Health

The world’s first-ever sperm race is officially on -- swimmers are going head-to-head in the name of science … and to spotlight the serious dip in male fertility.

A crew of young moguls and millionaire backers from the startup Sperm Racing have pulled in over $1 million to bring their wild vision to life -- and it’s all going down April 25 at the Hollywood Palladium … with thousands set to watch those lil troopers compete live.

Sperm Racing boss Eric Zhu, a teen tech mogul, hyped up the event in his racing "manifesto," saying ... "Two competitors. Two samples. One microscopic finish line."

Harvey Weinstein wants out of Rikers Island badly ... and into a medical center during his retrial in his New York criminal case.

The jailed movie mogul's legal team filed an emergency petition with the court to have him transferred from the notorious Rikers prison complex to Bellevue Hospital due to alleged gross mismanagement of his deteriorating health.

According to Tuesday's filing, obtained by TMZ, Weinstein accuses Rikers medical staff of failing to provide him with proper healthcare, as well as misdiagnosing at least one condition. Weinstein says this led to his health becoming wildly unstable, requiring "regular" hospitalization at Bellevue, including its ICU unit.

Weinstein says he has a laundry list of medical issues -- such as cancer, diabetes, extensive coronary artery disease, chest pain due to lowered levels of blood flowing to the heart, obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid issues, obesity, chronic lower back and leg pain, anemia, hypertension, and more.

Gene Hackman's handyman and caretaker talked to cops after claiming he spied the late actor's wife's dead body inside their secluded New Mexico home ... telling them to keep things on the down low.

New police body cam footage released Tuesday shows the interaction between cops and Gene's handyman ... and he tells them he went to check on the couple because he hadn't heard from them in nearly 3 weeks.

The guy claims he was trying to get a wellness check and stumbled upon Betsy Arakawa's body. He says it's Gene's house and the couple valued privacy and to keep the incident on the hush.

LaVar Ball was keeping tabs on his son's rapid rise in the rap game despite his recent serious health issues ... 'cause the famous pops had a special FaceTime with Gelo from his hospital bed in between multiple surgeries that led to the Big Ballers' foot being amputated.

TMZ Sports broke the story earlier this year -- LaVar had his right foot amputated after complications from an infection ... and in a video of his chat with his middle son, it's clear his love and pride for his family helped him during the rough time.

The 57-year-old shared the video with us ... which shows Gelo excitedly telling his dad about all the updates with his music career, including landing a set at Rolling Loud in Los Angeles.

D.L. Hughley says he would have a lot to think about if he were a juror in Luigi Mangione's trial ... telling us he might even go so far as to find the accused United Healthcare CEO murderer innocent!!!

The comedian joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday and we asked him about the cult-like following Luigi has, even though the feds claim Mangione gunned down Brian Thompson in cold blood in Manhattan in December.

D.L. says he absolutely understands why Luigi has a lot of supporters out there ... he feels Americans are so fed up with the health insurance agency and are so accustomed to gun violence in their everyday lives that Mangione's alleged murder isn't a big deal to many.

Eric Dane is doing exactly what he said he would after announcing he has ALS ... he's getting out and about, not letting the diagnosis slow his lifestyle.

The "Euphoria" and "Grey's Anatomy" star was looking good while visiting a friend in L.A., and his Sunday outing came just 2 days after revealing he's now battling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis -- which is commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Eric seemed a little thinner than we're used to seeing him, but was still flaunting his McSteamy good looks in an off-white sweater, khakis and zaddy-approved eyewear.

Gene Hackman’s wife, Betsy Arakawa, was searching online for answers about symptoms Gene was experiencing just days before dying from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a new investigation shows.

The new report released by New Mexico officials, obtained by TMZ, revealed Betsy had bookmarks open on her computer from Feb. 8 and the morning of Feb. 12 -- the day she died -- showing she was searching whether COVID could cause symptoms like dizziness or nosebleeds.

An email to her masseuse revealed Gene woke up on Feb. 11 with flu or cold-like symptoms. His COVID test came back negative, but Betsy said she’d reschedule her appointment "out of an abundance of caution."

Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa have been laid to rest -- weeks after their remains had been unclaimed for more than a month after their deaths in New Mexico -- in a private memorial ceremony.

PEOPLE reported Tuesday a funeral was recently held for the couple, with family and close friends attending the memorial. As TMZ reported ... as of March 27, the couple's bodies had not been formally claimed, according to New Mexico's Office of the Medical Investigator.

Hackman's three children -- Christopher, Elizabeth, and Leslie -- were reportedly at the recent private Santa Fe event.

Los Angeles Dodgers legend Manny Mota suffered a stroke on Monday night, the team announced Tuesday.

Fortunately, the Dodgers said in a statement the longtime coach is currently "in recovery," and "is responsive to commands."

The 87-year-old is now "resting comfortably," the team added.

Lil Nas X is dealing with a concerning medical situation ... revealing he's lost movement on one side of his face.

The "Old Town Road" hitmaker took to Instagram Monday night from his hospital bed, revealing he's unable to move the entire right side of his face -- even demonstrating it by smiling, with the left side of his mouth lifting while his right side stayed still.

Surprisingly, he didn't seem to sweat the issue at all, laughing as he showed his 10.4 million what was going on. Cracking himself up, he said ... "Bro, I can't even laugh right, bro. What the f**k. Ah! Oh my God."

Brian Austin Green has more on his plate than his beef with Machine Gun Kelly ... the actor is currently recovering after undergoing surgery for a perforated appendix.

The "Beverly Hills, 90210" star revealed on Instagram Monday he was hospitalized after experiencing stomach pain. Turns out he got checked out just in time -- after visiting several emergency rooms, he learned his appendix was "not quite burst, but just before."

Brian says he received immediate care at Providence Cedars-Sinai in the L.A. area and had high praise for the hospital, noting ... "The aftercare was phenomenal. I mean, when I tell you every single person that was there was incredibly kind and loving and supportive and helpful, I mean it."

Dead rodents and their nests were scattered across eight detached outbuildings on Gene Hackman and his wife Betsy Arakawa’s property in Santa Fe, New Mexico ... a health report  obtained by TMZ reveals.

The New Mexico Department of Public Health conducted an environmental assessment back in March, one week after Gene Hackman was found dead in the same house as his wife Betsy, who died from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS), caused by hantavirus.

The deadly disease spreads through rat and mouse urine and droppings, often picked up when someone’s cleaning out attics or basements.

An alarming situation is playing out at UnitedHealthcare HQ in Minnesota -- cops say a man is in custody after reports of an intruder ... and we've learned the guy told law enforcement he had a gun, and now the FBI is involved.

Our sources tell us the man is currently being detained by authorities ... and the FBI and police are questioning him after finding a gun in his car. This comes months after Luigi Mangione allegedly shot former UHC CEO Brian Thompson to death in Manhattan.

Before being taken into custody, the guy was on the phone with law enforcement while sitting in his car ... he reportedly sounded agitated as he asked for a negotiator, admitted he had a pistol, demanded $1 million, and said he wouldn't be taken alive.

Don Lemon’s spilling more tea on Wendy Williams' situation at her assisted living facility -- especially the food, which apparently isn’t exactly satisfying her tastes.

The TV personality spoke to TMZ about his recent dinner with Wendy ... saying she was in great spirits and really enjoying her food -- because, as he put it, you can only imagine the grub at the Coterie in NYC isn’t exactly top-tier.

Wendy’s been vocal about feeling like a prisoner at the facility, but there are folks out there saying it’s karma for all the trash she talked about others during her career.

Lightning violently struck five students at a university in India, leaving two in critical condition -- with the terrifying moment all caught on camera.

Brace yourself for the shocking footage -- the Teerthanker Mahaveer University students were huddled together under a tree, desperately seeking shelter from the rain. But, in an instant,  lightning struck, sending them crashing to the ground.

One of the students hit by the lightning miraculously managed to get up and run to safety ... returning moments later with others, frantically checking on those still lying motionless.