Comedy Central

Dave Chappelle just flexed his industry muscles big time -- he asked Netflix to pull his old Comedy Central sketch show from their service ... and they actually did.

The comedian broke the news Tuesday in a new stand-up segment he posted called 'Unforgiven' -- where, in front of a live audience, he talked about how he recently called up Netflix and told 'em how displeased he was that they were streaming 'Chappelle's Show.'

In his act, Dave recounts how it went down. Long story short, he says he has no say, rights or rights to revenue over the show -- it belongs to Comedy Central, which belongs to Viacom -- and that it's perfectly legal for Viacom to do what it wants with it since he signed a deal years ago. But, he also asks ... is that right?

Apparently, Dave posed that question to Netflix as well -- and the honchos either agreed with him, or just wanted to keep him happy. Either way, "Chappelle's Show" is off the platform ... something they didn't legally have to do.

It speaks to the relationship Dave shares with Netflix -- he's churned out special after special with them for a few years now ... which have been wildly successful.

Clearly, Netflix respects him enough to honor his wishes and to keep that partnership going. Dave forecasted his frustration about Netflix and HBO Max landing rights to stream 'Chappelle's Show' in his SNL monologue just earlier this month.

He made it clear then ... he didn't make a dime off the licensing deals, and worked the revelation into a bit about being bought and sold like a slave.

Just when Robert Kraft thought everyone had finally moved past his whole Asian massage parlor thing ... Robert De Niro put it right back in the spotlight with a joke at the Alec Baldwin 'Roast!'

De Niro was pretty funny at the Comedy Central event and closed with a zinger at Kraft's expense.

"Like Robert Kraft at a massage parlor, I want my Roast to have a happy ending," he told Baldwin before wrapping it up.

The crowd laughed. So did Baldwin. Guessing Mr. Kraft didn't find it so funny.

Other highlights from the 'Roast' ... De Niro threw a few jokes Caitlyn Jenner's way -- including this gem:

"Caitlyn Jenner. Now there's something different about you but I can't put my finger in it!"

Caitlyn shot back, "Yes, you can!!!" Good times ...

De Niro also went after Donald Trump ... telling the room:

"This is like that Moscow hotel room where a bunch of wh*res p*ssed all over Donald Trump."

There was more ... Jeff Ross killed. Blake Griffin was pretty great. Caroline Rhea was solid. And, Caitlyn Jenner brought the heat when it was her turn to roast.

Jeff Ross makes his living roasting others, and he says there's one person who stands above the rest when it comes to handling harsh jokes directed their way ... Caitlyn Jenner.

The RoastMaster General himself joined us on "TMZ Live" Tuesday to share some behind-the-scenes info from the Comedy Central 'Roast of Alec Baldwin' ... and Jeff says Caitlyn did a helluva job taking digs from Blake Griffin and others. BTW, she also dished out some jabs.

As you know ... Blake got huge laughs with jokes about Caitlyn's gender reassignment and thanking her -- on behalf of NBA players and rappers -- for giving Kendall and Kylie daddy issues. Don't forget, Blake and Kendall actually dated.

Jeff commends Caitlyn for being a great sport and shares an interesting little nugget about her history with celebrity roasts ... which might explain why she was totally down for this one.

More importantly, Jeff says Caitlyn being the first transgender person to appear on one of his celebrity roasts will have a social impact far beyond the laughs they had that night.

"On behalf of the entire NBA and half of the rappers on the Billboard charts, I want to thank you for giving your daughters their daddy issues!"

That's NBA superstar Blake Griffin giving it to Caitlyn Jenner at the Comedy Central "Roast of Alec Baldwin" -- proving absolutely nothing is off limits ... and it's all hilarious!

Blake and Caitlyn were on the dais for the show (which airs Sept. 15) -- and it's customary for roasters to go after each other in addition to burning the guest of honor.

What's interesting about this situation ... Blake famously dated Caitlyn's daughter, Kendall Jenner, beginning back in 2017 -- so it's not like the NBA star was going after a stranger.

Comedy Central only released a snippet of Blake's set -- but so far, so good.

Here's another joke ...

"Caitlyn completed her gender reassignment in 2017 ... finally confirming that no one in that family wants a white d*ck."

Stand-up comedian Brody Stevens was found dead Friday after an apparent suicide at his home in Los Angeles.

Law enforcement sources confirm to TMZ ... Brody was found hanging in his home Friday afternoon, shortly after 1 PM.

Brody -- who co-created his own Comedy Central series, "Brody Stevens: Enjoy It!" with his friend Zach Galifianakis -- had struggled with mental health issues in the past. He was hospitalized in 2011 after suffering a bipolar episode.

He was a mainstay at huge comedy events like the Montreal and Vancouver Comedy Festivals -- and just 2 days ago he was at the Festival of Friendship in Burbank.

Later that night he did a set -- which appears to have been his last -- at the famed Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.

Brody also had several roles in movies, such as "The Hangover" and "The Hangover II."

He was also an avid baseball fan. He pitched in college at Arizona State University until he suffered an elbow injury.

Reps for Brody tell us, "Brody was an inspiring voice who was a friend to many in the comedy community. He pushed creative boundaries and his passion for his work and his love of baseball were contagious. He was beloved by many and will be greatly missed."

We had a lot of fun run-ins with Brody over the years -- he always turned it on for our camera guys.

However, the last time we saw him, in 2018, we had a serious conversation with him about Kanye West and mental health.

Brody was 48.

12:33 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources confirm that Klepper was part of a group of 9 people who, just after 10 AM, interrupted a Board of Regents meeting with chanting. When asked to leave, the participants locked arms and refused.

They were all arrested and charged with criminal trespass.

11:54 AM PT -- A rep for Klepper confirms he was arrested while shooting a segment for his show. The rep says it's expected Jordan will be released tonight.

Comedian and former 'Daily Show' correspondent Jordan Klepper just got busted by cops in Atlanta during a protest to support undocumented students.

Klepper and several others disrupted a Board of Regents meeting at the state capitol. We're told Klepper and the others refused to leave the gathering ... so cops stepped in. Someone on scene tells us the comedian was shooting his documentary series, "Klepper," when the incident went down.

As for the protest ... we're told it was against a policy barring undocumented students from enrolling or working on campus.

A video taken from the protest shows Klepper and others locking hands as cops place demonstrators in handcuffs.

Jordan is the former host of Comedy Central's satirical late-night show, 'The Opposition,' which was canceled last summer after its first season. He's also appeared on almost 200 episodes of Comedy Central's 'Daily Show.'

We've reached out to a rep for Klepper ... so far, no word back.

Story developing ...

Dave Chappelle says R. Kelly and his "goons" bum-rushed him over his famous skit mocking the singer's urination video -- but Dave's sense of humor definitely saved the day.

The comic hopped onstage at the WeHo Improv Monday night with his friend and "Chappelle's Show" costar, Donnell Rawlings. Dave revealed Kelly and his crew approached him in Chicago -- during a Common concert -- and made it clear they were, umm ... pissed about his "Piss on You" skit.

Dave says things never got physical, but he says Kelly grilled him about the skit and asked how he could possibly have done such a thing.

The irony of that question was not lost on Dave, who had the most awesome and hilarious response. Check out the video ... classic story.

Chappelle also addressed some of the criticism he's faced in the wake of Lifetime's "Surviving R. Kelly" docuseries -- saying he wants comedians to call out things that are wrong with the world, period.

Trevor Noah added an incredible piece of property to his portfolio ... because we've learned he recently dropped a boatload of cash on a baller bachelor pad.

Our real estate sources confirm Trevor plunked down over $20 MILLION for a jaw-dropping estate in Bel-Air ... and the 'Daily Show' host quietly purchased the contemporary mansion through a blind trust.

Trevor's new digs, first reported by Yolanda's Little Black Book, are pretty insane. The two-level pad is a whopping 10,044 square feet, and it's surrounded by glass walls and wraparound terraces, giving Trevor some breathtaking views of L.A.

The 1.31-acre property sits on a hillside lot in western Bel-Air, on a quiet cul-de-sac ... but there's nothing quiet about Trevor's place. The master suite is massive -- we're talking 2,200 feet -- and we haven't even mentioned the home theater, infinity pool and the 500-gallon saltwater aquarium!!!

As if that's not enough for Trevor to entertain his guests ... there are 3 other bedrooms with unobstructed views, and one is an "ultra private VIP suite" with private entrance.

Mauricio Umansky and James Harris of The Agency listed the property -- and Jonah Wilson of Hilton & Hyland repped Trevor.

Congrats, Trev!

Jon Stewart came to the rescue of two stray goats found roaming the subway tracks of New York City this week by giving them a home at his animal rescue operation ... no joke!

The former 'Daily Show' host posted a video of himself Monday helping load up the sidetracked livestock, which were spotted by a train operator along the N line in Brooklyn. Cops were called and officers were able to safely tranquilize the animals to remove them.

No word on where exactly these two billy goats gruff came from -- or where the third one might be -- but Stewart stepped in to offer them a place to stay -- his Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, NY, which he owns with his wife. He also saved a runaway cow a couple years back.

Blake Griffin and Jeff Ross went scorched earth on each other during their 'Roast Battle' over the weekend ... with gay jokes, Kardashian jokes -- and even Clippers jokes.

It all went down at The Fonda Theater in L.A. -- where the stars declared comedic war on each other for the Comedy Central show ... and neither one pulled any punches.

Some of the highlights ...

Blake attacks Jeff's weight:

"The only way you could get inside of a gym is if you literally f**ked a guy named Jim."

Jeff attacks Blake's new team, the Detroit Pistons:

"Blake, good luck in Detroit ... you know what, I think you're just white enough not to get shot by the cops. But, be careful because you're now the worst shooter in the most violent city in America."

Blake attacks Jeff's hair:

"Jeff ... you're such a bald piece of sh*t. It honestly looks like we both got f**ked over by the Clippers."

Jeff attacks Blake's breakup with Kendall Jenner:

Dennis Rodman went nuclear on Bruce Willis at the Comedy Central roast -- and he used his friend, Kim Jong-un, as a punchline.

Everyone knows how seriously Rodman has taken his relationship with the North Korean dictator over the years -- but, when Dennis took the stage, he targeted Bruce with a bomb joke.

"Bruce, you keep making these f*cking bombs. Well, guess what ... so does Kim Jong-un. But at least Kim is smart enough not to release his."

It wasn't the only time Rodman referenced his dealings with North Korea -- he also told Martha Stewart the next time she gets locked up, he can help secure her release.

Dennis also dropped some penis, vagina and stripper jokes ... and praised Ed Norton for banging Salma Hayek.

Demi Moore trolled the hell outta Bruce Willis with a Harvey Weinstein joke at his 'Roast' that might have some people asking ... too soon?

The actress made a surprise appearance at her ex-husband's "Comedy Central Roast" -- which aired Sunday night -- and joked Bruce was one of the disgraced studio mogul's victims.

The setup started with Demi giving Bruce props for doing an Indie movie, "Pulp Fiction," which happened to be produced by Weinstein. Then came the punch line ... which drew laughs, but also shock from others onstage -- Kevin Pollak winced and Cybill Shepherd's jaw literally dropped.

Chris Hardwick's been scrubbed from the Nerdist website he founded after accusations of emotional and sexual abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Chloe Dykstra, seem to clearly implicate him.

Legendary Entertainment removed all references to Hardwick on the site Friday and says he no longer has any affiliation with the company since his contract expired in 2017.

This comes on the heels of an explosive essay by Dykstra -- who dated Hardwick from 2012 to 2014 -- in which she reveals she was forced to have sex with and follow strict rules made by a man 20 years older than her with whom she was in a relationship.

She does not name Hardwick, but says this man went from being a "podcaster to a powerhouse CEO of his own company." Hardwick is almost 20 years older than Dykstra and is the founder of Nerdist Industries ... and the timeline laid out in her essay also matched up with her relationship with him.

Dykstra alleges the man she dated didn't allow her to go out at night without him, didn't allow her to have male friends and told her she couldn't drink because he was sober. She says, "I would try to sleep in as late as possible so my days were shorter. I stopped listening to music entirely. I ceased to be. I was an ex-person."

In her essay, Dykstra also claims she was regularly pressured into sex against her will for fear of upsetting or losing the man, and after she finally left him ... her career was railroaded by him and she was blacklisted at age 25.

Tracy Morgan sticks to his O.G. status on and off camera, especially when he hears his hit new show just got picked up for a new season ... queue LL Cool J slaps.

We got Tracy Monday arriving to the 'Daily Show' set in NYC, where he was scheduled to appear as one of Trevor Noah's guests. He also happened to show up hours after the news broke that his TBS comedy, "The Last O.G.," had gotten picked up for a second season.

Call us crazy, but it sounds like Tracy knew his character, Tray, was coming back -- 'cause he was blasting LL's 2004 single, "Headsprung," out of his Rolls-Royce, which is nothing short of a party anthem. He also had on the biggest damn chain in the world.

Dane Cook is still gettin' it ... canoodling with his hot, 19-year-old girlfriend on the shores of Hawaii.

The 45-year-old actor/comic revealed last month he was dating Kelsi Taylor. She's in show biz too ... trying to make it big as a singer and an actress.

They've been together for awhile ... it's their second trip to Hawaii. They made the trek last July.

This time around they vacationed with 3 friends on the island of Maui ... arriving in a private jet.

BTW ... Dane's never been hitched before and has no kids. He does, however, have a dog, Chopper, so we're guessing Kelsi must love dogs.