Comedy

Dave Chappelle getting an Emmy nomination for a stand-up special some call transphobic is emboldening the transgender community -- but not so much in the way you might think.

We spoke to Ashlee Marie Preston in L.A. to get her reaction to the comedian getting a Primetime Emmy nod for Netflix's "The Closer" -- which, as you know, was the subject of much controversy last year ... and even spurred Netflix employee walkouts in protest.

Preston -- who isn't a Netflix employee, but still helped organize the walkout -- tells us she and other members of the transgender and queer community have an action plan ... the details of which she's purposely keeping under wraps, but promises we'll see soon as a response.

Give the clip a watch ... it sounds like Ashlee and Co. are about to roll out a campaign or an announcement of sorts that advocates for LGBT-friendly content -- something she says the industry needs more of to help combat the POVs Dave expressed in "Closer," which she considers harmful.

Preston also tells us that instead of focusing on Chappelle ... she encourages anyone who supports their cause to turn their attention to Emmy nominees who help tell their story -- folks like Bowen Yang and others, who are also up for awards this year.

It's also interesting to hear Preston's approach this time around -- rather than being triggered and reacting in haste, she and her colleagues appear to be going about the response much more strategically.

A rambunctious emu that lives on a farm in Florida won't let his owner film any TikToks -- a hilarious back-and-forth that has taken the internet by storm ... and for good reason.

The bird's name is Emmanuel, a resident of Knuckle Bump Farms in South Florida -- where one of the workers, a female, has time and again tried educating the public about their animals and work there ... only to be interrupted by Emmanuel's long stride and fierce peck.

Check it out ... somebody got a little compilation together from the farm's TikTok account, and they may as well be Emmanuel's highlights -- because he steals the show every time.

The camera person gets pestered each time, scolding Emmanuel for once again foiling her plans to film an informative TikTok -- but you can tell it's part of the gag ... the real content is Emmanuel's antics, which are freaking gold.

Each time he walks by her phone, he seems dumbfounded by the device -- and goes in for a closer look, often knocking the entire thing down onto the ground and staring in. As the owner puts it, Emmanuel wakes up and chooses violence ... to her bewilderment.

BTW, it seems there are other animals at Knuckle Bump that like to be disrupters just as much as Emmanuel. There's Ellen, his apparent sister, and Princess the deer ... who bites.

Kim Kardashian has reunited with her boyfriend Pete Davidson ... flying thousands of miles to Australia to reunite after 4 weeks apart.

Kim took her insane private jet to Queensland ... where' Pete's been working on a flick called "Wizards!" with Orlando Bloom.

BTW ... this is what you get when you own a $100 million private jet -- you have all sorts of room to gussy yourself up before deplaning, 'cause she looked pretty spectacular walking down those stairs.

And, of course, the cadre of helpers, including an umbrella holder to shield her from the elements.

She's supposed to be there for just a few days, but it underscores the seriousness of the relationship. Who knows what will happen, but Pete's already unofficially part of the Kardashian brood ... even filming for their Hulu reality show.

Pete's film is a comedy, described by Deadline as "two hapless pothead beach-bar operators who run into trouble when they stumble across stolen loot that they really should have just left alone."

'[I'm] definitely a family guy. My favorite thing ever, which I have yet to achieve, is I want to have a kid. That's, like, my dream. Yeah and so it's, like, super corny," he told Kevin Hart in a teaser for his show "Hart to Heart" posted on Tuesday.

"It would be so fun dress up a little dude, like, or you know, like, you saw it's just, like, I'm so excited for, like, that chapter. So, like, that's kind of what I'm just preparing for now, is trying to be, like, as good of a dude and develop and get better so when that happens, it's just easier."

They've now been dating for at least 10 months, and maybe longer. He just dropped some news on Kevin Hart's show ... that he really wants kids. As you know, Kim has 4 ... unclear if she has designs to have more, but her mom had 6, so ....

Jenifer Lewis says her new star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame is the biggest award of her illustrious career ... and she loves it so much, you'll be able to find her there every day.

We got the "The Mother of Black Hollywood" author and "Black-ish" star Friday as she was leaving her ceremony and asked what her fixture on the Walk of Fame means to her.

Jenifer tells us the star is way more important than a trophy for a show or performance, because it's forever lasting.

Jenifer's got great company on the WoF -- her star is parked right next to Katharine Hepburn -- and she jokingly says she's going to sleep next to it every night and drive by every day, telling folks not to step on her good name.

On a more serious note, Jenifer tells us she's overwhelmed with appreciation for the career milestone -- recalling all the work, on camera and off, that went into getting to this point ... including taking care of her bipolar disorder.

Her famous friends showed her serious love at the ceremony ... including Brandy, director Debbie Allen, 'SNL' alum Vanessa Bayer, composer Marc Shaiman and former "Amen" star Roz Ryan.

T.I. has long been credited as a creator of trap music (his 2003 album is named after it), but now he says he's disavowing the thoughts and ideologies of his past occupations.

While speaking with Bill Bellamy for the opening of his "Top Billin’" podcast, T.I. revealed how his approach to making music had matured over the years and admits his music was written when he was 20, sounds like it was written by a 20-year-old!

Tip even joked -- he's a comedian after all -- about rising up in the ranks in street hustling … but no longer being able to brag about it on the résumé.

He said, "I get it … I respect it! Now, for me to go out here and continue to force those skills on the marketplace when I know I have no real stage to present these skills on, it's counterproductive."

The Atlanta rap legend first burst onto the scene at the top of 2000 with pure trap classic records such as “24” and “Be Easy,” but says adjustments had to be made.

His son Domani Harris, who is also a rapper, also pushes him in the direction of non-trap-raps.

T.I.'s last album, 2020’s "The L.I.B.R.A.," saw him playing with the balance of moving away from the trap, but the comedic stage -- where he's gotten cheers and boos -- has been his go-to outlet lately.

When we last spoke to the Trouble Man in April, he said he was taking his lumps on the laugh circuit in stride and learning to be a better performer.

Chris Rock's new relationship with actress Lake Bell is heading for new waters, quite literally ... the two are on a romantic trip overseas.

Chris and Lake were living it up in the town of Trogir in Croatia Tuesday ... holding hands as they walk along the boardwalk -- as massive yachts dock nearby. Unclear if the trip was for work, pleasure, or a combo of both ... but we're told the two were definitely enjoying each other's company.

We've seen the couple get pretty close as of late ... hitting up baseball games, getting dinner and even taking a nice romantic stroll on the beach.

We spoke with Chris' brother, Tony, at LAX this week, who jokingly told us he's happy his bro's love life is finally the talk of the town.

Pete Davidson has a new endorsement deal under his belt, one which actually centers on said area.

The comedian's starring in a new promo for Manscaped -- a male grooming company that specializes in rather sensitive spots. The ad is pretty funny ... it's a bunch of outtakes showing PD giving his freestyled pitch, which definitely doesn't seem to be scripted.

Among some of the lines -- "Surprise your girlfriend!" ... "Let's show them how hairless we could be, boys" ... "Presentation matters. Don't make me get specific, because I will."

And of course, a very direct one ... "Shave your d***. Shave it, baby." He ends by saying he's got a hot date, and that he's been using Manscaped long enough that he figured it's time to start going into business together.

On top of the money he's getting as the new face -- among other parts, as he puts it -- for the next four years, Pete's also struck a deal with Manscaped to become an actual shareholder ... so he clearly sees value in the brand.

This is PD's 6th sponsorship, at least ... he has others with Smartwater, H&M, Hellmann's, Calvin Klein and Moose Knuckles, if not more.

Chris Rock dating Lake Bell and grabbing headlines is a welcome sight for Tony Rock, who says this means his brother's finally made it ... on Hollywood's handsome list.

We got the comedian at LAX and asked him about Chris and Lake's new relationship, which appears to be growing more serious.

Tony says he's happy Chris' love life is finally the talk of the town -- joking, we think, that it means Chris is no longer being lumped in with the "ugly celebs."

It's pretty funny ... Tony says Chris dating a white actress means his bro must be extra handsome, because white girls usually don't dig them.

Hey, he's a comedian AND it's his brother ... he gets to make that joke.

As we've reported, Chris and Lake keep popping out in public together and look to be getting serious ... in the last few weeks, they hit up a baseball game, grabbed dinner together and took a romantic stroll along the beach.

Tony says things between Chris and Lake aren't to the point where they are introducing one another to relatives, but he's looking forward to meeting her.

Add father of the bride to Eddie Murphy's long list of accomplishments ... the actor took center stage on the dancefloor to share a dance with his daughter.

Bria Murphy and actor Michael Xavier tied the knot over the weekend in Beverly Hills, and Eddie not only proudly walked his kiddo down the aisle, but danced to "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder as their father and daughter song.

Things in the dance started off slow, but in true Eddie form, he got the crowd -- and Bria -- cracking up when the two separated and he pulled off some moves of his own.

Eddie attended the wedding with his fiancee Paige Butcher.

Jon Stewart would make a perfect Democratic presidential nominee in 2024 -- so says a publication knee-deep in political coverage ... but not everyone is so sure it's a good idea.

The one-time 'Daily Show' host was floated as someone who should seriously consider running for the highest office in the land, and as someone we should all consider as a viable contender -- this according to a Politico op-ed that's getting a lot of attention this weekend.

The piece is titled, "If Tucker Runs in 2024, Here's Who the Democrats Need." The article is supplemented by this Twitter caption ... "Joe Biden should run for president in 2024. But if he decides against it for whatever reason, Jon Stewart should run on the Democratic ticket instead. He's exactly the person they need."

The op-ed starts out with exactly that premise -- that JB oughta run, but a moment later ... they float the possibility he doesn't, and then deflect to Stewart as a good replacement.

The whole argument boils down to Jon being well-versed in politics -- even in a comedic setting -- and a great communicator, as we've seen on Capitol Hill and beyond. But, the centerpiece of this hypothetical is Fox News's Tucker Carlson ... who some think might run.

Neither one has gone on record as saying they're interested ... it's all just speculation and innuendo. But, if any of that materializes for one or the other, Politico seems to think these two would be a perfect matchup -- especially since they've faced off before ... a la "Crossfire."

As interesting as it might be to see Stewart throw his hat in the ring, many online are saying ... enough with celebs jumping in, and enough with trying to prop them up as options.

Many say that charisma alone isn't a good enough qualification for politics ... and that applies to both sides, with many pointing out what we just went through with 4 years of Donald Trump -- who, of course, was in showbiz for a long time before crossing over (and winning).

Interestingly enough, we asked Jon about the prospect of another celeb running for office ... and he didn't write it off, but didn't totally endorse it either. Time will tell if he dives in, or if this is yet another example of wishful thinking.

Comedian Andrew Schulz refused to bow down and censor his comedy special for Amazon, deciding to release it on his own, and the decision is already paying off to the tune of more than $1 million.

Schulz recently revealed honchos at a streaming service "freaked out" when they watched the material he wanted to include in his upcoming comedy special. We're told jokes in the project ranged from topics like Ted Bundy, abortion and Michael Jackson. Schulz claimed the honchos told him to remove the sensitive stuff, or they couldn't release it to users.

We've spoken to sources close to Schulz who tell us he was shopping the special to Amazon and Netflix -- Amazon bid the highest -- but then backed out after Schulz refused to remove the triggering content.

Now, Schulz has decided to self-release the special for fans through his website at $15 a ticket. We're told in the first day alone, he made $500,000 in sales and has made over $1 million in less than a week.

Our sources say the way tickets are selling, he'll make more than his deal with Amazon was in the first place.

We should note, he's partnered with Moment House to sell his tickets -- the same company behind Justin Bieber and Kygo shows -- and we're told he's already broken sales records.

Chris Rock isn't hiding his relationship with Lake Bell any longer -- the duo is out and about in L.A. for all to see ... and we gotta say, they look pretty good together!

The comedian and actress were hitting the town this weekend, popping up at Giorgio Baldi together in Santa Monica where they chowed down. And on Sunday, the couple grabbed a bite at Coast Restaurant in the same neighborhood ... dining with just the two of them.

We're told there was no obvious PDA here -- ditto for the Baldi outing, BTW -- but they certainly seemed to be flirty and in good spirits.

The fact we're seeing Chris and Lake all over the country together now suggests they're dating, and apparently serious. You'll recall ... they were recently spotted at a Cardinals game in St. Louis, where they were sitting in the same box trying to lay low.

As we noted then, both stars are currently single and fresh off long-term relationships. Even in the baseball game instance, though, they didn't appear to be truly hiding anything ... and now, the cat's outta the bag.

Russell Westbrook had the best Tuesday EVER -- because after he scored a $47 MILLION payday from the Lakers ... he celebrated with Kevin Hart at an L.A. hotspot!!

Russ opted into the final year of his Lakers contract early Tuesday morning -- making him richer than ever -- and hours later, he, Hart and some other buddies grabbed dinner at LAVO Ristorante, a swanky West Hollywood joint.

The two were in great spirits -- laughing and dappin' each other up outside of the eatery ... and while Russ didn't say too much, it's pretty clear he's fired up to be staying in L.A. for at least another year.

Of course, the 33-year-old's first year in Lakers purple and gold didn't go smoothly -- he was heckled daily over his play -- but he made it obvious with an impromptu Beyonce car karaoke sesh Tuesday morning that he's shaking all of that off in 2022-23.

BTW, no official word on who picked up the tab at Tuesday night's dinner ... but if we had to guess, something tells us it was probably Russ.

Westbrook and Hart have been tight for years -- remember, the duo were spotted out together right after the guard was traded to L.A. last year.

Bill Bellamy says he's being forced to make an impossible choice after the deaths of his father and father-in-law -- due to an "unauthorized" memorial service planned by his sister.

The comedian and actor's going through an incredibly painful period ... with his father-in-law dying May 17, and then his own dad passing on June 8.

That would be gut-wrenching enough, but TMZ has learned things got even worse. While Bill was out of the country ... we're told his sister, Karen, made plans to lay their father, William, to rest today, June 24 -- the same weekend Bill and his wife had already planned his father-in-law's service in a different state.

According to documents filed in New Jersey, Bill actually attempted to get a restraining order which would force Karen to change the date, but he was denied -- there really is no legal standing for a judge to get involved in this sort of family dispute.

The obvious rift with his sister has left Bill in an unenviable position. He tells TMZ ... "In the span of less than a month I lost both my father William Bellamy Senior and my father-in-law Bernard Baker Junior. These two wonderful men that have impacted my life and my family's lives in ways that are beyond words."

He continues, "My effort to stop an unauthorized memorial service for my father, which was planned without my knowledge, was not successful. I am devastated my family has to choose to miss one service for another, no one should ever have to be in this position. My father-in-law's memorial service was confirmed back in May when he passed.

There are no words to express how disappointed I am to not be a part of laying my father to rest but I look forward to celebrating my father's life and legacy with my wife, his grandchildren and our close friends in our own time.

David Spade seems moved by the Burger King employee who got a mediocre goodie bag in recognition of 27 years without missing work ... giving him money and making him laugh.

Kevin Ford, who went viral this week after showing off his company gifts, tells TMZ ... his daughter let him know someone named David Spade donated $5,000 to his GoFundMe, but he wasn't sure it was the comedian himself, until he checked his Instagram inbox.

David slid in Kevin's direct messages ... telling him to keep it up after 27 years on the job without a break, and even cracking a joke about waiting a few more years before finally taking a day off.

Kevin tells us he's a huge fan of David's, so to get a donation plus some fun back and forth with Spade is surreal.

With David's $5k donation, Kevin's GoFundMe has now raised over $30,000 ... with the money going to help him visit his daughters and grandkids in Texas. He also says he wants to use the dough to buy a new Ford hybrid.

Amy Schumer had to call it quits with Penn Badgley's wife, who was working as her doula while recovering from her C-section ... and looks had EVERYTHING to do with it.

Amy told the "You" star about firing his wife Domino Kirke on his podcast "Podcrushed" Tuesday ... she says qualifications weren't an issue here -- but she was like a goddess roaming her house, while Amy was feeling less than perfect.

A doula acts as a labor assistant for someone that's going through or just finished their pregnancy, providing emotional and physical support ... while it sounds like Domino did her job well, Amy just couldn't get over that perfect look.

She says the "floating siren" made her feel vulnerable after having her 1st kid ... and she couldn't stand melting to her touch for one second more. She admits she feels pretty bad about giving her the boot.

Amy and her husband Chris Fischer welcomed baby Gene in 2019 -- their first kid together. The comedian decided to document her entire experience through the docuseries, "Expecting Amy."