Like The Tonight Show, or The Late Show. Every guest is always wildly applauded when coming on stage. But I’m wondering, has the audience ever booed an infamous guest? Or would they simply not have people who might get booed?
I’m told Ayn Rand was booed going on the tonight show long (30+ years?) ago, but I don’t know that to be accurate.
I’ve heard booing for controversial guests who say controversial things once they’re on the couch, but I’ve never heard a controversial guest booed when they walked on.
Have you ever noticed that from time to time the star gets a little (usually) good natured heckling during the monologue, but the heckler is quiet for the rest of the show? I’ve never been in an audience, but my guess is that the audience member has been politely asked to shut up and a page is standing right there just to make sure.
madonna was booed on David Letteman’s show, but it was after she dropped the “f” word several times.
The guy who wrote those American Splendor comics was booed when he came on Letterman with a “Protest NBC” t-shirt! Too bad because people really liked the guy before…Letterman got such good ratings when he was on…
I’d say that it was 50/50 boos & applause when Rush Limbaugh came on stage for his first appearance on Letterman’s CBS show.
Bill O’Reilly got some boos when he was on Leno.
His FIRST appearance?! After the ribbing he took, and the gracelessness with which he received it, he came back?
Wow.
Limbaugh on Letterman was my first thought, too: there was plenty of booing.
Letterman’s two biggest laughs, on the other hand, came at Limbaugh’s expense:
Limbaugh had been mocking Hillary Clinton’s appearance, comparing her to a Volvo hood ornament, when Letterman interjected, saying genially, “Sure, and you can say that because you’re such a fine-looking specimen of humanity!”
Later, when Limbaugh had been going on and on and on and on about them crazy libruls, Letterman interrupted. Looking like he was puzzling his question out, very thoughtful, he said, “Do you ever, do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and think, I’m just a great big ball of gas?”
Oh, it was fun. Limbaugh looked like he was about to murder Letterman.
Daniel
His FIRST appearance?! After the ribbing he took, and the gracelessness with which he received it, he came back?
Wow.
Limbaugh on Letterman was my first thought, too: there was plenty of booing.
Letterman’s two biggest laughs, on the other hand, came at Limbaugh’s expense:
Limbaugh had been mocking Hillary Clinton’s appearance, comparing her to a Volvo hood ornament, when Letterman interjected, saying genially, “Sure, and you can say that because you’re such a fine-looking specimen of humanity!”
Later, when Limbaugh had been going on and on and on and on about them crazy libruls, Letterman interrupted. Looking like he was puzzling his question out, very thoughtful, he said, “Do you ever, do you ever wake up in the middle of the night and think, I’m just a great big bag of gas?”
Oh, it was fun. Limbaugh looked like he was about to murder Letterman.
Daniel
Charles Grodin got booed on Letterman, mostly because he would come on a few times in a couple weeks and complain. It was a gag he and Letterman set up because they thought it would be funny if a guest would argue with Letterman. The audience had no idea.
I rememeber that Mr T was mercilessly jeered and heckled on a Letterman appearance a few years ago. This was long after the A-team, but not enough time had passed for nostalgia to set in yet. Also, he came across as an unintentional self-parody, instead of the intentional self-parody that he is today. Jeered, heckled, and, perhaps, but I don’t remember for sure, booed.
Ann Coulter got booed on The Daily Show in the middle of her interview, but I don’t think she did when she came on.
So did Posh(?) Spice when she called Jon Stewart unfunny to his face.
Harvey Pekar!
My home boy.
I saw him once IRL>
I used to love his appearances on Letterman.
I didn’t see that one, but it sounds great.
Didn’t Andrew Dice Clay get booed when he walked on stage on the Arsenio Hall show? I saw that show and remember it being uncomfortable, but I don’t recall if the booing started right away or not.
You MUST rent the movie American Splendor. It goes into all of Pekar’s appearances on Letterman in great detail, including that very controversial one.
I thought being booed on talk shows is part of Charles Grodin’s schtick.
I was going to say Morton Downey, Jr. got booed on Arsenio… not 100% sure though, just a memory.
Are you sure they had no idea? His audience is probably used to Dave’s goofs and stunts, and if Grodin came back on multiple occasions to pull this gag off, I’d think the audience would catch on and play along (by booing, of course).