# talk show guests **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 22, 2017, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410 "2017-08-22T21:43:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/21 "2017-08-23T13:51:34Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > I suspect that Harrison Ford is usually high as balls when he appears on a talk show. That’s only when he is piloting. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/22 "2017-08-23T14:04:27Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > It’s a completely pointless waste of time to watch. Ever seen Patton Oswalt, Zack Galifinakis or (a young, unpredictable, like, back in the 80s) Micheal Keaton i-viewed? Legitimate entertainment value there, AFAIC. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/23 "2017-08-23T14:06:41Z")
I don’t recall ever seeing a good Billy Bob Thorton interview. He always seems to have an “I’m better than this” attitude. Not to mention his famous “you called me an actor when I was here to promote my music” hissy fit. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/24 "2017-08-23T14:16:02Z")
Remember how much Letterman hated having CBS force him to have appearances by people who were voted off one of the reality shows early on (I think _Survivor_, but possibly _Big Brother_?) He referred to them as “game show losers” and wouldn’t even let them in-studio and instead spoke to them via camera from the Hello Deli. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/25 "2017-08-23T14:24:36Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > Not to mention his famous “you called me an actor when I was here to promote my music” hissy fit. I loved that interview! ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/26 "2017-08-23T15:45:18Z")
> [@Obeseus](#): > > I don’t remember who she was, but Tom Snyder had a female guest circa 1982 who was ranting about men being rapists. Snyder said something like, “I suppose you think I’m here to rape you,” and she responded with, “You’d like to.” I’m guessing either Catherine McKinnon (I have a different name for her!) or Andrea Dworkin. Quite frankly, the thought of being in the same room with either of them makes me physically ill. Back then, CMK could occasionally be seen trudging through the University of Minnesota campus with her head down, puffing on a cigarette and radiating a pure “Don’t fuck with me!” attitude. (Probably still is, if she’s not dead yet.) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/27 "2017-08-23T15:53:02Z")
> [@ioioio](#): > > Bo Derek on the old Letterman show (when he wasn’t afraid to poke fun at someone). She was dumb dumb dumb. Dave had a copy of her high school yearbook and showed her photo in it. She vehemently denied every having gone to school there. Actually, it seemed she couldn’t remember going to high school at all. I remember when she was on _ **The Tonight Show** _ right after _ **Bolero** _ came out. Holy crap, talk about **stupid**! :smack: Carson mentioned how the critics hated the movie and how it was just plain dumb. She shrugged and said “Well, yeah, that’s how it was \*\*supposed \*\*to be.” In other words, nobody quite \*got \*the joke! (I certainly didn’t.) This did not, however, prevent Johnny from telling her how \*stunning \*she looked. Why he felt the need to brown-nose her, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/28 "2017-08-23T20:58:19Z")
There’s a pseudo-game show on TruTV called **Talk Show: The Game Show** , where comedians and celebrities engage in talk-show-like shenanigans with the host and are awarded points for how well they do as a talk show guest. I started watching because one of the judges, Karen Kilgariff, does a podcast I like, **My Favorite Murder**. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/29 "2017-08-23T21:37:38Z")
Early rock and roll legend Sam Phillips’ [1986 appearance on Letterman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkknN4vCIGM) was… legendary. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2017, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/30 "2017-08-23T21:45:28Z")
[Joaquin Phoenix on Letterman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRb_3hCa72Y) (sorry, I couldn’t do the whole 9 minutes). ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410/31 "2017-08-24T20:00:27Z")
It seems to me like Letterman thrived on controversy and _tried_ to have guests that would screw things up, for shock & awe (and free publicity). Compare to Jimmy Fallon, who steadfastly avoids controversy and generally treats his guests with kid gloves. Funny anecdote about Fallon: the first time Emma Watson was on the show, she came out, sat down, and started the interview with, “So, do you like late-night TV?” The studio audience roared, while the home viewers (myself included) didn’t get it. A few months ago, Emma appeared for the second time, and Jimmy and Emma explained to the audience what had happened. Apparently the first time Emma appeared on _The Tonight Show_, she started the interview by telling Jimmy how much she enjoys “your Halloween thing.” Jimmy wasn’t sure what she was talking about, and after some back & forth, Emma wound up saying, “You know, where you tell parents to tell their kids they’ve eaten their Halloween candy.” Fallon responded “That’s Jimmy **Kimmel**.” Poor Emma just about died from embarrassment. Fallon, being the stand-up guy that he is, told Emma that _The Tonight Show_ isn’t about humiliating its guests and offered her the chance to go backstage, be re-introduced, and start the interview over again. She took Jimmy’s offer, and when she came back out, he opened with the “you like late-night TV” line. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/talk-show-guests/794410.md?page=1)