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Joe Biden's wife, Jill Biden, should stop insisting on people calling her "Dr." because her doctorate is meaningless ... so argues a writer, who's getting destroyed over his hot take.

Essayist Joseph Epstein penned a bizarre piece for the Wall Street Journal this weekend that's being called sexist, misogynistic, belittling ... and every other name in the book -- and rightly so, because he publicly asks the future First Lady to "drop the doc."

The op-ed is titled "Is There a Doctor in the White House? Not if You Need an M.D." -- and his opening graph is a doozy (in a bad way). Epstein writes, "Madame First Lady -- Mrs. Biden -- Jill -- kiddo: a bit of advice on what may seem like a small but I think is a not unimportant matter. Any chance you might drop the “Dr.” before your name?"

He goes on ... "'Dr. Jill Biden' sounds and feels fraudulent, not to say a touch comic. Your degree is, I believe, an Ed.D., a doctor of education, earned at the University of Delaware through a dissertation with the unpromising title 'Student Retention at the Community College Level: Meeting Students’ Needs.'"

Then the proverbial dagger ... "A wise man once said that no one should call himself 'Dr.' unless he has delivered a child. Think about it, Dr. Jill, and forthwith drop the doc."

Epstein goes on to lay out a theory that folks who get their PhDs and other doctoral degrees in the humanities or social sciences -- and then tack on the "Dr." before their names in correspondence thereafter -- are considered "bush league" in contemporary university circles ... at least from what he's heard.

Not only that, but JE says getting a doctorate degree these days just isn't as hard as it once was -- and, therefore, isn't nearly as prestigious, despite still being hailed as a high achievement. To him, it's pretty darn easy, especially if it's outside the science realm.

He ends his diatribe by saying, "As for your Ed.D., Madame First Lady, hard-earned though it may have been, please consider stowing it, at least in public, at least for now. Forget the small thrill of being Dr. Jill, and settle for the larger thrill of living for the next four years in the best public housing in the world as First Lady Jill Biden."

Regina Hall turned 50 this weekend, but she has NOT lost her sense of humor ... if anything, it's sharper -- and she's leaning into it with an awesome song for her big day.

The actress and comedian rang in the big 5-0 Saturday with a hilarious home video and song she wrote -- in which she gives praise for reaching a life milestone ... and still looking great while doing it -- something RH is well aware of, as you can see.

Regina says her motive for the ditty's pretty simple -- "Because laughter keeps you forever young I wrote a special song for a special Birthday."

The song has the same refrain/hook throughout -- "A bitch is old today," which is sung a cappella style and carried on beat with claps in the background. It looks like Regina had a little help making this, and she shouted out all the cameos on and behind the camera.

Anyway, back to the song. It gets pretty raunchy -- right up Regina's alley -- because at one point she talks about being 50, but also still having good ... uh, well, all the parts still work. And then some.

The video shows you around her home, including her pool and trampoline -- where she bounces around for fun. She's also seen hanging out with some younger gals in bathing suits, who help hit a certain line home about shouting out young "bitches" ... and old ones.

Tommy 'Tiny' Lister's condition in the days before his demise was alarming -- but the guy was confident he'd be taken care of by the man upstairs.

Actor/rapper Chris La Vrar tells TMZ ... he was with Tiny Monday at the 'Friday' star's Marina del Rey home, where Tiny was recording a live stream video session with fans and fielding questions for a Q&A. Part of the convo was posted on social media -- and while you can see Tiny was not well here ... Chris says it was much worse up close in-person.

In the video, you see Tiny struggling to speak and breathe ... much like he had during his interview with Brandon Jay. Only difference here is that Tiny kinda nods off at various points, and his energy and focus are low compared to the rest of the chat room.

Good sport that he was, he did his best to engage with fans as best he could -- but Chris tells us that behind the scenes ... Tiny was startling him. He says the man was coughing nonstop, and when Chris asked if he was okay, 'Tiny' told him he was fine.

We're told Chris pressed to see if he felt like he needed to go to a doctor -- as Chris believed he did -- and Tiny responded ... "No, God's got me." Chris let it go.

BTW, as we reported, Tiny apparently contracted COVID 4 months ago, like many suspected -- Chris tells us it was confirmed, but Tiny believed he'd beaten it and gotten past the symptoms. As we can now see, that was not the case. After hanging out with Tiny for a couple hours and subsequently learning of his death days later -- we're told Chris is now concerned he might have COVID and plans to get tested ASAP.

An Ohio couple says they were brutalized by cops during a simple traffic stop for tinted windows, but the Police Chief says there's way more to this story than the video shows.

It went down in Hamersville, when cops stopped a car driven by a young woman who did not have a license. Her aunt, Tammy Hampton, came with her husband Carl to take the car back home. Police Chief Guy Sutton tells TMZ, Tammy was ordered to stay clear of the car the cops stopped but she defied orders. Tammy says she was cuffed, kicked in the legs and told she was being arrested for resisting.

That's when her 65-year-old husband got involved and things got hot. He told cops, "Get your hands off my wife," and things escalated into a wrestling/punching match. The Chief says his officers took Carl to the ground after he got in the face of one of the officers.

The cop pulled a stun gun, and that's when someone screamed Carl just had heart surgery, so the officer backed off. Carl was taken into custody for obstruction and resisting arrest. Carl suffered a black eye and abrasions, but did not need hospitalization.

Tammy and Carl were not taken to jail because of COVID concerns. They were given citations and released.

Tommy "Tiny" Lister said he was looking forward to taking the COVID vaccine just days before his death, but when you listen to him it's apparent he's got serious symptoms, including labored breathing.

TMZ broke the story ... Lister's body was discovered Thursday ... this after friends and family couldn't reach him the night before. They were worried because he had been ill for a week and it was worsening daily.

During Tiny's interview with Brandon Jay just 5 days before his death, you hear Tiny struggling as he speaks. He was attempting to clear his throat throughout the interview.

Tiny, who wore a mask, told Brandon on his podcast ... he had lots of things to do in life, and was eager to take the shot -- inspired by the 3 ex-presidents who agreed to get vaccinated publicly -- so he could get back to work shooting movies. He had a shoot scheduled this week but had to cancel it because of illness.

Tiny apparently had COVID 4 months ago. It's unclear if he was re-infected or if the virus hadn't left his body.

He was truly optimistic about the future, saying he planned to spend Xmas watching basketball and spending time with his daughter, Faith.

The woman who plowed into a half dozen protesters on the streets of New York says she was in fear for her life after protesters screamed, "White privilege, Bitch!" and started pounding on her car.

Kathleen Casillo was driving her BMW with her 29-year-old daughter in NYC Friday when she stopped at a light where protesters were gathered demonstrating against ICE. She says they started banging on her car and pulling the door handles to get inside. She says she feared for her and her daughter's lives, saying images from news reports of drivers being pulled from their cars and beaten flashed before her eyes.

The 52-year-old woman says she floored it in fear, and doesn't even remember hitting anyone.

Hit people she did ... 6 to be exact, who were propelled into the air like rag dolls. All 6 suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

It sounds crazy and undoable, but there are plans to colonize the Moon, and frankly, it looks kinda awesome.

Here's the thing. NASA is promising 2 astronauts -- a man and a woman -- will hurl to the Moon by 2024. Part of the mission is to study colonization of the Moon, using lunar materials to build structures where astronauts could live and study the surface and atmosphere.

The cylinders in the photo would protect astronauts from radiation and below zero temps. They would be built with regolith, which is a fancy term for lunar dirt. Scientists believe the regolith could be used to create bricks, which harden under the heat of the Sun.

As for breathable air ... the crater where the colony would sit contains ice, which contains oxygen and hydrogen.

Scientists are calling the colony "Moon Village." NASA is thinking of using the Moon as home base to launch astronauts to Mars ... as early as the next decade.

None of this could be accomplished without power ... but solar panels reflecting the Sun's heat would do the trick.

Dylan Scott was fatally shot in his car by a Florida police officer who tried for several minutes to get him to cooperate, but Scott's mother thinks the cop could have done more to save her son.

Pennie Kendrick tells TMZ ... even though Dylan refused to comply with the officer's orders, she believes other tactics -- such as tasing him -- should have been used instead of a gun.

Kendrick says they didn't have to kill him, and she's especially upset because she claims the cops knew her son was suicidal so they should have handled the situation differently.

As we reported ... Scott's mother called the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office in July when he was wanted for burglary, saying her son left a note that he wanted to die by suicide by cop. She says at the time she urged cops not to shoot him given the circumstances ... and they were able to peacefully arrest him back then for outstanding warrants.

Kendrick claims his time behind bars left him traumatized -- she says he was beaten by other inmates and didn't complete his addiction treatment.

She tells us all this led to more problems, and ultimately he became broke and was living in his car. Scott's mother believes the reason he didn't comply with the officer is that he was scared to death ... but she thinks he would have peacefully surrendered.

Now that the vaccine is about to roll out, the question is -- how many takers will there be? Also, the fact Congress didn't help millions of Americans didn't stop some members from having a lavish, Xmas White House shindig. So, we gotta ask ...

If Tommy "Tiny" Lister died from COVID-19 -- as people close to him suspect -- it would have been his second bout with it, because TMZ's learned he fought it off months before his death.

The "Friday" star's rep, Cindy Cowan, tells TMZ ... "Tiny" tested positive around 4 months ago. He had many of the common symptoms ... he felt lethargic and struggled breathing, but his diabetes also made him high risk. She says he wasn't hospitalized but quarantined at home.

Fast forward to December 3 ... Cindy tells us Tommy was supposed to visit her home, but instead, he called and informed her he was feeling those painfully familiar COVID symptoms again.

She says he felt it was probably best for him NOT to enter her home out of fear of spreading whatever he had. Tommy's cause of death has not yet been determined ... but we've learned he feared he had contracted the coronavirus again.

TMZ broke the story ... Tommy sadly died the following week after the L.A. County Sheriff's Department conducted a welfare check and found him dead. Friends had been concerned when they hadn't heard from him since Wednesday night.

Tommy had been feeling so ill ... he was forced to cancel his first day of filming Sunday for a new movie with Sam Worthington. He also canceled a Zoom panel Tuesday.

He'd recently told Cowan he wanted to be one of the first in line to get the vaccine when it rolls out later this month. He just wanted things to go back to normal as much as possible ... and spend time with his daughter, Faith.

At this moment, it's unclear what funeral arrangements will be made, but look for some sort of celebration of life in early January, if possible.

Don't let these two almost identical images of Doja Cat have you starting to feel blue ... Cheer yourself up by proving that you have what it takes to spot the sneaky switches that have been made to this tricky pic!

The singer was recently seen at an award show celebrating her win ... And we have made a few changes to the pic! Put your detective skills to the test and get a good look around these two photos! Try your best to find the differences between these two super similar snaps!

"[Conor McGregor] is one of the greatest fighters on Earth right now. He shouldn't be fighting kids that have f**king YouTube videos."

That's Dana White stomping all over Jake Paul's dream of fighting Conor McGregor -- telling TMZ Sports there's a "zero percent" chance that fight ever happens.

Remember, Jake Paul called out Conor McGregor after knocking  Nate Robinson out cold in the 2nd round of their Nov. 28 boxing match.

Jake later told TMZ Sports his team reached out to Conor's manager to begin talks about a possible fight -- and added, "I'm going in there to f**k Conor McGregor up."

And, with Jake's big bro, Logan Paul, scoring a boxing exhibition with Floyd Mayweather, seems anything's possible these days.

While Dana says he applauds both Paul bros for "injecting themselves into the fight world" ... he makes it pretty clear when it comes to fighting skill, they're not even on the same planet as Conor and Floyd.

"There's a market for these kinda fights. It's just not what I do," White says.

"There will be a day when Conor McGregor could do these types of fights and make a bunch of money," White adds ... but it ain't happening any time soon.

Johnny Manziel may not be done with pro football after all -- he's in "serious talks" to join a new league, TMZ Sports has learned.

We're told the 28-year-old is close to inking a deal with the new "Fan Controlled Football" league, which is set to debut in Feb. 2021.

FYI, the FCF is an arena football-style league consisting of 4 teams where almost everything -- including the play calls -- is picked by the fans.

So far, HUGE names like Quavo, Mike Tyson and Marshawn Lynch have all signed on to be team owners and the league has a deal for the games to stream live on Twitch.

Our sources tells us Manziel is currently in talks with comedian Bob Menery -- who co-owns the Zappers team with Mets pitcher Trevor May.

Obviously, it'd be a huge get for the league ... Manziel was one of the most electric college football players EVER -- and was a former Browns first-round pick in 2014. He also brought viewers to the TV in record numbers during his stint in the Canadian Football League.

But, Manziel hasn't played ball since 2019 -- and just a few months ago, he told TMZ Sports he was officially retired from football and moving on with his life.

Manziel apparently had a change of heart -- hey, he's allowed -- and this week, even posted about the opportunity on social media.

"Currently the starting QB of [Bob Menery's Zappers]. Time to tear old town down in my owners honor."

Getcha popcorn ready!

Winter weather has brought a chill over Hollywood and these cool babes are ready for the change in temps by breaking out their hot sweaters!

From knits to button-downs, there's a couple of ways these sexy stars are preppin' to keep warm ... And they're covering up just enough to still keep things hot!

Cozy up to these cuties by scrolling through our gallery of babes in big sweaters ... And while you are taking a look at all of these photos, see if you have what it takes to guess which lovely lady is all snug in the snap!

The youth football coach who smacked a 9-year-old player TWICE will be hit with child abuse charges, prosecutors announced.

"The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office along with our local state attorney’s office have reviewed this case and the decision has been made that charges for child abuse will be filed, regardless of parent’s decision not to press charges," Maj. Jacob Ruiz said.

"The actions of this person are despicable and there is zero-tolerance when it comes to the abuse of a child."

As we first reported, law enforcement already launched a child abuse investigation into Gerrell Williams over the Dec. 7 incident that took place at a youth football event in Kissimmee, Florida.

During the course of the investigation, officers spoke with the victim's mother who said she did NOT want to move forward with criminal charges against Williams.

It can be tough for prosecutors to get a conviction without a cooperating victim -- but in this case, officials feel the video and witnesses will be enough to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Williams was fired from his job as a counselor at the Chatham County Sheriff's Office detention center as a result of his actions in the video.

He later issued a video apology -- in which he admits to smacking the child and says, "I’m gonna apologize for my actions."