Health

Erin Brockovich -- the famous paralegal turned activist who helped a massive PG&E scandal in the '90s -- has seen the aftermath in East Palestine ... and according to her, it's grim.

We got Erin at LAX Friday, where she'd just arrived from a visit in Ohio ... meeting and helping folks while surveying the damage and assessing the needs of the community. As she put it to us flatly, the situation is dire there ... and residents are without clear answers.

Based on what EB's seen, she says the area -- including groundwater and residential wells -- is very much contaminated ... despite government agencies and other politicians trying to tell the folks living there otherwise. Erin says there's contradictory information flying all over.

She even describes some symptoms of sickness she says she felt just by being in East Palestine for an extended period of time -- and it sounds very hazardous and dangerous.

So, on the question of next steps ... Erin says a lot of people living in the town have already lawyered up, which is her specialty. Apparently, there are massive class action lawsuits in the works, and it sounds like Norfolk Southern -- the company whose train derailed -- might have to pay out the nose for damages these people are alleging ... assuming they settle.

Prince Harry has broken open the cookie jar of his life -- even more so than he already had -- and let a doctor dig in deep during an hour-plus sit-down ... who even diagnosed him.

The Duke of Sussex had a long convo with Dr. Gabor Maté Saturday, where they dove into his book, "Spare," and the benefits of Harry living his true, authentic life ... while breaking away from the Royal Family, which he says was holding him back from this for years.

During the chat, they talked at length about trauma, vulnerability, healing and why Harry was opening up as much as he is. For that last bit, PH actually calls all this (the book/press run) a service to others ... because he genuinely believes it'll help folks better themselves.

There were a lot of standout moments -- including the fact Harry insists he's not a victim, nor is he seeking sympathy here -- but one that truly flashed was when Dr. Maté diagnosed him right on the spot ... handing down disorders that he says he perceived from reading about Harry and talking to him too. Among them ... ADD, PTSD, anxiety and depression.

Much of it, DGM explained, stems from his childhood -- with the death of his mother being a main factor, of course. Harry seemed to accept Dr. Mate's diagnoses at face value ... even acknowledging that he'd been diagnosed with PTSD by his own personal therapist.

Another interesting tidbit ... Harry talking about his past substance use. He distanced himself from cocaine -- saying he felt no benefit from it -- but he did praise marijuana and psychedelics ... explaining that he felt both of those had helped him become more clear.

At one point, Harry also addressed the flak he continues to catch from the media and others for speaking up about his private life/woes -- in his mind, he actually thinks the criticism hurts more than it helps, because he says it discourages normies from opening up.

Harry also talked about his wife, Meghan Markle, and his kids. In terms of MM, he praised her as saving his life and helping him break free from what he essentially calls shackles of the Royal institution ... and when it comes to his kids, he says he's trying to heap on as much love and affection as he can, to compensate for what he says he lacked as a child.

Frankly, much of the conversation focused on mental health ... not so much on Harry's father or brother or any other particular Royal. But, there was a noteworthy revelation PH dropped -- he says when he was first getting into therapy, he actually encouraged his "family" to do the same ... presumably, that means he approached Will/Charles with the prospect. It doesn't sound like they took him up on it, though, and Harry says he believes it actually widened the divide between them. As he put it, therapy was both a blessing and a hindrance.

Toward the end, Harry fielded Qs from people who were watching ... none of them were all that profound or pointed -- most simply asked how/why Harry thought it was important to seek help ... and some of the most effective ways he thought folks could do that.

The takeaway ... Harry very much believes in his work to bring mental health awareness to the forefront -- and one of the vehicles he's using to do that is to put his own life and story on the dissection table for all to see. Not everyone may love it, but he thinks it's ultimately a good thing to lay it all out there ... even at the risk of further pissing off the Royals.

A few things that were NOT discussed here ... Harry and Meghan getting evicted from Frogmore Cottage (which they confirmed was happening this past week), King Charles' coronation, South Park making fun of them ... or next steps with the Royals at large.

Dr. Maté did somewhat allude to a controversy surrounding himself -- where he was accused of being antisemitic by some for his defense of Palestine -- and the guy made clear ... he comes from Jewish heritage and had family that lived through Nazi-occupied Europe. Without directly saying it, he seemed to suggest he wasn't antisemitic ... far from it, in fact.

All in all, it was insightful. And it's obvious Harry might keep on talking from here on out.

President Biden's fully recovered from a brush with cancer he had last month ... according to doctors who are giving him the all-clear.

The White House announced Friday a lesion was found on Biden's chest last month during his annual physical, and after a biopsy, doctors determined it was malignant. White House Dr. Kevin O'Connor said it was basal cell carcinoma, but they were able to remove all the cancerous tissue.

Perhaps most importantly, O'Connor also said, "No further treatment is required."

That's key for the 80-year-old commander-in-chief as he inches closer to officially announcing his bid for re-election in 2024. Biden's critics have already tried to make his age and health an issue.

GOP presidential hopeful Nikki Haley's suggested mandatory competency testing for all politicians over 75.

Prince Harry is ready to unpack his emotional baggage with a controversial trauma expert at a virtual conference ... and now he's getting some serious pushback.

The Duke Of Sussex will sit down Saturday with Dr. Gabor Maté for an "intimate conversation" about "living with loss and the importance of personal healing," according to Harry's website. After the discussion, viewers can ask the men questions during a live Q&A set up by Random House -- the publisher of Harry's new book, "Spare."

Problem is ... Maté has previously compared Hamas to heroic Jews who fought the Nazis in Warsaw, Poland, during WWII. Maté has also labeled Israel's leaders as terrorists.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre blasted Harry for his affiliation with Maté. Cooper told the Jewish Chronicle: "Whoever made the arrangements to have this individual appear with Prince Harry, did him no favors. If Prince Harry knew this man's record and still chose him for the interview, our Centre would criticize the prince for such an inappropriate choice."

As we reported, Harry has been hocking his book about his life struggles. His memoir covers his deteriorating relationship with the Royal Family over their treatment of his wife, Meghan Markle. Harry and Meghan, as you know, moved out of Buckingham Palace and now live in a mansion in Oprah country -- AKA Montecito.

The Royal Family reportedly plans to watch Harry's convo with Maté, who has his own disturbing story growing up in Nazi-occupied Budapest in 1944. When Maté was just five months old, his maternal grandparents were among the Jews murdered in Auschwitz. He was also ripped away from his mother and turned over to his aunt, who kept him hidden until the war ended.

Harry and Meghan were seen out together for the first time since the release of "Spare" at hot spot San Vicente Bungalows, a members-only club for date night.

For more royal drama, tune into our podcast "Spilling Royal Tea," dropping every Thursday wherever you get your podcasts.

Ron Jeremy is unable to make serious legal decisions on his own, so his sister is stepping in, asking a judge to get him a conservator STAT.

Ron’s sister, Susan Billotte, filed a petition — obtained by TMZ — to appoint attorney Ellen Finkelberg as his conservator, requesting Ellen be given authority to make decisions regarding the former porn star’s finances and health care.

The docs state, Ron is “concurrently incarcerated at the Twin Towers-Mens Central Jail. He has been found incompetent to stand trial in a criminal case due to a diagnosis with symptoms of Lewy body dementia and has a pending transfer to a state hospital.”

According to the docs, there is urgency to get a conservator now so Jeremy can get to a “private secured perimeter facility specializing in treatment of dementia.”

In other words, his sister says he’s in desperate need of a conservator but is unable to make the call due to his deteriorating health.

LeBron James' right foot issue has officially been classified as a "tendon injury" ... which will keep the Lakers superstar sidelined at least three weeks, the team announced Thursday.

It's unclear if James will play again this season ... as he will be reevaluated again after his time away.

The news is a big blow to the Lakers, who are trying to claw their way into playoff contention with the season winding down.

L.A. is currently 11th in the Western Conference standings with a 30-33 record ... and will need to move up at least one more spot in order to make the NBA play-in tournament.

LeBron was initially listed out of Tuesday's matchup against the Grizzlies with a sore foot ... but required more testing to figure out what exactly was wrong. He was spotted limping while wearing a big boot on his lower leg during the loss.

The Lakers have been dealing with multiple injuries recently -- Anthony Davis and D'Angelo Russell also missed Wednesday night's game against the Thunder ... but despite being short-handed, the Purple and Gold were able to pull out a win.

The sound engineer who Travis Scott allegedly attacked in an NYC club says the rapper flipped him the bird and socked him in the head, landing him in the hospital with injuries.

Identifying himself only as Mark, the engineer spoke with Fox 5 News from his hospital bed after the alleged assault at Club Nebula in Manhattan early Wednesday morning.

Mark said he can't turn his head and "My neck is f**ked up. My arm is tingling. I have pins and needles going down it."

He also described the events that led to the violence, saying Travis was playing the DJ music so loud the sound was distorted. When Mark tried to lower the volume, he said Travis flew into a rage.

Travis "stuck his middle finger in my face," Mark said, adding, "So I lowered the monitor a little bit so I could talk to him, and that’s when he ran around the speaker and attacked me."

As we reported ... Travis made a surprise appearance at the club Tuesday night to perform with his protege, Don Toliver.

After Travis had his meltdown in the DJ booth, he purportedly attacked the sound engineer and caused $12,000 in damage to a speaker and video screen, before leaving the club.

The NYPD now wants to question Travis after a police report was filed alleging that he committed assault and criminal mischief.

Travis' lawyer, Mitchell Schuster, told us the incident was "a misunderstanding being blown out of proportion by clickbait and misinformation."

Schuster also said he's working with the venue and law enforcement to resolve the situation and believes Travis will be "cleared of any wrongdoing."

"A lot of times people see someone in a wheelchair with a disability, they think they can't enjoy alcohol and other things, and I'm like that's totally not true, and I wanted to end that stigma."

That's 32-year-old former Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand, paralyzed during a college football game in 2010, turned motivational speaker/kick-ass businessman telling TMZ Sports why he decided to launch his very own Kentucky Bourbon, LeGrand Whiskey.

"I wanted to create a brand of something that represents me, which I feel like whiskey is the perfect thing that represents me," Eric said, adding ... "It takes patience, it is something that's tough, strong and something that you celebrate life to."

Celebrities have been slapping their names on alcohol for years, but that's not the case with Eric -- he was very involved in the process, all the way through.

LeGrand hooked up with business partner Brian Axelrod ("Brian worked very closely with Conor McGregor and his team on [Proper No. Twelve]"), found a distillery in Kentucky, and they made Bourbon!

"I'm thinking this is about to taste like rubbing alcohol, it's gonna be terrible. I took a sip and I'm like hold up, let me get a little bit more. I took another sample and I'm like whoa," Eric said, describing his first time tasting the product.

"I'm like, we got something special here. This is perfect."

And, if drinking good bourbon wasn't enough reason, Eric's also raising money for charity.

"We have a purpose behind this. We want to raise money for the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation to help us find a cure for paralysis. Every case that we sell, $5.20 will go back to the foundation, because 52 was my number."

Eric LeGrand Whiskey officially launched this week ... and to commemorate his latest endeavor, EL's celebrating at Batch Bin & Barrel in New Brunswick, NJ on Thursday -- just miles from where he played football!

Cheers, Eric! 🥃

Travis Barker's finger injury has put his band's touring plans on pause -- something fans feared that's now become a reality.

Blink-182's lead singer, Tom DeLonge, officially broke the news Wednesday -- telling their fans in Mexico and several Central and South American countries they'll have to circle back to see them some other time. The tour was set to begin in Tijuana on March 11.

Obviously, with Travis' recent updates about his busted digits ... that probably wasn't going to happen, and now Tom and co. are confirming it with a formal postponement.

No word on when they'll be able to get back on the road, but Tom says TB's gotta get well again before they can perform as a troupe. He also apologized to ticket buyers and promises to update them in the near future.

As we reported ... Travis has been documenting his journey, posting photos and videos of his hand getting worked on in recent days. It was pretty clear he'd be out for a while.

Justin Bieber has fully canceled his world tour ... and it almost certainly aligns with a growing mental health movement to pump the brakes when an artist is struggling.

Justin pulled the plug on his Justice World Tour concerts in the UK, France, Poland, Australia, New Zealand, Denmark and the Czech Republic.

Fans will get refunds, but won't get to see JB, who, by the way, turns 29 today.

As TMZ reported, Justin suspended his tour back in September because of physical and mental health issues, and it's not the first time he's done that.

At the time, he said, "After getting off the stage, the exhaustion overtook me and I realize that I need to make my health the priority right now." He was also dealing with Ramsay Hunt Syndrome, which caused temporary, partial paralysis to his face.

The tour has been dogged with problems. It was supposed to kick off in 2020 but the pandemic derailed that plan. Once the tour belatedly kicked off, he was sidelined with COVID.

"Family by the Ton" star Casey King has shed HUNDREDS of pounds since his time on the series ... and his dating life and sex life have dramatically improved.

Casey tells TMZ ... being with women has been a new experience, saying that wasn't a part of his life back when he was at his heaviest at 845 pounds. He didn't lose his virginity until his mid-30s.

With the lbs coming off, Casey says he's gotten more confident in the bedroom ... using a potato metaphor --- watch the video, you'll understand.

The reality star is gung ho on getting his excess skin removed sometime this year ... he's meeting with doctors for a pretty radical procedure. A GoFundMe for his surgery has produced results ... he says $18k is already sitting in his bank account.

Fans of the show remember Casey got gastric bypass surgery, which reduced his weight to 525 lbs. Now, how's this for progress? He now tips the scales at 232 pounds! From his heaviest, Casey's dropped an astonishing 613 lbs!!!

Ed Sheeran says his wife's health was in peril during her second pregnancy -- just one thing that made 2022 really difficult ... challenges he says will be reflected in his new album.

The singer made the revelation Wednesday in announcing his latest project, "Subtract" ... saying Cherry Seaborn was diagnosed with a tumor last year while she was pregnant with their second child, Jupiter ... who she delivered in May.

He writes, "Within the space of a month, my pregnant wife got told she had a tumor, with no route to treatment until after the birth." ES goes on to say that on top of this, he also lost a good friend in '22 ... not to mention dealing with the lawsuit over his hit, "Shape of You."

In light of these trials, Ed says he's offered up his most honest work yet in "Subtract" -- which he explains wasn't aimed at pleasing anyone but himself. He's known for cranking out consistent pop hits -- so we'll see what he's got in store here.

As for his wife, it sounds like she's okay. There's been no word of further health complications from the tumor, and Ed didn't elaborate. By all accounts, his second daughter is healthy ... she's coming up on her first birthday in a few months.

Here's one accessory no Laker fan ever wants to see the stylish LeBron James wearing -- a huge walking boot on his right leg ... that could signal his season is very much in jeopardy of being over.

The King wore the massive foot protector to L.A.'s game against Memphis on Tuesday night -- just two days after he initially injured the lower leg playing against the Dallas Mavericks.

James walked gingerly in the brace as he made his way around the Tennessee arena in street clothes -- a horrible sign for the Lakers, who need to win the majority of their remaining 20 games to have a chance at making the playoffs next month.

To make matters worse for LeBron's L.A. squad -- the Lakers took it on the chin without their star player ... falling to Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, 121-109.

It's not clear when -- or even if -- LeBron can make it back to the team at some point this season ... he's reportedly been shut down for at least two weeks to allow the foot a chance to heal.

And, if the team isn't in striking distance of making the postseason by the end of those 14 days, he reportedly could be done until the 2023-24 season.

James clearly ain't happy about it all -- he posted an Instagram of his injured leg on Monday night saying, "Fkn sucks!!!!"

UNLV defensive lineman Ryan Keeler had been dealing with nausea and had felt sick for at least seven days prior to his tragic death on Feb. 20 ... this according to a new police report, obtained by TMZ Sports.

In the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department documents, cops say that after Keeler was found dead in his bed, they interviewed a friend of the football player's who told them Keeler had been fighting an illness since at least Feb. 13.

Cops say the friend, though, had told them he had just seen Keeler at dinner on Feb. 19 ... and Keeler was "feeling a little better."

In the report, cops say a man with the title of "director sports medicine" told them Keeler had been prescribed medication on Feb. 17 ... and had just visited him on Feb. 19 as well.

It's not clear what the prescribed medication was -- the report was redacted.

The new documents also revealed that UNLV assistant coach Julio Garcia was the one who had initially discovered Keeler after doing a welfare check on the defensive end earlier in the day.

According to the report, Garcia had knocked on Keeler's door, and when he got no answer, he kicked the door down, found Ryan unconscious and noted the 20-year-old was "cold to the touch." He then called 911, the report states.

Police also noted in the documents Keeler was found deceased laying face-up in his bed. They said an empty prescription medication bottle was found at the scene.

Keeler had just joined the UNLV football team in 2022 -- after he transferred from Rutgers following his freshman season. In his lone year with the Rebels, he played in two games ... recording a sack and eight total tackles.

Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe went at it Tuesday morning on their FS1 show "Undisputed" ... after Skip insinuated LeBron James is lying about his injury.

Of course, it was reported Monday that James might miss substantial time with a right foot injury ... but Skip isn't buying he's hurt, questioning the legitimacy of LeBron's injury.

Bayless told Sharpe he hasn't seen any difference in Bron since the Lakers superstar turned 38 in December, and said he appeared to be fine during Sunday's game vs. Dallas.

Sharpe, however, took issue with Skip's comments, especially since LBJ said he "heard it pop" against the Mavs, prompting a war of words between the two hosts.

“Why is it when someone says something is wrong with LeBron James you either say it’s not that serious or he’s lying?” Sharpe asked. "But you’ve never called into question when Tom Brady said anything."

James, meanwhile, posted a pic of his right foot on Instagram Monday ... with the caption, "Fkn Sucks!!!! "

K'Andre Miller's spit will keep him off the ice for a bit ... 'cause the New York Rangers defenseman was suspended three games for hocking a loogie on an opponent during Sunday's matchup against the Los Angeles Kings.

The 23-year-old was caught on live TV spitting right in Kings star Drew Doughty's face during a skirmish in the first period of the game at Madison Square Garden.

The official saw it, too, and removed Miller from the game ... and handed down a match penalty to go along with it.

Miller did apologize shortly after ... releasing a statement the following day saying it was "completely accidental," as he has respect for Doughty.

"I would never intend to do something like that on purpose, it goes against everything I am as a person and player," Miller said on Monday.

The sorry didn't do much for the NHL Department of Player Safety ... which handed down a three-game suspension on Tuesday.

"NY Rangers’ K'Andre Miller has been suspended for three games for unsportsmanlike conduct on Los Angeles’ Drew Doughty," the NHL Player Safety said.