Category: Breaking News

Claudia Jordan says there’s plenty of money to go around on “Wheel of Fortune” to pay both incoming host Ryan Seacrest and mainstay Vanna White what they deserve … and Ryan shouldn’t have to give up salary to keep Vanna.

The TV and radio host tells TMZ … she’s not in the camp of people online who are calling for Ryan to take less money so the game show can pay Vanna what she’s demanding.

Claudia says it’s not like a pro sports team trying to stay under a salary cap … she says there’s tons of advertising money pouring in, and ‘Wheel’ has plenty in its coffers.

TMZ broke the story … Vanna is fighting with Sony for a huge raise after only making $3 million a year for the last 18 years … she wants half of Pat Sajak‘s current $15 million paycheck, or else.

Claudia’s well-versed in the game show biz … she was on “Deal or No Deal” and she says women like Vanna are just as important to the shows as guys like Pat and Ryan.

Amanda Bynes continues to battle her mental health problems, but there’s some good news … she’s now out of a psychiatric facility with a plan in place for her to stay healthy and safe.

Sources with direct knowledge tell us … Amanda checked out of a mental health facility late Friday, nearly two weeks after she was admitted. Both Amanda and her medical team felt she’s made the right steps toward getting back to living independently.

Obviously, Bynes isn’t totally in the clear — as her mental health is an ongoing battle — but there’s now a plan in place to make sure she does everything to get her illness in check.

For starters, our sources say she’ll start outpatient care … with a medical professional checking in daily.

We’re told Amanda will also be monitored to make sure she’s taking her daily meds and continues to stay in a good headspace.

TMZ broke the story, Amanda called LAPD June 17 to report she was in distress and felt she could do herself harm. Officers responded with a mental health specialist who determined Amanda needed to be placed on a psych hold … where she remained until Friday.

Of course, the incident is just one in a long history for Bynes … but the important thing is she’s been able to self-identify when she’s in trouble.

As we first reported, Amanda was seen walking near DTLA without clothes earlier this year, flagging down a car and calling 911 to get some help. She was placed on a mental health hold back then as well … and it lasted for several weeks.

Before this pretty ballerina in her white tutu turned into a television personality and actress, she was just exploring the concrete jungle with her three younger siblings, rehearsing for her dance recitals and growing up in Brooklyn, New York.

Kicking off her career in radio, she landed as a host on MTV’s “Total Request Live” aka “TRL” during the early 2000s. She’s also acted in movies like “Two Can Play That Game” with Vivica A. Fox and Gabrielle Union … as well as “Think Like A Man” with Kevin Hart.

Need one more clue? Just ask her bestie Kim Kardashian!

Vanna White has got Sony spinning these days because she won’t continue on “Wheel of Fortune” unless she makes at least half of what Pat Sajak has been making … sources tell TMZ.

Sources with direct knowledge of the negotiations say Vanna is clear — she’s the cohost of the long-running show, so the pay disparity between her and Pat needs to be squarely addressed. Point of fact … they’re introduced this way on ‘Wheel’ — “Here are the stars of our show, Pat Sajak and Vanna White.”

So they’re introduced as equals, but their salaries are anything but. We’ve confirmed Vanna’s salary — $3 million a year. And get this — we’ve confirmed that’s what she’s made for the last 18 YEARS. She has not gotten a single pay increase in all that time.

Pat reportedly makes around $15 million a year. Vanna isn’t asking for that, but we’re told her lawyer, Bryan Freedman, is demanding half the amount Pat makes.

One source connected to Vanna put it this way … “After 41 years as a model employee and more the face of that show than him [Pat], asking for 50% of what he makes seems like a no-brainer.”

Sony, we’re told, is not on board, at least not yet. One source with direct knowledge described the negotiations as “very difficult.”

Our sources also say Vanna feels like the issue is bigger than her. As one source says, “She feels like it’s a statement for all women.”

We’re told Vanna wants to stay on the show, but if she doesn’t get what she believes is “a minimum of what is fair,” that’s a real possibility.

Jeremy Meeks has gone full Hollywood after leaving behind his life of crime — now, he’s got a vet who’s taken him under her wing … one Ptosha Storey, who’s raving about her protégé.

We got the former “hot felon” — who became internet famous for his attractive mug shot way back when — at LAX Monday … and he was telling us all about his new showbiz career … including a slew of movies and TV shows he’s been acting in over the past few years now.

We’ve caught him at the airport before, but here … he had company. Ptosha was right next to him — and she too was singing Jeremy’s praises the whole time — like, very much so.

Check it out … we get into a long convo about the craft of acting, and what exactly JM does to get into character — and, perhaps just as important, how PS has shown him the ropes after a long and storied career of her own … which dates back the ’90s.

As you can see, Ptosha has nothing but good things to say about Jeremy — who she says is a naturally gifted actor … which she believes has to do with his many life experiences.

We also asked Jeremy how he gets into character for his projects these days … and the dude is blunt, saying he has to go to dark places at times — and it’s not always so easy to shake that. Sounds like a straight-up future Oscar winner, if you ask us!!!

It’s a pretty fascinating convo — for starters, you can tell Ptosha truly believes in Jeremy, and the guy is very clearly grateful for her support and wisdom. As for an update on that biopic series, he’s been wanting to make happen … no real update just yet, at least not right now.