Health

Larry Merchant, one of the most iconic boxing broadcasters of all time, was rushed to a hospital Thursday night and is in the critical care unit of a L.A. area hospital ... sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ.

We're told an ambulance came to Larry's building at around 6 PM Thursday and rushed him to a nearby hospital. We're told he's in a critical care unit.

We do not know what triggered the emergency or his prognosis.

Larry has been a longtime HBO boxing commentator, working with Jim Lampley, George Foreman, Roy Jones Jr., Harold Lederman and many others. He's been called "The greatest television boxing analyst of all time."

The 92-year-old also has acting chops, appearing in "I Spy," "The Fighter,' and "Rocky Balboa."

Larry retired from HBO in 2012, but he cast a long shadow and is still remembered for his broadcasting skills.

Sam Asghari dropped several dozen pounds following his split from Britney Spears ... and while lots of folks in Hollywood are using meds to shed weight, Sam's not hopping on that trend.

We got Britney's ex leaving Equinox gym, and our photog asked him about his dramatic weight loss and his secret to losing 35 to 40 pounds.

Sam says his body transformation is NOT the result of Ozempic ... a prescription diabetes medication that's becoming widely popular among celebs and average folks as a diet drug.

Even Oprah recently admitted she's using meds to lose and maintain weight, and she refuses to be shamed about it.

But, Sam says he's been putting in work at the gym and watching what he eats -- telling us fitness often comes down to diet.

Sam's always been fit, but now he looks more toned and cut than ever and he says being in shape's always been a priority for him ... which is evident to anyone with eyes.

He's also got some tips for anyone looking to lose a few pounds -- in his eyes you don't have to resort to meds as long as you keep your hands out of the cookie jar.

Two men have been hit with criminal charges for their alleged roles in an altercation that eventually ended with the death of a Patriots fan at Gillette Stadium earlier this year, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

According to the Foxborough Police Department, 59-year-old John Vieira and 39-year-old Justin Mitchell were charged with assault and battery and disorderly conduct this week after investigators say they were involved in a fight with Dale Mooney just prior to Mooney's death at the Pats vs. Dolphins game on Sept. 17.

The FPD says the charges came down after the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled that Mooney died from "probable cardiac dysrhythmia in a person with severe hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease during a physical altercation."

The FPD, however, added that despite the OCME ruling the manner of Mooney's death as a homicide ... the evidence its investigators gathered did not establish "a basis for criminal prosecution of charges related to homicide in Mr. Mooney’s death."

Vieira is slated for arraignment on Jan. 19 ... while Mitchell is set to be arraigned a week later.

“We thank the members of the public who made their private videos of the altercation available for our review," Norfolk District Attorney Michael W. Morrissey said in a statement Friday, "and the investigators at the Foxborough Police Department, for their help in establishing a clear picture of these tragic events."

Jennifer López dice que ella y su marido Ben Affleck todavía sufren del estrés postraumático que les causó el frenesí de los medios de comunicación durante su primer intento como pareja hace más de 20 años.

J Lo se sentó a conversar con Variety para promocionar su nuevo álbum y la película del mismo nombre "This Is Me ... Now", que documenta su último amor con Ben y su matrimonio en 2022.

Durante la charla, J Lo habló sobre su primera relación con Ben en la década de los 2000, revelando que ambos sienten estrés postraumático hasta el día de hoy como resultado de la locura de los medios de comunicación.

Se suponía que ambos se iban a casar en 2003, pero cancelaron sus planes y finalmente terminaron

Luego, en 2021, volvieron a estar juntos y tuvieron un romance relámpago antes de ir al altar juntos al año siguiente.

J Lo ahora dice que tienen un mejor manejo de todo el escrutinio que viene con la fama, ya que "son mayores" y "más sabios."

Y añade: "También sabemos lo que es importante, lo que es realmente importante en la vida y no es tanto lo que piensen los demás. Se trata de ser fiel a lo que eres".

J Lo admite que algunos miembros de su equipo no estaban muy de acuerdo con que compartiera públicamente los detalles íntimos de su relación con Ben.

Pero ella los ignoró, diciendo: "Como artistas, tenemos que seguir nuestro corazón y esta soy yo siguiendo a mi corazón y haciendo algo que tal vez la mayoría piensa que no es la mejor idea, pero tenía que hacerlo".

Jennifer Lopez says she and hubby Ben Affleck still suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder from the media frenzy during their first go around as a couple over 20 years ago.

J Lo sat down for an interview with Variety to promote her new album and film by the same name, "This Is Me ... Now," which documents her latest love affair with Ben and their marriage in 2022.

During the chat, J Lo started talking about her first relationship with Ben back in the early 2000s, revealing they both have PTSD to this day as a result of the media craziness.

The two were supposed to tie the knot in 2003, but they canceled their plans and eventually broke up.

Then, in 2021, they got back together and had a whirlwind romance before walking down the aisle together the following year.

J Lo now says they have a much better handle on all the scrutiny that comes with fame since "we're older" and "we're wiser."

She added, "We also know what’s important, what’s really important in life, and it’s not so much what other people think. It’s about being true to who you are."

J Lo admits some members of her team weren't so keen on her publicly sharing the intimate details of her relationship with Ben.

But she ignored them, saying, “As artists, we have to follow our heart and this is me following my heart and doing something that maybe everybody didn’t think was the best idea, but I had to do it."

Michael Bublé se llenó de emoción al hablar de la batalla contra el cáncer de hígado de su hijo Noah y de cómo eso lo ha llevado a restablecer sus prioridades y a enfocarse en su familia en lugar de su ego y el poder.

Al enterarse de que su hijo había sido diagnosticado con hepatoblastoma a la edad de 3 años, en 2016, explicó que una cortina se corrió sobre sus ojos y lo hizo darse cuenta de que aunque amaba a su familia, estaba concentrado en convertirse en el más grande y mejor en su carrera.

Hablando con Steven Bartlett en "The Diary of a CEO podcast", Michael dijo que prometió abandonar su ego y vivir una vida mejor si superaban los problemas de salud de Noah.

También quería ser más amable y empático y nunca más vivir su vida sin preocupaciones.

Michael Bublé welled up with emotion speaking of how his son Noah's liver cancer battle reset his priorities ... now focusing on his family rather than his ego and power.

Upon learning his son had been diagnosed with hepatoblastoma at the age of 3 back in 2016 ... he explained a curtain was pulled over his eyes -- making him realize that while he loved his family, he was tuned in on becoming the biggest and best in his career.

Speaking to Steven Bartlett on "The Diary of a CEO podcast" ... Michael said he promised to abandon his ego ... and live a better life if they got through Noah's health woes.

He also wanted to be kinder and empathetic -- and never live his life carefree anymore.

Warren Moon says Aaron Rodgers deserves a lot of credit for shutting down his comeback efforts this week ... explaining to TMZ Sports things could have turned dire for the QB if he had continued his push to get back on the field.

The Hall of Fame quarterback -- who knows a thing or two about playing into his 40s -- said on Wednesday he's glad Rodgers has decided to stop his pursuit of rejoining the Jets this season because he had a real fear the 4-time MVP could reinjure himself.

"Those Achilles injuries," Moon said, "even though the Achilles might be connected again, it still has to become much stronger."

Rodgers revealed on "The Pat McAfee" Show on Tuesday he would not get back under center for NY in 2023 despite busting his ass since he suffered the injury on Sept. 11 -- because he's just simply not 100 percent.

He told McAfee his leg is close -- but he needed another 3-to-4 weeks to really feel good about things. And, with the Jets officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday, it just seemed to make sense for the 40-year-old signal-caller to put his focus on getting ready for 2024.

Moon obviously thinks that's a great plan ... telling us that even if NY had been in the postseason hunt, he still would have rather sat Rodgers.

"I still don't think he should come back if he's not 100 percent," he said.

His advice to Aaron going forward was just to stay in shape -- while making sure his team makes it a priority to surround him with a good offensive line next season.

12/20 9:08 AM -- Jets head coach Robert Saleh just confirmed Aaron Rodgers will, indeed, not play this season ... though the team is still activating him off injured reserve so he can continue his recovery on the field with his teammates.

"It's all part of his rehab," Saleh told reporters Wednesday morning. "Just having him on the field is a plus for everybody, for him and his teammates."

Aaron Rodgers will not make a miraculous comeback to the Jets this season after all ... the quarterback just revealed he's still about a month away from being fully healthy.

The NY quarterback broke the news just minutes ago on "The Pat McAfee Show" ... saying his body is just not quite ready for him to get back under center for the Jets in 2023.

He told Pat he's close -- but his leg still needs about 3-to-4 weeks to possibly get to "100 percent."

"If I was 100 percent today," the 40-year-old said on the show, "I'd be pushing to play."

Rodgers initially blew out his Achilles on Sept. 11 -- and he worked like a mad man to try to make his return to the Jets this weekend.

He had said the decision would be contingent upon two things -- if he was healthy enough, and if the Jets were in playoff contention.

However, neither situation came to fruition -- and Rodgers seemed to make it clear to McAfee he's now turning his sights toward getting ready for 2024.

"Now without a timetable to come back obviously we can be as smart as we can be," Rodgers said.

What's interesting -- the QB was asked during his appearance on the show if next season would be his last ... and he said frankly, "I don't think so."

He explained that moving on from Green Bay to New York gave him "a renewed passion for the game."

The 5-9 Jets will now officially have to finish off their season without their superstar against Washington, Cleveland and then New England.

Bray Wyatt's dad, Mike Rotunda, is opening up on his constant grief following the late WWE Superstar's tragic death ... saying life without his son has been nothing short of a "nightmare."

Rotunda -- who was famous in his own right as a wrestler for decades, most notably as Irwin R. Schuster -- joined the "Wrasslin Talk with Mayor McCall" podcast to discuss Wyatt (real name Windham Rotunda) ... and, understandably, he's still struggling to come to terms with the loss.

"It's been really hard," Rotunda said. "We miss him every day."

"[My kids] would come with me and stay on the road, wherever I was wrestling ... and it's so hard to wake up out of this nightmare and he's still not there."

Rotunda explained Windham was supposed to get married to his partner, Jojo, recently ... making it an especially challenging time for his family.

Rotunda praised WWE for helping his family by giving Windham a Legends contract among other gestures ... which will allow his four children to receive financial help from merchandise sales.

"He was a jolly fellow," Rotunda continued. "He loved to laugh, he was loud, always laughing and he lit up a room. He lit up the wrestling business. People come up to me and have a story with Windham and say, 'He took the time to sit there and bulls*** with me for 10 or 15 minutes when he's supposed to be signing autographs.' So many people come up and support him by wearing Windham's stuff, and they have a story about him. He was that kind of person."

As we previously reported, Windham -- who experienced heart complications leading up to his death -- passed away while taking a nap at his home in August.

AEW star CJ Perry has been hospitalized for several days with a gruesome infection in her finger that has since spread up her arm ... a complication that has required surgery.

The 38-year-old shared photos with her millions of social media followers this week ... initially saying on Saturday she went to the ER after realizing a problem with her middle finger and arm.

"Please keep me in your prayers I’m at the ER @vphcares," Perry said on X ... explaining the medical emergency is the reason why she has not been competing recently.

"The infection from my small finger has gone up my arm. I am so sorry I had to miss last night and @AEW tonight. I look forward to debuting in Mexico with @AndradeElIdolo. Good luck @ToBeMiro and my client."

Perry -- who went by the ring name Lana during her WWE tenure -- provided an update on Monday ... revealing she had to undergo a procedure to address the ailment.

"The infection has gotten worse and I'm going into surgery tonight," Perry said. "Please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I love you all."

Perry joined AEW this year ... making her debut with her husband and fellow wrestler Miro, on September 3 at the All Out PPV event. She's also an AEW manager and signed El Idolo as her first client.

Before All Elite, Perry was a WWE Superstar who also managed other wrestlers like Rusev.

Madonna says she was in a deep, controlled sleep during her hospitalization this year -- noting how lucky she is to be alive and giving insight into what she remembers in that state.

The singer made the startling revelation over the weekend during a show in Brooklyn, serving as one of the latest stops on her tour. At one point during the concert, she paused to address the crowd ... and said she'd been induced into a coma back in the summer.

Check it out ... Madge explains that a friend of hers, Shavawn, was one of the few people on hand when she passed out on the bathroom floor and made sure she got to an ER STAT.

Madonna thanked her personally -- Shavawn was in the audience that night -- and then went on to say that she also has her Kabbalah teacher to thank for being there at her side while she was in comatose. Interestingly, Madonna says she can remember hearing his voice.

As for what she can recall her teacher saying while she was under ... a common ask that anyone in that situation can identify with, especially when tending to a loved one.

Now, Madonna says when she regained consciousness ... one of the first things she saw was her six children sitting around her hospital bed. She jokes that it took a life-threatening situation to finally get all of them in one room, but sounds grateful they were there.

Madge has talked quite a bit about her health scare throughout her tour, which resumed in October -- although, she's confessed along the way that she's still not necessarily 100%.

You'll recall, she suffered a serious bacterial infection that put her out of commission for a good while ... but eventually, Madonna was back on her two feet and out in public again.

Madonna dice que estuvo en un sueño profundo y controlado durante su hospitalización este año, señalando lo afortunada que es de estar viva y de compartir una idea de lo que recuerda en ese estado.

La cantante hizo la sorprendente revelación el fin de semana durante un concierto en Brooklyn, una de las últimas paradas de su gira. En un momento, hizo una pausa para dirigirse a la multitud y les contó que había sido inducida en un coma en el verano.

Compruébalo tú mismo, Madge explica que una amiga suya, Shavawn, fue una de las pocas personas presentes cuando se desmayó en el baño y se aseguró de que llegara a urgencias.

Madonna le dio las gracias personalmente a Shavawn, que estaba entre el público esa noche, y luego pasó a decir que también tiene que dar las gracias a su maestro de Cábala por estar a su lado mientras estaba en coma. Curiosamente, Madonna dice que pudo recordar oír su voz.

En cuanto a lo que puede recordar de lo que dijo su maestro, una pregunta común para cualquier persona en esa situación, Madonna dice que cuando recobró el conocimiento, una de las primeras cosas que vio fue a sus seis hijos sentados alrededor de su cama del hospital. Bromea que tuvo que ocurrir algo que amenazara su vida para que todos pudieran estar en la misma habitación, aunque suena agradecida de que estuvieran allí.

Madge ha hablado bastante de su susto de salud a lo largo de su gira, que se reanudó en octubre, aunque ha confesado que todavía no está al 100% necesariamente.

Como recordarán, Madonna sufrió una grave infección bacteriana que la dejó fuera de servicio durante un buen tiempo, pero finalmente se recuperó y pudo volver a actuar en público.

Matthew Perry's death being pinned on ketamine by the Coroner is misleading, and puts the drug in a bad light -- so says an M.D. who's prescribed it to his own patients.

Dr. Zaid Fadul -- the Medical Director at BetterU and an expert in addiction medicine -- tells TMZ ... the L.A. County Coroner Office's finding last week that Perry died from the acute effects of ketamine doesn't really explain how he died ... at least in his professional opinion.

Yes, ketamine happened to be in Matt's system at the time of his death -- and might have been the reason he dozed off in his hot tub ... but obviously, the "Friends" actor drowned.

Dr. Fadul's point here is ... any kind of drug that spurs sedation would've likely had the same effect, and he feels like blaming MP's tragic passing on ketamine alone -- without this context -- isn't fair, and that might deter people from seeking it out as a viable option.

Now, on the issue of whether Perry had used ketamine the day he died or not -- Dr. Fadul has a theory on that as well. According to him, Matt was likely experienced with ketamine and was taking ever-increasing doses, which might've left some residual.

He adds, that residual amount could've been super high, if Matt had a high tolerance to the drug and was taking high doses. He also believes Perry wasn't only taking ketamine through an IV.

Remember, the coroner's report on Perry's cause of death noted he'd been involved in ketamine infusion therapy in the months leading up to this -- but pointed out he'd been weaning off of it thanks to a new doctor who found he didn't need as much these days.

Ketamine is often used as a treatment for depression and anxiety, which is why Matt had been taking it ... but because his ketamine levels were so elevated when he died, it's unclear Matt was taking it therapeutically or recreationally.

The implication from the report seems to be pointing to the latter. Dr. Fadul, though, isn't so sure that's accurate.

La muerte de Matthew Perry se le atribuye a la ketamina, y esto le otorga a la droga una mala reputación injustamente adquirida. Esto según un terapeuta que le ha prescrito ketamina a sus propios pacientes.

El Dr. Zaid Fadul —Director Médico de BetterU y experto en medicina de la adicción— le dice a TMZ que el forense del Condado de Los Ángeles que dijo que Perry murió por los efectos agudos de la ketamina no explica realmente cómo murió, al menos en su opinión profesional.

Sí, la ketamina pasó a estar en el sistema de Matt en el momento de su muerte y puede haber sido la razón por la que se quedó dormido en su bañera de hidromasaje, pero obviamente el actor de "Friends" se ahogó.

El punto del Dr. Fadul es que cualquier tipo de droga que estimula la sedación probablemente habría tenido el mismo efecto, y siente que culpar solamente a la ketamina por la trágica muerte es injusto y es algo que podría hacer que la gente no considere el tratamiento como una opción viable.

Ahora bien, sobre la cuestión de si Perry había consumido ketamina el día de su muerte o no, el Dr. Fadul también tiene una teoría al respecto en esta entrevista. Según él, Matt probablemente tenía experiencia con la ketamina y tomaba dosis cada vez mayores, lo que podría haber dejado algún residuo.

Recordemos que el informe del forense sobre la causa de la muerte de Perry señaló que había estado involucrado en una terapia de infusión de ketamina durante los meses previos a su muerte, pero señaló que había estado disminuyendo gracias a un nuevo médico que encontró que no necesitaba tanto en estos días.

La ketamina se utiliza a menudo como un tratamiento eficaz para la depresión y la ansiedad, y es la razón por la que Matt la había tomado, pero a los ojos del forense, el jurado no sabe si la ketamina en el sistema de Matt era para ese propósito o si era recreativa. La implicación del informe parece apuntar a lo segundo.

"Mob Wives" star Renee Graziano is 40 days sober following a stint at a Texas rehab ... and is now continuing to receive treatment thanks to the assistance of Lamar Odom.

A rep for Renee tells TMZ she's now focusing on trauma therapy at Lamar's wellness facility -- which aims to fight substance abuse, a cause near and dear to Lamar following his own near-fatal overdose in 2015.

A rep for Lamar says he actually reached out to Renee via IG when she made headlines for her rehab stay in November ... telling her if she needed anything while in treatment, to just let him know.

We're told the ex-NBA star also informed her of the services offered at Vanity Wellness Treatment Center, his facility in Sherman Oaks, CA.

Two weeks ago, Renee reached back out to Lamar ... saying she needed treatment for extensive trauma, and the program she currently was in at that time didn't offer that type of care.

Lamar immediately put the gears in motion ... connecting Renee with admissions for his facility -- and she checked in last Thursday after flying to Cali from Texas.

So far, so good ... Renee is loving the program and plans on staying for another 60+ days while working on her mental health, sobriety and physical health.