Comedian and former Tonight Show host Jay Leno weighed in on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars last month. Leno, who called Smith a “good guy,” said that the most shocking moment to him came after the slap.
05.04.2022 - 18:17 / variety.com
Selome Hailu While shock jock humor is the brand that made Howard Stern famous, an interview on Magic Johnson’s 1998 late-night talk show “The Magic Hour” pushed the limits even for him, creating one of the most uncomfortable moments in late-night TV history.In a new interview with Variety, Johnson looked back on his hosting stint prior to the April 22 release of “They Call Me Magic,” an Apple TV Plus docuseries that covers his life and career — including his brief chapter in the late-night seat. And though “The Magic Hour” was an overall flop, hated by critics and canceled after three short months, it’s Stern’s appearance on the program that still gets talked about today as a blatant example of how entertainers could get away with making racist comments before things changed in our culture.
“So many times, I wanted to say something and hit him at the same time — on air,” Johnson tells Variety, looking back at the interview. Johnson hasn’t spoken to Stern since then.For those unfamiliar with the episode, here’s a primer: After “The Magic Hour” premiered, Stern started attacking the program on his massively popular radio show, criticizing Johnson and mocking his comedic timing and interviewing skills.
In an effort to drum up ratings for “The Magic Hour,” the producers of the show decided to invite Stern on as a guest.“Let’s get right to it,” Johnson said in the interview after Stern came out on stage. “Why have you been talking about me so much, man?”“The thing you need to work on, in my estimation, is that you’ve gotta stop trying to talk like the white man,” Stern answered.
“Everybody’s anti-Ebonics. I say, let it fly! What you need to do, ‘my brotha,’ is to really get down with it.
Comedian and former Tonight Show host Jay Leno weighed in on Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars last month. Leno, who called Smith a “good guy,” said that the most shocking moment to him came after the slap.
He’s gonna need some ice for that burn! Amy Schumer revealed Leonardo DiCaprio’s reaction to her 2022 Oscars quip at his expense — and fans everywhere will thank him for his response.
Dealing with her own backlash. Amy Schumer has been candid about her honest reaction to Will Smith slapping Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars, but some haven’t appreciated it.
Amy Schumer got death threats after her Oscar co-hosting gig, the comedian told Howard Stern today.
Gary Coleman wasn’t always as “cute” as he seemed, according to Molly Shannon.
“Hello Molly!: A Memoir,” and stopped by Howard Stern’s eponymous radio show Tuesday.Shannon collaborated with Houston — who died in 2012 at age 48 — on a “Saturday Night Live” sketch in the ’90s involving the former’s infamous Catholic schoolgirl character, Mary Katherine Gallagher.The “Wet Hot American Summer” actress described to the shock jock, 68, how the sketch involving Houston came to be.“Whitney was so nice. They’re like, she’s not going to be in the sketch. She’s not going to do it,” Shannon said.
Popular comedian Gilbert Gottfried has died at the age of 67, according to a post on social media written by his family.
Bruce Springsteen fans were treated to some of the rocker’s unreleased outtakes at a Mexican radio conference this weekend, thanks to his longtime engineer.Toby Scott was a guest at this past weekend’s SoundCheck Xpo in Mexico City; during his presentation he offered up some snippets of a few old recordings that Springsteen recorded in the early 1980s.During his 87-minute presentation, the engineer played a few different takes of the Boss recording ‘Born In The U.S.A.’. One of the versions was the solo-acoustic demo that Springsteen recorded in 1982, during the Nebraska era – this version ended up on his 1998 box set ‘Tracks’.Scott also played a bluesy, full-band take of the iconic anthem that has not previously been heard. You can hear it around the 23:49 mark in the video below. In other Bruce Springsteen news, Courteney Cox has reflected on auditioning for her iconic cameo in Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing In The Dark’ video.The Friends star made a legendary appearance in the 1984 video, which saw Cox be invited on stage to dance with The Boss.Speaking to Howard Stern on his SiriusXM radio show last month, Cox reflected on her nerves about the appearance, and remembered her audition for the part.“Bruce Springsteen is such an amazing… God, he’s so incredible.
repeating his desire for COVID-19 austerity, but there was once a time that his jokes were so off-color and insensitive that Magic Johnson wanted to “hit” him.Johnson goes over this in his upcoming Apple TV+ docuseries, “They Call Me Magic”, which debuts on April 22 and was covered by Variety.The former Lakers great’s issues with Stern are discussed within the context of “The Magic Hour”, an ill-fated syndicated talk show that Johnson hosted in 1998 that was universally panned.Stern was apparently particularly merciless in mocking the show on his radio program, and Johnson’s producers responded by booking him as a guest.Stern opened his appearance by telling Johnson that he was a great basketball player but his talk show needed work. “The thing you need to work on, in my estimation, seriously, is you’ve got to stop trying to talk like the white man,” Stern told Johnson. “It’s the truth.”Stern said Johnson was being coached to be “anti-ebonics”.“I say, let it fly,” Stern declared.
Red Hot Chili Peppers frontman Anthony Kiedis has become the latest star to respond to Will Smith’s viral slap of Chris Rock at last month’s Oscars.Last month, Smith struck the comedian on-stage during the Academy Awards ceremony following a joke about his wife Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head. Following numerous apologies over the incident, Smith resigned from the Academy and described his actions as “shocking, painful, and inexcusable”.Asked by Howard Stern what he thought of the incident, Kiedis originally replied that “too much has been said already.”The band’s guitarist John Frusciante then stepped in, saying: “We love Chris Rock and I’ll stand forward and say he should not have been slapped.” Rock inducted the band into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.Kiedis then did give his take though, telling the host: “I love comedy.
Talk about star power. Beyoncé and Jay-Z have been close friends with Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin for decades — and their bond has only strengthened over the years, despite the Goop founder and Coldplay frontman’s 2016 divorce.
Magic Johnson is reflecting on interviewing Howard Stern back in 1998.
Machine Gun Kelly is opening up about his final memories of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, and paying tribute to the light he brought to so many.Kelly appeared on The Howard Stern Show on SirusXM on Wednesday, while promoting his new album,, and recalled how he and his entire band spent time hanging out with the Foo Fighters just days before Hawkins' untimely death.On March 22, Kelly was set to perform at Asunciónico 2022 in Paraguay, where the Foo Fighters were also set to perform, and the rocker recalled, «That day was the day the Foo Fighters were going to play with us,» and was going to be the first time Dave Grohl and Hawkins had seen Kelly and his band perform live.However, due to a storm that caused minor flooding, the concert was cancelled. Kelly made headlines when he decided to put on an impromptu performance for fans outside his hotel room, and thousands turned out for the show.Despite that, the band was still disappointed they couldn't perform with the Foo Fighters.
Machine Gun Kelly is opening up about his friendship with Pete Davidson, and the comedian’s struggles online with Instagram abuse from rapper Kanye West.
Candid confessions. Machine Gun Kelly held nothing back when discussing everything from his “dangerous” relationship with Megan Fox to their double date with Pete Davidson and Kim Kardashian — and why he has “big regrets” about it.