Humor

Sinbad thinks Louis C.K. is dangerously close to losing his mind and pulling a Michael Richards, but he still believes it's a terrible idea to start censoring comedians.

We got Sinbad Thursday outside The London Hotel in NYC and asked the comic if he and his peers are running scared in 2019 with all the instant backlash on social media.

It's pretty clear he doesn't support Louis' decision to mock the kids who survived the Parkland, FL mass shooting -- he describes him as shooting himself in the foot -- however, Sinbad firmly believes you can't tell comedians who they can and can't joke about.

Sinbad basically compares C.K.'s set to Michael's infamous racist tirade and says anyone can lose their mind at any point. He says he was actually at the Laugh Factory the night Michael started shouting the n-word.

Sinbad isn't making excuses for Louis, but insists it's on the audience to let comics know when they've crossed the line -- and ya gotta hear Sinbad's advice for pissed off crowds.

Tiffany Haddish has found several silver linings to bombing her NYE show in Miami -- most importantly ... she needs more sleep, and less South Beach.

Tiff was out Wednesday in L.A. when a photog asked her what went wrong. In a nutshell ... she's been burning it at both ends. She said, "I've slept in my bed a grand total of 28 days" for all of 2018. She added she now knows exactly what happens when your brain is fried.

That being said ... she admits going hard on the party scene didn't help either. As Tiff put it, "Miami is a really dope city, and I probably shouldn't turn up before work."

She also found out who her real friends are, and ran down the all-star list of comedians who reached to show love and support.

As for the haters -- Tiffany has a message for them too.

Louis C.K. deserves to get trashed for telling jokes about Parkland survivors, which just proves Louis is kind of despicable ... so says fellow comedian Ron Funches.

Ron came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday making it clear ... he's not a fan of C.K. or his supporters. Ron essentially says Louis is a bottom feeder.

Ron, whose hour-long stand-up special "Giggle Fit" premieres Jan. 4 on Comedy Central, says he understands comics trying out new material in front of smaller crowds, but he says that's not an excuse for Louis because the Parkland jokes basically amount to hate speech.

10:35 AM PT -- Bonnie's publicist Thomas Santiago tells TMZ ... she'd been dealing with flu-like symptoms in the days leading up to the event, but she'd committed to performing and didn't want to cancel.

We're told she's feeling better now.

Bonnie Pointer lost control, and it doesn't look like she liked it ... but she's a real trooper for powering through a puke and singing her heart out.

The Pointer Sisters cofounder was performing at the historic Wattles Mansion in Hollywood Saturday night when she got ill onstage and threw up ... in her hand.

But, check out the video -- almost immediately afterward Bonnie starts dancing to the beat of the group's most famous song, and is fully composed to belt out the opening verse and chorus of "I'm So Excited."

That's a true show-woman.

Unfortunately, the Pointer Sister got sick again after her initial recovery and had to be helped offstage before the song came to a close.

David Spade has some words of encouragement for Tiffany Haddish AND Louis C.K. and David makes it clear ... they're not in the same boat.

We got the longtime comedian leaving Nobu Tuesday night in WeHo where, at first, he weighed in on what had happened to Tiffany on New Year's Eve in Miami -- namely, miserably bombing onstage and cracking open some Ciroc to numb the pain.

He says NYE gigs are tough as it is 'cause everyone's already faded, and a night of partying for the comic themselves probably ain't the best idea if ya mix the two. Remember, Tiff had said earlier in the day that she'd been out all night raging before her set.

Then, Dave pivots to Louis ... saying comics always try new material with smaller crowds that aren't necessarily meant to be heard worldwide.

David sidesteps Louis' jokes -- like the Parkland massacre survivors -- he realized it's a hot potato.

It's worth noting ... Tiffany's tough night and Louis' tough night are dissimilar.

Tiffany Haddish made the best of a bad situation during her tough New Year's Eve stand-up performance ... so says a fellow seasoned comedian.

We got comic Alonzo Bodden -- who won season 3 of "Last Comic Standing" -- out at LAX Tuesday, where he had nothing but good things to say about the way Tiffany handled her show in Miami the night before.

Seeing how she was bombing ... he says Tiff was wise to get in on the joke by cracking open a bottle of Ciroc and making a party of it. Alonzo tells us every comedian bombs, and her reaction was nothing short of classy and professional, considering the circumstances.

As we reported ... a lot of people were walking out on Tiffany in the middle of her set. She vowed on stage to never allow herself to be in that type of situation again -- and she wasn't talking about stand-up either. Tiffany appeared to be exhausted from partying the night before.

She addressed the failed set on Twitter, saying she wished it was better.

Ariana Grande is about that single life heading into the new year, and probably for the rest of her days ... according to her, anyway.

Ari responded to an article on Tuesday which speculated on who she's been seeing lately by hilariously tweeting, "can they tell me too?" She followed up with, "spoiler for the rest of this year / probably my life: it's no one. please refer back to this tweet for future questions."

It goes without saying ... AG's had it rough this year in the love department. She called off her engagement with 'SNL' star Pete Davidson ... and, of course, her ex, Mac Miller, tragically died of an accidental overdose from a mix of fentanyl and cocaine.

Ariana seems to be joking about the never dating again thing, but her point is coming through loud and clear ... her dating life shouldn't be the subject of such scrutiny in 2019.

Have you heard her new single yet? It's her ... she's single.

#thankunext

1:46 PM PT -- Tiffany tweeted about her show, saying, "Yes this happened. I wish it was better Miami. I prayed on it and I have a strong feeling this will never happened again."

Tiffany Haddish had a difficult New Year's Eve during her show in Miami ... especially when the crowd started to disperse mid-show.

Tiffany, who's almost always hilarious and on point, was performing at the James L. Knight Center to a packed house. But, her set wasn't connecting with the audience, and she clearly knew it. At one point, as some people started leaving, she said, "This is weird for me. Now, this is going to be on TMZ or whatever."

During her routine, Tiffany talks about her mom getting out of a mental institution ... she says she told her mom to punch her in the back and burp her. She also griped about her family asking her for money. She says her sister wanted a refrigerator and a new stove, but Tiffany said she told her sister she had just paid her rent, so she just gave her a cooler.

Tiffany changed things up, cracked open a bottle of Ciroc and started drinking with the audience.

It's interesting ... the day of her show, Tiffany posted a video promoting the upcoming comedy performance, saying she had partied the whole night and morning before.

Happy New Year!

Originally Published -- 7:45 AM PST

Hugh Jackman might not be ready to join the Harlem Globetrotters just yet, but his ball-handling skills aren't half bad ... and he's definitely got the charisma.

What else would you expect from the 'Greatest Showman?'

The 'Front Runner' star got an impromptu lesson from Globetrotters star Cheese Chisholm in the tunnel at Madison Square Garden Tuesday ... as the Knicks were prepping for their Christmas Day game against the Bucks.

Check it out ... Jackman's got some game, and totally nails the elbow pass spin move. Things get a little dicier when Cheese adds more steps though ... and he's got some work to do on spinning the ball on his finger.

BTW, the other 'Trotter in the vid is Hot Shot Swanson, the shortest Globetrotter in team history at only 4-foot-5.

The Harlem Globetrotters got a game Thursday at MSG, the first of 7 in NYC to close out 2018.

Wayne Brady thinks Louis C.K. using the n-word in front of some comics -- including Chris Rock -- is as unacceptable now as it was then ... but he's wringing everyone's neck here.

We got the "Whose Line Is It Anyway"' alum Sunday at LAX and asked for his thoughts on a 2011 HBO clip of Louis chatting with Chris, Jerry Seinfeld and Ricky Gervais ... and, at one point, dropping the n-word when CR calls him the "blackest white guy" he knows.

The clip resurfaced Saturday and went viral, with lots of criticism aimed at Chris for co-signing Louis and Ricky hurling the word back and forth in front of a very uncomfortable Jerry, who lots of folks are seeing as the hero in this scenario for speaking out against it.

Wayne isn't as conciliatory. He tells us Louis shouldn't have said it, Chris shouldn't have allowed it, and Ricky definitely shouldn't have chimed in with so much glee. He also says Seinfeld isn't a saint for his mild protest ... calling him more tactical than anything. Ouch ...

It's a harsh rebuke for sure, but Wayne makes valid points. What's weird is that Louis has been using the n-word in his stand-up for years, and this clip has been in circulation for a while.

Louis C.K., Ricky Gervais and Chris Rock hurled around the n-word during a TV chat back in 2011 ... and it's getting a lot of criticism now -- the question, what about then?

The conversation aired as part of an HBO special called "Talking Funny." Chris Rock calls Louis C.K., "The blackest white guy I know," which unleashes Louis, who asks, "You say I'm a n*****?"

There's a discussion of using the n-word in comedy.

Jerry Seinfeld does not use the word, and says he never has.

The group then discusses the use of the term in comedy and in public vs. private life. Seinfeld chimes in, "I don't think he can do that." On the other hand, Louis C.K. says he and Gervais use the word in private.

Jason Momoa is having a ton of fun as "Aquaman" -- taking the onscreen gig to the beach in Hawaii with a huge trident -- and ya gotta see what he did next!!!

Jason quickly got into character when a bunch of kids came up to him Thursday in Oahu and asked him to play with their giant toy trident ... and then he channeled Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson and crashed a wedding!

The kids weren't the only ones making everlasting memories with Aquaman, because Jason and the trident sneaked up behind some unsuspecting newlyweds for an epic photobomb.

Michael Blackson says Washington should go easy on Montae Nicholson -- because with all the issues involving NFL players these days, it coulda been way worse.

We broke the story ... the Redskins safety was caught on video KOing a man in a street fight with a devastating left-handed power shot. Nicholson and another woman were later arrested.

Some people say Nicholson took things too far -- and should have walked away from the fight before knocking his opponent out cold.

Enter Blackson -- a man never short on opinions.

"Street fight man. Street fight not over until it's over. These guys are NFL players but at the end of the day, they're still fighters that gotta defend themselves."

Blackson even saw a silver lining to this particular NFL fight.

It's hard to tell if Gilbert Gottfried's truly bitter about not being asked to reprise his role in the "Aladdin" live-action film, because the comedian's response is classic Gilbert -- cracking crass jokes.

We got the voice of Jafar's sidekick parrot, Iago, from Disney's animated classic and asked if he'd be making a cameo in Guy Ritchie's live-action remake ... but no such luck. To add insult to injury, Gilbert tells us producers went out of their way to snub him ... yet managed to get Robin Williams in the film.

Yeah ... he went there.

Gottfried also predicts it'll prove to be a big mistake not including him ... but he's got a suggestion for how the filmmakers can make it right.

In case you missed it ... the first images of the new "Aladdin" cast -- including Will Smith as the Genie and Mena Massoud as the titular star -- were revealed Wednesday.

Many fans are up in arms about Smith not being blue and Aladdin wearing a shirt ... but some diehards are just pissed there's no Gilbert.

Cardi B was James Corden's latest copilot for "Carpool Karaoke" ... and she did NOT disappoint.

The Bronx MC rode shotgun on the 'Late Late Show' host's newest singing segment, where the two of them ran through a medley of Cardi songs and mostly rapped 'em ... complete with water bottle microphones and out-the-window hype. Just watch ...

There were also a few surprises along the way ... like James giving Cardi an impromptu driving lesson (with hilarious results) and Cardi getting hit on by an old timer.

Unclear when exactly this was filmed, but there's no mention of all the Offset drama Cardi's been dealing with lately.

Kel Mitchell didn't skip a beat -- but he did skip over Kevin Hart -- when asked which current huge celebs he'd like to have cameos in the "Good Burger" reunion.

We got Kel outside A Simple Bar in L.A. and had to ask him about possible cameos if -- and we gotta believe WHEN -- the '90s comedy gets the green light. Remember ... Kel and Kenan Thompson are on board but execs at Nickelodeon have to iron things out.

In any event ... Kel ripped off a bunch of names including Chance the Rapper, Cardi B and several others. As for the Kev diss? We're guessing Kel just didn't hear us when we suggested him.