comedy

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Big-Name Comics Face Backlash Over Saudi Fest

Critics, including other comedians, call out comics for performing in Riyadh amid rights concerns

(Newser) - A wave of criticism has hit top comedians like Dave Chappelle, Pete Davidson, Louis CK, and Bill Burr for joining a Saudi government-backed comedy festival , as the kingdom faces renewed scrutiny for human rights abuses, recent executions, and the killing of journalists. The event, part of Saudi Arabia's...

Michael J. Fox Is Returning to Acting

Spin City star to have guest role on Apple TV+'s Shrinking with Harrison Ford, 5 years after retiring

(Newser) - Five years ago, Michael J. Fox stepped away from acting , noting that his memory was "shot" and announcing he'd be sticking to writing from there on in. The Family Ties and Back to the Future star seems to have since reassessed that plan: Entertainment Weekly reports that Fox...

SNL Is Making a Move Across the Pond

UK version of Lorne Michaels' decades-old Saturday night comedy staple to launch in 2026

(Newser) - Saturday Night Live announced on Thursday that it plans to launch a British version of the US sketch comedy show, which is currently celebrating its 50th anniversary in the States. The AP reports that the UK version of the program, produced with Sky Studios, will have a British cast of...

Your Favorite Cornball Soccer Coach Is Coming Back

Apple TV+'s Ted Lasso is reupped for fourth season, with Jason Sudeikis set to return as titular character

(Newser) - Get ready to inject some more annoyingly contagious cheerfulness into your veins. Ted Lasso, the dramedy about a fiercely optimistic American soccer coach in London, is set to return for a fourth season, Apple TV+ announced Friday. The streaming service hasn't said how far along production is for the...

He Brought You the Line 'And Don't Call Me Shirley'

Writer-director Jim Abrahams, a parody specialist, is dead at 80

(Newser) - "And don't call me Shirley!" That iconic line from 1980's Airplane! is one of many that can be attributed to writer-director Jim Abrahams, who leaves behind a legacy of laughs following his death Tuesday at age 80, per The Hollywood Reporter . Abrahams, who died of natural...

Seinfeld: What I Said About 'Extreme Left' Is 'Not True'

Comedian had said in April that 'PC crap' was killing comedy

(Newser) - In April, Jerry Seinfeld caused a bit of a hubbub when he told the New Yorker that the "extreme left and PC crap" were responsible for bringing comedy down—a remark he's now hanging his head about. Per Variety , the 70-year-old comedian appeared on his friend Tom Papa'...

Chris Rock, Conan O'Brien, and the Pope Walk Into a Bar...

Or rather, the Vatican, as pontiff hosts 100-plus comedians to celebrate the importance of humor

(Newser) - Before flying to Italy's southern Puglia region to meet world leaders at the Group of Seven summit, Pope Francis hosted a very different audience at the Vatican on Friday to celebrate the importance of humor. The pontiff welcomed more than 100 comedians from 15 nations, including US celebrities Whoopi...

Seinfeld: 'Extreme Left' and 'PC Crap' Are Marring Comedy
Seinfeld
Talks 'PC Crap,'
Pop-Tarts, and
His 'Favorite Human'
CELEBRITY INTERVIEW
Apr 30, 2024 6:25 AM CDT

Seinfeld Talks 'PC Crap,' Pop-Tarts, and His 'Favorite Human'

Comedian chats with 'New Yorker' about his beef with the 'extreme left' and much more

(Newser) - Jerry Seinfeld's new film, Unfrosted, an origin story for Pop-Tarts, begins streaming Friday on Netflix. But the 70-year-old Seinfeld creator is making headlines this week not for that project, but for what he has to say about the state of comedy. Per the Hill , Seinfeld appeared on the New ...

Pamela Anderson Boards the Naked Gun Train

'Baywatch' actor will star opposite Liam Neeson in reboot of popular comedy franchise

(Newser) - Liam Neeson had already committed to an upcoming reboot of The Naked Gun, but another big name has jumped on board the project. Pamela Anderson of Baywatch fame will star as Neeson's love interest in the remake directed by The Lonely Island's Akiva Schaffer, "in a...

Kevin Hart Joins Elite Group of Americans

He's the latest recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American humor

(Newser) - Kevin Hart wiped away tears on stage as he looked up from the bronze bust on a pedestal to the trio of comedy legends who had come to witness his professional highlight. In the VIP balcony of the Kennedy Center opera house, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, and Dave Chappelle sat...

Chappelle Rips on Trans, Disabled People in New Netflix Show

Comedian says he's done with trans jokes in new Netflix special, then pokes fun of them again

(Newser) - Dave Chappelle's most recent controversy involved comments he made regarding the Israel-Hamas war, but he's now returning to a source of previous backlash. The 50-year-old comedian had taken heat in the past for remarks about the transgender community in his Netflix special The Closer, but that didn't...

15th-Century Minstrel Served Up a 'Comedy Feast'
Ancient Manuscript Offers Rare
Glimpse of Minstrel Show
in case you missed it
Jun 11, 2023 10:45 AM CDT

Ancient Manuscript Offers Rare Glimpse of Minstrel Show

15th-century document might be the first known look at the entertainment

(Newser) - A preacher gives a sermon on the virtues of heavy drinking. A group of kings feast until their stomachs burst and out come two dozen murderous oxen. Such is the stuff of medieval comedy shows, revealed through the pages of a rare, 15th-century manuscript held in the National Library of...

Aniston: Comedians Now Not 'Allowed' to Do Certain Things

Actress reflects on the decades-later accusations that 'Friends' is offensive

(Newser) - Jennifer Aniston admits there's some truth to the criticisms of Friends decades after the sitcom was made: "There were things that were never intentional and others ... Well, we should have thought it through," the actress tells AFP in an interview cited by Deadline . "But I don’...

Santos Reacts to Late-Night Impersonations of Him

NY congressman especially didn't seem to like Jon Lovitz's impersonation on Fallon's show

(Newser) - Late night has definitely been going to town on George Santos , the rookie New York congressman who's played fast and loose with several facts both before, during, and after his campaign for the US House of Representatives. Comedian Bowen Yang channeled Santos on Saturday Night Live over the weekend,...

James Corden 'Inadvertently' Copies Ricky Gervais Joke

Joke about Twitter was almost identical to one Gervais told in 2018 Netflix special

(Newser) - Embattled Late Late Show host James Corden says he "inadvertently" used a Ricky Gervais joke during his monologue Monday night. Elon Musk "does this thing where he goes, ‘Well, it’s the town square.’ But it isn't," Corden said while discussing Musk's takeover...

Comic Nabs Late-Night Spot With Best Response to Can Thrower
Comic Dodges Thrown Drink,
Has Epic Response
VIDEO
Oct 11, 2022 9:20 AM CDT

Comic Dodges Thrown Drink, Has Epic Response

Ariel Elias chugged the seltzer because, at that point, 'I really needed a drink'

(Newser) - Comic Ariel Elias turned what could have been her worst night onstage into one of her best, landing her in talks for a set on Jimmy Kimmel Live! The comic was performing at Uncle Vinnie's Comedy Club in Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, on Saturday when a female audience member...

'Love Goddess' Comedian Judy Tenuta Dead at 72
Always a
'Happy Time
to Be Around
Her'
OBITUARY
Oct 7, 2022 9:55 AM CDT

Always a 'Happy Time to Be Around Her'

'Love Goddess' comedian Judy Tenuta dies at 72 of ovarian cancer

(Newser) - Judy Tenuta, a brash stand-up who cheekily styled herself as the "Love Goddess" and toured with George Carlin as she built her career in the 1980s golden age of comedy, died Thursday. She was 72. Tenuta died at home in Los Angeles, with her family around her, publicist Roger...

Norm Macdonald's Posthumous Special Unlike Any Other

It includes a 'televised wake in miniature'

(Newser) - Norm Macdonald didn't plan on filming his last comedy special in his living room. It was 2020 and the secret cancer patient was testing material for his next Netflix special. He was also about to undergo a major procedure. So he sat down to record the material in case...

There's a Feel-Good Vibe to the Jackass Pain
There's a Feel-Good
Vibe to the Jackass Pain
MOVIE REVIEW
Feb 4, 2022 11:42 AM CST

There's a Feel-Good Vibe to the Jackass Pain

Fourth installment is a hilarious 'protest against maturity': critics

(Newser) - The Jackass crew is older though apparently not much wiser in Jackass Forever , the fourth film in the main series and the first since 2010's Jackass 3D. Johnny Knoxville and Stephen "Steve-O" Glover, now with gray hair, reunite with most of the old crew members plus some newbies—...

Patton Oswalt's Message on Dave Chappelle Backfires

Comedian insists he's an 'LGBTQ ally' after post about his longtime friendship with Chappelle

(Newser) - The comedy business can be a somewhat insular one, where everybody knows everybody and ties stretch back decades. So it's not surprising that comedian Patton Oswalt has known Dave Chappelle for more than three decades, and his New Year's Eve post on that topic is now drawing heat....

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