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Big Bird is one of the first on Sesame Street to get protection against COVID-19 -- and while some might question why he's late to the party ... the timing makes sense for his audience.

The 8-foot costumed character made the big announcement on Twitter Saturday -- the first time he's tweeted from his account since March. So, yeah ... major development for the reclusive BB.

Big writes, "I got the COVID-19 vaccine today! My wing is feeling a little sore, but it'll give my body an extra protective boost that keeps me and others healthy." He adds, "Ms. @EricaRHill  even said I’ve been getting vaccines since I was a little bird. I had no idea!"

No photo proof or anything showing Mr. Bird getting his jab, but we'll take him at his word here ... and even give him props for spreading the word on vaccine awareness.

Now, if you're wondering why he mentioned CNN's Erica Hill specifically -- it's because she and other CNN personalities hosted a "town hall" Saturday morning called "The ABCs of Vaccines," which featured a number of 'Sesame Street' puppets talking 'rona and the shot.

Of course, that includes Big Bird too -- and the reason they're all being recruited to even talk about vaccines at all is because the Pfizer jab was just approved for kids between 5 and 11 the other day ... and the government is encouraging parents to inoculate their children.

So, no Big Bird hasn't been holding out or "doing his own research" with vaccine hesitancy -- it's just that his core demographic is now eligible, and he wants to encourage them (and their parents) to get it done. Also, he's apparently only 6 years old or something? 🤷🏽‍♂️

Brian Laundrie's parents are "heartbroken" after their family attorney says remains found off a Florida trail almost certainly belong to their son.

Steven Bertolino, who has repped the Laundrie family for weeks now, told CNN's Chris Cuomo Wednesday, "the probability is strong, that it is Brian's remains" found by the FBI.

Bertolino says Laundrie's parents contacted authorities Tuesday night to let them know they wanted to search the trail Wednesday, and the finding of his belongings was a total coincidence.

The FBI said in a press conference Wednesday that the area where Brian's backpack and notebook were found near what appeared to be human remains was previously under water. Authorities have not yet identified the remains, and say investigative teams will be in the area for several days gathering evidence.

Bertolino told Cuomo, "It's quite sad, you can imagine as a parent, finding your son's belonging alongside from the remains. That's got to be heartbreaking. And I can tell you that they are heartbroken."

Bertolino says Laundrie's dad, Chris, first found a white bag in the woods about 20 feet off the trail ... and shortly after, law enforcement discovered Brian's backpack.

It all raises the question ... how did Laundrie's dad zero in on something the FBI couldn't find for more than a month?

CNN anchor John King spontaneously revealed a secret he's been keeping for 13 years ... that he has Multiple Sclerosis ... and the way he's powered through it all is stunning.

King appeared on CNN Wednesday and explained he did not calculate the revelation ... rather, he was incensed when some anti-vaxxers used Colin Powell's COVID-related death as ammunition in the bogus argument that vaccines don't work.

King said, "I do not understand people who get up in the morning, who are vaccinated themselves, and willingly lie to get attention, to get clickbait, to get whatever. I do not understand it."

King went on to describe the challenges he's faced over the years ... numbness in his legs, the inability to grasp objects, falling down stairs ... yet all the while, his colleagues and viewers didn't have a clue.

Particularly shocking was King's high-profile coverage on 2020 election night, when he stood at an electronic board for hours analyzing voter turnout. He said that was an especially difficult night, yet for most people watching it was impossible to tell.

Joe Rogan had a super-interesting convo with CNN's Sanjay Gupta ... it was confrontationally civilized.

The good Doc was clearly on a mission to counter Rogan's message about the COVID vaccine. "The Joe Rogan Experience" is a huge platform -- 200 million downloads per month -- so Gupta was clearly there to challenge Joe over not getting the shot.

Rogan made it clear --- he's not anti-vaccine. In fact, he says he made an appointment to get the shot but ended up a no-show. As for why ... Rogan said, "I'm a healthy person, I exercise constantly, I'm always taking vitamins, I take care of myself."

Gupta was gentle, but clear -- asking Rogan if it's better to have the virus than to become infected. Rogan, who got COVID, conceded it was no fun going through it, but added he's been sicker with a bad cold.

That doesn't address the fact more than 700,000 people in the U.S. have died from COVID, and Joe agreed certain people -- including the elderly and the overweight -- should get jabbed, but not everyone.

Then Joe dropped a theory that stunned Sanjay ... "I think it would be better to get the vaccine and recover and have amazing immunity ... you know what I think you should do? I think you should get vaccinated and then get sick ... the vaccine protects you from a bad infection and you get COVID so you get robust immunity ... get vaccinated, let it wane and hang around with a bunch of dirty people."

Gupta made it clear .... the win is for someone not to have the virus at all, and that's what the vaccine does.

Britney Spears is warning fans and viewers of a new documentary about her conservatorship to take it with a grain of salt ... because she claims a lot of the information is untrue.

According to our sources ... Britney's latest Instagram post is specifically calling out the CNN special -- "Toxic: Britney Spears' Battle For Freedom" -- that debuted Sunday night, and she has a list of reasons why she's not down with it.

Aside from Britney claiming it's loaded with inaccuracies -- even though she says she's only watched a little bit of it -- she suggests that it's all about stuff that happened in the past ... and she's trying to move forward.

Brit also seems to take issue with the dialogue not being very "classy," doesn't like the footage they used of her ... and implies the general tone of the special is unkind.

Now, while we're told she's referring to the CNN special, it's actually another one -- the new NYT documentary, "Controlling Britney Spears" -- that made more headlines for the allegation her father, Jamie Spears, recorded her bedroom conversations.

So far, at least, Britney's staying mum on that claim, but as we reported ... her attorney Mathew Rosengart will almost certainly raise the alleged recordings during Wednesday's conservatorship hearing.

Strangely, the singer's IG post takes a left turn where she focuses on her "Rose Project" and how she once kissed Madonna and suffers from social anxiety.

Then, she reveals she's wearing white for her post for "new beginnings" ... which possibly alludes to her huge court hearing and her father finally stepping down as her conservator.

Gloria Vanderbilt -- the late mother of Anderson Cooper -- lived in a snazzy, one-of-a-kind Manhattan home for more than 2 decades before she passed ... and now it's on the market.

The CNN anchor's listed his mom's 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom apartment -- located in Midtown East -- for $1.125 million ... and it's truly a sight to behold.

We could mention how the property is located in one of NYC's most coveted locations with tree-lined streets and features a gorgeous view of the river -- or how it boasts spacious rooms and high ceilings -- but it's really all about the aesthetic.

The home's filled with family treasures and artwork, and Anderson's said her long residency -- she lived there from 1997 until her death in 2019 -- is a testament to her love for the place.

Gloria -- designer, artist and heiress to the Vanderbilt railroad fortune -- passed away from stomach cancer in 2019.

Bill Burr tore into CNN for what he claims to be a fear-driven agenda that seeks to keep viewers restless and divided ... and one which needs Trump to keep ratings high.

The comedian absolutely obliterated the 24/7 cable news station in his latest installment on his "Monday Morning Podcast," the newest episode of which he just dropped a couple of days ago. He starts out talking about his day-to-day life/observations ... and then dives into the news.

Check it out ... Bill says his mother-in-law will come over to help watch his kids, and flip on CNN habitually -- which he says pisses him off, because he considers them "f****** morons" who do nothing but talk Trump, day in and day out ... even after he's left office.

The reason for that, he muses, is because President Biden is a "bore" -- that ... and he wears a "blue tie."

We'll let Bill do the talking here -- but his rant is worth a listen. In his eyes, he considers CNN just as bad as FOX News and MSNBC ... and any other cable news outlet, as he seems to think they're two sides of the same coin -- pounding one POV into viewers' heads.

He also gets into the dreary approach to news coverage in general -- constantly harping on negative stories like fires, racial tension and the pandemic. Bill says if he ran a news show, he'd go with the 1-step forward, 2-steps back approach ... giving a positive story every now and then instead of making people want to put a "gun in their mouth," as he puts it.

CNN's Christiane Amanpour just told viewers she has ovarian cancer -- something she says she'll likely be able to survive ... all due to early detection.

The network's chief international affairs anchor broke the news Monday, announcing she'd recently been diagnosed ... adding that the reason she's been away from work lately is because she had "successful major surgery" to nip it in the bud.

Christiane says she's confident about the outcome, even as she begins several months of chemotherapy to deal with the cancer doctors weren't able to surgically remove.

As for her optimism -- CA attributes that to the fact that she found the cancer early via medical tests/screenings. Christiane made a plea to the women at home who might be watching ... urging them to listen to their bodies, and to get checked out early and often -- because detecting this disease as soon as possible is really half the battle.

The iconic journalist also encouraged women not to let doctors dismiss or diminish their concerns -- which seems to be getting at an important larger issue.

Jeffrey Toobin's back on the air at CNN ... 8 months after the network pulled him off the air, and The New Yorker canned him, for exposing himself during a Zoom meeting.

Toobin's back in his capacity as Chief Legal Analyst, and appeared in a "CNN Newsroom" segment Thursday with anchor Alisyn Camerota. He was discussing a legal matter, but they also had to discuss the elephant in the Zoom room, if you will.

Clearly referring to what went down -- Toobin allegedly masturbating back in October while on a Zoom call with New Yorker colleagues -- Alisyn said, "To quote Jay Leno, 'What the hell were you thinking?'"

Toobin admitted it was "deeply moronic and indefensible," and added he's been miserable since it all went down. However, he says he also started directly apologizing to his New Yorker co-workers on the day of the incident.

Toobin -- whose book "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson" is the basis for the hit FX true crime anthology 'American Crime Story' -- also apologized to his wife and family ... and said he's working to be a better person and mentioned he's in therapy.

W. Kamau Bell agrees it will take more than just new laws to change policing in America ... he says the system needs a full revamp, from top to bottom, starting with the job description and who's recruited.

The comedian and journalist broke down the term "defund the police" Wednesday on "TMZ Live" ... explaining it doesn't mean getting rid of police -- but, rather, retooling priorities and hiring people who have vested interests in their communities.

Watch how he describes what values a reimagined police officer would foster in his ideal world. It's basically the core principles you'd find today in most social workers and teachers. To him, those are the types of folks who should be in law enforcement.

In light of so many police-involved shootings in just the last 2 weeks -- even as Derek Chauvin stood trial -- Kamau tells us it's clear to him that there's just no "fixing" policing the way it's structured now ... it needs a full reboot.

He adds, the same old formula of pouring more money and power into police departments simply isn't working ... at least not in Kamau's eyes, anyway.

Anderson Cooper confronted a guy who used to legit believe the CNN anchor was part of an evil, devil-worshipping cabal that devoured children ... and got an apology out of him.

CNN ran a special report Saturday night, with Anderson in the driver's seat ... going down the rabbit hole of QAnon and its origin. If you aren't familiar, the QAnon conspiracy theory is multi-faceted and ever-changing -- and is what some of the Capitol rioters subscribe to.

Very long story short ... QAnon believers think high-level politicians (mostly Dems) and Hollywood folks are pedophiles, part of a child-trafficking ring ... who are out to control the world. They also believe Donald Trump was their savior, and was gonna expose it all.

Anywho ... in CNN's report, Anderson did an interview with former QAnon supporter Jitarth Jadeja, who was all in on it until 2019. Safe to say, it made for an awkward exchange.

Watch for yourself ... Jadeja literally says, "I apologize for thinking that you ate babies." He goes on to explain why Anderson was a focus in QAnon, and what was alleged about him among supporters. Anderson seems astonished to hear it first-hand ... rightly so.

Of course, AC goes out of his way to say that all of those theories are absolutely NOT true -- but really digs into why people are so inclined to buy into a bunch of bull crap.

Larry King -- the legendary TV and radio host who conducted more than 30,000 interviews in a storied 60-year career -- has died.

King died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center early Saturday ... this, according to Ora Media, the media company Larry co-founded.

Larry was diagnosed with COVID-19 over the holidays, and was hospitalized in the ICU at one point, but had recently been moved to a regular hospital room, and was breathing on his own. Things took a turn, and King died Saturday morning.

Larry -- government name Lawrence Harvey Zeiger -- started his career in radio as a disc jockey at WAHR-AM in Miami ... after officially changing his last name to King.

His voice would ultimately land him jobs at radio stations across America before finding fame with "The Larry King Show." The nationally-syndicated late-night radio talk show debuted in 1978 across 28 cities ... and in just 5 short years the show was heard in 118 cities.

Larry's career catapulted to the big time when, in 1985, "Larry King Live" premiered on the fledgling CNN. He interviewed just about every iconic figure ... from Sir Paul McCartney, John F. Kennedy Jr. and Marlon Brando (they kissed on the lips in 1994) to Presidents Gerald Ford, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. Larry also interviewed Vladimir Putin.

Larry was a unique talent and an incredible interviewer who made his craft look effortless. He was completely absorbed in conversations with his guests, and he did something that escapes many other interviewers -- HE LISTENED. Larry wasn't thinking about his next question -- he was always in the moment. And something else ... he never asked long questions just to hear himself talk. His questions were short, and almost always on point.

The popular late-night TV show aired its last episode on December 16, 2010 ... becoming CNN's most-watched and longest-running program. But, he didn't exactly go away quietly ... Larry's one-man comedy show "Larry King: Stand Up" debuted 4 months later. He also started "Larry King Now" ... an online series that later migrated to Russian-owned news channel, RT.

Larry loved getting married almost as much as doing interviews -- he did it 8 times ... to Freda Miller (1952), Annette Kaye (1961), Alene Akins (1961), Mickey Sutphin (1963), Alene again (1967), Sharon Lepore (1976), Julie Alexander (1989) and Shawn (1997). He filed for divorce from Shawn in 2019.

The last time we saw Larry was in February 2020, when he mused on the upcoming Dodgers season. The Brooklyn native and lifelong Dodgers fan watched them win their first World Series in 32 years after the COVID-shorted 2020 season.

Larry -- who published more than 20 books and had a USA Today column for decades -- coped with various ailments throughout his life ... mostly heart problems. He suffered several heart attacks and, in 1987, had quintuple bypass surgery. In fact, Larry married his most recent wife, Shawn King, at UCLA Medical Center where he was being treated for chest pains.

Larry tied the knot with Shawn just before undergoing heart surgery.

Just this past July, Larry's son Andy King, 65, unexpectedly passed away of a heart attack in late July, while his daughter Chaia King, 52, died just weeks later from lung cancer.

Larry's survived by 5 children ... Cannon, Chance, Danny, Kelly and Larry Jr. He was 87, and what an accomplished and full 87 years they were.

CNN correspondent Sara Sidner hit her breaking point while reporting live on the rising COVID-19 body count in L.A. -- she couldn't hold back her tears, showing the pandemic's emotional toll.

Sara was on Monday morning with anchor Alisyn Camerota, reporting live from Los Angeles before the sun was even up ... detailing stories from families she'd encountered at L.A.'s MLK Jr. Community Hospital, including many who'd lost loved ones to COVID.

As she was talking, Sara choked up ... and tried to start again, saying she'd been to 10 hospitals where people were being ravaged by the coronavirus. Eventually, she had to stop and sob for a bit.

Alisyn jumped in to thank Sara for her passionate coverage over the last year -- she's literally been on the ground for every major news cycle since the start of the pandemic, covering COVID, George Floyd's death, social justice protests and everything in between.

Shortly after her live shot, Sara took to Twitter to express what she was feeling. She attached a CNN story she and another reporter had worked, detailing how one woman who lost her mother to coronavirus had to hold the funeral in a chapel parking lot.

Connie Chung just went scorched earth on some huge names in news ... saying working with Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer was "not unlike what Tonya Harding did to Nancy Kerrigan."

Chung was on "The Originals" podcast for L.A. Magazine and dished about her time as an anchor at ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN. She said, "When I got to ABC news, I joined with Both Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer there and I thought, "Oh, this is going to be great. It'll be three women who get along."

Chung says it couldn't have been further from the truth, claiming her fellow anchors big footed her out of the best interviews ... per ABC news execs.

She was famously paired with Dan Rather as co-anchors of the "CBS Evening News," and says teaming up with Rather was right out of "Psycho."

And, there's more. Connie, who's been married to Maury Povich since 1984, frequently appeared on David Letterman's show. There was a lot of chatter they were flirting with each other, although Connie says, "I had this thing for him, and he had a thing for me, and I really think it was inexplicable in that respect." But, then she went on to say, "And yet, I really didn't have a thing for him. Do you know what I mean?" Sorta.

She went on to say Dave's "a dark, unhappy sort of, I don't mean he's unhappy. He is a kvetch ... He's anti-social is what he is."

Chung also had harsh words for Hugh Grant ... she had a cameo in "The Undoing." She says, "He was not very friendly. I had interviewed him right after 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' for his next movie. So when I saw him I said, 'Oh hi. I interviewed you ... do you remember? And he said, 'No."

We reached out to reps for Dan, Diane, Barbara and Dave ... so far, no word back.

Meghan Markle's so inspired by stories of compassion she's witnessing through the pandemic, she decided to make a surprise appearance to honor those very heroes.

The Duchess of Sussex made an unscheduled appearance on CNN's 'Heroes' special Sunday night to thank "individuals (who) stood up and made sure the most basic needs of our communities were met. They made sure those around them did not have to suffer in isolation."

It's the first time Meghan has made a public statement since her op-ed in the New York Times last month, revealing she'd suffered a miscarriage in the summer. She and Prince Harry -- who left their royal roles in March -- have kept a low profile since moving to California, but still found ways to help here.

TMZ broke the story ... the couple quietly delivered quality food to needy folks back in April. Then, at the start of the school year, they dished out school supplies to students in need.

Author and legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin just got canned by The New Yorker -- the magazine where he's written for nearly 3 decades -- over his faux pas of a Zoom call.

An internal memo from Conde Nast chief Stan Duncan was sent to staffers this week, letting them know that as a result of their investigation -- Toobin was no longer affiliated with the company.

As for exactly why they fired him -- the email, posted by The Daily Beast, said Conde Nast takes these types of situations seriously, and are committed to maintaining an environment that upholds their standards.

You'll recall, Toobin was suspended by the New Yorker -- not to mention CNN -- for exposing himself on a Zoom call with New Yorker staffers as well as folks from WNYC radio. Toobin called the incident "embarrassingly stupid." He was allegedly masturbating, and insists he thought he was muted and his camera was off.

Toobin confirmed he'd gotten the axe as well, tweeting ... "I was fired today by @NewYorker after 27 years as a Staff Writer. I will always love the magazine, will miss my colleagues, and will look forward to reading their work." Toobin started working for TNY in '93.