TV

Maitland Ward's stoked X is formally allowing porn ... saying it provides legitimacy for the adult film industry, and, it has her wondering if XXX posts are about to dominate Elon Musk's playground.

We caught up with the sitcom actress turned porn star in L.A., and asked her about X's change in policy. While Ward admits people have put nudes on X for years, she feels the content's been shadowbanned -- a problem she hopes the new rules will solve.

MW applauds the clearly-defined rules Elon and co. have devised for the content too ... adding the porn industry is totally on board with only allowing 18+ individuals to watch.

Bill Maher made a strong case Friday night for the U.S. to come to Jesus -- even though he doesn't believe in Jesus -- because of the way we treat prisoners.

The 'Real Time' host castigated us for the whole, "lock-em-up-and-throw-away-the key" mentality. You make a rape joke you get canceled, except for prison rape jokes -- for that you get laughs. As he says, we view sodomy as the appropriate comeuppance for criminal behavior.

Fact is ... 95% of prisoners get out, and they come out worse than when they went in. That's because conditions in many/most prisons are deplorable. Inmates sleep on the floor and fight for toilets because of overcrowding.

Former NXIVM sex cult member India Oxenberg says folks need to cut TikTok star Miranda Derrick some slack ... 'cause she may well be in a cult and not even realize she's been brainwashed.

India, who broke free from NXIVM after 7 years under the cult's spell, tells TMZ ... she's known about Miranda's alleged cult, 7M Films, for years and thinks it's likely Miranda doesn't fully understand the influence the group is exerting over her life.

Miranda denies 7M is a cult, and says she's not some mindless zombie under founder Robert Shinn's control -- pushing back against a narrative seen in the new "Dancing for the Devil" Netflix doc -- but India says groups like 7M and NXIVM have perfected the art of controlling communication with those on the outside.

Former "Supermarket Sweep" host David Ruprecht is weighing in on the viral shopping cart debate ... which was sparked after one mom declared she always leaves her cart in the middle of the parking lot.

David tells TMZ ... he is well aware of the ongoing debate, noting he finds it hilarious -- albeit a little silly. Still, he finds himself relating with the original poster, Dr. Leslie Dobson, who said she doesn't bring her carts back to the store or the corral over concern for her kids' safety.

David admits he's guilty of abandoning a cart in the middle of a parking lot on occasion ... especially if the cart roundup is too far away. Plenty of social media users have expressed similar sentiments... with several people admitting they do the exact same thing.

Rihanna's wardrobe has her fan's freaking out, Nick Cannon's getting some unique insurance and MLB ballparks are cooking up insane food offerings.

Over on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles explain why Rihanna fans are spiraling after she seemingly hinted at retiring with a very interesting graphic tee.

A 'Price is Right' contestant nearly made Drew Carey's head explode -- 'cause one of his bids came within a single dollar of the actual value ... and now, he's telling us how he did it.

Patrice Masse bid $39,500 for a prize package valued at $39,501 on Friday's show -- and his near-perfect guess made him a double showcase winner -- with a grand total of $83,068 in prizes. Past players have guessed within a few dollars -- but never this close ... it's a first.

DC was stunned while PM and his wife were going berserk with joy over his major score ... which included a brand-new Kia K5 GT-Line, luxury trips and designer apparel. On the heels of his epic performance ... Masse talked to us to explain how he landed on the right number.

Drew Barrymore says she rang in one of her birthdays at a nightclub -- an absolutely wild tale, because she was a little kid at the time ... further proving her infamous childhood was anything but ordinary.

She dropped this news on her talk show as she grilled Bobby Cannavale about odd jobs he worked before fame -- and, as it turns out, he once manned the door at the NYC club Limelight, where Drew had partied hard for her birthday in 1985 ... when she turned 10!!!

Barrymore was in disbelief ... saying, "Limelight? I had my 10th birthday bash there! By then, I was already a club connoisseur -- Studio 54, Limelight, Nell's ... I'd done it all!"

Will Smith will tell ya ... even fame can't spare you from the taxman's grip, as he found out the hard way -- in fact, he says it cost him everything he owned back in his Philly days.

The actor spilled the beans on the "7PM in Brooklyn" podcast -- reminiscing about the late '80s, when he snagged his first Grammy for Best Rap Performance with "Parents Just Don't Understand." But, right at that high point, he also got a not-so-friendly notice from the IRS.

Will reflected, "I was, like, 'the IRS gets money from everybody, they don't need mine' -- but they felt differently. So I didn't pay taxes for two years and winning a Grammy and all that…so they just thought they should take my stuff."

Pat Sajak's run on "Wheel of Fortune" ends tonight -- and before his last episode even airs, he's already bidding the audience farewell, getting ahead of the looming moment.

A pre-taped goodbye from Pat was released Friday -- well ahead of 'Wheel' airing later this evening -- and it looks like we already got a sense of what he's going to say on TV ... his remarks are incredibly heartfelt as he reflects on his time on the game show.

Watch ... PS says he feels privileged to have been invited into people's homes for more than 40 years -- something he says he feels came with a particular responsibility.

Jennifer Aniston's most iconic role is now also a big trigger for her -- a question about the "Friends" anniversary made her break down, as she's still reeling from Matthew Perry's death.

Jen sat down for a conversation with "Abbott Elementary" star Quinta Brunson to discuss their craft for Variety's "Actors on Actors" series ... but, the convo took an emotional turn when Quinta set up a question about the classic sitcom turning 30.

Check out the clip ... as soon as Jen heard what was coming she whispered, "Oh God, don't make me cry." That reaction then made Quinta start tearing up ... and both women shared a moment as they tried to avoid bursting into a full cry sesh.

Vanna White is saying farewell to her "Wheel of Fortune" cohost Pat Sajak after more than 4 decades ... with an emotional tribute celebrating their strong friendship.

In a video posted Thursday to Instagram, Vanna got choked up talking about their long journey working together at the popular syndicated TV game show.

Vanna opened by saying she could not believe Friday would be their last telecast after 41 years and 8,000 episodes, which she says went like that as she snapped her fingers.

Sydney Sweeney's on a spending spree these days, and it's all centered around her move to sunny South Florida ... which is where she's cruising in a very unique brand new car!

The actress bought her new beach mobile, a Fiat 500 Jolly, from Hampton Jollys in Greenwich, Connecticut. The convertible ride's clearly built for fun-in-the-sun -- kind of a cross between a golf cart and a dune buggy -- but it's priced like a sports car.

We're told it set Syd back $68,500 ... not cheap, but she's got that kinda dough.

Pro-Palestinian protesters had a hot take of their own on Kamala Harris, Ray J is taking tons of credit for the Kim K sex tape and Delonte West is in trouble ... and the TMZ crew has hot takes on all three.

Over on "TMZ Live" Harvey and Charles break down the off-air protest that interrupted Kamala's appearance on Jimmy Kimmel's talk show.

"Vampire Diaries" star Paul Wesley is sharing a positive update on Nina Dobrev after his former costar got into a gnarly crash on her E-bike ... telling us she's going to pull through.

We got Paul and his model girlfriend Natalie Kuckenburg at LAX on Thursday and our photog asked him if he had reached out to his fellow 'VD' alum since her accident.

Paul says Nina told him she's doing better after needing surgery for her injuries ... and he says she's expecting to make a full recovery.

Humans and animals aren't the only living organisms with same-sex couples ... some plants and fungi are also essentially lesbian and gay -- so says a pro who knows all about this.

Dr. Patricia Kaishian -- who worked on this new Peacock doc all about queer animals -- has been researching plants and fungi for years ... and she joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday and shared some of her strangest findings ... same-sex reproduction!!!

It's pretty incredible, the good doctor says the plant and fungi worlds are way more complex than simply being comprised of just males and females ... and she says some organisms have figured out how to have offspring without a mate of the opposite sex.

Emma Roberts has the law on her side as she takes steps to protect herself from a man she claims broke into her home and called her cell phone from her landline.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, a judge just granted the "American Horror Story" star a permanent restraining order against a 32-year-old man named Melvin Jeffery Conley.

Emma's 3-year-old son is also getting protection under the order ... after ER claimed Conley mentioned her kid by name, making her concerned about his intentions.