# Which celebrities are comfortable making fun of themselves or their work publicly **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 7, 2010, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221 "2010-12-07T02:11:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/41 "2010-12-07T17:02:11Z")
> [@AClockworkMelon](#): > > I hated Ryan Seacrest until I saw him in _Knocked Up_. He’s earned my indifference. I felt the same way about [Kevin Federline](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRbNCjDsVs4) when I saw this Super Bowl commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/42 "2010-12-07T17:15:34Z")
> [@phreesh](#): > > George Clooney is great with this. Especially Batman and Robin. I’ve heard that if you walk up to him on the street and tell him you saw it in the theater, he’ll reach into his wallet and give you eight bucks. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/43 "2010-12-07T17:22:48Z")
> [@Spoke](#): > > Shatner is the king of this. > [@DrFidelius](#): > > I must agree here. Shatner has made a new career out of being the best Bill Shatner impersonator in the business. It is nearly impossible to mock a man who deliberately mocks himself in public. I came in to post about Shatner. I’ve noticed a couple of examples of this in “$#\*! My Dad Says.” For example, in the pilot episode, Ed, his character lamented, “Why can’t anyone do a good impression of me?” In another episode, Ed was in a karaoke bar and refused to sing “Rocket Man.” “Oh, no, not tonight.” ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/44 "2010-12-07T17:29:38Z")
> [@runner pat](#): > > Same with Sandra Bullock who won an Oscar and a Razzie in the same year. > > She showed up at the Razzies with a little red wagon filled with copies of _All About Steve_ for the audience members. > [@Alessan](#): > > Bear in mind that celebrities are \*expected \*to make fun of themselves from time to time. You can never be sure if they’re really not taking themselves seriously, or just doing what their publicists tell them. Yeah, while Sandra Bullock may be a good sport (at least about certain things–;)) I find it pretty hard to believe that this was her own idea… ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/45 "2010-12-07T18:23:44Z")
The [Rock Bottom Remainders](http://http://www.rockbottomremainders.com/pages/history.html) are a good example of this. _“Hailed by critics as having “one of the world’s highest ratios of noise to talent,” the Remainders have no music videos, no record contract, no Grammy® nominations—but do have over 159,000 hits on Google.”_ Guitarist Dave Barry neatly summed up the band by saying, _“We play music as well as Metallica writes novels.”_ ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/46 "2010-12-07T19:00:30Z")
I’m quietly of the opinion that sending one’s self up can sometimes be an act of raging egotism. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/47 "2010-12-07T19:02:45Z")
> [@Alka\_Seltzer](#): > > I’m quietly of the opinion that sending one’s self up can sometimes be an act of raging egotism. Yeah, but at least it shows some sense of humor. An odd case is Sean Penn: he did a hysterical cameo on _Ellen_ during her coming out days when he himself came out (in the cameo). That episode featured Emma Thompson as a closeted lesbian and open lush version of herself as well. The oddity is that other times Penn seems like the biggest prick in Hollywood when it comes to taking himself overly seriously. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Scud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Tom\_Scud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Scud)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/48 "2010-12-07T19:10:32Z")
I immediately thought of John (“I’m a PC”) Hodgman, but I don’t know that someone who’s pretty much made a career on nothing but this counts. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/49 "2010-12-07T19:33:18Z")
Brendan Fraser displayed a self-deprecating sense of humor in the movie “Looney Tunes - Back in Action.” His character, D.J., a wanna-be actor mentions that he was an extra on the set of “The Mummy” and that Fraser was a total dick to him. In one of the final scenes, D.J. encounters Fraser (also playing himself) again and thoroughly decks him. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/50 "2010-12-07T20:29:14Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > Adam West voices a character named Adam West, the Mayor of Quahog, on _Family Guy_. It’s never been explained _why_ Adam West is the Mayor of Quahog, Rhode Island – he just is. And he’s a non-sequitor spewing fool. He’s also the voice of [Catman](http://fairlyoddparents.wikia.com/wiki/Catman)on Fairly Oddparents - which is both a spoof on Batman and an opportunity for West to be a non-sequitor-spewing fool. ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/51 "2010-12-07T22:13:24Z")
> [@Sealemon2.0](#): > > Justin Timberlake’s also gotten a lot of respect from me lately by making fun of himself. Ditto here. Originally, I just thought he was some pretty boy from a boy band, but he’s really put himself out there. Between his Dick in the Box and other SNL endeavors and that Sprite commercial he did where he gets conked on the noggin by a giant flying flatscreen, he’s got a lot of appreciation from me. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/52 "2010-12-07T22:47:50Z")
> [@KennerTheGreat](#): > > Drew Carey never seemed to mind too much when someone else got a dig in on him when _Whose Line Is It Anyway?_ was on. > > Actually, I guess you could probably say that about all of the cast. The Drew Carey Show consisted of him making one joke after another about himself. Loved that show. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/53 "2010-12-07T22:53:26Z")
When Dolly Parton hosted SNL she only had 1 request - no making fun of Jesus and they honored that. ---
**Author:** ![mlees](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@mlees](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlees)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/54 "2010-12-07T22:54:45Z")
Joan Rivers: She sometimes overdoes it, IMO. It’s almost like a plea for help. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/55 "2010-12-07T23:27:22Z")
All celebrities want is attention. Positive attention, negative attention - it doesn’t matter. They’ll mock anyone, including themselves, to get people to notice them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@The\_wind\_of\_my\_soul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_wind_of_my_soul)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/56 "2010-12-08T16:35:11Z")
Kathy Griffin is one of the few celebrities to be very open and frank about the plastic surgery she’s gotten. She also talks about it in connection with her self-esteem and its shortcomings. I’m not familiar with her comedic work, but I find that aspect of her to be in refreshing contrast with the pervading mindset in Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/57 "2010-12-08T17:38:17Z")
Janet Reno showing up at Janet Reno’s Dance Party! > [@Ca3799](#): > > I think Dolly Parton has a pretty good time making fun of herself sometimes. She said “It takes a lot of money to look this cheap.” She also is not opposed to plastic surgery saying “If it can be nipped, tucked, plucked or sucked, I’m having it done.” “I’m not offended by all the dumb blonde jokes because I know I’m not dumb… and I also know that I’m not blonde.” > [@Alessan](#): > > Bear in mind that celebrities are \*expected \*to make fun of themselves from time to time. You can never be sure if they’re really not taking themselves seriously, or just doing what their publicists tell them. That’s quite true, though the person does have to be the one to actually go out there and do it. And to a certain degree, you can tell who’s having fun with it and who really isn’t. Wish I could think of an example, but I’ve seen some actors who were clearly doing it because they “had” to. ---
**Author:** ![Tess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@Tess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tess)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2010, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/58 "2010-12-08T20:26:06Z")
When Kelly Ripa was on SNL she parodied her own shampoo commercial (“with trace amounts of crack cocaine!”). I’m not a fan, but that was pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/59 "2010-12-09T06:09:54Z")
> [@multimediac17](#): > > I immediately thought of Dolly Parton. > > Pet Shop Boys do this a lot too. The hilarious commentary on their video collection DVD is basically the duo just taking the piss out of themselves, especially their very eighties early videos. Yes and the video for “I’m with Stupid” is a great example of this. I will also jump on the Justin Timberlake bandwagon. His hip hopping with Jimmy Fallon had me lol. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS1yUui2sts](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DS1yUui2sts) ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2010, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221/60 "2010-12-09T13:09:46Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > I started a similar thread a while ago asking if anyone made fun of their real life self more than Matt Damon, but I think it soon sank. My Respect-o-meter for Matt Damon went up significantly when I heard that, after _Team America: World Police_ came out, he apparently not only thought his portrayal in the film was hilarious, he also apparently got in touch with Matt Stone and Trey Parker and said he would have been happy to do the voice for the character (which, in case you haven’t seen the film, only involved saying the words “Matt Damon!” in the sort of voice you’d associate with a retarded person). He definitely doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously, from what I can tell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-celebrities-are-comfortable-making-fun-of-themselves-or-their-work-publicly/563221.md?page=4)