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Bill Maher thinks all the gratuitous back pats we all get for doing absolutely nothing are both annoying and dangerous.

The 'Real Time' host presented a litany of examples where we get false affirmation for no reason at all ... from ChatGPT that praises us for asking stupid questions, to Apps for colon tests that say attaboy for delivering a stool sample.

Maher's point ... by congratulating us for doing nothing, we lose our drive to actually accomplish something, because nothing becomes good enough.

8/9 6:25 PM PT -- Seems Blackson pulled a fast one on us. Turns out his son's name isn't Bruce Leroy like he says in the clip -- that's a reference to a character from 1985 action-comedy "The Last Dragon."

He wrote on social media that his son's name is really Mikey ... so, looks like he got us with this one. Chalk it up to the hazards of interviewing a comedian!

Michael Blackson's introducing his son to the world ... though his own introduction to the kid was a bit delayed -- 'cause his need for caffeine made him miss the birth!

We caught up with the comedian and his fiancée Rada Cheang -- also known as Rada Darling -- at LAX Thursday ... and, we got a glimpse of their son with their consent of course.

He's a cute kid ... though his dad's already ribbing him about his looks -- life of a comedian's son, we suppose.

Kelly Clarkson’s deep in grief over ex-hubby Brandon Blackstock’s death -- but her talk show’s still slated for a fall return, TMZ has learned.

Sources tell TMZ ... "The Kelly Clarkson Show" is locked for a 7th season and the plan is to still drop fresh episodes in September.

Rumors circulated this year that Kelly was going to leave the show because of her numerous absences ... though we learned that was because of Blackstock's illness. We’re told the whole staff knew about Brandon’s illness -- but kept it under wraps out of respect for Kelly and Brandon's privacy.

Anthony Anderson says he feels like he can tap dance after getting 140cc of fluid drained from his knee ... and he thinks doctors may have misdiagnosed him with the "disease of kings" -- AKA gout.

We got Anthony at LAX on Friday and our photog asked him about his scary knee issue ... which landed him in the ER after a bunch of nasty swelling.

Anthony says he's been told he may have gout and needs to cut back on red meat and alcohol ... but it sounds like he's not buying it, and thinks he just has arthritis instead.

Jimmy Fallon and Fox News' Greg Gutfeld caught up like a pair of chummy old friends on 'The Tonight Show' Thursday ... giddily recalling their drunken meeting in NYC and completely kicking politics to the trashcan.

Check out the clip ... the right-wing host recalled meeting a sloshed Jimmy in an "illegal speakeasy" in New York City -- where he says Jimmy tackled him with a hug like a "giant golden retriever."

After Jimmy "wrestled" Greg and his pal ... they decided to head out to another bar -- which Greg deemed was a gay bar because "the bartender at 6 o'clock takes off his shirt."

Jon Miyahara -- the actor best known for playing Brett on "Superstore" -- has died, TMZ has learned.

His daughter Pennie Cappasola tells TMZ he died Wednesday with his wife, Chiyo, by his side. She says the family appreciates the outpouring of love from fans ... adding her father loved working on the NBC sitcom.

TMZ learned Jon died less than 2 weeks after paramedics responded to his Los Angeles-area home. Law enforcement sources say ... an EMS call was made around 7:15 PM on July 28 for an elderly man who had taken a fall the day prior and was feeling pain.

The Skydance-Paramount merger is officially a done deal -- and it’s all going down as "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" rolls through its final season.

Skydance Media, led by CEO David Ellison, closed its massive $8 billion acquisition of Paramount Global ... cementing one of the biggest shake-ups Hollywood’s seen in years.

The completed merger, announced Thursday, had been months in the making, getting the final thumbs-up from Paramount’s board and surviving a lengthy FCC review -- and now, it's full steam ahead. The company began public trading on NASDAQ Thursday morning.

Kelley Mack was feeling much better amid her cancer battle months ago ... but everything suddenly took a turn for the worse right before her death, TMZ has learned.

A family source tells us ... in February, "The Walking Dead'" star underwent treatment for glioma -- which is cancer of the nervous system. After her treatment, the source says Kelley experienced a "nice recovery."

The source says Kelley's cancer then relapsed out of nowhere, spreading through her body in recent weeks ... adding she had a "quick end."

President Trump is still going after Stephen Colbert ... and he says he could find two people on the street who could get higher TV ratings.

Trump went in on Colbert yet again Wednesday while taking questions in the Oval Office at the White House ... and then he lashed out at Jimmy Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel.

POTUS says all three late night talk show hosts have no talent ... and in Colbert's case, he could pick any random person who could do just as well or better on TV.

Yanin Campos -- a former "MasterChef México" contestant who gained recognition via social media -- has died ... according to her brother.

Raúl Campos announced the news on Facebook earlier this week ... sharing details of the memorial's time and place to the social media page for friends and family.

El Financiero -- a daily newspaper in Mexico -- reports Campos was driving in Chihuahua, Mexico just after 6 AM on Saturday morning when she apparently collided with a parked car.

Anthony Anderson hustled to the hospital to get a steady flow of fluid out of his knee ... and, he uploaded it to social media to disturb all his fans' dreams for years to come.

The actor posted an update about his medical anomaly Wednesday ... revealing he had to rush on over to the ER Sunday night after his knee ballooned up way past its normal size.

Check out the clip ... AA's laid back in the hospital room while a doc puts a huge syringe directly into his leg -- slowly pulling the plunger back.

Amy Bradley's brother and parents have a gut feeling she's still kicking despite disappearing on a family cruise nearly three decades ago ... and it's that hope that keeps them pushing forward.

Amy's brother, Brad, joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and we asked him about all the new tips and leads the family is pursuing after her story started getting renewed attention with a recent Netflix documentary ... and whether he ever questions why the family hasn't heard from her after all these years.

If you've seen "Amy Bradley Is Missing" then you already know ... she disappeared in March 1998 on a cruise to the Caribbean island of Curacao.

Gayle King is well aware Donald Trump thinks her career is over ... but she's brushing off the criticism and looking on the bright side.

TMZ caught the TV anchor exiting "CBS Mornings" Tuesday -- the morning after the prez went off about her and her career on his social media platform Truth Social. She simply said she feels "sorry" DT has such an issue with her ... adding she likes her job and she's going to keep doing it -- and doing it well!

Plus, she adds she's not the only one on the president's sh*t list -- naming Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and Stephen Colbert as others on the list of celebs who have been slammed by Trump recently.

Brandi Glanville is in serious pain after a DIY beauty experiment went horribly wrong -- burning her face with Nair while trying to fight off a facial parasite.

The former "RHOBH" star shared a graphic TikTok on Sunday showing red, blotchy burns covering her chin, cheeks, and nose. "I know I look attractive," she said, before adding, "Good news, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on peels and lasers anymore."

Glanville explained she applied Nair -- a chemical hair-removal cream -- to her face because exfoliating seems to irritate her facial parasite. "Nair is the fountain of youth. I figured it out," she joked before admitting she overdid it.

Denise Richards is stepping back into the Bravo spotlight -- and right in the middle of her messy split from estranged husband Aaron Phypers … TMZ has learned.

Witnesses tell TMZ … Denise filmed scenes for "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Saturday night at Madre in Los Angeles. She joined Sutton Stracke and Erika Jayne for dinner, with cameras capturing her dramatic entrance and intimate conversations about her ongoing divorce battle.

As we first reported … there won't be a second season of "Denise & Her Wild Things" -- but that was always the plan. Sources told us the series was pitched and treated as a limited run from the start.

"Love Island USA" alum Miguel Harichi is finally breaking his silence on the drama with Louis Russell after his GF Leah Kateb unfollowed him -- and yup, there's some serious trouble brewing.

In a lengthy IG post Saturday, Miguel called out folks he used to consider friends for talking smack about his relationship with Leah and letting social media drag her name through the mud, and he wants no part of it.

As for those unfollows? Miguel says it had nothing to do with Louis allegedly dating Huda Mustafa. Remember -- they sparked rumance buzz while attending the "Weapons" movie premiere together earlier this week. Instead, Louis says the whole situation rubbed Leah and her friends the wrong way.

Whatever Louis and Huda have going on now, Miguel says he’s not interested -- and respectfully wants his and Leah’s names out of that storyline.