SNL

Comedian Matt Rife is literally a stone's throw away from 'SNL' just in case its writers boycott upcoming host Dave Chappelle ... and says he'd be honored to take the gig.

Matt was standing outside 30 Rock in NYC Thursday with his friend and fellow comedian Alex "Fonzi" Cureau -- they were holding up signs reading "Will Write For Dave."

Dave's set to host 'SNL' this weekend for the first time since his controversial 2021 Netflix special "The Closer" ... which his critics have ripped as transphobic.

While all 'SNL' cast members are working with Dave, some of the writers are boycotting ... according to Page Six. As we reported, Chappelle's camp says they've seen no evidence of that all week.

But, just in case, Matt and Alex are at the ready ... and say they're not trying to make any statements about transphobia. Their message is much more simple -- "If you don't want your job I will take it."

Of course, not everyone sees it that way ... Matt and Alex were actually confronted by at least one person who had a problem with their public plea to work with Dave.

Bottom line for Matt -- who famously dated Kate Beckinsale back in 2017 -- Dave's the comedy G.O.A.T., so he's not missing out if there's a shot at writing his 'SNL' sketches.

Dave Chappelle's starting his third day of meetings with 'SNL' cast and writers, and his camp says there's been zero talk of an alleged boycott related to Dave's issues with the transgender community.

DC is hosting 'SNL' this weekend -- his first time since 2020, and since the release of his controversial Netflix special "The Closer" ... which sparked protests and much debate over jokes many people felt were transphobic.

The potential issue at 30 Rock this week is 'SNL' now has its first nonbinary cast member, Molly Kearney, and at least one writer who is transgender.

According to Page Six, the show's writers are boycotting, but a rep for Dave tells TMZ ... Dave's first 2 meetings with the staff have been full, and everyone's pitching sketch ideas as they normally do.

One of the writers, Celeste Yim, reportedly posted an Instagram story saying, “I’m trans and non-binary. I use they/them pronouns. Transphobia is murder and it should be condemned.”

Their post said nothing about a boycott. It's unclear if Celeste has been in the staff meetings with Dave this week. We've reached out to NBC for comment.

This will be Chappelle's third time hosting. He previously hosted in 2020 and in 2016, which was memorable for being the first show after the election of Donald Trump.

Dave famously said America should give Trump a chance, but since then the comedian's admitted he was way off.

'SNL' opened Saturday night with a blistering skit about 3 extreme Republicans running for high office -- Herschel Walker, Dr. Oz and Kari Lake.

Oz is stoked about the "Pennsylvania Phillies" World Series bid ... of course, playing off his carpetbagging status.

Walker, well, he answers the alleged abortion hypocrisy with 1 word -- gas.

And Kari Lake -- well, she makes it clear ... if people vote for her, they won't have to vote in another election.

As you probably know, all 3 candidates are gaining ground in their races, and although 'SNL' is clearly mocking them ... the underlying message isn't far from reality, and that reality seems to be resonating with a growing number of voters.

We'll know in a little more than a week. Then immediately get ready for the 2024 Presidential campaign.

SNL's Chris Redd was leveled by a single punch in front of about a dozen shocked onlookers outside the Comedy Cellar in NYC, and the SCARY attack was caught on video.

Newly released surveillance footage from the club, obtained by NBC News, shows the exact moment an assailant threw a crushing blow to the face of the comedian, knocking Redd clear off his feet. You can see Chris writhing in pain after the punch.

Redd was on his way inside the venue for his late-night act Wednesday, but he had to take a detour to the hospital for his badly injured nose. Redd's performance was canceled, but, thankfully, he's going to be OK as he nurses two black eyes and a gash to his nose.

TMZ broke the story ... Redd drove up to the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village and got out of his vehicle only to be attacked by the assailant. The suspect, who was apparently wearing brass knuckles and a security guard uniform, then ran off. Police do not have a motive for the assault, though the attacker grabbed his chain, it broke into pieces and was recovered.

The attacker who clocked 'SNL' alum Chris Redd in the face was wearing brass knuckles ... and there were two men involved in Wednesday's brazen New York City attack.

Sources connected to Chris tell TMZ ...  the attack left Chris with two black eyes and a huge gash on his nose, which required stitches. He was hospitalized after the attack and released shortly thereafter.

As TMZ reported ... both men were dressed as security guards and had masks covering their faces. We're told the attacker who approached Chris and hit him with brass knuckles was a heavyset man ... the other man was standing across the street, appearing to case the area.

Chris, we're told, was not able to identify anything about either suspect. Nevertheless, we're told he's meeting with cops who've gathered surveillance footage, with the hope of getting a lead -- if not from the images of the 2 men, possibly from their method of escape, be it on foot or in a vehicle.

Surveillance video could be key to cracking the case. Even if the 2 assailants ran for blocks, cops could piece together their movements with various surveillance cams.

You may recall ... in the Jussie Smollett case, cops used surveillance videos to track down the Osundairo brothers, who ran from the scene for blocks and then hopped in an Uber.

TMZ broke the story ... Chris had his Greg Yuna chain snatched off in the attack, but he was able to recover the bling, although it was in pieces. It can be easily restored.

'SNL' alum Chris Redd was in no laughing mood in NYC Wednesday night ... the comedian got slugged in the face by some random dude and was rushed to the hospital, but, thankfully, he's gonna be OK!!!

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... Chris drove up to the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village around 9:40 PM and got out of a vehicle when all hell broke loose.

We're told a man, apparently wearing a security guard uniform, ran up to Chris and clocked him in the face, bloodying his nose.

Cops were on patrol in the area and quickly responded to the scene, but the assailant had already run off. Police don't know the motive for the alleged assault.

People gathered around to assist Chris -- as you see in video obtained by TMZ. Blood was on the sidewalk and several steps leading down to the Comedy Cellar. Chris was scheduled to perform there Wednesday night.

He was taken to Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, where he was treated and released.

Martha Stewart may have her eyes on a younger fella -- recently single Pete Davidson, that is ... at least, she's all the way here for going on a date with him if she had the chance.

The 81-year-old famed home/life guru got candid on Tuesday's episode of “The Drew Barrymore Show” ... during a game called "red flag, yellow flag, green flag", where she had to indicate whether she approves or disapproves of certain qualities in a partner.

Barrymore asked about dating a guy who had tattoos like Pete. Martha held up a green flag showing she was down for it ... before being asked if she would flat out go on a date with PD. MS also gave that idea a thumbs up, before calling him "sorta cute" and doubling down.

The conversation turned out to be playful, but the ladies ran with the idea. Martha continued, “I mean he has dated so many women" ... explaining to Drew Barrymore that it was a good thing he's got so much experience.

As you know, Pete Davidson dated Kim Kardashian for 9 months, before breaking things off back in August.

Martha told Drew, she and Pete actually have quite a bit of history and worked together before... she says, he's a very good guy and he knows how to get in and get out.”

Megan Thee Stallion is gonna take a break ... because she says she's both physically and emotionally spent.

Megan pulled double duty on 'SNL' Saturday night as host and musical guest, but before the show went live she told her fans, "Hotties im really sorry but after SNL I really gotta take a break I'm so tired, physically and emotionally."

You can understand why she's kinda at the end of her rope. TMZ broke the story Friday ... while she was in NYC preparing for the show, her home was burglarized and $300k-$400k in jewelry, cash and electronics were stolen.

And then there's the 2020 incident where she was shot in the foot ... Tory Lanez is now facing trial for the shooting.

And in 2019, her mom, Holly Thomas died from a brain tumor.

During her song, "Anxiety" on 'SNL,' Megan was fighting back tears.

'SNL's cold open Saturday night was a hilarious gag on the January 6th Committee's closing arguments, but one line produced a gasp from the audience -- when 'Donald Trump' asked someone during the insurrection if the rioters made good on their threat to hang Mike Pence.

The casting was fantastic ... from Kenan Thompson who played Chairman Bennie Thompson, who introduced "a team of monotone nerds to do a PowerPoint."

'Liz Cheney' explained she's as tough as she is because she has "Big Dick Cheney energy!"

Then 'Rep. Jamie Raskin' read from the ominous message board with questions the day of the attempted coup, including ... "Is there a shuttle from LaQuinta Inn to coup?" and "Am I at wrong Washington? I see space needle."

Maybe the most hilarious part was video of the Capitol bunker, where 'Nancy Pelosi' and 'Chuck Schumer' were hunkered down. Pelosi -- played remarkably by Chloe Fineman -- was a bad ass, while Schumer was obsessed with getting lunch and sucking up to Pence!

Megan Thee Stallion's L.A. home was ransacked by a pair of thieves who made their way into her bedroom -- taking hundreds of thousands in goods.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ two men, wearing hoodies and gloves smashed a glass door at the back of Meg's pad Thursday night ... giving them access inside. We're told from there, the men went into the primary bedroom.

Our sources say the crooks took an estimated $300-$400K in jewelry, cash and electronics from inside the home. Luckily, we're told Meg was not home when the men broke in.

At this time, police have not made any arrests, but we're told there's home surveillance of the break-in, and detectives are working to obtain more video and evidence from neighbors that could help them catch those responsible.

As for Meg ... she's set to host "Saturday Night Live" this Saturday. Usually, rehearsals will start Tuesday for celeb guest hosts, so it's likely that Meg's been out of town the whole week.

'SNL' decided to tap into all the s**t that's going down in the U S of A with a game show called, "So You Think You Won’t Snap."

The game is all about temptation ... hurling problematic news stories to mild-mannered, chill contestants and seeing if they reach a breaking point ... and there are stakes!

Contestants who are off the bottle are challenged with a big glass of wine. A flight attendant becomes a potential human punching bag, and a hot iron sits on a table ready to scorch a man's face. In other words, high stakes.

Watch for yourself ... from Biden to Kanye and everything in between -- it's just too much to bare.

'SNL' created a game show around the Adam Levine/Armie Hammer DM scandals ... and gotta say -- pretty funny.

Miles Teller did the honors of hosting the show, and did double duty as a game show host for "Send Something Normal" -- a game where contestants respond to DMs they get on Insta.

Mind you ... if a contestant sends a "normal" response -- they win $100 MILLION!!!

Well, the contestants did not fare well ... Adam Levine (played hysterically by Mikey Day) broke out the lotion, Armie Hammer backslid, and even Neil DeGrasse Tyson couldn't help himself!

Now cast member Bowen Yang seemed to have it in the bag, because he said he's gay and presumably was not tempted to cross the line. But a certain singer changed all that.

'SNL' alum Chris Redd is dating Christina Evangeline, the estranged wife of his former costar and pal Kenan Thompson ... but we've learned there's no bad blood flowing between the guys.

Sources close to the couple tell TMZ ... Christina and Chris became official within the past year, and there was no overlap or cheating when it happened.

In fact, we're told Kenan and Christina were living separate lives, and intending to divorce since 2019.

Chris -- who also costarred on Kenan's NBC sitcom -- and Christina have known each other for the past 6 years, with things staying very respectful between them.

Just last week, Chris announced he wouldn't be returning for 'SNL's 48th season, and after he and Christina were seen out together in NYC ... some fans speculated Kenan got Chris fired.

Our sources say that's far from the truth -- which is that Chris chose to leave because of a handful of upcoming projects, including a stand-up special for HBO Max and an Audible project with Lorne Michaels.

Obviously, that project wouldn't be happening if Kenan had urged Lorne to boot Chris.

We're told Kenan's aware of his estranged wife's romance with Chris and has no hard feelings -- he's apparently moved on and is happily dating other people.

Remember that hot pink Michael Jackson hoodie Pete Davidson wore courtside as Stephen Curry broke the all-time three-point record at Madison Square Garden??

The look just got a lot more iconic ... 'cause TMZ Sports has learned the comedian just got the Marcel Zago-designed threads signed by the Golden State Warriors superstar!!

Of course, the former "SNL" star hilariously stood out like a sore thumb when Steph broke Ray Allen's NBA three-point record on December 14 ... jumping to his feet and cheering after Curry hit #2,974 in front of the packed arena.

Considering Pete's pink look will forever be in the background of the special moment, we're told his people reached out to Steph's memorabilia partner, USA Sports Marketing, in hopes of getting the hooper to sign the hoodie ... and Steph happily obliged!!

USA Sports Marketing -- Steph's memorabilia partner -- tells us they received the sweater from Pete's camp to have Curry sign it ... and the 4-time NBA champ thought the idea was hilarious.

Curry and USA SM posed together with the hoodie ... and we're told it's going back to Pete, who will probably hold onto it forever.

'SNL' star Kenan Thompson is taking the next step in his separation from his wife of 11 years ... filing divorce docs and hammering out custody of their kids.

According to online records, Kenan filed last month in New York to make his announced split from Christina Evangeline all legal. TMZ broke the story back in April that the couple had separated and were successfully co-parenting their daughters Georgia and Gianna. We're told the couple had been secretly separated for a few years.

Sources connected with the former couple tell us Kenan and Christina agreed to share 50/50 custody -- and they are still living close to one another in NYC to make the custody arrangement easier for everyone involved, especially the kids.

Kenan and Christina tied the knot way back in 2011, saying their "I dos" at an aquarium in Atlanta.

As for why they split, our sources have said they simply grew apart as the years progressed.

Professionally, they lead much different lives. While Kenan's always been in the spotlight ... first as a child star on Nickelodeon, and now the longest-running 'SNL' cast member ... Christina works as an interior designer.

Pete Davidson has ventured West -- no, not THAT West -- after his exit from 'SNL.'

Pete's back in L.A. with GF Kim Kardashian. Kim was doing a photo shoot for SKIMS at her office — and Pete was hanging out.

Pete was decked out in a shower cap -- covering his bleached mane -- while KK rocked a pretty snazzy bodysuit.

The decks are now cleared for Pete to move to L.A. He hasn't said where he'll land, but he wants to do more movies so the City of Angels seems to be the place that makes the most sense.

Also, it's now undeniable -- his relationship with Kim is super serious, so enough of the bicoastal crap already.

If Pete does move to L.A. ... it's unclear where he'll live, but he DOES have options.