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It's Super Bowl Sunday ... and there's no better time than now to brush up on what TMZ was covering on their TV shows to end the week, all of which was topical/timely.

Starting with 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles got into a story we broke Friday -- namely, the fact Usher has been hitting up Justin Bieber lately to talk about the prospect of JB joining him during the Super Bowl Halftime Show ... which now sounds like a very real possibility.

Still no word on whether Justin agreed -- but we know they've been chatting ... A LOT.

When it comes to 'TMZ on TV,' the gang got back to talking about Prince Harry -- but only 'cause he popped up in the most random of events ... the NFL Honors in Las Vegas.

Dude definitely didn't seem to fit in ... and the staff certainly seemed to notice, and comment.

Big day on 'TMZ Sports' ... we had the great Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin stop by!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Cheryl Hines isn't blaming Larry David for beating up Elmo ... saying producers should've known better than to put the two of them on the same set.

The actress -- who starred alongside Larry in 101 episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" -- defended her television ex-husband during Wednesday's episode of "Literally with Rob Lowe," saying the people behind the show should've known something was bound to go down.

CH said quite frankly, "He doesn't care. He doesn't care about a puppet! He doesn't care about human beings" ... maybe a bit harsh, but Larry has cultivated a sourpuss persona over the years.

CH continued by saying Larry's made a career out of telling people he doesn't care about their feelings ... so obviously a puppet preaching mental health lessons was bound to set him off.

Cheryl made it clear Elmo didn't do anything wrong -- saying he didn't "ask for this" -- and instead pinning the blame on showrunners.

It's all clearly in good fun for Cheryl ... though others in the television industry didn't take the attack as well as she did.

As we previously reported ... Wil Wheaton completely torched David online after video of his appearance on 'Today' went viral. The 'Star Trek' actor blasted LD, saying his attack triggered traumatic memories of his own abuse at the hands of his father.

Larry's yet to respond to Wil's condemnation ... but if Cheryl or his on-camera "apologies" are to be believed, it's unlikely WW's getting a genuine "sorry" anytime soon.

Bill Maher has a warning for all Republicans: you shouldn't take swipes at Taylor Swift 'cause she just might win the election for Democrats.

The talk show host made the bold prediction on his Friday show, 'Real Time,' during a panel discussion with Sports commentator Bob Costas, and Atlantic writer Caitlin Flanagan.

Bill kicked things off by turning the conversation to the pop star making international headlines recently with her super popular 'Eras' tour, four Grammys Awards this year, her romance with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and her upcoming appearance at Sunday's Super Bowl.

Bill didn't mince words, saying, "This is a national news story in the sense that this is a person who could literally swing the election. I don’t know what that says about this country, but I would just say to the ‘MAGA’ people, ‘You should be very careful attacking her because this is someone who transcends parties.'”

He didn't stop there ... going on to describe Taylor as a country girl from rural Pennsylvania who has tremendous influence over her huge fan base. He said that could pose real problems for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and "Make America Great Again" supporters at the ballot box.

Bill put it this way, “Her voters perhaps are not registered at all, and she doesn’t have to say who she’s voting for. All she has to say is get registered. They know who she’s voting for.”

Of course, Bill was implying that Taylor is voting for the likely Democratic candidate, President Joe Biden, adding, “So I think you could be awaking a sleeping until the afternoon giant.”

Shane Gillis has some explaining to do when he hosts "Saturday Night Live" ... according to Asian advocacy group reps who say it's not too late to make amends for his racist remarks.

The comedian is scheduled to host on February 24 ... this after Lorne Michaels fired him from the show in 2019 for making distasteful jokes directed at Asians.

Shane made the comments during a 2018 podcast, referring to noodles as "nooders" and using a derogatory term for Asians in an expletive-laden discussion about Chinatown. Many people remain outraged by Gillis' jokes .. but the comedian is now being offered a path forward if he wants to right a wrong.

Jo-Ann Yoo, the executive director of the Asian American Federation, tells TMZ ... Shane getting tapped to host is bad timing, considering the Asian community has been devastated by a wave of hate that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says people in the community don't need to be reminded of the type of rhetoric that caused that trend.

However ... if Shane's serious about making amends, Yoo invites him to cut a check to the org's Hope Against Hate campaign, and join their food tours for a real Asian cuisine experience.

Yoo says she's planning to tune in ... not for Shane, but rather for what she proudly calls the Bowen Yang Variety Hour. Of course, Bowen Yang is the first Asian-American hire at 'SNL.'

Over at The Asian American Foundation, CEO Norman Chen says he hopes Shane has learned from his experiences and expects him to issue a "genuine" apology on 'SNL.'

Chen tells us his org was "disheartened" to hear Shane was invited to host, saying ... "Asian Americans are not the punchline of a joke. While these jokes may result in cheap laughs, they also result in real-world, deadly consequences for Asian Americans."

Now, Shane did apologize on social media after his 'SNL' firing, saying ... "I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you're going to find a lot of bad misses. I'm happy to apologize to anyone who's actually offended by anything I've said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks."

However, Chen says that apology seems to be scrubbed from Shane's X (formerly Twitter) account, and his foundation wants to know if the apology still stands -- and, if so, a global stage like 'SNL' would be a great place to reaffirm it on camera.

Time to settle into the weekend, and what better way than to catch up on what we talked about TMZ???

Kicking things off on 'TMZ Live,' we talked about Kanye West's latest listening event for his new album, 'Vultures,' which didn't get released digitally ... but did get played live.

Of course, there were some controversial things said during the performance -- in lyrics, no doubt -- and some of it touched on antisemitism ... which got Ye censored at his own show.

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' it was the battle of the Brads at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Brad Pitt presented Bradley Cooper an award and heaped on praise for his A-list counterpart -- delivering some bad jokes to get his point across ... although, he looked great doing it.

Travis Kelce already hosted 'SNL,' and now ... his brother says he'd be down to give it a go. Jason Kelce talked to us on camera and communicated as much -- he wants his turn!

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Ryan Seacrest is literally diving right into his new gig as the "Wheel of Fortune" host ... filming promos in Hawaii for the upcoming season, and going underwater.

Ryan and Vanna White are on Waikiki Beach right now on Oahu, where they are filming the Hawaii episodes for the upcoming Season 42.

In one take, Vanna and Ryan are talking to the camera as they stand in ankle-deep water ... and then Ryan, in full snorkel gear, dives under.

Imagine Pat Sajak doing this!!!

Of course, Pat's now retired and Ryan's taking the reigns ... and ya gotta imagine he's enjoying his new gig. Hard to beat on-location filming in Hawaii.

Ryan and Vanna also filmed a couple promos on land -- he's wearing flip-flops and a Hawaiian shirt as they shoot at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort.

Folks who were there say RS and VW seemed to have great chemistry together and were getting along between takes.

They must have been in a good mood, because they were also happily taking selfies with fans ... in that aloha spirit.

Wil Wheaton says Larry David "attacking" Elmo on TV last week might've been funny to some -- but it was no laughing matter to him ... 'cause it triggered old, ugly memories.

The 'Star Trek' actor had a strong reaction to the 'Curb' star putting his hands on the "Sesame Street" puppet on the 'Today' show -- taking to Facebook to write a lengthy essay that slammed LD ... while in the same breath explaining why it rocked him to his core.

He writes, "What the f*** is wrong with that guy? Elmo is, like, the best friend to multiple generations of children. In the Sesame Street universe, ELMO IS A CHILD, who is currently putting mental health and caring for others in the spotlight."

WW adds ... "And Larry F***ing David ... did ... that? And thought it was going to be ... funny? What? What an ass****. What a stupid, self-centered, tone deaf ass****."

Wil goes on to say that his dad used to abuse him as a kid -- shaking him by the shoulders and screaming in his face, among other things, and he says seeing Larry do that to Elmo had his heart racing as it dredged up internal trauma in his mind. He's quite serious, too.

He finishes by saying what Elmo means to so many kids -- especially in that segment, where he promoted mental health awareness -- makes Larry's attack all that much more sickening.

Wil ends with ... "A man who would belittle and mock that isn't much of a man at all. Shame on you, Larry David." This tirade of his, BTW, ended up being some 900 words on FB.

FWIW, Larry did "apologize" to Elmo shortly after his outburst ... and clearly thought it was all in good fun. Apparently not, though, from Wil's POV -- dude is straight-up outraged and hurt.

It's Friday, and as we head into the weekend ... TMZ is firing on all cylinders, especially on TV -- where we covered a helluva lot of juicy topics.

On 'TMZ Live,' we broke a story about a special tribute that Super Bowl LVIII organizers are planning to launch during Sunday's broadcast ... which essentially amounts to a tip of the hat to Sin City itself.

There's a particular song that'll be played throughout -- and it'll get kicked off by the most famous rendition of the tune known to date ... sung by one Frank Sinatra, no less!

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about a new claim Britney Spears is floating -- namely, that she allegedly made out with Ben Affleck back in the day ... in the year 1999.

Brit doesn't even seem sure of the details herself -- but she posted a pic (and then quickly deleted it) ... which left Harvey and the staff less than convinced it actually happened.

Finally, on 'TMZ Sports' ... Babcock and Lucas talk Baker Mayfield and what sort of new contract he deserves in the wake of a pretty decent season with the Buccaneers.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Caitlyn Jenner seemed to plead for Elon Musk's legal backing to fight Disney after being dropped from "The Kardashians" -- but she's not actually pursuing it ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us Caitlyn has zero plans to sue the Mouse House and was simply shining a light on her experience with the studio by commenting under the EM's original post ... where he explicitly said he would provide legal support (namely, funding) to those who felt they'd been discriminated against by Disney or its subsidiaries.

Caitlyn's comment under Elon's post read ... "Hulu (Disney subsidiary) never put me on my family's show - I had been on since day 1- when it switched from E!" On its face, it certainly sounded like she was serious ... especially since Elon seemed to be seriously baiting.

Now, while our sources tell us CJ has no plans to take Elon up on his offer to sue right now, if any bombshell information surfaces from the Kardashians' reality show on Hulu that pushes the envelope against Caitlyn ... we're told she would possibly revisit the idea.

You'll recall ... Caitlyn starred in almost all 20 seasons of E! 's "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" alongside her ex-wife Kris Jenner, her stepkids Kourtney, Kim, and Khloé, and biological daughters Kendall and Kylie. Caitlyn never appeared in the revamped series though, "The Kardashians," when it moved over to Hulu in 2022.

Last month, CJ expressed similar frustration over the Disney non-invite when replying to an X post from political consultant Richard Grenell, who blasted the network for its "partisan" stance.

The reality star commented at the time ... "I wonder if that's why they fired me from my family's reality show when it switched over to Hulu (@Disney), from E!. I must not be woke enough."

Cailyn added -- "Too bad… I remember when Bob Iger was a young, hard working, valet, carrying my bags, for me right after I won the Olympics."

ICYMI ... Elon is funding former "Mandalorian" actress Gina Carano's lawsuit ... where she claims Disney+ and LucasFilm wrongfully terminated her from her job after she posted her political views on social media.

That's why this Caitlyn convo is even happening -- because Elon is legitimately putting his money where his mouth is on this issue against Disney.

Back to Caitlyn ... things may not have worked out with "The Kardashians" -- but she's gone from reality TV to FOX, working for the network as a Fox News contributor, which she's really enjoying.

Tish Cyrus says she encouraged her ex, Billy Ray Cyrus, to star in "Hannah Montana" 'cause she thought it would bring them together -- a hope we now know didn't pan out in the long run.

The 56-year-old reflected on how the Disney Channel series impacted their family on a new "Call Her Daddy" episode, saying she saw the show as a double whammy ... a chance to move Billy's career forward -- it had hit a wall after his 1992 hit "Achy Breaky Heart" -- and a chance to make them a strong family unit.

Tish explained that a lightbulb went off in her head when 'Hannah' casting directors joked they "couldn't afford" Billy for the show during Miley's audition ... prompting her to jump in and tell them the idea wasn't too far-fetched.

She then turned to Billy, urging him to audition, and while she knew it would be a pay cut for him, it meant their family would be together again.

At that time, the whole Cyrus family, including their 5 children, had been living in Toronto, where Billy was filming another show -- and Tish was stressing over the thought of constantly traveling back and forth between Canada and L.A. for Miley's new starring role -- so getting Billy on the series was a golden opportunity.

Tish's reflection on "Hannah Montana" clearly appears to be more on the "what could have been" scale, but Billy Ray remembers it much differently ... telling GQ in 2011, the show "destroyed my family."

Rick Harrison and his "Pawn Stars" crew are looking to capitalize on the Super Bowl coming to town -- their shop's hawking some championship rings from recent Super Bowls.

The good folks at Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, featured on the reality show, tell TMZ ... they're selling a Super Bowl ring from the 2007 New York Giants for $77,500.

The '07 Giants beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII ... ruining the Patriots' undefeated season. This SB ring was owned by a team staffer, and it's made by Tiffany & Co.

Gold & Silver Pawn shop also has a ring from the 2021 Los Angeles Rams in its possession ... and it's going for a much more affordable $20,000. The Rams beat the Cincinnati Bengals in LVI on the strength of a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford to Cooper Kupp in the final minutes.

The Rams championship ring is also from a team staffer, and we're told it's on sale for less than the Giants ring because there are way more NYG fans than Rams fans ... and Giants SB rings historically sell for higher prices than Rams rings.

Rick tells TMZ ... they get a lot of inquiries about their sports championship rings, but interest in Super Bowl rings is always higher around the Big Game.

With Super Bowl LVIII going down in Vegas, Rick is hoping Giants and Rams fans win big money gambling this weekend. He says, "I'm guessing we might find them at our door once they wake up from celebrating Sunday night looking to own a ring from their favorite team."

Gold & Silver Pawn is also selling AFC Championship rings previously owned by NFL players ... including one from the 2011 Patriots for $32,500, and another from the 1989 Denver Broncos for $40,000.

It's worth noting ... player rings are a little different than staff rings, and player rings are more valuable, and thus, come with higher price tags.

We're almost at the finish line in the week, but we're just getting started at TMZ -- including on the TV front ... where the topics are only getting better by the day. Take a look!

Right off the bat on 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles tackled something Travis Kelce's mom said on the 'Today' show this week ... namely, that she didn't know where she'd be sitting at the Super Bowl come Sunday. That's what she claims anyway -- nobody's buying it.

Fact is, her son(s) are incredibly wealthy ... but there's a new billionaire in her orbit who probably has covered for a private suite seat -- despite what Mama Kelce's saying.

Over on the 'TMZ on TV' side of things ... we opened up about our feelings, but not nearly as much as Kumail Nanjiani -- who recently revealed what sent him to therapy recently.

As it turns out, some bad movie reviews for a film he was in did the trick ... and the staff wasn't all that nice about it. Tough crowd, indeed.

Finally, we get to 'TMZ Sports,' where Mike and Mojo discussed the fact that 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy bears a passing resemblance to the guy who killed JFK.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

There's a BIG party going down in Sin City for the Big Game ... a Super Bowl watch party with stars from the 'Little Women' reality franchise mixing up drinks and pouring shots!!!

"Little Women: NY" star Little Jess tells TMZ ... she's bartending a ticketed event at the Nerd Bar on Fremont Street with two other reality stars, and there's an open bar.

Little Jess says the other bartenders include "Little Women: Dallas" star Tiffani and "Little Women: NY" star Jordanna James ... they're calling themselves the "Tiny Tenders," short for bartenders.

With all of the ladies under 5 feet tall -- Jess says they are "hot little people" and "the hottest chicks you will ever meet under 5 foot" -- they are going to use a raised platform so they can be eye-level with customers and reach the bottles.

The ladies are experienced ... Little Jess says they've all bartended in the past and she has 15 years under her belt ... and they'll be wearing black booty shorts with matching black tiny crop tops emblazoned with "Tiny Tenders."

Tickets are going for $60 in advance or $100 at the door ... and Little Jess says 50 tickets have been sold so far and they're expecting several hundred folks to show up to a venue with a 1,000 max capacity.

Doors open at 1 PM on Super Bowl Sunday and the open bar is from 3 PM to 5 PM ... which should cover the first half of Super Bowl LVIII.

Little Jess says the open bar includes well drinks, draft beers, Capri Suns, Jell-O shots and failed drug test shots served in urine cups. The open bar also has discounts on premium booze, like $5 for Jack Daniels.

Once Usher hits the stage for the Super Bowl halftime show, it's back to regular pricing.

Little Jess says they're going for a "Coyote Ugly" vibe ... and they'll be going around serving up body shots and doing some go-go dancing. She says Jordanna James worked at the OG 'Coyote Ugly' bar in NYC.

No good Super Bowl party is complete without food ... and Little Jess says they'll be serving up appetizers like tater tots, pigs in a blanket and pizza nuggets.

An open bar in Las Vegas on Super Bowl Sunday has the potential to get rowdy ... but Little Jess says the ladies will all be wearing whistles which they use if anyone steps out of line and causes trouble.

Be warned ... Little Jess says, "We will blow the whistles three times to indicate there is trouble and then our 6-foot all-male security guards will take care of the situation."

It's hump day at TMZ, and we are rolling on the TV front -- where the topics ranged from a tragic death to an uphill legal battle in Chicago ... and just about everything in between.

'TMZ Live' was rife with opinions -- particularly on the topic of Jussie Smollett, who is now trying to have his criminal case appeal heard by the Illinois State Supreme Court ... arguing he ought not have to serve any more jail time after being convicted for the alleged hoax.

While people might be rolling their eyes at the notion he's continuing to fight this, Harvey says Jussie might actually have a point and get his conviction tossed ... time will tell.

Over at 'TMZ on TV,' we honored and remembered the great Toby Keith -- who just passed away after a battle with stomach cancer, which he ultimately succumbed to.

The staff shared kind words about the legendary country star.

Finally, we land on 'TMZ Sports' where Babcock and the team broke down Patrick Mahomes' response to his father's arrest during a Super Bowl presser.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Issa Rae's jump into independent filmmaking is something more Black creators might have to explore ... according to Mona Scott-Young, who says it's all about maximizing your value!!!

We spoke to the "Love & Hip Hop" architect as she was shimmering outside of Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party, and she was confident Issa would continue to be a powerhouse in Hollywood, one way or another.

Issa recently predicted a doomsday for future Black programming on major TV networks after her HBO series "Rap Sh!t" got canceled ... publicly accusing studios for making Black shows less of a priority.

Several shows geared towards Black audiences -- "Southside," "A Black Lady Sketch Show," "The Game" reboot, and Issa's other HBO series, "Sweet Life: Los Angeles" all recently got the axe ... so, it feels like a shift is real.

Mona has operated several variations of 'L&HH' with VH1 for over a decade, so her experience with big wig execs isn't necessarily the same -- but she says if Issa needs to go indie to get the job done, then so be it!!!

When we asked Vivica A. Fox about this very subject, the actress could only speak positively of her travels through Tinseltown, so there are plenty of different perspectives hovering around the testy topic.

Comedian Shane Gillis is back under the microscope -- with 'SNL' announcing he's hosting, it reminds some people of the racial epithets he used in his podcasting days.

Shane's known for his edgy stand-up comedy -- he's very popular on YouTube and Netflix -- and while he hasn't shied away from his past controversial humor, it's jarring to hear him dropping slurs in the middle of anecdotal jokes.

Lorne Michaels and 'SNL' hired Shane in 2019, but fired him before he ever appeared on the show due to backlash over anti-Asian jokes he'd made on a different podcast.

The offensive content here comes from a podcast called "A Fair One," and Shane delivers some controversial jokes -- or at least the language was controversial ... as he unloaded the n-word, the homophobic f-word, and a particular Jewish slur, too.

Based on Shane's history with 'SNL' ya gotta believe producers know some of this material is floating out there on the internet.

When he got canned back in 2019, he apologized, saying ... "I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you're going to find a lot of bad misses."

He also said he'd apologize to "anyone who's actually offended by anything I've said."

It's fair to assume, 'SNL' feels he's made amends, or evolved as a comedian ... because they've brought him back to host.

If you're familiar with Shane's standup specials, you know he tells plenty of racial and LGBTQ+ jokes -- but the podcast stuff feels even edgier. Definitely not the kinda language you'd expect in his 'SNL' monologue.

Sure, it's late-night programming, but NBC's censors are still up and watching!