These talk show moments are guaranteed to make you uncomfortable. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most combative, aggressive, and shocking talk show clashes in TV history.
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00:00You may have even been Jim Everett back there, but somewhere along the way, Jim,
00:03you ceased being Jim and you became Chris.
00:05Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most combative,
00:10aggressive, and shocking talk show clashes in TV history.
00:14To make the list, the incident can't be completely staged,
00:18and it has to be on a talk show or a program with a similar model.
00:21I just said it because your back is to me, and I was just talking to a back.
00:2430. Meg Ryan vs. Michael Parkinson
00:29Parkinson
00:30In 2003, Ryan went on to the UK's Parkinson to promote her work in the film In the Cut.
00:37Instead of getting positive publicity and perhaps a boost at the box office,
00:41she uncomfortably clashed with the host.
00:44You said once that acting was not in your nature.
00:48I did.
00:50You did say that. Yes, you did say that.
00:51Perceiving the actor was being rude to his other guests,
00:54Parkinson admonished her throughout as Ryan gave brief responses.
00:59When he asked her what he should do, Ryan told him to, quote,
01:03wrap it up, drawing nervous laughter from the audience.
01:06If you were me, what would you do now?
01:08Well, I'd just wrap it up.
01:10Afterward, the two exchanged a public war of words.
01:13Ryan called Parkinson a, quote,
01:15nut, and he treated her like a, quote,
01:18disapproving dad.
01:19The host called her a, quote,
01:21unhappy woman.
01:22In 2021, a couple of years before his passing, Parkinson offered a public apology to Ryan.
01:29Number 29. Running from the question.
01:32Piers Morgan Live
01:33After unsuccessfully winning Delaware's senator election in 2010,
01:38Republican Christine O'Donnell popped up on CNN's Piers Morgan Live in 2011.
01:43Because I don't think it's relevant. It's not a topic that I choose to embrace.
01:47It's not what I'm championing right now. I've been there, done that.
01:51Promoting her book with a title that sounds very familiar today,
01:55Troublemaker, Let's Do What It Takes to Make America Great Again,
01:58she soon did something bizarre.
02:00As Morgan was asking O'Donnell about her stance on gay marriage,
02:04she kept dodging the question and claimed her beliefs were in her book.
02:08But Morgan wouldn't let this strange reaction go and kept pressing,
02:12causing his guest to call him rude.
02:15I'm not being weird. You're being a little rude.
02:17The escalating tension and confusion culminated in O'Donnell's team
02:22cutting the interview short, with the Tea Party activist using another engagement as an excuse.
02:28Number 28. Forced announcement.
02:30The Ellen DeGeneres Show
02:32Some talk show hosts will do anything to get celebrities to give them a big scoop.
02:37Take Ellen DeGeneres, for example.
02:39When Mariah Carey was a guest in 2008, during their sit-down chat,
02:43DeGeneres brought up the rumors of the singer being pregnant.
02:46People are saying that, uh, that you're pregnant. There's rumors.
02:50Don't discuss that.
02:52All right, well, you don't have to answer.
02:53No, that's okay. No, honestly.
02:54You don't have to answer. Let's just toast with champagne.
02:56Carey mentioned in interviews years later that she was blindsided by this,
03:01and was very uncomfortable. At the time, she tried to change the subject,
03:05only for DeGeneres to give her a glass of champagne to toast being
03:10a very obvious test. When Carey pretended to drink it,
03:14the host called her out on the mimicry, and exclaimed she was expecting a child.
03:19I didn't say that. No, no, no. My mother would be at home, like,
03:23on the computer, like, what are you talking about? No, we will let you know when we're
03:26gonna have a family. No, you won't.
03:28Yes, I will. No.
03:29They always say that when they're sitting on the show, and then I read about it the next day.
03:32Not long after this incident, Carey sadly miscarried.
03:36Number 27. Calling Out Corden. The Late Late Show with James Corden.
03:41Sometimes, context from years later can make a somewhat innocent talk show moment seem
03:46much more combative. In 2022, James Corden was the villain of the hosting world
03:52after he was allegedly rude to waiting staff at the Balfazar restaurant.
03:56I made a rude comment, and it was wrong. It was an unnecessary comment. It was ungracious
04:02to the server. Well, back in 2016,
04:05Corden had the icon Jimmy Kimmel on his show to play the segment Spill Your Guts,
04:09where you had to consume something gross or answer a question. With a fish smoothie in front of him,
04:14Kimmel asked Corden if he could name two of his camera operators.
04:18After a long pause, Corden couldn't and drank the smoothie.
04:22Name two of the cameramen in this room.
04:25With hindsight, this led to speculation that Kimmel did this to embarrass the English host
04:30due to his apparent rude attitude.
04:3326. Morton Downey Jr. vs. Kelly Everts
04:37The Morton Downey Jr. Show
04:38Considered one of the pioneers of trash TV, Morton Downey Jr. brought on Kelly Everts,
04:44also known as Rasa von Werder, as a guest on his controversial program in 1988.
04:50She was invited after gaining publicity for combining exotic dancing with religious services.
04:55Don't you ever claim you do this in the name of God.
04:59Immediately, it was uncomfortable as Downey made crass jokes. Throughout,
05:04he yelled misogynistic insults at Everts. When she stuck up for herself,
05:08he thrusted his pelvis on her, which was bizarre and gross. At one point,
05:14Downey aggressively yanked her microphone away and even broke her shoulder strap.
05:19After the segment aired, Everts stated to the press her intention to sue Downey for
05:29$40 million for defamation and assault.
05:3225. Arsenio Hall vs. Queer Nation
05:35The Arsenio Hall Show
05:37In 1990, Hall was taping an episode of his self-titled talk show,
05:41Riffing with the Crowd. However, he was interrupted by the audience yelling,
05:45which he immediately addressed. Some members of the activist group Queer Nation
05:50were asking why Hall didn't have any gay guests on his show.
05:54Well, there are a lot of gay guests who really don't like to talk about their sexual preference,
05:57so we don't know whether they're gay or not.
05:59It started off calm, with Hall backing up accusations with evidence and mentioning
06:04guests might not be comfortable disclosing their sexuality. But as the activists continued
06:09questioning him and implying he was homophobic, the host exploded in rage.
06:14I got gay friends I've had on the show, because you don't know them,
06:17or it ain't who you want on the show. You got a problem with it? If you want to book it,
06:21get yourself a show!
06:22After telling them to sit down, a fired-up Hall monologued that he would never discriminate
06:28against a guest for their sexuality. His rage even continued when Paul Hogan was brought out,
06:33frightening the Australian actor.
06:3524. Jimmy Kimmel vs. Jay Leno
06:39The Jay Leno Show
06:40In his short-lived, self-titled show, Leno brought on rival Kimmel for his 10 at 10
06:45segment in 2010. Straight away, there was tension, as Kimmel made several insulting
06:51jokes against Leno, causing the audience to grip their seats and nervously laugh.
06:55If you got to interview anyone in the world, who would it be?
07:01You and Conan, together. I would like to have the two of you.
07:05Soon after, Kimmel took several shots at the longtime The Tonight Show host,
07:10berating him for mistreating Conan O'Brien, who had replaced Leno on the show before he returned,
07:16outing his successor along the way. Every time the scandal was brought up by Kimmel,
07:21Leno tried to move the segment along or make brief jokes. However, Kimmel wasn't letting go.
07:26By the end, he jokingly pleaded with Leno to leave their programs alone,
07:30as they have kids to feed and he only has cars.
07:34Conan and I have children. All you have to take care of is cars.
07:37That's right.
07:38I mean, we have lives to lead here. You've got $800 million. For God's sake, leave our shows alone.
07:45Number 23. Crispin Glover vs. David Letterman
07:49Late Night with David Letterman
07:51As Glover arrived on Letterman's stage in 1987 to promote his work in River's Edge,
07:56something was amiss with his long hair, nervous energy, and unusual clothing.
08:00Letterman was seemingly annoyed with his painted-on smile, as Glover rambled on.
08:05Do you do a lot of television shows?
08:08Oh, yes. Now, because I've been in movies that are big, and I'm a movie star, so
08:16I've been on talk shows on The Johnny Carson Show, and now I'm here.
08:20But it got worse. The actor then asked Letterman if he wanted to arm-wrestle,
08:24which the host wasn't keen on. When Glover kicked near Letterman's head,
08:29he had enough and walked off, shrugging off Glover's hand that grabbed him.
08:34When he returned, Letterman insinuated that Glover was forced to leave.
08:38Welcome back to the show. We're running a little short of time tonight. I would have loved to
08:42chatted more with Crispin Glover, but I understand he had a cab to catch.
08:47Those who watched 1991's Rubin and Ed might have seen the similarities between Glover's
08:52film character and his awkward portrayal on that infamous Letterman night.
08:57Number 22. Tucker Carlson vs. Jon Stewart – Crossfire
09:02Before he was a big-time Fox political commentator who got fired,
09:06Carlson was a co-host on CNN's Crossfire, a debate show. In 2004, Stewart guest-appeared
09:12to promote his book, and he saw the chance to lay into Carlson and the program and took it.
09:18The bowtie-wearing commentator insulted Stewart, too, defining his speeches as, quote,
09:24boring.
09:24I think you're a good comedian. I think your lectures are boring. Let me ask you a question
09:28on the news.
09:29No, this is theater.
09:31Stewart responded by describing Carlson's work on the show as, quote,
09:34not honest and partisan hackery. Yikes.
09:38Carlson kept retaliating with juvenile insults and interrupting Stewart's concise criticism.
09:44The tense segment reached its peak when the TV host called Carlson a certain male appendage.
09:50Now you're getting into it. I like that.
09:51The scandal on-screen was so bad that it supposedly led to Carlson being fired from
09:56the network and Crossfire being cancelled several months later.
10:00Number 21.
10:02Badly Facing the Allegations – Newsnight
10:05For a guest to be confrontational with a host,
10:07the victim of their alleged crimes and a whole country is pretty intense.
10:12This interview was so disastrous for Andrew and the UK royal family that it resulted in
10:17lawsuits, his removal from public duties, and police investigations.
10:22You said you went to break up the relationship,
10:24and yet you stayed at that New York mansion several days. I'm wondering how long...
10:29I was doing a number of other things while I was there.
10:31Andrew denied knowing Virginia Giuffre, who he was accused of assaulting after she was
10:36trafficked by Epstein, even though there was a photo of the two of them. He made bizarre excuses,
10:42including claiming that Giuffre's account is incorrect since he couldn't sweat at the time
10:46after an adrenaline overdose. Near the end, the final nail in the PR coffin was Andrew
10:52describing Epstein's crimes as, quote, unbecoming, causing interviewer Emily Maitlis to interject
10:59Epstein was a sex offender.
11:01The problem was the fact that once he had been convicted...
11:06You stayed with him.
11:07I stayed with him.
11:07Number 20. Aziz Ansari Calls Out CBS – The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
11:13Representation has been a topic of discussion in show business for a long time,
11:17and it's something that Aziz Ansari has spoken candidly about.
11:20Stephen's the first late night host from South Carolina.
11:25Right.
11:25And the bajillionth white guy, so...
11:28During an interview with Stephen Colbert, the Parks and Rec comedian took some not-so-subtle
11:34jabs at CBS's track record when it comes to diversity, and Ansari managed to do it while
11:39still being funny.
11:40This is like an all-time high for CBS.
11:42Yeah.
11:44Fortunately, Colbert was able to roll with it and poke some fun of his own,
11:48diffusing potential awkwardness and making it easy to focus on the comedian's point.
11:52Uh, you've written the best-selling book, uh, Modern Love.
11:55Modern Romance.
11:56Sorry, Modern... Oh, really?
11:58What's it called, Modern Romance?
11:58Really? My card says Modern Romance.
12:00Oh, somebody's gonna get fired.
12:02Wow.
12:04God, I got... I hope it's a white guy.
12:08Number 19. Abel Ferrara Awkward Interview
12:12Late Night with Conan O'Brien
12:14Conan O'Brien has interviewed almost every celebrity imaginable,
12:17so the fact the host picked Abel Ferrara as his most difficult interview means something.
12:22Hey, about the...
12:23Conan.
12:23There you go. All right.
12:25Thanks.
12:25Cool.
12:26You just passed our sobriety test here. All right.
12:28I know.
12:30From the very start, the accomplished filmmaker comes across as though he'd rather be anywhere
12:34else.
12:35Yeah.
12:36Beat him up. You can beat him up.
12:38Why did she want you...
12:38Maybe tomorrow.
12:40Why did she want you to beat up Harvey Keitel?
12:42You tell me why.
12:43Despite Conan's best efforts to get a conversation going, Ferrara mostly mumbles through a couple of
12:48half-stories about Madonna and Harvey Keitel while playing around with a cigarette.
12:53As awkward as this interview is, there is almost a comedic brilliance to it,
12:57especially since it kind of ends on a punchline.
13:00Abel Ferrara will be right back.
13:02Yeah, we're gonna...
13:04Number 18. Norman Mailer vs. Gore Vidal
13:07The Dick Cavett Show
13:08I'd really like to get into a discussion with Gore. He's been saying absolutely
13:12unspeakable things about me. He's been acting even worse than he usually does as a polemicist.
13:17And, you know, he's really... he's shameless in intellectual argument.
13:23He's absolutely without character, a moral foundation, or even intellectual substance.
13:27The Dick Cavett Show had its share of explosive sessions over the years,
13:30but few compare to the sheer ferocity that defined Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal's segment.
13:36Norman did a book on women's liberation and his attitudes towards sex, some very interesting, some
13:43quite outrageous. It was a very anti-women's liberation piece, and he was very mean to a
13:48couple of the girls, particularly Kate Millett. And I answered this, his piece, and a number of
13:55others. You know, Norman is taking everything too personally.
13:58While everyone got their licks in, Mailer was the driving force behind this confrontational debate.
14:03With the writer mocking Vidal's career, personality, and pretty much everything besides
14:08his political campaign. I guarantee you I wouldn't hit any of the people here because they are smaller.
14:14In what ways?
14:18Intellectually. Intellectually smaller. Well, let's... let me turn my chair and join these three.
14:24Thank you.
14:31Perhaps you'd like two more chairs to contain your giant intellect.
14:38Mailer even challenged Cavett and the audience's intelligence while a bored Janet Flanner sat
14:43there like a frustrated teacher presiding over a couple of school children. While things never
14:48quite got violent on screen, Mailer reportedly head-butted Vidal earlier that night.
14:55Hey, can I talk to the audience?
14:56Why don't you fold it five ways and put it where the moon don't shine?
15:07Number 17. A Rude Interruption. The Wendy Williams Show.
15:11Few things can ruin a person's focus quite as instantly as a ringing phone.
15:16Somebody phone on? Get out! Get out!
15:20During a recording of the Wendy Williams Show, the host found her train of thought
15:24interrupted by the sound of a ringtone, a crime that could not go unpunished. At that moment,
15:29Wendy Williams uttered the phrase anyone who's ever been stuck in a theater with
15:33a disruptive audience member has always wanted to say.
15:36Tickets are free, but when you come here you must turn your phones off.
15:39Although Williams diffused the situation within a few seconds, that does not mean
15:43that the host's initial frustration was not genuine.
15:46Number 16. Vince McMahon vs. Bob Costas. On The Record With Bob Costas.
15:52Vince McMahon, thanks for coming, Vince.
15:54Pleasure.
15:55XFL ratings are down 75% from week one. They now rival the lowest ratings ever in prime time,
16:02not just for a sports program, but for any television show.
16:06Can you guarantee me right now that there will be a year two for the XFL?
16:10While some discussions start gently and gradually grow more confrontational,
16:14Bob Costas' interview with WWE's Vince McMahon
16:18is underpinned by a palpable fierceness right from the start.
16:22But in most people's minds, not with prestige because of the type of
16:25programming you're associated with. On the other hand, NBC has prestige.
16:31They risk not just dollars, they risked prestige.
16:34Coming across more like an interrogation than a discussion,
16:37Costas grilled his guest on the failings of the XFL, a then new football league created by
16:43McMahon that would ultimately go bust within a year of debuting, while also not painting
16:47professional wrestling in the most positive light.
16:50You want to let me finish here for a second, pal?
16:52I'm asking you the question.
16:53Then shut your mouth and let me answer the question, all right? I'll be happy to answer.
16:57Let me finish.
16:58By the time the interview came to an end, McMahon appeared on the verge of body slamming the host,
17:03although the pair would meet up for a much more cordial episode a year later.
17:08Number 15.
17:09Bill Maher kicks out an audience member.
17:11Real time with Bill Maher.
17:13This long-running show tackles sensitive and controversial topics using irreverent humor
17:18that adds to the debates without necessarily overshadowing them.
17:21Don't change the rules! Don't change the rules!
17:25Boy, sometimes here at CBS, I wish the sound wasn't working.
17:29Typically cool as a cucumber, Bill Maher is always in command and does not react
17:34kindly to any attempts to hijack a panel, especially from hecklers.
17:38Or do I have to come over and kick this guy's ass out of here?
17:43While the first heckler received a personal goodbye from Maher,
17:46the tension only escalated from there, as waves of unrest echoed from the audience.
17:50What about Bill's mother, Bill?
17:54That was cowardice! Attacking a man around his mother!
17:57I'll kick your ass out of here, too!
18:00Through it all, Maher still manages to get a couple of laughs,
18:04although each one-liner is fueled by anger.
18:07Number 14.
18:08Patti LaBelle isn't having it.
18:10The Tyra Banks Show.
18:11Who knew that a pretty short conversation revolving around cupcakes and paper could
18:15be so uncomfortable?
18:17This has paper on it.
18:18Yeah, you can't eat the paper.
18:19Nope.
18:19Now these are made with...
18:20But you can touch them with your hands.
18:22That is true. Two kinds of cake mix.
18:24What seems to start out as a genuine misunderstanding between Hungry Girl cookbook
18:28writer Lisa Lillian and guest Patti LaBelle regarding the paper surrounding the cupcakes
18:33quickly turns into an improv session with cringeworthy attempts at humor and condescending
18:37remarks.
18:38All things considered, LaBelle managed to keep her cool despite being spoken to like a toddler.
18:44While the animosity dies down relatively quickly,
18:46a segment about cupcakes should never have been this tense to watch.
18:50Diet hot cupcakes! What is Patti saying over there?
18:52She is causing trouble.
18:54What makes you think I think I could eat the paper, boo?
18:59No, no paper. Paper bad, cake good.
19:02Okay, next.
19:03The incident was so infamous that it inspired a 2020 Saturday Night Live sketch
19:08starring SNL cast member Eggo Wotem as LaBelle's stand-in Cookie LaFleuf
19:13and host Daniel Craig as the put-upon celebrity chef.
19:17Well, don't eat the foil.
19:19What?
19:20The aluminum foil. Just don't eat the foil.
19:25I don't want to eat the foil.
19:27Okay, I'm making sure.
19:29Don't eat the foil. Who is this man?
19:33Number 13.
19:34Morton Downey Jr. vs. Sega.
19:36The Morton Downey Jr. Show
19:38In hindsight, the Morton Downey Jr. show was closer to programs like
19:42The Jerry Springer Show than modern-day talk shows.
19:44Ten bookstores?
19:46Yes.
19:46At 23 years old, folks, isn't this a wonderful country?
19:4923 years old, you had ten. Where'd you get your money from?
19:53I started out with one store, very small.
19:55Mob didn't give you the money?
19:57Mob?
19:57Mob.
19:58The pilot episode dealing with the adult film industry
20:01instantly established the tone for the show,
20:03as the host utilized an aggressive interviewing style
20:06designed to put actress Sega immediately on the defensive.
20:09How about, do you agree with the fact that,
20:11do you agree with the fact that 50% of all porn is controlled by the mob
20:15and 90% of all money made from hard porn
20:18through the distribution is handled by the mob?
20:21Do you believe with that part?
20:22You don't believe with that?
20:23The live audience ate up Downey's savage takedown of his guest,
20:27even if the whole thing comes across as a sensationalist stunt
20:30that sought to belittle Sega for easy ratings.
20:33You damn right it makes him right.
20:34You damn right.
20:35I'd much rather hear it from those people who have studied it
20:38than from someone who's laid down with everyone that they can find in a porn film.
20:42It's hardly surprising that Sega walked out during a commercial break.
20:46Number 12.
20:47Harvey Pekar Wilds Out.
20:49Late Night with David Letterman.
20:51This exchange was memorable enough to be recreated in a biopic.
20:54What kind of show was it?
20:56It was a talk show.
20:57It was gonna be a talk show?
20:58Yeah, it was a talk show.
20:59And then what kind of guests would you have?
21:01I didn't even consider that question because I don't want to do it.
21:04Now why wouldn't you want to do it?
21:06Well, I'd seen you here.
21:09Harvey Pekar Wilds Out.
21:11Harvey Pekar's appearances on David Letterman's talk shows are the stuff of legend,
21:15especially the heated exchanges the pair had during the 80s.
21:19Hey, I want to tell you something about that stuff.
21:21No, wait a minute.
21:21I'm serious.
21:22No, we're not.
21:22Number one, let's just...
21:23Damn it now, man.
21:24Don't mess with me.
21:26The duo always seemed to be stuck in a power struggle,
21:29and that was never more apparent than when Pekar went on a rant about General Electric,
21:33the parent company of NBC,
21:35the network that aired Late Night with David Letterman.
21:38They're being sued in Ohio because they sold these nuclear reactors around the country.
21:43Harvey, Harvey, this is very bad manners.
21:45I don't care, man.
21:46This is very, very inappropriate.
21:49This was not some previously discussed routine,
21:51as Letterman did not hide the fact that Pekar's comments were highly inappropriate and unwelcome.
21:56Number 11.
21:58Meghan's Choice Words.
21:59The View.
22:00Political discussions naturally tend to grow a bit fiery,
22:03but certain words are practically never heard on daytime television.
22:07But he was sort of negging Lindsey Graham at the same time,
22:10and I even tweeted last night...
22:12Who was doing it?
22:12...who the president was.
22:13Again...
22:13Watch the rally, yes.
22:15While Meghan McCain and Joy Behar are known to snap at each other,
22:18The View's co-hosts usually refrain from using profanity.
22:21I know you're angry.
22:23I get that you're angry that Trump's president, like a lot of people are...
22:26I'm angry about every single thing he's doing.
22:27...but I don't think yelling at me is gonna fix the problem.
22:31While debating a Trump rally,
22:32McCain grew increasingly frustrated with Behar's occasional interruptions.
22:36It reached the point that Whoopi Goldberg had to try and cool down the panel.
22:40You're being a sacrificial Republican every day.
22:43Well...
22:43I'm just trying to...
22:44Here's the thing...
22:45Don't feel bad for me, dude.
22:46McCain and Behar have had several blowouts over the years,
22:49but this was one of the more memorable ones.
22:52Number 10.
22:53Cher vs Letterman.
22:55Late Night with David Letterman.
22:56It's rare that a talk show interview starts out confrontationally,
23:00then becomes progressively calmer.
23:02Is this as good as it gets?
23:04But that's exactly what happened when Cher first appeared on Late Night with David Letterman.
23:08You know, you, uh, I know you didn't want to come on here for the longest time,
23:11so why, finally, after nearly four and a half years, did you decide to come on?
23:18I don't know.
23:19I thought it was one reason, but I'm sure that couldn't be it.
23:21No, what is the reason you thought it was?
23:22I wanted to pay my hotel bill.
23:25During the initial stages, Letterman attempted to learn why Cher had previously rejected the
23:30show's invitations, and there was a definite tension during these moments
23:34that made the exchange uncommonly awkward.
23:37Now, let's, let's explore this a little.
23:39Why? Because you thought I was, uh...
23:41An ass.
23:44When Cher finally revealed the reason, it could have come across as a punchline
23:48if it were not for the fact that the singer did not laugh for a couple of seconds after.
23:52It was no joke.
23:54What she said was she thought I was an awfully nice guy.
23:57Yeah.
23:59No, an astronaut.
24:00Yeah, an astronaut.
24:00I thought you were an astronaut.
24:01Number 9.
24:02Dakota's Birthday.
24:03The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
24:05Ellen DeGeneres is rarely caught off guard by any of her guests,
24:09which makes this particularly awkward exchange with Dakota Johnson all that more captivating.
24:14It's good to see you.
24:15Happy belated birthday.
24:16When was your birthday?
24:17It was October 4th.
24:18October 4th.
24:20You turned 30.
24:21I did.
24:22And, um, how was the party?
24:24I wasn't invited.
24:25After inquiring about the actress's birthday party,
24:28Ellen made the mistake of mentioning that she was not invited.
24:30A throwaway joke that ended up not being true,
24:33a fact Johnson wasted absolutely no time in correcting.
24:38Actually, no, that's not the truth, Ellen.
24:40You were invited.
24:41Last year...
24:41No, last time I was on the show last year,
24:45you gave me a bunch of s*** about not inviting you,
24:47but I didn't even know you wanted to be invited.
24:49Well, who doesn't want to be invited to a party?
24:51I didn't even know you liked me.
24:53Ellen's comedic timing does manage to diffuse some of the tension out of the situation,
24:58although that does not make the interview's opening few minutes
25:01any less uncomfortable to watch.
25:03Ask everybody.
25:07Ask Jonathan, your producer.
25:09Who said you were?
25:10I was invited?
25:11Why didn't I go?
25:13I don't know.
25:15Was it, was it...
25:16You're out of town.
25:17Oh yeah, I had that thing.
25:20Number 8.
25:21Madonna vs. Letterman.
25:22The Late Show with David Letterman.
25:24This interview was off to a rough start with Letterman's derogatory introduction.
25:28In the past 10 years, she has sold over 80 million albums,
25:32starred in countless films,
25:33and slept with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.
25:36He then told Madonna to kiss a man in the audience.
25:39Let's go kiss a guy in the audience.
25:40Why don't you go kiss the guy in the audience?
25:41Why are you so obsessed with my sex life?
25:44Even so, no one could have predicted what followed.
25:46I gave him my underpants and he won't smell.
25:53That's not where they go.
25:54No, that's, no, believe me, that's where the underwear goes.
25:58Filled with expletives from Madonna,
26:00and innuendo from both parties,
26:01this interview toes the lines between playful banter and outright hostility.
26:06To say that it takes some weird turns is an understatement.
26:09Turn down your volume.
26:10Turn the volume down immediately.
26:13She can't be stopped.
26:16By the last few minutes, it had gone completely off the rails.
26:19As any semblance of structure gives way to confusion,
26:22cigars and shocked audience members.
26:25Number seven, Tom Cruise versus Matt Lauer, today.
26:29I've never agreed with psychiatry, ever.
26:34Before I was a Scientologist, I never agreed with psychiatry.
26:36And then when I started studying the history of psychiatry,
26:39I started realizing more and more why I didn't agree with psychiatry.
26:42And as far as the Brooke Shields thing is, look,
26:46you gotta understand, I really care about Brooke Shields.
26:48During an interview with today's then-undisgraced host, Matt Lauer,
26:52Tom Cruise opened up about life and mental health in a rant
26:55that would arguably change the public perception of the actor forever.
26:58Matt, you have to understand this.
27:01Here we are today, where I talk out against drugs
27:05and psychiatric abuses of electric shocking people,
27:09against their will, of drugging children with them not knowing the effects of these drugs.
27:14Do you know what Adderall is? Do you know Ritalin?
27:17The strangest thing about this whole ordeal
27:19was that the interview was perfectly cordial for the first half,
27:22but the tone changed once Lauer mentioned Scientology,
27:25which snowballed into Cruise sharing his distrust about psychiatry
27:29as someone who knew the profession's long history.
27:32So you're advocating it?
27:34I am not. I'm telling you, in their case, in their individual case, it worked.
27:40I am not going to go out and say,
27:41get your kids on Ritalin, it's the cure-all and the end-all.
27:44Matt, but here's the point. What is an ideal scene in life?
27:47The interview got particularly heated once Brooke Shields became the topic of discussion,
27:52with Cruise even going so far as to describe Lauer as a glib.
27:55Maybe there are too many kids on Ritalin. Maybe electric shock is...
27:58Too many kids on Ritalin, Matt.
27:59I'm just saying, but aren't there examples where it works?
28:02Matt, Matt, Matt, you don't even, you're glib. You don't even know what Ritalin is.
28:06If you start talking about chemical imbalance,
28:09you have to evaluate and read the research papers on how they came up with these theories, Matt.
28:13Okay? That's what I've done.
28:18The Rosie O'Donnell Show
28:20In the aftermath of the Columbine High School massacre,
28:23Rosie O'Donnell and Tom Selleck ended up in a now-infamous debate over gun control.
28:27You know, I understand how you feel. This is a really contentious issue,
28:32probably as contentious and potentially as troubling as the abortion issue in this country.
28:38All I can tell you is, it rushes to pass legislation at a time of national crisis or mourning.
28:46I don't really think are proper.
28:49Selleck, who came on the talk show to promote the romantic comedy The Love Letter,
28:53was blindsided by O'Donnell, who was far more interested in discussing the NRA,
28:57guns, and the Second Amendment.
28:59I'm not, I can't speak for the NRA.
29:01But you're their spokesperson, Tom, so you have to be responsible for what they say.
29:04But if you put your name out and say, I, Tom Selleck...
29:07Don't put words in my mouth. I'm not a spokesperson. Remember how Tom said,
29:10you'd be, now you're questioning my humanity.
29:13No, not your humanity. I think you're a very humane man. I'm saying that if you say...
29:16I disagree with you, but I think you're being stupid.
29:18But you can't say that I will not take responsibility for anything the NRA represents.
29:22While Selleck tried to maintain a degree of composure and civility early on in the debate,
29:26the actors seemed to give up once it became apparent this argument was
29:29just going to go around in circles.
29:32I didn't come on your show to have a debate. I came on your show
29:35to plug a movie. That's what I'm doing here.
29:39And that's what we did.
29:40Do you think it's proper to have a debate about the NRA? I'm trying to be fair with you.
29:44That's what I'm trying to...
29:45This is absurd. You're calling me a spokesman for the NRA?
29:48Number five, Whoopi Goldberg versus Bill O'Reilly, The View.
29:52As multiple arguments on The View can attest, it's only natural that discussions get heated
29:56when politics, religion, or 9-11 are involved.
30:00So many questions I know you have.
30:03Look at you. Every time I come on here, she's, how did this happen?
30:08Rosie O'Donnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck had a notable exchange in 2007,
30:12but it was Bill O'Reilly's guest appearance in 2010
30:15that saw tensions boil over to unprecedented heights.
30:18And then the guy says, hold it, hold it, listen to me, because you'll learn.
30:27O'Reilly's generalization of Muslims prompts a verbal tirade from Whoopi Goldberg,
30:32who then proceeds to leave the set alongside co-host Joy Behar.
30:36Why is it inappropriate when 70 families die?
30:38Muslims killed us on 9-11.
30:40No! Oh my God! That is...
30:45In retrospect, there was not friction immediately between O'Reilly and Goldberg,
30:49but things certainly did not take long to escalate.
30:52Number four, Rush Limbaugh versus protesters, The Pat Sajak Show.
30:56The most infamous episode of this show didn't even feature the titular host.
31:00You think that bans and economic boycotts like this have a role?
31:05I think women's lives are more important than any potato.
31:08A couple of weeks before the show's cancellation,
31:10Rush Limbaugh took over for an episode about a recently vetoed abortion bill,
31:14and in a move that backfired instantly, asked an audience member for their opinion.
31:19You don't know what it's about. You'll never have a baby. You'll never be pregnant.
31:24You'll never have to have an abortion.
31:25Madam?
31:26Yes, Rush?
31:28You need not react that way.
31:30The rest of the episode involved Limbaugh trying and failing
31:33to gain any sort of control over a restless crowd,
31:36with many vocal members who did not agree with the guest host's political views.
31:40You should be ashamed of yourself!
31:41That's right.
31:42The experience was such a train wreck,
31:44Limbaugh would later claim it was a publicity stunt staged by the talk show's producers.
31:49Number three, Mark Summers versus Burt Reynolds, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
31:54Sometimes things escalate slowly before reaching a boil. This was not one of those times.
32:00We once filled a container with 4,000 pounds of baked beans
32:04and made kids dive into it, which was really great.
32:06Gee, I wish I'd seen that.
32:09Mark Summers and Burt Reynolds share one cordial exchange before the bitter jokes,
32:14cups, and pies begin to fly.
32:16Now, I was just wondering who told you that?
32:17Because my wife tells me that often.
32:19She says, good morning.
32:20I'm still married, as a matter of fact.
32:22Yes, well, you are.
32:27From the moment Summers made a crack at Reynolds' past divorces,
32:30it felt like the pair were constantly on the brink of a fight.
32:33I deserved it.
32:34You deserved it?
32:35I deserved it. I did it to you, I deserved it.
32:37It outstripped you.
32:37You know, that's the kind of guy I am.
32:38Yeah, okay.
32:39And I was saying to your wife the other night.
32:43Neither party came out of this segment looking particularly great,
32:46while Jay Leno seemed simultaneously delighted and terrified by what was unfolding in front of him.
32:51Things might not have worked out as planned, but it did lead to an unforgettable interview.
32:56One, two, three.
33:03Number two, Gibralto, Geraldo.
33:06While sometimes arguments arise from unlikely pairings,
33:09certain situations are purposefully crafted to spark controversy and hostility.
33:14If you have true belief in your convictions,
33:16and your movement is as good and as powerful as you say it is,
33:20why are you afraid to let other people speak?
33:22Why are you not like other minorities and allow other people to
33:26pursue whatever happiness they find in whatever religion they find?
33:30When Geraldo invited a white Aryan resistance youth member onto the same
33:34show as civil rights activist Roy Innes, the talk show presumably anticipated a few fireworks,
33:39although a full-on brawl presumably exceeded the expectations of even the most ambitious of TV
33:45execs.
33:45The reason why I do that is because I get sick and tired of hearing the sob stories from c***s.
33:51I get sick and tired of seeing Uncle Tom here sucking up trying to be a white man.
33:55Go ahead, Roy, go ahead.
33:56No, let me tell you.
34:03After one particularly racist comment, Innes took matters into his own hands
34:08before the show lost complete control of its guests and audience.
34:18By the end, Geraldo Rivera ended up with a broken nose
34:21and a rating smash.
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34:38Number 1. Jim Everett vs. Jim Rome – Talk 2
34:51A moment so infamous, South Park parodied it more than a decade later.
35:00After years of Talk 2's Jim Rome poking fun at Jim Everett by calling him Chris instead,
35:05in reference to the female tennis player of the same name,
35:08the Los Angeles Rams quarterback dared the host to repeat it one more time during an interview.
35:22Rome did so and instantly regretted it. The segment is so outlandish it almost seems staged.
35:30However, Everett has always maintained that it was legitimate.
35:40Considering neither party came out of this scuffle looking particularly good,
35:44it does seem pretty real.
35:46Which controversial talk show moment shocked you the most? Let us know in the comments.
35:51Why do you argue? The two of you, I hate to see it.
35:57Did you enjoy this video? Check out these other clips from WatchMojo
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