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Several 'Real Housewives' stars are coming to the defense of Andy Cohen in the wake of Leah McSweeney's shocking allegations ... slamming her and rallying around their boss.

Several housewives are speaking out in support of Andy in the wake of Leah's lawsuit earlier this week ... making it clear they've never done drugs with the 'Watch What Happens Live' host.

Kyle Richards -- who said she was one of the housewives closest to Andy -- told Page Six that she has "never seen Andy do drugs, offer drugs or do anything inappropriate ever."

Kyle went on to praise Andy as a professional -- highlighting how he even refuses to follow many Bravo stars on Instagram to keep "a distance from all of them."

"RHONJ" star Margaret Josephs was equally vocal in her support of Andy -- she said point-blank that the father of two "has never offered any 'Housewife’ cocaine.'"

Margaret -- who notably doesn't drink -- adds ... "I am appalled that someone would just go so low to assassinate and target someone’s character in that way.”

Likewise, Cynthia Bailey ...  who appeared on "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" and "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip" -- assured TMZ on Wednesday that she was "never forced" to drink and has definitely "never seen him do blow."

ICYMI ... the 'RHONY' alum hit Andy, as well as Bravo, with a discrimination lawsuit on Tuesday -- claiming the reality TV honcho created a toxic work environment, where AC allegedly used cocaine and encouraged other housewives and Bravolebrities to participate ... giving good TV edits to his favs.

A rep for Andy denied the allegations -- telling TMZ … "The claims against Andy are completely false."

'RHOC's Heather Dubrow and Meghan King have also offered up public support of Andy, applauding him for his professionalism and respect.

Leah isn't the only unhappy ex-housewife, however ... as 'RHOBH' vet Brandi Glanville also recently accused Andy of sexual harassment after he invited her to watch him hook up with another Bravo personality over FaceTime.

Andy hit back at that ... calling the exchange a joke that's been blown out of proportion.

Drew Barrymore's all for leaving the underwear in the dresser drawer ... but she says she's gotta keep her head on a swivel -- 'cause her daughter's got a penchant for pantsing.

The actress/talk show host revealed one of her daughters loves to pull her pants down around the house as a prank ... on account of DB walking around without undies on all the time.

Drew was sitting with her cohost Ross Mathews, 'SNL' star Chloe Fineman and singer Boy George when the question of going commando came up ... and Drew was first to admit she's all for feeling free down there.

And, DB's saying she doesn't just do it if she hasn't gotten to the laundry in a bit ... saying she actually enjoys dressing sans underwear -- a choice so well-known in her household it leads to the pantsing pranks.

Barrymore was quick to add her daughter is only doing it as a joke, and she said she's made it clear to her kid it's only an around-the-house kinda gag -- nothing for mixed company or the outside world.

Drew's got 2 kids with her ex-husband Will Kopelman BTW ... 11-year-old Olive and 9-year-old Frankie -- but, she didn't reveal which one's the little prankster.

She's not even the first celeb this week to cop to domestic nudity -- Bradley Cooper revealed he's always fully exposed at home, and even chats with his daughter while he's on the toilet and she's in the tub.

We're finally at the end of the week here at TMZ -- and finishing strong on our TV shows!

Let's start on 'TMZ Live,' where Harvey and Charles talked about the never-ending war between Kanye and Kim -- with the latest swipe being taken by Ye, who publicly griped about where their 4 children go to school ... calling out the expensive/private one they all attend.

While KW fired away online, we're hearing Kim's fuming angrily behind the scenes.

Moving on over to 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about a huge move in the fact Oprah is stepping down from the board of Weight Watchers -- a partnership she's been in for years.

Some speculate it all has to do with the fact she's on weight-loss drugs now ... although, WW and O are trying to make it seem this uncoupling is very friendly, and very kumbaya.

Lastly, we're on 'TMZ Sports,' where Bacock and Mojo talked Tom Brady's new 40-yard dash.

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

"Love Is Blind" is facing a conspiracy theory that the show is staged after a supposed script was spotted in a scene from season 6 -- but TMZ knows the truth ... and it's all live, baby!

A still shot of contestant Jessica Vestal from earlier this season is making the rounds online -- which shows the single mother with a notebook filled with printed-out text sitting on her lap during a pod date with Jimmy Presnell.

Since the notebook was presented like a regular ol' journal ... fans were quick to speculate that the Netflix reality series might be hiding something -- namely, that the whole thing is staged, to be exact, and that Jess wasn't taking notes but rather ... reading lines.

Despite the rampant speculation, a production source with direct knowledge tells TMZ ... the show is absolutely not scripted, and the printouts in question are merely questions the contestants are provided in case they need some ideas on topics to hit in conversation.

For example, we're told some of these questions seen in the journals could be something like ... "What’s your favorite color," or something else personal to keep the vibes flowing.

Our sources tell us that the prompts you see are simply meant to help the contestants get to know each other. Remember, the 'LIB' contestants initially meet with a wall between them -- so a little assistance isn't wildly unexpected, and that's exactly what this is.

Now, whether the contestants are overselling the notion these are just plain old notebooks to scribble things down in -- when there are clearly things written in there ahead of time for them -- is a different story ... because yes, they most certainly do seem to be playing it up.

The point is, though ... there's no scandal here, and there's no script either. We're told 'Love is Blind' is 100% live reality TV -- and what you see is what you get in terms of interactions.

BTW, this isn't the first time the notebooks have been questioned by viewers.

The journals were actually called out way back in season 3 -- when a similar photo ... this time featuring Cole Barnett -- was posted to X. At the time ... one fan declared they were left with "so many questions" over the journal.

Dr. Phil isn't afraid to voice his concerns about a red flag in the political arena -- and that'd be Joe Biden's apparent difficulty remembering things ... and his cognitive ability at large.

The TV star and medical professional stopped off at "TMZ Live" Thursday to chat about his new book, "We've Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America's Soul and Sanity" -- and the convo eventually turned to Biden's doctor recently claiming he was fit for duty without needing a physical or neurological exam.

He declared this with conviction, despite many public examples of him forgetting basic deets.

Of course, Biden's all-clear raised eyebrows among some -- including Phil ... who tapped into his days practicing in brain, central nervous system, and cognitive ability fields to weigh in on the situation.

With this in mind, he tells us POTUS if didn't have anything to hide regarding his brain power, he would theoretically have no issue undergoing a transparent neurocognitive test.

Biden's memory loss has become prime material for online roasting sessions -- especially among Republicans -- and even Jon Stewart couldn't resist taking a jab at him during his recent "The Daily Show" return to the hosting chair.

In fairness, JS also went after his opponent -- roasting Trump for being unable to remember basic stuff ... which is a pretty crucial trait to have if you're running the country.

Just don't ask Dr. Phil to throw his hat into the presidential ring anytime soon. He tells us he's been approached for the important gig several times, but he just doesn't know enough about politics to take it all seriously. With that said, he is exploring politics more lately.

Rick Harrison's son, Adam Harrison, died from an accidental overdose of fentanyl and methamphetamine ... TMZ has learned.

The Clark County Office of the Coroner/Medical Examiner tells us that the cause of death has been ruled an accident for the "Pawn Stars" personality's son, who died in Las Vegas last month.

TMZ was the first to report Adam's passing ... after a rep for RH shared that Adam had died from a fatal OD. The Harrison family told TMZ shortly after his passing ... "Our family is extremely saddened by the death of Adam. We ask for privacy as we grieve his loss." At the time -- the Las Vegas Metro PD told us they were investigating the case.

As we reported ... Adam was struggling in the days leading up to his death -- with former roommates telling cops that AH was displaying erratic and strange behavior before allegedly barricading himself inside a guest house where he was staying. He reportedly had just been released from jail after serving 3 months behind bars -- although we don't know the cause for his incarceration.

Adam -- one of Rick's three boys -- kept mostly out of the limelight ... having stepped away from helping out at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop. Adam is Rick's kid from his first marriage to ex-wife Kim, with whom he also shares son Corey.

The "Pawn Stars" leading man later welcomed son Jake with his second wife, Tracy. Corey and Jake are regulars on his reality show -- but Adam did not appear on camera.

On losing his son, Rick shared on Instagram, "You will always be in my heart! I love you Adam."

Adam was 39.

Drea de Matteo says when her family hit hard times, they were saved by the most unlikely of heroes ... OnlyFans subscribers who helped pay their bills.

The 'Sopranos' actress sat down for an interview with DailyMail where she revealed she launched the online account back in August because her house was going into foreclosure, and she said she only had about $10 in the bank.

While it might be seen as polarizing for some, DDM credited the subscribers-based site with saving her family ... and she said she's comfortable with anyone judging her because she did what any good mother would do -- sacrifice personal pride for her children.

Drea admitted she wasn't exactly flush with cash at the time ... saying most of her acting career was spent working from paycheck to paycheck despite appearing in 48 episodes of "The Sopranos" ... plus other projects, of course.

But, she says she had enough money to save her home from foreclosure within five minutes of starting her OnlyFans -- for which she charges $15 a month. Honestly, that's incredible.

She's all good on the family front though ... 'cause Drea said she asked her daughters for their blessing before firing up the OF account -- and they said it was totally OK.

As for acting work ... Drea's maintained that speaking out against the COVID-19 vaccine and refusing to get the jab has limited career opportunities in Hollywood, which made starting OnlyFans that much more essential.

But, OF seems to be funding more of Drea's dream ... 'cause she said it gave her the money she needed to start her new clothing brand, Ultrafree -- a new venture she talked about with us earlier this month on "TMZ Live."

Jon Stewart tugged at heartstrings when he tearfully talked about his dog dying, and folks opened up their wallets ... donating 5 figures to the animal shelter he shouted out during the emotional 'Daily Show' segment.

The comedian got emotional Monday, breaking down over the death of Dipper, his Brindle pit bull, and viewers were so moved they started sending money to Animal Haven, the NYC no-kill animal shelter where Jon first met the pup.

Tiffany Lacey, the shelter's executive director, tells TMZ ... Animal Haven has raised almost $25,000 in donations since Jon mentioned the shelter in his tribute to Dipper.

We're told the money's pouring in from more than 500 new donors ... and the funds will help the shelter pay for general care of their animals, plus operating support, vet care, food, staff time, and dog walks.

Remember ... Jon said he got Dipper from Animal Haven about 12 years ago when his kids were raising money for the shelter ... adopting the dog on the spot after being introduced. The pup was missing a leg after being hit by a car in Brooklyn.

Tiffany tells us the wave of donations is coming at just the right time for Animal Haven ... she says the shelter is at full capacity with more than 100 rescue animals in their care, including 3 dog moms who recently gave birth to 20 puppies.

In addition to financial commitments, we're told Jon's monologue has spurred some folks to inquire about adoptions ... and Animal Haven is so grateful for everyone reaching out.

Tiffany says Animal Haven's reached out to Jon too, thanking him and offering their sympathies and condolences as he grieves his beloved companion.

We're almost at the finish line at TMZ, but we're still at it on the topics for our TV shows!

Starting off on 'TMZ Live,' Harvey and Charles discussed this massive crack in the hillside that's formed right underneath Travis Scott's mansion in Brentwood, CA -- which is now starting to affect not only him ... but other neighbors and residents in the area.

Pretty scary stuff, obviously ... but for now, officials are shrugging their shoulders on this.

Heading on over to 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about a battle for the ages -- namely, one between the clothed and the unclothed ... like the one that went down at Venice Beach.

Some medieval weapons seem to have been used ... this is one to remember for sure.

Finally on 'TMZ Sports,' Babcock and Mojo talked Kirk Cousins and his new shiny teeth!

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

Richard Lewis, famous from "Curb Your Enthusiasm," has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The comedian and actor -- who starred opposite Larry David on his hit HBO show -- passed away Tuesday night ... with Bette Midler being one of the first people who noted it Wednesday. She didn't provide much detail, simply writing, "On a sad note, the great Richard Lewis has died."

According to his rep -- he died from a heart attack at his home in L.A.

It's a shocking turn of events for fans of the beloved 'Curb' star -- as he'd been publicly battling with Parkinson's disease lately ... which he announced he'd been diagnosed with last year.

In his announcement, Richard noted that he'd actually planned on retiring from comedy a few years ago due to a number of health issues -- which all culminated with his Parkinson's diagnosis. He said at the time he was okay and was taking the right medication to manage it.

He appeared relatively okay health-wise despite his Parkinson's diagnosis. The disease hadn't reached a point where it was visibly hindering him or his ability to perform, including his recurring role as his fictional self on 'CYE.' It's unclear if his diagnosis played any part in his passing.

Richard was a regular on the long-running series since the beginning ... playing Larry's best friend, with whom he'd often squabble. Of course, Richard was also a decorated comic.

The last time Richard was seen out in public was actually alongside his wife, Joyce Lapinsky. She appeared to be helping him walk -- as they were out and about in Beverly Hills.

He's survived by his wife. Richard was 76.

Multiple stars of the 'Real Housewives' franchise are coming forward to defend Andy Cohen against Leah McSweeney's allegations -- and they're all leaning into the idea each cast member is personally responsible for her actions.

Luann de Lesseps, who costarred with Leah on 'RHONY,' talked to us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" about Leah's lawsuit against Cohen, Bravo, the production company Shed Media, and Warner Bros. ... claiming they took advantage of her alcohol abuse issues.

Leah claims she was encouraged by Cohen and others on and around the show to drink all in the name of creating better content for the program.

Luann, speaking from personal experience, didn't feel that was the case for her ... saying of course alcohol and parties are part of the 'Housewives' world, but no one ever forced her to take up a glass.

In fact, she says she doesn't think anyone can make a person drink, instead believing personal responsibility plays a key part in addiction recovery -- an issue Luann also dealt with while shooting for the show, having gone to rehab multiple times.

As for Leah's allegation Andy does cocaine with the housewives ... Luann says she's never seen or heard about that, and adds it's not in his character.

LDL says she's now in the "driver's seat" with alcohol consumption and touring with a new cabaret show -- and insists you don't have drink to have a good time on 'Housewives.'

She further vouches for Andy, saying she doesn't believe he'd force anyone to drink like Leah's claiming -- a sentiment echoed by another former 'RHONY' star.

Dorinda Medley -- who appeared on the show from 2015 to 2020 -- tells us she feels terrible for Andy, and questions why Leah decided to come back for a second season of 'RHONY' and an 'Ultimate Girls Trip' if she felt so uncomfortable.

Medley added she'd jump at the chance to get back on 'Real Housewives' ... saying she's had nothing but good experiences with Andy and Bravo and she's gained so much by being on the show. She also said adults need to be held accountable for their own actions.

And, a non-New Yorker -- Cynthia Bailey formerly of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" fame -- also stood by Andy, telling us at LAX, she was never forced to drink or ever believed Andy was using cocaine as McSweeney claimed.

CB says she sympathizes with addicts, but adds people who know they have substance abuse problems need to make smart choices -- like turning down cocktails if they know they have a problem

BTW ... another former Bravo star, Brandi Glanville, is also threatening to sue Andy for an inappropriate comment he allegedly made.

It's hump day at TMZ, and while we're only halfway there ... we're going all the way on TV!

Let's start out on 'TMZ Live,' where we talked about yet another lawsuit that's been filed against Diddy -- which is again alleging sexual assault, among various other claims ... all of which he's denied. This time, it's a man who's suing him -- and he's claiming a lot.

While this guy has quite a story to tell, some questions have been raised about the validity of some of his accusations -- and we talked about it all with Harvey and Charles Tuesday.

Over on 'TMZ on TV,' the gang talked about Taylor Swift's latest run-in with paparazzi down under -- only here, it was her father who's alleged to have gotten into a bit of a scuffle.

Taylor's team has insisted it was the paps who were aggressive here, and our team's torn.

Finally, we land on 'TMZ Sports' ... where Babcock and Mojo talked Chuck Liddel!

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

The producers behind the new Wendy Williams documentary are making it clear they would not have filmed the controversial project if they had known the full extent of her health crisis.

As you know, Wendy's dementia diagnosis was made public mere days before her Lifetime doc premiered on Saturday ... highlighting the 59-year-old's intimate struggles with alcohol abuse and a myriad of other health issues.

In the doc, the full extent of Wendy's struggles were revealed ... specifically, that she's dealing with frontotemporal dementia -- which may sound familiar as A-list actor Bruce Willis is also currently suffering from the same disease.

In the wake of the doc airing, there's been backlash against Lifetime/the production company that proceeded with the project -- but now the creative team is defending themselves.

Producer Mark Ford told The Hollywood Reporter ... the original plan was to follow Wendy between August 2022 and April 2023 while she sobered up and launched a new podcast.

Once it became clear, however, that this wasn't the story that was going to be told -- he says they just went with it and saw what they could capture ... but he insists they were never privy to an official medical diagnosis like the one that came down from her team last week.

MF adds, [I]f we had known that Wendy had dementia going into it, no one would’ve rolled a camera."

The original narrative, he says, was scrapped as Wendy's health deteriorated ... prompting concern from the filmmakers. Wendy's son Kevin Hunter Jr. later claimed to the cameras that his mother had "alcohol-induced" dementia -- different than what had been announced ... and well after they were in the thick of production.

And, while Mark is defending that they never would've picked up the cameras if they had known about the TV personality's diagnosis ... he's ultimately pleased that Wendy's temporary guardian Sabrina Morrissey was unsuccessful in blocking the doc's premiere.

Mathew Perry's X account was hacked by scammers trying to pull off a sneaky crypto donation scheme through a fraudulent website ... this according to his foundation.

A link that was recently advertised as directing would-be donors to make contributions to the late actor's foundation actually led them to a copycat site -- but The Matthew Perry Foundation has wasted no time calling out the scam as totally bogus, while gaining control of his socials again.

They wrote on IG Monday ... "We have received reports that Matthew's official X page has been hacked and is directing users to a fraudulent site soliciting donations via cryptocurrency" ... going on to urge people not to fall for the trap by sharing the fake social media post.

They also clarified that MatthewPerryFoundation.org was the only legitimate site associated with the foundation -- and that any others should NOT be trusted or donated to.

As for the scammers behind the fraudulent post, their identity remains a mystery for now ... and it's also not known at this point how many people might've donated through the bunk link and how much they might've lost. The post in question has been taken down from X.

The Matthew Perry Foundation was set up in MP's name to provide support to those battling addiction, a cause that was close to the late actor's heart.

He bravely shared his own struggles with alcohol and opioid addiction, even candidly documenting his own sobriety journey in his 2022 memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing."

TMZ broke the story ... "Friends" star Perry died last October after his assistant found his body floating in a hot tub at his L.A. area home.

Jon Stewart was an emotional wreck on his comedy show this week -- breaking down over the death of his dog ... with a tribute he could hardly get through without sobbing.

The comedian was playing host again on Monday for the 'Daily Show,' and at one point during his time in the chair -- he took a moment to acknowledge the passing of his longtime pooch, Dipper, who he says recently passed away.

Check it out ... it's incredibly sad to watch, as Jon is pretty inconsolable here in front of an audience -- having to stop his train of thought several times as he chokes up and tears up.

He gives the backstory of how Dipper came into his and his family's life -- explaining that they adopted him from a no-kill shelter in NYC called Animal Haven ... and noting that they had a Brindle pit bull in their ranks who'd been hit by a car and who'd lost one of his legs.

That ended up being Jon's family doggo ... and his remembrance here is poignant and moving. As Jon says himself, "In a world of good boys, he was the best."

Unclear how exactly Dipper died, but it sounds like it might've been due to old age. Jon says the dog was ready, but he wasn't -- and that much is clear by how moving this is.

Chris Burke, who has Down Syndrome, is defending Shane Gillis over the comedian's polarizing monologue on "Saturday Night Live" ... he's got no issues with Shane making Down Syndrome jokes.

The "Life Goes On" star tells TMZ ... people with Down Syndrome are just like everybody else and shouldn't be excluded from being joked about by comedians.

Chris, the first actor with Down Syndrome to star in a TV series, says it would actually be more offensive for comedians to exclude people with Down Syndrome from being the subjects of jokes.

Shane spent the majority of his 8-minute monologue poking fun at his family ... including a niece who has Down Syndrome ... and he mostly glossed over the 2019 scandal that got him fired from 'SNL.'

Chris says folks shouldn't pass judgment on Shane here because no one knows how he dealt and coped with having a niece with Down Syndrome. As a result, Chris feels Shane isn't making these jokes out of ignorance.

In fact, Shane's jokes kinda jibe with what Chris is saying.

While some people were naturally turned off by Shane, Chris sees some positives.