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Sharon Stone says "Basic Instinct" turned her into a sex symbol overnight -- and people wanted a piece of her, it seems ... 'cause they were crawling all over her whip!

The actress dished to CNN's Chris Wallace about the impact of that film and how it affected her celebrity at the time. As she says, she went into that weekend as a relative nobody in Hollywood ... and emerged as a massive star come Tuesday, after everyone had seen it.

Of course, what she's referring to specifically is the infamous interrogation scene ... where she flashed her vagina on camera, and which undoubtedly went down in cinematic history.

As Wallace rightly notes, that changed her life forever ... but little did we know to what extent, until now. Watch -- Sharon describes going out to run an errand the week after 'BI' was released, and says people were literally leaping at her in the streets of Los Angeles.

Not just at her person though, as SS explains ... she claims folks were dogpiling her actual car at stoplights. It got so bad, apparently, that she didn't know if she should drive away!

Now, this is far from the first time Sharon's talked "Basic Instinct" -- which she's publicly said she had mixed feelings about. At the time, she says she felt duped into the vagina moment ... allegedly having been reassured by the crew/producers that they couldn't see anything.

Donald Trump is in deeper trouble than anyone could have imagined in his classified documents case ... this after CNN aired a bombshell audio of him showing classified material he never declassified ... showing it to people who had no business seeing it.

The 45th President was taped casually chatting with his staff about "highly confidential" documents at a July 2021 meeting in Bedminster, New Jersey.

The get-together was supposed to be centered around a writer -- also in the room -- penning a memoir about Trump's former Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, but it soon devolved into a conversation about a secret plan against Iran drawn up by Defense Department General Mark Milley.

The two-minute recording, featured Monday night on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360," starts off with Trump purportedly grabbing the sensitive docs and rustling them in his hands.

Trump then says, "This thing just came up." This was [Milly]. This was the Defense Department and him."

He then points out the docs are "highly confidential, secret. This is secret information ... Isn't that incredible?"

Then Trump makes an incriminating admission, stating, "See, as president, I could have declassified it, but now I can't."

A woman in the room responds, "Now we have a problem," but she then starts laughing.

In another part of the recording, Trump makes fun of Hillary Clinton and her emails scandal. One of Trump's aides begins by saying Hillary would print out her private emails all the time.

Trump answers, "No, she'd send it to Anthony Weiner." He then called Weiner a pervert, causing everyone to chuckle. Weiner, a former Democratic congressman, was convicted of transferring obscene material to a minor and sentenced to 21 months in federal prison.

James Cameron is putting the U.S. military on blast in the aftermath of the Titanic submersible disaster ... saying he knew right away the vessel imploded, and so did the military -- yet somehow, the search dragged on for days.

The "Titanic" director told CNN it didn't take him long, back on Monday morning, to gather all the facts about the missing OceanGate Titan sub -- saying it immediately had all the markings of something "catastrophic," like an implosion, had occurred on Sunday.

James says he knew it would have to be something like an implosion for the submersible's communications and navigation systems to go out at the same time -- plus, the U.S. military's microphones had picked up a sound right around the same time the sub lost contact.

While he doesn't directly call out the U.S. military ... the fact is, the U.S. Coast Guard was coordinating the search and rescue mission -- an operation James calls a "prolonged nightmarish charade" that did nothing but create "false hope."

As we reported, James also took the opportunity Thursday to point blame at the late OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, who was the pilot for the fatal voyage ... drawing a grim comparison between the recent trip and the Titanic's tragic one-and-only travel.

Don Lemon might be able to make a return to CNN after the firing of former CEO Chris Licht ... as folks in Don's world would not be surprised if the network reaches out in the near future.

Sources familiar tell TMZ ... the potential reversal of fortune wouldn't be shocking due to the well-documented and long-standing tensions between Chris and Don.

As we reported, Chris took over as CNN's head honcho in May 2022 and clashed with Don many times about things Don said on-air, as well as an outfit choice Don made for the premiere of "CNN This Morning."

You'll recall, Don claimed he was completely blindsided by his April termination after 17 years with CNN, coyly saying ... "It is clear that there are some larger issues at play."

Many insiders saw that as a not-so-subtle way of saying Licht was fighting for his own job. Obviously, it's been less than a day since his ouster, so none of the execs at CNN have reached out to Don or his people just yet.

What's more, Amy Entelis, CNN's Executive VP for Talent and Content Development, has been tapped as one of the network's interim leaders, and she's someone Don's been close with for nearly 15 years.

Meanwhile, Don's doing exactly what he said he would ... taking the summer off from work, but we're told he's still entertaining all meetings, and is open to hearing out all options.

Chris Licht's gamble on Donald Trump has come up snake eyes -- CNN is pulling the plug on his term as CEO.

Licht's firing comes exactly one month after he engineered the network's controversial Town Hall special with the GOP Presidential front-runner. Licht made a play for Trump's base, and did draw more than 3 million viewers that night ... but the blowback from CNN's viewership and Democrats in D.C. was severe. The network's ratings plummeted in the days after the Trump special.

CNN anchor Kate Bolduan drew the honors Wednesday morning of announcing Licht's firing on the air. It wasn't quite a "ding dong, the wicked witch is dead" moment ... but, make no mistake, Licht had ruffled a lot of feathers at the network.

Last week, he was also the subject of a pretty unflattering profile piece in The Atlantic, and he reportedly apologized to CNN staffers earlier this week.

Licht took over at CNN in May 2022 ... after Jeff Zucker's resignation. During his tenure, he clashed several times with Don Lemon over his on-air commentary and even his wardrobe -- and Licht finally fired him back in April.

Congressman Adam Schiff tries his hand at live stand-up comedy once a year ... but he sees nothing funny about how CNN set up Donald Trump's town hall for a national audience.

The distinguished gentleman from Burbank, CA joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live" and we asked him about his upcoming comedy set at The Improv in L.A.

Schiff, who's running for U.S. Senate, is hosting a fundraiser next month at the famous West Hollywood venue -- and while he'll mostly be introducing professional comics, he says he likes to mix in a few jokes of his own.

As Adam explains, he's performed full stand-up acts at his annual fundraiser in the past -- usually writing his own jokes during the cross-country flight -- and he let us in on some of his favorite material.

All jokes aside, Adam's not only eyeing the Senate seat currently occupied by Sen. Dianne Feinstein ... he's also paying attention to Trump's presidential campaign.

Rep. Schiff ripped CNN for this month's town hall with the former President -- although, he doesn't take issue with CNN holding the event, he strongly objects to one thing about the spectacle ... comparing it to a reality TV show.

Donald Trump's piling on CNN in the wake of his town hall by posting a doctored clip of Anderson Cooper saying Trump owned CNN during the event ... but with far more colorful language.

Trump is clearly relishing the fact CNN is getting tons of blowback from the left for giving him a platform -- and he spiked the football with this fake video of Anderson reacting to the end of the town hall. As the crowd roars for Trump, you see Anderson say "That was President Donald J. Trump ripping us a new ass****."

Put politics aside, for just a moment, and the clip is pretty hilarious. However, it's also a stark reminder of just how petty and self-congratulatory Trump can be.

Trump didn't produce the spoof -- it was uploaded by YouTube user, "Borg Clone" -- but the ex-prez clearly endorses the message ... which is that Trump's getting the last laugh on the network that hosted him.

As we reported ... Anderson Cooper, the real one, addressed the backlash against CNN by saying viewers shouldn't wall themselves off from Trump, or any politician, just because they hate their policies or personality.

Anderson Cooper's bashing former President Donald Trump for "disturbing" behavior and remarks during CNN's town hall -- but he's also responding to the waves of people dragging the network for giving Trump a platform.

He addressed the outrage Thursday night as tempers continue flaring over Wednesday's town hall by calling out Trump's "lie after lie after lie," and inappropriate name-calling toward moderator, Kaitlan Collins, amongst other shocking moments.

Cooper acknowledged the anger toward CNN, saying people have every right to never tune in to the network again -- but then defended CNN by pointing out a cold, hard truth: Whether you like it or not, DT is the Republican frontrunner for president, and shutting out someone because you don't share their beliefs just isn't a healthy reality.

As you know, many called for CNN to boot Trump from their network ahead of Wednesday night's town hall -- especially after he was found liable this week in his battery and defamation trial with E. Jean Carroll.

As for why CNN viewers, or Trump haters, shouldn't look away -- Anderson says the roaring applause during some of Trump's bombastic comments should strike fear in people, as he says it was a sampling of roughly half the nation.

Ya gotta imagine Don Lemon and Kim Kardashian have plenty to catch up about -- like possible new career paths -- and they got into it at the Time100 Gala.

Kim and Don were deep in discussion Wednesday night in NYC ... along with Don's longtime partner Tim Malone, who was all smiles. We're guessing his sudden departure from CNN, and her saying she'd leave reality TV to be a full-time lawyer were hot topics for them.

Kim buzzed around a lot at the event ... bumping into Salma Hayek, Gayle King, and Padma Lakshmi.

As for Don, he certainly didn't look down in the dumps about his firing. As we reported, he looked pretty chill and happy throughout the night. Hey, no alarm clock going off before dawn can change your life!

Don also told TIME he's gonna have the summer of a 12-year-old, laying on the beach with Tim. He was even asked what kind of influence he thinks he's left at CNN -- a question he redirects to his former colleagues.

And as you know, Kim revealed earlier this week ... she'd ditch TV to become a lawyer full-time, saying she's already passed the baby bar and plans to take the real bar in 2025.

FYI -- Kim was named one of TIME's Most Influential People of 2015, and last year SKIMS made its list of Most Influential Companies.

Don Lemon doesn't look down in the dumps over being out of a job ... in fact, it's quite the opposite.

Don was all smiles Wednesday at the Time100 Gala in New York City, mugging for the cameras despite his recent firing from CNN.

While Don lost his high-paying job Monday after 17 years at the cable news outlet, he's got a support system to fall back on ... he was joined at Wednesday's event by his longtime partner, Tim Malone, and they both appeared in great spirits.

Fact is, Don's going to have options in TV news despite his CNN ouster ... as we first reported, NewsNation is interested in adding Don to a growing roster of high-profile anchors.

Don, we're told, was making about $7 million a year at CNN ... and our sources say NewsNation would be comfortable offering him a seven-figure salary.

In other words, Don doesn't have too much to worry about even though he's unemployed ... and it looks like he's confident he's going to land on his feet.

Don Lemon has a new job option if he wants it -- and it would entail him dipping poultry into boiling hot cooking oil ... under the supervision of one of Rick Ross's managers, no less.

The rapper hopped on the 'Gram Monday to air his thoughts on the news of DL's unceremonious firing from CNN ... and he was more than ready to dance on the guy's grave a bit, 'cause he offered him a new gig at one of his many Wing Stop franchises.

Rozay says he can personally make sure Don gets an interview in front of his top chicken team members. The only thing he's asking the ex-anchor to do ... send a resume. Sounds like Rick's sold on Don's potential ability to hawk a certain flavor of pollo -- take a guess.

He's obviously trolling here ... but that's not the end of his ribbing. Rick goes on to suggest Don can be the face (or name, more like) of a new flavor of his energy drink line -- Rap Star.

Again, he leans into Don's surname a lot to make this joke work ... and yeah, it lands.

While Rick is kidding in his pitch to Don ... we know there's a very real news network he could work for if he's inclined. As we reported, NewsNation execs are interested in bringing him onto the team -- not to mention the recently discarded Tucker Carlson from FOX News.

Don Lemon and Tucker Carlson are now without a work home -- but they could land at the same place in the near future ... and that might be NewsNation, which wants 'em both.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the television network -- which has been growing steadily over the past few years -- is interested in potentially hiring DL and TC and adding them to their growing roster of high-profile anchors.

We're told the announcements of their oustings Monday came at a perfect time for NewsNation -- which just started running 24-hour programming starting this week.

Plus, we're told the fact both of these guys are huge, recognizable names in the news game is appealing to NewsNation honchos -- who feel like they both could bring in big swaths of a diverse audience on both the right and the left ... with NewsNation being the hub.

Our sources tell us NewsNation is aware that Don and Tucker each come with their own baggage -- but we're told the execs feel like they could manage it. BTW, the idea of bringing both of them on would not be a replacement move ... but a supplemental one, where they'd simply be expanding their talent and creating new shows for the air.

Now, on the issue of money ... there could be a hurdle, seeing how our sources tell us NewsNation would not pay either guy anywhere close to what they were making. In Tucker's case, we're told he's been making $20 million per year at FOX of late.

For Don, our sources tell us he's closer to $7 million/year -- and if they were gonna work at NewsNation, they'd have to be comfortable with a pretty big pay cut ... as we're told the org wouldn't be able to come anywhere close to either number. Still, though, our sources tell us their potential salaries would be fat nonetheless ... in the millions for both.

One final note ... we're told NewsNation is serious about this -- and that their executive team flew to NYC Monday to discuss this internally. So, it sounds like they might just pursue this plan -- as they clearly feel it could work out.

Chris Cuomo is a good example of that -- he was booted from CNN a couple years ago. It's actually interesting, because we're told Cuomo, who was close to Don back in the day, feels Don betrayed him after he was booted.

The fact NN has studios in big markets like D.C., Chicago and NYC, we're told, also makes the team feel like they might have a shot at hooking these 2 big fish. Of course, there are reports Don and Tucker have retained the same entertainment attorney, Bryan Freedman.

Don Lemon is out at CNN, after 17 years at the network, a move he says he was never given any heads-up was happening.

In a statement Monday, Lemon said, "I was informed this morning by my agent that I have been terminated by CNN. I am stunned. After 17 years at CNN I would have thought that someone in management would have had the decency to tell me directly."

He continues, "At no time was I ever given any indication that I would not be able to continue to do the work I have loved at the network. It is clear that there are some larger issues at play."

Finally saying, "With that said, I want to thank my colleagues and the many teams I have worked with for an incredible run. They are the most talented journalists in the business, and I wish them all the best."

Don was on air Monday morning, without a hint that anything might be off, and ending his show with the words, "Bye, everyone."

The move comes just 2 months after Lemon was benched briefly for sexist comments he made about Nikki Haley, when he said she was no longer "in her prime" at age 51.

He was also recently caught on a hot mic making comments about Jon Stewart ... however, it seemed those incidents had both cooled off with the network.

Unclear if there was something more happening behind the scenes.

Charles Barkley and Gayle King are teaming up to take CNN by storm -- they're gonna be hosting a new show together later this year ... which may be forcing HRH into a double take.

The announcement was made Saturday during TNT's pregame coverage ... where Gayle came on set with Chuck and the guys to talk about their new venture together -- namely, a weekly primetime slot on CNN that sees them both talking politics and timely topics.

The program's gonna be titled "King Charles" ... and while, on its face, it might sound Chuck-centric -- you'll remember, King is Gayle's last name ... so she's in there as well.

Now, as for what sort of stuff they might get into -- well, they teased a little bit on TNT ... including the hot-button issue of guns. Charles and Gayle brought up a string of shootings that have happened over the past few months ... including school shootings and even ones that have randomly occurred to innocent bystanders -- like Ralph Yarl and Kinsley White.

Now, while they'll certainly cover stories that touch on politics ... Charles insists the show itself won't be political by nature -- meaning, it won't pander to Republicans or Dems. The way they're pitching it is ... Gayle and Charles giving their "straight shooter" opinions live.

Gayle also says it doesn't always have to be so heavy ... adding they might get into food, pop culture and whatever else they wanna touch on that's in the news cycle that week.

"King Charles" will air Wednesdays starting this all, and both will retain their gigs at CBS and Turner, respectively ... the latter of which is an already subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Two of the people kidnapped in Mexico and survived say their captors tried forcing them to have sex with each other ... and their account is terrifying.

LaTavia Washington McGee and her brother, Eric Williams, sat with CNN's Anderson Cooper Tuesday to tell their story for the first time since being rescued following an abduction in March ... when the cartel took them and 2 friends, who were killed in the ordeal.

Cooper asks if there were threats or demands made of them during their time with the cartel, and the two siblings sadly say yes ... namely, that the kidnappers asked that they sleep with one another. McGee and Williams say they pushed back -- telling the cartel members they were related ... and McGee was pregnant at the time.

They never addressed what ultimately happened ... but it just speaks to how depraved these criminals are. From the way it's described, it seems like they only ordered that for their amusement.

McGee and Williams go on to describe a moment when they were being transported by the cartel members ... they say the abductors piled them into a truck with dead bodies and were moving them all over the place with the promise of eventually letting them go.

In the end, the two other Americans -- Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown -- attempted to make a run for it ... but were gunned down. The group of four was originally traveling from Texas when they were taken near the border city of Matamoros in dramatic fashion.

The cartel members held them up at gunpoint and threw them into the back of their vehicle ... but after realizing they had kidnapped the wrong people -- apparently, per law enforcement officials, they might've thought they were Haitian drug smugglers. The Cartel was trying to find a way to get the crew of 4 off their hands without facing repercussions.

Unfortunately, two people lost their lives in the drama ... and the cartel even issued an apology for how everything went down. McGee and Williams were found on March 7, and the bodies of their friends were taken back into U.S. custody following the rescue operation.

Don Lemon stepped in it again Monday, apparently making what he thought was an off-mic remark about Jon Stewart and then, after an awkward pause, backtracking big time.

Don threw to a clip of Jon Stewart interviewing U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, in which Stewart challenged what he called extreme waste in the DOD's $850 billion budget. When Hicks took issue with the waste allegation, Jon shot back ... "I can't figure out how $850 billion to a department means that the rank and file still have to be on food stamps. To me, that's f***ing corruption."

The video of the interview stayed up but the audio cut out, and then you hear Don, apparently talking to his cohosts not realizing his mic was hot, saying, "He gets a lot of leeway with the comedian thing, though." It seems he was talking to his co-anchors and got caught on air.

There was silence for a few seconds, and then Don tried to recover, saying Stewart is so much more than a comedian. He repeated that again.