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Jerry Seinfeld Adds Another Layer to Infamous AmEx Black Card Invention

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To hear Jerry Seinfeld tell it, he had a major hand in American Express’ creation of its Centurion Card (widely known as the Black Card) in 1999.

As the story goes, when Seinfeld was a spokesperson for American Express in the 1990s, a member of a commercial’s crew asked him if he owned an AmEx Black Card. Not knowing what it was but thinking it was about time he did, he called up the company’s president at the time, Harvey Golub, and said that he wanted one — but it turned out the coveted card for the ultra-rich and famous was just a rumor at that time.

When it was made a reality, Seinfeld said he was the first person to be gifted one.

The iconic comedian first broke out the story on his Netflix’s talk series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” with guest John Mulaney in 2018. But in a recent live audience interview with comic and actor Sebastian Maniscalco to launch his “We Got Company!” podcast, Seinfeld added another layer to the tale.

“I was on the set, we’re shooting a commercial, and one of the guys on the crew slides up next to me and whispers, ‘Do you have the Black Card?’ I go, ‘Well, what’s that?’ He goes, ‘There’s supposed to be a secret Black Card, and only the Sultan of Brunei and the president of American Express has it. And I thought maybe you had it too.’

“I go, ‘No, I don’t have it. But I’m gonna get it,’” Seinfeld continued. “And, the next morning, I called the president of American Express, Harvey Golub at the time, a nice Jewish guy from Brooklyn, and I said, ‘What about the Black Card?’ He says, ‘It’s just a rumor, it’s never existed.’ I go, ‘Let’s do it, let’s make the Black Card.’ He goes, ‘Let me look into it.’ And that’s how it happened.”

When Maniscalco asked Seinfeld to confirm that he was indeed the first person to be presented the American Express Black Card, the comic shared a coda:

“I had the first one, and I threw it out,” Seinfeld said, laughing. “I don’t know what happened to it. But he gave it to me in this nice padded thing, and it was the first one, and I don’t have it anymore.”

For those hoping to follow in Seinfeld’s footsteps and also become an AmEx Black Card holder, CNBC previously detailed in its own account that the main thing needed for such access is a “well-padded bank account.” Kim Kardashian and Oprah Winfrey, the outlet reported, are also said to be among the card’s elite holders.

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Milo Yiannopoulos, Far-Right Provocateur Detained by ICE

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Far-right provocateur and former Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and faces deportation from the United States, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday.

The British national was arrested Thursday at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport after overstaying his visa and failing to appear for an immigration hearing. An immigration judge issued a final removal order on July 22.

“He chose to overstay his welcome in violation of our nation’s laws,” DHS said.

Yiannopoulos will remain in ICE custody pending his removal.

Yiannopoulos rose to prominence at Breitbart during the 2016 presidential campaign, becoming one of the most recognizable — and controversial — figures in far-right media. He resigned from the outlet in 2017 after video resurfaced in which he appeared to condone sexual relationships between adults and minors.

The controversy also prompted the Conservative Political Action Conference to rescind his speaking invitation and Simon & Schuster to cancel publication of his planned book.

Yiannopoulos built his profile through inflammatory commentary targeting Muslims, immigrants, feminists and other groups, along with a series of confrontational appearances on college campuses. Twitter permanently banned him in 2016 following a harassment campaign targeting “Ghostbusters” star Leslie Jones. His account was later reinstated after Elon Musk acquired the platform.

He later briefly interned for former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and became an adviser to Ye, formerly Kanye West, working on the rapper’s 2024 presidential bid.

A source familiar with Ye’s operation told TheWrap in May that Yiannopoulos continued to advise the rapper. During the same period, Yiannopoulos posted a series of antisemitic messages around Ye’s public apology for his past antisemitic statements, including posts published immediately before and after the apology.

In posts reviewed by TheWrap, Yiannopoulos asked, “Why do Ashkenazi Jews find the letters ‘DNA’ so frightening?” and declared, “It’s Catholics and Muslims versus Protestants and Jews.” The source argued that Ye’s continued association with Yiannopoulos cast doubt on the sincerity of the rapper’s effort to distance himself from years of antisemitic statements and behavior.

Ye was scheduled to perform in New Orleans on Friday night. It was not immediately clear whether Yiannopoulos was in the area because of the concert in connection with his continued work for the rapper.

Yiannopoulos’ detention comes after years of publicly supporting the aggressive immigration-enforcement policies now being applied to him. In a June 2025 social media post, he called for ICE checkpoints at supermarket entrances, gas stations, strip malls, intersections and government buildings, as well as immediate deportation for anyone unable to prove they were legally in the country.

Far-right activist Laura Loomer claimed Friday that she had reported Yiannopoulos to ICE and took credit for his detention. TheWrap could not independently verify whether her report played any role in his arrest.

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California Lawmakers Reach Deal to Amend Production Tax Incentive Ahead of Deadline

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California lawmakers have unveiled a new trailer bill that will make changes to the state’s expanded production tax incentive program after a law capping annual tax credits for all businesses passed earlier this summer.

On June 29, Senate Bill 122 was passed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom as part of the state’s annual budget, capping the amount of tax credits any business can receive at $5 million or 70% of total liability per year, whichever is greater. The bill was passed as a way to raise revenue from corporate taxes by closing loopholes.

But SB 122 sparked alarm among studios and entertainment unions, as the law threatened to undermine the industry’s efforts to make California more competitive as a film and TV production hub by expanding the state’s production incentive cap from $330 million to $750 million last year. With the $5 million annual cap in place, industry advocates like the Entertainment Union Coalition and the Motion Picture Association warned that it would take longer for major studio productions to receive the tax credits they earned while making it more difficult for independent productions to sell the credits to potential financiers.

A new trailer bill, Assembly Bill 186, seeks to mitigate this with changes to the incentive program. The bill was printed Friday afternoon hours ahead of the deadline to submit new bills before the final day of the Sacramento legislative session on Monday. AB 186 will be among a flurry of dozens of bills that lawmakers will vote on, though it is expected to pass.

AB 186 will accelerate payouts for productions approved under the most recent version of the incentive program with a payout over two years rather than five and lower the discount on refunds for the credits from 10% to 5%.

The bill also expands the carry forward provisions of tax credits earned under earlier versions of the program from 10 to 15 years, meaning that studios still receiving credits for productions completed several years ago can still receive the full value of their credits as long as the studios have a project approved for tax credits under the current program.

Independent productions will also be fully exempt from the SB 122 annual cap, though the trailer bill stops short of extending that exemption to major studio productions. Insiders with knowledge of the talks in Sacramento between lawmakers tell TheWrap that there was concern that a full exemption for all productions would cause businesses from other industries to push for exemptions of their own, undermining the effectiveness of SB 122.

More to come…

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How to Watch Coyote vs. Acme: Is the Movie Streaming?

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“Coyote vs. Acme” had a treacherous path to the big screen but it’s finally coming out.

The live-action/animated hybrid film à la “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” was shelved by Warner Bros. years ago despite being completely finished. CEO David Zaslav deemed the film would be better as a tax write-off than a theatrical release. Luckily, Ketchup Entertainment saved the courtroom comedy from disappearing into the vault, and the film is finally coming out.

Here’s where you can watch “Coyote vs. Acme” and when the film is expected to land on a streaming service.

When does “Coyote vs. Acme” come out?

“Coyote vs. Acme” finally arrives on Friday, Aug. 28.

Is “Coyote vs. Acme” streaming or in theaters?

Right now, “Coyote vs. Acme” will only be available in theaters after having been saved from permanent shelving. Streaming details aren’t available yet.

Find showtimes and book tickets for screenings near you in the links below.

Who’s in the “Coyote vs. Acme” cast?

The “Coyote vs. Acme” cast is led by Will Forte and he is joined by Lana Condor and John Cena. Then there are the many Looney Tunes to round out the cast – Wile E. Coyote, Bugs Bunny, The Road Runner and more star alongside the human counterparts.

What is “Coyote vs. Acme” about?

The new real world/animated hybrid film is a courtroom comedy that follows Wile E. Coyote hiring a billboard lawyer to take on the massive Acme Corporation after he gets fed up with the products he buys backfiring on him during his many pursuits of The Road Runner.

Watch the Trailer:

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