TV

Travis Kelce's acting career has taken off this past year, but it's NOT the direct result of his relationship with Taylor Swift ... so says "Friday Night Lights" actor Sinqua Walls, who tells TMZ Sports he's gettin' gigs because he's a natural talent -- but being a 3-time NFL Super Bowl champ doesn't hurt, either!!

The 39-year-old actor -- also known for his leading role in the "White Men Can't Jump" remake -- broke it down for us this week ... shortly after he drove by a billboard for "Grotesquerie," a new horror TV series featuring Kelce.

"I think that what we've seen over the last few years of Travis is that he has a natural, innate charisma and personality," Walls said.

Jussie Smollett's always cool with Lee Daniels ... saying he appreciates the director giving him his big break -- and, he'd rather keep their relationship private.

We caught up with the embattled actor in New York City Friday outside a movie theater on the same day "The Lost Holliday" -- a project JS directed -- received it's wide release ... and, we had to ask about Daniels' recent comments about him.

Jussie says he's got a lot of love for LD ... admitting he appreciates the opportunity Lee gave him -- his starring role on "Empire" -- and, he doesn't like to talk about their relationship publicly 'cause it's so special to him.

Attendees at Goldie Hawn's charity gala got front-row seats to a once-in-a-lifetime performance ... watching on as comedian Martin Short and Kate Hudson performed a duet.

MindUP -- Goldie's charity focused on supporting kids' mental health and preventing suicide -- held it's 20th-anniversary gala Saturday night called "Goldie's Love In" where Short and Hudson showed off their pipes for the audience.

After a few jokes about Kate's leggy ensemble, Martin starts up the band ... jumping around like a giddy schoolboy before belting out the opening notes of Frank Sinatra's "The Lady is a Tramp."

Diddy is facing a new lawsuit for sexual assault, Kim Richards is beefing with Kyle Richards over a psych hold, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have a quarterback controversy brewing ... all this on today's TMZ TV Hot Takes.

First up on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Charles break down the new lawsuit against Diddy, in which he's accused of impregnating a woman who says he sexually assaulted her multiple times.

Meanwhile, over on "TMZ on TV," our crew reacts to Kim being put on a psych hold and getting into a heated exchange with Kyle.

And on "TMZ Sports," Michael and Mojo think the Steelers need to formally name Justin Fields the starting QB following a 3-0 start without Russell Wilson.

Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!

Hayden Panettiere is making her big return to acting and she's here to stump you with some minor changes. Examine the two photos and see if you've got what it takes to track 'em down ... Nothing's a shoe-in with these sneaky switcharoos!

Making a stop by the "Drew Barrymore Show" earlier this week, the 35-year-old mama showed off a fresh new blond 'do while promoting her newest movie "Amber Alert". She dressed perfectly for a fall day in NYC, but some things just aren't buttoning up properly ...

Vivica A. Fox says her nephew Jussie Smollett has his career back on track ... claiming fans love the new movie they worked on together -- fully separating art from the artist.

We caught up with the actress at LAX on Friday ... and, we had to ask her about how audiences were receiving her new flick, "The Lost Holliday" -- and, whether opinions about Smollett have contributed to criticism of the movie.

VAF points out "The Lost Holliday" has played in theaters all over the world ... from London to New York to Los Angeles -- and, so far, she says it's only received positive reviews.

Maggie Smith -- a legendary actress who worked professionally for more than 70 years -- has died ... according to a statement from her family.

Her sons, Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin, released a statement ... saying Smith passed away in the hospital peacefully early Friday morning. They did not give a cause of death.

Smith's family thanked the staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and support during their mother's final days ... and asked for privacy during this trying time.

A Fox News meteorologist got more involved in his subject than he originally planned ... dragging a woman from her car on a flooded Georgia street to safety -- and, the camera got it all on video.

Bob Van Dillen who is down in Georgia covering Hurricane Helene -- joined "Fox & Friends" Friday morning for a live report on the floods currently plaguing Atlanta.

During the appearance, the 'F&F' team played a clip from earlier this morning ... showing BVD wading through water up to his chest with a woman on his back and emerging on stable ground.

Kids may say the darndest things, but sometimes they display an impressive understanding of today's political arena ... as proven in a new video making the rounds online.

CNN sat down with a group of 10 and 11-year-old kids from across the country, where they weighed in on the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. There were certainly some divisive opinions shared, especially when the children were asked to share their first thoughts about Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

Where one young girl from New Jersey described Trump as "pure evil," a boy from Texas felt Harris was a "liar" ... though, he still thought DT was more likely to do "bad things" given his status as a convicted felon.

Prince Harry was given the fright of his life courtesy of 'Tonight Show' host Jimmy Fallon ... joining the late-night personality for a haunted maze experience.

Check it out ... the Duke of Sussex and the "Saturday Night Live" alum make their way into "Jimmy Fallon’s Tonightmares," a bone-chilling walk-thru that saw the stoic British royal shaken and screaming expletives.

Prince Harry was cursing within seconds of entering the spooky maze ... as he and Jimmy were suddenly greeted by a scary zombie.

Diddy's case is yet another example of the federal government's hostility toward successful Black men ... at least according to his lawyer, who tells us race is a major factor here.

Diddy's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, appears in a new TMZ Studios documentary -- "The Downfall of Diddy: The Indictment" -- which has just dropped on Tubi ... and he says the feds are targeting Diddy because of the color of his skin.

Agnifilo says the feds are just looking to take down Diddy because he's a successful Black man ... and when they couldn't nail him for anything related to taxes or his business empire, they started poking around in his bedroom.

Before this cutie pie in her batter's helmet was hitting home runs as an actress, comedian and producer ... she was named after her four siblings who all grew up in Philadelphia, and she was just absolutely obsessed with comedy!

She's paved the way for content creators and comedians dating back to 2014 when she gathered a following on social media and went viral from her "Girl Who Has Never Been on a Nice Date" series.

Still not sure who this could be? She's commonly known for playing the comedic 2nd grade teacher on the hit show "Abbott Elementary."

Attendees of the "Bridgerton Ball Scam" are speaking out, revealing to TMZ just how unpleasant the whole ordeal was for them ... and hinting a class action lawsuit may be on the way.

ICYMI ... a ball "experience" inspired by the Netflix romance drama promised to be a royally good time for fans. That is, until they arrived at the “Detroit Bridgerton Themed Ball” -- walking into a no-frills party ... reminiscent of Glasgow's Willy Wonka pop-up factory.

We spoke with a few of the attendees after the bare-bones affair -- which was not affiliated with the streaming service -- and they dished to TMZ what went down during their underwhelming time at the "Bridgerton" ball.

Erik Menéndez hasn't held back on his negative reaction to Ryan Murphy's new Netflix biopic series about him and his brother Lyle -- but the actor who plays him says it was all love behind the scenes.

Cooper Koch said when he rolled up to San Diego’s Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility with Kim Kardashian to meet the bros last week, he dove right in to hug Erik and Lyle -- describing them as "upstanding" individuals and saying it was an amazing experience to be in their company.

Cooper told Variety the instant vibe between him and Erik was sparked by a phone call they had before meeting up ... saying he reassured Erik he was all about portraying him authentically in "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."

Hoda Kotb is saying so long to the "Today" show.

Hoda just shared a letter to the "Today" staff, telling them she will be exiting her cohosting gig after 5 years alongside Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager. Kotb took over the role from Matt Lauer in 2017 after he was fired over sexual misconduct.

She explained her tough decision on-air Thursday -- and got weepy as she gave her reasons.

Whoopi Goldberg says haters blaming Taylor Swift for Travis Kelce's early season struggles need to pipe down ASAP ... bluntly telling them all this week to "shut up!"

The 68-year-old TV personality sent the message loud and clear while talking about the Chiefs star's woes on "The View."

She said it's outrageous fans think Swift's played any role in Kelce having just eight catches for 69 yards through three games ... and she wants the chatter to halt right now.