10 Interviews That Turned Into FIGHTS
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VOICE OVER: Phoebe de Jeu
WRITTEN BY: Don Ekama
A friendly chat can turn sour quickly! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we'll be looking at the most notorious live TV interviews that, for one reason or another, devolved into physical altercations. Our countdown includes interviews involving Al Sharpton, Shaker al-Johari, Jim Everett and more!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking at the most notorious live TV interviews that, for one reason or another, devolved into physical altercations. Are there any other contentious interviews that didn’t make our list? Let us know in the comments below.
In 1994, during his contentious divorce with actress Loni Anderson, Burt Reynolds made an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Right at the start, Leno cracked jokes about Reynolds’ personal struggles, which immediately put him in a sour mood. The situation took an unexpected turn when children’s game show host Marc Summers joined the show. While interacting with Reynolds, Summers rubbed his own marriage in the actor’s face. He soon learned how terrible an idea that was. Reynolds responded by dumping his mug on Summers’ lap, but when the host tried to retaliate, Reynolds quickly swatted his hand away. The tension soon escalated into a pie fight, leaving both men covered in cream.
Economic discussions often stir up a lot of tension. But things took an unusually heated turn in this televised debate between two Russian oligarchs. In 2011, billionaire tycoon and former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev appeared on a show alongside former property developer Sergei Polonsky for a discussion on the economic crisis. Things quickly got heated in the course of the interview, leading Lebedev to attack Polonsky with a series of blows, sending him right to the floor. The former spy claimed he felt threatened by Polonsky and decided to neutralize the perceived threat with his fists. The televised altercation resulted in Lebedev being charged with politically-motivated hooliganism, with a potential maximum sentence of five years.
In July 2014, a discussion between two Jordanian analysts on the Josat satellite television channel escalated into violence. The contenders were Shaker al-Johari, a controversial journalist, and Samih Khrais, a lawyer and activist. The focal points of their heated exchange were the Syrian civil war and the Gaza crisis. As Khrais expressed his views during the interview, al-Johari, in a fit of anger, hurled a bottle of water at him. Things intensified as al-Johari walked across the studio, grabbed a chair and lunged at Khrais with it, despite the host’s attempts to intervene. Fortunately, a studio staff member stepped in just in time, successfully placating the enraged journalist and preventing further chaos.
In the 1980s, Al Sharpton and Roy Innis were two prominent civil rights activists in New York. Despite their shared cause, both men held opposing political views, with Sharpton aligning as a Democrat and Innis being firmly conservative. Their discord resurfaced in 1988 during an infamous appearance on “The Morton Downey Jr. Show.” Sharpton first began by taking Innis to task over some of his controversial opinions. When Innis tried to respond, Sharpton interjected, leading to a physical altercation that saw the conservative activist shove Sharpton to the floor. The ensuing brawl on the stage was swiftly contained by host Downey Jr. who, for once, found himself playing the unusual role of peacemaker.
What’s it they say? When two journalists fight, it’s the production studio that ultimately suffers? Well, that happened to be the case during this May 2014 interview on the Jordanian TV show “Between Opposing Opinions.” None other than the controversial journalist Shaker al-Johari makes an appearance, this time against fellow journalist Mohammed al-Jayousi. Once again, the topic of discussion was the Syrian crisis. al-Jayousi reportedly sparked conflict by labeling al-Johari a “deviant” and accusing him of supporting the Syrian revolution. This caused the two journalists to clash physically, pushing the studio table at each other, until the top broke off. Eventually, they were pulled apart by the production staff but not before leaving the studio in complete disarray.
Heated debates between political opponents aren’t unusual. But it’s not often that we see those disagreements escalate to full-fledged boxing matches. In the lead up to the 2016 elections in Georgia, parliamentary candidates Vepkhia Gurgenishvili, from the Democratic Movement, and Polad Khalikov, from the Industrial political bloc, engaged in a debate on the TV network Qvemo Kartli. The exchange became intense, reaching a boiling point when Gurgenishvili reportedly referred to Khalikov as “scum.” Both men threw their pens at each other before deciding to sort things out with their fists. It didn’t take long for the production staff to intervene, pulling the two opponents apart and bringing the televised debate to an abrupt conclusion.
The Los Angeles-based TV show “Talk2,” hosted by sports personality Jim Rome, ran for five years on ESPN2. In 1994, the program achieved notoriety due to a contentious interview between Rome and former NFL quarterback Jim Everett. Prior to their encounter, Rome had repeatedly called Everett ‘Chris Evert,’ a nod to the legendary tennis player, which irked the NFL star. As the interview commenced, Rome continued using the nickname, prompting Everett to warn him against repeating it. Unsurprisingly, Rome did. This led Everett to flip the table and shove the host to the floor. Rome has since acknowledged his fault in the incident, seeking to reconcile with Everett, but the former football player has repeatedly declined his requests.
Andy Kaufman was an unconventional entertainer who garnered significant attention for his alternative comedy style. Even stranger, Kaufman engaged in a bizarre form of wrestling and eventually faced off against professional wrestler Jerry Lawler, who seemingly left him with a neck injury. Months later, they attempted to resolve their feud on “Late Night with David Letterman.” Kaufman, still sporting a neck brace, threatened to sue Lawler for his injuries, causing the professional wrestler to slap him so hard he fell off his chair. Kaufman apparently lost his composure afterwards, yelling expletives and throwing a cup of coffee at Lawler. Despite the realistic portrayal, it was later revealed that the altercation was staged, and that both men were, in fact, good friends.
On November 3rd 1988, Geraldo Rivera’s morning talk show became the setting for a heated confrontation. The panel featured white supremacists, black civil rights activists and Jewish advocates. During the discussion, a guest directed a racial epithet at Roy Innis, the chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality. In response, Innis walked over and grabbed him forcefully by the neck. As the two men struggled, several audience members stormed the stage and joined the scuffle, throwing chairs and punches at each other. Amid the brawl, a chair struck Rivera in the face, leaving him with a broken and bloody nose. Remarkably, Rivera declined immediate medical attention, instead opting to continue with the show.
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were two of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history. Both men faced off in three highly publicized matches between 1971 and 1975, but it seems their rivalry extended far beyond the ring. Shortly before their second fight, Ali and Frazier sat for an interview with veteran ABC Sports journalist Howard Cosell to review their first match. At some point, Ali referred to Frazier as “ignorant,” which left the boxer visibly enraged and caused him to rise to his feet. Ali soon got out of his own chair and the two ended up wrestling on the studio floor. Through it all, Cosell remained seated, narrating the scuffle for the audience like an actual prizefight.
Burt Reynolds & Marc Summers
In 1994, during his contentious divorce with actress Loni Anderson, Burt Reynolds made an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Right at the start, Leno cracked jokes about Reynolds’ personal struggles, which immediately put him in a sour mood. The situation took an unexpected turn when children’s game show host Marc Summers joined the show. While interacting with Reynolds, Summers rubbed his own marriage in the actor’s face. He soon learned how terrible an idea that was. Reynolds responded by dumping his mug on Summers’ lap, but when the host tried to retaliate, Reynolds quickly swatted his hand away. The tension soon escalated into a pie fight, leaving both men covered in cream.
Alexander Lebedev & Sergei Polonsky
Economic discussions often stir up a lot of tension. But things took an unusually heated turn in this televised debate between two Russian oligarchs. In 2011, billionaire tycoon and former KGB spy Alexander Lebedev appeared on a show alongside former property developer Sergei Polonsky for a discussion on the economic crisis. Things quickly got heated in the course of the interview, leading Lebedev to attack Polonsky with a series of blows, sending him right to the floor. The former spy claimed he felt threatened by Polonsky and decided to neutralize the perceived threat with his fists. The televised altercation resulted in Lebedev being charged with politically-motivated hooliganism, with a potential maximum sentence of five years.
Shaker al-Johari & Samih Khrais
In July 2014, a discussion between two Jordanian analysts on the Josat satellite television channel escalated into violence. The contenders were Shaker al-Johari, a controversial journalist, and Samih Khrais, a lawyer and activist. The focal points of their heated exchange were the Syrian civil war and the Gaza crisis. As Khrais expressed his views during the interview, al-Johari, in a fit of anger, hurled a bottle of water at him. Things intensified as al-Johari walked across the studio, grabbed a chair and lunged at Khrais with it, despite the host’s attempts to intervene. Fortunately, a studio staff member stepped in just in time, successfully placating the enraged journalist and preventing further chaos.
Al Sharpton & Roy Innis
In the 1980s, Al Sharpton and Roy Innis were two prominent civil rights activists in New York. Despite their shared cause, both men held opposing political views, with Sharpton aligning as a Democrat and Innis being firmly conservative. Their discord resurfaced in 1988 during an infamous appearance on “The Morton Downey Jr. Show.” Sharpton first began by taking Innis to task over some of his controversial opinions. When Innis tried to respond, Sharpton interjected, leading to a physical altercation that saw the conservative activist shove Sharpton to the floor. The ensuing brawl on the stage was swiftly contained by host Downey Jr. who, for once, found himself playing the unusual role of peacemaker.
Shaker al-Johari & Mohammed al-Jayousi
What’s it they say? When two journalists fight, it’s the production studio that ultimately suffers? Well, that happened to be the case during this May 2014 interview on the Jordanian TV show “Between Opposing Opinions.” None other than the controversial journalist Shaker al-Johari makes an appearance, this time against fellow journalist Mohammed al-Jayousi. Once again, the topic of discussion was the Syrian crisis. al-Jayousi reportedly sparked conflict by labeling al-Johari a “deviant” and accusing him of supporting the Syrian revolution. This caused the two journalists to clash physically, pushing the studio table at each other, until the top broke off. Eventually, they were pulled apart by the production staff but not before leaving the studio in complete disarray.
Vepkhia Gurgenishvili & Polad Khalikov
Heated debates between political opponents aren’t unusual. But it’s not often that we see those disagreements escalate to full-fledged boxing matches. In the lead up to the 2016 elections in Georgia, parliamentary candidates Vepkhia Gurgenishvili, from the Democratic Movement, and Polad Khalikov, from the Industrial political bloc, engaged in a debate on the TV network Qvemo Kartli. The exchange became intense, reaching a boiling point when Gurgenishvili reportedly referred to Khalikov as “scum.” Both men threw their pens at each other before deciding to sort things out with their fists. It didn’t take long for the production staff to intervene, pulling the two opponents apart and bringing the televised debate to an abrupt conclusion.
Jim Rome & Jim Everett
The Los Angeles-based TV show “Talk2,” hosted by sports personality Jim Rome, ran for five years on ESPN2. In 1994, the program achieved notoriety due to a contentious interview between Rome and former NFL quarterback Jim Everett. Prior to their encounter, Rome had repeatedly called Everett ‘Chris Evert,’ a nod to the legendary tennis player, which irked the NFL star. As the interview commenced, Rome continued using the nickname, prompting Everett to warn him against repeating it. Unsurprisingly, Rome did. This led Everett to flip the table and shove the host to the floor. Rome has since acknowledged his fault in the incident, seeking to reconcile with Everett, but the former football player has repeatedly declined his requests.
Andy Kaufman & Jerry Lawler
Andy Kaufman was an unconventional entertainer who garnered significant attention for his alternative comedy style. Even stranger, Kaufman engaged in a bizarre form of wrestling and eventually faced off against professional wrestler Jerry Lawler, who seemingly left him with a neck injury. Months later, they attempted to resolve their feud on “Late Night with David Letterman.” Kaufman, still sporting a neck brace, threatened to sue Lawler for his injuries, causing the professional wrestler to slap him so hard he fell off his chair. Kaufman apparently lost his composure afterwards, yelling expletives and throwing a cup of coffee at Lawler. Despite the realistic portrayal, it was later revealed that the altercation was staged, and that both men were, in fact, good friends.
The Geraldo Brawl
On November 3rd 1988, Geraldo Rivera’s morning talk show became the setting for a heated confrontation. The panel featured white supremacists, black civil rights activists and Jewish advocates. During the discussion, a guest directed a racial epithet at Roy Innis, the chairman of the Congress of Racial Equality. In response, Innis walked over and grabbed him forcefully by the neck. As the two men struggled, several audience members stormed the stage and joined the scuffle, throwing chairs and punches at each other. Amid the brawl, a chair struck Rivera in the face, leaving him with a broken and bloody nose. Remarkably, Rivera declined immediate medical attention, instead opting to continue with the show.
Muhammad Ali & Joe Frazier
Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier were two of the greatest heavyweight boxers in history. Both men faced off in three highly publicized matches between 1971 and 1975, but it seems their rivalry extended far beyond the ring. Shortly before their second fight, Ali and Frazier sat for an interview with veteran ABC Sports journalist Howard Cosell to review their first match. At some point, Ali referred to Frazier as “ignorant,” which left the boxer visibly enraged and caused him to rise to his feet. Ali soon got out of his own chair and the two ended up wrestling on the studio floor. Through it all, Cosell remained seated, narrating the scuffle for the audience like an actual prizefight.
