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Judge Judy thinks Johnny Depp is in the clear for his Trump assassination wisecrack, but that doesn't mean she thinks it's ok.

Judy and hubby Jerry Sheindlin were in WeHo Thursday night leaving Craig's restaurant when our photog asked if Depp's quip violated the law. She dismisses that, but raises issues of taste.

It's interesting ... when our photog mentions Depp made the comment outside the U.S. of A., she doubles down and suggests certain matters of taste are simply universal.

Dennis Rodman just sent a message to Donald Trump -- call me, so we can make peace with North Korea together!

And yeah, he's dead serious.

The Worm -- who just got back from N. Korea -- sat down with Michael Strahan on 'GMA' and laid out why he thinks he and Trump can make real progress with Kim Jong-un.

Strahan pushed Rodman about the fact Jong-un's a dictator and the mysterious death of ex-NK prisoner Otto Warmbier ... but Dennis continued to insist the North Koreans are good people who are just misunderstood.

While Rodman wouldn't personally take credit for Warmbier's release -- his agent sure did ... insisting Dennis' trip was a key factor in Jong-un's decision to free the 22-year-old American.

Rodman's agent says he specifically asked about Warmier's release 3 times before this most recent trip -- and says, "I know being there had something to do with it."

NOBODY PUTS GORILLA IN THE CORNER!!

Here's 14-year-old up-and-coming dancer Zola showing off his moves in a kiddie pool at the Dallas Zoo ... which begs the question -- WHY ISN'T HE A JABBAWOCKY YET?!

The video has gone gorilla viral -- and already got the "Flashdance" treatment ... and it's the best thing you're gonna see all day.

So, sit back, peel a banana, groom your friend's back, beat your chest, cut up a Jane Goodall documentary, scale the Empire State building and enjoy.

RIP Harambe.

Look out, Kim and Kris ... Lonzo and LaVar Ball have officially begun their march on Hollywood.

Moments after Lonzo got drafted by the Lakers, the cameras were rolling on the Big Baller Brand family -- who were flanked by cops, security and a swagged-out BBB entourage as they got the VIP treatment on the way out of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

A professional camera crew was recording the whole thing -- unclear if it was ESPN or a BBB documentary/reality show ... which we already confirmed was in the works.

One thing's for sure ... LaVar was LOVING the attention Thursday night and it's not going away anytime soon.

Kim Kardashian has a little Jackie Kennedy in her -- or at least on her -- because we found out she secretly bid on and won one of the legendary First Lady's super-expensive timepieces.

Auction sources tell us Christie's expected the watch to pull in $120,000 ... but Kim's anonymous, winning bid was $379,500!

Jackie's Cartier watch must have been acquired when she was First Lady -- just months before JFK was assassinated. It's engraved February 23, 1963. She got it as a gift from brother-in-law Prince Stanislaw "Stas" Radziwill.

It's interesting ... Kim has vowed not to be flashy since she was robbed in Paris last October. The watch doesn't stray from her plan ... it has no diamonds and the design is actually understated. We're told she plans to wear it.

Kim also bid on one of Jackie's paintings ... which shows Stas in '63 on a 50-mile hike in Palm Beach.

Ryan Seacrest's "done deal" to host the reboot of "American Idol" has hit a snag ... but it's not over money.

TMZ broke the story ... Seacrest and Fremantle Media and Core Media -- the producers of "American Idol"-- have agreed on his salary ... somewhere between $10 million and $15 million, substantially less than Katy Perry's $25M paycheck but definitely not chump change -- but he wants more than a "Host" title.

Sources at Fremantle and Core tell us, Seacrest is asking for an Executive Producer credit but Fremantle is balking, and the stalemate has now lasted more than a week. It's unclear if Seacrest wants day-to-day responsibilities for producing the show -- hard to imagine since there are only 24 hours in a day.

As we reported, we know producers are interested in Lionel Richie as a judge, but we're told they won't sign anyone else until they seal the deal with Seacrest.

Stay tuned.

President Trump and the National Rifle Ass'n are stereotyping all black men as dangerous, and the proof is their silence over the killing of Philando Castile ... so says Congressman Cedric Richmond.

Richmond was on Capitol Hill Thursday when our photog asked about gun advocates like the President and the NRA ... both of which had nothing to say about the 2nd Amendment when it came to the killing of Castile, who told cops he was carrying a legal gun.

As you know, the cop shot Castile 7 times at point-blank range, claiming he feared for his life.

The congressman -- who also chairs the powerful Black Caucus -- is incredulous Trump and the NRA have not defended Castile's right to bear arms.

Aaron Carter ended up in the hospital, apparently for exhaustion, following a concert -- the cherry on top of an awful night, which he says included some major body shaming.

The singer performed at the HOT 107.9 concert in Syracuse Thursday night and afterward said he was headed to the ER for a checkup ... something about staying strong following a string of shows.

He also revealed he had a run-in with a fan who said he looks like he has cancer. Aaron says the fan was talking to someone else, and didn't realize he was listening, but added ... he needed to eat 5 cheeseburgers because it looks like he's dying.

Aaron took it hard, saying ... "They literally won't stop bullying me" and "I'm sorry I'm not fat enough."

Mariachi superstar Pepe Aguilar's son hopes to avoid serious prison time after striking a plea deal for smuggling a Chinese national in the trunk of his car.

Jose Emiliano Aguilar pled guilty to 1 count of failing to present an undocumented alien at the border crossing ... according to docs obtained by TMZ. We broke the story, Emiliano was caught at the border Tijuana border crossing with 4 people in the trunk.

Emiliano potentially could have been hit with 4 counts -- one for each person -- but the plea deal knocks that down to just one. Customs and Border Control had released the photo of his human cargo.

His powerhouse attorney, Jeremy Warren, tells us Emiliano made a huge mistake, takes responsibility and looks forward to being a productive member of society.

His father, Pepe ... is a Grammy-winning singer with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Emiliano's hoping for way less than the 10-year max he could get when he's sentenced in August.

Johnny Depp apparently didn't learn a damn thing from Kathy Griffin ... he just went and made a joke about killing President Trump.

Depp was speaking to a crowd at the Glastonbury Festival Thursday when he starting talking Trump, saying ... "I think he needs help." Then he asked the crowd ... "When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"

The crowd's reaction -- mostly cheers, but Depp still attempted to backpedal a little bit from his clear reference to John Wilkes Booth killing Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

We're guessing Depp can expect a call from the Secret Service ... stat. His comments would be controversial at any time, but especially now ... just weeks after Griffin went through the wringer.

Mel B's drawing a line when it comes to footing the bill for her estranged husband's food, clothing and cell phone habits ... calling his "wish list" a pipe dream.

Mel filed docs shooting holes in Stephen Belafonte's request for emergency spousal support. For instance, she says the $4,300 for food and groceries he wants comes to $140 per day, or as she puts it ... a week's worth of food for a typical family of four.

She's also not down with his $2k monthly clothing allowance ... since she says he took his full wardrobe when he moved out of their house. Ditto for his $11k per month on housing -- she points out, he's just staying with friends.

Belafonte also needs a new cell phone plan, according to Mel. In the docs she scoffs at his asking for $750 each month ... calling it an "exorbitant" cost for ONE phone. She's got a point.

As for him crying poverty -- Mel says if he's working full-time at Serafina, and not making a dime, he "should get a job at a different restaurant." Mind you, Stephen and Mel are co-owners of that joint.

Meanwhile, Mel was in court Thursday to deal with her restraining order against ex-nanny, Lorraine Giles. The judge threw out the order because Giles was never personally served.

It's official -- Lonzo Ball is an L.A. Laker!!

The ex-UCLA Big Baller was selected with the #2 overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft ... and now dad LaVar Ball can rest easy knowing his son will suit up for the Purple & Gold next year.

In case you've been living under a rock for the past few months, LaVar constantly guaranteed that L.A. would pick Zo ... and even told us earlier this week that it was a sure thing.

Let the games begin.

Bill Cosby's moving forward with plans to host town hall meetings where he'll discuss sex assault cases and how to avoid them -- and surprisingly ... his lawyers are totally cool with it.

Cosby's high profile spokespeople, Andrew Wyatt & Ebonee Benson, told us they've been flooded with requests for Cosby to, essentially, coach up young people on not getting caught in the same situations he did.

It seems like an odd move, considering almost anything he says during these meetings could be used against him when his retrial in the Andrea Constand case begins.

Julia Roberts' dog once was lost, but now is found and back in her yard ... thanks to her neighbor and a mobile app that connects everyone in her hood.

Someone in Julia's Malibu community found her chocolate lab, Major, earlier this month at Little Dume Beach near Point Dume in Malibu ... and then posted the news using Nextdoor -- an online social network specifically for neighbors.

The post read "Found Chocolate Lab," which was listed in the Lost & Found section of Nextdoor's Point Dume page. Sure enough ... Julia's husband, Daniel Moder, responded and got the contact info of the person who found Major.