Andy Kaufman Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

While it was difficult for the world to discern at the time, and maybe even now, to the legendary, notorious absurdist comedian Andy Kaufman, comedy was an art, and the act of performance was an act worth living in beyond the stage. Infamous for his strange, bizarre comedic behavior and erratic and provocative, even goading, live appearances, Kaufman, the subject of the documentary “Thank You Very Much: Andy Kaufman,” was seemingly on a quest for truth.

EXCLUSIVE: In recent years, comedian Tom Segura has taken to both his podcasts and the press to tease a pilot that he self-financed, produced and sold. And now, he’s revealed Netflix as the destination for the project, a six-episode dark comedy series that he’ll star in and produce.

Richard Lewis, one of America’s most beloved and revered stand-up comics who also played a fictionalized version of himself on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, died last night at his home in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack. He was 76.

Benny Safdie is late. Frantic and a bit sweaty, he arrives at Westside Restaurant 40 minutes past our 10 a.m.

Dave Chappelle has targetted trans and disabled people in his new Netflix special The Dreamer.After his previous special The Closer sparked criticism and employee walkouts at Netflix over jokes about the trans community, the comedian opens his new hour-long special by addressing the subject once again.In the opening, Chappelle recalls meeting Jim Carrey on the set of the 1999 movie Man On The Moon, where Carrey played the late comedian Andy Kaufman.“I was very disappointed because I wanted to meet Jim Carrey and I had to pretend he was Andy Kaufman all afternoon,” Chappelle said, describing how the actor stayed in character off-camera. “It was clearly Jim Carrey. I could look at him and clearly see it was Jim Carrey.

Dave Chappelle once again takes aim at the transgender community, as well as people with disabilities, in his new stand-up special “The Dreamer,” which dropped Sunday on Netflix. Chappelle, 50, opens the set by recalling the time he met actor Jim Carrey, 61, on the set of “Man on the Moon,” Deadline reports. Carrey plays the late performer Andy Kaufman in the 1999 film.“I was very disappointed because I wanted to meet Jim Carrey and I had to pretend he was Andy Kaufman all afternoon.

After receiving harsh criticism for his remarks about transgender and LGBTQ+ communities in his previous Netflix special The Closer, Dave Chappelle again took a jab at trans people and targeted the disabled community in his latest special The Dreamer.

William Earl Maybe it’s time for Dave Chappelle to try some new material. The comedian’s newest special, “The Dreamer,” debuted on Netflix on Dec. 31, and largely focuses on his early years in entertainment and how he manifested his success.

The View hosted an epic reunion of the cast of Taxi, 45 years after the series premiered on ABC. The ladies hosted Danny DeVito, Tony Danza, Christopher Lloyd, Judd Hirsch, Marilu Henner and Carol Kane for the celebration.

WME has signed the Estate of Nigerian bandleader, composer, political activist and Afrobeat creator Fela Kuti for management worldwide under its WME Legends division.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Gregg Sutton, a songwriter and musician who recorded as a solo artist, was a member of Lone Justice, toured with Bob Dylan and was the musical director for comedian Andy Kaufman, died Sunday in Los Angeles. He was 74. No cause of death was immediately given.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Films about Grammy Award winner Jon Batiste, Andy Kaufman and designer John Galliano are part of this year’s Telluride Film Festival documentary feature lineup.In all, 22 feature and four short documentaries are heading to the 50th edition of TFF, where buzz for docs seeking Oscar consideration frequently takes hold.The lineup, kept under wraps until the eve of the fest’s opening on Aug. 31, includes docs from novice and veteran documentarians, including Errol Morris (“The Pigeon Tunnel”), Madeleine Gavin (“Beyond Utopia”), Matthew Heineman (“American Symphony”) and Paul B.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Filmmaker Clay Tweel (“Gleason,” “Finder’s Keepers”) has signed on to direct a new documentary based on the life of comedian Andy Kaufman. Produced by Ross Dinerstein’s Campfire Studios, Dwayne Johnson and Dany Garcia’s Seven Bucks Productions, David Letterman’s Worldwide Pants Incorporated and Fifth Season, the film reps the first doc authorized by the Kaufman estate. Fifth Season (“Being Mary Tyler Moore”) is fully financing the project, which will be overseen by Mary Lisio, executive vice president of non-scripted and documentary, and produced in partnership with the Andy Kaufman estate. “I’ve always loved Andy because he was able to elicit such emotional reactions to his performances by using both the poignant and the absurd to keep his audience off balance. I hope we can honor his legacy in that way with our film,” Tweel said. 

Author Bill Zehme, the last person to interview Johnny Carson and biographer of Frank Sinatra and Andy Kaufman, has died. He was 65 and passed in Chicago after a long battle with colorectal cancer.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Andy Kaufman is set to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class of 2023, Variety has learned. Kaufman will be inducted alongside this year’s fellow honorees that currently include Rey Mysterio and The Great Muta. Kaufman is best known for his career on the stage and screen, most famously starring as Latka Gravas in the hit sitcom “Taxi” from 1978-1983. He made his mark on the world of professional wrestling, however, when he declared himself the Inter-Gender Wrestling Champion of the World, offering money to any woman who could pin him as part of his act. This famously led to a feud with fellow WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler in the Continental Wrestling Association in Memphis, TN.

Rick Newman, the founder of New York City’s hugely influential Catch a Rising Star comedy club that provided a training ground for the stand-up comics who would change the landscape of entertainment in the 1970s, died Feb. 20 at his home in Los Angeles. He was 81.

Djo, the solo music moniker of Stranger Things star Joe Keery, has released ‘Gloom’, a new single lifted from his upcoming sophomore album.The track, which sees the actor and musician sing atop pulsating, fuzzy beats, is the second to be shared from Djo’s upcoming solo LP ‘Decide’, following last month’s release of lead single ‘Change’. Listen below:‘Decide’ is set for release on September 16, and was produced by Adam Thein, whom Keery collaborated with on Djo’s debut 2019 album, ‘Twenty Twenty’.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorGeorge Shapiro, producer and longtime manager of Jerry Seinfeld, Carl Reiner, Andy Kaufman and other comedy stars, died May 26 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 91.Shapiro was co-founder and partner in Shapiro/West Associates, the prosperous talent management banner that helped assemble the mammoth NBC hit “Seinfeld” and numerous projects for Andy Kaufman.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorGeorge Shapiro, producer and longtime manager of Jerry Seinfeld, Carl Reiner, Andy Kaufman and other comedy stars, died May 26 at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 91.Shapiro was co-founder and partner in Shapiro/West Associates, the prosperous talent management banner that helped assemble the mammoth NBC hit “Seinfeld” and numerous projects for Andy Kaufman.

George Shapiro, the deeply respected talent manager, producer and co-founder of Shapiro/West & Associates, died Thursday evening of natural causes at his home in Beverly Hills. He was 91.

Morgan Neville’s company Tremolo Productions is officially in production of an untitled Andy Kaufman documentary alongside Josh and Benny Safdie’s Elara Pictures. The Emmy-nominated Alex Braverman will direct the feature-length film.“No matter how many times I watch Andy Kaufman’s work, I feel like I’m seeing a magic trick for the very first time,” Braverman said.

Martin Freeman was not a fan of Jim Carrey’s method acting for “Man on the Moon”.

WME has launched a new division called WME Legends, which will focus on managing estates and brands.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterThe William Morris Endeavor agency has launched a new division for representing and servicing celebrity and brand estates.Run by Phil Sandhaus, a veteran estate manager and consultant to late icons like Frank Sinatra, Buddy Holly and Whitney Houston, the new WME shingle will bring trailblazing artists and iconic brands into the modern business landscape.At launch, WME Legends has signed the estates of: performance artist and comedian Andy Kaufman (“Saturday Night

Well, this was a little more serious than we expected from Jim Carrey.