Comedy

Bob Saget's close friends say they've been overwhelmed by the reaction of fans since losing him earlier this year -- and now they're giving back to those fans with a special tribute.

Lori Loughlin, who rarely does public appearances these days, joined John Stamos, John Mayer and Jeff Ross for an Instagram Live chat about their dearly departed pal, and Lori opened up about what she calls the "most touching part" of their mourning process.

She talked about strangers telling her how sorry they are for her loss, but also sharing how much Bob meant to them. She said, he "was everyone's dad, a part of everyone's childhood."

The 4 of them were chatting about the new Netflix special, "Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Tribute." It was recorded at the Comedy Store in WeHo at the end of January, and Mayer said it was "the first time we'd gotten together where our heads had started to grow around this new reality."

He also described it as "this great moment between acceptance, but still being in a lot of pain."

The tribute show also features Jim Carrey, Chris Rock and several other of Bob's famous friends.

Jeff said, "[Bob] always wanted a Netflix special," Ross, 56, said at one point during the live stream. "I don't think anyone's funeral has been on TV since Lady Diana died, so the fact that it's happening now for Bob is kinda bittersweet, but I think he'd be proud of it."

"Anchorman" star David Koechner has been busted again for drinking and driving -- this time while away from home on tour.

According to online records, Koechner was nabbed in Southern Ohio just before 2 AM on June 4 for operating a vehicle under the influence. A law enforcement source tells us a State Trooper noticed Koechner swerve, pulled him over, and allegedly smelled alcohol on his breath.

Koechner received a ticket for the offense, and is scheduled to appear in court next month.

As for why he was in Ohio -- Koechner's on tour -- and hosted "The Office" trivia night later that day in Ironton. Koechner played the character Todd Packer on the show.

It's not the first time this year he's been busted for drinking and driving. The actor and comedian was charged with DUI and hit and run following a New Year's Eve arrest in Los Angeles. During that incident, cops say, he blew two tires before stopping and blew a .13 BAC in the field and a .12 once back at the station.

Dave Chappelle is giving back following his weekend performance in Buffalo, NY ... making what will be a sizeable donation to families of victims who were killed in that city's recent mass shooting.

Chappelle hit the stage Sunday at the Shea's Performing Arts Center, and we've confirmed he's giving all the money from his ticket sales back to the Buffalo community directly affected by the May 14 tragedy.

It's a 3,000-seat venue, so the final check Dave cuts for the families should be impressive. The decision to do the stand-up gig in Buffalo was last minute -- Dave announced it on Wednesday and the tickets sold out within an hour.

As we've reported, at least 10 people were killed, most of whom were Black ... after a man opened fire with a semi-automatic weapon at a Tops Friendly Market grocery store.

The 18-year-old gunman drove several hours across NY state to the predominately African-American neighborhood. He not only went live on social media during the attack, but beforehand he'd posted a manifesto declaring himself a white supremacist.

Steve Harvey didn't wait too long to start crackin' jokes about his daughter's breakup with Michael B. Jordan ... and admits he might've learned a new way to avoid another costly divorce.

Steve talked about his daughter Lori Harvey parting ways with MBJ on his morning show Monday ... and can't help himself from getting in a laughing mood while doing so.

He says his kids are teaching him to "get out early" from relationships ... and even thinks a breakup on social media is the way to go -- citing court costs as a dealbreaker. Don't forget, the guy's been divorced 2 times, and had quite the fight in court back in 2018.

Steve's ex-wife Mary sued him for $60M over mental anguish, saying she was suicidal in the wake of their 2005 divorce. The judge just threw out her case, because it belonged in front of a judge in Texas ... where the divorce was handled.

As we reported, Michael and Lori reportedly split after being together for over a year ... the reason is still unknown, but the two hadn't posted about each other online in months.

Howie Mandel's partnering with a unique tech company that's making life a lot easier for a germaphobe like himself -- instead of showing up in person, he can be displayed anywhere ... as a hologram in a box.

To quote Howie, now he's "the Jew in the box!!!" That's his funny take on his new gig, but more technically, he's been named an advisor for Proto Inc. ... inventors of the world’s first 4K, volumetric, self-contained holoportation machine.

The video gives you a better idea of how it works, and Howie's already having tons of fun!

On top of keeping away from germs, he also sees it as a great way to work more efficiently -- this tech makes it possible for him to do stand-up at multiple venues, all in real-time.

Proto's been in the game since 2019 and has seen a ton of celebs use their hologram tech. Diddy wasn't able to be at his son's 23rd birthday party last year, so the company hooked him up with a box and the ability to virtually wish him a happy birthday.

Country star Walker Hayes was even able to play some of his hits live for a crowd, thanks to Proto.

Kathy Griffin is taking low-blow shots at Johnny Depp -- beyond believing Amber Heard ... she thinks he's far from the dreamboat he once was, focusing on his looks.

The comedian went on the offensive this week -- shortly after the pro-Depp verdict came down in Virginia -- during an appearance on "Just Ask The Question with Brian Karem" ... where she hurled a lot of insults at JD and his legion of fanboys (and girls).

Specifically, she made fun of his appearance ... likening him to Trump, and saying he resembled a "bloated booze bag" these days -- despite what his supporters might think.

KG also commented on his voice and manner of speaking ... saying it was such a phony act, and that she's shocked anyone is buying it -- even invoking Kanye West during his wire days. The host agrees, saying he sounds sorta British ... even though he's from Kentucky.

Kathy wasn't done there though ... she went on to express direct support for Amber, saying she 100% bought her story of alleged abuse -- despite a jury saying otherwise -- and even followed in Amber's footsteps by dredging up supposed old rumors about Johnny.

She mentions Kate Moss (who denied any abuse at the hands of JD) ... and even Winona Ryder. Her theory -- which sounds totally speculative -- is that ... these other ladies are, perhaps, afraid of being "Amber Heard'd" and therefore won't speak out against him.

We'll let Kathy speak for herself here ... but let's just say she's certainly catching backlash because of this, from both Depp "stans" and beyond.

Bill Maher knows America has a ton of problems, but the biggest might be we've all become so f***ing stupid ... and that's the real existential threat to this country.

It starts out hilarious ... listening to our youngins whose ignorance is just mind-blowing -- the first person to walk on the sun is a dude named Lance. The biggest city in the world is Asia ... no, it's Europe.

As for how we got this dumb, well the 'Real Time' host says schools and politicians are to blame because they're all so caught up in causes, they've abandoned education.

As for how this becomes an existential threat ... well, the captains of our ship are politicians, who now get elected with ads that are ridiculous and demagogic. Bill plays a bunch of them and the candidates all sound just wretched ... yet that's the drill for getting elected. As he says, the end of each ad should say, "I approved this message, you dumb f***s!"

You gotta see the ad for Marjorie Taylor Greene ... and all the other candidates who think they can win by shooting guns and obliterating cars and bottles of Bud.

Point is ... this is what gets people elected, and exactly who are these people? They're the ones who are guiding our nation and setting policy.

Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson are more than ready to show the world -- they're in love.

They posted vid Sunday ... matching from head to toe. They both have bleached their hair blonde and are decked out in black outfits. And, then ... they kiss for all to see. And, then show a little tongue!

Most people thought this would be a short-term, rebound relationship for Kim, however, it's clearly anything but. They did a photoshoot together last week and they're now fixtures in each other's lives.

This is all going down in L.A. Pete, a lifelong New Yorker, is spending a lot of time on the West Coast, and he seems poised to move out here permanently after his exit from 'SNL.'

Kim's no longer walking on eggshells over all the Kanye drama. She even lashed out at him on her Hulu show, essentially saying she made a mistake protecting Ye at the expense of her family.

Pete Davidson has ventured West -- no, not THAT West -- after his exit from 'SNL.'

Pete's back in L.A. with GF Kim Kardashian. Kim was doing a photo shoot for SKIMS at her office — and Pete was hanging out.

Pete was decked out in a shower cap -- covering his bleached mane -- while KK rocked a pretty snazzy bodysuit.

The decks are now cleared for Pete to move to L.A. He hasn't said where he'll land, but he wants to do more movies so the City of Angels seems to be the place that makes the most sense.

Also, it's now undeniable -- his relationship with Kim is super serious, so enough of the bicoastal crap already.

If Pete does move to L.A. ... it's unclear where he'll live, but he DOES have options.

Tracy Morgan got a rare, high honor Friday night ... a coveted Friars Club award, and he did not miss an opportunity to tell a couple of hilarious jokes about his near-death experience.

Tracy received the Icon Award in NYC, where 500 people showed up to honor the comedian. Among them ... Sherri Shepherd, JB Smoove, Chris Kattan, Allan Houston, Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Paul Shaffer, Ben Vereen, Bill Boggs, Carol Alt, Joe Piscopo, Geraldo Rivera, NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Vincent Pastore, Brian Quinn, Joe Gatto, Rudy Giuliani and Anthony Weiner.

NYC Mayor Adams presented TM with a framed document declaring May 26, 2022, as Tracy Morgan Day. Friars Club President, Arthur Aidala, honored Tracy with an Icon Award trophy.

His speech was great! As you know, Tracy was in a limo that was hit by a truck and it was touch-and-go for a while ... Tracy's rehab was arduous and long, but he bounced back, clearly NOT losing his sense of humor.

He explained when you fall down, you have to get right back up, unless you're hit by a truck and then you just lay there and wait for a lawyer!!!

The gala event was held at the Ziegfeld Ballroom in Midtown on Thursday night.

Not many celebs have received the award ... among them -- Sinatra, Cary Grant, Robert De Niro and Tom Cruise. The award's only been bestowed 9 times in the history of Friars.

The event also honored Betty White and Bob Saget.

David Spade survived the gauntlet that is "Saturday Night Live" ... and isn't all surprised by the mass exodus we've seen from some of the show's major players in the last week.

We spoke with the 'SNL' alum at LAX who didn't mince words when he told us the show is a "F****** beating" -- AKA, a grind. Spade's comments come directly on the heels of the departure of Pete Davidson, Kate McKinnon and others from the weekly comedy show.

David says while he was able to last 6 seasons on 'SNL,' it's both tough on a comedian's brain and their body ... saying it's insane that some comedians are able to last 8, 9, even 10 seasons.

Pete Davidson did 8 seasons on the show, and our photog asked Spade if he thought now that it's all said and done, if Pete will be remembered as one of the greats. David doesn't give a direct response, just saying he hasn't seen enough of Pete's time on the show.

Ellen DeGeneres is ending her show after 19 seasons ... and to celebrate her last episode ever, we've put together some of the standout celeb moments during her epic run.

Over nearly 2 decades, Ellen undoubtedly made a huge impact on daytime television ... sharing laughs, stunts and tears with her special guests, some of whom she's become close friends with over the years.

Of course, Ellen's greatest scares were a hilarious part of the show, where she'd startle the bejeezus out of guests with a huge surprise right in the middle of interviews.

We can't forget Ellen's most generous giveaway, when she helped an underprivileged school in Detroit ... and the countless other times she's given back to others in need.

As we've reported, Ellen announced she was ending her show, during a taping earlier this month. While she's not retiring from showbiz, she will be taking time off to decide what's next ... and she has some pretty big ventures in the can.

We do know, she recently signed a multi-year deal with Discovery ... on top of shows on NBC ("Family Game Fight!"), FOX ('Masked Singer') and HBO ("Ellen's Next Great Designer") and the upcoming Tig Notaro animated comedy special).

Russ is showing his newly founded DIEMON Records can put up visible competition with the major labels.

The proud do-it-yourself rapper released the video for his "Handsomer Remix" single ... featuring some serious star power cameos from Snoop Dogg and Tiffany Haddish.

The superstar actress provides comedy relief inside a mansion party and Snoop, well, he plays himself ... convincingly, though!

Tiffany doesn't rap on the track but she's told TMZ Hip Hop she plans to collaborate with both Snoop and Beyonce down the line.

Edgar Esteves and Logan Fields both directed the visual and Russ' new artist Ktlyn is featured on the track. It's been doing well too -- peaking at No. 40 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Russ is rather proud of the visual, and for the $300,000 he says he paid for total production, he should be. No word how much he paid Uncle Snoop, who's known to charge $250,000 a pop when he's doing his feature thing, but it's likely they worked something out.

The man accused of tackling Dave Chappelle -- and who seems to be copping to it -- says he did what he did because he was "triggered" by DC's LGBT jokes ... which is an apparent change of tune.

23-year-old Isaiah Lee did an interview with the New York Post, and explained his reasoning for hopping up on the stage and attacking the comedian -- and wouldn't you know it ... he says he was, in fact, offended by Dave's material, and wanted him to know about it.

Lee is quoted as saying, "I identify as bisexual … and I wanted him to know what he said was triggering." He adds, "I wanted him to know that next time, he should consider first running his material by people it could affect."

Dave is reported to have addressed his transgender controversy that night before Lee allegedly rushed the stage -- talking about how he didn't have a problem with trans people, until now ... when he says they took his 'Closer' content out of context and warped it.

Here's another element that apparently sent Lee over the edge ... jokes that Dave apparently made about homelessness, which Lee says personally hurt him -- as he himself had experienced it at a young age.

Lee says, "I’m also a single dad and my son is five. It’s a struggle and I wanted Dave Chappelle to know it’s not a joke." Plus, jokes earlier in the night (made by an opener, it seems) talking pedophilia rocked Lee as well. He says he was sexually abused as a minor.

On his gruesome injuries, Lee said ... "They spat on me and twisted me as if on purpose." He also acknowledged having the fake-gun-turned knife on him that night, adding Chappelle asked why he did it. Lee says ... "I told him my mother and grandmother, who fought for his civil rights to be able to speak, would be upset at the things he said."

All of this is a new and different twist on Lee's motives. As we reported, Chappelle has said Lee told him backstage -- before he was arrested -- that he'd rushed onstage to draw attention to his grandmother's plight in a gentrified neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Amanda Bynes might be back on the small screen sooner than later -- she says she's potentially interested in getting back into the TV biz ... on her signature sitcom, no less.

The one-time child star -- who was recently released from a years-long conservatorship -- tells TMZ ... yes, she's "very interested" in a possible revival of her WB series "What I Like About You" -- a fan fave that ran for 4 seasons in the early 2000s.

She adds, "I think it's a great idea to reboot the show," while hedging a bit -- explaining that she hasn't talked to Leslie Grossman or Jennie Garth about it just yet.

Still, there's certainly some hope here -- AB says, "I miss them and would love to work with them again. I don't miss acting but I loved this show, so I'd be down to return to acting for this revival. It would be a great experience to continue the show."

That's a pretty big deal ... especially when you consider Garth herself recently said something to the same effect -- namely, expressing interest in getting the gang together again.

She noted on Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef she wasn't going to count Amanda out -- and now she might even wanna pick up the phone if there was any hesitation before ... 'cause her old costar sounds like she could easily hop on board for this.

Of course, it'll take more than just their mutual interest to get a would-be reboot off the ground and on the airwaves -- there's gotta be a studio that wants to produce it.

Pete Davidson ended his 8-year stint on "SNL" Saturday night, telling jokes that were laced with truth and humor.

Pete was front and center at the anchor desk for 'Weekend Update,' and right out of the gate he made it clear ... he was not holding back. He began with, “Hello Colin and Che and millions of people only watching to see if I bring up Kanye.”

Davidson never mentioned Kim Kardashian, but he did bring up another flame -- Ariana Grande, with whom he got engaged after dating only 2 weeks. Lorne Michaels' reaction to the engagement is hilarious.

He also cracked a joke about people being confused by his race ... “Now everyone knows I’m white because I became hugely successful while barely showing up to work.”