Comedy

The wife of late actor-comedian Richard Lewis is breaking her silence and giving thanks to his flood of supporters and well-wishers.

Joyce Lapinsky posted a message on X, showing her gratitude to everyone who sent in "loving tributes" after Richard passed away this week at his L.A. home. On Friday, she said Richard would have been "beyond thrilled and so touched, as am I."

Joyce asked Richard's fans who want to make donations in his memory to send their money to the charity, Comedy Gives Back, or another non-profit of their choice.

As we reported ... The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star died Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack. Music icon Bette Midler was one of the first people to go on social media to celebrate Richard's life and career. This was followed by a stream of other celebs, such as Ben Stiller, Albert Brooks and his 'Curb' costar Larry David.

Last year, Richard announced he was suffering from Parkinson's disease after he retired from doing stand-up comedy. He said his litany of other health issues culminated in his Parkinson's diagnosis and he was managing it all with medication.

NASCAR star Kyle Busch is giving credit where it's due ... telling TMZ Sports he can only applaud his wife, Samantha, for ruthlessly trolling him over "inches" last week.

In case you missed it -- one of the closest finishes in NASCAR history went down in the Ambetter Health 400 at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday ... with Busch, Daniel Suarez and Ryan Blaney being neck and neck (and neck) right up until the checkered flag.

The 2015 and 2019 Cup Series champion addressed his third-place finish after the race -- going to Instagram and admitting he "Needed a couple inches📏" in order to come out on top ... to which Samantha hit him with a sick burn.

"I’ve been telling you that for almost 20 years 😜" Sam wrote in the comments.

OUCH!!!

We caught up with Busch this week and asked about his wife's friendly jab ... and even he's admitting she got him good.

"I think I left the door wide open for those sorts of comments with how I scripted my text underneath my post, so she played that well."

As for the actual race, Busch broke down the "chess game" he was trying to execute in the final laps ... and how Suarez was able to use his own strategy against him.

But, all things considered, the driver of the No. 8 car said he was able to keep his composure in the end (per usual) ... and is thrilled they were all able to cross the finish line without crashing.

Drew Barrymore's all for leaving the underwear in the dresser drawer ... but she says she's gotta keep her head on a swivel -- 'cause her daughter's got a penchant for pantsing.

The actress/talk show host revealed one of her daughters loves to pull her pants down around the house as a prank ... on account of DB walking around without undies on all the time.

Drew was sitting with her cohost Ross Mathews, 'SNL' star Chloe Fineman and singer Boy George when the question of going commando came up ... and Drew was first to admit she's all for feeling free down there.

And, DB's saying she doesn't just do it if she hasn't gotten to the laundry in a bit ... saying she actually enjoys dressing sans underwear -- a choice so well-known in her household it leads to the pantsing pranks.

Barrymore was quick to add her daughter is only doing it as a joke, and she said she's made it clear to her kid it's only an around-the-house kinda gag -- nothing for mixed company or the outside world.

Drew's got 2 kids with her ex-husband Will Kopelman BTW ... 11-year-old Olive and 9-year-old Frankie -- but, she didn't reveal which one's the little prankster.

She's not even the first celeb this week to cop to domestic nudity -- Bradley Cooper revealed he's always fully exposed at home, and even chats with his daughter while he's on the toilet and she's in the tub.

Richard Lewis, actor de "Curb Your Enthusiasm", ha muerto... TMZ ha confirmado.

El comediante y actor -que protagonizó junto a Larry David el exitoso programa de HBO- falleció el martes por la noche, con Bette Midler siendo una de las primeras personas que lo señaló el miércoles. Ella no dio muchos detalles, simplemente escribió: "En una nota triste, el gran Richard Lewis ha muerto".

Según su representante, murió de un ataque al corazón en su casa de Los Ángeles.

Es un giro impactante para los fans de la querida estrella ya que había estado luchando públicamente con la enfermedad de Parkinson, la cual anunció el año pasado.

En su anuncio, Richard señaló que en realidad había planeado retirarse de la comedia hace unos años debido a una serie de problemas de salud - que culminaron con su diagnóstico de Parkinson. En aquel momento dijo que se encontraba bien y que estaba tomando la medicación adecuada para controlarlo.

Parecía estar relativamente bien de salud a pesar de su diagnóstico de Parkinson. La enfermedad no había llegado a un punto en el que fuera visiblemente un obstáculo para él o su capacidad para actuar, incluido su papel recurrente como su yo ficticio en "CYE". No está claro si el diagnóstico influyó en su fallecimiento.

Richard fue un habitual de la serie desde el principio, interpretando al mejor amigo de Larry, con quien a menudo discutía. Por supuesto, Richard también fue un cómico condecorado.

La última vez que Richard fue visto en público fue junto a su esposa, Joyce Lapinsky. Ella parecía estar ayudándole a caminar, mientras paseaban por Beverly Hills.

Le sobrevive su esposa. Richard tenía 76 años.

Richard Lewis, famous from "Curb Your Enthusiasm," has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The comedian and actor -- who starred opposite Larry David on his hit HBO show -- passed away Tuesday night ... with Bette Midler being one of the first people who noted it Wednesday. She didn't provide much detail, simply writing, "On a sad note, the great Richard Lewis has died."

According to his rep -- he died from a heart attack at his home in L.A.

It's a shocking turn of events for fans of the beloved 'Curb' star -- as he'd been publicly battling with Parkinson's disease lately ... which he announced he'd been diagnosed with last year.

In his announcement, Richard noted that he'd actually planned on retiring from comedy a few years ago due to a number of health issues -- which all culminated with his Parkinson's diagnosis. He said at the time he was okay and was taking the right medication to manage it.

He appeared relatively okay health-wise despite his Parkinson's diagnosis. The disease hadn't reached a point where it was visibly hindering him or his ability to perform, including his recurring role as his fictional self on 'CYE.' It's unclear if his diagnosis played any part in his passing.

Richard was a regular on the long-running series since the beginning ... playing Larry's best friend, with whom he'd often squabble. Of course, Richard was also a decorated comic.

The last time Richard was seen out in public was actually alongside his wife, Joyce Lapinsky. She appeared to be helping him walk -- as they were out and about in Beverly Hills.

He's survived by his wife. Richard was 76.

Chris Burke, who has Down Syndrome, is defending Shane Gillis over the comedian's polarizing monologue on "Saturday Night Live" ... he's got no issues with Shane making Down Syndrome jokes.

The "Life Goes On" star tells TMZ ... people with Down Syndrome are just like everybody else and shouldn't be excluded from being joked about by comedians.

Chris, the first actor with Down Syndrome to star in a TV series, says it would actually be more offensive for comedians to exclude people with Down Syndrome from being the subjects of jokes.

Shane spent the majority of his 8-minute monologue poking fun at his family ... including a niece who has Down Syndrome ... and he mostly glossed over the 2019 scandal that got him fired from 'SNL.'

Chris says folks shouldn't pass judgment on Shane here because no one knows how he dealt and coped with having a niece with Down Syndrome. As a result, Chris feels Shane isn't making these jokes out of ignorance.

In fact, Shane's jokes kinda jibe with what Chris is saying.

While some people were naturally turned off by Shane, Chris sees some positives.

Jerry Seinfeld abandonó el discurso anual sobre el Estado de la Judería Mundial el domingo por la noche en Nueva York ante manifestantes antiisraelíes que le acusaban de apoyar el genocidio... pero no pareció inmutarse.

Échale un vistazo al video, un coro de personas cantan, "partidario del genocidio, que apoya el genocidio", al ver al comediante fuera de la sede de Manhattan después del evento que contó con el columnista Bari Weiss, fundador de The Free Press.

Como se puede ver, Jerry está muy tranquilo, incluso expuesto a toda la rabia. Esboza una sonrisa y saluda con la mano antes de meterse despreocupadamente en la parte trasera de un todoterreno negro rodeado de agentes de la policía de Nueva York.

Incluso después de que Jerry se fue, los manifestantes seguían gritando: "Jódanse, apoyan el genocidio".

Parece que todo el alboroto contra Jerry se debió a su apoyo a la oradora principal del evento, Weiss, conocida por su firme apoyo a Israel.

Weiss ha sido muy criticada por criticar a Refaat Alareer, un profesor y poeta palestino que perdió la vida trágicamente en un ataque aéreo israelí en diciembre.

Pero, volviendo a la manifestación ante el 92Y, en el Upper East Side de Nueva York... no tuvo precisamente mucha convocatoria. La policía se presentó y terminó arrestando a dos manifestantes.

Jerry Seinfeld exited the annual State of the World Jewry address Sunday evening in NYC to anti-Israel protesters accusing him of supporting genocide ... but he didn't seem too fazed.

Check out the video ... a chorus of people chant, "Genocide supporter, you support genocide," upon seeing the comedian outside the Manhattan venue following the event that featured NYT columnist Bari Weiss, founder of The Free Press.

As you can see, Jerry's as cool as a cucumber, even in the face of all that rage. He flashes a smile and gives a little wave before casually hopping into the back of a black SUV surrounded by NYPD officers.

Even after Jerry was long gone, those protesters were still going strong, chanting, "F*** you, you support genocide."

It looks like the whole uproar against Jerry was due to his support for the event's main speaker, Weiss, who's known for her staunch support of Israel.

Weiss has caught some serious heat for criticizing Refaat Alareer, a Palestinian professor and poet before he tragically lost his life in an Israeli airstrike in December.

But, back to the rally outside the 92Y on NYC's Upper East Side ... it didn't exactly have staying power. The cops showed up and ended up arresting 2 protesters.

Shane Gillis finally took the "Saturday Night Live" stage more than four years after being hired then fired from SNL before his first episode ... and fans are pretty split on his hosting performance.

The comedian stepped out centerstage of Studio 8H in New York City to host the legendary sketch show, and he barely addressed the scandal that got him fired back in 2019 ... instead launching into material that drew the ire of some fans.

SG started, "Most of you probably have no idea who I am. I was fired from this show a while ago. Don't look that up, please. If you don't know who I am, please don't Google that."

And, then he just moved on -- not addressing or apologizing for comments he made back in 2018 about Asian-American people that got him axed.

Instead, Shane decided to launch into a whole new set of jokes that seemingly alienated part of his audience.

He performed several minutes on Down Syndrome before using a pair of words pejoratively which have become taboo in recent years. You can check out the clip for yourself to hear what Gillis said.

Shane seemed to feel the tension in the room, mentioning multiple times that he thought certain jokes would get bigger laughs and adding he could see people clearly not enjoying his set.

He performed in a few noteworthy sketches BTW ... one parodying Donald Trump's new golden sneakers and another alongside cast member Bowen Yang -- the first full-time Asian American on the show who was vocal when Shane was fired.

As for fan reactions ... they're pretty split. Just look up Gillis' name on X. Some people are obviously calling Gillis out for his non-PC comments while others are saying they loved his irreverent set.

Seems like only one way to settle this ... let us know what you think below!

Shane Gillis finalmente subió al escenario de "Saturday Night Live" más de cuatro años después de ser contratado y luego despedido de SNL antes de su primer episodio, y los fans están bastante divididos sobre su actuación como anfitrión.

El comediante salió al escenario de Studio 8H en la ciudad de Nueva York para presentar el legendario programa de sketches, y apenas abordó el escándalo que hizo que lo despidieran en 2019, en cambio, lanzó un material que atrajo la ira de algunos fanáticos.

Shane comenzó: "La mayoría de ustedes probablemente no tienen idea de quién soy. Fui despedido de este programa hace un tiempo. No lo busquen, por favor. Si no saben quién soy, por favor, no lo busquen en Google."

Siguió adelante sin abordar o disculparse por los comentarios que hizo en 2018 sobre las personas asiático-americanas.

En cambio, Shane decidió lanzar un nuevo conjunto de bromas que aparentemente enfurecieron a parte de su audiencia.

Interpretó varios minutos sobre el síndrome de Down antes de utilizar un par de palabras peyorativas que se han convertido en tabú en los últimos años. Puedes ver el clip por ti mismo para escuchar lo que dijo.

Shane parecía sentir la tensión en la sala, mencionando varias veces que pensaba que ciertos chistes conseguirían más risas y añadiendo que podía ver a la gente claramente no disfrutando de su set.

En todo caso, actuó en algunos sketches notables. En uno parodiaba las nuevas zapatillas deportivas de oro de Donald Trump, y en otro junto al miembro del elenco Bowen Yang, el primer asiático-americano a tiempo completo en el show que fue vocal cuando Shane fue despedido.

En cuanto a las reacciones de los fans, son bastante divididas. Solo tienes que buscar el nombre de Gillis en X. Algunas personas están, obviamente, criticando a Gillis por sus comentarios, mientras que otros están diciendo que les encantó su actuación irreverente.

¡Parece que solo hay una manera de resolver esto... háganos saber lo que piensa a continuación!

Tiffany Haddish dice que está en Israel para observar con sus propios ojos lo que está pasando en Gaza y realmente se emocionó cuando se defendió de sus críticos más duros.

La actriz y comediante se unió a nosotros en "TMZ Live" el miércoles desde tierra santa, donde nos contó cómo su visita la está ilustrando sobre la guerra en el Medio Oriente y le está abriendo sus ojos más allá de lo que ha leído en las noticias o en Internet.

Tiffany dice que quería verlo todo por sí misma y experimentar lo que está pasando en terreno, pues no tiende a creer todo lo que ve o lee en Internet.

¿Qué ha aprendido Tiffany? Bueno, dice que las personas fueron sacadas de sus casas y tomadas rehenes durante el ataque de Hamás el 7 de octubre. Pero no solo eso, sino que también explica cómo fueron asesinados y secuestrados del festival de música ese día, señalando que aunque cientos han sido liberados, cientos más permanecen en cautiverio.

Tiffany, que aterrizó en Israel el martes, nos dice que también está allí para ver y sopesar el alcance de las represalias de Israel contra Hamás, las que han dejado más de 30.000 palestinos muertos.

Es una situación complicada, por supuesto, con mucha religión y política en juego, pero Tiffany dice que lo más importante para ella es el aspecto humano y que quiere la paz en ambos lados.

Aunque Tiffany confirmó que tiene ascendencia judía hace 5 años a través de pruebas de ADN, dice que no solo está preocupada por los judíos en Gaza, sino que también está preocupada por los palestinos. E insiste en que nadie que la critique debería perderse eso.

Tiffany dice que es importante recordar que hay seres humanos y familias al centro de todo esto y con ellos quiere conectar y a ellos quiere escuchar durante su visita.

También le preguntamos a Tiffany sobre algunas de las reacciones que está recibiendo en línea por el video que grabó desde el avión en su camino a Israel y ahí es cuando más se emociona intentando contener las lágrimas.

Tiffany se emocionó al defender sus bromas sobre encontrar un marido allí, algo con lo que bromeó durante el IG Live que hizo a principios de esta semana, y dice que tiene el coraje de hacer algo que muchas mujeres solteras no harían por su cuenta.

Enfatiza especialmente en esto último: Nos dice que está sola en el mundo y es desgarrador. Es una conversación interesante y Tiff explica por qué está siguiendo sus instintos.

Tiffany Haddish says she's in Israel to observe for herself what's going on in Gaza -- and she actually got choked up in defending herself against her harshest critics.

The actress/comedian joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday all the way from the holy land ... telling us how her visit is already educating her on the war in the Middle East -- and opening her eyes beyond what she's read in the news or seen online.

Tiffany says she wanted to take it all in for herself and experience what's happening on the ground ... because she doesn't tend to believe everything she sees/reads on the internet.

So what has Tiffany learned? Well, she says folks were dragged from their homes and taken hostage during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack -- not just that, but she explains how people were killed and kidnapped at a music festival that day too ... noting that while hundreds of hostages have been released since October, hundreds more still remain in captivity.

Tiffany -- who landed Tuesday in Israel -- tells us she's also there to see and weigh the scope of Israel's retaliation against Hamas ... which has left over 30,000 Palestinians dead.

It's a complicated situation, of course, with lots of religion and politics involved ... but Tiffany says the biggest thing to her is the human aspect -- and she wants peace on both sides.

While Tiffany confirmed she has Jewish ancestry 5 years ago via DNA testing, she tells us she's not only concerned about Jewish people in Gaza ... she's also worried about the Palestinians. And she insists ... that shouldn't be lost on anyone who's critical of her.

Tiffany says it's important to remember there are human beings and families at the center of all of this ... and that's who she wants to connect with -- and hear from -- on her visit.

We also asked Tiffany about some of the backlash she's getting for a video she recorded from the plane on her way to Israel -- and that's where you can hear her fighting back tears.

Tiffany got emotional defending her jokes about finding a husband over there -- something she quipped about on IG Live as she was flying over earlier this week -- and says she's got the courage to do something lots of single women wouldn't do on their own.

Emphasis on that last part ... Tiffany tells us she's all alone in this world, and it's heartbreaking. It's an interesting convo ... and Tiff tells us why she's following her instincts.

Donnell Rawlings se está defendiendo de su pelea con su compañero Corey Holcomb en Laugh Factory, diciéndonos que, si bien podría haber actuado de manera distinta, su rival apesta a hipocresía.

Conversamos con Donnell en "TMZ Live" el martes, donde nos dijo que la disputa se produjo porque quería protegerse de las acusaciones de Corey Holcomb de que cualquier persona en el mundo de la comedia que ha hecho tres películas o más ha tenido que hacerle una felación a alguien en el negocio, algo que él niega rotundamente.

Donnell Rawlings también señala que de acuerdo con IMDB, Corey también ha actuado en al menos 4 películas, por lo que es literalmente culpable de su propia broma. En otras palabras, el ataque en sí no tenía sentido.

En retrospectiva, Donnell admite que no debería haberle gritado a Corey, pero quería proteger su integridad y la de los comediantes que han hecho más de 3 películas.

También tenía rabia acumulada hacia Corey, pues le ha estado lanzando algunos dardos a su buen amigo Dave Chappelle durante años, por lo que también sintió la necesidad de dar la cara por él, pues es leal a sus amigos.

En general, no entiende la necesidad de los cómicos de crear controversia criticando a los demás, algo que ha estado sucediendo mucho últimamente.

Donnell Rawlings is defending his Laugh Factory beef with fellow comic Corey Holcomb ... telling us that while he could've gone about it differently, his rival reeks of hypocrisy.

We got Donnell on "TMZ Live" Tuesday ... where he tells us the spat ensued 'cause he wanted to shield himself from CH's allegations that anybody in comedy who's done 3 movies or more has had to perform fellatio on someone in the biz -- something he outright denies.

DR also notes that according to IMDB, Corey himself has performed in 4 movies ... telling us he's literally guilty of his own joke. In other words, the attack itself didn't make sense.

In hindsight, Donnell admits he shouldn't have yelled at Corey, but he wanted to protect his integrity and those in comedy who've done over 3 movies.

He also had fury built up from Corey taking shots at his good friend Dave Chappelle for years ... so he also felt the need to stick up for him, too, 'cause he's loyal to his pals.

In general, Donnell doesn't understand the need for comics to create controversy by taking shots at others ... something that's been happening quite a lot lately in epic fashion.

DC Young Fly is graciously asking the person responsible for swiping his bookbag to return it pronto ... because its sentimental value outweighs the financial gain in this caper.

Apparently, DC had a gig at the Hollywood Improv last night but discovered his bag had gone missing following the let-out of the show -- and he suspects it got taken by a thief.

The comedian/actor hoped on IG this morning with a passionate plea for the bag to be returned to him ... and it's incredibly sad, because he says there was something inside that was of the utmost importance to him.

According to DC, no cash or jewels were taken but, as it turns out, the backpack actually contained the death certificate of his girlfriend, Jacky Oh!, with whom he had 3 children.

As we reported ...Jacky died last May due to complications from cosmetic surgery and like we told you, no foul play was suspected in her death. It was just a tragic accident.

DC's not asking for anything crazy here ... he literally just wants his bag back, and is hoping his message reaches the right people and that they'll do the right thing and return it.

DC Young Fly le está pidiendo amablemente a la persona responsable del robo de su bolso que se lo devuelva pronto, porque su valor sentimental es mayor que la ganancia financiera.

Al parecer, DC tenía un show en el Hollywood Improv anoche, y descubrió que su bolso había desaparecido a la salida del espectáculo y sospecha que se lo llevó un ladrón.

El comediante y actor apareció en Insta esta mañana pidiendo de manera muy sentida que le devuelvan el bolso, y es increíblemente triste, porque dice que había algo dentro que era de suma importancia para él.

Según DC, no se llevaron dinero ni joyas, pero resulta que la mochila en realidad contenía el certificado de defunción de su novia, Jacky Oh!, con la que tuvo tres hijos.

Como ya informamos, Jacky falleció el pasado mes de mayo debido a complicaciones derivadas de una cirugía estética y como ya dijimos, no hubo rastros de actividad sospechosa, fue solo un trágico accidente.

DC no está pidiendo nada raro, literalmente solo quiere que su bolso de vuelta y está esperando que su mensaje llegue a las personas adecuadas y que van a hacer lo correcto y lo devolverán.