Comedy

Dave Chappelle zeroed in on Kanye during his opening monologue Saturday night on 'SNL,' explaining why Kanye now wears his chains outside his shirt.

Dave had an unusually long open -- 15 minutes -- and he spent lots of it talking about Ye's antisemitic rants. It was not exactly an embrace of the Jewish community -- he said it's not crazy to think Jews run Hollywood, but it's crazy to say it out loud.

Chappelle went on to say he denounces antisemitism and stands with his Jewish friends ... adding those words would have helped Kanye "buy time."

Dave said Kanye's words were so hateful even Adidas dropped him, and they were founded by the Nazis.

He went on to talk Kyrie Irving and the midterms, calling Trump "an honest liar" and Herschel Walker "observably stupid."

Underneath this pursed-lipped figure is an actor and filmmaker who definitely knows how to crack a joke, and when he's not playing a comedic role on the big screen or touring on the road, you can find him on the basketball court showing off his skills.

One common theme you can seen throughout this jokester's successful career is his admiration and support for the New York Yankees and the New York Knicks ... and if you can't see the scramble maybe you should prick your ears up because during the holiday season you will definitely listen to his festive holiday song!

Bill Maher went after Donald Trump in the most personal way Friday night, but this was way more political than it is salacious. We will explain.

Bill mused, with the hundreds of books that have been written about Trump, no one has cracked the mystery ... who is he banging? As he says, Trump's been a dog all of his adult life, talking about how powerful people could simply grab a woman by the p***y and have his way. Bill's convinced Trump hasn't changed his ways, yet no one has addressed it.

Bill quickly rules out Melania, so then who?

Now here's the deal. The "Real Time" host is really not that interested in D.T.'s love life, and here's how we know. Toward the end, Maher suggests another theory ... Trump has the desire but not the ability, because he's impotent.

Now on the surface this may sound like high school humor, but that misses the point ... Bill knows Trump is as braggadocious as they come -- no pun intended -- and he will find it irresistible to defend his "manhood."

When you think about it, exactly how does Trump answer? Bill has put Trump in a box.  Again ...

Comedian Gallagher, famously known for smashing watermelons as part of his legendary act, has died ... his longtime manager tells TMZ.

Gallagher died while under hospice care in the Palm Springs area early Friday morning, TMZ has learned. His manager tells TMZ Gallagher died of massive organ failure. He had been in ill health for a while, suffering numerous heart attacks over the years.

The rep tells TMZ, "Gallagher stayed on the road touring America for decades. He was pretty sure he held a record for the most stand-up dates, by attrition alone," adding, "While Gallagher had his detractors, he was an undeniable talent and an American success story."

Gallagher started working as a comedian after college ... getting his big break after appearing on Johnny Carson's 'Tonight Show' back in 1975 ... showing off his prop humor and quickly becoming one of the most popular and recognizable comedians in America.

His trademark bit was the "Sledge-O-Matic," where he'd use a large mallet to destroy a bunch of foods and objects -- always ending with a watermelon. While it started as a parody of the Veg-O-Matic commercials, it would go on to be what millions would remember him for.

Gallagher's since become a pop culture phenomenon, getting parodied and referenced over the years for his act ... most recently being played by fellow comedian Paul F. Tompkins in "Weird: The Al Yankovic Story."

The comedian had 17 specials spanning decades of his work ... with his first special, "An Uncensored Evening," debuting in 1980. He appeared in episodes of "Hollywood Squares," "WTF with Marc Maron," "Tosh.0" and "Celebrity Big Brother."

He had a health scare back in 2011, as we reported, he collapsed onstage during a performance in Minnesota. He also suffered a heart attack the following year in Texas, moments before he was supposed to perform.

We last saw the comedian back in 2014 ... and he offered us some fantastic advice for those looking to get someone a gift while stuck on a budget -- and it's as hilarious as you'd expect.

Gallagher, who was retired, is survived by his daughter, Aimee, and his son, Barnaby.

He was 76.

Comedian Matt Rife is literally a stone's throw away from 'SNL' just in case its writers boycott upcoming host Dave Chappelle ... and says he'd be honored to take the gig.

Matt was standing outside 30 Rock in NYC Thursday with his friend and fellow comedian Alex "Fonzi" Cureau -- they were holding up signs reading "Will Write For Dave."

Dave's set to host 'SNL' this weekend for the first time since his controversial 2021 Netflix special "The Closer" ... which his critics have ripped as transphobic.

While all 'SNL' cast members are working with Dave, some of the writers are boycotting ... according to Page Six. As we reported, Chappelle's camp says they've seen no evidence of that all week.

But, just in case, Matt and Alex are at the ready ... and say they're not trying to make any statements about transphobia. Their message is much more simple -- "If you don't want your job I will take it."

Of course, not everyone sees it that way ... Matt and Alex were actually confronted by at least one person who had a problem with their public plea to work with Dave.

Bottom line for Matt -- who famously dated Kate Beckinsale back in 2017 -- Dave's the comedy G.O.A.T., so he's not missing out if there's a shot at writing his 'SNL' sketches.

Dave Chappelle's starting his third day of meetings with 'SNL' cast and writers, and his camp says there's been zero talk of an alleged boycott related to Dave's issues with the transgender community.

DC is hosting 'SNL' this weekend -- his first time since 2020, and since the release of his controversial Netflix special "The Closer" ... which sparked protests and much debate over jokes many people felt were transphobic.

The potential issue at 30 Rock this week is 'SNL' now has its first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney, and at least one writer who is transgender.

According to Page Six, the show's writers are boycotting, but a rep for Dave tells TMZ ... Dave's first 2 meetings with the staff have been full, and everyone's pitching sketch ideas as they normally do.

One of the writers, Celeste Yim, reportedly posted an Instagram story saying, “I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned.”

Their post said nothing about a boycott. It's unclear if Celeste has been in the staff meetings with Dave this week. We've reached out to NBC for comment.

This will be Chappelle's third time hosting. He previously hosted in 2020 and in 2016, which was memorable for being the first show after the election of Donald Trump.

Dave famously said America should give Trump a chance, but since then the comedian's admitted he was way off.

Whitney Cummings says she's joining OnlyFans to tell dirty jokes, free from the backlash and controversy swirling on other social media sites ... and she's ripping Elon Musk's app.

We got Whitney at LAX and asked why she decided to hitch her wagon to OF, where she's producing a new show about comedy roasts.

Whitney sees OnlyFans as the future for comedians looking for a safe space to tell jokes ... seeing it as an alternative to places like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, explaining how comedians are dragged when jokes push boundaries.

The way Whitney sees it, the audience at OnlyFans is already used to the taboo -- the site is infamous for offering subscriptions to models selling nude content -- whereas places like Twitter are littered with "dorks" and "snitches" who want to report humor as hate speech.

Whitney's planning to charge about $10 a month for her OnlyFans page, where she will experiment with material she says may be too explicit for someone scrolling the timeline at lunch ... and she's already got jokes about potential nudes making their way to her page too.

Kevin Hart just added a new car to his already impressive collection ... an upgraded 1987 Buick Grand National GNX with a badass nickname.

The comedian/actor unveiled the car this week at the MagnaFlow booth at SEMA, a famous car show in Vegas, and Kevin's calling his new whip "The Dark Knight."

We're told it took 8 months for mechanics to restore the car to Kevin's liking ... the Buick's got a new exhaust, carbon fiber hood, splitter and a custom front fascia bumper.

The interior's also been updated to look more modern ... and Kevin and his design team swapped out the Buick V6 engine for a V6 engine from the Cadillac V-Series.

Kevin's ride is still embracing its 1980s roots ... most notably the T-top.

'SNL' alum Chris Redd is smiling through the pain after being attacked in New York City ... his nose is stitched up and his eyes are swollen and bruised.

TMZ obtained these photos of the injuries Chris sustained when he was ambushed by a man with brass knuckles this week while heading into the Comedy Cellar.

As you can see, the gash on Chris' nose has been stitched up ... and he has two black eyes. But the comedian's body is slowly on the mend.

We're told regardless of the horrible situation Chris finds himself in, he's feeling very happy and fortunate.

TMZ broke the story ... Chris was rushed to the hospital after the attack and now police are combing over surveillance footage in the hopes of identifying the perpetrators.

'SNL' opened Saturday night with a blistering skit about 3 extreme Republicans running for high office -- Herschel Walker, Dr. Oz and Kari Lake.

Oz is stoked about the "Pennsylvania Phillies" World Series bid ... of course, playing off his carpetbagging status.

Walker, well, he answers the alleged abortion hypocrisy with 1 word -- gas.

And Kari Lake -- well, she makes it clear ... if people vote for her, they won't have to vote in another election.

As you probably know, all 3 candidates are gaining ground in their races, and although 'SNL' is clearly mocking them ... the underlying message isn't far from reality, and that reality seems to be resonating with a growing number of voters.

We'll know in a little more than a week. Then immediately get ready for the 2024 Presidential campaign.

Leslie Jordan will be gracing the silver screen one last time ... because the last film he ever starred in is on its way to being completed.

Writer and director Tracy Pellegrino tells TMZ ... "Strangers in a Strange Land," Leslie's last listed film credit in post-production, is a small independent film made up of several shorts that focuses on foreigners around the world getting into hilarious situations due to their confusion and language barriers -- and it's the L.A. portion of the film where Leslie shines.

Leslie plays a southerner in Los Angeles who tries to help give directions to a Russian man at a bus stop ... someone he finds VERY attractive.

The humor is right up Leslie's alley, and that tracks -- we're told Tracy and her husband, Mark, wrote the part with him in mind ... totally unaware if Leslie would even sign on for the project. Tracy knew Leslie for more than 20 years.

Tracy says the movie was filmed over a long period of time -- it was shot in Paris, Cannes, Rome, Düsseldorf, London, Brooklyn and L.A. She says Leslie's part was shot around 2017. There is no release date yet for the film.

SNL's Chris Redd was leveled by a single punch in front of about a dozen shocked onlookers outside the Comedy Cellar in NYC, and the SCARY attack was caught on video.

Newly released surveillance footage from the club, obtained by NBC News, shows the exact moment an assailant threw a crushing blow to the face of the comedian, knocking Redd clear off his feet. You can see Chris writhing in pain after the punch.

Redd was on his way inside the venue for his late-night act Wednesday, but he had to take a detour to the hospital for his badly injured nose. Redd's performance was canceled, but, thankfully, he's going to be OK as he nurses two black eyes and a gash to his nose.

TMZ broke the story ... Redd drove up to the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village and got out of his vehicle only to be attacked by the assailant. The suspect, who was apparently wearing brass knuckles and a security guard uniform, then ran off. Police do not have a motive for the assault, though the attacker grabbed his chain, it broke into pieces and was recovered.

The attacker who clocked 'SNL' alum Chris Redd in the face was wearing brass knuckles ... and there were two men involved in Wednesday's brazen New York City attack.

Sources connected to Chris tell TMZ ...  the attack left Chris with two black eyes and a huge gash on his nose, which required stitches. He was hospitalized after the attack and released shortly thereafter.

As TMZ reported ... both men were dressed as security guards and had masks covering their faces. We're told the attacker who approached Chris and hit him with brass knuckles was a heavyset man ... the other man was standing across the street, appearing to case the area.

Chris, we're told, was not able to identify anything about either suspect. Nevertheless, we're told he's meeting with cops who've gathered surveillance footage, with the hope of getting a lead -- if not from the images of the 2 men, possibly from their method of escape, be it on foot or in a vehicle.

Surveillance video could be key to cracking the case. Even if the 2 assailants ran for blocks, cops could piece together their movements with various surveillance cams.

You may recall ... in the Jussie Smollett case, cops used surveillance videos to track down the Osundairo brothers, who ran from the scene for blocks and then hopped in an Uber.

TMZ broke the story ... Chris had his Greg Yuna chain snatched off in the attack, but he was able to recover the bling, although it was in pieces. It can be easily restored.

Witnesses tell TMZ ... Chris' Greg Yuna chain was snatched off. It's a chain where all the links come apart, so it fell apart on the street when the culprit snatched it. The suspect ran away and the chain was recovered by Chris.

Witnesses also say police took photos of Chris' injuries, which include a deep cut on his nose.

'SNL' alum Chris Redd was in no laughing mood in NYC Wednesday night ... the comedian got slugged in the face by some random dude and was rushed to the hospital, but, thankfully, he's gonna be OK!!!

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Chris drove up to the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village around 9:40 PM and got out of a vehicle when all hell broke loose.

We're told a man, apparently wearing a security guard uniform, ran up to Chris and clocked him in the face, bloodying his nose.

Cops were on patrol in the area and quickly responded to the scene, but the assailant had already run off. Police don't know the motive for the alleged assault.

People gathered around to assist Chris -- as you see in video obtained by TMZ. Blood was on the sidewalk and several steps leading down to the Comedy Cellar. Chris was scheduled to perform there Wednesday night.

He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where he was treated and released.

Leslie Jordan was a treasure to folks in Chattanooga, Tennessee, his hometown ... and now the city plans to honor the late actor, and it's working with his family to make it happen.

Leslie, who died Tuesday in Los Angeles, is being remembered as "one of the cherished sons of Chattanooga," according to a rep for the city ... who also tells TMZ, Leslie brought joy to the community for many years.

We're told one of Leslie's family members reached out to the city about securing a facility to honor his memory. The city is now partnering with Leslie's fam to make it happen, by finding a venue for a memorial service and making sure to pick a date that works well for Leslie's loved ones.

Chattanooga, we're told, is also open to other ideas on how to best remember Leslie -- some of the ideas being kicked around include renaming a street or building in his honor but we're told the final call will be up to his family.

The rep tells us Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly knew Leslie since they were teenagers, when they worked together at a local restaurant ... so his ties to the city run deep.

We're told Leslie made sure to return to Chattanooga to participate in civic events and volunteer with local charities even after his Hollywood success.

TMZ broke the story ... Leslie was driving his BMW in Hollywood when investigators believe he suffered a medical emergency and crashed into the side of a building.

He was on his way to the "Call Me Kat" set for filming, and we're told he had been complaining recently about shortness of breath.

Back in Chattanooga, we're told folks are still in mourning ... and the city is trying to balance showing respect for Leslie's family with being responsive to community members who want to celebrate him.

Leslie's also going to be honored in West Hollywood, where he frequented restaurants and coffee shops. We're told the WeHo city council will adjourn in Leslie's honor at their next meeting.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker have a new place to call home ... and it just so happens to be the same beach house Conan O'Brien sold earlier this month.

The keys to Conan's former Carpinteria home are now in the hands of Kourtney and Travis ... as we reported, the comedian got an offer for the place a couple of weeks ago -- turns out the rockin' couple was the ones behind the sale.

We're told they bought the pad -- which was listed for $16.5 million -- for $14.5 mil, so yeah ... they got a sweet deal!

For those unaware, Conan was on the hunt for a buyer since July ... the 2,142-square-foot property is just steps from the sand, and he originally bought it back in 2015 for $7.9M.

The home has panoramic ocean, Channel Island and coastline views. There's also a spacious deck to take in those Pacific sunsets.

For the salt lifers ... there's an outdoor shower and storage area for surf and paddle boards ... essentials for life at the beach.

For those of you not in SoCal, Carpinteria is just south of Santa Barbara ... which is, obviously, a sentimental spot for Kourtney and Travis because they got engaged there.