TV

Chuy Bravo -- Chelsea Handler's longtime TV sidekick and hypeman -- died from a heart attack after a brief hospitalization ... according to a rep for the late comedian.

The Mexican-American actor -- famous for his frequent appearances on "Chelsea Lately" -- suffered the fatal heart attack Sunday morning in a Mexico City hospital after being rushed to the emergency room Saturday afternoon due to a stomach issue.

We're told Chuy went to the ER with a Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage (GI Bleed) and after complications, he suffered the fatal heart attack.

As we reported ... Chuy's family announced his death Sunday afternoon, and Chelsea wrote a heartfelt tribute to her longtime collaborator.

Chuy's funeral services took place Monday in Mexico, according to his rep, and his body will be cremated. We're told his family is devastated and his remains will be transported back to Los Angeles for a memorial service, but a date has not yet been scheduled.

Bravo was 63.

RIP

Gabrielle Union's speaking out publicly after her controversial firing from "America's Got Talent" ... urging others to risk it all, as she has, to fight misogyny and racism.

The actress spoke on a panel Monday morning, and urged the crowd to NOT "be the happy negro that does the bidding of the status quo." She never called out NBC or 'AGT' by name, but fans there for the panel -- Power of Inclusivity and the Women Leading the Charge -- knew exactly what she was referencing

Gabrielle added, "It's terrifying. There's a solid chance you'll lose your job ... I speak from experience." As we've reported ... Gabrielle feels she was fired because she complained to NBC and 'AGT' producers about racially insensitive situations on set -- including producers giving her excessive notes about her hair, wardrobe and physical appearance.

According to Variety, Gabrielle told the panel it's incumbent on her to speak up and do the right thing ... never mind the company writing those checks. She said, "How many checks do I need? This financial freedom, they're shackles, masquerading as zeros in my bank account."

The Hallmark Channel is walking back its decision to pull TV ads featuring a same-sex couple kissing on their wedding day ... saying it messed up and is "truly sorry."

The channel recently removed the ads from Zola, a major online wedding registry and planning site, after receiving complaints from the conservative group, One Million Moms. The backlash included a petition signed by more than 30,000 people criticizing Hallmark.

However, that decision was met with considerably more backlash from the public -- including another petition signed by 70,000 people blasting Hallmark for "shamefully caving to pressure from an anti-LGBTQ group."

Ellen DeGeneres and Pete Buttigieg also weighed in, with the presidential candidate responding to One Million Moms' gripe that the ads weren't "family friendly."

Hallmark listened, and its CEO, Mike Perry, says it will be reaching out to Zola to reestablish their partnership and "reinstate the commercials."

What's interesting ... Perry essentially lays the blame on Hallmark's parent company, Crown Media Family Networks and its CEO, Bill Abbott, which he says made the call to pull the ads featuring 2 brides kissing at the altar.

MTV's "Ridiculousness" star Sterling "Steelo" Brim partied his ass off only to come home to a major party foul ... after thieves allegedly broke into his pad and took off with valuable collectibles.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Steelo returned to his L.A. area pad around 8:30 AM after a night of partying. But, something was amiss ... he noticed stuff missing.

We're told security footage showed at least one person people going in and out of his house. A safe was stolen as were valuable collectibles and figures. All in all ... he told cops around $100k worth of stuff was pilfered.

LAPD is on the case and sources say it appears thieves got into his crib through a side door. It's unclear if the side door was unlocked or if it was jimmied open.

Chelsea Handler's longtime TV sidekick and hypeman, Chuy Bravo, has died ... TMZ has confirmed.

The Mexican-American actor -- best known for his many appearances on "Chelsea Lately" -- passed away Sunday, according to his family. We're told Chuy was hospitalized Saturday in Mexico City, where he's been visiting family for the past month.

His family members say he came down with a terrible stomach ache Saturday and had to be rushed to an emergency room in town, where he stayed overnight. On Sunday, the family says they were told Chuy had passed away. His exact cause of death is unclear.

Chuy was born in Mexico and immigrated to the U.S. at age 15. According to Hollywood lore, he wandered onto the set of 'Three Amigos' and decided to get into entertainment. He says he started taking classes and eventually got cast in "Austin Powers in Goldmember."

Move over, Jay Gatsby ... Seth MacFarlane's here to take the reins this holiday season as the most extra host in party-throwing, with a splash of hot button issues to boot.

The "Family Guy" creator threw an epic Christmas Party Saturday night at his Beverly Hills home, and it was decked out to the max with what appears to be a mishmash of themes -- including time travel, the 1950s, environmentalism and politics. Good mix, right?

Click through the gallery, and you'll see what we're talking about. Seth had elaborate set pieces staged all throughout his pad -- a N.I.C.E. Detention Center, Santa's Space-Time Super Sleigh, a single block of a North Pole glacier from the year 2091, and a lot more.

Like we said, F. Scott Fitzgerald might've blushed at something like this. Speaking of Gats, we're told Leo was at Seth's party. He's big on climate change, so this is right up his alley.

As if all that wasn't class enough, Seth also had a full orchestra performing live throughout the night -- and, of course, the guy got up there himself and crooned a handful of songs. More like 10 or so, actually. Seth's a great singer, and we're told he put his talent to good use. The performance quickly became a family affair too -- his sis, Rachael, sang as well.

Eyewitnesses tell us one other big highlight of the night came when Seth honored a 100-year-old WWII veteran named Sidney Walton, who got a big round of applause.

Nick Cannon just can't get enough of his diss track aimed at Eminem -- playing it back-to-back-to-back (and then some) -- and vibing to it harder than anyone else in the room.

Nick's been busy shooting new episodes of 'Wild 'n Out' in Atlanta this week ... and we got some footage from behind the scenes. Nick took control of the DJ booth one day, and our sources say he played "The Invitation" -- his Eminem diss track -- at least 20 times.

We're told Nick not only played the track on repeat for his VIP guests, staff and cast members, he also played it over the speakers for the audience on the main stage.

Our sources say the 'Wild 'n Out' staff is confident Eminem will eventually take the bait, and come on the show -- and 'Invitation' will become an anthem for their battle.

Important to note ... we're coming up on a week since Nick fired the first shot, and still nothing from Em -- so, the 'WnO' crew better not be holding their breath.

As we reported, Nick dropped not one, but TWO diss tracks this week. "The Invitation" took a homophobic shot at Eminem, saying, "I heard your chauffeur got a video of you suckin' c**k." Another verse, referencing Mariah Carey, "My baby mama killed you off a decade ago, You're still crying about it bitch, now who really the ho?"

Marshall hasn't said much, other than a couple tweets, back at Nick. In one, "U mad bro? Stop lying on my d**k. I never even had a chauffeur, you bougie f**k."

Orlando Jones is putting the new showrunner for "American Gods" on full blast ... saying he's responsible for getting the actor fired from the show.

OJ went on the attack Saturday morning in a video he posted to his social media, saying he was fired from the STARZ series a few months ago in September ... a decision he appears to be pinning on TV screenwriter Charles "Chic" Eglee, who got tapped to head up season 3.

Check out the clip ... Orlando -- who played Mr. Nancy for the first two seasons on 'AG' -- says the new showrunner apparently felt his character's "angry, get-s**t-done" attitude was the wrong message to broadcast to black America. Clearly, Orlando thinks that's BS.

He goes on to say, "That's right, this white man sits in that decision-making chair. And I'm sure he has many black BFFs who are his advisers and made it clear to him, that if they did not get rid of that angry god Mr. Nancy, he'd start a Denmark Vesey uprising in this country."

Orlando goes on to thank the OG showrunners -- Neil Gaiman, Bryan Fuller and Michael Green -- for letting him become a writer/producer on the show, as well as fans of course.

In a separate post, Orlando also blasts Fremantle Media, the production company behind "American Gods" and several other TV shows, including "America's Got Talent." Speaking of that, OJ tags Nick Cannon, Gabrielle Union, Mel B and other stars ... saying they've all claimed the company is a nightmare and treats its talent like "2nd class citizen(s)."

He seems to agree with that characterization. As far as Eglee, Orlando doesn't name drop him -- but there's only been one new showrunner announced for season 3, and it's him.

We've reached out to the guy for comment ... so far, no word back.

"21 Jump Street" star Richard Grieco doesn't react well when the cuffs are getting slapped on him, as proven by this video of his DFW airport bust for public intoxication.

Police body cam footage, obtained by TMZ, shows Grieco angrily storming away from the American Airlines ticket counter in Dallas when a cop confronts him. Richard's pretty indignant at first, even asking the officer, "You guys know who I am?"

He then tried to talk his way out of his drunken situation, but it doesn't work. Cops put him under arrest and gave him a pop quiz on his level of inebriation. Watch ... you can't say he passed the test, but TBH -- it also seemed unnecessary to grill him.

It was obvious he was wasted. Richard slurred, sobbed and insisted he didn't do anything wrong as he was led away in handcuffs.

Things didn't get much better for the former TV police officer when he got to the station. He continued crying and claimed he was being singled out because he's famous.

'Mad Men' star Christina Hendricks has filed for divorce from her husband, Geoffrey Arend,  after 10 years of marriage.

Hendricks filed docs in L.A. Friday, a few months after announcing the couple was going their separate ways. The two got hitched in 2009 and did not have any children together.

Back in October, the couple said, "12 years ago we fell in love and became partners. We joined our two amazing families, had countless laughs, made wonderful friends and were blessed with incredible opportunities."

They continued, "Today we take our next step together, but on separate paths. We will always be grateful for the love we’ve shared and will always work together to raise our two beautiful dogs."

Christina played Joan Holloway on "Mad Men" from 2007-2015. She also voiced the character of Gabby Gabby in "Toy Story 4." Arend is an actor as well, starring in ABC's "Body of Proof" and was in "Madam Secretary" for 5 seasons.

Christina and Geoffrey were introduced by Christina's former "Mad Men" costar Vincent Kartheiser. This was the first marriage for both Christina and Arend.

Rip Torn died after a years-long battle with Alzheimer's disease ... according to his death certificate.

The Emmy Award-winning veteran actor and comedian died at his Connecticut home in July, and according to the doc -- obtained by TMZ -- the cause of death is listed "due to (or as a consequence of) Alzheimer's dementia." Translation ... there were complications resulting from Alzheimer's that caused his death.

It says he was diagnosed "years" before he passed. Torn was then buried at a cemetery in Poughkeepsie, NY a few days later ... according to the certificate.

Rip was perhaps best known for his role as Artie on HBO's "The Larry Sanders Show," for which he won an Emmy and was nominated 6 more times. He was also an Oscar nominee in 1984 for "Cross Creek."

Torn's career spanned decades after his film debut in the 1956 film, "Baby Doll," and included memorable roles in the 'Men In Black' films and "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story" ... along with TV shows like "Will & Grace" and "30 Rock."

He was 88.

Niecy Nash is making her split from Jay Tucker official on paper ... she just filed for divorce.

Niecy filed legal docs in L.A. Thursday. As we reported ... they released a joint statement back in October their 8-year marriage was gonna come to an end. They said, at the time, that they realized at this stage of life they're "better friends than partners in marriage."

They added their union was such a gorgeous ride. They added, "We feel fortunate for the love we share -- present tense. Thank you all out there for your support of us as a couple over the last eight years. We are grateful."

As we reported ... Niecy and Jay -- an electrical engineer -- had a lavish wedding in front of 200 friends and family members. TLC televised the nuptials. Even til the end ... seems there's zero bad blood.

No disrespect to New Jersey or its famous shore, but Snooki wants a MUCH better life for her 3 kids, which is why she's swearing off all things 'Jersey Shore' ... for good.

Fresh off announcing she's retiring from the 'JS' game, Snooki touched down at LAX Thursday, and made it clear she has no second thoughts. She told a photog she's looking forward, not back, purely because it's what's best for her family.

When the pap suggested a possible spin-off could be in the works -- Snooki shot that down instantly ... and you gotta see the look on her face when she did it.

Remember, she complained during last season about 'JS' keeping her away from her husband, daughter and 2 sons ... so maybe she'd be down for a show focused on her family.

Not a chance! As Snooks put it, she's not trying to see her kids turn into the kinda "degenerate" she was on TV. Translation: Snooki Nicole's come a loooong way from being that chick who stumbled drunk on beaches, and got brutally knocked out in bars.

As for her costars -- she's not offering them any career advice, especially Ronnie Ortiz-Magro ... who, as we've reported, has a child custody war brewing with Jen Harley.

Come and listen to a story about a man named Lachlan ... a not-so-poor media mogul who bought a house for $150 MILLION!!!

That's right ... the L.A. estate known as Chartwell -- best known for being featured on "The Beverly Hillbillies" -- is off the market, and the mansion's new owner is Rupert Murdoch's son, 48-year-old Lachlan.

The real estate transaction is not only the most expensive in L.A. history but in the history of the entire state of California. And, get this ... it sold for $200 million LESS than the initial asking price.

Chartwell was listed off-market about 2 years ago at an astronomical $350 million but dropped to a slightly more affordable $245 mil when it entered the multiple listing service. The price dipped again to $195 mil this summer, before reportedly being sold to Lachlan for the cool $150 mil.

It's now the second priciest home sale in the U.S. ... trailing only the $238 million NYC penthouse purchased by hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin in January.

The exterior was used for the credits of the legendary '60s show ... and it's become a tourist destination ever since, where people peer through the gates to get a look. The estate boasts a 25,000-square-foot main house, a tennis court, a guest house, and of course -- a cement pond ... and another house to go with that.

There are also acres of gardens with tall hedges and trees for privacy.

BTW -- Chartwell is actually located in Bel-Air, not Beverly Hills, and was last owned by late billionaire A. Jerrold Perenchio, the chairman of Univision. The new owner is cochairman of his family's company, News Corp.

Billy Porter believes some of our most beloved stories need to change going forward to reflect changes in society, but he adds -- there's no need to cancel the original tales.

We got the "Pose" star in NYC -- who's set to step into the fairy godmother role in Disney's future, live-action "Cinderella" film -- and asked him about calling the reboot a movie "for the #MeToo era."

Billy tells us it's not a knock on the classic "Cinderella" or any of the other fairy-tales, it's just a statement about how things have evolved. He says it's time for remakes to reflect that.

As the Golden Globe-nominated actor puts it ... we're in a different place now.

For the first time in the history of 'Survivor' -- the long-running reality competition show -- a contestant's been kicked off for misconduct ... after already receiving a warning for his behavior.

Dan Spilo, a Hollywood producer and talent manager, was removed from the game with only days left for an undisclosed incident described as happening "off-camera."

At the end of Wednesday's episode -- after tribal council on 'Island of the Idols' -- host Jeff Probst came to the tribe's camp and informed everyone Dan was gone and wasn't coming back ... and wouldn't be serving on the jury.

As the show ended, a message read ... "Dan was removed from the game after a report of another incident, which happened off-camera and did not involve a player."

It's not too hard to read between the lines, though, because Spilo was involved in the most controversial episode of this season when he was accused by contestant Kellee Kim of inappropriate and unwanted touching.

Two other female contestants made similar claims, but later admitted they did it for gameplay and weren't actually offended by Dan.

However, he was seen touching Kellee on multiple occasions despite her apparent resistance, and was issued a warning by 'Survivor.' After Kim was voted out, Spilo apologized, saying ... "if anyone ever felt for a second uncomfortable about anything I’ve ever done, I’m horrified about that and I’m terribly sorry."

The final straw reportedly dropped after an immunity challenge, and involved someone on the crew as they were getting into a boat to leave. It's unclear exactly what happened during the incident, but it was enough to get him booted.