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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."

Mike Richards is already out as "Jeopardy!" host, but he'll still get some TV time ... because the few episodes he shot are going to air as scheduled, TMZ has learned.

Production sources tell us ... Mike shot 5 episodes Thursday before stepping down as the new daily host, and all of them will air beginning September 13.

We're told this decision was made by Sony Studios execs for a couple of reasons -- first, to keep the continuity of the show and honor the contestants ... and second, because one of these contestants was on an incredible hot streak before "Jeopardy!" went into its most recent hiatus.

This contestant, Matt Amodio, has won 18 in a row and racked up $574,801 in prize money -- good for third all-time -- so he's obviously one of the contestants on Richards' first episode ... and possibly beyond that.

So, despite Mike's controversial exit from hosting, we're told it was a no-brainer for the honchos to air his episodes. However, our sources say "Jeopardy!" may display some sort of disclaimer at the beginning of his shows to explain why he is no longer host.

Jerry Messing -- the "Freaks and Geeks" actor who's also the face of a famous meme -- has COVID and is fighting for his life in Florida ... TMZ has learned.

His father, James, tells us ... Jerry lives with his parents in an apartment in Tampa, and a few days ago he started feeling really sick all of a sudden and having shortness of breath, but assured his dad he was breathing fine.

A day later, James says he noticed Jerry was really struggling to breathe so he tested his oxygen level and it was very low.

James tells us he determined Jerry needed to go to the hospital right away, so they called an ambulance and he was transported Monday night.

We're told Jerry tested positive for COVID-19 and he was immediately placed on a ventilator. James says nobody is allowed to visit Jerry right now as he's struggling to survive.

According to James ... both he and Jerry's mom are fully vaccinated with the Pfizer vaccine, but they both started feeling ill around the same time Jerry did. So far, Jerry's dad has tested negative, while his mother's test results are pending.

James says Jerry had received his first Pfizer dose, and was waiting for his second shot before he got sick.

Along with his role as Gordon Crisp on "Freaks and Geeks," Jerry's played Pugsley on the "Addams Family Reunion" TV movie and Artie Ryan on "Even Stevens."

Eminem's a living legend with deep roots in Detroit ... and that's what makes him the perfect person to portray "White Boy Rick" ... according to the real-life guy himself.

Richard Wershe Jr., aka "White Boy Rick," tells TMZ ... it's an absolute honor the rapper will portray him in 50 Cent's Starz series "BMF." In fact, Rick tells us it's also perfect casting because Eminem was one of the first people who flirted with the idea of making a movie based on Rick's life.

For the uninitiated ... Richard earned his "White Boy Rick" handle in the 1980s during his drug trafficking trial. The FBI recruited him at just 14 years old to be an undercover informant, but, he went rogue and ended up getting busted for drug trafficking.

Rick was sentenced to life in prison in 1987, but was freed in July 2020 when he was granted parole.

Netflix dropped a documentary about him in 2017 dubbed "White Boy" ... and Richie Merritt portrayed him in the 2018 film "White Boy Rick."

Fiddy's new series will center around the real-life Detroit brothers Demetrius "Big Meech" Flenory and Terry "Southwest T" Flenory ... power players in the city's drug trafficking -- their Black Mafia Family organization raked in nearly $300 mil selling cocaine in 11 states.

Eminem's cameo in episode 7 is directed by 50 himself. The show premieres September 26.

BTW ... Rick, who will be launching his own strain of cannabis called The 8th, gave us a short and sweet message for Em on the role.

New "Jeopardy!" host Mike Richards is apologizing for some insensitive remarks he made about women on his old podcast ... he says it's "a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment."

Here's the deal ... Mike used to host a podcast from 2013 to 2014 when he was the executive producer at "The Price Is Right" and he's now under fire for referring to his female co-host as a "booth ho" and "booth slut," among other degrading remarks aimed at women.

The podcast, called "The Randumb Show," has already been scrubbed from the Internet after The Ringer reported on Mike's derogatory comments, which also include him asking his female co-host and his assistant if they had ever taken "booby pictures," during a segment about leaked celebrity nudes.

According to The Ringer, Mike also went on the podcast and said women "dress like a hooker" for Halloween, said a former employee who took up baking would get "giant" and said one-piece swimsuits make some women "look really frumpy and overweight."

There's a lot more comments of the same ilk, according to The Ringer, but these are the lowlights.

Mike's apologizing in a statement, via Sony, telling us ... "It is humbling to confront a terribly embarrassing moment of misjudgment, thoughtlessness, and insensitivity from nearly a decade ago. Looking back now, there is no excuse, of course, for the comments I made on this podcast and I am deeply sorry."

He adds ... "The podcast was intended to be a series of irreverent conversations between longtime friends who had a history of joking around. Even with the passage of time, it’s more than clear that my attempts to be funny and provocative were not acceptable, and I have removed the episodes."

As you know ... Mike was just announced as the new day-to-day host of "Jeopardy!" and lots of folks aren't happy. He's also denied allegations of discriminating against pregnant women at his past stops.

Christina Haack just dropped more than $10 million on a brand new mansion in Orange County ... and the place is palatial.

Ya gotta see Christina's new digs in Dana Point ... it's 6,084-square-feet of luxury, decked out with a movie theater, game room and backyard with panoramic views of the Pacific. If scenery's not your thing, there's also a pool, spa and fire pit back there.

The estate is tucked away in a gated community and it's got 5 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms with indoor and outdoor dining areas and a chef's kitchen.

The "Flip or Flop" star closed the deal on her new pad July 7, throwing down a cool $10.3 million.

Our sources tell us Christina is making updates to the house to personalize it to her aesthetic ... and we're told she's mostly focusing on the kitchen and bathrooms.

TMZ broke the story ... Christina recently unloaded the Newport Beach home she shared with her ex-husband, Ant Anstead, for $5.35 million, and at the time, our sources told us she wanted to move closer to the coast and find a place with an ocean view.

Erika Jayne's estranged husband's unloading a bunch of his stuff -- including some of her "collectibles" -- to pay off creditors, but 2 items on the auction block stand out because they're more scandalous ... and a mystery even to Erika!!!

Sources close to "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star tell TMZ ... among Tom Girardi's auction items are 2 separate pieces of lingerie that never belonged to her, and she has no idea what the deal is.

We're told the items in question -- a red "Agent Provocateur" set in size 3, and a medium black lace top -- are both smaller than what Erika wears.

Both items are brand new with the tags and the red lingerie comes with a receipt to Tom, but their inclusion among the auction items has the rumor mill spinning.

Basically, we're told people close to Erika are wondering if these items were intended for her, and if not ... exactly who WERE they meant for?

Tom's law firm -- which was sued for allegedly embezzling funds from families who lost loved ones in the 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crash in Indonesia -- isn't just auctioning off the mystery lingerie, of course. The auction also features office supplies, artwork, memorabilia and a ton of other stuff to pay legal costs.

"FBoy Island" star Sarah Emig wants Garrett Morosky to save his apology ... at least for now, 'cause she's not in the mood for it after he embarrassed her on the show.

We got Sarah hanging out with her co-star, CJ Franco, Monday outside the Peninsula Hotel in Bev Hills and asked if she was down to give Garrett another shot now that they're both in Los Angeles.

For the record ... Sarah says Garrett has, in fact, reached out to patch things up -- but it's clear she's not ready to hear it. She still has strong feelings about how Garrett left her hanging at the end of the HBO Max show. She says Garrett really did her dirty, and for that reason alone ... she's won't be breaking bread with Garrett.

As we reported ... Garrett showed his true 'FBoy' colors in the finale by choosing the $100k prize over a relationship with Sarah. Now, he told us he's planning to apologize ... but Garrett might wanna watch this clip first.

We can sum up her response to a potential date with Garrett in 2 words: Hell nah!!!

"FBOY Island" star Chaun Williams is going back to his roots ... he's going to be dancing for Chippendales again when the male revue returns next month from a 17-month hiatus.

A rep for Chippendales tells TMZ ... Chaun is returning to Chippendales when the show comes back to the Rio hotel and casino in Las Vegas for the upcoming Labor Day Weekend.

Chaun's famous now for being dubbed the nicest guy on "FBOY Island" ... but before his big break on the HBO Max hit, his claim to fame was dancing for Chippendales when he was just 18.

Ya gotta see the video of Chaun's shirtless dance moves during the latest rounds of Chippendales rehearsals ... looks like he's already back in his male revue groove.

Chaun went on to perform for Zumanity by Cirque du Soleil after getting his Sin City start with Chippendales ... but with Zumanity shuttered by the pandemic and not reopening, Chippendales is welcoming him back into the fold for their big return.

Dr. Phil is trying a new approach to therapy, one that takes him out on the road to make actual house calls ... and, so far, he's finding it remarkably effective

"House Calls" is the name of his new CBS primetime show and the good doc joined "TMZ Live" Monday to tell us the biggest difference between his daytime show and this new spinoff. For starters, there's no studio audience ... something Phil thinks helps the people he's counseling let their guard down.

He says he spends about a week with each family, most of whom have NO IDEA he's spending QT with them to arbitrate whatever major dispute is disrupting their household.

The doc tells us only one person knows he's going to show up ... which explains how he's able to get cameras into the crib before his arrival.

But, more importantly, once Dr. Phil arrives he says things get very layered, very deep and the families get very candid.

As you know, the pandemic's triggered significant emotional, physical and economic problems ... and Dr. Phil's previously talked to us about ways to cope with quarantine stress -- but his "House Calls" offers a more hands-on approach.

"Pawn Stars" star Rick Harrison is a single man -- something we're assuming very few people besides Rick and his now ex-wife know about, because they pulled off a totally hush-hush divorce.

According to the newly discovered legal docs we obtained, Rick filed for divorce from his wife, Deanna, in Clark County, Nevada on July 1, 2020 ... almost 7 years after their wedding.

The timing is interesting -- filing in the middle of the pandemic, and as George Floyd protests were going down across the country ... probably explains how the divorce flew under the radar.

In the docs, Rick says during the course of their marriage their "tastes, mental dispositions, views, likes, and dislikes have become so divergent that they have become incompatible in marriage" ... and there was no hope for reconciliation as husband and wife.

Deanna initially responded to the divorce filing by asking for alimony, but according to the docs ... the exes reached a settlement agreement in September 2020 finalizing all issues like alimony, support and property division.

Rick and Deanna don't have any minor children together, but Rick tells us "I got 3 great daughters out of it" ... referring to Deanna's children from a previous relationship.

"FBoy Island" star, or more accurately villain, Garrett Morosky says he's working on an apology for Sarah Emig ... and they're even talking about going on a date to hash things out.

We got Garrett and his fellow so-called "FBoy" Casey Johnson at Alfred Coffee on Melrose and asked Garrett if he's talked to Sarah since the dating reality show's shocking finale. If you're just starting to watch the HBO Max hit, this is where we scream ... SPOILER ALERT!!!

But, if you've seen it already, you know Garrett showed his stripes during the climax when he revealed he preferred a $100k prize over a relationship with Sarah.

Surprisingly, Garrett says the lines of communication between Sarah and him are very much open -- and they even crossed paths this week at a party in Los Angeles.

Garrett hints at a forthcoming apology, and seems to think he still has a shot at getting Sarah out on a date ... telling us he wants to get some alone time with her so he can explain himself. Translation: Once an f-boy, always an f-boy!

If you watched the show you know, the guys just looking to bang chicks were mixed in with genuine nice guys ... and the women had the unenviable task of figuring out who was who.

Garrett shocked Sarah by choosing the money, but producers got the last laugh by telling him the cash would go to a charity of Sarah's choosing.

He says it ended up benefitting an anti-human trafficking org -- and he also revealed being outed as a "FBoy" is NOT doing wonders for his dating life.

Some might call all that a win win.

Yet, somehow, Garrett's still got a chance to get the girl ... or, at least, that's what he wants us to believe.

Bill Maher thinks Matt Damon is a shining example of the absurdity of dragging good people on social media ... people, Maher says, who have committed the cardinal sin of confessing their imperfections.

As you know, Matt took fire for using the homophobic f-word to his daughter. He says he was telling a joke and used the word and she schooled him. He went on to say he's learned never to use the word again.

The 'Real Time' host sees it this way "... we could say, ‘Welcome, glad you could make it.' Or we could say, ‘You came later than I did. Die.'"

Maher then read a series of headlines slamming Damon, to which he said, “Really? … He’s got a clean water charity and delivers food to Haiti. What have you done, Vox headline writer? And yet, he is always getting pulled over by the woke police.”

ICYMI ... Damon tried to clarify by saying, "I have never called anyone f***** in my personal life and this conversation with my daughter was not a personal awakening. I do not use slurs of any kind." The problem ... he had said he did use the word when he told his daughter a joke.

Dorinda Medley and Vicki Gunvalson are coming back for more reality TV ... we're told they're starring in an ultimate 'Real Housewives' mash-up series.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ … filming is set to begin in the next several weeks, and Dorinda and Vicki will be part of the all-star cast.

Remember ... Dorinda announced her departure from 'RHONY' after 6 seasons last August, and Vicki left 'RHOC' in 2020 after 14 years on the show ... so their time away from TV was short-lived.

The upcoming 'Real Housewives' show will stream on Peacock and we're told locations are still being worked out. Peacock recently filmed a similar Housewives All-Stars series down in beautiful Turks and Caicos.

Cynthia Bailey, Luann de Lesseps, Melissa Gorga, Teresa Guidice, Kenya Moore, Kyle Richards, and Ramona Singer made up the cast ... and now we know at least 2 of the ladies for the upcoming Housewives mash-up.

Mayim Bialik's upcoming role as one of the new hosts of "Jeopardy!" might have been even greater if she just had the time ... TMZ has learned

According to our Sony Studios sources ... "The Big Bang Theory" star became a frontrunner with bosses at Sony to permanently host the game show after guest hosting in March. On top of that, we're told the crew loved working with her AND she also tested highest in focus groups.

Our sources say several Sony execs were "very interested" in Mayim for hosting duties on the daily syndicated program, but because of her other commitments -- she stars and executive produces "Call Me Kat" on FOX, and hosts a podcast -- they knew it wasn't going to be possible.

So, because they loved her so much ... we're told "Jeopardy!" honchos came up with the idea for 2 hosts -- one for the daily show, and Mayim for the quiz show's primetime and spin-off specials.

We're told this became a top priority, and after about 6 weeks of negotiations ... Mayim reached a multi-year, multi-million-dollar deal to do just that, including the upcoming "Jeopardy! National College Championship" ... which will air in primetime on ABC.

As we reported ... EP Mike Richards was named the new host of the syndicated "Jeopardy!" while Mayim will do her thing on a more part-time basis.

Ms. Pat -- the titular star of the new BET+ sitcom, "The Ms. Pat Show" -- says her move from Atlanta to Indiana was life-changing in a great way, but it took her a while to get used to white folks' hospitality.

The comedian joined "TMZ Live" Thursday to chat about her semi-autobiographical new show -- which has been a long time coming -- and all the support she's had along the way, but not just from the executive producers.

Ms. Pat has a very interesting backstory in ATL -- overcoming welfare, sexual abuse, arrest and conviction for selling crack -- but life took a huge turn when she started doing comedy open mic nights, and her husband's job moved them to Plainfield, IN.

Pat admits the almost entirely white population welcomed her with open arms ... along with cakes, and other neighborly foods. She also tells us, surprisingly, her stand-up material seamlessly translated to her new town ... which she chalks up to people of all races and backgrounds having a lot in common.

Ms. Pat says the whole experience was equally eye-opening for her ... something that comes across on the show. She told us she's blessed to have Lee Daniels, Brian Grazer and Ron Howard executive producing -- and especially credits Daniels for fighting hard to get it made.