She’s not known for holding her tongue, and Whitney Cummings is speaking out on the state of stand-up comedy.
“I don’t have to tell you, over the past couple of years, comedy has taken quite a hit,” she tells Page Six. “It became super obvious that there were some issues in our society … which you know, it’s usually our job to comment on and confront, and all of a sudden, comedians started becoming like the enemy.”
In just the past two years, there was of course Will Smith‘s infamous Oscar night slap of Chris Rock, and last May, Dave Chappellewas attacked onstage in California in a frightening tussle with a knife-wielding man from the crowd.
In October, Ariel Elias ducked a beer can that was flung at her head by a New Jersey comedy show patron — and made headlines when she chugged it without skipping a beat.
2 Broke Girls co-creator Cummings lamented that it’s the job of comedians to poke fun at “sensitive subjects” to “help everyone cope and to laugh at horrible things,” but “all of a sudden for a litany of reasons, people started saying, ‘Comedians are bullies and they’re causing violence.’ She adds, ‘And we’re like, ‘Wait, what?'”
The fact that comics are being labeled bullies, yet are the ones being attacked, she said is “ironic.”
(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden will be hosting the cast of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso at the White House Monday to discuss the importance of talking about mental health.
Several actors from the hit show including Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham and Brett Goldstein will visit to discuss why people should address “mental health to promote overall well-being.”
Biden tweeted a suggestion to the visit Sunday with a photo of a sign that reads, “BELIEVE” above one of the doors to the Oval Office, which references the sign that the title character, played by Sudeikis, hangs above his office door.
According to a press release from the streaming service, the themes of Ted Lasso have focused on “optimism, kindness, and determination.”
The series, which saw its third season premiere last week, has also not shied away from depicting mental health struggles.
Lasso is an American football coach who moves to England to coach a Premier League soccer team. He generally has a sunny disposition, but cracks begin to show as past trauma catches up with him.
Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, played by Sarah Niles, is brought in to help one of the team’s soccer players after a penalty kick gone wrong shakes him up. However, she soon begins to have one-on-one conversations with all the players.
Although Lasso initially resists Fieldstone’s attempts to have a session with him, he eventually visits her after experiencing a debilitating panic attack.
Over a series of sessions, Lasso and Fieldstone dig down to discover the root cause of Lasso’s anxiety.
Ted Lasso co-creator and cast member Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard, told Phil Lipof on “ABC News Live” Friday that the response from fans to Lasso entering therapy has been overwhelmingly positive.
“The feedback we’ve gotten from people on this show is so uniquely moving — and has been from the beginning for various reasons — but, when we added the therapy element, heard back from a lot of different people about how therapy has helped their lives and some people who were just finally taking the step to start therapy because of the show,” Hunt said.
In several speeches, including his most recent State of the Union in January, Biden has said one of the key proposals of his administration is improving mental health.
The administration has provided more than $500 million to help states launch the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and has distributed funds to help more schools hire mental health professionals that can connect with students either in person or via telehealth.
Biden has also called on lawmakers to pass legislation that would prevent social media companies from collecting personal data on children and teenagers as well as ban targeted advertising to children.
“President Biden has made addressing the mental health crisis a core pillar of his Unity Agenda,” the White House said in a statement. “His strategy is focused on training more providers, making care more affordable and accessible, and creating healthier and safer communities, including online.”
The White House did not immediately return ABC News’ request for comment.
Ed Sheeran concedes he hasn’t been keen on sharing details about his personal life, but that will change when a new documentary comes to Disney+ this spring.
Ed announced that a four-part documentary will take a deep dive into his new album, –, pronounced Subtract. The docuseries, The Sum Of It All, hits the streamer May 3.
“I’ve always been guarded of my personal life; the only documentary I’ve ever made has been one that focused on my songwriting,” he said, referring to 2018’s Songwriter.
He continued, “Disney approached me to make a four-part documentary on the making of my next album Subtract. Initially the documentary was just that, a documentary on the formation of an album. But, as my life took a few twists and turns, the subject matter of the album changed, and so did the documentary.”
“It became something completely different to what I thought it would be. I wanted to provide context to the album as it touches on very personal things, that we all experience,” Ed wrote. “I knew if I made a documentary, I would want to put my trust in the hands of the director, so it wouldn’t be sculpted by me, and was actually an accurate reflection of who I am, even if it’s uncomfortable to watch.”
The series will include the chapters “Love,” “Loss,” “Focus” and “Balance.”
The docuseries is produced by Fulwell 73 Productions, the team behind Elton John: Farewell from Dodgers Stadium.
In a press release, Disney explained the docuseries will explore “how an unlikely child with a stutter rose to fame to become one of the biggest global music superstars and how his chart-topping hits were born.”
Drake fans were not too pleased with his headlining set at Lollapalooza Argentina last weekend. According to Tracklist, “the rapper performed for just over 40 minutes,” which is shorter than sets from most headliners and some of the artists on the bill.
Drake also reportedly decided he no longer wanted to livestream his performance. Event organizers were informed minutes before his show began and updated fans via a message on their stream.
“Drake decided, minutes before going on stage, to not permit the live transmission of his show, despite the formal agreement reached earlier,” a translation of the message reads. “We regret the artist’s decision.”
Fans later shared their grievances on social media.
“wow drake’s lollapalooza Argentina performance was complete trashhhhhhh. ended the set 30 min early, cut the livestream 5 mins before the show…,” wrote one Twitter user.
Another fan wrote, “You come to Argentina to become a star, by prohibiting the show from being broadcast live, sh**** garbage. Get out of our country broken face.”
Drake’s shortened Lollapalooza set comes days after he added a few more dates to his It’s A Blur Tour with 21 Savage. Tickets for the 42-show trek are now available.
3 Doors Down has announced a U.S. tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of the band’s 2002 sophomore album, Away from the Sun.
The headlining outing begins June 14 in Baltimore and will conclude with the annual Better Life Foundation charity concert, taking place October 21 in Cherokee, North Carolina. Candlebox will also be on the bill.
“Away From The Sun has always been a personal favorite of mine because of how much it resonated with our country’s service members,” says 3DD frontman Brad Arnold. “We are so blessed to be able to celebrate these significant milestones because we were very young making these albums, and we still have so much more life to give our fans.”
“The show we are planning will be next level this year,” Arnold adds. “It’s going to be incredible to have Candlebox on tour with us. I’ve been a fan of theirs since I was a teenager.”
Tickets go on sale Friday, March 24, at 10 a.m. local time. For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit 3DoorsDown.com.
Away from the Sun spawned the singles “Here Without You” and “When I’m Gone,” and has been certified four-times Platinum by the RIAA.
The most recent 3 Doors Down album is 2016’s Us and the Night.
U2 announced earlier this year they would be headlining a new Las Vegas residency this fall, but their drummer, Larry Mullen Jr., would be missing it in order to continue to recover from surgery. Fans were not happy about the news, and it turns out bassist Adam Clayton has some reservations, as well.
“I don’t know what it’s going to be like,” Clayton tells Billboard. “I haven’t played with anyone else before. I know playing with Larry Mullen, he always made me sound good, and that was half the job done.”
But Clayton notes having Bram van den Berg fill in for Mullen “might just keep us on our toes. I’m sure we’ll find our groove.”
And to assure fans things will be OK, Clayton offers, “I think Bram is a great player. He’s got a great reputation. He’s a lovely man. If the musician’s heart is in the right place, the music follows without too much difficulty.”
John Lennon and Yoko Ono, who met in 1966 and became romantically involved in 1968, got married in Gibraltar.
They honeymooned in Paris, Amsterdam and Montreal, staging a Bed-In-For-Peace in the latter two cities. Lennon documented the whole honeymoon experience in the Top 10 single “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” recorded with help from Paul McCartney.
The couple welcomed their only son, Sean Taro Ono Lennon, in October of 1975, and remained married until Lennon’s murder on December 8, 1980. They did separate for 18 months between 1973 and 1975, in which Lennon dated May Pang. That time was referred to as Lennon’s “Lost Weekend.”
(NOTE LANGUAGE) While many movies have been adapted into video games, one might not have expected the multiple Oscar-nominated The Banshees of Inisherin to be among them — but someone has done it.
Banshees: The Game is an 8-bit version of the hit movie, almost like Pac-Man, except you play a cute little version of Brendan Gleeson‘s Colm. The goal is to try to avoid not ghosts, but the “boring local gobsh***,” Colin Farrell‘s Pádraic, trying to “talk your ears off” on your way to the pub.
Sustaining you on your journey aren’t dots, but teensy severed fingers. Get caught and you hear Colm’s oft-repeated line, “I don’t like you no more.”
While technically it would make more sense for you to play Jenny the donkey, given her propensity for gobbling up said errant digits in Martin McDonagh‘s award-winning film, the 8-bit graphical representation of the characters and the stone walls of Inisherin, as well as the twee Irish music that overlays the game, more than make up for that quibble.
We’d give creators Cogs & Marvel two thumbs up, but given Colm’s predicament, it might not be appropriate.
(NASHVILLE, Tenn.) — Police in Nashville, Tennessee, say they’re searching for two suspects who were caught on camera spray-painting houses with swastikas and other hate messages.
Nashville police said five homes in the Sylvan Park area were targeted by the vandalism early Sunday.
Home surveillance video showed the suspects spray-painting a camera at one of the homes around 1:30 a.m.
Nashville Mayor John Cooper tweeted, “Nashville stands united against the hate and bigotry these disgusting acts represent.”
“Grateful to [Nashville police] Chief Drake & his team for their ongoing work to track down those responsible and hold them accountable,” Cooper said. “We will not tolerate antisemitism or discrimination of any kind in our city.”
The police department said its officers are increasing their presence in Sylvan Park and at Nashville’s Jewish institutions.
Police ask anyone with information to call the department’s Specialized Investigations Division at 615-742-7463.
(NEW YORK) — An American missionary who was kidnapped in Niger has been released, U.S. officials said Monday.
Jeffery Woodke, a Christian humanitarian aid worker, was released on Monday after more than six years in captivity, the White House said.
“I’m gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity,” U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan tweeted. “The U.S. thanks Niger for its help in bringing him home to all who miss & love him.”
Woodke, who had been kidnapped in October 2016, was released outside of Niger, “in the Mali-Burkina” Faso area, according to a senior Biden administration official.
He had been captured by a hostage-taking network after working for years in the region, according to the official, who declined to say which specific terrorist organization had been holding the American.
“There are a number of kind of intersecting, overlapping terrorist networks in that part of West Africa that, unfortunately, see kidnapping and hostage-taking as part of their business model, frankly, and as a source of revenue and support for them,” the official said. “And unfortunately, he has spent six-and-a-half years enduring that.”
Woodke’s wife, Els, told ABC News in 2021 that her family had come to believe that her husband had been held by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (IS-GS) to an al-Qaida affiliate in northwest Africa known as JNIM.
In a call with reporters, the official didn’t say where Woodke was now, although a White House official said Woodke had been transferred to U.S. government custody.
The senior official said the U.S. didn’t know where Woodke had actually been held over the years, and that officials hoped to learn more from Woodke himself.
The official declined to provide details of how Woodke was freed, deferring to Niger’s government to provide more information. He noted Woodke would be offered an array of medical services, including psychiatric support.
While the official declined to provide details about how Woodke was released, he emphasized “there was no quid pro quo” with Woodke’s captors.
“There was no direct negotiation here between the U.S. government and a terrorist organization,” the official said. “It’s worth making that clear. Certainly, we did not pay a ransom or make a concession to a terrorist organization here.”
He credited Niger’s government and said that the U.S. worked through Niger, which he said had “their own engagements.”
Woodke’s wife appeared in the 2021 ABC News documentary 3212 UN-REDACTED, which focused on an ill-fated U.S. Special Forces mission in 2017 that left four Green Beret soldiers dead.
A former commanding general of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) had claimed publicly that the mission had been tied to finding Woodke.
On Monday, the Biden administration official said the U.S. had invested intelligence and military resources over the years to find Woodke, who had worked for years helping nomadic people in the Sahel region.
“We owe a great deal of thanks to the government of Niger for its critical role in securing Jeff’s release,” the senior administration official said.
The official said the Woodke family had been notified first, the administration had also notified members of Congress, and the U.S. was notifying “foreign partners,” as well.
