the fact that Drake's going after him anew, is even more eyebrow-raising.

In any case, we're always here for some new beef. And, if it means more music from these two in the process ... we'll take it and then some. Ball's in your court, Ye (we think).

Amerie was jokingly compared to a Kardashian sister -- and despite the obvious playful intent ... the internet is NOT playing when it comes to this side-by-side.

A tweet went viral Saturday, with a user posting Amerie's 2005 music video for her hit single "1 Thing," which was featured on the "Hitch" soundtrack back in the day. His caption is what set all the outrage off, writing ... "Kourtney Kardashian had the block hot with this hit."

Pretty innocent, right??? Eh, apparently not ... folks were jumping down this dude's throat in fierce defense of Amerie, with a lot of people echoing the same sentiment ... namely, don't do her like that. And, by that, they seem to mean ... don't compare her to a Kardashian.

Of course, you can see what the guy was going for -- because, yes, in this specific video (and perhaps more generally) mid-2000s Amerie does, in fact, bear a passing resemblance to Kourt, especially in some of these shots. You might even call them doppelgangers. 🤷🏽‍♂️

Unclear what all the online hostility is toward the juxtaposition ... but a lot of Twitter users seem to have found this "disrespectful." There may be a race element at play -- Amerie is Black/Korean, while Kourtney is white/Armenian. Plus, the Kardashians have a history of being accused of cultural appropriation -- Black culture, specifically -- so that might be a factor.

And yet, in spite of all the people who took this a little too seriously ... some are taking it in stride and running with the joke -- noting the two ladies have some striking similarities (especially when compared to young Kourtney). So, a mixed bag of reactions, it seems.

At any rate, the one thing people appear to agree on is this ... Amerie was a major trendsetter in her day, and apparently hasn't gotten the attention/notoriety many believe she's due.

She's got four studio albums out, and despite reports in the early 2010s that she was working on a 5th, it never seems to have come to fruition -- and Amerie kinda fell off the music scene after that.

That's not to say she's not doing anything productive these days. Amerie has quite a popular book club that she's started -- this after publishing a NYT bestseller herself -- and she's plugging along with that pretty nicely ... plus, dealing with family life and her kids.

OnlyFans banning hardcore content will bite 'em in the ass, 'cause it's a tell-tale sign of selling out ... so says a guy whose porn star fiancee cleaned up there once upon a time.

We got "No Jumper" podcaster/host Adam22 Friday in L.A. and asked for his thoughts on OF nixing explicit material going forward ... something his baby mama, Lena the Plug, was posting on her own page in recent months -- and who often features Adam in her shoots.

Adam says it's a shame OnlyFans is getting rid of their best feature ... he seems to think it might be the end of the platform as it once was -- while also speculating that another competitor can swoop in right now and pick up all the creators who might jump ship.

The dude also tells us it's a mainstream move to bow to their corporate partners ... calling it exploitative to have built a rep on sex content, but then turn it off on a dime when they feel pressure from up high.

He calls it soaking in the clout, only to pull the rug out from under-sex workers ... which he considers screwed up, to say the least. Bottom line -- Adam thinks OF will become just like any other premium content platform now ... like Patreon or any number of sites like it. And, he suggests that he and Lena (plus thousands of others) might take their business elsewhere.

Now, we should make a point of clarification -- because while straight banging won't be allowed on OF anymore ... it seems people can still get naked on there if they so please.

Mississippi health officials seem to be dumbfounded they have to say this, but they're doing it regardless -- because people are dumb ... ingesting a livestock drug to battle COVID.

State Health Officer Dr. Thomas Dobbs had to say as much this week during a press call, where he and others were forced to address the soaring number of people there who are apparently ingesting ivermectin at an alarming rate ... all in an effort to ward off the virus.

Local reports say that the majority of poison control calls in Mississippi lately -- a whopping 70%, no less -- are related to folks calling for advice after having taken ivermectin as some sort of COVID remedy. Supposedly, these are people looking for alternatives to the vaccine.

BTW, this drug is usually for livestock (like cows/horses) ... and it's made to fight off parasites that grow in their gut, like worms and whatnot. There have been instances where humans have also been prescribed ivermectin for similar purposes, but in way smaller doses.

As Dr. Dobbs notes in his remarks, taking ivermectin straight out of a box you might find at an animal feed or farm supply store can be VERY toxic and even kill you ... so, it goes without saying, that he doesn't recommend it -- and instead, suggests people just vaxx up.

Speaking of these stores, a photo was circulating this week purportedly showing a shop in Mississippi hawking ivermectin ... and apparently encouraging customers to stock up. It's unclear how exactly this quack treatment started making the rounds, but it looks like many are well aware of it, and a portion of them are even giving it a go with bad results.

Even the FDA had to step in and say something about this ... they tweeted out a direct warning against taking ivermectin, wisely noting that we humans are not cows or horses.

The Taliban is rubbing America's nose in the mess left behind in Afghanistan -- and they're doing so with a massive troll move ... recreating an iconic war photo, for their own purposes.

A Taliban military unit that calls themselves the Badri 313 Battalion put out a ton of propaganda footage this week -- showing a bunch of these guys rocking what appears to be American uniforms and gear left behind in the chaos from the past few weeks.

They're out there patrolling the streets in fatigues that are eerily similar to what U.S. soldiers have worn in the area ... only now, the Taliban seems to have gotten ahold of it. The B313B boys also have rifles in hand, and they're also using jeeps that seem to be American too.

That's not the worst of it though -- in what appears to be a total F-U to the USA, the battalion also posted a photo of them raising a Taliban flag ... in the same style as the shot of American troops raising the U.S. flag atop Mt. Suribachi in Iwo Jima during WWII.

There doesn't seem to be a caption attached, but the message couldn't be more clear ... they see this as them claiming victory in the region, which is exactly what this pic has gone on to represent in our history. It's a slap in the face, really ... an audacious one at that.

BTW, what you're seeing here as far as artillery and weaponry and whatnot being used by the Taliban is just a taste of what's said to be part of a total estimate of about $28 billion worth of gear we'd sent to Afghan army forces dating back to the early 2000s.

Bill Maher took a subject that, on the surface, doesn't seem debatable, and he then tore it apart ... Apple announcing it would scan customers' phones for child porn.

The "Real Time" host was incredulous ... calling it a shocking breach of privacy. Mind you, he was not pro child porn, but he said there's a much bigger issue. A phone, he argued, is no different than a wallet or a purse. No one would argue those items are fair game for others to peruse, so what's the different between a wallet and a phone?

He did get something wrong ... he called it a "blatant Constitutional breach" and a violation of the 4th Amendment's guarantee against unreasonable searches and seizures. Fact is ... that only applies to government intrusions -- not private companies. Nevertheless, we get the point.

Bill then went on to make a larger point ... the damage smart phones do to our society. As he says, "They turn people into assholes."

Destiny's Child fans shouldn't lose their breath just yet over rumors the group's getting back together ... because their manager says there's nothing in the works.

Mathew Knowles -- Beyonce's father who's still DC's official manager -- tells TMZ ... as of right now, there are zero plans for the iconic group to reunite, make an album, tour or do anything of the sort.

Knowles says the recent social media updates to Destiny's Child's official accounts that sparked the speculation were just a routine revamping by the record label. If you missed it ... the group's header images were changed, which was enough to get fans going.

We're told Mathew never requested the change -- it was just a random, normal social media-type update.

Adding further fuel to the fire, however, is the fact Beyonce recently said in an interview that new music's coming ... but didn't specify if it would be solo, or with her old groupmates, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams.

Based on what her Dad tells us it's likely solo, but he adds that the fan response to the Destiny's Child buzz shows there's a huge demand for them to make a comeback ... which he says is "great" and something they will take into account for the future.