Awards / Awards Shows

Jennifer Coolidge gave a tearful speech accepting SAG's Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor award for "White Lotus," confessing a lie her otherwise honest father once told was the inspiration for her career.

JC is collecting more hardware than ACE this year, and each time she wins she gives a memorable speech, and this was no exception.

The 61-year-old explained how her parents were honest to a fault ... she was sobbing so hard, it was hard to know where the story was going. But she explained her dad told a lie that proved to be life-changing for her.

It was simple ... telling the school principal she was ill when she was not. The purpose ... her dad wanted Jen to experience the Charlie Chaplin film festival, and, as she said, "I swear to God, seeing Charlie Chaplin for the first time, and having that experience - it's my love of film, it's my love of actors, all of that came from my first grade."

Christina Applegate was a standout at the SAG Awards Sunday ... not because of her nomination --- but because of her courage.

The awesome actress -- if you have any doubts, watch "Dead to Me" -- is dealing with her multiple sclerosis diagnosis, and showed up with a cane with a powerful message.

As she entered the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, CA with her 12-year-old daughter Sadie, she was clutching a cane with the initials, "FU MS."

Christina was up for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series ... she said earlier this month it likely would be "my last awards show as an actor probably, so it's kind of a big deal."

As we reported, Christina revealed her multiple sclerosis diagnosis back in 2021 ... calling it a "strange journey," but one she's on with the support of others that share her condition.

She also dragged the disease late last year when she got her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame -- flashing her painted nails with "FU MS" emblazoned on them.

Unfortunately, Christina didn't take home gold at the SAG Awards, but the outpouring of support she's been receiving has been heartwarming.

This year's SAG Awards ceremony was big -- not just for the winners and, of course, movie and TV fans ... but for all the nominees and presenters who had the most fun away from the broadcast's cameras!

It was a who's who at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City, CA Sunday night ... with the likes of Brendan Fraser, Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jennifer Coolidge and many more showing up for their nominations -- some of whom left with new hardware.

James Marsden was all smiles backstage at the prestigious event ... the "Dead to Me" actor presented the award with Jenny Slate for Drama Series Ensemble, going to "The White Lotus."

Cara Delevingne, Aubrey Plaza and Ariana DeBose were quite the gal pals during the commercial breaks -- and Aubrey joined her "White Lotus" cast later in the night, winning the Drama Series Ensemble award.

For celebs, the fun was just starting when the show ended -- a huge crowd stuck around for People's after-party Gala with big names like Tobey Maguire, Quinta Brunson, and Laura Linney hangin' out through the night.

Jamie Lee Curtis is among the many celebs lately who've caught flak for being a "nepo baby" -- but she said to hell with that after her big win ... one selected by actors for actors.

The legendary star got picked for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the SAG Awards Sunday ... which clearly took her by surprise, but which she handled with gusto and grace in her acceptance speech, coming straight from the heart and chock-full of emotion.

Check out the moment from start to finish, because it was something else. Jamie plants a kiss on her "Everything Everywhere All at Once" costar, Michelle Yeoh, and trotted onstage to a huge standing O.

Her speech itself was also pretty memorable ... with JLC invoking her parents' immigrant heritage and their rise in the Hollywood ranks as actors themselves -- which eventually led her to say, "I know you look at me and think 'Nepo baby,' and I totally get it!"

But she finished with a heartfelt sentiment, adding ... "But I'm 64 years old and this is just amazing." In other words, she's happy to be working as an actor and loves the job -- regardless of how she got there ... that seems to be her takeaway message here.

Say what you want about advantages, but Jamie is totally deserving in her own right. Yes, she's a Nepo Baby ... and no, we don't care. If it means more Jamie Lee -- so be it!

The folks over at the Oscars have gone all "Zero Dark Thirty" ... creating a "crisis team" in case someone goes all Will Smith during the ceremony. Thing is ... what the hell will they do?

According to Academy honchos, "We have a whole crisis team, something we've never had before, and many plans in place. We've run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen."

The idea is that the crisis team can quickly assemble and decide what action they'll take if someone or something gets out of hand.

It seems the idea might be to yank someone off the stage or boot them from the auditorium if they do something really untoward. As a matter of fact, the Prez of the Academy recently expressed regret her org didn't take some sort of action when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock.

We're guessing the idea might be to order Will out of the building quickly ... it was super embarrassing the Academy let Will ride out the show, and accept an Oscar to the applause of many.

But here's the deal ... these moments happen quickly, and to expect a committee of any sort to reach a decision in minutes or, more appropriately, seconds during a live TV broadcast is a giant stretch.

Hollywood's biggest names took a trip across the pond for this year's BAFTA Awards ... and some of the stars aligned at Netflix's after-party for one exciting night.

It was a who's who of celebs at the Sunday night shindig -- Jamie Foxx, Florence Pugh, Ana de Armas, Winnie Harlow, Lisa Rinna and Eddie Redmayne were just a few of the many in attendance.

Rami Malek snapped a pic with "Elvis" star Austin Butler ... who took home gold earlier in the night for Best Lead Actor -- shutting out the likes of Brendan Fraser and Colin Farrell. As we reported, Austin gave a major shout-out to the Presley family during his speech.

It was a big night at the BAFTAs ... stars like Cate Blanchett and Guillermo del Toro won in their categories, while Netflix's "All Quiet On the Western Front" clearly dominated -- taking home 7 awards, including Best Film and Edward Berger for Best Director.

"The Banshees of Inisherin" star Barry Keoghan also grabbed a W for Best Supporting Actor -- something fans of the flick have been waiting for since seeing his heartbreaking work.

Prince William and Kate Middleton also showed up to the award ceremony at the Royal Festival Hall in London ... giving the night a true dose of royalty.

Patrick Mahomes may have needed to slow down on the Coors Lights just a tad during the Chiefs' Super Bowl parade on Wednesday ... because he passed off the Lombardi Trophy to a fan -- and then obliviously left it!!

The hilarious blunder was all captured on video as the K.C. star was mingling with Chiefs supporters at the celebration.

You can see in the footage, the quarterback -- holding a beer and appearing to be just a bit tipsy -- was taking selfies ... when he let a fan hold Kansas City's newest hardware.

The problem? After he passed over the trophy -- he walked away, forgetting to take it back!!

Of course, the Chiefs were able to pick up after their QB right away, retrieving the Lombardi before it strayed too far ... but the entire scene was laugh-out-loud funny.

K.C. players went on to have a helluva time at the party -- and so did Mahomes' mom, Randi!!

She posted a video Wednesday showing her having a little dance-off with "Modern Family" star Eric Stonestreet ... and loving every minute of it.

NLE Choppa checked off a bucket list item ... wrapping up a music video shoot with his idol Lil Wayne, and the young rap star didn't hold back his gratitude for the icon while on set!!!

Wayne was recently honored by the Recording Academy ahead of his "Tha Carter VI" album rollout ... but NLE surprised the Young Money CEO on the set of their “Ain’t Gonna Answer” collab with a bouquet of roses and a heartfelt letter breaking down Weezy F. Baby's significance to him.

NLE explained he didn't want to wait for calendar anniversaries and gifted Wayne with the impromptu gesture ... earning quite the cosign as appreciative Wayne told everyone around NLE is an inspiration for his generation.

NLE also brought up Wayne when we spoke to him about honoring his fellow Memphis native Tyre Nichols ... who was fatally beaten by police officers in January.

NLE is in the process of creating a skate foundation for Tyre, and noted Wayne's a pioneering skateboarding rapper who could teach him a few things.

Swae Lee isn't validating Billboard's Top 50 rapper list for obvious reasons -- it's missing his and Rae Sremmurd's names, and that makes him suspect of the whole damn thing!!!

We caught Swae out in Glendale, AZ during the Super Bowl party blitz and he was hot at Billboard's omission, although he agreed with Jay-Z's spot at No. 1.

He explains his success as a rap star should've qualified him for a spot ... and he makes a decent point.

Swae Lee has 2 Diamond (sales of 10 million) tracks to his name ... "Unforgettable" with French Montana and "Sunflower" with Post Malone, and seeing as Billboard's whole deal is compiling stats and numbers, that should've counted for something, eh?

While Swae and Slim Jxmmi rank high amongst Gen-Z legends, their opinions don't differ much from one of rap's true pioneers Ice Cube ... who also unloaded on the list to TMZ Hip Hop last week.

As Cube sees things, Billboard doesn't have enough credentials to speak on hip hop culture, and couldn't be reasoned with once he realized his Mt. Westmore co-star Too $hort was left off the list!!!

Bill Bellamy thinks the Grammys have a diversity problem in their voting ranks, and that's why -- as he sees it -- their final ballots on the major categories rarely match up with public opinion.

The "Top Billin'" podcast host and comedian was out in West Hollywood when we polled him on the recent Grammy controversy over Song of the Year.

Bonnie Raitt's "Just Like That" beat out some pretty hefty competition such as Beyoncé’s  "Break My Soul," Harry Styles' "As It Was," Kendrick Lamar’s "The Heart Part 5" ... and surprised even the veteran blues-rock singer herself!!!

The song was indisputably the least-known song on the list, and Bill says it should be a no-brainer for one of the more well-known tracks to take home the award.

He brings up how a band like Journey can unite all people with their great song -- and we're assuming he's referring to their iconic track "Don't Stop Believin'" ... which, BTW, was not nominated for a Grammy back in 1981.

Bill was also displeased with the Grammys' 50th-anniversary hip hop tribute ... noting the lack of West Coast artists, in addition to missing many female rap greats such as MC Lyte, Da Brat, Foxy Brown and Lil Kim -- a sentiment Lola Brooke literally just shared with us.

Despite Questlove's best efforts, Bill says hip hop history cannot be condensed or covered in 2 minutes and they should've made room for a Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre set, T.I., 8Ball & MJG ... or nixed the idea altogether!!!

Fat Joe feels similar to Bill, having gone on yet another rant earlier this week about losing his 2018 Grammy to Chance the Rapper.

Joe and Remy Ma's "All The Way Up" was the more popular record on the Billboard Charts, but still lost out to Chance's "No Problem" -- a song Joe maintains the world doesn't remember to this day.

According to Billboard, Ice Cube is the 18th greatest rapper of all time ... but the Don Mega doesn't have a f**k to give the publication!!!

We caught up with Cube at LAX, and he couldn't be more UNimpressed with his placement at #18 on the list ... dismissing Billboard's hip hop authority as a staff, chart and magazine!!!

Billboard released the final rollout of its list on Thursday, ranking Jay-Z at #1 and featuring Eminem, Drake and Nicki Minaj amongst the top 10 ... but Cube still didn't care.

Cube dismissed the BB editors even further for snubbing his Mount Westmore bandmate Too $hort altogether -- while the rest of the group, Snoop Dogg and E-40, did make the rankings.

The N.W.A pioneer has never been one to bite his tongue when it comes to critics, and he told us all these silly lists "are like a**holes: they all got one and they all stink."

Cube says he'll stick to his own list. Check out the vid to see where he ranks himself!

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was NOT pissed off LeBron James broke his all-time scoring record, despite what many basketball fans have said, according to Cap's close friend, teammate, and fellow Lakers great James Worthy, who tells TMZ Sports his buddy handled the situation with grace.

Of course, 38-year-old James toppled KAJ's near-long-held record (nearly 4 decades) ... and 75-year-old Abdul-Jabbar was on hand, sitting in the first row, to watch history in the making.

However, many NBA fans commented on Kareem's demeanor, noting the 19x NBA All-Star looked unhappy to be there.

So, we asked Worthy, a 3x NBA champion who was sitting with Abdul-Jabbar Wednesday night, if Kareem was bothered Bron broke his record.

"Not at all," James answered, with no hesitation.

"I mean, Kareem was overwhelmed and for those of you who knew Kareem 30 years ago, Kareem has come full circle in life and really is enjoying himself and enjoying just living. I mean, he said that records were meant to be broken. I don't think he thought anybody would break it but I think Kareem handed it over with grace."

Now, as for Worthy ... he admits, as much as he likes LeBron, that he was a bit bummed to see the record change hands.

"I was a little sad to see the record being broken 'cause I just love Kareem. He's my best friend on the team. I'm sure somewhere down deep in his heart, he's had it for so long that it becomes a part of you that you never think it's gonna leave you. Not to be able to say that again, it's probably something that he'll miss, but his body of work will never be forgotten."

LeBron James' childhood basketball coach says he's "honored" to be a part of the superstar's journey to becoming the top scorer in NBA history ... telling TMZ Sports he couldn't be happier for the King.

Dru Joyce -- who first noticed LeBron's potential at just 10 years old -- played a huge part in shaping the 4-time NBA champ's career ... coaching James and the "Fab Five" to a state championship at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in 2003.

We spoke with Coach Dru about LeBron passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the all-time scoring list ... and he couldn't help but reminisce about their earliest memories together.

"It was an honor to know the little kid who used to be at my house, days on end, and young man I watched him grow into in high school, to now reach this historic moment in professional basketball ... I don't have the words to describe it."

"It's a special feeling, and to know we've been a part of the journey, it makes it even more special."

Joyce even recalls advice he gave LeBron at an early age ... and praised how James was already mature enough to make the right adjustments and get better -- parts of his game Coach notices he still uses to this day.

Joyce also sends a special message directly to LeBron ... saying, "You're the greatest of all time. It's a special time, and the way you've gone about it makes it even more special."

"Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this journey. I've enjoyed it -- much love. I'm kind of taken for words, but 28 years ago, I just remember knocking on your door ... and little did I know where this journey was going to take us. So proud and happy to be part of that journey."

As for LeBron, he also spoke about his journey to the top of the scoring list ... referencing the famous Cedar Point amusement park to get his point across.

Damar Hamlin just received an incredible honor from the NFL Players Association ... and in his speech accepting the award, he told a throng of reporters that he was thankful to God "for being here."

The NFLPA presented Hamlin with the Alan Page Community Award at a ceremony at a Super Bowl event Wednesday afternoon ... recognizing him as a player who went above and beyond to perform community service in his team city and/or hometown.

Hamlin hopped on the mic after taking the trophy -- and spoke publicly for one of the first times since he went into cardiac arrest during a game last month.

"First, I just want to say, 'Thank you,'" Hamlin said. "Just thank God for being here and thank the other guys who were nominated for the award as well who did the work in their communities alongside me as well."

Hamlin beat out four others -- Patriots DB Jonathan Jones, Commanders OL Charles Leno Jr., Raiders TE Darren Waller, and Buccaneers linebacker Devin White -- for the prestigious honor.

In his acceptance speech, Hamlin said giving back to his community "has always been a big part of who I am." He thanked his father for instilling that value in him when he was young.

Even before his medical emergency, Hamlin had found ways to inspire others in his community ... hosting toy drives constantly, and distributing gifts to children in need in Pennsylvania through his Chasing M's Foundation.

Damar actually created a GoFundMe page for his non-profit org. -- and following his health scare, it raised over $9 million.

Andy Reid does NOT need a second Super Bowl title this weekend to cement his eventual place in Canton ... so says ex-NFL head coach Brad Childress, who tells TMZ Sports the Chiefs honcho is already a Hall of Fame lock.

Reid's resume is ultra-impressive -- he's been a head coach for 24 seasons and has piled up a staggering 247 wins to just 138 losses ... but, some have wondered if dropping his Super Bowl record to 1-3 Sunday could somehow hold him back from eventual enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Childress, though, told us this week there's no chance that happens ... even if the 64-year-old loses to the Philadelphia Eagles in Arizona.

"He's already a Hall of Fame guy," Childress said. "All [a win] does is put some sprinkles on top of the sundae."

In fact, Childress -- who coached for years as an assistant on several of Reid's staffs -- said he believes the K.C. head man already has a case to be on the Mt. Rushmore of all-time NFL coaches.

"His professional career is second to none," Childress said.

As for if this could possibly be the finale of Reid's career -- there's been speculation he could choose to ride off into the sunset with a win -- Childress said there's certainly a chance ... though unlikely.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar might have mixed feelings when his scoring record gets broken ... but John Salley says the Lakers legend should ultimately be proud to pass the torch to LeBron James when he passes the Hall of Famer on the all-time list.

The 4-time NBA champ broke it down for TMZ Sports at LAX ... comparing the situation to another sports record that many believe to be impossible to break.

"The same way my boy Eric Dickerson thinks about anybody trying to break his record ... you don't want nobody to break your record!" the 58-year-old told us.

Nonetheless, Salley still believes Kareem will come around and give James his flowers when the Lakers star beats his record of 38,387 points.

"I think Kareem will take his hat off to him, be proud of him," Salley said. "He should."

Salley's comment may come off as shocking since he didn't believe LeBron was gonna break Kareem's record to begin with ... saying on Shannon Sharpe's Club Shay Shay podcast a few months ago, "I think they’re not going to let him get it."

He's obviously had a change of heart since then ... saying, statistically, James will be "the greatest player to ever play" and the way he carries himself off the court is admirable.

"What he's doing in television, film, the dude has definitely set the bar what a professional athlete is supposed to do," Salley said.

"I said I didn't think anybody was ever gonna break his record, but I'm so happy LeBron is breaking his record."

James is only a few points away from becoming the all-time scorer ... and barring something crazy, it's definitely happening.