Health

Like Novak Djokovic, Kelly Slater could also find himself barred from competing in Australia this year if he's COVID unvaccinated ... a high-ranking Australian government official announced this week.

The surfing legend hasn't said publicly if he's gotten the shots or not -- but after leaving anti-vax rhetoric in a recent social media post, the speculation is that Slater is, indeed, unvaxxed.

And, according to Australian Federal Sports Minister Richard Colbeck, if that's the case -- Slater has "no chance of getting into the country" to surf in upcoming major events Down Under.

Colbeck made the comments to The Age, saying the 49-year-old can apply for an exemption like Djokovic did. But, he insisted no preferential treatment would be given to Slater just because he's a surf legend, and he could end up facing a similar fate as Djokovic if he goes down that path.

"I reckon he knows the rules. It doesn't matter whether you're a surfer, or a tennis player, a tourist or anyone else, those are the rules. They apply to everyone," Colbeck said.

"I don't like the chances of him competing in Victoria, and I'd hate to think of what the chances were of him competing in Western Australia."

The World Surf League has two big events in Australia slated for April.

Slater, meanwhile, ripped the Djokovic Australia COVID vaccine saga earlier this month on social media ... writing "Maybe Stockholm Syndrome can now change its name to Melbourne/Australia Syndrome."

"It's sad to see the celebrated division by the 'virtuous' vaccinated," Slater added. "If you're vaccinated why are you concerned/worried about anyone else's status...unless, of course, it doesn't protect you?"

Abby Lee Miller endured a painful nightmare when a hotel door fell over on her, crushing her for nearly a dozen minutes ... according to the lawsuit she just filed.

The "Dance Moms" maven says she was staying at the Hampton Inn & Suites in Santa Monica back in August 2020 when she wheeled herself into the bathroom of her room. Remember, Abby's been in a wheelchair since 2018 due to her lymphoma battle.

In docs obtained by TMZ, Abby says she was leaving the bathroom when her back left wheel got caught under the sliding bathroom door -- and when she attempted to free herself, the more than 300-pound door came crashing down. She says she was pinned in her wheelchair and trapped in the doorway for 6 to 12 minutes.

According to the suit, Abby screamed for help until 2 hotel staffers came to lift the door off of her. She was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital, and Abby says she's still going through physical therapy for the injuries she suffered to her head and shoulder.

The alleged falling door would've been more than enough trauma, but in the docs, Abby says she endured other hardships during an extended stay from March to October 2020. For instance, she claims the laundry room was not accessible to wheelchairs, her hallway was often blocked by housekeeping carts ... and she was unable to open doors to the pool or gym areas, presumably due to her disability.

Abby is suing the hotel's parent corporation for negligence, emotional distress, discrimination and false imprisonment ... and she's seeking compensation of at least $8.5 million.

Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Malik McDowell was completely naked while he was being arrested on Monday ... new video, obtained by TMZ Sports, shows.

In the footage, you can see the 6-foot-6, 290-pound football player did not have a single article of clothing on his body ... as officers tried to subdue him in Deerfield Beach, FL.

McDowell, who had cuffs on his wrists and shackles around his ankles in the clip, appeared to be very agitated with cops, writhing on the ground nearly every time an officer got near him.

At one point, you can see in the video, a cop appeared to kick McDowell to keep him on the ground.

Eventually, McDowell was loaded onto a stretcher and taken away from the scene.

As we reported, cops say in police documents that McDowell stripped naked and was seen walking around near a school.

Officers say when they found him and confronted him, he attacked -- with one cop alleging the football player told him "f*** you" and then "charged at me ... at full speed with closed fist."

The officer claimed McDowell struck him so hard and so many times, he suffered injuries in the altercation -- including a badly swollen eye.

Cops say they were eventually able to take down McDowell using a taser. He was ultimately booked into jail on charges of aggravated battery on an officer, resisting and exposing sex organs in public.

The Browns released a statement on the arrest on Tuesday, saying, "We are aware of the very concerning incident and arrest involving Malik McDowell and are in the process of gathering more information."

"We understand the severity of this matter and our thoughts are for the well-being of all involved. … No further comment at this time."

Louie Anderson is battling cancer ... and he's getting treatment at a Las Vegas hospital.

A rep for Louie tells TMZ ... the iconic comedian is being treated for Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

The type of cancer Louie has been diagnosed with is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in the world ... and while it's an aggressive form of cancer, it's considered potentially curable.

The good news ... Louie's rep, Glenn Schwartz, says the comedian is resting comfortably in his hospital bed.

As you know ... Louie is famous for acting in tons of movies and TV shows, like "Coming to America" and "Baskets," and he's also got a recent standup bit about an awkward doctor's visit.

It's unclear when Louie was diagnosed.

The comedian was outspoken last year about his weight loss journey, saying he lost about 30 to 40 pounds during the pandemic and chalking it up to a new thing he was trying, intermittent fasting.

Very scary moment during the Cardinals vs. Rams playoff game on Monday ... Arizona star Budda Baker needed to be taken to the hospital following a violent collision with an L.A. player.

In the third quarter of the Rams' blowout win, Baker -- a Pro Bowler this season -- was attempting to make a tackle on Cam Akers, when the two brutally slammed heads.

Video of the play shows Baker immediately went limp, appearing to be knocked unconscious as soon as the impact happened.

The 26-year-old laid on the ground for several minutes, before trainers strapped him to a backboard and eventually loaded him into an ambulance.

Thankfully, the Cardinals announced their star player never lost movement or feeling in his extremities ... and was both alert and communicative.

Baker later tweeted he's doing "good" ... writing, "Thank you all for the prayers. I am doing good."

There's been no word yet if the Arizona safety has been released from the hospital.

Akers -- who actually taunted Baker following the hit -- apologized for his actions ... saying in a tweet of his own, "I didn’t know he was hurt after the play but I have nothing but respect for him."

The Cardinals season is now over following the 34-11 loss, while the Rams will travel to Tampa Bay this weekend to play Tom Brady and the Buccaneers.

Get well soon, Budda.

NBA player Chandler Parsons announced he's walking away from the game on Tuesday ... 2 years after suffering serious injuries in a car accident.

The 33-year-old small forward gave a heartfelt goodbye to hoops in an emotional Instagram post ... saying, "I've had so many ups and downs and thankful for every single one of them."

"My entire life all I wanted to be was an NBA player. I didn't even realize, or think what came with that, I just wanted to compete and play basketball at the highest level. I can proudly say, I did THAT!"

CP added, "It wasn't perfect, but it was a blast and I want to take a moment to thank every single person who helped me reach my dreams."

Parsons was a 2nd round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft ... playing for the Rockets, Mavericks, Grizzlies and Hawks over the course of 9 seasons.

In 2020, CP was driving in his Rolls-Royce when he was hit by an alleged drunk driver ... suffering a brain wound, disc herniation and a torn labrum.

Despite the accident, Parsons was working to get back on the court -- in fact, he told us last November that he was training to return to the game, but said the process was "pretty intense".

"Working out, staying in shape," Parsons said at the time, "but trying to still recover from the car crash last year, so we'll see."

Now, Parsons is ready for life off of the hardwood.

"To all the staff, trainers, doctors, coaches, teammates, agents, and most important the fans who supported me, THANK YOU."

Chandler finished his career averaging 12.7 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

Jamie Lynn Spears says she was treated much like her older sister, Britney, was during her teenage pregnancy in the mid-2000s, and it got so bad ... she almost legally broke free.

The former Nickelodeon star dishes about attempts to seek emancipation from her parents in her memoir, "Things I Should Have Said," -- and she went into more detail about that dark period on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.

According to JL, she actually hired lawyers and drafted up paperwork in her would-be bid for freedom at just 16 -- this after she claims her parents isolated her from the outside world, not to mention her then-BF Casey Aldridge ... upon learning she'd gotten pregnant.

Jamie describes her parents being super controlling amid her pregnancy, saying they completely cut her off from all outside communication ... fearing news of the pregnancy would leak. At the time, they were also dealing with Britney's very public breakdown.

Speaking of which, Jamie Lynn claims to have been mostly ignorant to what was going on with Brit ... acknowledging she was absorbed in her own drama and problems. When she finally had the kid -- against her parents' wishes, she alleges, and after the story had leaked -- Jamie says she continued being heavily monitored by her family, and realized she'd never be able to get out from under their collective thumbs ... unless she went to court.

Jamie Lynn says her mom, Lynne, was served emancipation papers, but in the end ... they struck a deal that allowed Jamie to buy her own home and be with her own new family unit.

There's more here about Britney's episodes too ... Jamie Lynn talks about how her mom would often fly out to go handle a Britney-related matter any time something came up, which she says became more and more frequent. Again, Jamie Lynn denies knowing details ... insisting her parents and the team at large kept everything on a need-to-know basis.

With that said, Jamie says she remembers exactly where she was when she learned Britney had shaved her head ... and it sounds like the whole saga hurt her little sis as well. She breaks down in tears recounting and processing everything ... and it obviously impacted her.

BTW, the recent back and forth bickering Jamie Lynn and Britney have been engaged in also gets addressed in this sit-down ... with JL providing what she claims is text message evidence to clear her name, something 'CHD' teased hard in their promo of the interview.

Stephen A. Smith says his battle with COVID-19 included pneumonia in both his lungs as well as a 103-degree fever "every night" ... and things got so bad, he wondered if he was going to die.

The ESPN personality -- who returned to "First Take" this week after being away from the show to fight the virus the past several weeks -- spoke in-depth Monday about his bout with corona, and he revealed it was pure hell.

Smith said there were night sweats, fevers, headaches and a cough -- and he said it was all so awful, he was forced to spend New Year's Day in the hospital.

"I can't tell you how lucky and sincerely blessed I am to be sitting here with you guys today," Smith told his co-hosts, "because two-and-a-half, three weeks ago, I didn't know if I was going to make it."

Smith said doctors told him if he hadn't been vaccinated, he likely would be dead.

"That’s how bad it was," Smith said. "I had pneumonia in both lungs. My liver was bad. It ravaged me."

A surgeon, who's also a Delta Sigma Theta sorority member, is apologizing for posting pics from a patient's procedure ... all to plug a historic day for her sorority.

Dr. Nicole E. Williams ruffled a lot of feathers by sharing photos and info about the surgery she performed on January 13 -- she boasted about removing 22 fibroids from a patient who's a member of another sorority ... Alpha Kappa Alpha. The photos showed the fibroids on a table next to Dr. Williams who was making the Delta hand signal to rep her sorority.

That day also happened to be founders day for Delta Sigma Theta, so the good doc thought she'd show some pride -- but it totally backfired as she faced swift online backlash.

Dr. Williams has now deleted the original post and backtracked, saying ... "A terrible decision was made. I unequivocally and prayerfully apologize for any hurt I may have caused."

A lot of the outrage came from folks who felt she was violating a patient's privacy simply to promote her sorority.

She did provide a history lesson in the original post, pointing out the 22 members who founded DST in 1913 had broken off from Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.

Stick a fork in it -- Novak Djokovic's Australian Open vaccine drama is officially over for now ... as the tennis superstar landed back in Serbia after getting deported from Down Under.

34-year-old ND touched down in Belgrade on Monday and was met by a small group of fans ... with one sneaking in a selfie with the controversial player.

As we previously reported, the 9-time champ fought like hell to be able to defend his title in 2022 ... but his vaccine status eventually led to his one-way ticket outta Australia.

Now, as Novak was set to take the court on Monday ... he's back home and will be forced to watch from the couch.

While his AO hopes have disappeared, Djokovic now has the French Open to worry about in May. French officials recently announced a new law requiring the jab in order to attend sports events would not have exceptions ... meaning Novak could run into the same issue again.

Bob Saget wouldn't be the first one in his immediate family to die from a heart attack ... it's what killed 3 of his uncles.

In Bob's book, "Dirty Daddy: The Chronicles of a Family Man Turned Filthy Comedian," he references that 3 of his uncles died from a heart attack between the ages of 37 and 41.

When Bob was 8, his Uncle Ozzie died at 40 from a heart attack while chasing some kids down the block after they stole a tire.

Tragedy struck again the following year ... Bob lost his Uncle Manny to a double heart attack.

Then, when Bob was 15, he says his Uncle Sammy died at 37 of a heart attack suffered while playing tennis.

Bob also notes his own dad suffered a massive heart attack when he was a kid ... then had another heart attack just 6 months later.

Josh Allen might wanna avoid taking Bart Scott's advice and poppin' Viagra before Saturday's playoff game ... 'cause the makers of the blue pill are warning NFL players to talk to a doctor before using their product.

A rep for Viagra tells TMZ Sports the medicine should only be used for its intended purposes ... even if Scott swears it'll help with blood circulation in cold temps.

"Viagra or Revatio, both of which contain sildenafil as an active ingredient, should only be used in the approved indications and always under the supervision of a physician," the rep tells us.

Of course, Viagra is known to help men in another department ... which is why Scott's comment on ESPN's "Get Up" earlier this week had folks buzzing.

Scott's advice to Allen -- who has a history of not performing well in cold weather -- directed the QB to take the blue pill before the game against the New England Patriots to get his "circulation going."

"Take some Viagra before the game, baby," Scott said, much to the chagrin of his colleagues. "That'll get that circulation going right."

"Viagra was first a heart medicine, right?," Scott added. "So, it builds up circulation, which makes sure it gets circulation to the feet."

Allen -- who admittedly has bad circulation which leads to cold feet -- has had one of the worst completion percentages in the NFL over the last 15 years in freezing temps.

FYI, the forecast for the Bills-Pats game isn't doing Buffalo's star any favors -- the weather is expected to be in single-digits with a wind chill around -10 degrees.

Welp, Britney Spears has seen her sister's full "Nightline" interview, and it's only made her more pissed off at Jamie Lynn Spears ... who she's accusing of completely fabricating a story about Britney and a knife.

Britney just blasted JLS ... saying, "Congrats babe you've stooped to a whole new level of LOW... I've never been around you ever with a knife or would I ever think to do such!!!"

This was in response to Jamie Lynn's account in her book, "Things I Should Have Said" ... about a moment when she claims Britney grabbed a knife and locked herself and her sister in a room.

Jamie Lynn told ABC she included that passage -- which she had to know would incite Britney -- because she was traumatized and suffered panic attacks after that event, and she wanted to share her experience.

For her part, Britney claims the only time she's ever seen Jamie at home with a knife is when they were attempting to cut a really big squash. She told her sister ... "Please stop with these crazy lies for Hollywood books!!!"

Britney did some name-calling too in her post as she adamantly denied the incident -- "NOW and only NOW I do know only a scum person would make up such things about someone." She added, "Around the kids???? Jamie lynn, seriously??? come on!!!"

Britney has clearly had it up to HERE -- she ended the post with ... "Congrats on introducing your older sister to the concept of getting LOW ... LOWER ... LOWEST ... because you win on that one, babe!!!"

Although Jamie seemed to tear up at times during the interview, she said she still has love for her sister.

Jamie Lynn Spears has taken the gloves off, accusing her big sister Britney of lying and claiming she has the receipts to prove it.

Jamie Lynn is reacting to Britney's reaction to her book, "Things I Should Have Said." Jamie Lynn says in the memoir ... Britney exhibited paranoid, erratic behavior over the years, and even talked about an incident where Britney locked the two of them in a room with a knife, saying she was scared.

Britney lashed out at her younger sister, posting on social media Jamie Lynn was "never around me much 15 years ago [when the conservatorship began], so why are they even talking about that unless she wants to sell a book at my expense??? REALLY???"

Britney wasn't done ... "She never had to work for anything. Everything was always given to her!!!!" She says her family "ruined my dreams 100 billion percent and try to make me look like the crazy one."

Jamie Lynn wasn't shy about responding ... "It's become exhausting when conversations, and texts we have in private don't match what you post on social media. I know you're going through a lot and I never want to diminish that, but I also can't diminish myself."

Jamie Lynn went on to say she and her family have been getting death threats, and she blames Britney, saying her "vague and accusatory posts" have triggered her fans, adding Britney could "tell the truth, and put an end to all of it in one second if she wanted to."

And, then she leaned in even harder ... "I hate to burst my sister's bubble, but my book is not about her. I can't help that I was born a Spears too, and that some of my experiences involve my sister. I've worked hard since before I was even a teenager, and I've built my career in spite of just being someone's little sister."

Tampa Bay Rays bullpen catcher Jean Ramirez died by suicide, officials in Texas announced this week.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner revealed the ruling on the manner on Thursday, TMZ Sports has confirmed, adding that the cause was a gunshot wound.

Ramirez was just 28 years old.

"The loss of our son has been the most excruciating experience we have lived," Ramirez's family said in a statement following the release of the tragic news. "Unfortunately, we sometimes don't see the signs. Struggling in silence is not OK."

"It is our commitment to honor our son's life by helping other families. No parent should have to endure the loss of their child. We are very grateful to the Tampa Bay Rays organization, whom we consider our family, for their love and support."

The family continued, "Our son felt loved by all of you. Thank you to our family, friends and everyone else far and near for the outpouring of love and support. God bless you! Rays Up in Heaven."

The Rays announced Ramirez's death on Tuesday -- and many Tampa Bay players, both past and present, mourned the tragedy ... with former Cy Young winner Blake Snell saying, "Man this one hurts."

Ramirez -- who was drafted by the Rays in 2016 -- joined the team as its bullpen catcher in 2019. He had said his goal was to move up in the ranks and perhaps one day manage a roster in The Show.

Scary moment for professional skier George McQuinn who was knocked unconscious after a brutal crash during the FIS Freestyle World Cup event in Deer Valley Utah on Thursday.

But thankfully, he's okay.

The terrifying incident was caught on video ... showing the Team USA skier taking a nasty spill on the last jump of the course, smacking the back of his head as he took off.

McQuinn is immediately knocked out cold from the blow to his head, and you see his body go limp, as he then slides down the mountain, face first.

Medical professionals quickly jumped into action and removed McQuinn on a backboard from the course. Thankfully, officials announced shortly after the crash that he'd regained consciousness.

Later that night, McQuinn let his fans know that he was okay after the "gnarly crash" -- posting video of the incident on his IG and a photo of his facial injuries with a thumbs up.