Humor

Netflix is turning the page from Dave Chappelle's 'Closer' controversy by staying in business ... with Dave Chappelle, and rolling out new comedy specials with his fingerprint all over 'em.

Dave and the streaming platform announced a new standup comedy series Friday called, "Chappelle's Home Team" ... which will focus on comics handpicked by DC himself. The first of 4 episodes are set to drop February 28, featuring Earthquake.

Remember, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos refused to remove "The Closer" last year when LGBTQ groups, and others, accused Chappelle of transphobia and staged several protests at Netflix HQ.

Sarandos said the company fully supported all comedians' right to express themselves ... and stood by Dave. The new specials are proof positive of that continued partnership, which has been extremely profitable for both parties.

He's released 10 standup specials on Netflix since 2016 and, by some reports, has made north of $200 mil.

It's been nearly 7 years since the Houston Texans' season on "Hard Knocks" ... and J.J. Watt's infamous "Remember the Name" rap montage is still getting roasted -- this time, by the NFL star himself!!

In case you missed the hilariously cringe moment, Watt was videoed getting in a tough workout while HBO cameras were rolling during training camp in 2015 ... when he decided to rap along to the Fort Minor tune.

The scene has taken new life over the years ... with fans poking fun at Watt for his rap skills and how over-the-top it was.

Now, Watt is finally addressing the scene ... saying, "You ever sing a song in the car and you think it sounds great and then you try and break it out at karaoke that night and it just doesn't quite hit the same??"

Watt then cuts to the clip ... clearly showing embarrassment over it.

"Yeah ... me too."

The hilarious feud between Usain Bolt and Tyreek Hill is nowhere near dead yet ... the legendary sprinter clowned the NFL player on Sunday, laughing about his effort in a race at the Pro Bowl.

Bolt threw the jabs as he was leaving the Super Bowl on Sunday ... telling TMZ Sports he doesn't want to race Hill after he saw the Kansas City Chiefs star drop a sprint to Dallas Cowboys rookie Micah Parsons.

"He's not ready," Bolt said of Hill. "He got beaten by some linebacker! He ain't ready for this!"

Bolt was giggling as he tossed out the barbs -- and said after watching Tyreek in the Vegas race he's still sublimely confident he'd dust Hill on the track.

"I'm the fastest man in the world," Bolt said. "What do you mean?!"

If you missed it, Hill and Bolt have been trading words about a possible race for months -- with Hill telling us back in November he's so sure he'd beat Bolt, he's willing to put his Super Bowl ring on the line.

Bolt, though, clearly doesn't seem to think Hill is even deserving of his time ... telling us outside of SoFi Stadium the receiver -- and any other NFL player who thinks they're fast -- needs to get "serious" and then call him.

Barry Manilow was weaponized against protestors in New Zealand pissed over vaccine mandates in an attempt to get 'em to scram -- but it doesn't sound like the ploy worked.

You might've heard about this ... there are demonstrations happening down there that have gone on for quite some time now, with scores of people flocking to the Parliament building in Wellington over the past week or so and occupying the streets ... refusing to leave.

This is very much in the same vein as the Canadian trucker convoy movement happening in Toronto. The big difference here being ... NZ officials got creative Friday with their attempted disbursement methods, resorting to what they appear to consider annoying music!

Multiple reports describe NZ law enforcement blasting Manilow's greatest hits on a 15-minute loop, and not just that ... but, apparently, the "Macarena" got trotted out on repeat as well.

Unfortunately, there isn't much video showing this hilarious scene -- although, there's one clip that shows the New Zealand protestors dancing to Boney M's "Rivers of Babylon," which also seems to have gotten blasted over the speakers.

There are even accounts of the protestors playing Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" in response to the government's attempt to drive them crazy with earworms.

It also appears they were jamming out to their own soundtrack throughout the day, with Lenny Kravitz's "Let Love Rule" making a cameo at one point. Essentially, it looked a lot like a Woodstock event ... and, eventually, a battle of the songs between the dueling groups.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's angry rant at Nancy Pelosi and our government turned unintentionally hilarious when she confused Nazi Germany's secret police with a bowl of soup!!!

The LOL moment went down Wednesday when MTG was doing a TV hit with One America News and going off on the Speaker of the House. Yes, par for the course ... but then she accused Pelosi of using her "gazpacho police" to spy on members of Congress and American citizens.

Forget, for a moment, the lack of evidence supporting her allegation -- and instead, focus on how delicious it is! 😋

For those not in the know ... gazpacho is a cold Spanish soup made from a wide variety of vegetables. We're guessing the word Rep. Greene was actually reaching for was "Gestapo" ... a secret police force the Nazis unleashed on German citizens.

The clip is going viral and folks are having a bunch of laughs at MTG's expense on social.

Rep. Greene must have caught wind of her screwup, because she's also making fun of herself with a "Seinfeld" reference and an intentional -- we think -- mix-up of "gulag" and "goulash."

Fall back, Neil Young ... Joe Rogan's plenty capable of ripping himself, and is openly questioning why anyone would take medical advice from the freakin' host of "Fear Factor."

Rogan was onstage Tuesday night in Austin doing stand-up, and dug into his recent podcast controversies ... saying he was disgusted seeing the compilation video of his repeated, uncensored use of the n-word.

Rogan told the crowd -- whose phones were locked to block all recordings -- "That was racist as f**k. Even to me! I’m me and I’m watching it saying, ‘Stop saying it!’ I put my cursor over the video and I’m like, ‘Four more minutes?!'”

He was even more self-deprecating when it came to the COVID-19/anti-vaxx criticisms ... saying he's completely unqualified to offer medical advice.

He's made the point before, but this was more biting -- “If you’re taking vaccine advice from me, is that really my fault? What dumb s**t were you about to do when my stupid idea sounded better? ‘You know that dude who made people eat animal dicks on TV? How does he feel about medicine?’ If you want my advice, don’t take my advice.”

Bill Murray's at it again ... just two years after he ripped a fan's tequila shot at the Pebble Beach Pro-Am -- he repeated the feat at the same place this weekend!!!

The hilarious moment -- like the one in Feb. 2020 -- was all captured on video on Saturday ... showing Murray taking a lime wedge and a cup of booze from a fan just before he was set to hit his next shot on a hole.

The footage is laugh-out-loud funny ... you can see Murray grabbed a cup from a woman, shot the tequila no problem, and threw both the container and the lime into the crowd.

The fans loved it -- one yelled, "Let's go! What a boss!" -- and everyone nearby cheered and hollered.

Of course, this is becoming a bit of a tradition for Murray at the famous golf event ... you'll recall, just two years ago, he downed a fan's tequila shot there in epic fashion as well.

Murray isn't known as the world's best celeb golfer -- but he's certainly one of the most fun ... in fact, he hit a no-look putt over the weekend that had everyone cracking up too.

Pete Davidson haters are going to love this ...

The comedian was pummeled by ex-New England Patriots star Jerod Mayo for an ad about food waste ... and it's all pretty hilarious.

The spot -- a Hellmann's Super Bowl LVI ad -- was released Monday ... showing Mayo hitting a whole bunch of people who were on the verge of throwing away perfectly usable food.

Mayo sacked a man with bread, a woman with potatoes, an elderly woman with chicken, and then a man with spinach.

Finally, the 6-foot-1, 250-pound former linebacker (who now coaches on Bill Belichick's staff in New England) confronted Pete at a house party.

"Woah, woah, woah!" Pete said to Mayo as the ex-football player charged in ... "Mom's already tackling food waste, Mayo!"

Jerod appeared to leave ... but then he came back and speared Pete to the floor.

"I get it," Pete said while on the ground after Jerod apologized for the hit. "I'm very hittable."

Queen Elizabeth II is as sharp as ever -- this despite laying low publicly due to health concerns -- and she put her famous wit on full display on the eve of a big day.

QE2 was on hand Saturday at her countryside Sandringham Estate with some notable guests, who were there to hang out and watch Her Majesty cut a cake that was done up to celebrate a major anniversary that's happening on Sunday ... namely, her Platinum Jubilee.

It marks 70 years since her ascension to the throne on Feb. 6. 1952 ... so it's a helluva milestone for Liz and the monarchy at large. To usher in the moment, the Queen was given the honors to slice up her own cake -- and per usual, she let the jokes fly.

Check it out ... Queen Elizabeth is brought over to the table where the cake's at, and is then told it's upside down in her direction -- so that the press could see it and get a good shot.

In classic royal timing, QE2 fires back ... "So they can see. I don't matter?" That got a big laugh from just about everyone in the room. But, Lizzie wasn't done quipping just yet!

She made the initial cut into the pastry, and seemed pleased that it went in easy -- but it doesn't sound like she was too keen on finishing the job and dishing out pieces for everyone. She is the freakin' Queen after all ... and she let everyone know by asking that someone else do the deed.

A couple things to note about this -- Queen Elizabeth seems to be in great spirits, and more importantly ... appears relatively healthy too. Her well-being has been in question of late due to her having to skip a number of events and engagements she'd been scheduled to attend in person.

This, of course, was all on the advice of doctors ... but it seems she's doing quite alright for one of the most remarkable times in her life. As they say -- God save the Queen!

Andy Cohen is going all out to celebrate his new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... breaking bread with Ricki Lake and joking about making love to his fellow TV legend.

We got Andy leaving Craig's in WeHo with Ricki, not long after his Friday ceremony on Hollywood Blvd ... and he was over the moon ... and for good reason.

Andy and Ricki make for a power lunch ... and as he put it to our photog ... "legends only, bitches!!!"

It's a huge achievement for Andy ... getting the 2,711th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame ... and he jokes about making love to Ricki to celebrate ... to which she says, get in line!!!

The "TMZ Tour" also got Andy in the middle of his acceptance speech on Sunset Blvd ... and he even broke from his prepared remarks to acknowledge the bus!

Ricky Gervais might just be the one comedian who’s welcoming cancel culture with open arms, because he says he's gonna lean into it hard with an upcoming performance.

The British comic and actor told Heat this week that his next stand-up special -- which he's appropriately calling "Armageddon" -- is likely going to force him to get the hook ... something he’s actually hoping for with giddiness.

RG says, in part ... “I'm treating it like it's my last one ever. It won't be, but I want to put everything into it. I want to try and get cancelled,” adding he can’t wait to get started.

The show’s gonna be about how we as a society are destroying ourselves, be it through the media, global warming or other means ... so you can imagine Ricky will be hop-scotching around some heavy topics, with no punches pulled.

One thing he believes in as an old-school, stand-up comic is that no topic is off-limits, which he’s recently reiterated in interviews ... but also hammered home with his actual material, especially on the biggest of stages.

You’ll recall ... Ricky hosted the Golden Globes a few years back, and he let the jokes fly at just about everybody’s expense. He was not invited back to host, and sounds like he's going for a similar outcome with his latest solo offering.

Hall of Fame QB now ... Emily Cooper's new love interest next?!?

Peyton Manning says that might just be his path ... telling "The Tonight Show" on Monday that after his hilarious "Emily In Paris" skit over the weekend, he could be getting a huge role in the next season of the hit show.

The NFL legend broke it all down for Jimmy Fallon ... explaining the reaction to his "Saturday Night Live" appearance has been so great -- it could lead to him rubbin' elbows with Emily on Netflix in France soon.

"I think I'm going to be asked to be in Season 3," Manning said. "Like, a big part."

Manning wasn't being entirely serious with the prediction -- but it certainly wouldn't be farfetched given the response to his "Emily In Paris" jokes on Saturday.

If you missed it ... Manning hilariously told Colin Jost that he missed NFL playoff games because he was binge-watching Season 2 of the Netflix show instead.

Manning fired off punchline after punchline about the show -- and even broke out a telestrator to explain it all. It was laugh-out-loud funny.

The wildest part about it all, though? Manning told Fallon on Monday he's actually never watched an episode of it!

Bob Saget's still bringing laughs to one of standup comedy's meccas -- The Comedy Store hosted the late comedian's family and famous friends as they celebrated his life and career.

The iconic West Hollywood club was packed with some huge names Sunday night ... Chris Rock, Jim Carrey, Jackson Browne, John Mayer, John Stamos and Jeff Ross were just a few on the guest list.

Bob's daughters Aubrey and Lara arrived together... and, of course, his widow Kelly Rizzo was there too.

The Comedy Store posted about the memorial days prior, and only a limited number of tickets were available to the public for the show.

Not only did the night celebrate Saget's life, but it also served as a fundraiser for the Scleroderma Research Foundation ... an organization Bob poured his time, effort and money into for decades, after his sister died from the disease in 1994.

Bob served on the board of the foundation ... and became a champion for awareness and research.

Peyton Manning KILLED on 'SNL' Saturday with an absolutely hilarious breakdown of the NFL's season playoffs, and how it paled by comparison to "Emily in Paris."

Manning joined Colin Jost at the Weekend Update desk ... presumably to talk in part about the incredible season playoff games last weekend and the reported retirement of Tom Brady.

Well, Peyton had the best of intentions to watch the games, but an hour before he decided to kill some time by watching the first episode of 'E.I.P.' Season 2.

Peyton said at that point it was football, schmootball ... because he was hooked and watched the entire season, missing all the games.

You gotta see how Peyton uses the telestrator to show Emily's playbook. It's super funny.

Peyton also thinks "Emily in Paris" is the secret reason Tom Brady will retire.

Pete Davidson's a chip off the ol' block ... the question -- did Kanye West knock his block off?

The answer is no, but we'll explain why it's a fair question in a minute.

Yeah, Pete's tooth looks chipped, but it's not.  Our Pete sources tell TMZ ... he's shooting a movie that requires a chipped tooth, so it's fake.  We don't know which movie, but we know he does not have a chipped tooth.

Oh, the baby ... it's Malcolm, the newborn of Olivia Munn and John Mulaney, whom they now call "Uncle Pete." Pete's reaction ... "Babies are all head." You hear Olivia and John cracking up in the background.

As for the Kanye thing ... remember, he recently said in a song he would kick Pete's ass.

Jonathan Cahill might be able to ditch his life of crime for one of modeling, fashion and money ... at least that's what millions of women eyeing his "Wanted" poster seem to think.

The West Yorkshire Police Department in the U.K. put out a wanted bulletin Thursday, saying, "Can you help us to locate Jonathan Cahill, who has been recalled to prison? He is 37 years old and is believed to be residing in the Wakefield area. Please share our appeal below and contact us if you can help our officers to locate him."

And, "share our appeal" people did!!! Cahill's mug hit social media like wildfire, along with a flood of pretty hilarious social media comments -- mostly from Cahill's new female fans.

Some of our faves:
"Might leave my doors unlocked and bedroom door open you bad bad man."
"Bloody hell. He'll be smashing a few more back doors in."
"The key's under the pot, Jonathan."
"Does he need a place to hide?"

Of course, Cahill's story bears a striking resemblance to that of Jeremy Meeks ... who rose to fame and landed a very lucrative modeling gig after his mug shot went viral in 2014.

Meeks spent 13 months behind bars on a federal weapons charge, and was released in 2016. Since then, Meeks has walked in shows for Tommy Hilfiger, Philipp Plein and launched a fashion line of his own. He also had a kid with Chloe Green, the daughter of British billionaire Philip Green.