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Billy Porter has three things for the Hollywood studios, producers and executives he blames for the strikes ... venom, rage and a little bit of grace.

The actor was at LAX Friday when a photog asked him about the unnamed studio exec who was quoted as saying studios are purposefully delaying negotiations with the writers and actors "until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses."

Billy unloads ... he says he's already losing his home, and his financial situation is why there are strikes in the first place ... though he's not quite going full Ron Perlman here.

Getting emotional, Billy says the strikes aren't a game ... and he's trying to have some grace about the situation he and others in Hollywood find themselves in.

At the same time, Billy says he's tried to bite his tongue because he knows all that's going to come out of his mouth is venom and rage, which he fears will not be useful to the strike's end goal.

Billy also seems to reference some of his recent interviews, like the one where he slammed Harry Styles' Vogue cover and called Anna Wintour a bitch.

For Billy, he says he's just telling the truth and is getting dragged as a result of keeping it real.

Tom Schwartz is sporting a new hairdo ... and he says it's got a lot to do with his age.

We got the "Vanderpump Rules" star heading into his TomTom restaurant in West Hollywood with Lisa Vanderpump ... and our photog asked about his bleached blond hair ... a far cry from his natural brown locks.

Tom tells us he's having a midlife crisis ... so he's going blond, with the aim of finishing his summer strong.

While it sounds like Tom's joking about the midlife crisis, he's ripe for it ... he's about to turn 41 years old and the age range for midlife is 40 to 60 ... so he's now in the sweet spot.

Tom's boss, Lisa, is clearly not a fan ... telling us she's about to take the clippers to his new look.

Nev Schulman wants to play matchmaker for a pair of folks who got catfished by people pretending to be Katy Perry and "Stranger Things" star Dacre Montgomery.

We got the "Catfish" star at Aces Pizza in New York City Friday, and our photog asked him about the Kentucky woman who divorced her husband and got swindled out of $10,000 by someone pretending to be the Netflix actor.

Nev says the newly single mother, McKayla, would make a great match for a guy from his old MTV show ... Spencer.

As Nev explains, Spencer infamously got catfished by a woman masquerading as the "Dark Horse" singer ... and their awkward meeting was featured on his show.

Needless to say, Nev thinks Spencer and McKayla have enough in common to strike up a relationship.

While lots of folks are dragging McKayla for thinking she actually had a shot with a celeb, Nev says not so fast ... and he tells us why it's not that extreme of a premise.

Still, Nev cautions anyone going online in search of love to beware of some big red flags ... like when your potential partner starts asking for money. Nev says that's a dead giveaway.

It's funny ... Nev thinks he's actually being catfished here in some ways ... as we reported, McKayla detailed her saga on a YouTube channel called "Catfished."

Rachel Leviss is reemerging way outside the "Vanderpump Rules" orbit ... soaking up the Arizona sun in a bikini.

The 'VPR' star was poolside in Scottsdale Wednesday, the day before Lisa Vanderpump told us she was not coming back to the Bravo show for season 11 ... and looking absolutely unbothered.

Rachel lounged around in a daybed and took a dip in the water ... rocking a palm leaf bikini set and sunglasses.

It looks like Rachel has the entire pool area to herself, a much different situation than what she'd face on set of the popular reality show.

Rachel's been back in her home state since the 'VPR' reunion, where things got heated and emotional as a result of her role in the Scandoval.

She spent around 100 days in a mental health facility, and she surfaced earlier this month at a Massage Envy in Tucson.

Lisa Vanderpump's making it official ... Rachel Leviss is not coming back for season 11 of "Vanderpump Rules," even though she initially indicated to the big boss she was interested in rejoining the cast.

We got Lisa Thursday as she was heading to TomTom in WeHo, and when we asked about Rachel remaining on the sidelines ... she said they tried to accommodate her.

Lisa tells us she talked to Rachel about doing a one-on-one on-camera interview to focus on Rachel's growth and thoughts about being in a mental health facility during the Scandoval fallout.

Obviously, that didn't come to fruition, but Lisa says Rachel's team showed interest.

It's interesting ... Lisa says Rachel coming back to film with the rest of the cast probably would not have worked anyways, because most, if not all, of the cast doesn't believe anything that comes out of Rachel's mouth.

Case in point ... this week, Rachel claimed Tom Sandoval was offered a producer credit for season 11, but Lisa tells us that notion is "hilarious" and news to her as an executive producer and show creator.

A Bravo spokesperson also confirmed to us Sandoval was never offered a producer credit on season 11, and has absolutely no creative control over any 'VPR' editing.

Sandoval and Tom Schwartz were also at TomTom after LV broke the news Rachel's not coming back ... and they had 2 very different reactions.

In any event, Rachel's gonna have plenty of time for spa appointments over in her home state of Arizona.

Former "Big Brother" contestant Luke Valentine says there's a simple explanation for him casually dropping the n-word -- but his quasi-apology isn't doing him a lot of favors.

Luke shared his thoughts Wednesday on social media as he went live from Havana ... claiming it's "pretty clear" he meant no harm when he used the racial slur around 3 houseguests, one of whom is Black.

He says his slip came after a week of not eating and getting pretty crappy sleep -- and he wants folks to know the 'BB' game can take a big toll on people.

Luke does say he regrets saying the n-word, but brushes off the whole thing in the same breath ... adding, "What happened, happened" and laughingly says the whole incident felt like when he was running his mouth in middle school. He understands why they had to boot him from the house, but ultimately thinks production made the wrong decision.

As you'd imagine, 'BB' fans online aren't taking his explanation that well -- one called it a "piss poor apology," while another wrote, "Trying your hardest to look as unbothered as possible and failing miserably."

As we reported, Luke let it slip and then swapped the word for "dude," laughing over it while his fellow contestants shamed him. He stuck around with housemate Jared, who ended up telling Luke, "I don't give a f***" in response to his using the epithet.

Barbara Evans is concerned for the well-being of her grandson -- who she had custody of for more than a decade -- and believes Jenelle Evans' decision to take him off ADHD meds might have led to his runaway incident.

Barbara tells TMZ 14-year-old Jace was put on the medication 7 years ago, and was regularly seeing a behavior specialist ... which had seemingly been working well for the teen.

However, Barbara says when Jenelle regained custody of Jace, back in March, Jenelle not only took him off the medication, but also ended his sessions with the behaviorist.

Jenelle denies part of Barbara's claim though, telling us, "Barbara has not been in contact with Jace since Monday. I have cut off contact with her as of 3 weeks ago. Barbara doesn't have any idea what is going on inside my home. Jace had a therapist appointment today on zoom at 10:30am … she hasn't even attempted to speak to Jace directly."

It's not clear if Jenelle booked the therapist appointment as a result of Jace's runaway, or if it was already planned.

TMZ broke the story, cops in North Carolina put out a runaway bulletin Tuesday for Jace after he took off from school. Luckily, he was found safe hours later, but the situation was scary for all involved.

Jenelle told us, "Jace, got in trouble at school, we decided to take his phone away and that's when he decided to run off, Jace is a good kid and we're not dealing with anything that most families don't deal with while raising children."

Barbara says Jenelle's not talking to her, so she doesn't have any more info about why her grandson ran off -- but she squarely blames his issues at school on the lack of medication and therapy.

Rachel Leviss made a killing on the last season of "Vanderpump Rules," TMZ has learned ... which makes Bethenny Frankel's claim Rachel made less than her interns a bunch of BS.

Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ Rachel made more than $350k for season 10 of the show -- nearly $20k an episode for a total of 19 episodes -- so certainly not chump change.

ICYMI, Bethenny told Rachel on her "Just B" podcast Wednesday that her own interns make more dough than Rachel did on 'VPR,' which came as a shock to Rachel.

Fans online slammed Bethenny's interview as embarrassing, and reminiscent of Howie Mandel's unhinged interview with Tom Sandoval back in April -- focusing more on his mustache than the cheating scandal.

Folks also pointed out the fact Bethenny didn't seem prepped for the interview, and she even admitted on the podcast that she had never watched the Bravo show and had only seen clips online after taking interest in Rachel and Scandoval.

So Bethenny either had no clue what Rachel really made, or she's completely overpaying her interns ... 'cause $350k ain't bad.

You'll recall, Bethenny and her attorneys have been hearing from dozens of NBC reality stars after firing off a legal threat earlier this month, claiming production employees have been tormenting the shows' castmembers. She's even been fighting for reality stars to unionize.

We covered the story on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Rachel Leviss is breaking her silence for the first time since getting out of rehab, talking about Scandoval, and revealing how she feels she was unfairly labeled as the show's villain despite her castmates pulling off the same conduct in the past.

Leviss sat with 'RHONY' alum Bethenny Frankel on her 'Just B' podcast to explain why she took several months out of the public eye at a mental health facility, saying, "... part of the reason why I wanted to go to a treatment facility was to understand my behaviors and my goal was to really get down to the bottom of, "OK why am I choosing men that are unavailable, why do I keep finding myself in unhealthy relationships, what are the things that I need to change about my behavior?"

Rachel also says she believes it was unfair she took so much hate for her affair with Tom Sandoval, when just about every single other cast member has been involved in cheating.

Leviss says of affairs, "It's bad in normal life, but with producers it's good ... affairs are good for TV."

Then, she turns her attention to Tom and their whirlwind relationship, saying while she felt she was in love with him at the time, she now realizes it wasn't real ... and she doesn't believe he truly loved her, either.

The chat with Bethenny wasn't all defensive, however, saying, "I do want to take a moment though to just acknowledge the hurt that I brought to a lot of people. I was not careful in my actions and I was not thinking long-term. I was completely wrapped up in heartbreak and wanting to get certain needs met."

Rachel also hints at her future with the show, and while she doesn't say it directly, it doesn't sound like she's coming back, stating, "And you mentioned something about the addiction of doing reality TV and the way that they always dangle that carrot in front of you, like, ‘Well, you need to tell your side of the story otherwise it’s gonna be written for you.’ And that’s terrifying. So I almost went back, I know just because of that.”

As we reported, Bethenny is leading the charge in a war against NBC, Bravo and others for what she believes has been the unfair treatment of reality stars over the years -- fueling contestants with booze, ignoring their mental health and adding additional stress.

Unclear if Rachel will join that fight, but we spoke to attorney Bryan Freedman who says he's been contacted by a ton of former stars who all want to join in against the networks.

We covered the drama on the latest episode of The TMZ Podcast, available on all podcast platforms.

Todd Chrisley isn't irked at all by his family starting a new reality series while he's locked up in prison -- in fact, he thinks it's a fantastic idea.

Jay Surgent, Todd's attorney, tells TMZ ... the reality star is "thrilled and happy" members of his family are launching the new show, and hopes it'll depict the devastation his family has been facing since he and Julie were sent to prison at the beginning of this year.

Translation: It's all good, as long as no one's smiling! Less joy, more pain.

We're told Todd will not be a part of the show, but their kids Chase, Savannah, Grayson, and adopted daughter, Chloe -- as well as Todd's mom, Nanny Faye -- are all reportedly starring in the new series, picking up after Todd and Julie started doing their time.

TMZ broke the story, Todd claims he's been severely mistreated while locked up at FPC Pensacola -- allegedly dealing with things like photos being taken of him while sleeping, his mail not being delivered to him and no AC in Florida's summer conditions.

What's more, Todd's now telling Jay he has no way of contacting him from inside prison -- Jay's allegedly blocked from Todd's mail, phone and email lists, but the attorney has no clue why ... and says he can't get answers from prison administration.

For what it's worth, we're told Jay is able to set up appointments to speak with Todd, through the help of Todd's prison counselor.

Lisa Vanderpump's iconic PUMP restaurant is parking next to TomTom for good ... TMZ has learned, and the decision is a huge relief for fans of the hotspot.

Lisa tells TMZ ... the Garden Bar at TomTom -- a spot directly next to LVP, Tom Schwartz and Tom Sandoval's eatery -- didn't really have its own identity, despite the signage up front, so she and her hubby, Ken Todd, are making it PUMP's new home.

She says there will be a great dynamic between the WeHo restaurants -- PUMP offers more of a sit-down restaurant vibe, whereas TomTom is more bar food and drinks ... so it'll be nice to have both options at the same location.

We're told they're bringing over a lot of the food and cocktails from the OG restaurant, as well as the same chef and many of the servers. As for an opening date, Lisa tells us it won't be long at all -- they just need the chef to get familiar with the new kitchen.

August Keen, Jenelle’s manager tells us, "Jace has been found, and is safely at home with Jenelle and his family, thank you to the Brunswick Co. Sheriff's Department and to everyone else for their concerns.”

The Brunswick Co. Sheriff's Department says Jace has been located safe.

Jenelle Evans tells TMZ, "As a boy mom, kids can act up and rebel as I'm sure the majority of us all once did as kids too. Jace, got in trouble at school, we decided to take his phone away and that's when he decided to run off, Jace is a good kid and we're not dealing with anything that most families don't deal with while raising children, this has absolutely nothing to do with my situation with David, we do not argue in front of our children or fight in front of our kids. This is a teenage boy being a teenager mad that we decided to take his phone away."

A scary situation for "Teen Mom" star Jenelle Evans, as cops are currently looking for her 14-year-old son, Jace, who has been reported as a runaway ... TMZ has learned.

Deputies with the Brunswick Co. Sheriff's Department in North Carolina put out an alert for a runaway juvenile. Officers say Jace was last seen leaving school around 2:45 PM Tuesday, wearing a gray sweatshirt with the writing "Classical Charter Schools of America."

Cops say Jace could also be wearing a navy shirt if he's no longer wearing the sweatshirt. Anyone with information in the area is asked to call 911.

Unclear what happened to cause Jace to run away, but we spoke to Jenelle's mom, Barbara, who tells she had a conversation with him Monday night and he seemed totally fine.

Barbara says she also reached out to Jenelle earlier Tuesday to see how she was doing -- Jenelle's been publicly feuding with her husband, David Eason -- but Jenelle allegedly told Barbara she didn't want to talk and to leave her alone.

It was back in March when Jenelle got full custody of Jace from her mother, Barbara. Barbara got custody of Jace when he was much younger and Jenelle was unable to support him on her own -- with personal and legal issues.

There's more evidence suggesting Angus Cloud's death was the result of an accidental overdose and not suicide -- as first suspected -- because the young actor did not write a note for loved ones ... TMZ has learned.

Multiple law enforcement sources involved in the death investigation tell us Angus did not leave behind a note when he died suddenly. As we first reported, Cloud was found dead in his bedroom last month at his family home in Oakland ... and an initial statement the family provided hinted he might have taken his own life.

The statement revealed Angus' struggle after the recent loss of his dad, adding, "Angus was open about his battle with mental health and we hope that his passing can be a reminder to others that they are not alone and should not fight this on their own in silence."

A source close to Cloud also told us he'd had severe suicidal thoughts after his dad's death.

However, just a few days after his death, Angus' mom, Lisa, came out denying her son took his own life, saying just the day before he died he was talking about the future, helping family members out and even reorganizing his room.

As we reported, the 911 call to Angus' family home was for a "possible overdose" ... and Lisa said in her statement, "I don't know if or what he may have put in his body after that. I only know that he put his head on the desk where he was working on art project's, fell asleep and didn't wake up. We may find out that he overdosed accidentally and tragically, but it's abundantly clear that he did not intend to check out of this world."

Angus' autopsy is complete, pending toxicology results, but without a note it appears Lisa's theory on the circumstances surrounding how her son died are validated even further.

Lisa Vanderpump's restaurant is back in action ... about a month after PUMP closed down, the famous eatery appears to have found a new home just a few doors down.

Lisa's iconic PUMP Restaurant Lounge signage popped up Monday in West Hollywood, right next to TomTom ... the restaurant she co-owns with Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz.

The pics and sign seem to have all the makings of Lisa's new location.

Remember ... Lisa's landmark WeHo restaurant closed down in July, and the place was packed with fans before the official closing date, with the cast of "Vanderpump Rules" even filming a farewell scene before the location shuttered.

TomTom and the new PUMP are just three doors down from the OG Pump ... so Lisa didn't have to look far for a new location.

Jonny Fairplay has gone from one reality TV world to another -- now, the guy's doing wrestling gigs, except you won't see him in WWE ... try a strip club.

The ex-"Survivor" star made a public appearance last week in Johnston City, TN -- where he got hired to show face (and muscle) at a place called Mouse's Ear ...  where exotic dancers are normally onstage, only here ... it was amateur 'Wrestlemania.'

Indeed, you can get a sense of what Jonny and co. were up to in these videos we obtained. He's very much playing the heel in front of the crowd, while the two "wrestlers" opposite of him -- Bam Bam Bundy and Lucky Larson -- are talking trash ... wondering how he's making dough these days post-"Survivor."

JF didn't take that too kindly, as it turns out ... 'cause he ended up hitting both of them in the back with the strip club equivalent of a folding chair -- namely, a freaking TIKI Torch!

It's pretty goofy, and obviously, no one was hurt ... but this is something we might start to see Jonny do more regularly. Funny enough, he actually has dabbled in the wrestling world for years now (even pre-"Survivor") ... and is a huge fan of the sport.

Oprah is helping her ohana on Maui ... personally delivering crucial supplies to folks who lost everything in the deadly wildfires that wiped out an historic town.

The media mogul, who is one of Maui's biggest private landowners, visited wildfire victims Thursday at a makeshift relief shelter ... passing out cots, pillows and toiletries.

Video shows Oprah giving a man in a cot a pillow, and he appears bandaged. Oprah reportedly offered to buy supplies for the shelter, which is overrun with folks who lost their homes in the deadly blaze.

Oprah shared moments with evacuees at War Memorial Gymnasium in Wailuku, which is being used as a shelter and a drop-off location for donations and supplies, even taking a moment to pose for photos.

Oprah owns more than 1,000 acres on Maui ... including in Hana and Kula, which is in one of the areas where the fires are raging. The blaze completely wiped out Lahaina, an historic town and popular tourist destination.

Maui's been absolutely devastated by the wildfires that ripped through the island this week, and as of Friday the death toll stands at 55. In addition to the tragic loss of life, thousands of structures burned to the ground.

Folks on Maui were forced to flee the flames with just the clothing on their backs ... so they need all the help they can get.

TMZ broke the story ... boxer Floyd Mayweather is paying for 68 families displaced by the fires to fly to safety and stay in a hotel for several weeks, and he's also footing the bill for their food and clothing.