Money

Bill Maher, an old-line lib, is actually down with Elon Musk slashing the federal budget, but Bill says Elon is playing outrageous favorites by overlooking the biggest federal fat cat of all -- the military.

The 'Real Time' host laid it out in stark terms ... Musk is creating an illusion of saving $$$, when the defense budget -- which accounts for almost half of all federal spending -- remains unmolested.

How about the 51 Air Force golf courses, Bill wonders ... why hasn't Musk 86'd them with his chainsaw? Or the Marines, with 10 golf courses.

Bill Chisholm's yet to take his seat at the top of the Celtics' organization, but Boston's soon-to-be new owner has already earned some big praise from at least one Cs great -- Cedric Maxwell!!

TMZ Sports chopped it up with the two-time NBA champ this week just after Chisholm agreed to buy the storied franchise from Wyc Grousbeck for $6.1 billion ... and he told us he was thrilled over the purchase.

First of all, Maxwell said he was happy Grousbeck was able to make some serious coin in the deal. Then, he explained he was pumped to learn Chisholm's a diehard supporter -- 'cause he had always hoped for continuity if a sale occurred.

The infamous $19 strawberry from Erewhon is completely out of stock ... and it's unclear when the strawberry will return ... TMZ has learned.

An Erewhon representative tells us unseasonal snow in Japan has led to a slowdown in production on getting the strawberries to the high-end stores.

While the company hopes to have the strawberries back in stock soon, it's unclear when that will be ... so influencers are going to have to find something else to spend their money on in the meantime.

Christina Ricci is putting her home on the market ... and it's all because of a family member who lost their home in the Los Angeles wildfires.

Real estate sources tell TMZ ... the actress is listing her Silver Lake estate Saturday for $4,175,000.

We're told Christina is saying goodbye to her place because she has a family member who was displaced in the January fires and she needs to find a new home where they can all live comfortably.

Ellen DeGeneres has officially unloaded her Montecito beach bungalow -- raking in a cool $5.2 million for it!

The 2-bedroom, 2-bath home flew off the market in record time -- listed just this month, it sparked instant buzz, racked up multiple offers in just two days, and even sold above its $4.99M asking price.

Ellen and Portia de Rossi made a nice profit on the sale -- they snagged the pad for $2.9M back in 2021 and sold it for $5.2M.

The most famous Paul Skenes rookie card in existence just sold for a staggering $1.1 MILLION!!!

The piece -- which sparked a frenetic manhunt from hobbyists last year -- was bought out of the Fanatics Collect’s March Premier Auction on Wednesday night. No word yet on who ultimately came away with it.

The hefty price tag set multiple records -- it not only became the most expensive Skenes card ever publicly sold, but it also earned the mark for priciest debut patch.

Aussie reality TV veteran David Genat is living it up on "Deal or No Deal Island" ... and he's dishing on why he hopped over to the U.S. to try to chase down "the biggest prize in TV history!"

David -- AKA "The Golden God" -- spilled the tea on the "Big Down Under" podcast ... saying getting paid to live it up in Panama and compete for a jaw-dropping $10M prize is pretty much the ultimate reality gig!

David also dishes on how this show blows "American Survivor" out of the water, pointing out its $1M prize barely registers after Uncle Sam takes his cut ... especially after "going through hell" to win the show.

The Boston Celtics are off the market ... the 18-time NBA champions have been scooped up for a whopping $6.1 billion -- making it the largest sale for a sports franchise in North American history.

Bill Chisholm -- the managing partner at Symphony Technology Group -- was the man to submit the winning bid for the 2024 NBA champs. The $6.1 billion price tag surpasses the number previously set by Josh Harris when he purchased the Washington Commanders in 2023 for $6.05 billion.

The Celtics hit the market not long after they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals. Their current owner -- 63-year-old Wyc Grousbeck -- announced plans to sell his stake for "estate and family planning considerations." Grousbeck intended to sell 51% of the team by late 2024 or early 2025, with the rest closing in 2028.

A brawl broke out during the Jackson State and the Prairie View A&M baseball game in Texas over the weekend -- with benches clearing amid the chaos ... and now both sides are left dealing with the consequences.

It all went down on Saturday after senior Trenton Bush hit a walk-off RBI for the Panthers -- as the winners were celebrating at second base, a Tigers player sprinted from left field and into the huddle ... and that's when things took a turn.

As coaches tried to break up the athletes, a Panthers player fell to the ground near second base ... but he was eventually helped up to his feet.

Brandi Glanville is auctioning off several outfits she wore during her stint on "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" ... 'cause she needs cash amid her intense medical challenges.

Brandi tells TMZ ... she listed several 'fits she rocked on the Bravo series on eBay for two important reasons -- she very much could use the dough ... and the clothes are just too damn triggering.

So far, BG has nine outfits listed on the site ... with bids starting between $500 and $1,000 ... and she tells us they need to sell sooner rather than later.

Yung Gravy isn't denying $20 for a single strawberry is a steep ask ... but if that's what the ladies want, then so be it!!!

TMZ caught up with the country-rap-rocker out in Gravitas Beverly Hills this weekend surrounded by lovely ladies ... and we piqued his interest on the juiciest TikTok craze at the moment!!!

Bourgeois L.A. grocer Erewhon's Japanese strawberry retails for $20 for just 1 piece of the fruit, and Gravy gets easily convinced by the company he keeps. It's reminiscent of the world's oldest story ... Adam & Eve anyone?!?

We also got an update on Gravy and Haliey Welch -- AKA Hawk Tuah Girl -- and her dance-and-tango in the DMs from several months ago ... and turns out there's no news.

Signals got mixed and Haliey's since been accused of running a pump-and-dump crypto currency scheme and has disappeared off the map ... so Gravy is in the market to find a new girl to take to the market.

Angel Reese is takin' a jab at her WNBA salary ... joking (we think) about the paltry paycheck she receives compared to some other super high-paid athletes!

Here's the deal ... 22-year-old Reese played in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 hoops league (though she missed time with an injury), and her Rose BC team won the 'chip, with a 62-54 victory over Aliyah Boston's Vinyl team, securing a $50k bonus.

After securing the bag, Reese went to X and wrote, "50K NEED DATTTTT" ... prompting WNBA star Sydney Colston to respond with a joke, asking if she could hold some cash.

L.A. Reid is attempting to once again unload his Los Angeles mega mansion ... because TMZ has learned he just relisted the property for millions.

Real estate sources tell us ... Reid put the Bel Air estate back on the market for a cool $17.5 million on Monday. The home has 7 bedrooms, 10 bathrooms and over 11,000 square feet of living space.

The property has all the bells and whistles and is an entertainers paradise. There's a massive pool, spa, and outdoor kitchen with a big grassy yard.

For all those who doubted Mike Brown would pay big money to keep both Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in a Bengals uniform, Pacman Jones has a message for ya ... "F*** you guys!!"

The former Cincy star unloaded on Brown's haters while out in NYC on Monday ... telling TMZ Sports the Bengals owner deserves a ton of credit for opening up his wallet and giving Joe Burrow's favorite targets some new, massive contracts over the weekend.

"F*** you guys who said Mr. Brown wouldn't do it," the ex-cornerback said as he shot out a single-barrel salute. "Shove it up your ass!

Kristin Cavallari is super close to selling her Nashville area home ... 'cause TMZ has learned she's secured a buyer.

Real estate sources tell us ... the "Lets Be Honest" podcast host's $8.9 million home in Franklin, TN is currently under contract as of Friday.

We broke the story ... Kristin listed the 4-bedroom, 5-bathroom farmhouse in June of last year. She scooped up the property for over $3 million following her 2020 split from her ex-husband Jay Cutler.

"The Mandalorian" fans will be pulling out their wallets and saying "This is the way" for this new auction item ... a lightsaber used in the show and wielded by Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill!

GWS Auction has put the saber up for sale ... starting the bidding at $25K -- so, a super Star Wars fan is going to need to empty the bank account for this one.

According to the site, two versions of the lightsaber -- a metal one called a "hero" lightsaber used for close-up shots and inserts and a lighter "stunt" lightsaber used in general shots and action sequences. This is the stunt lightsaber.