Comedy

Jon Stewart would make a perfect Democratic presidential nominee in 2024 -- so says a publication knee-deep in political coverage ... but not everyone is so sure it's a good idea.

The one-time 'Daily Show' host was floated as someone who should seriously consider running for the highest office in the land, and as someone we should all consider as a viable contender -- this according to a Politico op-ed that's getting a lot of attention this weekend.

The piece is titled, "If Tucker Runs in 2024, Here's Who the Democrats Need." The article is supplemented by this Twitter caption ... "Joe Biden should run for president in 2024. But if he decides against it for whatever reason, Jon Stewart should run on the Democratic ticket instead. He's exactly the person they need."

The op-ed starts out with exactly that premise -- that JB oughta run, but a moment later ... they float the possibility he doesn't, and then deflect to Stewart as a good replacement.

The whole argument boils down to Jon being well-versed in politics -- even in a comedic setting -- and a great communicator, as we've seen on Capitol Hill and beyond. But, the centerpiece of this hypothetical is Fox News's Tucker Carlson ... who some think might run.

Neither one has gone on record as saying they're interested ... it's all just speculation and innuendo. But, if any of that materializes for one or the other, Politico seems to think these two would be a perfect matchup -- especially since they've faced off before ... a la "Crossfire."

As interesting as it might be to see Stewart throw his hat in the ring, many online are saying ... enough with celebs jumping in, and enough with trying to prop them up as options.

Many say that charisma alone isn't a good enough qualification for politics ... and that applies to both sides, with many pointing out what we just went through with 4 years of Donald Trump -- who, of course, was in showbiz for a long time before crossing over (and winning).

Interestingly enough, we asked Jon about the prospect of another celeb running for office ... and he didn't write it off, but didn't totally endorse it either. Time will tell if he dives in, or if this is yet another example of wishful thinking.

Comedian Andrew Schulz refused to bow down and censor his comedy special for Amazon, deciding to release it on his own, and the decision is already paying off to the tune of more than $1 million.

Schulz recently revealed honchos at a streaming service "freaked out" when they watched the material he wanted to include in his upcoming comedy special. We're told jokes in the project ranged from topics like Ted Bundy, abortion and Michael Jackson. Schulz claimed the honchos told him to remove the sensitive stuff, or they couldn't release it to users.

We've spoken to sources close to Schulz who tell us he was shopping the special to Amazon and Netflix -- Amazon bid the highest -- but then backed out after Schulz refused to remove the triggering content.

Now, Schulz has decided to self-release the special for fans through his website at $15 a ticket. We're told in the first day alone, he made $500,000 in sales and has made over $1 million in less than a week.

Our sources say the way tickets are selling, he'll make more than his deal with Amazon was in the first place.

We should note, he's partnered with Moment House to sell his tickets -- the same company behind Justin Bieber and Kygo shows -- and we're told he's already broken sales records.

Chris Rock isn't hiding his relationship with Lake Bell any longer -- the duo is out and about in L.A. for all to see ... and we gotta say, they look pretty good together!

The comedian and actress were hitting the town this weekend, popping up at Giorgio Baldi together in Santa Monica where they chowed down. And on Sunday, the couple grabbed a bite at Coast Restaurant in the same neighborhood ... dining with just the two of them.

We're told there was no obvious PDA here -- ditto for the Baldi outing, BTW -- but they certainly seemed to be flirty and in good spirits.

The fact we're seeing Chris and Lake all over the country together now suggests they're dating, and apparently serious. You'll recall ... they were recently spotted at a Cardinals game in St. Louis, where they were sitting in the same box trying to lay low.

As we noted then, both stars are currently single and fresh off long-term relationships. Even in the baseball game instance, though, they didn't appear to be truly hiding anything ... and now, the cat's outta the bag.

Russell Westbrook had the best Tuesday EVER -- because after he scored a $47 MILLION payday from the Lakers ... he celebrated with Kevin Hart at an L.A. hotspot!!

Russ opted into the final year of his Lakers contract early Tuesday morning -- making him richer than ever -- and hours later, he, Hart and some other buddies grabbed dinner at LAVO Ristorante, a swanky West Hollywood joint.

The two were in great spirits -- laughing and dappin' each other up outside of the eatery ... and while Russ didn't say too much, it's pretty clear he's fired up to be staying in L.A. for at least another year.

Of course, the 33-year-old's first year in Lakers purple and gold didn't go smoothly -- he was heckled daily over his play -- but he made it obvious with an impromptu Beyonce car karaoke sesh Tuesday morning that he's shaking all of that off in 2022-23.

BTW, no official word on who picked up the tab at Tuesday night's dinner ... but if we had to guess, something tells us it was probably Russ.

Westbrook and Hart have been tight for years -- remember, the duo were spotted out together right after the guard was traded to L.A. last year.

Bill Bellamy says he's being forced to make an impossible choice after the deaths of his father and father-in-law -- due to an "unauthorized" memorial service planned by his sister.

The comedian and actor's going through an incredibly painful period ... with his father-in-law dying May 17, and then his own dad passing on June 8.

That would be gut-wrenching enough, but TMZ has learned things got even worse. While Bill was out of the country ... we're told his sister, Karen, made plans to lay their father, William, to rest today, June 24 -- the same weekend Bill and his wife had already planned his father-in-law's service in a different state.

According to documents filed in New Jersey, Bill actually attempted to get a restraining order which would force Karen to change the date, but he was denied -- there really is no legal standing for a judge to get involved in this sort of family dispute.

The obvious rift with his sister has left Bill in an unenviable position. He tells TMZ ... "In the span of less than a month I lost both my father William Bellamy Senior and my father-in-law Bernard Baker Junior. These two wonderful men that have impacted my life and my family's lives in ways that are beyond words."

He continues, "My effort to stop an unauthorized memorial service for my father, which was planned without my knowledge, was not successful. I am devastated my family has to choose to miss one service for another, no one should ever have to be in this position. My father-in-law's memorial service was confirmed back in May when he passed.

There are no words to express how disappointed I am to not be a part of laying my father to rest but I look forward to celebrating my father's life and legacy with my wife, his grandchildren and our close friends in our own time.

David Spade seems moved by the Burger King employee who got a mediocre goodie bag in recognition of 27 years without missing work ... giving him money and making him laugh.

Kevin Ford, who went viral this week after showing off his company gifts, tells TMZ ... his daughter let him know someone named David Spade donated $5,000 to his GoFundMe, but he wasn't sure it was the comedian himself, until he checked his Instagram inbox.

David slid in Kevin's direct messages ... telling him to keep it up after 27 years on the job without a break, and even cracking a joke about waiting a few more years before finally taking a day off.

Kevin tells us he's a huge fan of David's, so to get a donation plus some fun back and forth with Spade is surreal.

With David's $5k donation, Kevin's GoFundMe has now raised over $30,000 ... with the money going to help him visit his daughters and grandkids in Texas. He also says he wants to use the dough to buy a new Ford hybrid.

Amy Schumer had to call it quits with Penn Badgley's wife, who was working as her doula while recovering from her C-section ... and looks had EVERYTHING to do with it.

Amy told the "You" star about firing his wife Domino Kirke on his podcast "Podcrushed" Tuesday ... she says qualifications weren't an issue here -- but she was like a goddess roaming her house, while Amy was feeling less than perfect.

A doula acts as a labor assistant for someone that's going through or just finished their pregnancy, providing emotional and physical support ... while it sounds like Domino did her job well, Amy just couldn't get over that perfect look.

She says the "floating siren" made her feel vulnerable after having her 1st kid ... and she couldn't stand melting to her touch for one second more. She admits she feels pretty bad about giving her the boot.

Amy and her husband Chris Fischer welcomed baby Gene in 2019 -- their first kid together. The comedian decided to document her entire experience through the docuseries, "Expecting Amy."

Chelsea Handler is suing a lingerie company ...  claiming she was completely blindsided after spending countless hours and tons of her own cash while agreeing on a deal to promote the brand.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Chelsea cut a deal with a company called ThirdLove to promote its clothing. She claims the company loved Handler's unique body-positive image and brand and thought it was a fit for its customers.

Chelsea says she went through a specialized exercise routine to stay in shape and get ready for the photo shoots ... and claims she passed on other potential deals to honor her exclusive commitment to the company.

She claims she had to fly out to Canada from L.A. for a photo shoot as part of the deal -- and did so on her dime. But, Handler claims ThirdLove ended up pulling the plug on the entire thing at the eleventh hour.

The comedian and late-night host is seeking no less than $1.5M from ThirdLove.

Dave Chappelle is the new owner of a hefty piece of property ... a purchase he's made to block a land developer from moving into the quiet Ohio village that's been his home.

Dave's reps confirm he recently bought up several acres of Yellow Springs, OH land previously owned by Oberer Land Developers, Ltd. -- a company that had announced plans for a huge subdivision that would have chewed up 52 acres of the village.

As you know, Dave came in guns blazing back in February when the Yellow Springs town council held a public meeting.

Chappelle made it very clear he was opposed to Oberer moving forward with the project, and threatened to pull his own business venture for the area -- a planned restaurant/comedy club called the Firehouse Eatery.

The council ended up approving the development, but it now appears Dave has blocked -- or at least curtailed -- the subdivision plan by snapping up some of Oberer's property.

Pete Davidson is famous for a lot -- for appearing on 'SNL,' for dating Kim Kardashian and Ariana Grande, among others ... and his BDE status is legendary, at least according to Ariana, so an otherwise innocuous wardrobe gaffe suddenly becomes a big deal!

Pete was in Cairns, Australia when he stepped out but forgot to zip up. He could be clowning, but more likely -- he just didn't realize his fly was open.

Pete gave the paps a peace sign as he posed for pics with fans outside his hotel.

Pete's in the land down under to shoot a flick, "Wizards!," with Orlando Bloom, Naomi Scott, Franz Rogowski and Sean Harris. The production company is Brad Pitt's -- Plan B.

In case you're wondering, the movie's about 2 potheads who run a beach bar and get into hot water after finding a pile of money that they should have left be.

Anthony Anderson is backing Dave Chappelle's decision to turn down an honor from his high school alma mater, which was all set to name a building after him.

We got AA at LAX Tuesday, and he thinks Dave's spot on by turning thumbs down on plastering the building -- the Duke Ellington School of the Arts -- with his moniker. After some controversy, the school was ready to put Dave's name right in the front, but Monday night he opted for a different name ... the Theater for Artistic Freedom and Expression.

Anthony believes Dave's a pioneer in the world of free speech, especially for comedians. Anthony acknowledges ... everyone's got their own opinion and some disagree with what Dave says, and that's ok.

While addressing the crowd Monday, Dave referenced the backlash from students over his special 'The Closer' ... and said it really hurt him.

Three Pittsburgh Pirates staffers looked more like "The Three Stooges" on Monday night ... because they failed to corral a squirrel that had gotten loose in the outfield during a game -- and it was comical.

The little critter jetted out into left field during the second inning of the Buccos' game against the Chicago Cubs ... and a short time later, Pirates officials apparently thought it'd be good to send three guys out with a bucket, a towel and a net to get it away from players.

Turns out ... that was not a great idea.

Check out video from the game's broadcast, the trio hilariously tried everything they could to capture the squirrel -- but the animal juked them at every turn.

Eventually, the squirrel grew tired of making the guys look silly -- and bolted through a fence.

The scene was so hysterical, the MLB even had some fun with it ... tweeting out, "sandy cheeks wildin."

Dave Chappelle's alma mater is paying tribute to him by renaming a building in his honor ... just months after he got heckled on campus during the transgender controversy.

Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington D.C. is set to rename its performance theater after its most noted alumni ... the school says it's honoring Dave because of his "ongoing commitment and service to the school."

As we reported, Dave paid a visit to his old high school back in November, while he was taking heat for his jokes about the transgender community.

Things got heated when he invited students who disagreed to speak during an assembly. One student stepped up and called him a bigot, adding, "I'm 16 and I think you're childish." Some students wanted the school to reverse its decision over naming the building after him.

Dave challenged both his supporters and his opponents -- asking both sides to raise money for the school, and if the opponents raised more money, he'd gladly forego the honor of having the building renamed.

As it turns out, his supporters raised the most money so the building will be called the Dave Chappelle Theatre.

Chris Rock is in good company these days, taking in a baseball game with Lake Bell.

The comedian and actress were in a box together Monday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, watching a Cardinals game. They were spotted by eagle-eyed fans, who got them on camera together at different points in the evening ... including in this video, obtained by TMZ.

No signs of PDA, but they were definitely sitting together ... and seemed interested in maintaining a relatively low profile. We're told Chris did an on-camera interview at one point, and LB stepped away so she wouldn't be seen in the shot.

Chris has been performing comedy shows there lately, and it seems Lake is along for the ride. They're both single, and relatively fresh off of long-term marriages in recent years.

It's been about 3 months since CR got smacked across the face by Will Smith, and by all accounts ... he's doing just fine. Not only has he continued to work, but he now seems to have a new lady friend (maybe).

David Koechner looked a bit like a deer in headlights during his latest DUI bust -- one that couldn't stand up all that straight ... at least based on this police body cam footage.

The "Anchorman" star's run-in with cops in Ohio earlier this month can now be seen on video obtained by TMZ ... and in it, you see him bombing -- according to police -- some field sobriety tests after he's pulled over on the road.

The cop who ends up running the show actually has a funny little "I know you" encounter when he realizes who Koechner is, but it doesn't seem like he's too star-struck -- because he proceeds, trying to get a read on whether DK had one too many.

After going through the gauntlet of drunk exams, the cop ends up putting David in handcuffs -- telling him he's under arrest ... with the actor admitting this is his 2nd in 6 months.

We're told Koechner was arrested, processed at the station, and then eventually released with a court summons. The summons dings him on 3 separate counts ... driving while impaired, refusal to submit for a breathalyzer or urine sample and driving on a suspended license.

Before Ric Flair doles out one last ass whoopin', the WWE legend's gonna take a few (verbal) jabs from Mike Tyson -- 'cause TMZ Sports has learned Iron Mike will be one of the celebs roasting Nature Boy this summer!

We're told 55-year-old Tyson has signed on to be part of the roast of 73-year-old Flair ... going down July 29 in Nashville, TN ... in front of over 1,000 fans!

Ric and Mike -- two of the absolute greatest in their respective fields -- aren't just buddies, they're also business partners.

In fact, Mike's "Tyson 2.0" cannabis company recently struck a deal with "Ric Flair Drip" ... and the men will be selling different marijuana products (think edibles, etc.)

And, Tyson won't be alone in roasting the 16x world champ ... Starrcast, the company behind the event, tells us they're in the process of locking down other celebs and wrestlers for the roast.

If Ric makes it through the roast, two nights later he's scheduled to wrestle in the final match of his incredible career. His opponent is still being sorted out.