Comedy

Comedian and actor Affion Crockett thinks Will Smith has another Oscar contender on his hands for his work in "Emancipation" ... and says it would be unfair if the "mistake" of slapping Chris Rock leads to award season snubs.

We got Affion Thursday at LAX, where he told us about getting to see Will's slavery-era drama, and he's certain the movie will be in Oscar contention, and ditto for its lead actor.

As you know, Will's 10-year Oscars ban doesn't prevent him from getting nominated or even winning -- a fact Affion thinks Academy voters should keep in mind, because he sees Will's "Emancipation" performance as "masterful."

As for that beyond infamous Oscars slap of Chris ... Affion's genuinely shocked the world's still focusing on it now that it's over 8 months later.

Despite that fact, he thinks there's a shot the Academy could reevaluate that 10-year ban.

FYI, Affion's also dealt with stage stormers before ... as we reported, he was performing in Florida last year when a woman charged onstage to criticize his act.

Jonah Hill is gunning to legally change his name, but you won't need to call him anything different -- it just means lots of paperwork for him ... or his assistant.

According to docs, obtained by TMZ, the actor -- whose real name is Jonah Hill Feldstein -- filed a petition this week in L.A. to legally drop Feldstein from his name. So, he's just making his stage name official.

The docs say Jonah simply wants the name he's publicly gone by for years to be his legal handle. It is all the rage these days.

As we reported, Aaron Paul, whose last name is actually Sturtevant, also filed for a legal change to Paul earlier this month.

AP's wife Lauren, and their son Ryden Caspian, also want to change their last names. One big happy, legal Paul family.

Jay Leno's miraculous return to comedy -- just 2 weeks after getting severely burned -- is officially a smash hit ... just ask the cops whose car he clipped!

It's the kinda Murphy's Law moment ya just have to laugh off, and Jay did, but Sunday night, as he pulled up to the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, CA ... he really did graze a cop car's tire with his Tesla.

Jay arrived with his wife, Mavis, and everyone -- HBPD included -- got past the near-fender bender quickly, and the comedian immediately made it clear he's ready and willing to joke about the garage fire.

Check out the video ... Jay dropped 2 or 3 one-liners at his own expense on his way into the club.

TMZ broke the story ... Leno was working on one of his vintage cars in his garage when the fuel line burst on him, and about half of Jay's upper body -- including his face -- caught on fire.

After suffering 2nd and 3rd-degree burns on his face, neck, arm and hands ... he went to the Grossman Burn Center, where he underwent skin grafts and got treatment in a hyperbaric chamber.

Just a few days after the accident, Jay told us he'd be back doing standup within a couple of weeks.

Very few people thought was realistic, but Sunday night he proved all the doubters wrong.

BTW, Jay's been doing Sunday nights at this club for decades, and it quickly sold out when he announced he'd be returning. Appropriately, there was a ton of media outlets outside, waiting to see his astounding comeback.

Pete Davidson and Emily Ratajkowski have gone as public as you possibly can in Hollywood -- attending an NBA game together ... sitting courtside, no less.

The new couple -- who've been maintaining a relatively low profile lately -- blew the doors wide open Sunday by crashing the New York Knicks' showdown with the Grizzlies, snagging the best seats in the house ... and not trying to hide the fact they were a pair whatsoever.

While there didn't seem to be any obvious PDA between them ... Em and Pete were all smiles, and not shying away from cameras either. In fact, the Knicks' own Twitter account posted a photo of them cheesin' it up, and tagging EmRat too.

It's pretty funny ... their presence was actually acknowledged during the broadcast, although the TV guys didn't seem to know who Emily was, 'cause they skipped over in the namedrop.

They also didn't seem to know PD all that well either ... completely butchering his name.

They were sitting next to Ben Stiller and Jordin Sparks -- so there was a lot of star power in the house. But for Pete and Emily to pop is a big deal, seeing how they've seemingly been trying to lay low as they've hit the town in and around NYC.

They were spotted hanging 2 weeks ago in Brooklyn -- the first time they'd been seen on camera amid rumors they were linking up. Pete did something similar with Kim Kardashian ... trying to keep it on the DL for a while, then finally embracing the spotlight.

Seems like he's fast-tracking things this time around, though ... nothing says we're dating like a night out at MSG during primetime TV.

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Jay Leno clearly lives by the credo ... if you get injured doing what you love, you gotta get back in the buggy!!!

Jay, who was seriously burned when a fuel leak on a 1907 steamer triggered a fire that burned his face and hands, was back at it again Saturday, taking a spin in a vintage Bentley on the streets of L.A.

Some of the burns are apparent ... you see the scarring on his right hand. Jay suffered both second and third-degree burns.

Jay jumped in his Tesla a few days ago and went back to the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills ... cookies in hand to thank the medical staff for treating him.

The comedian then beelined it to a Chick-fil-A for a sandie.

It's pretty remarkable ... it seemed impossible Jay would bounce back so quickly, but people we know who are close to him were never in doubt.

We were told he'd be back onstage in a week or 2 and that's exactly what's gonna happen. Jay's scheduled to perform at The Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach in the L.A. area on Sunday. It's a sold-out show.

Freddie Roman -- an OG comedian from New York City, and a beloved figure in showbiz -- has died ... TMZ has learned.

The actor/writer/producer and all-around funny man passed away Saturday afternoon at a hospital in Boynton Beach, Florida, this after suffering a heart attack earlier this morning at his country club home ... according to his daughter, Judi Levin.

We're told he died in bed with his family around, including his wife of 63 years, Ethel, who was with him until the end.

Roman might perhaps best be remembered as a Friars Club staple -- he was once at the helm of the famed NYC club, which has afforded membership to tons of comics/celebs over the years. FR was the dean dating back to the '90s until Larry King succeeded him in 2014.

A well-versed and seasoned comedian himself, Roman had performed at countless high-profile venues over the years ... including Caesars Palace in Vegas and Harrah's in Atlantic City, among others. Roman has also been part of several big-time roasts via Comedy Central.

Some of the stars he's chided on the past ... Drew Carey, Rob Reiner, Hugh Hefner, Chevy Chase, Jerry Stiller and many, many others who've had a Roman joke thrown their way.

Roman has also starred in a handful of shows and movies, including "Red Oaks," "The Comedian," "Bittersweet Place," "Law & Order: Criminal Intent," "Finding North," "Sweet Lorraine" and more. He's also famous for writing and starring in a well-known revue, "Catskills on Broadway."

Freddie continued to perform well into his later years, and was a fixture in New York comedy for a long, long time. He's survived by his wife and daughter ... Roman was 85.

Jay Leno can't stop, won't stop -- unbelievably, he's back on the open road less than 2 weeks after he was severely burned in a car fire, and his first stop ... the same garage where it happened.

Tuesday, the comedian drove himself -- still visibly scarred on his face and hand -- to his Burbank garage where he keeps most of his famous car collection.

He briefly chatted with photogs as he pulled in at the gate ... tellin' them he'll back onstage telling jokes as soon as this weekend.

He also jokes around about a much-needed BBQ. Too soon, Jay!!!

As you know, Leno was working on a vintage car that had a clogged fuel line when he got sprayed with gasoline, which then ignited and set him on fire. Luckily, his friend was there at the time to extinguish the flames, and save Jay's life.

Jay was released from the Grossman Burn Center Monday, where he underwent 9 days of treatment. He seemed to be in great spirits in photos alongside the staff ... and this new video confirms he's continuing an amazing recovery.

Sinbad suffered a life-changing stroke 2 years ago ... and in the first update since his medical emergency, the star's family says he's got a long road ahead of him on the way to recovery.

The family put out a lengthy release Monday, saying Sinbad was in the hospital for 9 months before his July release. They say he's still "fighting for every inch," and his limbs that were said to be "dead" are coming back to life. They say he's taking all the steps he can to learn how to walk again.

Sinbad's family says the survival rate from a stroke like his is around 30% ... but they're celebrating him beating those odds. His family also says they're looking for some help in the process ... noting the costs of his therapy have "far exceeded" what insurance covers.

They say it's taken a financial toll on them, and they've set up a website for anyone looking to contribute in any way they can.

As we reported, the comedian was recovering from a stroke in November of 2020 ... with his family saying they were "faithful and optimistic that he will bring laughter into our hearts soon."

Bill Maher put a bow on the 20th season of "Real Time" with words of hope ... how 'bout Dem midterms!!!

Bill is blown away by the election ... if you followed him, he thought it would be a deathblow to democracy, but it was the opposite. As he said, Donald Trump may get credit for putting up a slate of whackos who were so scary ... voters opened their eyes and rejected them in force.

Now B.M. isn't suggesting America is out of the woods ... paraphrasing Mark Twain, he said "Reports of our death were slightly exaggerated." Nevertheless, Bill tipped his hat to voters, who helped us revert to some semblance of sanity.

He then leaned into one of his mantras ... reject the extremes on both sides, noting they account for only around 7% of us, yet they get 90% of the media's attention. And how 'bout this -- 90% of all tweets are courtesy of only 10% of users. As he says, if we let them control our country, it's like letting the crying baby fly the plane.

Bill ends with sage advice for both sides ... start compromising, especially on the extremes.  His examples are hilarious.

Tim Allen just got done visiting Jay Leno in the hospital ... and he says his close friend's face isn't going to be disfigured by severe burns suffered in a car fire.

Tim saw Jay at the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills, CA Thursday and talked to the paparazzi on his way out ... telling photogs Jay is feeling better after suffering deep burns to his face, hands and chest.

Jay seems to be in good spirits in the hospital, despite undergoing treatment in a hyperbaric chamber for his burns ... Tim says Jay was happy and they cracked some jokes. Hey, laughter is the best medicine, right?

TMZ broke the story ... Jay got burned bad over the weekend when a car erupted into flames while he was working on fixing a clogged fuel line on his 1907 White Steam Car in his Burbank garage.

Jay's not shying away from cars despite the incident ... Tim says he brought JL some car magazines to pour over during his recovery.

Jay Leno is on to a new stage of his recovery after his horrifying car fire accident -- he's undergoing treatment in a hyperbaric chamber for his burns.

As you can see, the procedure requires Jay to lie down on his back in a tube-like chamber ... with his arms and hands bandaged up.

The treatment helps with swelling and increases blood flow with good oxygenation to the burns on Jay's arms, shoulders, neck and face. Dr. Peter Grossman of the Grossman Burn Center told Inside Edition the process will also decrease bacteria around the injuries.

TMZ broke the story, JL suffered second and third-degree burns when a car erupted into flames while working on his 1907 White Steam Car in his Burbank garage, fixing a clogged fuel line.

Earlier this week, Grossman said Jay had already had one surgery to repair his skin, and would undergo another one at some point this week.

Most importantly, he said Jay was expected to make a full recovery.

Dr. Grossman said the patient remains in good condition and is up and moving ... even finding time to make a few jokes and pass out cookies to other patients.

As far as the scars, Doc says they will most likely be visible in the foreseeable future, but the hope is they won't remain apparent.

He has high hopes for Jay's healing journey ... saying he thinks the comedian could be back to work in no more than a couple months.

Pete Davidson's gonna mess around and get himself an NBA contract, 'cause no one rebounds like this guy ... who now looks pretty official with Emily Ratajkowski.

Pete and the model/actress suffered a case of new couple interruptus Wednesday night in NYC, but they persevered ... and these images are now the first hard evidence of dating rumors that started this week.

Their hookup adventure started with Pete -- ever the gentleman -- driving to Em's West Village apartment to pick her up, but when paparazzi started snapping pics ... he bolted. Guess he was still trying to keep it on the DL.

Not to worry, they had a backup plan. Emily -- dressed ultra-casual in sweats and a midriff-baring top -- ordered a rideshare, which took her to a Brooklyn rendezvous with Pete.

She bolted into a building, and they greeted each other with a long, warm hug and a smile. It's unclear if the meeting point was Pete's place, but he reportedly bought a pad in Brooklyn earlier this year.

Anywho ... Pete had been out of the dating game since breaking up with Kim Kardashian in August -- but our boy's clearly back, and in a big way!

Emily filed for divorce in September, ending her 4-and-half-year marriage to Sebastian Bear-McClard ... the father of her 1-year-old son Sylvester Apollo.

Reps for Em and Pete have been silent about the dating buzz, but now we can all see for ourselves.

Jay Leno might not be out of the woods yet regarding his scary car fire incident ... but the good news is the doctor who's giving him treatment says things should be A-OK for the comedian.

Dr. Peter Grossman of the Grossman Burn Center in West Hills gave the much-anticipated update on Jay ... saying during a press conference Wednesday he's gone through one surgery so far to treat his burns, but has another one scheduled for later this week.

He confirms Jay suffered a mix of deep second and possibly third-degree burns to his face, hands, and chest ... but believes his patient is on his way to making a full recovery.

TMZ broke the story, Jay was seriously burned while working on his 1907 White Steam Car in his Burbank garage over the weekend, fixing a clogged fuel line.

The comedian told us, from his hospital bed, there was a fuel leak -- causing gas to spray on his face and hands. Almost simultaneously a spark triggered an explosion, setting the comedian on fire.

D.L. Hughley says Donald Trump is well on his way to losing yet another election, all while destroying the Republican party in the process.

We got the comedian at LAX ... just a couple hours before Trump stepped up to the mics at Mar-a-Lago to announce he will, as anticipated, run for President in 2024.

While Trump's West Palm Beach home was surrounded by passionate supporters waiting to hear him launch his campaign ... D.L. was thanking them for backing the former prez, because he thinks Trump is leading the GOP down a road to destruction.

D.L. clowned Trump for seeing almost all of his hand-picked candidates go down in flames in the midterms, and for losing the popular vote in the last 2 general elections. Republicans would call that 2nd part a petty point -- the fact is, we still select presidents using the electoral college.

That aside, he says the GOP is insane to think Trump can win the White House again -- and he does believe Trump will bully the party into giving him the nomination.

If, for some reason, they backed someone else, like Ron DeSantis, D.L. thinks Trump would take the whole party down with him. Think Jan. 6th, but just for the GOP this time.

He did say there is one way Trump could be removed from the race -- but he thinks it's highly unlikely to happen.

Jay Leno could have died in the fire that erupted in his Burbank garage -- it was that serious -- and we've learned it was a friend of his who may have saved his life.

Jay tells TMZ from his hospital bed ...  he was working on his 1907 White Steam Car in his famed garage this past Saturday, fixing a clogged fuel line. He says there was a fuel leak and gasoline sprayed on his face and hands. Almost simultaneously a spark triggered an explosion, setting the comedian on fire.

Jay says his quick-thinking buddy Dave was right there and jumped on him, quickly smothering the flames.

TMZ broke the story ... the left side of Jay's face was badly burned. His hands were burned as well. He says he's now dealing with 3rd-degree burns and may need skin grafts. As we reported, the burns did not damage his eyes or his ears.

Jay, who was rushed to a nearby burn center by ambulance, says he expects to be hospitalized for somewhere between 5 and 10 days.

We're told Jay has canceled his various engagements for 2 weeks.

Chris Redd is about to enter the final stage of recovery after his brutal attack in NYC ... and this one will require him to go under the knife.

Sources close to the 'SNL' star tell TMZ ... Chris is scheduled to undergo surgery Tuesday in the Big Apple to finish the job of permanently repairing his busted nose. Now that it's been a couple weeks since the initial injury -- and the swelling's gone down -- our sources say a doctor will have a clear view to figure out how to fix it.

We're told the procedure will consist of breaking Chris's nose back into the correct place ... and then letting it all heal in hopes the structure returns to its original form. There's a lot of damage ... remember, one of the bones in Chris' face was cracked into 3 pieces.

Our sources say he'll be under general anesthesia for about 2-3 hours, and a plastic surgeon who specializes in this sort of thing will be overseeing the operation. While it might sound cosmetic, we're told Chris isn't aiming to change anything about his appearance.

Remember, this all started after a guy punched Chris in the face with brass knuckles in a failed attempt to steal his chain. It left the comic in bad shape, with stitches in place as a temporary fix. No arrests have been made and cops are still looking for the assailant.