The Walking Dead

Thomas Payne's character, Jesus, from "The Walking Dead" finally came out as gay on Sunday night's episode, but he says his sexuality on the show isn't and shouldn't be a significant part of the story line.

We got Tom at LAX Monday where he told us the subtle moment was a long time coming. His character is gay in the comic books and it's also been hinted throughout the season.

A rep for Norman tells us the two are just friends and did not take a trip together.

Diane Kruger and Norman Reedus just moved past rumored fling status to romantic road trip couple.

We got these shots of the celebs in NYC allegedly returning Thursday from a getaway in his fancy sports car. Diane was all smiles as Norman unloaded the whip. Who knew Porsches had that kinda cargo space?!

Josh McDermitt can neither confirm nor deny whether he'll be in season 2 of "Stranger Things" ... but does have a funny way of explaining his run-in with the kid stars.

We got the 'Walking Dead' actor Tuesday at LAX, where our camera guy grilled McDermitt about a pic he posted Monday with 3 of the boys from the Netflix show ... with hashtags like #CrossoverEpisode fueling rumors he'll star in the upcoming season.

Like Josh says ... he can't talk about that. But he's happy to deadpan his way through their meetup in Portland.

ZOMBIES, BEWARE ... a couple of MLB stars just got some heavy-duty undead killing weaponry in the form of Lucille, the iconic barbed wire covered baseball bat from "The Walking Dead."

BTW -- if you don't watch 'TWD' (which you should), Lucille is wielded by the ultimate scumbag/badass Negan ... and was used in one of the most brutal scenes in television history earlier this season.

That brutality didn't stop J.D. Martinez of the Tigers and Yasiel Puig of the Dodgers from fanning out when replicas of Lucille were delivered to their team's spring training earlier Friday, courtesy of the show's production.

R.I.P. to Glenn and Abraham.

Thomas Payne's setting the record straight -- the character he plays on "The Walking Dead" is NOT gay ... not that there's anything wrong with that.

We caught up with Thomas at LAX Wednesday and asked him about a recent interview where he seemed to insinuate his character, Jesus, is gay. Thomas says people misunderstood him a bit, but he still thinks the world's ready for the concept.

"The Walking Dead" star Josh McDermitt says the popularity of the show is a blessing, but it's also a curse.

Josh was amazingly candid, showing his frustration that the show is so insanely popular, producers have to go to extreme lengths to protect plotlines ... specially, who was killed in the cliffhanger.

There are reports the show has individually shot death scenes with every main character so no one knows which will actually air when the show comes back in October.

Turns out Glenn and Daryl save people in real life too ... just not from zombies.

"The Walking Dead" stars Norman Reedus and Steve Yeun were cruising on motorcycles Thursday in Peachtree City, GA when they came upon a car crash near the set ... and they jumped into action.

We're told injuries were fairly minor, but the duo hung around until paramedics arrived.

The brothers who convinced their half-sedated little sister the zombie apocalypse was upon them ... are getting their shot to make it in Hollywood.

Cabot Phillips, the main prankster behind the viral faux zombie attack video, tells us that since the video went viral they've gotten offers from producers to do reality shows. He says one of them even had a test shoot planned for the fam.

If you missed it, Cabot sprang the zombie plot on his sister, Millicent, right after she got her wisdom teeth pulled. It's brilliantly hysterical.

Even though Millicent's reaction was painfully real ... Cabot says she's getting offers from talent agents who want to rep her as an actress. He says she's more interested in writing comedy, but adds they'd all love cameos on "The Walking Dead" -- which was the inspiration for their prank.

Even the stars of "The Walking Dead" don't know who got offed in Sunday's season finale.

Steven Ogg -- who plays the main Saviour on the show -- swears ignorance. The question ... do you believe him?

We know bad guy and Saviour leader Negan killed off one of the main characters, but the scene cuts to black before revealing the victim.

The Internet's leading theory ... nobody knows who died because showrunners haven't decided. If true, they would have shot multiple endings.

If you think you know Ogg from somewhere else -- he's the voice of Trevor in Grand Theft Auto V.

"The Walking Dead" creator Robert Kirkman is fighting off alleged squatters like a pack of zombies -- he's suing to stop them from cashing in on his hit show.

According to his lawsuit, Kirkman is going after 5 people who've filed for 'Walking Dead' trademarks to sell everything under the sun. He says they're stealing the brand to promote lipstick, coffee mugs, carpets, candles, and even cigarillos.

The most bizarre one -- Kirkman says someone in NJ wants to open a zombie-themed health food restaurant. 'Cause nothing says healthy living in Jersey ... like undead quinoa.

Norman Reedus did not say for sure if Glen on "Walking Dead" is toast, but he sure hinted it was so.

We got Norman at LAX Saturday and our photog initially knew better than to ask straight up if Glen was dead. Instead he asked if Glen was like Jon Snow, who could actually still be alive in some form on "Game of Thrones."

Norman gives an interesting answer, and then our photog can't help but ask the question he initially resisted asking.

Pewdiepie and 'Walking Dead' ... the union of YouTube's biggest star and TV's biggest show -- the kind of thing that would blow MILLIONS of superfans' minds -- and we got Pewdiepie to weigh in on the rumor.

Ever since Pewdiepie touched down in L.A. two weeks ago, his fans have been dying to know why he's here. Keep in mind the guy posts tutorials on how to play the 'Walking Dead' video games ... which gets tens of millions of views.

Add to that a video he posted of his pants covered in blood -- and you start to understand why everyone thinks he's about to guest star on either "The Walking Dead" or "Fear the Walking Dead."

Well, here's his answer.

Sonequa Martin-Green -- one of the few African-Americans on "The Walking Dead" who hasn't met a swift death -- says the show isn't racist ... it's just coincidence lots of black people die.

Sonequa goes a lot further, and says the dye is cast before the actors are chosen, and it's just the luck of the draw that black actors excel in the auditions.

'Walking Dead's Daryl Dixon is not dating his fellow survivor pal Beth Greene in real life ... so he says.

Norman Reedus' rep tells TMZ, the actor's relationship with former co-star Emily Kinney is strictly platonic.

We got these pics of Norman and Emily at Paper Plane, a dive bar in Decatur, GA. It looks real chummy, but the two have been good pals for a while and that's it.

She had a concert in the area earlier in the evening and they hung out afterward.

Emily played Beth on the zombie thriller but was killed off last year. Their characters were in the same survival group and he was protective like a bro.

Too bad ... we were rooting for more.

It's been a tough week for "The Walking Dead" stars Chad L. Coleman and Seth Gilliam ... but show producer Scott M. Gimple still has their backs, and says society can learn a lesson ... from one of them.

Gimple was at LAX when he told our photog that Chad -- whose character Tyreese has already been eaten by zombies -- made a good point when he questioned humanity. Granted, he could've done it without screaming on a packed subway train.

As for Seth ... Gimple gave us his prediction for Father Gabriel's future ... on the show -- and in the legal system. He also has some tasty zombie apocalypse tips for folks in L.A..

"The Walking Dead" star Seth Gilliam took police on a 4 minute high speed chase down a highway before they cuffed him and hauled away ... and the whole incident was captured on dash cam video.

Cops in Peachtree City, GA busted Gilliam early Sunday morning and said he was doing 107 mph when he blew past them -- and you can see in this video ... he was definitely flying low.

When officers finally pull him over ... one of the officers yells, "I need your hands where I can see 'em. Come back here." Gilliam steps out and immediately gets cuffed while the officer explain he's being arrested for reckless driving.

Now, the odd part -- the video cuts off right after the handcuffs go on Gilliam. Cops say they also found a joint in the car, and Gilliam said he'd had 3 beers and a shot. Seems strange that portion of the arrest video wasn't released.

Peachtree City PD tell us, "It's part of a criminal investigation and anything related to evidence that could prosecute him won't be given out until the investigation is over."