What late night host let fame get to their head? Which comics can't seem to take criticism?
Keep watching to find out which comics can't seem to take the heat sometimes.
Dave Chappelle is a living comedic legend. From landing a role in Mel Brooks' 1993 comedy
Robin Hood: Men in Tights to starring in his own TV sitcom, The Chappelle Show, no stone
has been left unturned for the DC native. His one-liners and characters have transcended
the bounds of comedy into the fabric of pop-culture as we know it. But when it comes to his fans,
Dave doesn't seem to consider their feelings.
He's known in recent years for his stance on trangender rights. In his 2017 Netflix
special, The Age of Spin, Chappelle says that:
"Transgender people [are] beating black people in the discrimination Olympics."
And when Chapelle released his comedy special, Equanimity, he included a Caitlyn Jenner bit
that ends with him referring to her and saying, "Yuck." In his 2019 special, Sticks and Stones,
he shows blatant disregard for gender sensitivity, joking about greeting members of the LGBTQ
community in a car by saying:
"'Oh, yes, hi, whatever pronoun you're comfortable with.'"
The tune is consistent with Dave, who defended his comments on his 2021 comedy special, The
Closer.
Ellen DeGeneres is a champion for both women and LGBTQ rights. Her tenure on the Ellen
DeGeneres Show has provided nearly two decades of heartfelt daytime television. Her show
also became famous for cheer and good spirit, as she'd always open with a dance routine.
At one point, DeGeneres ranked number one on NBC News' State of Kindness poll in 2015.
But according to Insider, the seemingly upbeat DeGeneres is actually not nice at all.
It began with comedian Kevin T. Porter tweeting that he would make $2 donations to the Los
Angeles Regional Food Bank for stories of Ellen being rude. And the tweet brought in
nearly 2,000 responses. The accounts included a waitress who was almost fired after DeGeneres
wrote a letter complaining about her chipped nail polish, plus a TV writer who attests
Ellen has a "sensitive nose" and that if she thinks you smell that day, you have to go
home and shower.
"Who's shampooing for the first time, anybody?"
And Ellen's behavior spans beyond her coworkers and fans and onto her peers. According to
Kathy Griffin's sold-out show at the Dolby Theater back in 2018, the Finding Nemo star
not only had a feud with Griffin but with the late great Joan Rivers. According to Variety,
Griffin said:
"One of the things that really hurt Joan, and we talked about it at our last meal together,
was that Ellen always shunned her and Ellen thought she was vulgar and not funny."
Known best for his unique sense of humor and "Carpool Karaoke," James Corden has managed
to accrue quite the reputation for his brashness. That's surprising for someone who seems so
cheerful.
In a revelation to The New Yorker, The Late Late Show host admitted needing therapy after
becoming intoxicated by fame, stating that his close friends and family even began to
become annoyed with his spoiled behavior following the success of Gavin & Stacey in 2007. Corden
stated:
"I started to behave like a brat that I just don't think I am. It's so intoxicating, that
first flush of fame, and I think it's even more intoxicating if you're not bred for it."
It had gotten so bad that his co-star on the breakout show, Rob Brydon, admitted much of
the same. Brydon reportedly said to Corden:
"I said, 'Look, this is a bit awkward to say, but I'm just hearing these things about you,
and you've got to know that the way you behave has an effect on people."'
In 2021, Corden went viral on Twitter after calling members of K-pop group BTS "unusual
visitors" to the United Nations General Assembly and characterizing the group's fans as "15-year-old
girls."
Many know about Kevin Hart's past homophobic tweets that ultimately cost him his Oscars
hosting gig. He eventually apologized, but it was a long, very publicized process. But
did you know Kevin Hart is also good for a quick clap back?
Just check the Cold as Balls host's response after one Twitter user tweeted:
"Kevin Hart[‘s] not funny enough for the aggravation he be causing. [Please] get your
Hollywood bag and leave us alone."
Regardless of his place of power and position, the comedian responded by saying:
"The "He's not funny" slander is the best [...] this is for you. I have three stand
up comedy specials that fall in the top 10 highest grossing comedy specials of all time
[...] two of my specials are in the top three of all time.
And for good measure, Hart added:
"I rarely talk s— […] but I felt the need to today. Stop believing these headlines and
read the actual articles [...] you guys fall for the banana in the tail pipe trick every
damn time."
Hart came with the same energy in a Clubhouse room titled Is Kevin Hart funny?? where he
spent 15 minutes defending his latest comedy special, Zero F—s Given.
To some, Jerry Lewis is the godfather of modern comedy. Born in New Jersey in the late '20s,
the actor and director was one of the first comics with an unrestrained style, making
him one of the most popular performers of the 1950s and '60s. He'd eventually team up
with Dean Martin to create one of the best comedic duos of all time before their public
falling out. Lewis, who died at 91, was even known to host lengthy telethon fundraisers
to aid the Muscular Dystrophy Association. But few are aware of his secret side.
Often referred to as the "Dark Prince '' of comedy, there was more than what meets the
eye with Lewis. The Sun reports that the comedian was accused of being cruel and abusive by
his youngest son Joseph, who once told newspapers that:
"[Lewis] physically and mentally abused all his kids on a routine basis."
And his charity work? Even though he helped raise over $2 billion, The Sun reports that:
"[Lewis once] faced angry parents and children in wheelchairs demanding to know where the
charity money was being spent."
Actor Elliott Gould echoed the same sentiment. The Sun reports Gould once said:
"He blatantly tells you on network TV that he is the epitome of the socially conscious
man, a great humanitarian. Actually, he's one of the most hostile and unpleasant guys
I've ever seen."
Tom Segura is a stand-up comedian known for his Netflix specials and commentary as co-host
of the podcast, "Your Moms House." He also has talked about some of his prejudices in
his comedy.
Like his bit on Down syndrome, for example. Only a couple of minutes into his 2018 special,
Disgraceful, the comedian makes an observation about words for mental disabilities that people
shouldn't use anymore. But he says one could get away with insulting someone's intelligence
by saying:
"Now you gotta be like 'That's not smart — your idea has an extra 21st chromosome if you ask
me.'"
The joke's reference to Down syndrome was so offensive that it led people to sign a
Change.org petition urging Netflix to take down the special. It says,
"This petition calls for Netflix to: Remove the anti-down syndrome rhetoric from the show,
take the anti-disability sketch out of the trailer for the show, [and] issue a public
apology for perpetuating hate speech and stereotype to the Down Syndrome community."
The late great Joan Rivers was someone you either loved or hated. While a pioneer as
the first female late-night talk show host, the so-called "Queen of Mean" was also openly
controversial. She would constantly take shots at celebrities on her Emmy-winning daytime
talk show, The Joan Rivers Show with Joan Rivers and on Fashion Police on E!. The writer,
producer, and television host's brash style also managed to follow her off the stage.
In 2013, the writers of Fashion Police went on strike under claims of unbearable working
conditions and abuse. She also doubled down on a Hellen Keller deaf joke, despite people
being sensitive to the topic. The joke went:
"Ugh, I hate children. The only child that I think I would have liked ever was Helen
Keller because she didn't talk."
When someone piped up about having a deaf son, Rivers responded,
"Comedy is to make everybody laugh at everything and deal with things, you idiot. My mother
is deaf, you stupid son of a b—-. Don't tell me."
Jerry Seinfeld has always played roles that showcase him in a favorable light. Whether
it's his affable Seinfeld character, his role in Bee Movie or his stand-up, which, by industry
standards, is relatively clean, he seems approachable. But looks can be deceiving.
In a 2015 interview with Anthony Mason of CBS Sunday Morning, Seinfeld spoke about public
perception, admitting that civility is part of his job. But he also then listed a number
of rules about what fans shouldn't do, saying:
"Don't touch me. Nobody feels good having a total stranger touch them."
Seinfeld said a fan once approached him to tell him that he seemed to hate everybody,
and when asked why someone would think that, Seinfeld said:
"People have gotten a little bit more of a sense of my personality being a little cranky,
a little prickly, perhaps, than what you can sense from the sitcom."
Seinfeld went on to say he would describe himself as a bit cranky, and doesn't mind
being perceived as such.
Dealing with hecklers is an opportunity for a comedian to showcase their abilities. Late
​​English magician Paul Daniels, who hosted the highly popular The Paul Daniels Magic
Show on the BBC, once famously said,
"I don't get many hecklers now but answering them is an art form in itself."
Then there's comedian George Lopez. While known for his self-titled ABC sitcom, the
comedian has also been under fire for how he's handled fans, as well as a history of
racist jokes. One time, he tossed a Black woman from his show in Phoenix after assuming
she was heckling.
In the video captured by TMZ, Lopez said,
"There are only two rules in the Latino family: Don't marry somebody Black and don't park
in front of our house."
The woman stood up to react, only to catch Lopez's ire. The comedian said,
"I'm talking, b—-. You paid to see a show. Sit your ass down."
The woman's friend, Juan Quezada explained,
"At first she wanted to be part of the joke, because he's her favorite [comedian] but then
it just went 180."
Michael Che has a lot going on. The Saturday Night Live mainstay has made a name for himself
co-anchoring Weekend Update with Colin Jost. He's also released two stand-up specials,
Michael Che Matters and Shame The Devil, and has even hosted the Emmys. Che has also built
a track record of responding poorly to criticism, often clapping back on social media.
Like when he berated Twitter follower Jack Allison in 2020 over his comments about questionable
clauses in the SNL writer's submission form. The aspiring comedic writer wrote in The Outline:
"After our first day of back-and-forth, I thought I wouldn't hear from Che again. I
was very, very wrong. [I] would be going about my day-to-day life, before suddenly receiving
a deluge of messages from people warning me that I was once again in the 'SNL' head writer's
crosshairs."
Allison says Che's not only gone after him, but others as well, including Steven Hyden
— a critic for Uproxx who wrote a piece titled "Why Does Everyone (Still) Hate SNL's
Colin Jost?" which also ruffled Che's feathers. Hyden told Allison:
"Che apparently didn't like the column, and he decided to mock me on his Instagram. He
called me a 'mediocre ass white dude.'"
In the early to mid-2010s, Amy Schumer was inescapable. She appeared on NBC's Last Comic
Standing, created and starred in the Comedy Central sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer
and starred in her own Hollywood film, ​​Trainwreck. You see less of her now, and maybe there's
a reason.
At the height of her fame, in 2015, the Portland Press Herald reported that fans at a show
complained about paying over $80 and only seeing her for 45 minutes. Schumer blamed
the venue, saying they cut her first set short to make time for the second audience and that
it was a "rookie mistake." Similarly, Schumer has been accused of stealing jokes, posting
racist tweets, and playing what observers called the "famous card" with someone who
didn't know who she was.
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