While many stars would probably love to take over Ellen DeGeneres' coveted time slot when she leaves her eponymous talk show, NBC executives are reportedly zeroing in on two names — one of which is currently in the network's stable.

According to TMZ, Kelly Clarkson is the "likely successor," but nothing is set in stone. 

While NBC loves Kelly, network heads are trying to determine if the ratings dip in the Kelly Clarkson Show are due to the pandemic. The show is expected to be back up and running at full force soon, and they are eagerly awaiting those numbers. 

The other name being tossed around at NBC is Tiffany Haddish.

The "Girls Trip" actress has guest hosted for Ellen with much success several times, so her name is reportedly near the top of NBC's list. Whether Tiffani would be interested in hosting her own show full time remains to be seen. 

"No one in her camp is willing to say if she would even entertain the idea of doing a Monday-thru-Friday talk show, which is a real grind," TMZ reported. 

Considering Tiffany's star power and the amount of projects on her plate, NBC would almost certainly have to dole out a boatload of money for her to play ball.

Ellen's show is set to end in 2022 after its 19th season. 

On Sunday, Elton John will be honored with a lifetime achievement award at the AIDS Walk: Live at Home virtual telecast. But there's one person you won't be hearing from: Elton John.

According to a bizarre lawsuit and insider comments, the singer and his husband, David Furnish, recorded an acceptance speech for the show several weeks ago, but the footage is being held "hostage" by the man who filmed it: "Jersey Boys" actor Erich Bergen. The actor, who also starred in "Madam Secretary," has reportedly only sent in a version with a watermark on it.

MZA Events claims in its lawsuit that it hired Erich several weeks ago and paid him $38,000 to produce a video of Elton and David for the telecast. In legal documents obtained by Page Six, MZA claims Erich "provided the video in an unusable [watermarked] format out of spite and for the purpose of antagonizing MZA Events because MZA Events was unwilling to accommodate Mr. Bergen's 'my way or the highway' approach to producing the video."

"Mr. Bergen has acted in bad faith. He has not taken these issues seriously, for example, responding by writing 'LOL!' when MZA Events raised its concerns about the harm that he is causing to its charitable partners," the court records go on to allege. "He otherwise has gone silent, refusing to provide a usable copy of the video or otherwise act appropriately and professionally."

The lawsuit contends that MZA and Erich agreed that the event's company would own the rights to the raw footage. 

"He held this video footage hostage. When you look at the entire program in its entirety, there's Eric Garcetti congratulating Elton and David, Ann Margret and George Takei, it's strange when you don't have Elton and David accepting the award," a source said.

Eric's rep told Page Six the actor had no contract with MZA and "any suggestion of this is simply a lie."

"None of this is remotely true and frankly, very disturbing. There was no contract between Mr. Bergen and MZA Events. MZA hasn't paid him a dime. We're suspicious of the motives behind the filing of the lawsuit. Mr. Bergen hasn't done anything to derail the event," the rep said.

However, an insider tells Page Six, "Why would he shoot [the video] if he wasn't [paid]? It's all bizarre, but the event is moving forward. All of the charitable organizations are still behind it. We're making the best of the situation."

Incarcerated "Tiger King" star Joe Exotic believes that he has prostate cancer, and he's urging President Biden to issue a pardon so he can get medical treatment at home. 

Although it seems that Joe hasn't been diagnosed by a doctor, he tells TMZ that his prostate-specific antigen test came back very high and probable for prostate cancer

"The prison has approved testing to verify what state [the cancer] is in," Joe says. 

The reality TV star is set to undergo further testing, but he argues that the prison facility is limited in its abilities. 

"I have lost a tremendous amount of weight, the mouth sores are out of control, I throw up more than I eat. I don't want anyone's pity, what I need is when [attorney] John Phillips gets the evidence he is working on, I need the world to help him get President Biden, VP Harris and the Attorney General to listen to the evidence," Joe said. 

Joe most recently tried desperately to get Donald Trump to issue a pardon for him, but the former President failed to do so. 

The zookeeper has been trying to get out of incarceration since day one. Last summer, less than five months into a 22-year federal prison sentence, Joe said he was likely to die in prison.

"I'll be dead in 2-3 months," he wrote in a letter last June. "It's like I have been send to Death Row. They stopped all of my medication except one. This place is hell on earth."

Lori Loughlin and her husband are trying to go south as they move on from their prison stints.

TMZ, citing legal documents, reported on May 14 that Lori and her husband, Mossimo Giannulli, filed paperwork asking a judge to approve their planned travel to San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.

The couple said they hope to begin a weeklong family vacation south of the border in June. Seeing that they're both on supervised release, they must get permission from a judge in order to leave the country. In their request, the couple claims that their probation officers are okay with the trip.

Lori and Mossismo both recently served time in prison for their roles in a college admissions scandal — she was released from prison on December 28, 2020, after a two-month sentence; he was released from prison in early April after spending nearly five months behind bars.

The Mexican vacation request comes as the embattled couple is reportedly eyeing a more permanent change of scenery. Last month, a report claimed that Lori and Mossimo were looking to buy a home in Idaho to get away from the hectic Los Angeles lifestyle. The move would also help them "work on their marriage," a source told Us Weekly.

The transition back into post-prison normalcy has been rough for the "Fuller House" star and her fashion designer husband, as they are said to be struggling with their privacy. Idaho, the insider tells Us, would "be a good call for them."

"Lori loves hiking, skiing and the outdoors. Taking long hikes calms her and she looks forward to her hikes daily," the source said. Likewise, Mossimo "also loves the outdoors and especially the snowboarding and skiing that Idaho has to offer."

"They can start anew and work on their marriage together as the whole college scandal has taken a toll on both of them, as well as their marriage," the source concluded.

Five-time Grammy nominee Tank made a heartbreaking personal reveal this week: he's going deaf.

The R&B star expounded on his health condition in an Instagram video this week.

"I'm going through something right now and I want to use my situation to encourage your situation. I'm going completely deaf in my right ear and I'm kind of losing sound in my left [ear]," the "When We" singer told his followers. "I'm dizzy, can't walk a straight line. All of this out of nowhere. Don't know how or why. I'm seeing a doctor, got MRIs going on and medication… all of that."

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Despite his health struggle, the 45-year-old said he's persevering.

"It still hasn't given me a reason to give up. It still hasn't given me a reason to stop feeling like I can do and be everything that I've set out to be. The goals are still the same –  to be great, to be the greatest. And I want to say that to you too," he said. "No matter what you're going through, no matter where you find yourself/ Whether your body is failing you, whether your mind is failing you, whether your spirit is failing you – keep going, keep pushing."

After his post, Tank's wife, Zena Foster, commented on Instagram. "I love you babe and don't worry I can talk louder."

A slew of celebrities also voiced their support for Tank, including Jamie Foxx, Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Jordin Sparks, and Tyrese, among others.

On May 13, Tank updated his 1.8 million followers. The singer has no brain-related issues, but has a "very severe case of vertigo with little additives here and there." His right ear, though, is getting worse, and he has a deviated septum.

"I tested lower today in terms of the things I could hear in this ear, so hopefully that starts to turn around quickly, and I can get back out there and do what I do," he said.

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Additionally, Tank encouraged his fans to verbally share their support now.

"Say it now, don't wait until I'm deaf or in a wheelchair cause I can't walk in a straight line. I want to be able to celebrate and dance, right now!" he appealed. "We have to do more in appreciating us in the moment."

Alex Rodriguez's newest Instagram post has many people wondering if there's a secret message hidden in the image. 

On May 13, the baseball legend posted a sweet snap with his teenage daughters, Tasha and Ella, as they shared a meal together at home.  

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"Din din with my girls! #DaddyDinnerDate," he captioned the image.

While the post seems rather innocent and innocuous, many fans couldn't help but notice that the dinner table included three empty chairs and three empty place settings. Fans, of course, immediately suspected that this was a covert message (and an invitation, even) to Jennifer Lopez and her two children, Max and Emme.

A-Rod and J.Lo famously announced their split and ended engagement last month amid reports that their romance was on the rocks. Just a month earlier, the couple acknowledged that they had hit a rough patch but were trying to work through it. 

However, in the weeks after the split, Jen began cozying up to Ben Affleck, who she dated in the early aughts. "Bennifer," as they were dubbed at the time, even got engaged in 2002, but split up two years later. Recently, though, Ben has been seen at her house, and the duo even recently vacationed together in Montana, where Ben owns a home. 

According to E! News, Alex was "shocked" by the Ben/Jen vacation. 

"He truly thought they would be able to make it work and reconnect," a source close to the pop icon said. "He has been reaching out to J.Lo trying to meet with her and she has been very short with him."

Earlier in the week, a paparazzi camera asked Alex about vacation in Big Sky country. He simply replied, "Go Yankees," which is a subtle dig at Ben, who is a lifelong fan the Boston Red Sox, the Yankees' arch rival.

Scott Disick hasn't been keeping up with his bills, his former manager claims.

In a chat with Hollywood Raw, David Weintraub said the reality TV star owes him a haul of cash for past work. 

"It's a tricky thing with Scott. Scott is someone who has a big balance of money that's owed to my company," David, who was Scott's longtime friend, said. "So it's hard to really work with him because a lot of people are out there being like, 'I'm rich, rich, rich, rich, rich,' but don't pay their bills. You got to pay your bills. You got to remember that relationships are opportunities, and anytime an opportunity or relationship is open… When you're a manager or an agent, you're a part of that relationship for the life of that business. That's just how it works."

David, however, wouldn't specifically say how much Scott allegedly owes, but noted that it's "under a million [dollars] but it's in the high hundreds [of thousands]. It's substantial money."

David, who also manages Ray J and several other notable names, dubbed Scott "not professional" and a "clout chaser."

"He's a guy who slimed his way into my world and then into [Kardashian] world, and then created whatever he created," David said. "If you're a true professional, you're always going to pay your bills."

Just three days after reports of his split from his wife of six years, John Mulaney is already off the market.

The comedian is dating Olivia Munn, according to a People magazine report.

"This is very new, they're taking it slowly," a source told the mag. "They met at church in Los Angeles."

The romance is rather surprising, as it was just on May 10 when John's wife of six years, Anna Marie Tendler, confirmed that the former "SNL" funnyman had filed for divorce. 

"I am heartbroken that John has decided to end our marriage," Anna said via a spokesperson. "I wish him support and success as he continues his recovery."

John reportedly asked for a divorce three months ago around the time he left rehab in late February after a 60-day stay.

Interestingly, as he entered rehab, Olivia tweeted her support to him.

"Sending SO MUCH love and support to John Mulaney," she tweeted last December. "You got this."

While John's dating history hasn't been front page news until recently, the same can't be said for Olivia, as she had a long romance with Aaron Rodgers and has been linked in the past to Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake, Matthew Morrison and Joel Kinnaman.

In addition to his divorce, John made news this week as he returned to standup comedy at City Winery.

Rolling Stone editor David Fear tweeted about the show.

"So John Mulaney at City Winery was…intense," he wrote. "90 mins that was mostly processing his intervention and rehab experience."

Hip-hop producer Mally Mall — who's famously worked with Snoop Dogg, Nick Cannon and Chris Brown — was sentenced to 33 months in prison for running a prostitution business in Las Vegas.

The FBI first investigated Mally Mall (real name: Jamal Rashid) in 2014 when they found that he "persuaded, induced, enticed and caused" hundreds of women to engage in prostitution across state lines, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported. 

Authorities said that over the course of 12 years, Mally Mall earned millions of dollars through illegal escort businesses. The women were thought of as "independent contractors" and paid his business half of what they earned. Some of the women, dubbed "priority girls," gave Mally Mall nearly all of the proceeds.

The Review-Journal says "priority girls" would net only $100 of the thousands they earned per day. In exchange, Mally Mall gave them housing and the use of a car. But federal agents claim he was incredibly controlling, forbidding the women to date and requiring them to text him when they left the house. He also put trackers on their cars and cameras in their condos to ensure that his demands were met. The women also needed to get his permission before seeing a gynecologist.

"They couldn't speak to anyone who is Black because a Black person could be a pimp," U.S. District Judge Gloria Navarro said. "This was almost a form of imprisonment or enslavement."

The women, court documents allege, were encouraged to get tattoos of Mally Mall to show their loyalty. Authorities said some of the women were led to believe that he would give them their big break in the entertainment business.

Mally Mall, who also starred on VH1's "Love & Hip Hop: Hollywood," pleaded guilty to one count of use of an interstate facility in aid of unlawful activity back in 2019. He faced a sentence of one to 33 months. On May 13 — after prosecutors alleged Mally Mall contacted a victim as recently as this week — the judge gave him the maximum sentence. After Mally Mall serves his prison sentence, he'll face three years of supervision.

"I hope this really takes. I hope you get this message. You've just been really lucky," the judge told the hip-hop mogul at his sentencing. "You will spend the rest of your life in prison if you do this again."

He has until Aug. 13 to surrender.