TV

Before this lil' Florida gal in her Minnie Mouse tee turned into a Bravoleb, she was just a theater kid dancing around the house, riding horses at just 6 years old and dreaming of becoming a Broadway star!

She may have started out as Scheana Shay's "backup dancer," but she received rave reviews for her singing and dancing gig on Broadway earlier this year ... Perhaps you heard about her show's scandal that rocked the world.

Donald Trump says he learned people could get away with abhorrent behavior as long as they had good ratings like he did on "The Apprentice" ... according to a bombshell book.

The ex-prez made the claims during an interview with Variety Co-Editor-in-Chief Ramin Setoodeh for, "Apprentice in Wonderland: How Donald Trump and Mark Burnett Took America Through the Looking Glass" which dropped Tuesday.

We've already told you a little about the new book ... but, just as a refresher, DJT sat for several interviews with Setoodeh and, the portrayal of 45 as a lonely, occasionally dotty man ex-TV star isn't flattering.

Nicola Coughlan's haters aren't going to stop hating ... but, that's fine 'cause she's an inspiration to women everywhere who's not letting it get to her -- so says her costar.

Simone Ashley -- who's played Kate in the second and third seasons of the show -- recently answered questions about the hate her costar's received from people online who have criticized her body since her famous sex scene from the recently released third season of the show.

Ashley's pretty upfront ... telling festivalgoers in Monaco haters gonna hate, but it's not affecting Nicole -- assuring everyone she's very tough, and responding to all the hate with confidence and intelligence.

"Wizards of Waverly Place" alum Dan Benson says a very specific issue led him down the road to OnlyFans ... his nudes were being leaked on the internet without him seeing a dime.

As Dan explains in our new documentary, "TMZ Presents: Famous & Naked," his nudes kept popping up on seedy websites ... and when he would get them taken down from one site, they would just appear in other spaces.

Basically, Dan was playing a game of Whack-A-Mole.

Nika King says she's stoked the long-awaited third season for "Euphoria" is finally back on track ... but at this point, it's a little unclear if she's even gonna be part of the new season.

We talked to the actress after HBO honchos confirmed the hit show was back in production, and there'd be a time jump in the story ... which Nika says she's all for, considering how long it's been since Season 2 ended.

It makes sense -- especially since cast members have changed in real life ... not to mention the passing of Angus Cloud.

Stormy Daniels has Donald Trump jokes, Kourtney Kardashian has a Travis Barker sex story and Conor McGregor has a gnarly injury ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

On "TMZ Live" Harvey and Babcock have a sneak peek of Stormy telling Trump jokes in her new stand-up special.

Jason Biggs is lucky his wife didn't watch "American Pie" until after they said their vows ... 'cause she says she was totally "horrified" by the flick -- even if she did laugh.

Jenny Mollen -- who married Biggs way back in 2008 -- told the New York Post she hadn't gotten around to watching the 1999 classic when she first met her future husband ... adding she considered herself too "highbrow" to consider it.

That changed in the first year of their when JM finally sat down to watch it with the actor -- and, thank goodness she waited 'cause she might not have given Biggs

Billy Zane says emotional acting can be just as difficult as high-flying physical stunts ... arguing both take a toll on the body -- so, performers need to be paid fairly for each.

The actor sat down for a recent conversation with Entertainment Weekly where he reflected on playing the title character in Lifetime's "Devil on Campus: The Larry Ray Story" ... and, he says portraying the convicted sex trafficker did a number on his psyche.

BZ says even playing a role -- secondhand diving into the darkness -- is a lot for actors ... adding the body recognizes all the chemical reactions it's going through, and it does affect you physically, so a few extra bucks ain't outta line.

Duff McKagan's responding to "The Simpsons" name controversy ... saying he really doesn't care even if they did use his name -- but, he still thinks the connection's obvious.

We caught up with Guns N' Roses rocker in L.A. Friday and asked him about OG 'Simpsons' writer-producer Jay Kogen telling us the show's premier beer -- Duff -- isn't named for him ... instead, it's named after dude's who just sit on their butts and drink beer all day long.

DM tells us he thinks it's super funny the show's creators are all in a tizzy over his claims ... adding they're all protesting jway too much.

Screw all the important stuff Bill Maher says ... his interview Friday night with Jiminy Glick was howlingly funny ... and you are hereby dared to watch and not lose it with laughter.

The 'Real Time' host turned the tables during the one-on-one interview segment of the show. Bill wanted to plug his new, New York Times best-selling book, "What This Comedian Said Will Shock You," so he decided to be the interview subject.

He chose to be interviewed by Jiminy Glick (we know, it's really Martin Short,) which is a funny idea. After all, a little plug, a few laughs ... at least that was the plan.

Kyle Richards is defending a big purchase, Bianca Censori is spilling out of her top, and Travis Kelce is opening up about his next career move ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

On "TMZ Live" Harvey and Babcock explain why Kyle feels a pricey Porsche is a perfectly fine gift for her 16-year-old daughter.

Neal McDonough is weighing in on Kevin Costner's "Yellowstone" exit -- saying it really was just bad timing ... although, he notes the issue is between KC and Taylor Sheridan, which seems to hint at something deeper.

We talked to the 'Yellowstone' actor -- who starred opposite Kevin on the hit show for a handful of episodes back in the day -- and he told us on "TMZ Live" Friday that Kevin isn't BS'ing when he says there were scheduling issues that forced him to bounce.

Take a listen ... Neal explains that Kev was, in fact, busy for his new western movie 'Horizon' -- and because the last season of 'Yellowstone' took a while to get going in terms of production ... it was ultimately impossible for the leading man to stay on.

Taylor Wily -- an actor and former sumo wrestler best known for his recurring role on "Hawaii Five-0" -- has died.

According to an anchor for local Hawaii outlet KITV -- who described Taylor as a family friend ... Taylor died Thursday. KITV did not provide a cause of death.

Television producer Peter M. Lenkov confirmed the news on his official Instagram account ... posting a picture with Wily from behind the scenes of a television show and telling his followers he's "heartbroken.".

Kevin Costner has just slammed the door shut on his return as the character he made famous – John Dutton -- in the super popular TV series "Yellowstone."

The legendary actor posted an Instagram video Thursday, explaining that he would not be reprising his role as Dutton in episodes for the second half of the show's fifth season, which will kick off November 10 on Paramount Network.

In his IG vid, Kev said he'd been working on "Horizon: An American Saga" over the past year-and-a-half ... when he realized it was time to call it quits on "Yellowstone."

Dana White compared cancel culture to coming out, Bianca Censori bounced around in another risque outfit and Jon "Bones" Jones cracked a joke about his cocaine usage ... all this and more on TMZ's hot takes.

On "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles discuss Dana White's controversial metaphor equating cancel culture with being gay in the 1980s.

Carol Burnett's a living legend who's going to live on forever ... 'cause she got the cement treatment at TCL Chinese Theater while some of Hollywood's biggest stars looked on.

The actress-comedian dipped her hands and feet into wet cement outside the Hollywood landmark Thursday ... an honor only bestowed upon H'wood's brightest stars -- and, ya gotta see everyone who attended.

Of course, there's Carol -- who looks great for 91 BTW -- with her hands down in the muck, big grin on her face, but also in attendance are Bob Odenkirk, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Bill Hader, Maya Rudolph, and one of the few people perhaps more famous than even Burnett ... Dick Van Dyke.