Comedy

Dave Chappelle's raging at local politicians -- who he calls "clowns" -- in his Ohio hometown over a proposed housing development, and after threatening to nix his own biz there ... he's won a small victory.

The Yellow Springs Village Council voted this week to approve a 53-acre residential housing plan. That vote came after a Monday evening council meeting where the public was invited to comment and Dave came in with guns blazing.

He told the council, in no uncertain terms, he did NOT want them to move forward with the project, and he said he'd pull his own business venture -- a planned restaurant/comedy club called the Firehouse Eatery -- out of Yellow Springs.

Dave said he isn’t bluffing, and hurled some choice insults while he was at it.

So, although the council approved the development, it rejected a part of the plan that included affordable housing. There are reports Dave opposed that specific part of the development, but his rep Carla Sims tells TMZ ... "Dave Chappelle didn't kill affordable housing. Concerned residents and a responding Village Council 'killed' a half-baked plan which never actually offered affordable housing."

She flat out says Dave is not opposed to affordable housing, but he is against the "poorly vetted, cookie-cutter, sprawl-style development deal." She also claims the proposed residential development was only reserving 3 out of 143 lots for "future" affordable housing.

The real issue for Dave -- who frequently speaks out at village discussions -- is he, and many other locals, don't want their rural village to turn into a bustling suburb.

Bob Saget did not die of a heart attack or a stroke -- which authorities believed was the case -- we've learned the cause of death was more shocking and tragic.

Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... after checking into the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Orlando on January 9, he hit his head on something. We're told authorities don't know what object he hit -- possibly the headboard -- but there was an obvious bruise on the back of his head.

Authorities believe Bob did not know the severity of the injury and got under the covers and went to sleep. We're told he never woke up and died from a brain bleed.

We're also told the toxicology report has come back and there were no narcotics or alcohol in his system.

TMZ broke the story ... Bob had just finished a gig at a comedy club in Jacksonville, Florida and then drove to the Ritz in Orlando ... arriving there just after 2 AM. His body was discovered in the room by hotel security at 4 PM.

UPDATE:  We just got a statement from Bob's family ... "Now that we have the final conclusions from the authorities' investigation, we felt it only proper that the fans hear those conclusions directly from us. The authorities have determined that Bob passed away from head trauma. They have concluded that he accidentally hit the back of his head on something, thought nothing of it and went to sleep. No drugs or alcohol were involved."

David Spade just got a lot richer -- not that he needs the loot -- because he flipped his longtime Beverly Hills mansion and cashed in at $19.5 mil ... TMZ has learned.

For context ... David plunked down $4 million for the 4 bedroom, 7 bathroom home back in 2001, and you know what's happened to the housing market since then. True, he made a bunch of renovations, but still ...

The house is located in the super-exclusive Trousdale Estates in Bev Hills. A ton of stars make Trousdale their home, including Elton John, Ringo Starr and Charlie Puth. Among those who once lived there but are no longer living ...  Elvis Presley, Ray Charles and President Nixon.

The house is 6,426-sq ft ...  with sweeping, jetliner views from downtown L.A. to the blue Pacific

There are a bunch of bells and whistles, including a tennis court and an entertainment lounge.

Outside of its impressive looks, the mansion has a cool pedigree ... Prince, Eddie Murphy and Warren Beatty all lived there ... no, not all at once.

D.S. listed the house last month with Stuart Vetterick of Hilton & Hyland for $20 million, so it sold for just a skosh under asking.

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.”

Here's the moment Heather McDonald suddenly collapsed in the middle of her comedy set ... and the video looks, and sounds, painful.

The comedian just addressed the moment she fainted onstage during a sold-out show in Tempe, AZ ... sharing talking about the incident Tuesday on her podcast, "Juicy Scoop." We've received video from the segment showing the scary situation.

As you can see, Heather is just finishing up a joke when she collapses to the floor.

Heather says she's still not sure why it happened ... though she says she didn't eat before her weekend set and only drank half a Red Bull and some water. Heather also shot down rumors someone might have spiked her drink.

TMZ broke the story ... Heather fell hard onstage and hit her head, suffering a skull fracture.

Heather says she got a cat scan and a battery of other tests, all of which she says came back totally normal.

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."

Comedian Heather McDonald fell hard during a show in Tempe, Arizona, but it was no joke ... it was a medical emergency.

Eyewitnesses tell TMZ ... the former "Chelsea Lately" star was headlining the sold-out show, when she delivered her second joke ... "I'm vaxxed, double vaxxed, boosted ... and flu shot and shingle shot and haven't gotten COVID and Jesus loves me most."

As soon as she delivered the joke, she just collapsed and hit her head on the floor. Everyone thought at first it was all part of the act, but it was not. She was conscious, but clearly, all was not well. An EMT and a nurse happened to be in the audience ... they rushed up on stage to provide first aid.

The 911 call came in as a seizure, but no one really knows yet. An ambulance came and paramedics tended to Heather.

Heather tells TMZ ... she felt somewhat dizzy when she was on stage and then just collapsed. She says it's never happened to her before.

She passed on the ambulance ... she says her sister-in-law -- who was in the audience -- took her to the hospital.

Heather says she got a cat scan as well as other tests, but so far it's unclear what caused her to faint. She says her head really hurts and she's very tired.

Ever the trooper, she says she feels horrible about abruptly ending the show.

Heather tells us she never had COVID and, as she said in her set, she's fully vaxxed and boosted.

We wish her well.

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!

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.

This is pretty awesome ... Cher is part of the upcoming tribute to Betty White, delivering a fantastic version of "Thank You for Being a Friend."

Cher shared a clip of the "Golden Girls" theme song, which she recorded on the same sound stage where the show was shot.

She'll be part of the tribute, which will air Monday, and the list of celebs who will appear is stunning ... President Biden, Drew Barrymore, Valerie Bertinelli, Bryan Cranston, Ted Danson, Ellen DeGeneres, Jimmy Fallon, Tina Fey, Ana Gasteyer, Goldie Hawn, Vicki Lawrence, Jane Leeves, Jay Leno, Anthony Mackie, Wendie Malick, Joel McHale, Tracy Morgan, Jean Smart, Mary Steenburgen and that's not even a complete list!

TMZ broke the story ... Betty died just days before what would have been her 100th birthday. As we reported, she had a stroke 6 days before, which lead to her death.

Rob Riggle claims his estranged wife kept a watchful eye on him during their divorce, by secretly recording him with a hidden camera planted in his home ... and now he's suing.

According to a new lawsuit, obtained by TMZ, Rob says he started to feel as if he was being watched shortly before his wife, Tiffany, filed for divorce.

In the docs, Rob claims the couple was trying to save their marriage by "nesting" -- staying in separate homes and taking turns living with the kids in the family home -- and he got the sense Tiffany was surveilling him because she seemed to have info about his whereabouts and private messages.

Rob claims he discovered a substantial amount of money missing from a lockbox in his home office shortly after Tiffany filed for divorce ... and he says he confronted her about it because she had access to the home, but claims she denied knowing anything about the missing cash.

Not long after, Rob claims Tiffany hacked into his Apple account and downloaded his texts, contacts, photos and emails ... and then he says things got even more disturbing.

Rob claims Tiffany somehow had knowledge of private conversations he'd had in his home with his girlfriend and assistant, and Tiffany -- or other anonymous sources -- would email or text them referencing the private convos.

As a result of the alleged leaks, Rob claims he and his GF devised a misinformation scheme, planting false info to test whether any of it would leak out ... and he claims his suspicions were confirmed.

According to the suit, Rob had his home electronically swept for devices ... and he claims a hidden spy camera was discovered in a smoke detector above his desk in his home office.

Rob says the device had a memory card with over 10,000 videos with sound on it, and the device appeared to be installed in August 2020 and was transmitting or recording all video and voice activity in the home for at least 7 months.

What's more, Rob claims there is an image on the device showing Tiffany standing on a ladder and installing the spy camera, plus another showing her sitting on the floor of his home office counting cash, which he thinks is the missing money from the lockbox.

Rob's going after Tiffany for damages ... and he wants an injunction barring her from recording him and forcing her to turn over all recordings and copies.

Peter Dinklage thinks ‘Snow White’ has a little person problem, and while Brad Willams doesn’t disagree ... he does have some suggestions on how to make it work.

We talked to the comedian/actor -- who was born with dwarfism himself -- and he gave us his take on Dinklage ripping Disney for what he sees as a fundamental issue with the story of SW and its depiction of dwarfs.

Check it out ... Brad says he isn’t here to refute Pete one iota, because he actually concurs ... ‘Snow White’ is problematic as it stands. However, he hits us with some solutions on how to make it even more progressive than what Disney’s done so far in the casting ... i.e. Rachel Zegler, a Latina, in the title role.

In Brad’s happily ever after, the princess actually ends up with one of the cottage dwellers!!! Watch ... he rattles off some impressive reasons for Happy and co. to play love interests for Snow. Yes, stand-up is Brad's thing, but we think he's only half joking here and makes some solid points. His way, everyone wins ... at least that’s how BW sees it.

On a more serious note, Brad discusses how Hollywood needs to do a better job for little people in the biz, noting that Dinklage is NOT killing roles for other actor’s by saying what he said. That responsibility, Brad argues, ultimately lies with producers and writers ... who should look to be more inclusive in their scripts.

One last thing ... Disney has come out and said it's going a different route with the 7 dwarfs for the upcoming film, one which they say won’t harp on stereotypes the OG animated feature played up.

Tiffany Haddish is laughing off her DUI -- well, sorta ... let's just say she's taking it in stride.

The comedian gave a little insight into what happened -- from her perspective, anyway -- during an appearance Monday on the 'Tonight Show' with Jimmy Fallon, to whom she described her Georgia bust with some humor to spare.

Jimmy asked if she was willing to talk about it, and sure enough, Tiffany was ... starting out the story by saying she'd been asking God for a new man in her life. Well, he answered her prayers, it seems, but might've overcompensated ... 'cause TH says she got more than she bargained for.

Instead of one man, Tiff says she was blessed with 4 ... and they were all in uniform -- which got a chuckle out of Fallon and the audience. She then says she's got a good lawyer and they're dealing with the sitch now, without elaborating much more about it.

TMZ broke the story ... Tiffany was arrested earlier this month when local residents in Peachtree City reported a driver who’d apparently fallen asleep on the side of the road. Cops eventually tracked down Tiffany's car, where they eventually got her in cuffs ... suspecting she'd been smoking weed. She was booked for DUI and improper stopping on a roadway.

'SNL' took aim at itself Saturday night, poking fun at Pete Davidson and Colin Jost for sinking several hundred thousand dollars into a boat ... and it was hilarious.

It started with Alex Moffat bellying up to the anchor desk, playing his character, "Guy who Just Bought a Boat." Moffat then turned things by intro'ing Pete Davidson as "Guy Who Just Bought a Ferry."

Pete was funny, telling Colin, "We’re boat people now, Colin. I mean, you always were. You look like you own the yacht they rent out for rap videos."

Then, giving a little clue about how this all went down, Colin responded, "It’s very exciting. We thought the whole thing through."

As we reported, Pete and Colin just bought the John F. Kennedy at auction ... it was part of the Staten Island Ferry fleet. They ponied up $280,000 for the vessel, and plan to rehab it ... then turn it into a club that will be docked somewhere in NYC.

Byron Allen says losing Louie Anderson so closely on the heels of Bob Saget's death is a tremendous gut punch to comedians ... who were more like family than co-workers.

The TV mogul, who bonded with Louie over several decades, joined us on "TMZ Live" to take us behind the scenes of their most recent gig together ... the Byron-produced game show, "Funny You Should Ask."

Byron says Louie lived to make everyone laugh -- even when cameras weren't rolling -- and always preached kindness above all else.

There was one thing that especially stood out for Byron, though... he says every time they wrapped up their show, Louie would give him a hug and say "I love you. He would say goodbye to us as if it was the last time we were going to see him."

As we reported, Anderson died Friday morning after battling lymphoma -- and Byron explained why we've heard so many celebs -- especially comedians -- gushing about Louie and Bob.

He told us they're a tight-knit group, really a family, because they all came up together -- more than 40 years ago -- when no one knew their names.

Louie Anderson's death has one of his comedy peers remembering what's now an incredibly poignant moment ... when Louie and Bob Saget came together with their friend Gilbert Gottfried.

All 3 comedians posed together in a photo Gilbert posted Friday morning ... reacting to the loss of both men in such a short period. Gilbert said, "This photo is very sad now. RIP Bob Saget and RIP Louie Anderson. Both good friends that will be missed."

It's unclear where and when they snapped the shot -- which shows Bob holding up a phone to take a selfie with his pals. Very meta.

As we reported, Louie passed away Friday morning in Las Vegas, where he'd been battling lymphoma. Bob died on Jan. 9 in his Orlando hotel room ... a few hours after doing standup in Jacksonville.

Louie actually appeared on Bob's podcast last May, and they shared some old stories from their gigs at L.A.'s legendary venue, The Comedy Store.