Comedy

Mike Epps no se asusta con las amenazas de Shannon Sharpe, quien asegura que las calles no son seguras para él... esto después de que el cómico recientemente bromeara a sus expensas.

La reciente amenaza de Shannon fue en su pódcast con Chad OchoCino, en el que Shannon afirmó que Mike había mentido sobre su nombre (más sobre esto más adelante). El propio Mike se pronunció en línea para hacerle frente a ella el lunes, aclarando el asunto.

A propósito, Mike hizo un monólogo hace una semana donde se burló de Shannon y de sus entrevistas virales en el "Club Shay Shay", en particular la de Katt Williams. En su set, Mike dijo algunas bromas homofóbicas a expensas de Shannon, lo cual llamó la atención y encendió su furia.

El domingo -mientras grababa su pódcast con Chad- Shannon se descargó contra Mike sin nombrarlo y dijo que las bromas homosexuales no le molestaban, pero la "mentira" sí lo hizo. Además, sugirió que se enfrentaría a Mike pronto.

Bueno, Mike tiene una respuesta, explicando que le envió un mensaje a Shannon después de la entrevista ahora infame con Katt, durante la cual Mike dice que sintió que Shannon estaba tratando de provocar a Katt para que criticara a su ex compañero de "Friday", a pesar de que nunca lo hizo.

Mike dice que cree que Shannon está tratando de hacer que la gente diga cosas salvajes sobre los demás solo para ganar clics, y sobre la cuestión de reunirse, Mike dice que no hay problema.

Ahora, él nota que ya no hay más polémica, y parece que no quiere ponerse físico con el ex tight end (francamente, nadie quiere), pero sigue burlándose de Shannon.

A propósito, Mike tiene algunas palabras para el compañero de Shannon, Chad, y algunos insultos extra.

Mike y Shannon están obligados a cruzar sus caminos el próximo fin de semana en el NBA All-Star Weekend 2024, que solo se celebra en la ciudad natal de Mike de Indianápolis. Así que, las cosas realmente están sucediendo.

1:05 PM PT -- And just like that, there will be no Naptown beatdown during NBA All-Star Weekend from either Mike Epps or Shannon Sharpe's camps ... the "Club Shay Shay" host is issuing an apology for escalating the situation and promises a "man-to-man" sit down soon.

Mike Epps isn't backing down from Shannon Sharpe's apparent threat that the streets aren't safe for him ... this, after the comic recently took some big shots at the HOF'er.

In response to SS's recent tirade against him on his podcast with Chad OchoCino -- in which Shannon claimed Mike had lied on his name (more on this later) -- ME himself hopped online to address it Monday ... clarifying who reached out to who, and what the deal is.

ICYMI ... Mike did a stand-up set about a week ago where he made fun of Shannon and his viral "Club Shay Shay" interviews lately, particularly the Katt Williams one. In his set, Mike said Shannon had reached out to him for a follow-up sit-down -- and then went on to make some homophobic jokes at Shannon's expense ... all of which caught Shannon's attention/fury.

On Sunday -- while recording his pod with Chad -- Shannon unloaded on Mike without ever naming him -- and said the gay jokes didn't bother him ... but the "lying," as he put it, did. He went to suggest he'd be confronting Mike about this soon, and perhaps more.

Welp, Mike's got a response to Shannon now ... explaining he had actually DM'd Shannon in the aftermath of Katt's now-infamous interview -- during which Mike says he felt Shannon was trying to bait KW into trashing his former 'Friday' costar, even though he never did.

Mike says he thinks Shannon is out here trying to get people to say wild things about others just for clicks -- and on the issue of meeting up ... ME says they can do that too.

Now, he does note he doesn't fight anymore -- so it doesn't sound like he wants to get physical with the former tight end (frankly, nobody does) ... but he continues to taunt SS.

BTW ... Mike has some shots for Shannon's pod partner, Chad, and some insults to boot.

Mike and Shannon are bound to cross paths next weekend at 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend ... which just happens to be in Mike's hometown of Indianapolis. So ... things are happening.

Cheryl Hines isn't blaming Larry David for beating up Elmo ... saying producers should've known better than to put the two of them on the same set.

The actress -- who starred alongside Larry in 101 episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" -- defended her television ex-husband during Wednesday's episode of "Literally with Rob Lowe," saying the people behind the show should've known something was bound to go down.

CH said quite frankly, "He doesn't care. He doesn't care about a puppet! He doesn't care about human beings" ... maybe a bit harsh, but Larry has cultivated a sourpuss persona over the years.

CH continued by saying Larry's made a career out of telling people he doesn't care about their feelings ... so obviously a puppet preaching mental health lessons was bound to set him off.

Cheryl made it clear Elmo didn't do anything wrong -- saying he didn't "ask for this" -- and instead pinning the blame on showrunners.

It's all clearly in good fun for Cheryl ... though others in the television industry didn't take the attack as well as she did.

As we previously reported ... Wil Wheaton completely torched David online after video of his appearance on 'Today' went viral. The 'Star Trek' actor blasted LD, saying his attack triggered traumatic memories of his own abuse at the hands of his father.

Larry's yet to respond to Wil's condemnation ... but if Cheryl or his on-camera "apologies" are to be believed, it's unlikely WW's getting a genuine "sorry" anytime soon.

Shane Gillis has some explaining to do when he hosts "Saturday Night Live" ... according to Asian advocacy group reps who say it's not too late to make amends for his racist remarks.

The comedian is scheduled to host on February 24 ... this after Lorne Michaels fired him from the show in 2019 for making distasteful jokes directed at Asians.

Shane made the comments during a 2018 podcast, referring to noodles as "nooders" and using a derogatory term for Asians in an expletive-laden discussion about Chinatown. Many people remain outraged by Gillis' jokes .. but the comedian is now being offered a path forward if he wants to right a wrong.

Jo-Ann Yoo, the executive director of the Asian American Federation, tells TMZ ... Shane getting tapped to host is bad timing, considering the Asian community has been devastated by a wave of hate that started during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says people in the community don't need to be reminded of the type of rhetoric that caused that trend.

However ... if Shane's serious about making amends, Yoo invites him to cut a check to the org's Hope Against Hate campaign, and join their food tours for a real Asian cuisine experience.

Yoo says she's planning to tune in ... not for Shane, but rather for what she proudly calls the Bowen Yang Variety Hour. Of course, Bowen Yang is the first Asian-American hire at 'SNL.'

Over at The Asian American Foundation, CEO Norman Chen says he hopes Shane has learned from his experiences and expects him to issue a "genuine" apology on 'SNL.'

Chen tells us his org was "disheartened" to hear Shane was invited to host, saying ... "Asian Americans are not the punchline of a joke. While these jokes may result in cheap laughs, they also result in real-world, deadly consequences for Asian Americans."

Now, Shane did apologize on social media after his 'SNL' firing, saying ... "I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you're going to find a lot of bad misses. I'm happy to apologize to anyone who's actually offended by anything I've said. My intention is never to hurt anyone but I am trying to be the best comedian I can be and sometimes that requires risks."

However, Chen says that apology seems to be scrubbed from Shane's X (formerly Twitter) account, and his foundation wants to know if the apology still stands -- and, if so, a global stage like 'SNL' would be a great place to reaffirm it on camera.

Katt Williams and Mo'Nique's sharing their "truth" on "Club Shay Shay" was the worst possible move for the Black community ... at least in Judge Mathis' eyes.

The man has been paid to have an honest gauge on uneasy situations -- legal, ethical and otherwise -- and according to Hizzoner, he rules that all this mud-slinging stinks. On Friday, Mathis held court on his IG page and called for an end to the recent missiles launched in the public eye amongst Black entertainers.

He didn't single out Katt and Mo by name but the social media space has been in shambles since Katt's interview aired on January 3 ... and Mo followed suit this week -- even joining KW's nationwide tour with other comics who seem to have bones to pick.

Judge Mathis didn't bite his tongue -- he called the feeding frenzy an embarrassment to Black culture and feels it his gut that big H'wood execs and studios are silently laughing on the sidelines.

He also pointed out he doesn't see other cultures tearing each other down in public ... just Black people being the sideshow spectacle -- that's how's he framing his argument here.

The 63-year-old justice admitted he doesn't always keep his cool in his own courtroom but notes those outbursts are spun into entertainment for his TV shows.

Judge Mathis concluded by stressing that these stars' issues should be hashed out in private settings ... instead of setting bad examples.

We'll see if Shannon Sharpe takes a breather with these interviews -- or if he keeps on bringing celebs with more grievances to air. On its face, he seems inclined toward the latter.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are stirring up memories of past high-profile NFL couples -- including one controversial ex-couple -- at least for Keegan-Michael Key.

KMK hosted the NFL Honors -- the league's annual end-of-season award ceremony -- and, obviously, the funnyman had to bring up Traylor.

He pointed out Kelce isn't the first NFL baller to date a pop star ... name-dropping Russell Wilson and Ciara and Tony Romo and Jessica Simpson before cracking a joke about Brad Paisley and Peyton Manning's friendship.

While Russ and Ciara are still going strong nearly a decade into their relationship, JS and TR didn't make it nearly that long ... with their relationship causing constant drama for the pair.

You'll recall ... Romo and Simpson started dating in late 2007, and just like T-Swift, Simpson became a huge staple in the crowd at Dallas Cowboys games.

Dallas struggled in 2008 though -- the first full season Simpson and Romo dated -- missing out on a playoff spot by one measly tie to the rival Philadelphia Eagles.

Some fans, rather unfairly, blamed the team's issues on Romo and Simpson's relationship ... the couple broke up the following year after Tony found out Jessica was still in contact with her ex, John Mayer.

Worth noting ... Romo's been very supportive of Swift and Kelce since they took their relationship public in September -- recently saying he's rooting for the couple to marry after accidentally referring to Swift as Kelce's wife back in December.

BTW, Key made a few more jokes involving Swift and Kelce though none at the couple's expense ... instead poking fun at the Carolina Panthers and ex-Pats head coach Bill Belichick.

Mo'Nique has a new ally after trashing Hollywood elites on "Club Shay Shay," one who might inspire her to spill more tea -- she's hitting the road with Katt Williams for his "Dark Matter" tour!!!

She and her husband/manager Sidney Hicks casually squeezed in the announcement Thursday during an Instagram Live that primarily focused on applying more pressure on D.L. Hughley ... amid their current mud slingin'.

Mo'Nique revealed she'll be joining Katt's band of comics as early as tomorrow ... Mark Curry and Torrei Hart are also attached to the tour, so now they've got 4 chests with a lot of stress to unload! What's interesting is most of them are aiming at the same targets!

We recently spoke to Mark, who sarcastically laughed off Steve Harvey stealing his jokes in the past -- something Katt raised with Shannon Sharpe -- but added he's got plenty of new zingers for Katt's tour.

Torrei also told us she's out to prove she can stand on her own outside the shadow of her ex-husband Kevin Hart.

The tour's rolling through May -- so, Steve, Oprah and Tyler Perry's ears are gonna be burning for a while.

Charlamagne Tha God está lamiendo sus heridas a raíz de la entrevista de Mo'Nique con "Club Shay Shay" y pidiéndole disculpas por su papel en el declive de su carrera.

El jueves, CTG se llamó a sí mismo el "Burro del Día", 6 años después de que hiciera lo mismo con Mo'Nique por burlarse de su cruzada contra Netflix por no pagarle lo mismo que a sus compañeros como Chris Rock y Amy Schumer.

Mo'Nique demandó a Netflix en 2019 por discriminación. Luego el caso se resolvió fuera de los tribunales en 2022, y también consiguió que su especial se emitiera al año siguiente.

A instancias de DJ Envy y Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne admitió que debería haberse metido en sus asuntos y se disculpó con Mo y su esposo Sidney por sus comentarios.

Mo'Nique mencionó "Donkey Of The Day" en su especial de Netflix y en "Club Shay Shay", por lo que el desaire claramente estuvo presente en su mente todo este tiempo.

Mientras Charlamagne está aligerando las cosas con Mo'Nique, D.L. Hughley no le está dando tregua y la destrozó en un largo despotrique por su cuenta.

Charlamagne Tha God is licking his wounds in the wake of Mo'Nique's "Club Shay Shay" interview ... and apologizing for his role in fueling her career downslide.

On Thursday, CTG gave himself "Donkey of the Day" -- 6 years after he did the same to Mo'Nique for scoffing at her crusade against Netflix for not paying her what it paid her peers like Chris Rock and Amy Schumer.

Mo'Nique sued Netflix in 2019 for discrimination, and ultimately the case settled out of court in 2022 ... and also got her special aired the following year.

At the behest of DJ Envy and Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne admitted he should've minded his business, and apologized to Mo and her husband Sidney for his meddling ways.

Mo'Nique mentioned 'DOTD' in her Netflix special, and her "Club Shay Shay" convo ... so the dishonor was clearly weighing on her brain all this time.

While Charlamagne's easing up on Mo'Nique, D.L. Hughley isn't cutting her any slack and ripped her in a lengthy rant off of his own.

D.L. and Mo'Nique have been at each other's throats for years, and now he's disputing her claim he and his podcast team were dismissive when she was a guest.

Pete Davidson dice que han "retirado" del show de comedia de Matt Rife, pero eso no podría estar más lejos de la verdad... TMZ ha indagado.

Fuentes con conocimiento directo le dicen a TMZ que los informes que sugieren que Matt no pudo actuar durante la primera de tres noches en el legendario Radio City Music Hall de Nueva York el pasado fin de semana son simplemente falsos, aunque sabemos que Pete, de hecho, no actuó.

Sin embargo, hay una buena razón para esto, nuestras fuentes nos dicen que Pete nunca estuvo técnicamente contratado o programado para subir al escenario para abrir, pero nos dicen que le preguntaron.

Esto es lo que realmente sucedió, nuestras fuentes dicen que Matt le extendió una invitación a Pete para su show, y mientras que al ex "SNL" le hubiera encantado venir y animar a su amigo, nuestras fuentes nos dicen que simplemente no pudo hacerlo e incluso se lo dijo a Matt directamente.

A primera vista parece que ha habido un malentendido o falta de comunicación entre Matt y su equipo, eso es lo que nos han dicho de todos modos. Pete transmitió el mensaje.

Nuestras fuentes también añaden que Pete no tiene nada más que amor por Matt, pero no podía hacer el show porque ya estaba reservado y ocupado con sus propios conciertos.

Pete tenía un show de stand-up el día cuatro, lo que significa que tuvo que viajar el día tres para llegar, ambas fechas coinciden con los shows de Matt en Nueva York. Además de estar en medio de su propia gira de stand-up y nos dicen que Pete también está comenzando la producción de una película con Eddie Murphy.

Así que la gran noticia aquí es que realmente no hay ninguna noticia en absoluto. Eso no quiere decir que las actuaciones de Matt últimamente no hayan sido agitadas, porque ciertamente lo han sido.

Recordemos que la estrella porno Lisa Ann fue esposada y expulsada del show de Matt por actuar supuestamente "borracha y desordenada", según la policía. Fue una escena muy dramática.

Pete Davidson is said to have "pulled out" of Matt Rife's comedy show at the 11th hour -- but that couldn't be further from the truth ... TMZ has learned.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ that reports suggesting Matt was left high and dry during the first night of his 3-night stand-up show at NYC's legendary Radio City Music Hall this past weekend are simply false ... although, we know Pete did not, in fact, perform.

There's a perfectly good reason, though ... our sources tell us PD was never technically contracted or scheduled to get on stage as an opener ... but we're told he was asked.

Here's what actually unfolded ... our sources say Matt extended an invite to Pete for his show, and while we're told the ex-'SNL'er would've loved to come and cheer on his pal -- our sources tell us he simply couldn't make it ... and he even told Matt directly.

On the face of it ... there seems to have been a misunderstanding/miscommunication between Matt and his own team ... that's what we're being told anyway. Pete relayed the message.

Our sources also add this ... Pete has nothing but love for Matt, but he couldn't make the show because he was already booked and busy with gigs of his own.

Pete had a stand-up show on Feb. 4, meaning he had to travel Feb. 3 to make it there -- both dates falling on Matt's shows in NYC. In addition to being in the middle of his own stand-up tour ... we're told Pete's also starting production on a film with Eddie Murphy.

So the big news here is that there really isn't any news at all. That's not to say Matt's performances lately haven't been eventful ... 'cause they certainly have.

Remember, porn star Lisa Ann was cuffed and dragged outta Matt's show for allegedly acting "drunk and disorderly," according to cops. Now, that was quite the dramatic scene.

Trevor Noah's Grammy Awards hosting performance has received widespread praise -- but Howard Stern's not hopping on that bandwagon, instead criticizing the comedian's gushing positivity.

The radio icon offered his review of the Grammys while on his SiriusXM show ... taking the comedian to task for approaching the award ceremony with zero edge ... calling him more "cheerleader" than roastmaster.

HS played a few clips from TN's monologue ... where Trevor called Mark Ronson a "legend" and heaped praise on Grammy winner 21 Savage.

Stern went to town on that part, imagining Noah continuing to talk about Savage's detail-oriented financial nature and even his "great ass" ... before adding, "No one is safe, no one is off limits from my admiration, and you will hear it tonight!“

Howard did cut Noah some slack, acknowledging hosting a major awards show's an impossible job -- and pointed to Jo Koy's disastrous Golden Globes monologue as a prime example of a host trying "to make a few jokes and they almost f***ing killed the guy."

Howard's seemingly in the minority here BTW ... with Noah getting 2 thumbs up from a whole bunch of people including Taylor Swift who said he did a "beautiful job" in a sweet backstage moment.

Not exactly a surprise there ... as we previously reported, Noah got a little revenge on the NFL for Taylor during his opening monologue -- promising to cut to former NFL linebacker Terry Crews after every Taylor reference.

La actuación de Trevor Noah como anfitrión de los Premios Grammy ha recibido elogios generalizados, pero Howard Stern no se está subiendo a ese carro y en su lugar está criticando la efusiva positividad del comediante.

El icono de la radio hizo una revisión de los Grammys en su programa de SiriusXM, en donde criticó al comediante por parecer más un cheerleader que un cómico.

Howard Stern reprodujo algunos clips del monólogo de Trevor Noah donde llamó a Mark Ronson una "leyenda" y elogió al ganador del Grammy 21 Savage.

Stern se refirió a esa parte, imaginando a Noah luego hablando de lo detallista que era Savage con sus finanzas e incluso de su "gran culo", antes de añadir: "Nadie está a salvo, nadie está fuera de los límites de mi admiración, ¡y lo escucharás esta noche!"

Howard le dio un respiro a Noah, reconociendo que ser anfitrión de una entrega de premios es un trabajo imposible, y señaló el desastroso monólogo de Jo Koy en los Globos de Oro, quien intentó "hacer algunas bromas" y luego "casi lo matan".

Aparentemente, Howard está entre la minoría aquí. Noah consiguió pulgares hacia arriba de un montón de gente, incluyendo Taylor Swift, quien le dijo que hizo un "trabajo hermoso" en un momento dulce del backstage.

No es exactamente una sorpresa, como informamos anteriormente, Noah se vengó un poco de la NFL por Taylor durante su monólogo de apertura, prometiendo cortar al ex linebacker de la NFL Terry Crews después de cada referencia a Taylor.

El cómico Shane Gillis vuelve a estar en la mira: el anuncio de que será el presentador de "SNL" le recuerda a algunas personas los epítetos racistas que utilizaba en su época de pódcast.

Shane es conocido por su atrevida comedia de stand-up -es muy popular en YouTube y Netflix- y aunque no ha rehuido de su controvertido humor del pasado, resulta chocante escucharlo soltar insultos en medio de chistes anecdóticos.

Lorne Michaels y "SNL" contrataron a Shane en 2019, pero lo despidieron antes de que apareciera en el programa debido a las reacciones por los chistes antiasiáticos que había hecho en otro pódcast.

El contenido ofensivo proviene de un pódcast llamado "A Fair One", y Shane hace algunas bromas controvertidas, o al menos el lenguaje fue controvertido, ya que descargó la palabra con n, la palabra homofóbica y un insulto judío en particular.

Basado en la historia de Shane con "SNL", puedes apostar a que los productores saben que algo de este material está flotando por ahí en la Internet.

Cuando fue despedido en 2019, se disculpó diciendo: "Soy un comediante que empuja los límites. A veces fallo. Si repasas mis 10 años de comedia, la mayoría mala, vas a encontrar muchos fallos".

También dijo que se disculparía con "cualquiera que se haya sentido realmente ofendido por algo que haya dicho".

Es justo suponer que "SNL" siente que ha hecho las paces o evolucionado como comediante, porque lo han traído de vuelta como anfitrión.

Si usted está familiarizado con los especiales de standup de Shane, usted sabe que él dice un montón de chistes raciales y LGBTQ +, pero el material de pódcast se siente aún más polémico. Definitivamente no es el tipo de lenguaje que esperarías en su monólogo de "SNL".

Claro, es un programa nocturno, pero los censores de la NBC siguen vigilando.

Comedian Shane Gillis is back under the microscope -- with 'SNL' announcing he's hosting, it reminds some people of the racial epithets he used in his podcasting days.

Shane's known for his edgy stand-up comedy -- he's very popular on YouTube and Netflix -- and while he hasn't shied away from his past controversial humor, it's jarring to hear him dropping slurs in the middle of anecdotal jokes.

Lorne Michaels and 'SNL' hired Shane in 2019, but fired him before he ever appeared on the show due to backlash over anti-Asian jokes he'd made on a different podcast.

The offensive content here comes from a podcast called "A Fair One," and Shane delivers some controversial jokes -- or at least the language was controversial ... as he unloaded the n-word, the homophobic f-word, and a particular Jewish slur, too.

Based on Shane's history with 'SNL' ya gotta believe producers know some of this material is floating out there on the internet.

When he got canned back in 2019, he apologized, saying ... "I'm a comedian who pushes boundaries. I sometimes miss. If you go through my 10 years of comedy, most of it bad, you're going to find a lot of bad misses."

He also said he'd apologize to "anyone who's actually offended by anything I've said."

It's fair to assume, 'SNL' feels he's made amends, or evolved as a comedian ... because they've brought him back to host.

If you're familiar with Shane's standup specials, you know he tells plenty of racial and LGBTQ+ jokes -- but the podcast stuff feels even edgier. Definitely not the kinda language you'd expect in his 'SNL' monologue.

Sure, it's late-night programming, but NBC's censors are still up and watching!

Katt Williams’ viral interview is pushing Steve Harvey and Mark Curry’s longstanding feud into the public eye -- and while Mark says it's water under the bridge, he still hasn’t forgotten!!!

We got the veteran comic Monday at LAX, where he told us Steve hasn’t said a word to his face about stealing his jokes back in the day, but Mark made it clear he's not sweatin' it.

He says Steve can have his old material, because his pen stays producing new material all the time!

Katt roasted Steve on Shannon Sharpe's “Club Shay Shay” for not only swiping Mark’s stand-up bits but also repurposing the premise of his “Hangin With Mr. Cooper” sitcom for his own “Steve Harvey Show” years later.

Mark’s currently delivering new routines on Katt’s “Dark Matter Tour” and tells us it’s perfectly fine if Steve wants to keep the old jokes he stole … he’s confident they’re still being used.

MC credits Katt for being more than an outstanding tour partner — he says Katt got in between him when he went to confront Steve in person.

We recently spoke to Torrei Hart, who’s also on the tour with Katt ... and she sang similar praises about him always taking care of his people.

As fate would have it, Gary Owen also spoke out about his experience dealing with Steve and his producers, saying it didn't go well -- professionally or financially -- when he appeared on Steve's self-titled talk show.