Judd Apatow Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

The Brady organization against gun violence is calling on Hollywood writers, directors and producers to examine onscreen gun violence and depictions of gun safety, asking the creative community to sign a pledge that’s already garnered more than 200 signatures of such names as Judd Apatow, Shonda Rhimes, Damon Lindelof and Jimmy Kimmel and the writers of the Jimmy Kimmel Live!

signed a pledge promising to portray guns in a responsible way onscreen.A batch of writers, actors, producers and directors — including Jimmy Kimmel, Mark Ruffalo and Amy Schumer — have endorsed an agreement titled #ShowYourSafety for Brady United.The organization is a gun-safety lobby launched in 1981 after Jim Brady, Ronald Reagan’s White House Press Secretary, was shot by a gunman who was attempting to assassinate the former president.“Hollywood has modeled positive culture change before: Seatbelt use, smoking, teen pregnancy, marriage equality,” the company explained on its website Monday. “Now, as America’s gun violence epidemic worsens, is the time to undertake a responsibility in storytelling depicting firearms and gun safety.”Other A-listers who notarized their signature include Debbie Allen, Judd Apatow, Betsy Beers, Adam Brody, Shonda Rhimes, Adam McKay, Liz Tigelaar, Chris Van Dusen, Krista Vernoff, Julianne Moore and many more.The petition does not ask Hollywood to rid of guns and gun violence on TV and film completely, but for creatives to be “mindful” of onscreen weapons and how they are depicted.The pledge implored “America’s storytellers” to entertain audiences, but also to “acknowledge that stories have the power to effect change.”“Guns are prominently featured in TV and movies in every corner of the globe, but only America has a gun violence epidemic,” the memo went on.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorA group of 200 top writers, producers and directors have signed an open letter backed by the Brady gun violence organization that includes a pledge to incorporate gun safety best practices into their shows and to scrutinize the use of firearms in storytellling.The list of signatories includes Shonda Rhimes, Bill Lawrence, Jimmy Kimmel and the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” writing staff, Michelle and Robert King, Judd Apatow, Steve Levitan, David Shore, Matt Nix, Dan Lin and Jenni Konner. The letter frames gun safety an urgent social issue for the industry to embrace, in the same way that intentional depictions of such topics as cigarette smoking, drunk driving, the use of seat belts, marriage equality and LGBT rights helped change cultural attitudes and save lives.

Today, beards are commonplace, unremarkable bits of facial shrubbery. Even as conservative a figure as Sen. Ted Cruz sports one.

“Jurassic World: Dominion,” Neill returns to the franchise as Grant, who along with his old pals Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) and Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) investigate a mystery connected to the dinosaurs from Jurassic World and team up with the newer group of characters (Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, DeWanda Wise, Mamoudou Athie) to save the dinos and, of course, defeat an evil corporation. You know, typical “Jurassic Park” stuff.TheWrap chatted with Neill about what it was like returning to the franchise, what Judd Apatow’s Netflix movie “The Bubble” got wrong about the “Jurassic World: Dominion” production and whether he’ll make the final cut for “Thor: Love and Thunder.”You haven’t been completely absent from the “Jurassic Park” franchise. You popped up in “Jurassic Park III.” What do you remember from that one?I enjoyed it a lot.

last week was reported to be joining the cast of “Guardians Vol. 3” as well.

EXCLUSIVE: CAA has signed actor-producer Katherine Heigl (Firefly Lane) for representation.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. MasterClass, the popular e-learning platform that taps celebrities and newsmakers to teach online classes, has unveiled a new deal in an effort to shore up subscriptions throughout the summer.The latest MasterClass deal gets college students three months of courses for only $1. The “Summer of Learning” promotion  launched today and will only be available for 24 hours.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorHenry Muñoz III is the first to admit that he was a surprise bidder for Funny or Die when the digital comedy brand was put up for sale last year.“It was kind of a surprise to me too,” Muñoz jokes on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business.”The entrepreneur and activist sees Funny or Die as a vehicle for expanding his work that is focused on creating greater access to opportunities and greater equality for Latinx communities in his native Texas and around the country. Muñoz, who was most recently a co-founder of the Somos Community Care chain of health care providers, acquired the company with his own resources, without any partners or bank loans.Funny or Die was an early Hollywood foray into short-form digital media.

No one would accuse Judd Apatow of being a concise writer or director. When he is at his best — “Knocked Up,” “Funny People” — his runtimes allow characters to develop and breathe, creating lived-in worlds.

A new documentary on the late comedian George Carlin debuted on Friday night. This two-night biography called "George Carlin’s American Dream" dives into the late star's multi-decade career, and features old home videos, audio recordings and previous tv show clips.  His brother, Patrick, his first wife Brenda Hosbrook and his daughter, Kelly all share first-hand accounts of Carlin.

Pete Davidson is expected to announce he is leaving Saturday Night Live, according to a Variety report that cites “a person familiar with the matter”. The 28-year-old comedian was one of the youngest performers ever to be featured in SNL’s five decade history when he joined the cast in 2014. More recently, Davidson has become a tabloid mainstay as the boyfriend of Kim Kardashian, who he started dating after she hosted the sketch comedy series in October 2021.

Pete Davidson is leaving “Saturday Night Live,” the show is losing one of its buzziest stars ever. Starting his tenure on the show as an unassuming, slouchy young comedian in 2014, Davidson quickly became one of the biggest standups in the world, a tabloid fixture and a movie star, toplining a Judd Apatow vehicle and a forthcoming semi-autobiographical TV show.

NEW YORK -- For comedians of a certain age, there was one album that was worn out on the turntable, dutifully memorized and acted out. That was George Carlin's signature “Class Clown.”“The way George Carlin looked at the world and broke it down taught so many of us how to be comedians,” said Judd Apatow.

Apatow refers is co-producer Michael Bonfiglio, the acclaimed documentarian (“30 for 30: Bo Jackson”) with whom he collaborated on the 2018 HBO documentary “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling.”Their study of the trailblazing Carlin, who died in 2008 at the age of 71, unfolds in much the same vein as “The Zen Diaries” and includes interviews with Carlin’s daughter, Kelly Carlin, and a gaggle of fellow comics including Paul Reiser, W. Kamau Bell, Steven Wright, Judy Gold, Robert Klein and Patton Oswalt.Viewers familiar with only the bare-bones arc of Carlin’s life will take a deep dive into his professional and personal trajectory — from the clean-cut, suit-wearing ’60s-era stand-up comedian who grudgingly embraced “establishment” television mores (including a 1966 guest-starring role on the ABC sitcom “That Girl”) — to embracing his inner voice and morphing into the bearded, pony-tailed comic voice known for his cutting-edge record albums and standup act (The “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television”) that launched him into household-name stardom — and plunged him into an abyss of drug abuse.Apatow and Bonfiglio also shine a light on Carlin’s personal life, including his childhood growing up on West 121st Street, and his nearly-forty-year marriage to wife Brenda, who died in 1997 from liver cancer.“What’s interesting is that he changed [performing] styles five times.

Bros, the first gay rom-com released through a major studio – watch it below.Eichner, known for game show Billy On The Street and for voicing Timone in 2019’s The Lion King, will co-write and star in the film which will be released via Universal Pictures.Directed by Nicholas Stoller and produced by Judd Apatow, Bros follows two gay men, Bobby Leiber (Eichner) and Aaron (Luke Macfarlane), who are, according to a description, “maybe, possibly, probably stumbling towards love. Maybe.

Addie Morfoot ContributorGeorge Carlin’s enduring comedic legacy inspired Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio to make HBO’s upcoming documentary about the counterculture icon, whose observations remain eerily topical nearly 14 years after his death.Carlin, who appeared on “The Tonight Show” more than 130 times during his lengthy career, riffed about abortion, the planet, police brutality and organized religion in his stand-up sets and also appeared in movies such as “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” His legendary 1972 routine “Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television” is still regularly invoked in media circles.“We were always so surprised that anytime something happened in the news, George would start trending,” says Apatow, who co-directed “George Carlin’s American Dream” with Bonfiglio, a frequent collaborator. “Most comedians’ material ages really badly, but his work was so deep — and he also liked to talk about the big picture — that it just gets better with age.

The first trailer for “Bros”, a rom-com about two gay men stumbling towards love, has been released by Universal Pictures.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorUniversal Studios has released the first trailer for “Bros,” a meta gay rom-com written by and starring Billy Eichner.Premiering Sept. 30, the film is a major milestone as it is the first gay romantic comedy from a major studio featuring an entirely LGBTQ principal cast.

Billy Eichner is taking his brand of comedy from the streets to the theaters by co-writing and starring in the first-ever, R-rated gay rom-com from a major studio.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaRob Reiner is shooting a documentary about Albert Brooks and he’s lined up some major heavyweights to wax poetic about the filmmaker, actor and all-around comic genius.The director tells Variety that he’s already talked to or is planning to interview fellow comedians such as Larry David, Conan O’Brien, Sarah Silverman, Ben Stiller, James L. Brooks, Judd Apatow, Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes and Jonah Hill, as well as Sharon Stone, who worked with Brooks on 1999’s “The Muse.”“Albert is my really, really close friend,” says Reiner.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterEdie Falco has been cast opposite Pete Davidson in the upcoming Peacock comedy series “Bupkis,” Variety has learned.The announcement was made during NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation on Monday. “Bupkis” was picked up straight-to-series at Peacock back in April. The show is described as a heightened, fictionalized version of Davidson’s real life.

Stephen Colbert is back.

McLovin the risk of messing up the classic’s legacy. “Everyone was like, ‘Nah, we don’t want to screw up “Superbad” by accidentally making a crappy second one,’” Apatow said on the “Inside of You With Michael Rosenbaum” podcast. “And I would always say the same thing: ‘Well, that’s like saying don’t make the second episode of the “The Sopranos.” Like, so why do you think we would screw up the second one?’“I always wanted them to do a sequel to ‘Superbad,’” Apatow said earlier in the interview.

Zack Sharf Judd Apatow tried hard to get his “Superbad” cast to return for a sequel, but no one was interested in ruining a great thing. It turns out that’s not an excuse Apatow ever agreed with.

Superbad sequel, despite hesitations from the rest of the team.The filmmaker, who produced the beloved 2007 comedy, recently said he wants to follow the high school characters as they make their way through college.“I always wanted them to do a sequel to Superbad,” Apatow said on the Inside of You with Michael Rosenbaum podcast. Jonah Hill, who plays the lead, had said he would only make another one if the characters are in “an old folks’ home”.“I know that Jonah said, ‘Oh it’ll be funny to do it when we’re 70 or 80,’ but I really wanted them to do a Superbad in college where Jonah flunks out of college and just shows up and visits Michael Cera at college,” Apatow continued.“But everyone was like ‘Nah we don’t want to screw up Superbad by accidentally making a crappy second one,’ and I would always say the same thing, ‘Well that’s like saying don’t make the second episode of the The Sopranos.

Party time! Adam Sandler celebrated 13-year-old daughter Sunny’s Bat Mitzvah with the help of his celebrity pals, including Jennifer Aniston and Taylor Lautner.

EXCLUSIVE: David Duchovny, known for his starring roles as FBI Agent Fox Mulder in The X-Files and Hank Moody in Californication, has returned to his former agency, ICM Partners, for representation. Duchovny had been repped largely by ICM and WME over the past decade; he previously moved from ICM to WME in 2011 before returning and then again in 2019.

EXCLUSIVE: Jai Rodriguez (Bosch: Legacy) has wrapped a role in Nicholas Stoller’s groundbreaking LGBTQ+ rom-com Bros for Universal Pictures. He’s set to star alongside previously announced cast members including Billy Eichner, Luke Macfarlane, TS Madison, Miss Lawrence, Symone, Guillermo Diaz, Guy Branum, Monica Raymund, Jim Rash, Harvey Fierstein, Bowen Yang, Amanda Bearse, Dot-Marie Jones and more.

Dressing to the nines! Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi and more of the Euphoria cast put their best foot forward on the Met Gala 2022 red carpet.

While many film fans know Judd Apatow from being the writer-director of some massive comedy films such as “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” the filmmaker actually started out as a stand-up comic. And because of that, you can see how he honors the craft of stand-up comedy in the film “Funny People,” as well as putting the spotlight on legends such as in the doc, “The Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling.” Now, Apatow is ready to showcase perhaps the most famous stand-up of them all, George Carlin.

HBO’s Original two-part documentary “George Carlin’s American Dream” will debut later this month.Directed by Judd Apatow (“The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling”) and Michael Bonfiglio (“May It Last: A Portrait of the Avett Brothers”), the doc will air on HBO on back-to-back nights, with Part 1 premiering on Friday, May 20 at 8:00-9:55 p.m. ET/PT, followed by on Saturday, May 21, at the same time.Both episodes will be available to stream on HBO Max beginning Friday, May 20.

SNL star and stand-up comedian is going to write and act in a new series based on his life, and it's already got a straight-to-series order at Peacock. (In other words, it's for sure happening). The series is called Bupkis (a Yiddish word meaning “nothing”), and is described in a press release as “a heightened, fictionalized version of Pete Davidson’s real life. The series will combine grounded storytelling with absurd elements from the unfiltered and completely original worldview for which Pete is well known.”Many are familiar with Davidson's story, which was the (loose) inspiration for Judd Apatow's The King Of Staten Island, which Davidson starred in.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterPeacock has given a straight-to-series order to a semi-autobiographical comedy series starring Pete Davidson, Variety has learned.The series, title “Bupkis,” was first reported as being on the market back in March, with Peacock acquiring it in a competitive situation. Davidson serves as a writer and executive producer on the show in addition to starring. The half-hour comedy is described as a heightened, fictionalized version of Davidson’s real life.

Patrick Carlin, a comedy writer and performer who was a major influence on his younger brother George Carlin, died Saturday at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Hollywood. He was 90. Carlin’s death was confirmed by Kelly Carlin, his niece and daughter of George Carlin.

Patrick Carlin, a comedy writer and performer who was a major influence on his younger brother George Carlin, died April 16 at Kaiser Permanente hospital in Hollywood. He was 90.Carlin’s death was confirmed by Kelly Carlin, his niece and daughter of George Carlin.