Give 'em something to talk about! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the biggest controversies to sully the reputation of famous talk shows or their hosts.
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00:00This is a sad morning here at Today and at NBC News.
00:02Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the biggest controversies
00:07to sully the reputation of famous talk shows or their hosts.
00:11Our next book is A Million Little Pieces.
00:17Number 30. Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross' Cruel Joke
00:21In 2008, BBC talk show host Ross joined Brand's radio show as his guest co-host.
00:27Andrew Sachs, best known for his work in the sitcom Fawlty Towers,
00:30was meant to be a phone-in guest.
00:32Fawlty Towers, how are you? Nice day.
00:34However, when the hosts couldn't reach him, Ross and Brand left several voicemails on air.
00:39The BBC is fighting a desperate battle to contain the crisis.
00:43It quickly went off the rails when they joked about Brand's intimate relationship
00:46with Sachs' granddaughter Georgina Bailey.
00:49You said that at the beginning you were too embarrassed to call your grandfather.
00:52Yeah, of course.
00:53The anger over pranking a beloved UK actor was massive,
00:57especially as Sachs did not consent to the messages being played on air.
01:01Ross was suspended while Brand resigned from the BBC, and the corporation was fined £150,000.
01:08In 2010, Ross left the BBC and soon joined ITV to create The Jonathan Ross Show.
01:14Number 29. Sharon Osbourne defends Piers Morgan
01:18From the talk's debut in 2010, Osbourne was one of its most famous and controversial hosts.
01:24While she survived several scandals, it all came to a head in 2021.
01:28In the wake of her friend Piers Morgan's vendetta against Meghan Markle and walking
01:31away from Good Morning Britain, Osbourne stuck up for him on the talk.
01:35Did I like everything he said? Did I agree with what he said? No,
01:41because it's his opinion, it's not my opinion.
01:44She clashed with co-host Cheryl Underwood,
01:47drawing the ire of the audience with her behavior in defending racism.
01:51I have friends in my life, I stick up for my friends.
01:55With the resurfacing of clips of Osbourne claiming Markle wasn't Black,
01:59and allegations from former hosts of racist comments and getting them fired,
02:03the talk initiated an investigation. In the end, Osbourne was let go.
02:08We need to process the events of that day and what happened since, so we can get to the healing.
02:1328. Jimmy Kimmel apologizes for using blackface
02:17Before he was one of the biggest talk show hosts around,
02:19Kimmel was a co-host on The Man Show, which featured sketches, often parodying celebrities.
02:24In 2020, now fronting Jimmy Kimmel Live,
02:28he released an apology for his work on The Man Show and in other projects.
02:32Jimmy Kimmel is apologizing today for wearing blackface back in the 90s,
02:37a decision he now says was a mistake.
02:40At the time, he had taken part in sketches where he parodied celebrities by wearing blackface.
02:44Kimmel portrayed such famous figures as NBA icon Carl Malone and talk show legend Oprah Winfrey.
02:50He also developed a comedy Christmas album in 1996,
02:54where he pretended to be Snoop Dogg as he uttered racial slurs.
02:57Kimmel followed up his apology with a couple of months away from his show with a vacation,
03:01before returning.
03:02There's nothing more important to me than your respect, and I apologize to those who
03:07were genuinely hurt or offended by the makeup I wore or the words I spoke," said Kimmel.
03:1327. James Corden's Ban
03:16In 2022, the host of The Late Late Show with James Corden found himself in a unique scandal.
03:22James Corden opened his show last night with a lengthy apology to the staff
03:27at a famous New York restaurant.
03:29Reports soon came out that Corden had been banned from New York restaurant Balthazar by owner Keith
03:34McNally. He claimed the Brit had been abusive to his staff on two occasions. The first had to do
03:39with Corden finding hair in his dish and demanding his drinks be comped. The second time, the host
03:44screamed at staff over his wife's omelet order.
03:47"'His wife had ordered an all-egg yolk omelet. When it was served,
03:51it had some egg whites in it.'"
03:53The controversy got so big that Corden apologized on his show.
03:56In response, McNally unbanned him. However, after Corden denied his behavior in an interview
04:10with The Time shortly after, he was seemingly banned once more by McNally.
04:1426. Bill Maher Uses a Racial Slur
04:18In 2017, Real Time with Bill Maher had then-Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse on as a guest
04:23to promote his book, The Vanishing American Adult. However, when Sasse offered Maher to
04:28work in the fields if he visited Nebraska, the host responded with a racial slur. After Sasse
04:34grimaced and groans rang out from the audience, Maher stated it was a joke before moving on.
04:38"'It's a joke.'"
04:40The outrage caused demands for HBO to fire Maher, who issued an apology.
04:45"'Very quickly the next day, he apologized. HBO said they won't
04:48re-air that show without bleeping that word out.'"
04:51Sasse also apologized for not speaking out at The Time. In a follow-up episode, Ice Cube,
04:56Simone Sanders, and Michael Eric Dyson confronted Maher on what he said,
05:00and why it was damaging to the Black community.
05:03"'It's a word that has been used against us. It's like a knife, man.'"
05:0825. Series of Wendy Williams Controversies
05:12Oh boy. Just one of these scandals is enough to cancel a talk show,
05:15let alone several in the space of 18 months. In January 2020,
05:20Williams drew ire on The Wendy Williams Show when she seemingly mocked rumors of
05:24Joaquin Phoenix having a cleft palate treated.
05:26"'He's got this. He's got this. No, I find it to be, I find it to be very attractive.'"
05:32A month later, she ranted against gay men who opt to wear women's clothing.
05:36"'I get offended by the idea that we go through something you will never go through.
05:43And stop wearing our skirts and our heels.'"
05:45Days later, Williams mocked Amy Harwick, who was murdered and pushed from a balcony,
05:51by using ex-fiancé Drew Carey's Price is Right catchphrase,
05:54"'Come on down.'" In July 2021, Williams belittled TikTok rapper Swayve by asking
06:00if her audience knew who Swayve was, then announcing that he had passed away.
06:04"'He's 19, and he was murdered Monday morning.'"
06:08In 2022, The Wendy Williams Show was canceled, citing health issues by the host.
06:1624. The Affair of Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes
06:20When running a TV show, the chemistry between the hosts is a vital component.
06:24"'You hit it, it wakes you up.' "'Alarm clock!'
06:26"'There you go.'"
06:27However, Robach and Holmes took that too far. In 2022, the co-hosts of GMA3,
06:33What You Need to Know, were photographed getting cozy with each other off-camera,
06:37igniting rumors of an affair between them. They were married to other people.
06:42Shortly after, ABC took them off-air to investigate this,
06:45as well as accusations that Holmes had other affairs with additional staff.
06:49"'Reports say that marathon negotiating sessions took place
06:53this week between the anchors, their lawyers, and ABC.'"
06:57This led to Robach and Holmes being fired by the channel,
07:00and they went public with their relationship.
07:02"'And so, to be clear, we were outed as being in a relationship,
07:07but everyone else thought we were being outed as adulterers.'"
07:11Reportedly, the exes of Robach and Holmes, Andrew Hsu and Marlee Fiebig,
07:15started seeing each other in the aftermath.
07:1723. The Cancellation of Donahue
07:20In 1996, after 29 years, The Phil Donahue Show ended as the legendary host retired
07:26to be with his family. "'Well, thank you. I am flattered.
07:29You may be seated.'"
07:31But in 2002, he returned with his self-titled program Donahue on MSNBC.
07:36"'But I have to tell you, when you're called unpatriotic, it does stop you.'"
07:41Yet in early 2003, the show was canceled, with the network citing low ratings.
07:46Shortly after, the real reason came out. An internal MSNBC memo was leaked that claimed
07:51Donahue should be fired due to his anti-war beliefs and his views against the U.S. invasion
07:56of Iraq.
07:56"'A consulting firm, which I believe was a Republican, conservative consulting firm,
08:02reported that Donahue's anti-war stance is just not going to
08:06be very good for us against the flag-waving on the other station.'"
08:10Years later, MSNBC higher-ups changed tack and tried to blame the cancellation on high
08:15production costs instead. Donahue spent the rest of his days as a guest on various shows
08:20before he passed away in 2024.
08:2322. Megyn Kelly's blackface comments
08:26In 2018, in the wake of reality star Luanne Delisipes using blackface to dress up as Diana
08:31Ross for Halloween, the Megyn Kelly show decided to tackle the scandal, only for the host to cause
08:36her own.
08:37"'I mean, truly, political correctness has gone amok.'"
08:40Kelly defended Delisipes, claiming that when she was a child, it was okay to don blackface
08:45to play a character, so it should be fine today. Understandably, the audience was livid.
08:50On top of apologizing to staff, Kelly also said sorry on her show.
08:54"'And I want to begin with two words. I'm sorry.'"
08:57However, within days, NBC canceled Megyn Kelly Today, barely a year after its debut.
09:03Several months later, in early 2019, Kelly's contract was terminated.
09:08The host received the remainder of her multimillion-dollar contract.
09:12After months of negotiations with the TV host, NBC released this statement Friday.
09:17The parties have resolved their differences, and Megyn Kelly is no longer an employee of NBC.
09:2221. The Jeremy Kyle Show Cancellation
09:25Presenting his self-titled show since 2005, Kyle was a leading figure in U.K. daytime TV.
09:31"'Maureen, you're 58, and you're scum. What you've done is shocking.'"
09:34With a similar format to The Jerry Springer Show and Maury,
09:37this regularly drew accusations that Kyle was, quote,
09:41human bear baiting. In 2019, his talk show empire came crashing down.
09:46After guest Steve Diamond failed the show's signature lie detector test,
09:50which has disputed accuracy, he sadly took his own life.
09:53Today, ITV issued a statement saying,
09:56"'Everyone at ITV and The Jeremy Kyle Show is shocked and saddened at the news of the
10:01death of a participant in the show.'"
10:03Within days, The Jeremy Kyle Show was canceled by ITV, and repeats were scrubbed everywhere.
10:08Kyle's confrontational and misleading style was heavily criticized following reports of
10:13other guests passing away. After the coroner's report stated Kyle was possibly responsible,
10:18an inquest in 2024 cleared the host.
10:21"'Listen, I've been canceled. In this world,
10:23it seems now that unless you follow a certain path, you're labeled.'"
10:27"'Yes.'"
10:2820. Whoopi Goldberg Defends Bill Cosby
10:31As one of the co-hosts of the long-running talk show The View, Whoopi Goldberg's controversial
10:36statements have landed her in hot water on more than one occasion. In 2015, after the
10:41assault allegations against Bill Cosby came to light, Goldberg's first instinct was seemingly
10:46to come to his defense.
10:47"'When somebody ruins your reputation, it's the same thing. It's the same thing.'"
10:52Despite the fact that Cosby had admitted to drugging women in the past,
10:56the EGOT-winning multi-hyphenate still backed him on the talk show panel,
10:59stating that he was innocent until proven guilty.
11:02"'I know it's a shock, but you actually were innocent until proven guilty.'"
11:07Needless to say, her comments were not received well by the public.
11:11In light of the apparent evidence against Cosby, Goldberg eventually flipped her stance,
11:15acknowledging that it all pointed towards guilt.
11:18"'Gotta say, all of the information that's out there kinda points to guilt.'"
11:2419. Morton Downey Jr.'s $40 Million Lawsuit
11:28Before Jerry Springer popularized the trash TV format, there was The Morton
11:32Downey Jr. Show. But, unlike Springer, who typically tried to quell fights on his set,
11:37Downey was the instigator. In one of his most famous episodes,
11:41the host brought on an adult entertainer named Kelly Everts, who claimed to be a performer for
11:46God.
11:46"'Kelly, let me tell you something, pal. If there's ever a milk strike, I'll know where to go.'"
11:50Throughout the segment, Downey called her several demeaning names,
11:53and at different points, pushed her with his pelvis.
11:56"'Fuck her!'
12:00These were all met with loud cheers from his audience. Everts later sued Downey
12:04for $40 million, alleging that he had humiliated and physically assaulted her.
12:09It's not quite clear how the lawsuit ended,
12:12but Downey's show was canceled just two years after its premiere.
12:15"'Next we'll find out. Next time we'll find out that she's carrying Jesus.'"
12:1918. Ellen DeGeneres' Toxic Workplace Allegations
12:24Like many things these days, it all started with a viral Twitter thread.
12:28In March 2020, comedian Kevin T. Porter's thread opened the floor to
12:32claims that talk show host Ellen DeGeneres was a pretty mean person.
12:36A few months later, BuzzFeed News published reports from former employees,
12:40who detailed years of harassment, intimidation,
12:43and racist microaggressions by senior producers of the show.
12:46"'Ellen is now facing a major PR problem following a BuzzFeed article that portrays
12:52the Queen of Nice as the Queen of Mean.'"
12:55According to them, this toxic environment was fostered by DeGeneres.
12:59Turns out the be-kind lady may not have been keeping to her own words.
13:03An investigation by the production company led to the dismissal of three executive producers.
13:07"'Three of the show's senior producers fired. After accusations,
13:11the show created a toxic work culture.'"
13:13After 19 seasons on the air, the Ellen DeGeneres show came to an end in 2022.
13:19"'The truth is, I am that person that you see on TV. I am also a lot of other things.'"
13:24The next year, late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon would also be
13:28hit with similar accusations that The Tonight Show was a toxic workplace environment.
13:3317. Rosie Perez and Kelly Osbourne on The View
13:37In 2015, Kelly Osbourne appeared as a guest co-host on The View.
13:41While trying to counter then-presidential candidate Donald Trump's controversial
13:45remarks about Mexican immigrants, Osbourne essentially put her foot in her mouth.
13:49"'And if you kick every Latino out of this country,
13:54then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?'
13:56Her fellow co-host Rosie Perez, who is of Puerto Rican descent,
14:00chimed in quickly and set her straight.
14:02"'No, I didn't mean it like that. Come on.'"
14:04Perez, who had already announced her departure from The View at the end of that season,
14:08was reportedly forced by ABC executives to apologize to Osbourne during the live broadcast
14:13and on Twitter. Although these claims have been refuted by some insiders,
14:18it's believed that Perez canceled her final live appearances on the show as a result of the incident.
14:23"'My apologies, Kelly Osbourne. I took your point wrong. Trump, Latinos,
14:27my bad. Your heart is so pure and righteous, I adore you.'"
14:3116. Star Jones' sudden departure
14:34The original lineup of The View consisted of creator Barbara Walters, Meredith Vieira,
14:39Debbie Matinopoulos, Joy Behar, and Star Jones. Jones remained on the show until 2006,
14:45when, seemingly out of nowhere, she announced that she would not be returning for the next season.
14:49"'The show's moving in another direction for its tenth season,
14:53and I will not be returning as co-host next year.'"
14:56This came as a shock to Walters, not because of what she said, but rather when it was said.
15:01Jones' departure was slated to be announced on June 29, 2006, but the co-host decided to
15:06take matters into her own hands by breaking the news two days early.
15:09"'This is a surprise that this would come about this way. We did not expect it.'"
15:14This kicked off a tense feud between the two women. However,
15:17they appeared to have patched things up by Jones' next appearance on the show in 2012.
15:22"'It was a bad emotional time. Nasty things were being said.'"
15:2615. Sharon Osbourne's view of The View
15:30Nothing brings out the best, and sometimes worst, in us like competition.
15:34The Talk premiered in 2010 with a very similar format as that of The View,
15:39kicking off a ratings battle between both shows. When the ladies of The Talk appeared
15:43on The Arsenio Hall Show in 2013, he wanted to know how the two programs differed from each other.
15:49Just as Julie Chen attempted a diplomatic answer,
15:52Sharon Osbourne interrupted her with a rather blunt opinion.
15:55"'I love Barbara Walters. The rest can go f----- up.'"
15:59The incident certainly didn't do Osbourne or The Talk any favors.
16:03A few days later, she took a moment on the show to apologize for her remarks,
16:07shocking them up to her being a, quote, "'loose cannon.'"
16:1014. Ann Curry's controversial dismissal
16:14Ann Curry had served as a news anchor on The Today Show for years before she was finally
16:18promoted to co-host in 2011. Curry's short time in the chair was reportedly troubled.
16:24"'I'm Matt Lauer.' "'And I'm Ann Curry,
16:25in for, I guess, nobody this morning.'"
16:28According to some industry insiders, she was only given the job because
16:31the show's producers were unsure if longtime host Matt Lauer would renew his contract.
16:36"'I've worked here for 14 years. If you've been able to put up with me for that long,
16:39and you're clapping, that's a good sign.'"
16:41Once it became clear that Lauer was staying, they apparently decided that Curry had to go.
16:46Just about a year after she got the job, Curry announced in a very emotional appearance that
16:51she would be leaving. Many viewers who were incensed at the controversial departure turned
16:56their backs on the show, resulting in their competitor Good Morning America taking the
17:00number one spot.
17:00"'And so, to all of you who watch, thank you, from the bottom of my heart,
17:04for letting me touch yours, and thank you for your tweets and your emails.'"
17:0713. The infamous Geraldo brawl
17:10There's a reason why tabloid talk shows quickly became known as
17:14trash TV, and it's because of moments like this.
17:17In November 1988, Geraldo Rivera invited a panel to discuss a provocative topic.
17:22"'I really recommend that you don't push me too hard.'"
17:26"'Oh, come on, Julie.'"
17:27Among the lineup were some white supremacists, members of the Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice,
17:32as well as the African-American activist Roy Innes. Things began to escalate when
17:37one of the white supremacists referred to Innes with a derogatory term.
17:41"'You've gotta be kidding me. You've gotta be kidding me.'"
17:43Innes walked over and grabbed him by the neck,
17:46setting off a full-fledged brawl that left Rivera with a fractured nose.
17:50As expected, the incident gave the show a ratings bump, proving that when it comes to trash TV,
17:55there is no such thing as bad publicity.
17:58"'Only slightly the worse for the wear. We're back.
18:03The skinheads have been, well, the racist skinheads have been cleared out of the building.'"
18:0912. Bryant Gumbel's scathing memo
18:12About seven years into his role as the Today Show anchor, Bryant Gumbel was asked to write
18:17an assessment of the program by executive producer Marty Ryan. Gumbel did not hold back.
18:22His critiques were notably harsh, and were directed at several of his colleagues,
18:26most notably the jovial weatherman Willard Scott. In the memo, Gumbel stated that Scott was, quote,
18:32"...holding the show hostage to his assortment of whims,
18:35wishes, birthdays, and bad taste." He also had equally blunt words for some other staffers
18:40on the show. Unsurprisingly, Gumbel's memo eventually found its way into the hands of
18:45the press. The resulting fallout between him and Scott partly contributed to Today
18:49dropping to number two in the ratings.
18:51I did what I was asked to do. I did it in what I thought was a professional fashion."
18:5611. Pat O'Brien's lewd voicemails
18:59When it came to sportscasting, Pat O'Brien was one of the best in the business.
19:03Through the 80s and 90s, O'Brien made a name for himself in sports news,
19:07and then became a host for the entertainment programs Access Hollywood and The Insider.
19:11He found himself embroiled in controversy in 2005 when a series of explicit voicemails he
19:17sent to an unidentified woman leaked on the internet. O'Brien had just checked into rehab
19:22for alcohol use disorder when the messages, which he sent in a drunken state, became public.
19:26And I don't remember. I apparently made it on a Sunday, and I woke up with
19:32every boss I have at the edge of my bed in L.A.
19:34Following the incident, O'Brien was miraculously able to retain his job on The Insider. He was,
19:40however, fired three years later after sending out an ill-conceived email blasting his co-worker
19:45Lara Spencer.
19:46And I said, you know, that's the guy I do not want to be.
19:4910. Dr. Phil Drug Scandal
19:51In 2017, this long-running television program came under fire after former survivor contestant
19:57Todd Herzog accused the producers of exploiting his substance use disorder to generate views.
20:02During his infamous appearance on the show, Herzog was so intoxicated he could not stand
20:07up on his own, indicating to viewers the seriousness of his condition. However,
20:11according to Herzog, he was coerced by staff into drinking two bottles of vodka
20:16and given Xanax to, quote, calm his nerves before filming.
20:21Uh, you're not okay.
20:23No.
20:23The Dr. Phil Show has vehemently denied these claims. However, an exposé published in 2017
20:29by The Stat and The Boston Globe exhibited multiple victims making similar claims against
20:34the production.
20:35It wasn't until about 30 days into treatment that I realized exactly how bad I was.
20:409. Rosie O'Donnell vs. Elizabeth Hasselbeck
20:43The view can sometimes feel like a daytime soap opera.
20:47Of all the scandals this talk show has endured over the years,
20:50the feud between co-hosts Rosie O'Donnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck was perhaps the most
20:55notorious. The tension between the two reached its boiling point in 2007 when Hasselbeck
21:01referred to Iraq as, quote, America's enemy, prompting O'Donnell to argue that the Bush
21:06administration was truly at fault.
21:08You just said our enemies in Iraq. Did Iraq attack us?
21:12The liberal O'Donnell additionally criticized the media for their unflattering portrayal
21:16of her, claiming that they favored the conservative Hasselbeck.
21:19Because here's how it gets spun in the media. Rosie, big, fat, lesbian, loud Rosie,
21:25attacks innocent, pure, Christian Elizabeth. And I'm not doing it.
21:29Following their heated argument, O'Donnell left the show, while Hasselbeck exited five
21:34years later.
21:35Number eight, Alec Baldwin's offensive remarks.
21:39Although Alec Baldwin is one of the most outspoken liberals in showbiz,
21:42his behavior hasn't always lived up to his professed ideals.
21:46In 2013, the Oscar-nominated actor landed in hot water when he allegedly directed a
21:52gay slur at a paparazzo. In due course, Baldwin was suspended from his late-night talk show for
21:57two weeks. While Baldwin initially claimed he was misquoted, he ultimately described
22:02his outburst in an apology as, quote, offensive and unacceptable. However, the damage was done,
22:09as Up Late with Alec Baldwin was canceled after only five episodes. It probably didn't help that
22:15Baldwin also made homophobic remarks towards reporter George Stark on Twitter.
22:20Number seven, Maury Povich's harassment lawsuit. Maury Povich is no stranger to controversy,
22:26as many critics have accused his tabloid talk show of exploiting serious issues.
22:30Speaking of exploitation, a $100 million sex harassment lawsuit was filed against Povich
22:36and other members of his staff in 2006. The allegation stemmed from Bianca Nardi,
22:42a former producer of The Maury Povich Show, who claimed she had been forced
22:45to watch adult material and make advances at married men in bars while being filmed.
22:50She additionally accused executive producer Paul Fallhaber of making her wear revealing outfits
22:55and implied that Povich was having an affair with producer Donna Ingber.
23:00Despite the scandal, Povich remained on television for years and is still married to Connie Chung.
23:06Number six, Billy Bush fired from Today. Just when it seemed like the 2016 U.S. presidential
23:12election couldn't get any crazier, a 2005 Hot Mic recording surfaced in which Republican
23:17candidate Donald Trump shared an offensive and potentially incriminating conversation
23:22with Access Hollywood host Billy Bush. On a bus ride, Trump not only admitted that he tried and
23:28failed to seduce Nancy O'Dell, but also made some vulgar statements while discussing actress
23:33Ariane Zucker. The scandal took a drastic toll on Bush's public image, resulting in his termination
23:39from The Today Show. Meanwhile, Trump continued his campaign and was elected president almost
23:45a month later. You don't get to say that because I was there in the last 14 months of my life. I've
23:51been dealing with it. You dealt with it for 14 minutes and went on to be the president.
23:56Number five, blackmail attempt against David Letterman. After a long, hard day,
24:00audiences would typically tune in to Late Show with David Letterman for a light-hearted laugh.
24:06The talk show took an uncomfortable turn in 2009, though, when Letterman confessed to having several
24:11sexual relationships with his female staffers. An extortionist had targeted Letterman, threatening
24:16to write a screenplay about the television host's affairs unless he coughed up $2 million.
24:22And he seems to, in this packet, there seems to be quite a lot of terrible stuff he knows about.
24:28Cooperating with the Manhattan District Attorney's office, Letterman wrote a fake check,
24:33and his blackmailer was arrested shortly after. While Letterman was met with some negative press
24:38following this shocking announcement, he eventually moved on from the scandal
24:42and hosted Late Show for six more years before retiring in 2015.
24:47Number four, Oprah Winfrey vs. James Fry.
24:50It's a radical departure, it's not a classic, and it is also not fiction.
24:55James Fry hit it big time when his memoir, A Million Little Pieces,
24:59was selected for Oprah's Book Club in 2005. Chronicling Fry's history with substance use
25:03disorder, the book became a New York Times bestseller and a cultural sensation.
25:08If I was going to write a book that was true, and I was going to write a book that was honest,
25:12then I was going to have to write about myself in very, very negative ways.
25:16Many readers felt cheated, however, when it was revealed that Fry had fabricated information in
25:22his supposed true account. This didn't reflect well on Oprah, who invited Fry onto her show
25:27to talk about the controversy. Oprah didn't let Fry off with a slap on the wrist,
25:31eventually getting him to confess that he had made up parts of the story.
25:35She also brought on publisher Nan Talese to set the record straight.
25:40Number three, Conan O'Brien vs. Jay Leno.
25:43The original war for late night can be traced back to 1992,
25:47when Jay Leno became Johnny Carson's successor, over David Letterman. This influenced Letterman
25:52to move from NBC to CBS, while Conan O'Brien was hired to fill the NBC late night time slot.
25:58History essentially repeated itself almost two decades later, when Leno exited The Tonight Show
26:04so O'Brien could assume his hosting duties. Unfortunately, O'Brien's ratings struggled,
26:09and the decision to give Leno a primetime talk show turned out to be a huge miscalculation.
26:15Since pushing back the schedule wasn't an option, O'Brien was given a $45 million
26:20payout while Leno returned to The Tonight Show in 2010.
26:24Number two, Matt Lauer's misconduct allegations.
26:28In rapid succession, from Bill O'Reilly to Charlie Rose,
26:32media personalities were publicly accused of sexual harassment in 2017.
26:37Have you done some soul searching? Have you have you done some self-reflection?
26:42And have you looked at the way you treated women that you think now,
26:46or think about differently now than you did at the time?
26:49However, the sexual misconduct allegations directed at Matt Lauer shocked audiences perhaps
26:54the most. A staple of The Today Show for almost 20 years, Lauer was abruptly fired
27:00after a female NBC employee accused him of sexually harassing her three years earlier.
27:06You know, for the moment, all we can say is that we are heartbroken."
27:09It became clear that this was unlikely to be an isolated incident, as more women came forward.
27:15In one instance, Lauer was accused of summoning a former employee to his office
27:19and sexually assaulting her behind a locked door.
27:22The fact that Lauer was such a beloved host only made this more disturbing.
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27:431. Jenny Jones Guest Loses His Life
27:47Okay, you think about, you have fantasies about him?
27:49I've had a couple, yeah.
27:50The Jenny Jones show aired for over a decade,
27:53but it's actually best remembered for an episode that never even aired.
27:57Entitled Same-Sex Secret Crushes, the episode centered on a guest named Scott Amador who,
28:03on the show, revealed his crush to an acquaintance named Jonathan Schmitz.
28:07Three days after the episode was taped, Schmitz reportedly found a suggestive note from Amador.
28:13Schmitz subsequently purchased a shotgun, shot Amador two times in the chest,
28:17and alerted the authorities of the crime he had just committed.
28:21Having a history of mental health issues, Schmitz was convicted of second-degree murder.
28:26Meanwhile, The Jenny Jones Show faced a wrongful death lawsuit,
28:30and was forced to pay Amador's family $25 million.