Humor

Ellen DeGeneres says she knew deep down it was time to step away from her talk show after 19 seasons on the air ... and she's thankful for one helluva ride.

Ellen got emotional Wednesday as she taped the Thursday episode of her talk show, talking about her big news -- that she's wrapping it up in 2022 -- and explaining, for the first time, what led to her decision.

She said she always knew in her heart the upcoming 19th season would be her last, and she's trusting her instincts as she prepares to walk away. Ellen got a little emotional during the monologue, but, of course, kept it funny too.

Ellen says 19 is a good number to go out on ... pointing out the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote, and making a joke about the periodic table and conversations with herself and her wife, Portia de Rossi.

As a comedian, Ellen says she's always understood the importance of timing ... and the timing is right for her to end what she calls an "amazing chapter" in her life.

She'll get to discuss it even more with Thursday's guests ... Oprah and Pink.

Ellen DeGeneres is about to hit the end of the road with her talk show -- the upcoming 19th season will be her last, TMZ has confirmed.

Production sources tell TMZ ... Ellen will make the announcement during a Wednesday taping. We're told when Ellen renewed her contract through 2022, she felt that would be the right time to end it, and it wasn't a secret to people close to her that she was walking away.

We're told Ellen's plans are NOT to retire. She'll take some time off to decide what's next. She recently signed a multi-year deal with Discovery ... on top of shows on NBC ('Game of Games,' 'Family Game Fight'), FOX ('Masked Singer') and HBO ('Ellen's Next Great Designer' and the upcoming Tig Notaro animated comedy special).

As for what her final season will entail ... we're told it'll be a huge celebration with tons of surprise guests. We're told Ellen's excited and looking forward to going out with a bang and focusing on ending the show on a strong note.

Ellen's planning to sit down with Oprah on May 13 to talk about the show's end.

As for why she's ending the show ... the comedian told The Hollywood Reporter, "When you're a creative person, you constantly need to be challenged -- and as great as this show is, and as fun as it is, it's just not a challenge anymore."

The news was not an abrupt decision. Ending the show had weighed on Ellen's mind since at least 2018. She told The New York Times her wife, Portia de Rossi, had implored her to call it a day. Ellen eventually signed on for 3 more seasons.

The show, which debuted in fall 2003, was philanthropic too -- reportedly making nearly $70 million in charitable donations and sinking more than $300 million into audience giveaways.

During her talk show run, Ellen earned the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2015 ... and Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016.

In 2019, former employees accused her of fostering a toxic work environment. In the wake of those allegations ... 3 of the show's executive producers were fired.

Ellen apologized to open her show last season saying, "I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that vey seriously. And, I want to say that I am so sorry to the people who were affected."

She added, "I know that I am in a position of privilege and power, and I realize that with that comes responsibility. I take responsibility for what happens at my show."

Good news Betty White fans ... more than a year into a pandemic and the Hollywood legend's still healthy and safe at home, but she's looking forward to summer when she can safely enjoy the outdoors and regain her freedom.

Betty's been keeping herself busy at home reading, watching TV and doing crossword puzzles ... so says her rep, Jeff Witjas. We're told there's one thing the pandemic has severely affected in her life ... her ability to regularly interact with friends face-to-face.

We're told, however, she still pens plenty of letters, makes phone calls and has limited visits with friends and loved ones through the window of her home.

Betty has always been a champion for animals, but currently has no house pets, so that's an empty spot in her life ... especially for a senior who is isolated from friends and family. She does, however, have a couple ducks on her property that we're told walk up to her door every day to say hello.

As for whether or not 99-year-old Betty's been vaccinated, Witjas is mum, saying it's a personal matter.

We're told it's unclear if and when Betty will ever return to work. But, after a Hollywood career that's spanned 60-plus years ... a break is well-deserved.

Elon Musk took a hard left turn from comedy as he hosted 'SNL' Saturday night ... announcing he has Asperger's.

He made the announcement at the beginning of his monologue, speaking in a monotone voice. Musk revealed he's the first "Saturday Night Live" host with Asperger Syndrome.

However, Dan Aykroyd, a former 'SNL' cast member, also has Asperger’s and hosted the show in 2003.

Asperger Syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder. It manifests itself with major difficulties in engaging in social interactions and nonverbal communication. It is characterized as an autism spectrum disorder. It does not affect one's intelligence or language abilities. People with autism can experience physical and communication difficulties.

Elon was funny ... he seemed relaxed and was super self-deprecating. He joked about how he smoked a joint on Joe Rogan's podcast and now everyone thinks he's a pothead.

He also told an O.J. Simpson joke ... that O.J. too had hosted twice "and he killed it."

Elon, who's 49, brought his mom, Maye Musk, on stage for a sweet moment that was also kinda funny.

Elon Musk did well for himself on 'SNL' Saturday night, but his appearance did NOT do well for Dogecoin ... because its value plunged during the show.

Fans of Dogecoin were banking on Musk's on-air explanation of the cryptocurrency to drive the price to $1. That would have been a huge jump because just before the show it was hovering around 70 cents.

The opposite happened ... its value plummeted to 47 cents at the beginning of the show, and then partially recovered by bouncing back to 55 cents at around 2 AM ET.

At the time of this post, Dogecoin is down more than 37%.

The trading platform Robinhood seemed to panic, saying, "We’re currently experiencing issues with crypto trading. We're working to resolve this as soon as possible."

Musk talked about Dogecoin on the "Weekend Update" segment, playing a dude named Lloyd Ostertag who tried to explain to Michael Che and Colin Jost what exactly Dogecoin is, finally coming to the conclusion that didn't do it any favors.

Elon's been a fan of Dogecoin for a while now. We got him out in February when he gave some words of wisdom about investing and caution.

Hell might be freezing over -- Charles Barkley no longer sucks at golf!!!

Go ahead and check your calendar -- it's not April Fools' Day -- and if you need visual proof, just check out the NBA legend's drive at the Regions Tradition Pro-Am on Wednesday ... when he teed off and ripped a shot straight down the fairway!!

Of course, Barkley was famous for his turrrrrible golf swing ... but was never shy to put his god-awful skills on display.

As we previously reported, Barkley flirted with mediocrity by tweaking his swing back in 2015 ... but sadly, he fell back into his old ways of being tremendously bad.

Chuck has apparently been busting his ass on the links to STAY good this time around, hiring pro trainer Stan Utley to help him get his handicap down to SINGLE DIGITS, according to reporter Drew Carter.

Check out the new and improved product -- the Hall of Famer looks like he really knows what he's doing now ... from the practice swings to actually connecting with the ball (have you EVER heard one of his shots make that clean *ping* sound before?!?!)

It couldn't have come at a better time for Barkley -- he's facing off against huge names like Nick Saban, Bo Jackson, Tommy Tuberville and more at the Greystone Golf and Country Club in Hoover, Alabama.

And, for the first time, the dude might not make a fool of himself on the links!!

Pick a winner, Shaq!!

The NBA legend had a massive bat in the cave while working the desk for "NBA on TNT" on Wednesday ... and decided to go mining for the nose gold live on-air!!!

Shaq, along with Candace Parker, Dwayne Wade and Adam Lefkoe were wrapping up coverage on the Clippers vs. Raptors game ... when a giant green boulder rolled out of O'Neal's nostril.

Shaq's co-hosts tried to signal to the Big Man to wipe his face -- but O'Neal wasn't taking the hint ... and viewers started tweeting about the boogie during the show!!

Finally, the crew just TOLD Shaq to get rid of it -- and the moment he realizes he's been boogying down on-air is hilarious!

"That was the biggest booger I have ever seen in my entire life," Lefkoe told Shaq.

D-Wade pulled out a giant roll of paper towels and told Shaq there's no way in hell a typical Kleenex could handle that job!

Candace was DYING laughing!!!

"I didn't even know it was there," Shaq said ... "Y'all got me!"

Brad Pitt's opportunity to announce an Oscar winner from a film he helped make ... turned into a bit of a diss on live TV ... courtesy of the Best Supporting Actress winner.

Yuh-Jung Youn won the category for her role in "Minari." We know, ya probably didn't see the film -- like many of this year's nominees -- but you'd have to believe Brad did ... because he produced it!!! However, Youn was clearly not impressed.

She gave Brad a shout-out that, whether intended it or not, played like a major diss. Youn said, "Mr. Brad Pitt, finally! Nice to meet you. Where were you when we were filming in Tulsa?"

The limited crowd at L.A.'s Union Station laughed at Youn's remark, perhaps thinking it was a playful flirtation ... and, who knows? Maybe it was an inside joke for the cast and Brad, one of their executive producers.

But, to the general Hollywood public, it seems like she was upset Brad wasn't more hands-on during filming. Anyway, Youn and Brad did get a chance to greet each other as she walked off stage. Check out the interaction ... seems like neither was too bent.

Cardi B is indignant over what just went down on the House floor ... after U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman lectured the FCC about her "WAP" performance at the Grammys.

Here's the deal ... the Wisconsin Republican lambasted the FCC for broadcasting Cardi and Megan Thee Stallion's "WAP" rendition on national TV last month, saying it's contributing to America's moral decline.

Grothman says Cardi's performance was "inconsistent with basic decency" and even shades Vice President Kamala Harris -- whose name he mispronounced -- for being a Cardi fan.

Cardi fired back ... wondering why he's wasting time on the House floor ranting about her "WAP" performance instead of dealing with critical issues like police brutality.

Cardi says Grothman should pay attention to what's going on in his own state with the Jacob Blake shooting ... and she blames him for not helping Jacob's family get justice.

Melissa Rivers says she feels violated and hurt the folks behind "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" won't cop to the fact her legendary mom is the inspiration for the Amazon Prime series.

Melissa hopped on the "Behind the Velvet Rope with David Yontef" podcast and said to this day she has not watched a single episode of the critically acclaimed comedy series because she says the show never acknowledged Joan Rivers' influence on the standup comedian main character.

She told Yontef ... "I wish I had gotten a note saying, 'Your mother was one of the inspirations for this and we hope you enjoy it. Here's a t-shirt. Here's a link to the first episode, to the pilot.' You know?”

Fans of the series have taken note of the vast similarities between Joan and Rachel Brosnahan's character, Mrs. Maisel -- both born in New York to Jewish parents who were skeptical of their careers in comedy. Both also attended prestigious schools ... but it's their comedic rhythm delivery coupled with being self-deprecating and vulgar that immediately drew comparisons.

Melissa says she didn't need 'Mrs. Maisel' showrunners to straight-up come out and say 'Mrs. Maisel' is completely her late mother but at least SOMETHING. What's more ... she says she "felt so violated" because "one of the writers [on the show] and I had the same agent, you know, so my whole thing is, reach out."

The only person, Melissa says, who acknowledged her late mother is Jane Lynch, who portrays the comedian Sophie Lennon. Melissa said the nod to her mother left her in tears ... and moved her to the point of sending Jane flowers the next day.

Rob McElhenney was born at the wrong time, because in earlier days he'd surely be one of Michelangelo's muses.

The "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star is showing off his incredible physique in this month's issue of "Men's Health," while also describing the journey his bod's been through and what's motivated him ... and it's not what you think.

In a wide-ranging interview with his buddy and business partner, Ryan Reynolds, 'Always Sunny' Mac says he's fascinated with the human body, so for the show he wanted to satirize the body-image culture by building his into something "absolutely ridiculous and truly impossible to keep up unless you devoted your entire life to it."

And, that's what he did for Season 13 of the series in 2018 -- this just a few years after he purposely packed on 50 lbs. to play Fat Mac -- and though he says his workout regime is not as insane today ... he's still jacked to the max.

Also worth noting -- he didn't do this for the ladies. Rob tells Ryan ... "The people who were most fascinated by my body when I was in great shape were dudes. Women could give two s***s."

He says his own wife -- 'Sunny' costar Kaitlin Olson -- didn't like the way he looked and thought he was trying too hard ... to which he says, solid point.

Answer: THIS is what Aaron Rodgers got hit with in the final seconds of his 'Jeopardy' hosting debut ...

Question: What is ... A SICK BURN!?!?

Yep, the Green Bay Packers QB was heckled during Final Jeopardy over that lousy NFC Championship playoff loss to Tom Brady ... and it was hilarious!!

Rodgers was a pretty solid guest host on Monday's show -- keeping a solid pace and offering some fun banter along the way. He crushed it.

But, the best moment of the show took place at the end ... when contestant Scott -- the reigning 2-day champion -- decided to have some fun at Aaron's expense during Final Jeopardy.

The category was Daytime TV Personalities -- but Scott realized he didn't know the material and couldn't win the game.

So, instead of scribbling down a legitimate guess ... he wrote on his monitor, "Who wanted to kick that field goal?!"

SICK BURN!!!

Aaron smiled, laughed and said, "That is a great question! It should be correct!"

Scott is referring to the bizarre call at the end of the NFC Championship game back in January ... where Packers coach Matt LaFleur opted to kick a field goal on 4th and Goal, despite being down 8 points with around 2 minutes remaining.

The Packers got the 3 points -- but Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs got the ball back and successfully ran out the clock, winning the game.

Most people -- including Aaron -- think Rodgers should've gotten a chance to score a TD on 4th down, followed by a 2 point conversion try. But hey, hindsight is 20/20 right?

Don't worry, Rodgers has a solid support system around him -- including his fiancee, Shailene Woodley, who raved about Aaron right before he made his hosting debut.

"This guy right here is super sexy, super attractive ... just shaved his neck this morning! Has a little man bun growing," she joked.

"This guy is hosting Jeopardy! tonight!"

So, why was Aaron selected to host? Rodgers actually won "Celebrity Jeopardy" back in 2015 ... and explained in his opening comments that he wanted to honor the memory of the late, great Alex Trebek.

Dr. Jill Biden has another successful prank under her belt -- all it took was a flight attendant's costume, a wig and a name badge to get her staff laughing their asses off during a cross-country flight.

The First Lady's April Fool's Day stunt was so good even the Secret Service fell for it hard while traveling with her on her plane, Executive One Foxtrot. Jill reportedly dressed the part with a short black wig, black pantsuit and black face mask.

Her name badge ID'd her as Jasmine. She then hit up the cabin to pass out Dove ice cream bars to staffers, Secret Service and the press pool. Five minutes later ... Jill returned without her wig to reveal it was all just a good 'ol fashion April Fool's joke.

The prank was so good ... Jill's senior advisor, Anthony Bernal, and her press secretary, Michael LaRosa, were laughing pretty hard. Dr. Biden, who was returning to D.C. after a trip to California, is known for not passing up a good prank opportunity.

President Biden's usually her target, like that one time during his first term as VP on a trip to California -- Jill stuffed herself into the baggage compartment of Air Force Two.

Joe explained to Rachael Ray back in 2014, "We get in Air Force Two, we're flying and I'm saying, 'where the hell is Jill?' And, I open up the baggage compartment on top, above, you know? And, she jumps out of the compartment. This is the Second Lady of the United States of America jumping out of the overhead baggage compartment."

Prince William is the hottest bald guy on this planet -- so concludes a new study that ranked where he lands on Google searches ... but the internet doesn't seem to be buying it.

A cosmetic surgery company named Longevita apparently did this "research" -- basically checking to see how many times certain bald male celebs were searched for in Google along with the term "sexy" -- and lo and behold, they say the Duke of Cambridge came out ahead.

Unclear what the parameters were for this deep dive of scalps -- like dates or times for which they searched -- but Longevita claims Billy here had been called "sexy" in blog and website descriptions around 17.6 million times ... again no other context beyond that.

As for who his runner-ups were ... Longevita says Mike Tyson came in second at 8.8 million search results (uhh, okay), Jason Statham 3rd at 7.4m (hmm), Pitbull 4th at 5.4m (really??), MJ 5th at 5.3m (fair enough) ... and other guys that followed included Floyd Mayweather, John Travolta, Bruce Willis, Dwyane Johnson and Vin Diesel -- in that order.

Safe to say ... Twitter had A LOT to say about this, especially on behalf of "Criminal Minds" star Shemar Moore -- who was noticeably left off the list entirely. In tweeters' collective minds, that itself was a slap to the face. One user wrote, "Did Shemar Moore f***** die?"

Not only did some folks feel Shemar was totally snubbed -- did Longevita even search for him, we wonder -- but many more are outraged that The Rock or Vin Diesel aren't higher on the list ... as they're iconic for their hot bald looks.

Appears the (British) people have spoken -- we should note, Longevita is a UK-based company. Anyway ... move over, fellas, 'cause here comes cue ball Royalty.

Live from Atlanta ... it's Pete Davidson!!!

... who's officially signed on to join Snoop Dogg's commentary team for the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren fight!!

TMZ Sports has confirmed the "Saturday Night Live" star will be a part of the broadcast team for the very first Triller Fight Club 2021 event on April 17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

We're told he'll be working the event alongside Snoop, Mario Lopez, supermodel Taylor Hill, and social media stars Dixie and Charli D’Amelio.

The play-by-play announcers are seasoned veterans when it comes to boxing -- Ray Flores, Al Bernstein and Mike Coppinger.

Snoop was the breakout star during the first Triller boxing event featuring Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr. -- he was in the broadcast booth calling the action and was HILARIOUS!

Remember, he was busting out church hymns as Jake put a hurtin' on Nate Robinson on the undercard.

So, add Pete Davidson to the mix!?! That's gonna be awesome.

As we previously reported, the Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren already has a stacked musical lineup featuring superstars like Justin Bieber, The Black Keys, Doja Cat, Saweetie, Diplo, Major Lazer and the debut of Snoop's new rap supergroup Mt. Westmore (which features Snoop, Ice Cube, Too $hort and E-40).

The main event will be an 8-round sanctioned professional boxing match featuring undefeated 24-year-old Jake Paul (2-0) going up against decorated MMA star Ben Askren, who's 36.

Askren has guaranteed victory over Jake -- saying he's never stepped in the ring against a REAL accomplished fighter.

Jake vows to wipe the floor with Askren -- saying the guy's striking ability is straight trash.

You come at the school president, you best not miss ... TWICE!!

The viral Virginia State student who got CROSSED UP by school president Makola M. Abdullah in a hilarious game of campus 1-on-1 sought his revenge this week ... and it may be time for our guy, Afo, to find a new sport.

The prez and Afo decided to take their friendly rivalry to the VSU basketball court this time around for a shooting contest ... and the spectacle was complete with cheerleaders, fans and even the school mascot!!

BTW -- If you thought Afo was gonna run away with the dub, you must've missed the first video ... 'cause Abdullah can straight-up HOOP!!

Afo was first up to shoot at the top of the 3-point arc ... and unfortunately for the student, he clanked it off the side of the rim.

How did Abdullah respond?? A PERFECT shot he was so confident in, he didn't even have to see it hit the bottom of the net before celebrating!!

Afo joked about the loss ... saying it was all due to "home court advantage" ... but we've got all the evidence we need to know who the true winner is!!

Abdullah took the higher road ... applauding everyone on campus for joining in on the harmless fun.

"Thank you all for your energy and spirit," the prez said Wednesday. "You are what makes @VSU_1882 a special place."