Comedy

Jerry Seinfeld's calling for the grand return of dominant masculinity -- even though, he ironically acknowledges he's not exactly the poster boy for that trait himself.

On the "Honestly with Bari Weiss" podcast, Jerry admitted his comedy career's taken him on quite a childish journey instead of his desire to embody traditional masculinity. Still, he's not backing down on his ideas about what it means to be a "real man."

JS gave examples ... reminiscing about the icons of masculinity who wowed him during his childhood -- names like John F. Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, Sean Connery, and Howard Cosell, guys who grew up admiring and aspiring to be like -- all of which he says are gone.

Sarah Silverman's comedy style has changed quite a bit since she first burst onto the scene -- and she says there's a very good reason for it ... Donald Trump.

The comedian recently hopped onto David Duchovny's 'Fail Better' podcast, where she explained how Trump becoming president inspired her to ditch the "arrogant ignorant" persona she became known for when in the 2000s.

She noted that her first comedy special and subsequent Comedy Central show was all centered on a character/shtick she was putting on ... which was an offensive caricature of herself.

A TV news anchor in Boston appeared to swallow a fly live on the air -- but rather than cough up a storm or make a big fuss ... she just downed it and kept on going.

Check out this wild clip that shows Boston 25 News reporter Vanessa Welch leading a newscast late last week when something seemed to fall right into her mouth and down her throat in a flash ... which, of course, happened to be caught on camera.

On its face, it looks to be a bug of some sort -- likely a fly if it was in fact an insect -- but some have suggested it was something else entirely ... maybe an eyelash.

Marc Lamont Hill is over people complaining about nepo-babies in Hollywood ... sharing his stance on the heels of North West's controversial "Lion King" casting.

We got the author Tuesday on "TMZ Live," where he defended Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's oldest daughter for using her celebrity status to land a role in the Hollywood Bowl production of the Disney classic -- despite her lack of singing ability.

Marc said out loud the thing just about everyone in showbiz already knows -- "In every movie, every play, every domain of pop culture, somebody casts somebody who's not that good ... We've put rappers in movies for the last 30 years ... and the reason we do it is because people are famous and famous people bring in tickets."

Terry Crews plans to pull up to Anderson Silva's boxing match in June ... but, he's not going to fight the MMA legend as he recently implied on social media -- he's simply going to support his buddy!

In case you missed it, the shirtless actor went on Instagram last week and delivered a message for the UFC legend, saying he's been training and is ready to see him June 15.

Fans figured Crews was throwing out a potential fight, but the 55-year-old told TMZ Sports that's simply not the case.

"South Park" took direct aim at the whole "body positivity" movement and used Lizzo as its weapon.

The episode -- titled "The End of Obesity" -- uses the singer as the alternative to Ozempic. It features Eric Cartman in a doctor's office trying to score some O, but he can't afford it and insurance isn't an option.

The doc says, “I’m going to write you a prescription for Lizzo. She’s a really good singer who talks about body positivity, and just being happy with the way you look. I want you to listen to Lizzo five times a day, and watch her videos just before bedtime. I’m afraid you’ll have to be on Lizzo for the rest of your life.”

Then the episode gets all official, claiming the FDA gave its stamp of approval, concluding ... “Lizzo helps you eat everything you want, and keep physical activity to a minimum….stop listening to Lizzo if you experience suicidal thoughts. Serious side effects may include pancreatitis, hypothermia, and literally s****ing out of your ears.”

When "South Park" drops a new special called, "The End of Obesity," ya gotta know someone or something's getting destroyed -- and in this case, it's weight loss drugs and Lizzo ... via "body positivity."

Here's the deal ... in the Paramount+ special, which started streaming Friday, the women of "South Park" (and, of course, the buffoon Randy), all turn to Ozempic to lose weight ... while lying by saying they're exercising to drop the lbs.

Cartman, the iconic angry, fat kid on the long-running cartoon, wants some of that sweet Ozempic for himself -- but since he doesn't have diabetes, insurance won't cover it, and he can't afford the hefty price tag.

Michael Richards' Laugh Factory ban could come to an end ... 'cause the owner's open to having him back -- if he's truly learned the error of his ways.

Jamie Masada -- owner of the iconic comedy joint in Hollywood -- tells TMZ ... he booted the actor-comedian for good after his infamous 2006 rant at the club because he believes hate speech isn't acceptable, so Michael earned himself the ban for his racist remarks.

But, Masada says he believes in second chances and doesn't want to hold a grudge, so Michael could make a return to the venue ... but, only if he's truly a reformed man.

"Seinfeld" star Michael Richards is not looking for a redemption arc -- even though he's finally coming out of hiding -- but he does want to clarify a few things related to his infamous Hollywood Laugh Factory incident.

The actor's rarely been seen since the 2006 rant when he shouted the n-word and other racial insults at an African-American man who was heckling him during his standup routine.

Michael told People Mag he was immediately sorry in the aftermath of that meltdown -- and nearly 2 decades later he insists ... "I'm not racist. I have nothing against Black people. The man who told me I wasn’t funny had just said what I’d been saying to myself for a while. I felt put down. I wanted to put him down."

Shohei Ohtani is putting his historic contract to good use -- the Dodgers superstar just snagged a ritzy mansion in Los Angeles for $7.85 million ... a place formerly owned by comedian Adam Carolla.

Details on the deal were released this week ... with the L.A. Times reporting the Japanese two-way athlete is the buyer of the La Cañada Flintridge digs.

The pad -- built in 2013 -- is perfect for a guy like Ohtani. It's a three-story, five-bedroom, six and 1/2-bathroom home that comes with a decked-out kitchen, private movie theater, basketball court and gym ... as well as a pool and spa.

Jelly Roll's daughter Bailee Ann just went through every teen's rite of passage -- trying, and failing, to sneak outta the house for a night of fun.

The 16-year-old's stepmom Bunnie XO playfully roasted her on TikTok, sharing the hilarious security cam footage with her millions of followers Tuesday. Check it out ... Bailee and a pal are seen crouching down in an attempt to evade her home security cameras, but, obviously, they were wildly unsuccessful.

The pair then make their way down JR's yard ... only to be swiftly sent back to the house by security.

A baby who's gone viral for precociously expressing her excitement for the Four Seasons ... just might have a future in the travel biz, because the luxury hotel's pumped about the shout out.

The manager for the Four Seasons Orlando tells TMZ … the company was blown away by the little one's now-viral reaction -- which showed the diaper-clad youngster (no more than 1 or 2) happily declaring she wanted to stay at the pricey hotel.

He added ... "We were so happy to see such a reaction from the baby and family. We are not surprised that it had such an impact on social media. We are really happy about it."

DeMarco Morgan is apparently turning a new leaf on the bike trail -- and by that, we mean he's changed up his bike short colors ... and you can see a lot less bulge this time!

ICYMI ... the new 'GMA3' anchor -- who replaced T.J. Holmes after his exit over his Amy Robach affair -- sent the Internet into a tizzy by posting pics of himself in bike shorts ... where there his package was seriously noticeable.

At the time, we were told ABC staffers were rattled over the photos ... and it looks like DeMarco has taken note, as he's debuted some new workout pics -- which are far safer for work, at least in terms of what you can (or can't see).

Tom Hanks doesn't need Genius annotations to get the play-by-play on the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle ... 'cause his son Chet can break it down ... and he did just that.

Chet -- who's moonlighted as a rapper/reggae artist in the past, and has a firm grasp on all things hip-hop -- shared a hilarious text message exchange with his movie star dad this week ... who was apparently uber-curious about the year's biggest moment in pop culture.

You can easily see Chet's inner rap nerd burst out explaining the beef with intense detail ... but he may have lost his pops along the way, especially based on how Tom responded.

American actor Mitch Silpa was in his mid-40s when he played Steve the flight attendant -- who puts up with the rowdy bridesmaids en route to the Las Vegas bachelorette party -- in the 2011 romantic comedy film "Bridesmaids."

The ensemble cast of comedic icons included Kristen Wiig as the lonely, single and cynical gal with roommates, Annie, Maya Rudolph as the bride-to-be and Annie's childhood bestie, Lillian and Melissa McCarthy as the government worker with a new-found zest for life after falling off a ship, Megan.

"'Stove' what kind of a name is that? My name is Steve ... Are you an appliance?"

Jerry Seinfeld's become the #1 celeb target of pro-Palestinian protesters -- for the 2nd time in a week they went at him in public ... this time repeatedly heckling his stand-up routine, and fighting with other audience members.

TMZ obtained this video of the first moment things got heated Saturday night inside Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, VA -- almost immediately after Jerry hit the stage, one demonstrator stands up, and starts yelling, "Free Gaza!"

The solo protester also shouted and pointed at audience members, and said they should be ashamed of themselves.