Comedy
Joe Gatto Announces Departure from Impractical Jokers
Impractical Jokers co-star Joe Gatto has announced his departure from the long-running hidden camera prank show. In a statement released on New Year’s Eve, Gatto explained that he’s focused on co-parenting after separating from his wife. “Sorry in advance for the long and more-serious-than-usual note below, I just wanted to let you all know that I will no longer be involved with Impractical Jokers,” Gatto wrote. “Alongside my friends, I’ve devoted a decade of my life to building this franchise and couldn’t be prouder of what has been accomplished. However, due to some issues in my personal life, I have to step away. Bessy and I have decided to amicably part ways, so now I need to focus on being the best father and co-parent to our two incredible kids.” Advertisement Related Video Gatto sta...
Cobra Kai Is Still Nostalgic Fun, But Starts to Pull Its Punches in Season 4: Review
The Pitch: At the end of Season 3, things were changing for the inexplicably-karate-obsessed denizens of Encino, California. Sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove) is now fully in command of Cobra Kai, with Johnny Lawrence’s (William Zabka) troubled son Robby (Taylor Buchanan) now his trusted sempai; the school’s firmly back on its ‘strike hard, strike fast, no mercy’ kick, especially in a softened Lawrence’s absence. But as a new year (and a new karate tournament) dawns, Lawrence has one way of getting Kreese out of town for good: if either he or his former-rival-turned-reluctant-ally Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) can get their dojos to win the All-Valley, Kreese is gone forever. It’s a tall order, considering that a) Johnny and Daniel-san’s decades-long rivalry still simmers below the su...
Ice Cube Says Chris Tucker Declined Next Friday Over “Religious Reasons”
Next Friday — the 2000 sequel to Ice Cube’s beloved stoner comedy, Friday — had a conspicuous missing piece with the absence of Chris Tucker. Though the original 1995 film was made on a small budget, its smash success meant a follow-up had more cash to work with. Still, it wasn’t enough to bring Tucker back, who Ice Cube recently said backed out of the franchise over “religious reasons.” “We were ready to pay Chris Tucker $10-12m to do Next Friday but he turned us down for religious reasons,” Ice Cube wrote in a tweet Wednesday, December 29th. “He didn’t want to cuss or smoke weed on camera anymore.” Considering Tucker’s character in Friday was literally named Smokey, it’s no wonder the sequel’s script didn’t align with his beliefs. He even confirmed himself that weed w...
Unvaccinated Joe Rogan Cancels 4/20 Show in Canada, Can’t Even “Get into the Country”
Joe Rogan was forced to cancel his sold-out 4/20 show in Vancouver, Canada because the unvaccinated podcast host is unable to meet the country’s COVID-19 requirements for travelers. Via Exclaim, Rogan first raised the possibility of cancellation during the December 24th episode of his podcast. “I should probably say this because I haven’t yet,” he told the show’s guest Tim Dillon. “My 4/20 show that’s sold-out in Vancouver, I don’t think that that’s happening. I don’t even think I can get into the country. I’m not vaccinated. I’m not gonna get vaccinated.” In lieu of the jab, Rogan thinks the fact that he previously caught COVID-19 should be enough. “I have antibodies. It doesn’t make any sense. I don’t think I can go, and even if I do go, I don’t trust that Vancouver is not...
Louis C.K. Aired Commercial for New Special During SNL
Live from New York, it’s…a Louis C.K. commercial? On Saturday night, the disgraced comedian ran an ad for his latest comedy special during Saturday Night Live, sending social media into a flurry. “So Louis CK has a new special out, ‘Sorry,’ that he is selling online. An ad ran during SNL,” one person tweeted. “For those who forgot, Louis CK sexually assaulted a series of women comedians, then went right back to work and no one blinked.” Another wrote during the show: “By far the most memorable part of this SNL will be the insanity of seeing a national Louis CK commercial in the year of our Lord Two Thousand Twenty One,” while writer Andy Herrera pointed out the irony in the ad running prior to a re-airing of SNL‘s classic Dick in a Box digital short. “Honestly of course Louis CK whips out ...
Eric Andre Is a Megachurch Pastor in New Trailer for The Righteous Gemstones Season 2: Watch
Two years after its first season, The Righteous Gemstones is finally getting a second coming. Today, HBO has answered fans’ prayers by sharing the official trailer of Season 2 of the black comedy ahead of its January 9th premiere date. Naturally, the trailer opens with the extended Gemstone family bickering over dinner. But they have one God-sized business venture on the horizon: A new Christian timeshare resort on the coast of Florida. As if things weren’t already chaotic enough in this family, they’re shocked to discover that their gaudy, evangelistic lifestyle is being documented by a reporter. The Righteous Gemstones will see the return of Season 1 cast members Danny McBride, Adam Devine, John Goodman, Edi Patterson, Walton Goggins, and Jennifer Nettles. Joining the batch for...
Jeff Garlin Pushed Out of The Goldbergs Following Multiple HR Investigations
Jeff Garlin is exiting the long-running sitcom The Goldbergs following multiple HR investigations into his on-set behavior. The 59-year-old comedian has been accused of creating a hostile and demeaning work environment, with one anonymous source saying, “He is extremely verbally and emotionally abusive.” Deadline reports that the decision is mutual, and that he will stay long enough to wrap his final scenes of Season Nine. The Goldbergs is one of ABC’s highest-rated comedy series, and no decision has been made about Season 10. Garlin addressed the complaints against him in an interview with Vanity Fair two weeks ago, acknowledging that he’d been the subject of HR investigations for three consecutive years. “I have my process about how I’m funny, in terms ...
Aziz Ansari Announces “Last Minute Tour”
Aziz Ansari has scheduled a “Last Minute Tour.” The veteran comedian will perform a series of standup shows beginning back-to-back dates in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 26th and 27th. In the days ahead, Ansari will also visit Charleston, South Carolina, Austin, San Francisco, Denver, Chicago, and Washington, DC, before wrapping up the jaunt with a gig in New York City. Tickets go on sale starting Friday, December 17th at 12:00 p.m. local time via Ticketmaster. Earlier this year, the third season of Ansari’s award-winning series Master of None premiere on Netflix. Related Video Aziz Ansari 2021-2022 Tour Dates:12/26 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte12/27 – Charlotte, NC @ The Fillmore Charlotte12/30 – Charleston, SC @ Charleston Gaillard Center01/02 – Austin, TX @ Param...
Comedian of the Year Bo Burnham Captured Our Collective Anxiety in 2021
Our 2021 Annual Report continues with the announcement of Bo Burnham as our Comedian of the Year. As the year winds down, stay tuned for more awards, lists, and articles about the best music, film, and TV of 2021. You can find it all in one place here. There’s a moment of context in Bo Burnham’s Inside where things start to click in a different way, and the whole special gets cast in a new light. At the end of the first verse and chorus of “All Eyes on Me,” Burnham describes making the decision to return to stand up comedy after a four-year hiatus from the form. In a supremely ironic fashion, he made this decision in January 2020, finally deciding that he was ready to be vulnerable in front of an audience again — all before a global shutdown. Hindsight is (clears throat) 20/20, but regardl...
Billie Eilish Hosts SNL: The Six Best Sketches
Billie Eilish went through a minor but impressive pop-culture rite of passage this weekend on Saturday Night Live: After appearing as musical guest in September 2019, she returned to the show for double duty, hosting and serving as musical guest. This isn’t exclusively the specialty of young, female pop stars—Justin Timberlake has famously done it, as have Mick Jagger, Paul Simon, and a bunch of others—but it does feel like a particular proving ground for that demo, especially in the past decade-plus. Double-duty gals have included Taylor Swift, Britney Spears, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, and Miley Cyrus, who (like Britney) has done a double-double, with two separate host/guest stints. (Cyrus must have been on hand to advise Eilish; she actually appeared in a sketch before Eilish herself did...
UK Adaptation of Saturday Night Live in Development
Live from New York — and London — it’s Saturday night! NBC’s long-running sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live could soon be getting an adaptation across the pond with a UK version. Variety has confirmed that the Comcast-backed TV broadcaster Sky is in the early stages of developing a British SNL. Considering Sky and NBC share a parent company in Comcast — and the fact that China, Japan, the Middle East, France, Italy, Poland, Brazil, and Korea have already put their own spins on the format — a UK adaptation was pretty inevitable. Since late night programming isn’t as big in the UK as it is in the US, however, Variety points out that a British SNL is likely to air much earlier than its American counterpart. It was only just recently that Sky began distribu...
And Just Like That… Review: HBO Max Reminds Us Why We Should Never Look Back
[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for And Just Like That…, Episode 2, “Little Black Dress.”] The Pitch: The blunt truth of being alive is that there’s no such thing as a happy ending. Everyone has happy and sad moments over the course of their time on this earth, and when the inevitable comes all you can hope for is that it’s not too soon, and that the good outweighed the bad as much as possible. This is an annoying and awful truth, which is just one reason why we’re a culture obsessed with stories, and why the Sex and the City continuation And Just Like That… is both a very welcome trip home to visit old friends, and also an existential crisis in the works. Advertisement A Big Twist: HBO Max deliberately withheld screeners from critics until the moment of the show’s premiere...
