Posted on Sep 19, 2022

18 Jokes, Stunts, And Interview Moments That Late-Night Hosts Got Called Out For

Jimmy Kimmel recently faced backlash for lying on the stage during Quinta Brunson's acceptance speech at the Emmys. He later apologized, but it's not the first time a late-night host has been called out over awkward or controversial jokes.

by Kristen Harris

BuzzFeed Staff

Quinta accepting her award with Jimmy lying below her

He was lying on the floor because of a bit he'd done with Will Arnett beforehand.

Quinta holding up her award right in front of Jimmy's face

She also said, "Jimmy gave me my first big late-night spot and was one of the first people to see Abbott. ... I think in that moment, I was just really happy that it was Jimmy up there. I kind of consider him one of the comedy godfathers, and I'm a huge fan of Will Arnett, so I was wrapped up in the moment."

Quinta crouching down to talk to Jimmy, who's lying on the stage

He added, "And also, the last thing I would ever want to do is upset you because I think so much of you, and I think you know that — I hope you know that."

Dakota talking to Jimmy: "Well, no, I sort of—"

Dakota with the caption, "They allow dogs at the hotel?"

Dakota saying, "Aren't you supposed to let people talk on the show?"

Jimmy covering his face with the caption "Laughter and applause"

Jimmy saying, "If they know what they're talking about, yes!"

Jimmy saying to Rami, "Bohemian Rhapsody, because if I had your email"

Jimmy says "your phone number, I would have called you a gazillion times"

Rami with caption, "and said, 'Dude, you were unbelievable!'"

Rami saying, "You have my email and phone number"

Jimmy saying "That's true, but I decided to not call you"

Rami touching Jimmy's hand with caption, "Please, stop, please, there's other ones"

Caption: No, no, no, that was something Freddie did every night"

Jimmy referring to the last time Tyler was there, right after he opened his big Atlanta studio, and Tyler says, "That you didn't come to! The big party I had"

Tyler saying Jimmy said he'd send a gift, and he still doesn't have it

Jimmy apologizing and saying "maybe COVID was happening," and Tyler saying it was before COVID

Jimmy saying he thought it must've been meant for Jimmy Fallon, and Tyler saying that it said "Jimmy Kimmel" and he did a special video saying "Please come"

Jimmy saying "But I call you Joaq" and Joaquin saying "Why?"

Jimmy: "Well, your name's Joaquin; I feel like that's too long for me"

Joaquin saying "You can handle it; I feel like you can handle it"

Joaquin in character with caption saying "I know you started the [bleeped] Cher thing, Larry" and "You guys [bleeped] funny, making fun of me? Like I'm a [bleeped] diva? it's not even an insult"

Jimmy asking, "Now, what happened there? Who's Larry?"

Joaquin saying, "Um. Larry's the cinematographer; um, this is so embarrassing"

Joaquin saying that sometimes movies get intense because it's a lot of people in a small space

Joaquin saying that was supposed to be private and he's a little embarrassed and "sorry you guys had to see that"

James saying "I use soap! I don't wash my hair; I wash it about every two months"

Person wearing a mask and saying "Nah, that's not cool; you guys are dirty!"

Billie asking if he remembers the last time she was there and he made her look a little stupid

Jimmy saying he didn't do it on purpose and Billie saying "I was playing along, and then everybody actually thought I was serious and didn't know anything"

Anderson telling Andy not to go on a rant

Andy talking about de Blasio doing his "victory lap" dance after four years of the crappiest term as mayor of the city and Anderson asking if that's he he wants to start the new year

Andy: "The only things Democrats and Republicans can agree on is what a horrible mayor he has been! So, sayonara, suckah!"

Wes Reynolds @WesReynolds1

Andy Cohen just dragged Bill DeBlasio up and down 7th Avenue #CNNNYE

05:10 AM - 01 Jan 2022
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CNN / Via Twitter: @WesReynolds1

He continued, "It’s a four-and-a-half-hour show. The booze started kicking in at around 11:30, so everyone is focusing on kind of the last 45 minutes or hour that we were on the air."

Jimmy saying "It reminds me of the boy bands in the late '90s and in the early 2000s"

Jimmy saying "You know you had the big ones like Backstreet Boys and, uh, NSYNC"

Jimmy saying "They kept splitting off in different directions, eventually One Direction"

Jimmy: "and it popped up all over the world until eventually"

Jimmy: "until eventually we get to one that's so contagious, it destroys all life on Earth"

Caption: "They're both very dangerous; you're lucky to come out of those alive"

James saying it's a historic moment because it marks the first time 15-year-old girls everywhere found themselves wishing they were secretary general of the UN

The Armies were hurt because not only is their fanbase large and diverse, but they'd previously embraced James for featuring BTS so many times. The boys and the fans even nicknamed him "Papa Mochi."

jin’s earth @legendaryseok

FOR THOSE WHO DONT KNOW WHATS UP W JAMES CORDEN

12:33 AM - 22 Sep 2021
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CBS / Via Twitter: @legendaryseok

James with BTS members and caption: "I thought were two harmless jokes that we never meant to be"

James with BTS and caption: "At anyone's expense because I hope you know we absolutely love"

BTS on the show with caption "You and the ARMY"

BTS and James with caption "Know that we would never do—" and "James, it's all right"

James shaking the hand of a BTS member and bowing with caption "We appreciate the apology"

James saying, "Be honest — are you, like, a crazy psychopath? Harry Styles is all over — I feel like you're gonna kill him" as he looks at her 1D perfume

James saying "We need to hide all of this because I'm worried you're a psychopath"

James at the podium saying it's a beautiful room and a beautiful night in LA — so beautiful, Harvey has already asked "tonight" up to his hotel to give him a massage

James saying that it's been weird this week, watching Harvey in hot water — ask any woman who's watched him take a bath: It's weird watching Harvey in hot water

Jimmy onstage with Addison hold up a sign saying "Savage"

Jimmy Fallon @jimmyfallon

8 Tik Tok dances with @whoisaddison!!

04:30 AM - 27 Mar 2021
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NBC / Via Twitter: @jimmyfallon

Jimmy with the caption "Now, we recognize that the creators of those dances"

Jimmy with caption "deserve to have their own spotlight"

Jimmy onstage with the choreographers on Zoom

Samantha saying "Let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad's immigration practices, you feckless cunt!"

She also called her out for posting a picture calling her child "my heart" the same weekend that two scandals about the treatment of immigrant children at the US–Mexico border broke.

TBS also provided a statement, which said, "Samantha Bee has taken the right action in apologizing for the vile and inappropriate language she used about Ivanka Trump last night. Those words should not have been aired. It was our mistake too, and we regret it."

She continued, "I’m really sorry that I said that word, but you know what? Civility is just nice words. Maybe we should all worry a little bit more about the niceness of our actions. OK, thanks for listening."

Stephen saying "The only thing your mouth is good for is being Vladimir Putin's [bleeped] holster!"

Stephen on his show sitting behind his desk

He continued, "So while I would do it again, I would change a few words that were cruder than they needed to be. I'm not going to repeat the phrase, but I just want to say for the record, life is short, and anyone who expresses their love for another person, in their own way, is, to me, an American hero. I think we can all agree on that. I hope even the president and I can agree on that. Nothing else. But that."

18 Jokes, Stunts, And Interview Moments That Late-Night Hosts Got Called Out For

A lot of great interview moments have come out of late-night TV, but hosts from shows like Jimmy Kimmel Live and The Late Late Show With James Corden have also become known for jokes and other antics that can range from uncomfortably awkward to highly controversial.

Here are 10 super-awkward jokes and celeb interactions from current late-night hosts:

1. While Quinta Brunson accepted her first Emmy, Jimmy Kimmel lay on the stage for the duration of her speech. He was widely criticized for taking attention away from her historic win.

Watch Quinta's full acceptance speech here:

View this video on YouTube

2. When Jimmy Fallon got lost during Dakota Johnson's story about getting sprayed by a skunk, he interrupted her — so she called him out on it.

Watch the full moment unfold here:

View this video on YouTube

3. When Jimmy Fallon told Rami Malek he would've called him about Bohemian Rhapsody if he had his phone number, Rami caught him in a lie: Jimmy did have his contact info.

Then, when Rami touched Jimmy's hand, he had no idea how to process it.

Watch the full interview here:

View this video on YouTube

4. Similarly, Tyler Perry called out Jimmy Kimmel for ignoring his party invitation, and the host awkwardly tried to come up with an excuse.

Watch the full conversation here:

View this video on YouTube

5. When Jimmy Fallon joked that Joaquin Phoenix's name was "too long," Joaquin called him out and said, "You can handle it."

Watch the full clip here:

View this video on YouTube

6. When Jimmy Kimmel showed a Joker outtake of Joaquin Phoenix getting frustrated with the crew for whispering on set and calling him "Cher," the actor was "a little embarrassed" because the moment "was supposed to be private."

Watch the full interview here:

View this video on YouTube

7. While playfully arguing with his producers about the ideal length for a shower, James Corden admitted that he only washes his hair "about every two months."

8. After a 2019 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, then–17-year-old Billie Eilish faced backlash over saying she didn't know who Van Halen was, but two years later, she called out Jimmy for making her look "a little stupid."

Watch the full video — and the Gen Z trivia quiz Billie gave Jimmy for revenge! — here:

View this video on YouTube

9. While hosting the 2020 Emmys, Jimmy Kimmel decided to light the winner's envelope on fire to burn "all the germs off." The flames got a little out of control, causing co-presenter Jennifer Aniston to activate firefighter mode.

Watch the full clip here:

View this video on YouTube

10. While hosting the CNN New Year's Eve broadcast with Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen took a few too many tequila shots and ranted against former New York City mayor Bill de Blasio, Mark Zuckerberg, and Ryan Seacrest.

Watch the full clip here:

CNN debunked rumors that he'd been fired over the incident, telling BuzzFeed News that the network stands by Andy and looks forward to welcoming him back.

On The Howard Stern Show, Andy said, "Listen, I will not be shamed for having fun on New Year’s Eve. That’s why I’m there. That’s why they bring me there."

And now, here are eight controversial or problematic jokes and moments from late-night hosts:

Jimmy also made an on-air apology. He said, "I thought it was obvious that I didn’t agree with that statement, but apparently it wasn’t. So I just want to say I am sorry. I apologize. It was certainly not my intent to upset anyone. I’m here to turn frowns upside down."

12. He again came under fire for anti-Asian jokes when he seemingly compared contagious coronavirus variants to the global popularity of BTS.

Here's the full monologue:

View this video on YouTube

Though he didn't mention BTS by name, viewers made the obvious connection because of a similar joke he made the week before when Ashley Park told him that she initially mistook her COVID-19 symptoms for excitement over BTS members RM and V sharing her "Dynamite" cover.

Watch the full clip here:

View this video on YouTube

13. The BTS ARMY called out James Corden for joking about the band's visit to the United Nations General Assembly and belittling the fanbase by calling them all "15-year-old girls."

Here's the full clip:

However, when BTS visited The Late Late Show a few months later, RM called James out on the jokes and accepted his apology.

Jimin also assured him that he was still Papa Mochi.

You can watch the full segment here:

View this video on YouTube

14. In a segment where he and Harry Styles filmed a music video in a stranger's house, James Corden called the One Direction fan who lived there a "psychopath" because of her merch collection.

Here's the full video:

View this video on YouTube

15. In 2017, James Corden was criticized for opening the gala of amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research, with jokes about the sexual abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein.

When the crowd groaned, he doubled down, adding, "I don't know whether that groan was that you like that joke or you don't like that joke. If you don't like that joke, you should probably leave now."

Two days later, he made an apology on Twitter, saying, "To be clear, sexual assault is no laughing matter. I was not trying to make light of Harvey’s inexcusable behavior, but to shame him, the abuser, not his victims. I am truly sorry for anyone offended, that was never my intention."

16. When Jimmy Fallon had influencer Addison Rae teach him viral TikTok dancers on The Tonight Show, he was criticized for failing to properly credit the choreographers who created the routines.

Here's the full segment:

You can watch the full set of interviews — and see the creators perform their dances! — here:

View this video on YouTube

17. Samantha Bee was criticized for calling Ivanka Trump a "feckless cunt" when she called her out for not standing up to her father, then-president Donald Trump, concerning his immigration policies.

In a statement to BuzzFeed News, she said, "I would like to sincerely apologize to Ivanka Trump and to my viewers for using an expletive on my show to describe her last night. It was inappropriate and inexcusable. I crossed a line, and I deeply regret it."

18. And finally, in 2017, Stephen Colbert faced backlash from both sides of the political spectrum for making a sexual joke about then-president Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

You can watch the whole monologue here:

View this video on YouTube

Responding to the criticism and the trending #FireColbert hashtag on air, Stephen said, "I don't regret that. He, I believe, can take care of himself. I have jokes; he has the launch codes. So it's a fair fight."

However, the backlash didn't end there. Inundated with complaints about the joke, the Federal Communications Commission launched an investigation into whether it violated TV obscenity rules.

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