Comedy

Will Smith has spoken out on camera for the first time over slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars, and he clearly feels a lot of shame and remorse.

Smith posted his mea culpa on Facebook, answering questions from fans about the moment that shocked millions of people.

Smith says he didn't go ballistic because Jada Pinkett Smith rolled her eyes at Rock's joke ... he says he did it on his own because he felt the joke was insulting and disrespectful. He also made it clear ... he and Chris Rock had 'history," and clearly not in a good way.

Smith said he has suffered trauma, primarily for disappointing his fans and others, saying "I didn't live up to people's image and impression of me."

As for why he didn't apologize to Chris, he says he reached out but Chris wasn't ready to talk to him, but he apologized in the new video.  The 2 haven't spoken since the Oscars.

He went on to say ... "I am human and I made a mistake and I'm trying not to think of myself as a piece of s**t."

As for his former good friend Tony Rock, Chris' brother, Will apologized to him and conceded the damage done is probably "irreparable."

Jeff Ross isn't surprised -- isn't surprised at all -- at Jon Stewart's overflowing emotion after the Senate turned thumbs down on a critical bill to help our veterans ... because he says comedians feel pain more than most.

We got Jeff Thursday in Bev Hills at Judi's Deli ... and he could not have been more supportive of his fellow comedian. Part of Jeff's admiration seems to be rooted in Jon's character, but there's also the DNA of comedians ... to feel and project not just their own pain but the pain of others.

Jeff says he's totally down with Jon running for President in 2024 -- something that's kinda become a thing online and elsewhere ... despite Jon flatly rejecting the idea.

Nonetheless, it seems that Jeff thinks lobbying Jon to run wouldn't be a bad idea.

Comedian Lil Duval was in no joking mood Tuesday night ... he got into a car accident in the Bahamas and had to be airlifted to a hospital.

Duval, who's a regular on MTV's 'Guy Code' and VH1's 'Hip Hop Squares', posted a video to IG, showing himself covered in bandages and strapped to a gurney as he's wheeled out of an ambulance onto an airstrip.

Medical personnel tended to LD before he was lifted into a small plane. The video ends with LD lying on the stretcher while flying over the Bahamas at night.

Several hours ago, LD gave a brief update to his 3.8 million IG followers, saying he was hit by a car while riding his 4-wheeler. "Now my leg broke and i gotta get flown over to nassau and have surgery."

Duval is also a rapper who has worked with Snoop Dogg and T.I.

T.I. responded online to the bad news, sending his well wishes, "Maaaaaan I'm gon pray that you get well first. Then find it in yo heart to sitcho old ass down somewhere & rest big bro.... Amen [praying hands emoji]."

2 Chainz, Bun B, Angela Simmons, Jamie Foxx, Michael Blackson and other celebs also showed support for LD and hoped for a speedy recovery.

We've reached out to LD's reps and the police for information on his condition ... so far no word back.

Dave Chappelle recently hit a minor setback when protestors essentially forced his Minneapolis show to switch venues -- but Fat Joe thinks Dave's critics should realize he's an equal opportunity offender.

We caught up with the Don Cartagena Monday in NYC on Monday, and he said comedians like Dave Chappelle always intend for their jokes to hit the funny bones without striking emotional nerves. He also feels Dave tells jokes about everyone, not one particular group more than another.

Call it a game of Comedy Operation ... Joe acknowledges there are sensitive subjects to address -- especially within the LGBTQ+ community -- but he feels laughter is the best medicine for most issues.

Minnesota protestors, particularly angry over Dave's Netflix special lineage, successfully thwarted the comedic legend from doing his show at First Avenue, forcing him to move to a new venue with just a few hours notice. Joe wishes those angry about Dave would understand love outweighs hate when it comes to comedy.

Dave Chappelle doesn't usually open for people, but he did on Saturday when he warmed up the crowd -- yeah, more like supercharged the crowd -- for Chris Rock and Kevin Hart.

It was a huge surprise to all over at Madison Square Garden in NYC ... Dave just came out on stage, cig in hand with no intro. He walked out to Radiohead's "Karma Police" and then talked extensively about cancel culture ... and the crowd ate it up.

There was an oblique reference to the venue that canceled his performance in Minneapolis a few days ago after protests erupted. Dave said, "Had to sneak my way in here," adding, "despite what you may have read about in the news, I’m okay, and I appreciate the support."

He wasn't just up on stage for a few minutes either ... it was a traditional opening set, which lasted more than 20 minutes. Dave talked about getting tackled at the Hollywood bowl, suggesting his bodyguards were slow on the uptake because they were wearing dress shoes ... grousing they were "sliding all over the place like at a bowling alley."

He made it clear ... he was pissed at news outlets that called the attack "alleged" ... it was, after all, captured on video.

As for his attacker's punishment, Dave said he hopes the guy gets monkeypox behind bars, adding, "not that he should die, but his ass should itch for four to six weeks."

When it was Chris Rock and Kevin Hart's turn, they killed for an hour, both referencing Will Smith several times. Chris also mocked cancel culture, saying, "Anyone who says words hurt has never been punched in the face."

Bill Maher misses the days of old -- especially when it comes to James Bond ... whom he says has gone soft and mushy in the Daniel Craig era, going so far as to call him "woke."

The 'Real Time' host dished his thoughts on the fictional spy character during the most recent episode of his podcast, "Club Random with Bill Maher," where he was chatting with YouTuber Hannah Stocking about how he feels Bond has changed ... for the worse.

Watch ... Bill says they've turned 007 into a watered-down stud, who's deeply in love and in a committed relationship in this last installment, "No Time to Die" -- which BM says is so unlike Bond and counterintuitive to the spirit of the OG character by author Ian Fleming.

To make his point, he recalls when Denise Richards starred in "The World Is Not Enough" -- Pierce Brosnan's 2nd-to-last go-around -- and killed it by playing a hottie scientist/the love interest.

It's unclear if Bill's suggesting that actress Lea Seydoux, who's Craig's GF in the last two flicks, *isn't* hot -- because that's just wrong, she totally is -- or if his beef is more so with the dynamic in these newer Bond movies ... aka, lovey-dovey. In any case, he doesn't dig it.

Bill even says Bond bringing his gal (and their kid) along for the climactic mission at the end is super weird -- joking the MI6 agent might as well have stopped off for tampons.

Of course, not everyone agrees with Bill's take -- there are a lot of folks who actually like how Bond has progressed over these past several years ... with some saying he's perhaps more fleshed-out, complex and interesting than any other iteration before this.

Jo Koy says he's back in the friend zone with Chelsea Handler after their split ... but he's still got love for his ex.

We got the comedian at LAX on Thursday and asked him about his recent split from Chelsea, which came just shy of one year of dating.

Jo tells our photog everything is good between him and Chelsea despite the breakup ... he says they remain great friends.

As we reported ... sources close to the former couple tell us their busy schedules weren't allowing them to spend enough time together to sustain a romantic relationship.

Jo is still promoting his upcoming movie, "Easter Sunday," while Chelsea's about to launch a comedy tour ... he says he's just concentrating on the film and isn't entertaining the idea of jumping back into the dating pool.

Tristan Thompson was put on BLAST at the ESPY Awards by Lil Rel Howery, as he told one Olympian with a Kardashian-sounding name to steer clear of the guy.

The ESPYs were full of laughs from athletes Wednesday night at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, and Lil Rel didn't hold back when he got on mic and congratulated snowboarder and 2-time Olympic gold medalist, Chloe Kim.

He says he knew she'd be successful just because her first and last names are the same as 2 of the Kardashians ... he gave her some advice, too -- "Watch out for them Tristans, that's all I got to say."

The crowd burst into laughter, as he responded, "Yeah I said it! Y'all thinkin' it," obviously referring to the guy's cheating streak.

Lil Rel's callout comes as Tristan and Khloe Kardashian await the imminent birth of their newest addition -- although it may have already happened. TMZ broke the story around the same time the basketball player was in Greece partying it up.

Dave Chappelle has been weirdly canceled by a Minnesota concert venue where he was scheduled to perform Wednesday night ... after social media went on the attack.

The comedian was supposed to take the stage Wednesday at First Avenue, a famous venue in downtown Minneapolis, but hours before his sold-out performance they announced his show was scrapped.

Chappelle's show was announced Monday, and tickets sold out Tuesday in 5 minutes ... but some folks flooded social media, voicing displeasure with First Avenue hosting Dave, because of his controversial Netflix special.

First Ave says they heard the backlash and did an about-face, explaining they let folks down by not holding themselves to the "highest standards." The venue says it's a safe space and lost sight of the impact a Chappelle show would create.

One of the comments on social media ... "Announced 24 hours in advance because y'all KNOW what you're platforming and simply continue to be money chasing cowards."

What's weird ... the venue had to know about Dave's special and subsequent appearances, and the controversy it all generated.

Dave will still take the stage Wednesday in Minneapolis, just not at First Ave ... the venue says his show is being moved to the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown.

Chappelle has two more performances scheduled at Varsity Theater on Thursday and Friday ... so it will be interesting to see how his week plays out.

Desus and Mero’s Showtime series’ untimely demise put the spotlight on internal negative intentions … at least that's Charlamagne Tha God's take as he digests the surprising news.

Charlamagne pointed out how numerous outlets rushed to cover the breakup in spite of D&M’s 6-year TV run on Showtime and Vice ... and blamed the “culture” for rushing to highlight failure over success.

The Breakfast Club host didn’t specify which culture he was referring to, but D&M’s brand intersected the worlds of music, movies, comics and ... generally speaking, all things NYC.

The show’s official Twitter account closed the curtain Monday on Desus and Mero’s run -- all but citing the irreconcilable differences fans suspect behind the split.

Chelsea Handler and Jo Koy are pumping the breaks on their romantic relationship after nearly one year of dating … TMZ has learned.

Sources close to the former couple tell us the two decided to mutually part ways nearly a month ago, just before Handler guest hosted 'Jimmy Kimmel Live.'

Our sources tell us with Handler gearing up to head out on a comedy tour for the remainder of the year and Koy being in L.A., promoting his upcoming film, “Easter Sunday” their professional schedules recently were not allowing them to spend as much time together as needed for the relationship to work.

We’re told it’s unclear if the two will get back together as a couple, however, their inner circle is hopeful it will happen after their busy schedules calm down.

The couple, who went Instagram official in September 2021, haven’t posted with each other in over a month.

Speculation the couple was first linked romantically began around June 2021 when Handler posted videos hanging out with Koy on her social media.

"The Office" star Craig Robinson had to pull the plug on his comedy show moments before going on stage, after a gunman began shooting inside the comedy club.

Gunshots rang out at around 9 PM Saturday night at the Comedy Zone in North Carolina ... and Craig's fans beelined it out for safety.

The gunman flashed his gun as he entered the venue and, demanded that everyone leave, and according to cops, then fired at least one round. Thankfully no one was injured.

Robinson left the venue as well, and headed over to the Metro Credit Union Amphitheater where Big Time Rush was mid-concert. The Amphitheater is a stone's throw from the comedy club.

Craig says, "I’m safe. I’m cool. It was wild I was in the green room and they’re like ‘everybody get out!’ It was a moment for sure."

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.