Comedy

Xavier Lopez -- aka, 'Chabelo,' who'd been on Mexican and Latin American families' TV screens for decades, providing laughs and entertainment -- has died.

The legendary comic and actor, famous for dressing up as a little kid and starring in a number of sketch and comedy shows, passed away Saturday ... which was first announced by the President of Mexico, no less -- Andrés Manuel López Obrador -- on Twitter.

He wrote (in Spanish), "Hugs to family and friends for the death of Xavier López "Chabelo". How can I forget that my eldest son woke up early to see him over 40 years ago."

Chabelo's Facebook page went into more detail about how exactly he died with a message from his family, noting there were abdominal complications he was dealing with -- which they say took his life suddenly. It's unclear what sort of illness he may have been battling.

In any case, the post goes on to say this ... "With a torn soul and knowing that many and many people have loved him for many years and that they will feel his departure, we ask you to pray for his rest and give us the opportunity to spend in peace the mourning that overwhelms our entire family."

Chabelo was well-known in Spanish-speaking households -- not just in Mexico, where he lived and worked, but here in the States as well ... as his content was a staple for early morning children's programming. His most famous contribution might be his long-running variety show, "En Familia con Chabelo." He played the host -- in character as a little kid named Chabelo, dressed in childlike overalls, etc. -- and would play games, do interviews and more.

The fact this show, in particular, ran for so long (1968-2012) uninterrupted with him as the host actually won a couple Guinness World Records -- one for Longest Career as a Children’s Television Host and another for playing the Chabelo character in general (57 years).

Other hit shows he helped spearhead and star in include ... "La carabina de Ambrosio," "La Güereja y algo más," "La escuelita VIP," "La familia P. Luche," and many, many others.

Chabelo is credited with creating a whole subgenre of comedy in Latin America ... namely, adults portraying themselves as kids -- which has been done time and again over the years. This guy's the original ... and his passing is akin to losing someone like Fred Rogers.

He's survived by his wife and children. Chabelo was 88.

Kanye West says he's done a 180 on his views about Jewish people and is no longer an antisemite -- thanks to actor Jonah Hill.

The rapper took to Instagram Friday night to announce that he was watching the 2012 film, "21 Jump Street," starring Hill and Channing Tatum, when he had his epiphany about the Jewish race.

Kanye said, "Watching Jonah Hill in 21 jump street made me like Jewish people again. No one should take anger against one or two individuals and transform that into hatred towards millions of innocent people."

He continued, "No Christian can be labeled antisemite knowing Jesus is Jew. Thank you Jonah Hill. I love you."

Kanye's statements are hard to swallow, given his recent professed love for Hitler. He went on a prolonged, scorched earth campaign against Jews as he alluded to issues he had with some execs in the music biz.

And, it was all very ugly. Kanye went on "Infowars" hosted by conspiracy nut Alex Jones and praised Hitler and the Nazis. Ye also hung out with white nationalist Nick Fuentes and the two even flew to Mar-a-Lago for an infamous dinner hosted by Donald Trump.

During an interview with Piers Morgan, Kanye doubled down on his antisemitic remarks, but clarified that he was only referring to Jews who had done him wrong. This was in reference to an earlier remark he made about going "death con 3" on Jews. Again, hardcore antisemite.

His comments led to a crushing downfall. Kanye became a pariah of sorts within Hollywood and the music industry. His close friends dropped him like a bad habit. And he lost major business deals with Adidas and Balenciaga.

He also had his honorary college degree ripped from him by the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. A watchdog group called StopAntisemitism named Kanye "Antisemite of the Year" in 2022.

Adam Sandler is the latest to receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor -- which got just about every comedian to D.C., including Chris Rock, who dropped some new, timely Donald Trump material.

Sandler was on hand Sunday to get the prestigious award at the Kennedy Center ... with a packed house of celebs and politicians watching and joining the celebration. Some of the A-listers included Ben Stiller, Dana Carvey, David Spade, Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Conan O'Brien, Steve Buscemi and more.

A lot of people got on the mic to sing the legendary comic/actor's praises -- including Drew and Steve -- highlighting his epic 'SNL' tenure and his prolific career in Hollywood. But, the recipient himself got major laughs during his acceptance speech ... he joked he was worried the award "might be the weapon used to bludgeon me to death."

One person who sorta stole the spotlight was his pal Chris ... who did a mini stand-up set and referenced the supposedly imminent arrest of the former prez. Chris humorously, we think, warned that doing so would make Trump more popular than ever.

CR also made a crack about Paul Pelosi -- who was in the audience next to his wife, Nancy -- by saying he was the only one who knew what it was like to get assaulted ... referring to the SF attack at his home. So yeah, Chris is still talking Oscars slap.

He also gave President Biden a back-handed compliment, saying he'd come "back from the dead" to become Commander in Chief. Edgy stuff, but it seemed to go over well enough.

Anyway, back to Sandler ... the guy's contributions speak for themselves, and he's certainly deserving of some recognition.

Some of his most notable movies include 'Billy Madison,' 'Happy Gilmore,' 'The Wedding Singer,' '50 First Dates,' 'The Waterboy,' 'Mr. Deeds,' 'Big Daddy,' 'Punch-Drunk Love,' 'Uncut Gems' ... just to name a few.

Adam joins an exclusive and pretty damn funny list -- other recent Mark Twain honorees include Jon Stewart, Dave Chappelle, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Letterman, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy and more.

Pauly Shore is pissed off at Jimmy Kimmel making him the butt of a joke during the Oscars ... saying it was gratuitous and hurtful.

The comedian/actor told Page Six how he felt when JK used him as a punchline while celebrating his 2 former costars from 'Encino Man' -- one of Pauly's cult classics from the '90s.

Turns out ... the jab left a wound. PS says, "We love to hate people when they’re on top. People wanted to smash me down and they did. I was always nice to everyone, always cool, I put my heart into all my films."

He adds, "You’re buying and selling a human being. Human beings have feelings, it’s not like selling real estate." He says he's quite happy for Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan ... both of whom acted in 'Encino' and each of whom won their own statuette Sunday night.

Pauly goes on to talk about a comeback of his own and how he wants to get back into acting. At the moment, he's touring and about to hit SXSW soon -- he also teases a possible TV show that might come about that focuses on his upbringing from the '70s and '80s.

It seems having a couple of his old costars swing back into the spotlight has him itching for some of that too. Pauly ends by saying, "I am not going to stop. I’m going to keep going. I know I’m going to get that call, and get that opportunity. That’s what it's about."

While Pauly might be craving mainstream success again ... he's actually been steadily working. Dude's got roles racked up for just about every year going back to the 2010s/'00s ... albeit, none of those projects are as memorable as what he did in the 20th century.

Diana Ross pulled out all the stops in the name of Oscar Sunday ... giving people in attendance at Byron Allen's annual gala a night of endless love.

The former Supremes singer was havin' a blast headlining Byron's shindig at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, busting out some of her classics from the past 6 decades.

The 78-year-old icon performed for about an hour and had 3 costume changes over that period. Yes, Miss Ross still knows how to put on a show!

Believe it or not, Diana wasn't the only big event at this shindig -- attendees could also pay money, which went to Children's Hospital L.A., to get roasted by the famed roastmaster Jeff Ross -- and Chrissy Teigen's mom Vilailuck was one of the lucky donors.

Take a look, Jeff doesn't go easy on her, but we guess that's the best bang for your buck -- no pun intended. Howie Mandel MC'd the roast and threw in his 2 cents too.

Despite Jeff's harsh roasting of several folks who donated to the cause, not a single comedian was slapped!!!

Nick Cannon says Jimmy Kimmel's Oscars jab at him and his ever-growing family tree is all in good fun ... telling us the "too many kids" jokes can keep on comin'.

We got Nick leaving Avra in Bev Hills Sunday night, after Jimmy had been on stage at the Dolby Theater poking fun at this year's nominees and yes, Nick too.

ICYMI, Nick's children came up when Jimmy brought up "Avatar: The Way of Water" ... saying in order to break even on the $2 billion film, "All of Nick Cannon's kids had to see 'Avatar' 4 times."

Nick tells us he's got no problems with the punch line, adding he and Jimmy are tight. He says he's cool with being the butt of all these jokes -- Kimmel's far from the first to do it -- and Nick says the creator of 'Wild 'N Out' should be able to take a few comedic jabs.

BTW -- we ask him if he's got a limit in mind when it comes to family planning, and he clearly doesn't have one ... but check out his pretty wild response.

As we reported, Nick said last month the cap on his children isn't up to him, because "God decides when we're done" ... and warned he might even pump some out in his 80s.

Jimmy Kimmel's hosting the Oscars again tonight, and a year out from the infamous slap ... the dude has been talking a lot about it, kinda turning the moment into a punchline.

The late night funny man has been doing a ton of press in the weeks leading up to the big gig -- his third such time handling MC duties for Hollywood's biggest show -- and yes ... he's been asked repeatedly about Will Smith smacking Chris Rock, and how he'll address it.

Here's a few quotes of JK's from the past couple weeks or so. When asked by THR what he would do if someone tries to pull a copycat and slap him, Kimmel said ... "If I’m bigger than they are, I beat the s*** out of them on television. And if it’s The Rock, I run."

A few days ago, as preparations were underway, Kimmel made another joke about carnage ...  with reference to the color of this year's walkup. He said, "People have been asking, 'Is there going to be any trouble this year? Is there going to be any violence this year?'"

He adds, "We certainly hope not. But if there is, I think the decision to go with a champagne carpet over a red carpet shows how confident we are that no blood will be shed."

In other words, he's been swearing off the brutality by teasing the possibility of more, albeit in jest. On the issue of actually talking about it in his monologue, Jimmy says he'll do it.

He's said in interviews that he's going to "squeeze just a couple more drops out of it" and give a take that he thinks no one has heard yet. Kimmel did note he doesn't plan on talking about it at length but says it's the elephant in the room and that it must be addressed.

As for the whole crisis team thing -- namely, AMPAS hiring a bunch of people to "deal" with any craziness that might go on -- JK says he isn't privy to it ... and knows nothing of the logistics of what they have planned or how they would implement him if things go south.

It's interesting that Jimmy's been making light of the slap as much as he has, and will presumably do so again come 5 PM. Ya gotta figure ABC and the Academy have signed off on it all ... they're the producers and showrunners of this thing, and they call the shots.

"SNL" eviscerated the Oscars Saturday night .... with a fantasy awards show that is absolutely hilarious!!!

The enforcer against a Will Smith redo is none other than Mike Tyson, played spectacularly by Kenan Thompson, who said, “I should warn you, the following things will set me off: clapping, statutes of gold people, shows that last more than three hours, and also hearing the phrase ‘the magic of movies.’”

Jamie Lee Curtis, who wore a dress right off the Costco rack, is equally funny.

But the best ... Tom Cruise showed up at the Oscars.  Well, it's actually Rep. George Santos, who slyly passed himself off as "Tom Q Cruise."

Travis Kelce is a total natural with a future in acting if he wants it ... so says comedian Jeff Dye, who tells TMZ Sports he was blown away by the Kanas City Chiefs superstar's performance on "Saturday Night Live."

TK made his big debut at Studio 8H last weekend ... and many were impressed with how comfortable he looked on stage as he delivered his lines.

Dye admits he gave a bit of an eye roll when Kelce was announced as the show's host -- because in his opinion, athletes usually aren't funny -- but the tight end turned him into a believer.

"He reminded me of Phil Hartman, that's how good I'd say he was," Dye says. "Not being sarcastic, it was very Phil Hartman-esque."

It goes without saying it's a massive compliment from Dye -- Hartman is a comedy legend ... and spent eight seasons on the sketch show from 1986-94.

We also talked to Dye about who else from the sports world could make the transition over to acting ... and there's one two-time Super Bowl champ he thinks would thrive in entertainment.

Donnell Rawlings says there are no winners in the Chris Rock and Will Smith beef ... and he's hoping Chris' recent response will finally put an end to the saga.

We got Donnell at Gelson's Tuesday and asked him about Chris finally addressing the Oscars slap in his Netflix special, which Donnell says should even the score.

Donnell, who is super close with Chris, is slamming the folks who didn't like the way Chris joked about the incident ... claiming it was old news by now. He says no one has the right to put a timeline or restrictions on how comedians can respond.

Of course, some folks are pissed at Chris ... like The Root senior writer Candace McDuffie, who feels Chris had the slap coming to him following years of jokes she feels targeted Black women like Jada Pinkett Smith.

Donnell thinks anyone who has a problem with Chris' jokes is insane, because as they say ... they're just jokes. He's also not buying the theory jokes incite violence on any particular group.

As for Will, DR says he should be able to take a joke because Chris was able to take the slap.

While Donnell tells us Chris and Will have yet to speak to each other, he's hoping they can both get closure on the matter ... after Chris' verbal "clap back."

Chris Rock can, and should, joke about whoever he wants -- especially after being slapped by Will Smith -- even if some feel it's at Jada Pinkett Smith's expense ... according to 2 fellow comics.

We talked to Bill Bellamy and Jeff Dye Tuesday on "TMZ Live," and both defended CR's right to joke about the sitch, even if he did so somewhat mercilessly during his latest Netflix special ... which is now drawing the ire of some Black women.

Candace McDuffie, a senior writer for The Root, went so far as to suggest Chris actually had the slap coming to him after years of jokes she feels targeted Black women.

That's not how Bill and Jeff feel about it, though ... they're squarely on Chris' side, with BB telling us the dude used his own platform and creativity to address it as best he could, without violence.

Plus, there's the financial benefit -- Netflix paid a boatload for his "Selective Outrage" special.

But, even on the issue of whether Chris has it out for Jada and/or Black women ... Bill says he doesn't believe that to be the case. He says Chris takes shots at everyone, and sometimes certain groups might catch a stray.

It's nothing personal, just the business of being funny ... that's Bill's perspective anyway.

Now, Jeff -- who's hosting our new game show, "Who the Bleep Is That?" -- was a bit more forceful in his repudiation of suggesting Chris deserved what he got ... saying such a notion is insane, and disavowing the idea of anything or anyone being off-limits in comedy.

Chris Rock deserved to be slapped by Will Smith at the Oscars last year, and he may even be due for another round -- so suggests one writer who focuses on Black issues.

The Root's Candace McDuffie -- a senior editorial staffer for the G/O Media-owned online publication -- came on CNN to discuss the aftermath of Chris' Netflix special ... where he eviscerated Will and Jada Pinkett Smith for the hit seen around the world in 2022.

According to her, Chris was simply being held accountable by Will at the time for attacking a Black woman -- which McDuffie says is part of a larger pattern in this country, and which she says Chris has been guilty of in his comedy even before targeting Jada's alopecia.

As for how she feels about Chris' response nearly a full 365 days later ... well, the way she's talking here -- it almost sounds like she's just as angry with Chris yet again, saying he called Jada out of her name (he didn't once say her name, but did call her a "bitch" and refer to her as a "predator" in the special). In McDuffie's eyes, CR hasn't learned his lesson.

Don Lemon ever-so-gently pushed back on McDuffie, asking how she would respond to people who might say she's advocating for violence with this take ... and that Chris should, perhaps, be afforded a pass since he was going after Jada/Will in a stand-up comedy environment.

Her final thought is this ... as much pain as Will was in during the Oscars slap -- which Chris also addressed -- McDuffie feels like Chris was hurting just as much during his own special. She says there was more rage and resentment than there was humor ... from her POV.

Of course, this view isn't exclusive to McDuffie. There are many online who feel like Chris had the slap coming -- and even more who aren't happy that he continued to tear Will/Jada down for the sake of retribution and a laugh. On the flip side, just as many loved it.🤷🏽‍♂️

Suge Knight's son was one of the many folks laughing his ass off at Chris Rock's 'Suge Smith' line ... but he's certain Will Smith's got nothing on the OG!!!

Suge J. Knight tells TMZ ... it was pretty dope to hear his dad's name thrown in during CR's comedy set -- even though it wasn't a positive reference, and his father will remain behind bars for years to come.

He says, "We all know Suge Knight as that guy who's all about that action. It's funny to see that Suge has been in jail for a minute but he still has this legendary status."

As we reported, Chris finally addressed Will infamously slapping him at the Oscars during his live Netflix special, "Selective Outrage."

CR didn't hold back at all, and the reality is ... calling Will "Suge Smith" was probably the most gentle jab Chris threw at him or his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Comedian Mike Epps could be facing serious legal trouble -- TMZ has learned authorities in his home state say they found a loaded gun in one of his bags at an airport.

According to legal docs, obtained by TMZ, police responded to a firearms investigation Sunday at the Indianapolis Airport ... with cops being told TSA found the gun while Mike was going through the checkpoint

The docs say the comedian mentioned being in town for a show, and forgot the piece was in his bag. Upon investigation, police say they found a .38 Special Airweight with 4 rounds loaded, but none in the chamber.

The gun and ammo were all taken as evidence.

Officials for the Indianapolis Airport police tell TMZ ... Epps wasn't arrested, but the report was forwarded to the Marion County Prosecutor's Office to determine if charges should be filed.

Jeff Ross says Chris Rock is walking away with the 'W' in the Will Smith Oscars slap saga -- and he commends his friend doing so without using his hands, just a silver tongue.

We got the comedian Monday in L.A. after he'd flown back from Chris' live special in Baltimore ... and he said the whole event was just as epic as it looked and sounded on TV.

Jeff, the famed roast master, says Chris got the better of Will and Jada Pinkett Smith in the end ... and he's pretty high on how Chris handled it, even if it did take a year to address. However, he points out the special touched on a lot more than just the Smiths ... and he was impressed by its overall message.

He did have a fave bit, BTW ... the one about Beyonce and Jay-Z, which he says might be the joke of the year. We can't do it justice here -- you gotta see the special -- but it's basically about Bey being so hot she could get Jay no matter what her job was. Not so much for him, though.

Rock addressed the elephant in the room Saturday night during his live Netflix special, "Selective Outrage," leaving no doubt that he's still pissed at Smith for smackin' him on live TV as the world watched.

The comedian launched into the segment this way...“You all know what happened to me, getting smacked by 'Suge' Smith, everybody knows, everybody f--king knows. I got smacked like a year ago… And people are like ‘Did it hurt?’ It still hurts. I got ‘Summertime’ ringing in my ears.”

But, don't ever ask Rock to sit for an interview with Oprah Winfrey or Gayle King 'cause he ain't doing it. “I’m not a victim baby, you will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. You will never see it…. It’s never going to happen. F--k that s--t, I took that s--t like Pacquiao" -- a reference to boxer Manny Pacquiao.

Rock also compared his situation with Smith to David and Goliath. He said Smith was a lot bigger than him and even played Muhammad Ali in a movie. "You think I auditioned for that? I played Pookie in ‘New Jack City.’ I played a piece of corn in ‘Pootie Tang,'" Rock joked.

Then Rock skewered Smith's wife, Jada, accusing her of doing something "f--king lowdown" by having an affair with her son's friend -- and then discussing it with her husband on her Red Table Talk.

Rock said, "We’ve all been cheated on, everybody in here been cheated on. None of us has ever been interviewed by the person who cheated on us on television… Why the f--k would you do that s--t? She hurt [Will] way more than he hurt me."

Continuing along those lines, Rock said, "Everybody called [Will] a bitch. And who’s he hit? Me! A n**** he know he can beat. That’s some bitch ass sh--!”

Rock said he didn't strike Smith back "because I’ve got parents! And you know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people!”

The funnyman wrapped it up with...“They say, ‘words hurt.' You gotta watch what you say because ‘words hurt.’ Anybody who says ‘words hurt’ has never been punched in the face."

Sounds like Will still has more work to do to patch things up with Chris.