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Ryan Seacrest is just a few weeks into his new gig hosting "Wheel of Fortune" ... and he's still spinning with excitement!

We caught up with Ryan in NYC Monday, and he was all smiles, telling us he's having a total ball giving away piles of cash -- and a new car here and there.

Ryan, who was joined by sister Meredith, added he always knew the hosting gig would be a blast, and he's now at the point where he's just trying to contain his excitement about the whole thing.

"American Horror Story" alum Naomi Grossman is coming to Ryan Murphy's defense amid the growing debate surrounding "Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story."

ICYMI ... the Menendez brothers have made it clear they aren't fans of the show, with EM previously bashing the Netflix drama as a "dishonest portrayal of the tragedies surrounding our crime."

Yet, when we caught up with Naomi in Santa Monica, California, she voiced her shock at the siblings' outrage ... since she felt the show painted Lyle and Erik as "total victims."

"The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City" star Whitney Rose is concerned for her daughter's wellbeing ... announcing her teen, Bobbie Rose, has been hospitalized due to a serious health scare.

The Bravo personality shared the troubling update on her Instagram Story Sunday evening, where she noted Bobbie Rose was currently in the ICU over "severe asthma exacerbation."

She wrote ... "My beautiful community please pray for my angel daughter Bobbie Rose. I normally would never come on here to share something so vulnerable but we need prayers and good vibes right now."

Talk about a heavy topic for some late-night laughs ... "Saturday Night Live" went all in on Diddy, who’s currently behind bars on charges related to racketeering, sex trafficking and other serious crimes.

On the show's "Weekend Update" segment, Michael Che quipped alongside a pic of Diddy, “It was reported that the U.S. added 245,000 new jobs. Unfortunately, they were all 'Diddy accusers.'”

The audience erupted in laughter as Michael kept it rolling, saying, "It was announced that Sean ‘P Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking case has been assigned to a new judge. One that Diddy hopes is cool with rapes."

What a wild week it's been!!! So, be sure to settle in for a roundup of all the juicy TMZ TV hot takes you may've missed.

Kicking things off on "TMZ Live," Harvey and Babcock dive into all the latest Diddy developments, including his eyebrow-raising talk show appearance with a teenage Justin Bieber back in 2011.

LeVar Burton is paying tribute to John Amos following news of the actor's death ... crediting the late star for making history in Hollywood.

We caught up with the actor outside ABC Studios in NYC Friday, where LB had nothing but good things to say about the late TV legend. As LeVar put it ... John's legacy is to be celebrated, especially regarding his work as James Evans on "Good Times."

He noted ... "For me, personally, John's legacy will be that he changed the way Black men were perceived on television in America. James Evans was a householder and, prior to that, Black men were really portrayed as absentee fathers, deadbeat dads, that sort of thing. Only good for prison and jail. John Amos changed that."

Diddy and Justin Bieber are seen together in a resurfaced 2011 video ... and their little hangout sesh on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" will totally shock you.

Check out the clip from February 2011 ... Diddy was sporting dark shades and sitting side by side with the much younger Biebs, with host Jimmy Kimmel parked behind his desk, chatting with the famous duo.

The convo started off with Jimmy asking Diddy and Justin what their relationship was about and if they were collaborating on music.

A fiery showdown ignited on "TMZ Live" when we tackled the explosive new California law banning legacy and donor preferences in admissions at private, nonprofit universities ... with the bill's author in the hot seat to discuss the details.

California Assemblymember Phil Ting threw down the gauntlet ... arguing education is the great equalizer of society, and it's totally unfair for well-off students to get a leg up into elite schools just because of family deep pockets. But our very own Harvey Levin fires back with some solid points from the private university perspective.

You’ve got to hear Harvey’s hot take on the whole donation debate -- but that doesn't sit well with cohost Charles, who questions the fairness of these universities’ DEI admissions policies.

Ron Hale, the actor arguably best known to soap fans as Mike Corbin on "General Hospital," has died, TMZ has learned.

Law enforcement sources tell us ... Ron died of natural causes at his home in St. George, South Carolina on August 27. A specific cause of death was not disclosed.

Throughout his decades-long career, the veteran actor appeared in several TV series ... including starring in the popular '70s soap "Ryan's Hope" -- in which he played Dr. Roger Coleridge.

It seems "MomTok" did survive the scandal after all ... TMZ has learned Hulu's sensational new reality show, "The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives," has been greenlit for a 2nd season.

Sources connected to the docuseries, which has become the streamer's No. 1 unscripted premiere of the year, tell TMZ ... the cast begins filming the new season within the next week ... with pre-production already well underway in Utah.

We're told the season 1 stars -- including Taylor Frankie Paul, Demi Engemann, Jen Affleck, Jessi Ngatikaura, Layla Taylor, Mayci Neeley, Mikayla Matthews, and Whitney Leavitt -- are all set to return for season 2, despite the growing drama among the group.

Late "American Pickers" star Frank Fritz is being remembered by the network that made him famous ... the History Channel is broadcasting a bunch of his shows, a couple days after his death.

Honchos over at the History Channel tell TMZ ... the network is running a TV marathon today featuring Frank's episodes of "American Pickers."

The marathon started at 7 AM and ends at 4 PM ... and History Channel is adding an In Memoriam image every hour to remember Frank.

John Amos' daughter Shannon is grieving alongside fans following the death of the "Good Times" actor ... revealing she too just learned her famous dad passed away.

The medicinal healer, who John welcomed with ex-wife Noel Mickelson, issued a statement after word of the actor's passing broke Tuesday ... claiming she and her family learned about his death more than a month after it occurred.

Alongside a video of herself smiling and laughing with John, Shannon wrote she was "without words" upon the "heartbreaking" discovery that her dad had died on Aug. 21.

12:09 PM PT -- A rep for Frank Fritz tells TMZ … he died from the effects of a stroke he had several years ago -- and he had Crohn’s disease for decades, which may have played a role.

Frank was in a Quad Cities hospice facility (on the Iowa-Illinois border) and was surrounded by friends, including Mike Wolfe, when he passed.

"American Pickers" star Frank Fritz has died ... his longtime costar and friend, Mike Wolfe, confirmed.

Fritz's costar posted on social media Tuesday, sharing the tragic news with fans ... confirming the reality TV veteran died Monday evening.

He wrote ... "It’s with a broken heart that I share with all of you that Frank passed away last night. I’ve [known] Frank for more then half my life and what you’ve seen on TV has always been what I have seen, a dreamer who was just as sensitive as he was funny. The same off camera as he was on, Frank had a way of reaching the hearts of so many by just being himself."

Danielle Staub may be eyeing a return to "The Real Housewives of New Jersey," but producers aren't sold on bringing her back into the fold ... TMZ has learned.

Sources connected to the show tell TMZ ... never in a million, trillion years would production bring Danielle back for the upcoming retool of 'RHONJ.'

We're told the team behind 'RHONJ' is looking to go forward, not backward ... which means new cast members and storylines.

Homer Simpson will continue to strangle Bart on "The Simpsons" ... with the showrunner telling TMZ the "gag" was never really going to end.

Here's the deal ... the iconic cartoon just premiered its 36th season ... and besides confusing fans by calling the episode the series finale -- it wasn't -- the episode peppered in shock value when Homer strangled Bart ... a bit most assumed was purposely ended last year.

In an episode that aired last November ... a character noted Homer's firm handshake -- to which he responded ... "See, Marge, strangling the boy paid off." He then follows up and says ... "Just kidding, I don’t do that anymore. Times have changed."

Jason Sudeikis had to beg fans to back off during a recent outing ... telling autograph seekers he'd really gotten freaked out while leaving a club and just wanted to go home.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... there were about 15-20 fans seeking autographs outside the Dynasty Typewriter Comedy Club in L.A. to wait for Jason beginning around 6:30 PM. We're told he left the club around 9:30 PM.

When he got outside, he signed one or two autographs -- and, the rest of the fans sorta rushed him, asking him to sign for them too.