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Whoopi Goldberg set up a pretty awkward moment on "The View" ... asking former White House staffer Alyssa Farah if she was pregnant while live on television.

The bizarre moment went down Thursday -- Whoopi was deep in a conversation about a completely different topic when she abruptly changed gears, asking the former Press Secretary if she was pregnant.

The question seemed to come out of left field, and it dropped Alyssa's jaw, telling Whoopi she wasn't pregnant. BTW, Alyssa's been married to Justin Griffin since 2021.

She says her mother-in-law was in the crowd, so it ain't the best time to bring that up ... and eventually asks what most women would after a Q like that -- "Do I look pregnant??" As if it wasn't awkward enough, Whoopi replies, "Yes."

For the record, Whoopi claims it was more about a glow she saw with Alyssa, and never clarifies if she meant a stomach bump ... but asks for some forgiveness for the wild call-out.

As we reported, Whoopi's caught flack over the years for comments made on the show -- she got suspended last year after saying the Holocaust wasn't about race. She doubled down on her views months later, only to apologize again not long after.

Sylvester Stallone is just like one of The Beatles ... at least, when in Rome, because he was completely bombarded by a sea of fans while on a trip with his family.

The "Rocky" star was met with hundreds of folks while spending time overseas. The actor was visiting with his wife, Jennifer Flavin, and their 3 daughters -- and the whole fam got a security detail that was workin' hard to keep them safe.

Sly's fiasco is a sight ya rarely see these days ... so the crazy scene is one we're sure his whole family won't soon forget.

As we reported, Sylvester was touring Vatican City last week when he got the opportunity to meet Pope Francis -- someone who ended up being a big fan of Sly's work!

The 2 even did a bit of shadowboxing together during their brief exchange ... clearly a pretty awesome moment for both of them.

Hunter Biden has just been indicted on gun charges ... and his alleged drug use is a factor in the case.

Federal prosecutors in Delaware indicted President Biden's son on three counts related to gun possession while using narcotics ... according to court documents.

Hunter is charged with one count of False Statement in Purchase of a Firearm, one count of False Statement Related to Information Required to be Kept By Federal Firearms Licensed Dealer, and one count of Possession of a Firearm by a Person who is an Unlawful User of or Addicted to a Controlled Substance.

HB is accused of filing a form claiming he was not using illegal drugs in October 2018 when he bought a Colt Cobra revolver ... and of being in possession of a gun while using narcotics.

The indictment comes after Hunter's plea deal on tax and gun charges imploded back in July ... and the charges are being brought as House Republicans continue to investigate Hunter's finances.

A Girl Scout troop in Texas had to swim for their lives on a recent camping trip ... when a 14-foot alligator emerged from the depths while the kids were playing in a lake.

Terrifying video shows the massive gator rising to the surface and charging towards the girls, who start screaming as horrified onlookers note the size of the reptile.

Adults rushed to try to get the girls out of the water and on to shore ... with some of the scouts jumping from a dock and desperately swimming to safety.

One of the scouts, 11-year-old Ava Miller told KPRC news in Houston ... "I was thinking, this is the day I die. It was moving faster than us or about the same."

The scary incident happened in Lake Raven at Huntsville State Park in Huntsville, Texas ... forcing the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to close the swimming area.

We've seen other alligator and human interactions end up with lost limbs ... but fortunately, no one was hurt here.

Ciara and Future share a child, legally and biologically speaking, but, if you ask her about his style of co-parenting ... be ready for side-splitting, nonstop laughter!!!

That's exactly what happened when Thembi of The Shade Room closed their interview by asking Ciara about how she and Future co-parent their 9-year-old son Future Zahir.

The question was an instant humor injection for Ciara -- but, for a moment, it seemed as if she was actually going to answer the question ... until she just erupted in more laughter, and then the giggles got the best of her and Thembi.

Of course, Future's been taking shots at Ciara's husband Russell Wilson in his music for years ... most recently in July when he lyrically tackled the QB on Quavo’s “Turn Yo Clic Up” with the bars, “I got it out the field/F*** Russell.”

So, Ciara's laughter could be seen as a tame, but hilarious, response to Future's lyrical jabs

Ciara and Russell are currently expecting their 3rd child together, sure to be a joyous occasion for the couple.

"All I can say is it’s been quite a party!"

That's bull riding champion J.B. Mauney ... who is retiring at the age of 36 after breaking his neck in a scary accident during a recent competition.

The accident happened over the weekend at the PRCA ProRodeo event in Lewiston, Idaho ...  and it was bad. J.B. was tossed from a bucking bull, and he landed right on his head/neck.

"I underwent surgery [at St. Joseph Regional Medical] on my neck which required a rod/plates/screws and the removal of a disc. Surgery went great," Mauney revealed on social media.

The 2x World Champion continued ... "Unfortunately with the surgery it ended my bullriding career, just wanted to let everyone know that I’m ok and now on the road to recovery!

J.B. also thanked the medical professionals who helped care for him.

As word spread that Mauney was hanging up his boots, stars from the sport have started reacting, from fellow cowboys to fans and even the Professional Bull Riders (PBR).

"The sport of bull riding will never be the same. Thank you for the countless memories and unforgettable moments!", the PBR said on Instagram.

Parker McCollum, country music star and bull riding fan, commented on Mauney's retirement post, writing a short and sweet message -- "The GOAT!"

Fellow rider Cody Nance also reacted, writing ... "Been great riding all these years with ya champ. You’ve inspired me and many others. I’m blessed for it. Enjoy your retirement and your beautiful family bro. It’s been a pleasure🔥👊🏼🔥"

*NSYNC fans are finally getting a taste of the group's brand new song that has all 5 guys joining forces in the studio to lay down a track for the new 'Trolls' flick.

The group's song is called "Better Place," and it's teased near the end of the latest trailer for "Trolls Band Together." It dropped Wednesday night, giving folks a glimpse of what's likely to become a new hit ... especially because they last recorded a song in 2002.

The movie, led by Justin Timberlake's character, is all about getting his former boy band back together, so *NSYNC obviously was a perfect choice. Their 1997 song, "I Want You Back," can also be heard in the new trailer.

Justin Timberlake, Joey Fatone, JC Chasez, Lance Bass, and Chris Kirkpatrick, all hinted at their song earlier in the day -- lip-syncing to a "Friends" scene about a big secret they can't spill.

Remember, TMZ confirmed rumors the group was jumping back in the studio to record a track for the new movie ... but we were told they don't have any plans to come out with a whole album or go on tour.

You'll recall, *NSYNC whipped fans into a frenzy Tuesday night at the MTV VMAs, where they appeared onstage to present the Best Pop Video award -- which went to Taylor Swift, who was fangirling to the max over the gang's reunion.

Folks wanting to hear the full track will have to wait until September 29, but portions of it are popping up on TikTok ... that's gonna have to satisfy the die-hards, for now!!!

Do you think *NSYNC should release a new album? Let us know by voting in our game below.

A couple of TSA agents were caught on video stealing money from passengers' luggage at a security checkpoint -- and now both are under arrest!!

The sticky-fingered suspects, Labarrius Williams and Josue Gonzalez, were on duty scoping out bags being scanned in Miami International Airport in late June and early July.

On both occasions, the Transportation Security Administration agents worked in tandem to snatch money from carry-ons stashed in bins on a conveyer belt, according to a police affidavit.

Check out the surveillance footage ... Williams and Gonzalez are standing at the carousel, using it to loot cash from a constant stream of other people's personal belongings. You can see the men stuffing their hands into the bags and shoving the bills into their pockets.

Former child star Austin Majors' tragic fentanyl overdose occurred while he was in transitional housing ... and officials say there was evidence of drug use found at the scene.

According to the coroner's report, obtained by TMZ, security at the facility where 27-year-old Majors was staying did a bed check around 9:30 PM on February 11, but he didn't answer. When they entered the room they found him unresponsive in his bed.

The report notes Austin was seen getting food hours earlier as he walked around the facility -- which provides temporary shelter for the unhoused.

The report also mentions security found 2 rolled up dollar bills, foil with a white crystal-like powder, pills and a shot glass with white powder residue. Cops collected all the items as part of the death investigation.

TMZ broke the story, the former actor's autopsy results -- released last month -- revealed his death was attributed to an accidental fentanyl overdose.

Howie Mandel is clearly a fan of the TMZ Celebrity Tour -- his shirt says it all -- but he's figured out a way to streamline the operation to just 45 seconds!

Howie was arriving at the 'AGT' shoot Wednesday in Pasadena, with a shirt emblazoned with the logo for our 2-hour show on wheels.

A  photog asked why he was wearing the TMZ Tee ... and by the look on his face he was a bit incredulous. For Howie, it was obvious. The comedian launched into his tour guide schtick.

Enter a woman who happened to be passing by ... Howie wrangled her to take the tour, though imploring her to keep her distance ... he is, after all, a renowned germaphobe.

You gotta watch the vid ... stupid us, we've been using buses for 10 years -- very comfy we might add -- but Howie figured out a way for normies to take the tour in just seconds.

Sean Penn went nuclear on Will Smith and the Oscars, wondering why he went to jail for assault while Smith got nothing but applause after assaulting Chris Rock.

Penn is still hot under the collar that Volodymyr Zelensky was not allowed to appear at the 2022 Oscars ceremony.

Penn angrily told Variety ... “The Oscars producer thought, ‘Oh, he’s [Zelensky's] not light-hearted enough.’ Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith!. I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once. He seemed very nice when I met him. He was so f***ing good in ‘King Richard."

And then, Sean delivered the punch ...  "So why the f*** did you just spit on yourself and everybody else with this stupid f***ing thing? Why did I go to f***ing jail for what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? Why are you guys standing and applauding his worst moment as a person?”

Penn is referring to his 1987 conviction for attacking an extra on the set of "Colors," for which he served 33 days in jail.

Sean thinks had Zelensky appeared at the Oscars, the tone would have been different and Smith wouldn't have dared to cross the line ...“This f***ing bulls*** wouldn’t have happened with Zelensky. Will Smith would never have left that chair to be part of stupid violence. It never would have happened.”

Sean was so distraught, he wanted to destroy his Oscars, saying "I thought, well, f*** it, you know? I'll give them to Ukraine. They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians."

Penn ended up presenting Zelensky with his own Oscars while on a visit in November 2022. In turn, Penn was presented with the Order of Merit by Zelensky.

Desperate times call for desperate measures amid the ongoing actors' and writers' strike ... celebs are auctioning off their time to help the union rank and file survive.

A collection of eBay listings have gone live, all from the Union Solidarity Coalition -- a group of actors and writers who "were moved to connect with crew" as the Hollywood shutdown continues with no end in sight.

Maggie Gyllenhaal and Sarah Silverman are both offering up "20 Mins and 20 Questions" for the highest bidder, and Natasha Lyonne is giving a lucky fan the chance to let her help them "Solve the New York Times Sunday Crossword." BTW, it's already crossed $2k.

You can hang out (virtually) with the cast of "Bones" or "New Girl," get a watercolor portrait of your dog from John Lithgow, and have Adam Scott walk your pets! Bob Odenkirk and David Cross are even offering an in-person dinner for L.A. and New York folks.

There's also the chance to get signed memorabilia from flicks like "Star Wars," "Knives Out," "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure," "Stranger Things," "The Bear," and more.

The cash earned is going to IATSE and Teamster members who aren't able to qualify for health insurance as work remains practically nonexistent for thousands of crew members.

The auctions come at a time when it appears the strike is breaking at the seams -- Drew Barrymore brought her daytime talk show back while the shutdown remains in effect, along with "The Talk," "The View," and "The Jennifer Hudson Show."

Beyoncé is still in the middle of her hugely successful "Renaissance" tour, but that didn't stop her from taking a little break to get some serious privacy to celebrate her birthday.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ the singer rented out a spot called Mermaid Bay -- a string of 11 villas located within The Brando, a private island resort for the ultra-rich in French Polynesia.

Our sources say Beyoncé and crew arrived at the property September 5, and stayed at least through Friday the 8th ... with adults and kids all in tow.

As for her accommodations, we're told Beyoncé and Jay-Z stayed in the Bay's main residence -- a 4-bedroom villa that goes for around $20K per night -- and the rest of their group stayed among the 10 other villas ... which have 1, 2 and 3 bedroom options.

Of course, Beyoncé's actual birthday was September 4, and she celebrated it with Diana Ross and about 70,000 fans -- so the private island retreat looks like the perfect destination to unwind before taking on her 42nd year.

Pennsylvania prison escapee Danelo Cavalcante kept himself alive and under the radar during his two weeks on the lam by scarfing down fruit and drinking water from creeks -- while hiding his poop to avoid detection.

Cavalcante gave investigators a window into his method of survival for 14 days in the forest after he was nabbed Wednesday by a large contingent of police officers and federal marshals in rural Chester County.

The convicted murderer said he stayed out of sight by primarily moving around at night, burying himself under thick brush and covering his poop with leaves, according to Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshall Robert Clark, who was involved in the manhunt.

Clark appeared on Chris Cuomo's NewsNation show Wednesday night, saying Cavalcante had a few close calls with officers, who almost stepped on him while he was under the thickets. In fact, the tactical team was only 7-to-8 yards away from Cavalcante on three occasions.

What's more, Cavalcante hung around the same area for several days, scarfing down watermelons from a farm and drinking water from streams.

In late August, Cavalcante broke out of Chester County Prison, scaling a wall and climbing over razor wire before dashing across a roof and jumping to the ground below to make his escape. A fugitive task force searched high and low for him as Pennsylvania was gripped with fear.

Bill Maher's talk show is coming back to HBO ... he says he can't keep waiting around for the writers' strike to end and wants to get other folks back to earning a paycheck.

The "Real Time with Bill Maher" host announced his program's return Wednesday in a social media post ...  he doesn't say when the show will air but says it will have a different look without writers.

Bill, a writer himself, says he sympathizes with striking writers' "important issues ... and hope they are addressed to their satisfaction" ... but he says after 5 months on strike it's time to bring others back to work.

As he explains ... writers "are not the only people with issues, problems, and concerns. Despite some assistance from me, much of the staff is struggling mightily."

Bill's been outspoken about the strike recently, even calling for California Governor Gavin Newsom to step in and help end the stalemate.

Bill says he was hoping the strike would end after Labor Day, but that's since passed and he feels "there still seems to be nothing happening."

He adds ... "I love my writers, I am one of them, but I'm not prepared to lose an entire year and see so many below-the-line people suffer so much."

Bill says he will honor the "spirit of the strike" by doing away with a written monologue, desk piece, editorial or his popular New Rules segment ... all of which leaned on writers in past seasons.

The HBO star has a message for the audience too ... "The show I will be doing without my writers will not be as good as our normal show, full stop. But the heart of the show is an off-the-cuff panel discussion that aims to cut through the bulls*** and predictable partisanship, and that will continue."

It will be interesting to see how writers' guilds react to Bill's plan ... at least one guild effectively labeled Drew Barrymore a scab for bringing her talk show back amid the strike.

The show returns to HBO September 22.

Lisa Ling's not an extraterrestrial believer ... at least when it comes to the notion that the discovery of alien life might be the one thing to band all humans together.

We got Lisa at LAX and our photog asked her about the alleged alien corpses that were recently displayed during a UFO briefing for the Mexican government.

Lisa doesn't buy the idea human beings will unite as one if we are ever faced with irrefutable evidence of extraterrestrial lifeforms, and actually, it sounds like she thinks the opposite would unfold.

Basically, Lisa says our poor track record with animal extinctions on our planet means we will treat aliens like crap too ... and become even more divided.

Lisa's view jibes with what Neil deGrasse Tyson recently told us ... they're both predicting the discovery of alien life would not be some big kumbaya moment for all Earthlings.

While there seems to be mounting evidence we're not alone in the universe, Lisa's more focused on repairing our existing relationships with other terrestrial species we already interact with on the daily.