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Margaret Cho says she's afraid to leave the safety of her own home as an Asian-American woman ... telling us, "outside it's cloudy with a chance of racism."

Despite that humorous phrasing, the comedian made it clear her fear is very real when she joined us Friday on "TMZ Live." She says the rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans has her feeling like there's a target on her.

Margaret says it's a really scary time in America, and she's especially rattled by the attacks on older Asian-American women.

While Margaret felt empowered by the Asian grandmother in San Francisco who fought off an alleged attacker last month with a piece of wood ... she says it was still a traumatizing moment for the Asian community, and yet another example of why she feels safer at home.

It's pretty shocking to hear an Emmy and five-time Grammy-nominated comedian/actress say she's afraid of becoming a hate crime victim, but Margaret says that's where we are today in this country ... and it's time for an awakening.

One of the TikTok dance creators who didn't get credit last week in a controversial 'Tonight Show' bit has mixed feelings about what went down ... and her mom does too.

Mya Johnson tells TMZ ... she was initially excited to see her "Up" challenge -- which she choreographed with her friend Chris Cotter back in February -- made it all the way to Jimmy Fallon's show.

But, Mya says she also couldn't help but wish she and Chris would have been invited on TV to perform their dance ... instead of Addison Rae.

As we told you ... Fallon and Addison are catching flak for their segment where she taught Jimmy how to do 8 popular TikTok dances, none of which she created.

People are upset 'The Tonight Show' didn't give proper attribution to the Black creators of the dances. Addison told us they definitely deserve the credit and she supports them, but her response has left people unsatisfied as well.

One of those people is Mya's mother, Candice Rangel, who says Addison's comments came off a bit insincere. However, she also doesn't believe Addison had bad intentions ... and offers suggestions for how she can make things right.

Even Snoop Dogg could learn a thing or 2 about marijuana from Greg Kelly -- that is IF you buy the Newsmax host's "don't do drugs" story ... but almost no one does.

Kelly is telling what he views as a cautionary tale about pot, claiming "SMOKING WEED (aka GRASS) is NOT a good idea." Okay, get past his use of the term "grass" ... he's a man of a certain age, after all.

Anyway, Kelly claims he "toked up" back in the day with some friends in Kentucky "and woke up 4 days later in Nairobi, Kenya. With no idea what happened." Say whaaaat, Greg???

Based on Twitter's response, the news anchor's marijuana warning went up in smoke. Very few people believe this actually happened, or ... if it did happen we've got a newsflash for Greg -- that wasn't weed you were smoking, bro!!!

Kelly even claims his alleged half-baked experience was worse than anything that President Biden's son, Hunter, went through. ICYMI ... Hunter just opened up about his crack addiction in a new memoir.

As for what the hell Greg "Smokey" Kelly might have really been puff puff passing? Well, he might wanna re-watch "Friday."

Now when friends ask, "how high?" ... just say Greg Kelly high. Thanks for the warning, Smoke Dog!

'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' star Jen Shah is out on bond from federal custody following her arrest for wire fraud ... but there are some big strings attached.

According to new legal docs obtained by TMZ ... Shah is banned from traveling outside of Utah without permission, had to forfeit her passport so she can't leave the U.S. and she can't use her credit cards without prior permission either.

In addition, she's prohibited from transferring any assets worth more than $10k, and of course ... can't engage in any telemarketing activities while out on bond.

As we reported ... the 'Housewife' was busted by the feds Tuesday in Salt Lake City and is facing a conspiracy to commit wire fraud charge and a conspiracy to commit money laundering charge.

Shah is accused of participating in a nationwide telemarketing scheme with her assistant, Stuart Smith, in which they allegedly targeted many elderly people.

She's scheduled to appear before a federal judge Wednesday afternoon for her arraignment.

Tamar Braxton needs to shut the hell up about her ex-boyfriend's alleged infidelity, because he never cheated on her ... at least that's his story, and he wants her to get on board with it.

The singer's ex, David Adefeso, claims Tamar is straight-up lying when she says he was cheating on her with his former assistant ... and he wants her to take back her statement.

David's lawyers fired off a cease and desist letter to Tamar, claiming she damaged his reputation by recently tweeting false statements about his cheating ways, which led to several news articles he found unflattering.

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, David says Tamar knew she was lying when she tweeted, and he wants her to delete it, issue a retraction and stop dragging his name through the mud.

As you know, Tamar and David are having a pretty bad breakup ... he claimed she beat the crap out of him and threatened to kill him when he was granted a temporary restraining order last September. That order was recently dissolved when neither side showed up in court and Tamar denied the allegations.

Things weren't much better when they were together ... David called 911 in July and reported Tamar's alleged suicide attempt. At the time, he claimed her WeTV beef was the reason she wanted to take her own life.

Now, David tells us he's disappointed she "continues to make fabricated accusations about our relationship and has now created a false narrative of an affair that never occurred." He also says he never gave another woman a second look when they were dating.

Jeff Lowe is moving forward with his plans to auction off an "official" Joe Exotic NFT collection ... despite legal pushback from the 'Tiger King' himself.

Here's the deal ... Jeff and his wife, Lauren Lowe, recently announced an auction of non-fungible tokens featuring Exotic and the rest of the 'Tiger King' stars and it seems to have caught the attention of Joe's legal team.

Exotic's attorneys fired off a legal letter to Jeff and Lauren, obtained by TMZ, claiming the couple does not have legal standing to sell the NFTs ... and demanding they call off the auction or risk financial and legal ramifications.

Lauren tells TMZ ... she and Jeff are still pressing on with the auction despite Exotic's legal threats.

She says they will defend their position that they're the only entity in the U.S. that holds the 'Tiger King' trademark, which Lauren claims Joe signed over to them way back in 2016.

The auction goes live Thursday at 5 PM ET with the bidding running through 5 PM ET Sunday ... so the clock is ticking for either side to blink.

'Real Housewives of Salt Lake City' star Jen Shah helped support the lavish lifestyle she flaunts on the show through wire fraud and a massive telemarketing scheme ... at least according to the feds, who arrested her Tuesday.

According to the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of NY ... Shah and Stuart Smith -- who's portrayed as her assistant on the reality series -- generated and sold "lead lists" of innocent people who could be targeted for their nationwide scam for about 9 years.

The feds say many of those targeted were "vulnerable, often elderly, working-class people" who were duped by the promise of business opportunities involving Shah, Smith and their alleged co-conspirators.

Both Shah and Stuart were arrested in Salt Lake City and will appear in federal court later Tuesday.

They are each charged with 1 count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with telemarketing through which they victimized 10 or more persons over the age of 55. The maximum penalty for that charge is 30 years.

In addition ... they've also been hit with 1 count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years.

According to the feds ... Shah and Stuart allegedly targeted and defrauded hundreds of victims before being busted by the NYPD, Homeland Security and other law enforcement officials in a joint effort.

On the debut season of 'RHOSLC' ... Jen was often seen throwing tantrums, yelling and exhibiting explosive and volatile behavior. She's really got something to be pissed about now.

Sharon Osbourne is done talking, at least on CBS' daytime TV lineup ... because she's leaving "The Talk."

CBS announced Friday Sharon decided to quit -- a move that comes on the heels of her recent on-air feud with co-host Sheryl Underwood. Things got heated on the March 10 episode when Sharon defended her friend Piers Morgan against claims his coverage of Meghan Markle was rooted in racism.

The argument left Sheryl in tears and sparked a network investigation into multiple allegations Sharon had made racist remarks over the years to co-workers

Sharon eventually posted an apology, but it apparently wasn't enough to fix all the damage.

Referring to the March 10 incident, CBS says Sharon's behavior toward her co-hosts "did not align with our values for a respectful workplace."

"The Talk" went on hiatus last week and CBS says it has been using the time off to have workshops and training about equity, inclusion and cultural awareness for hosts, producers and crew.

It's going to take more than serious injuries from a motorcycle crash to keep Barry Weiss away from the auction block ... he's back for the new season of "Storage Wars."

Sources close to production of the reality TV series tell TMZ ... they've resumed filming for Season 13 the past few weeks in L.A. and Orange County, and Barry's among the returning OG stars.

We're told he was on set earlier this week to shoot, and as you can see ... he's looking pretty good for a guy who had multiple surgeries on his back and femur less than 2 years ago following a nasty motorcycle accident.

We're told Darrell Sheets is another "Storage Wars" favorite returning for the upcoming season, along with Rene and Casey Nezhoda, Ivy Calvin, and Kenny Crossley. Dave Hester and Mary Padian will not be returning.

The show's been off the air since early 2019, but it looks like it's coming back strong ... just like Barry.

Jessica Walter, known for her Emmy-nominated "Arrested Development" role and whose acting career spanned 6 decades, has died.

The actress died in her sleep at her NYC home Wednesday ... according to her daughter, who did not announce the cause of her death.

Jessica's best known, and beloved, for playing the devious alcoholic socialite Lucille Bluth on 'Arrested.' She appeared in all 84 episodes during the series, from 2003 to 2019, and was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series in 2005.

She won an Emmy in 1975 for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series as the title character of the NBC miniseries, "Amy Prentiss." Jessica also got Emmy noms for roles on "Trapper John, M.D." and "The Streets of San Francisco."

True film aficionados will remember her role in Clint Eastwood's directorial debut in "Play Misty for Me." New school fans will recognize her voice as Malory Archer on the hit FX animated series "Archer."

Jessica is survived by her daughter, Brooke Bowman ... the Senior VP for programming at FOX Entertainment who said, "It is with a heavy heart that I confirm the passing of my beloved mom Jessica. A working actor for over six decades, her greatest pleasure was bringing joy to others through her storytelling both on screen and off."

Bowman added, "While her legacy will live on through her body of work, she will also be remembered by many for her wit, class and overall joie de vivre."

The family's asking that, in lieu of flowers, donations are made to Guide Dogs for the Blind.

RIP

Brandi Glanville says Denise Richards has completely cut her out of her life ever since Brandi revealed their hookup to the other 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.'

The reality TV star claims she has not seen or talked to Denise since she notoriously exposed their alleged tryst at Kyle Richards' house on Season 10 of 'RHOBH' ... and says Denise is ignoring her emails too.

If you don't recall ... Brandi shocked the Housewives, and viewers, when she told them she had an intimate affair with Denise. She also claimed Denise and her husband, Aaron Phypers, had an open relationship.

Denise denied the affair and the open marriage allegation, and then left the show after 2 seasons.

Alex Trebek's name will grace a new complex that's dedicated to putting a dent in an issue that was near and dear to him ... L.A.'s homeless crisis.

The folks over at Hope of the Valley Rescue Mission will honor the late "Jeopardy!" host by naming a brand new homeless shelter The Trebek Center. Alex and his wife Jean's $500k donation is the lead gift in Hope of the Valley's construction project, which is about to convert what used to be a 23,000 sq. ft San Fernando Valley roller rink.

The Trebek Center will break ground on May 15, and when the renovation is complete ... a 107-bed housing facility will serve as what's called "bridge housing" -- a bridge between the streets and permanent housing.

Hope of the Valley says the Trebeks' $500k was the cornerstone that helped them raise $2 million more from private donors like Beach Body and Shepherd Church. Plus, L.A. City Councilman John Lee spearheaded efforts to get another $6 mil from the city.

When it opens this December, Trebek Center residents will have access to a full array of onsite social services ... including mental health services, job training and placement and substance abuse counseling.

As we'd reported, Alex and Jean originally made the $500k donation for a facility dubbed Hope Center. That project still needs more funding, so Hope of the Valley got the Trebeks' permission, before Alex passed away, to redirect the half mil to the new shelter bearing his name.

Speaking of previous donations ... the Trebeks had also donated $100k to Hope of the Valley Rescue to build a bridge shelter in North Hollywood, which Alex and his family visited while it was under construction in June.

Ryan Seacrest says Katy Perry's right about Claudia Conway ... she's not quite ready for the next round of 'American Idol' just yet, but she's got a bright future in Hollywood ... perhaps in reality TV.

We got the 'Idol' host Tuesday in New York City and asked if Kellyanne Conway's teenage daughter got a fair shake on the show. Ryan seems to think so ... and even believes the show might've helped the Conway family image.

The mother/daughter dynamics between Kellyanne and Claudia were put on full display during 'Idol' and were much more positive than what we've seen on Claudia's TikTok.

We asked Ryan -- who helped build the Kardashian empire -- if the family's got what it takes for some solid reality TV ... and he certainly doesn't say no.

As for her idol elimination, Seacrest says Katy hit the nail on the head when she cut Claudia loose ... he says CC has some growing to do as a singer, but she should definitely try out for 'Idol' again. No wonder Katy's a judge.

Toby Flenderson may still suck all these years later, but his house that Michael egged on "The Office" sure doesn't in real life -- if anything, it's ballin' ... and the price tag reflects it.

'Office' fans will recognize this crib instantly -- it's the home that appeared in season 7, for 'Michael's Last Dundies' ... the penultimate installment of Steve Carell's tenure. In the cold open, Mike and Deangelo deliver Dundie noms to the employees, and yolk to Toby's place.

As humble (and perhaps crappy) as Toby's house may have looked in that quick shot ... the actual home is now hitting the market for a whopping $1.098 million -- and a closer look makes ya realize that Mr. Flenderson might've had a great salary at Dunder Mifflin Scranton.

The 3-bed, 2-bath pad isn't actually in PA ... it's in the L.A.'s Sherman Oaks neighborhood ... and from the inside out, it's a real beaut compared to what we saw on the small screen.

The house features a fully loaded upgraded kitchen and a huge backyard. It's also protected with its own gate, so you don't have to worry about other Michael Scotts running up on ya.

When it comes to how the house came to be featured on the show in the first place ... we're told production simply came up, knocked and asked -- and the owners said yes. How 'bout that?!? Oh, and BTW, Toby might've been divorced and lonely ... but the place ain't built for that. Check it out yourself.

Well, that was fast! One minute Claudia Conway's on to the next round on 'American Idol,' and the next she's cut loose, but at least Katy Perry was nice about it.

Kellyanne Conway's 16-year-old was eliminated Monday night ... less than 24 hours after she squeaked by in the opening night of Hollywood week and shared some screen time with her politico mom.

This time, Claudia was on the chopping block for a duet round with another contestant -- Hannah Everhart -- in which they double-teamed Harry Styles' 'Sign of the Times.' The judges thought Everhart held her own, but not so much for CC.

When it was time to give the teenager the tough news, Katy played the bad guy and she offered Claudia some advice she could apply to singing ... and maybe her tumultuous life at home.

Check it out -- KP tells Claudia that she's just coming to life ... which is true, Claudia's super young and she's already out here making 'Idol' debuts and pretty much has TikTok in the palm of her hand.

Katy also applauded Claudia for taking control of her life -- seemingly a tip of the hat to her ongoing feuds with Kellyanne -- and even invited her back. For her part, Claudia was gracious in defeat.

No on-camera sign of Kellyanne here to embrace her child again, but they seemed to be smoothing things out while Claudia was on 'Idol.'

"The Simpsons" creator Matt Groening needs to do something about Apu, because the character is the reason many Hindu kids get bullied ... at least according to a Hindu-American org.

Matt's getting pushback from the Hindu American Foundation for his recent comments on Apu -- he told USA Today he's proud of the character, despite HAF and many others claiming Apu is a walking stereotype.

Shereen Bhalla, spokesperson for HAF, tells TMZ ... Apu has been the predominant face in pop culture for the 3 million Hindus living in America, and the character makes the community feel marginalized.

Bhalla also says Apu's bad for kids growing up Hindu, because they may not feel proud of their identity due to Apu being used as a punchline, and she adds ... the stereotypes of him on "The Simpsons" lead to bullying in schools and online.

HAF, the nation's largest advocacy and education organization for Hindu Americans, says there are a few changes Matt could make to address the problem ... like taking longtime Apu voice actor, Hank Azaria's advice to hire an Indian actor to play Apu.