On Wednesday, April 20, the longest running actor and comedian from “Saturday Night Live,” Kenan Thompson returns to New York City for the 11th season of his comedy competition tour series Kenan Thompson’s Ultimate Comedy Experience with a comedy showcase that will be held at the Gotham Comedy Club on West 23rd Street. The event will be hosted by the NYC 2019 Ultimate Comedy Experience winner Matt Friend. Emmy award winning TV producer Gyllian Carter, comedy writer and television producer Marc Lupis and PIX11 news correspondent Ayana Harry will be the VIP judges for this competition. Kenan joins his producing partner, Cherie Chiles-Buchanan as they search for the funniest young people in the country. The finale showcase will take place on the big stage at Caroline’s in NYC on May 15.
According to E! News, Rihanna and A$AP Rocky were spotted arriving at Grantley Adams International airport in her home country of Barbados on April 15. This was the first sighting of the expectant couple since rumors accusing the Harlem rapper of cheating on Rihanna with Fenty shoe designer, Amina Muaddi, swirled through the blogosphere on April 14, after a tweet went viral. Muaddi quickly shut down the speculation, calling the “malicious rumor” an “unfounded lie.” Soon after, fashion influencer, Louis Pisano, who sent out the tweet that caused all the commotion, posted a formal apology, that read “to all parties I involved with my actions and for my reckless tweets.”
Tongues are wagging that dean of the Friars Club, attorney Arthur Aidala will present actor Tracy Morgan with the Icon Award at the Friars Club Gala at the Ziegfeld Ballroom on May 26. Meanwhile, according to reports the OG star was spotted at the New York Auto Show at the Jacob Javits Center on April 16. The show, which resumed for the first time since 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, runs through April 23.
Husband and wife acting team Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance made a big splash in the Big Apple the week of April 12. First, Vance hosted a screening of his new AMC drama, “61st Street.” Then, on April 13, the couple hosted Jazz at Lincoln Center’s annual gala, Body + Soul: American Rises Through The Arts. In a pre-recorded video, Michelle Obama presented JALC’s Ed Bradley Award for Leadership to Darren Walker, the president of the Ford Foundation, while Spike Lee presented musician Terrence Blanchard the JALC Award for Artistic Excellence. The JALC orchestra with Wynton Marsalis provided the evening’s entertainment. Lastly, April 14, Bassett was on the red carpet for the opening night of Laurence Fishburne’s new Broadway show, “American Buffalo.”