Chris Rock

Although some in the industry had called for Chris Rock to join the boycott of the 2016 Oscars, the actor and comedian will host the show as planned — though there will be some changes. Rock has reportedly tossed out much of his material in order to address the #OscarsSoWhite controversy that’s inspired Spike Lee, Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith to boycott the ceremony, while the Academy has announced a sweeping initiative to increase diversity.

For the second year in a row, every actor nominated in all four acting categories for the Academy Awards is a white person. All 20 nominees for Best Actor and Actress and Best Supporting Actor and Actress are white people, reigniting the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite. And while many of us are comfortable in our power to merely comment via social media, there are a couple of strong voices who are fed up and ready to do something about it: director Spike Lee and actor Jada Pinkett-Smith have announced plans to boycott the Oscars this year, while the host of the 2016 awards himself has called the Academy out for their persistent negligence to nominate people of color.

Look who’s back! According to Variety, Chris Rock is reportedly in talks to host the 88th Academy Awards.

We know, we know. A few weeks out from Halloween, and already Christmas specials are making their presence known. Still, we’re not ones to question Bill Murray, especially if the first promo for his star-studded, Sofia Coppola-directed Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas lives up to its promise.

The year of Amy Schumer has taken us Inside Comedy Central, straight through a Trainwreck, and may peak on October 17 with the arrival of the revered comedian’s first HBO special, Amy Schumer Live at the Apollo. The first teaser for the new special has arrived, previewing the one thing Schumer has yet to do, which probably isn’t so dirty as you might be thinking.

Between the brilliance of Inside Amy Schumer and the relatable hilarity of Trainwreck (you could swap adjectives to describe both, really), Amy Schumer is on top of the world. Her recent GQ Star Wars photo shoot only further cemented her status as an icon, and Schumer will soon follow in the footsteps of her fellow comedic icons with her own HBO special — which now has its very own premiere date.

We don’t yet have a clear sense of what The Daily Show with Trevor Noah will look like, and while we’ve heard a few big names suggested prior, our future Daily Show almost looked very different. Not only did the inimitable Amy Poehler (briefly) consider an offer to host, but so too did Chris Rock apparently mull over taking the chair for a time.

Granted, it’s May, but when have you ever known Bill Murray to pop up when expected? The revered and eccentric comedian has finally locked down his long-discussed Christmas special with Sofia Coppola sending holiday cheer to Netflix this December with A Very Murray Christmas.

Considering how big FOX’s Empire surprisingly expanded over the first season, the hip-hop drama’s Season 2 swell is anything but unexpected. FOX has officially confirmed that Empire Season 2 will expand its run of episodes from the first year, also adding a new musical voice to the soundtrack behind the scenes.

Amy Schumer is one of the smartest, funniest and most exceptional voices in comedy right now. Thanks to her Comedy Central series Inside Amy Schumer and her upcoming film Trainwreck (directed by comedy king Judd Apatow), Schumer is off the charts right now — and when you’re that much of a big deal in comedy, an HBO special is inevitable. Schumer is set to headline her very first comedy special for HBO, and she’s landed someone to direct who’s more than a little familiar with the network.