Top 10 Times Americans Got Humiliated on British TV
#10: Weinstein on Graham Norton
In 2017, a plethora of allegations were made against film producer Harvey Weinstein. These dated back decades, leading to his arrest and multiple trials since. In 2015, Weinstein appeared on Graham Norton’s chat show. Years later, Norton declared him the worst guest on his show ever, a title he’s hesitant to give out. He’s famously secretive about what celebrities he struggled to work with, making the statement even more scathing. Supposedly, Weinstein was uncomfortably pushy about getting an appearance. Norton told him multiple times that they were fully booked, but Weinstein wouldn’t take no for an answer.
#9: Kendra Wilkinson
If you want to appear on “I’m a Celebrity” and not humiliate yourself, you either have to be exceptionally brave, or so bad you’re kicked off instantly. American TV personality Kendra Wilkinson didn’t manage either of these things. The reality star was voted to do a monumental 6 Bushtucker trials in total. One that she had to endure the cockroach shaker, which is exactly what it sounds like. She was screaming the whole time, then threw in the towel after about 3 minutes. After putting herself through the pain and embarrassment of all six trials, she didn’t even win. In the end, she was the fifth to go, a tragic result after all those challenges.
#8: Alien Evidence
Actor Danny Dyer has been in loads of media, from celebrated movies to alien documentaries. The latter happened in 2010, which sent the star to visit UFO enthusiasts. This led to an absolutely hilarious scene of an American showing him alien evidence. It was footage of an extraterrestrial popping its head up outside a window. Dyer is polite to the man, but his reactions make it look like he’s not convinced. Most viewers believed it was just a person in a mask, but not the American. It gets funnier the more you think about it. He’s convinced an alien would travel across the universe to Earth, then all it does is pop its head into this man’s window. Maybe it’s simply an alien prank?
#7: Piers Morgan vs. Dan Roberts
One topic Brits often clash with Americans over is gun control, with us having far stricter firearm laws. Here, we see American Dan Roberts doing a terrible job of advocating for U.S. gun culture. He came onto “Good Morning Britain,” where host Piers Morgan brutalised him with a Kinder Egg. This made Roberts look like a total buffoon, with him barely answering the questions. He ignores most of Morgan’s points, deciding to instead repeat the same argument. Throughout the whole debate, Susanna Reid comically sits in silence, letting Morgan work his magic.
#6: Flat Earther
The Earth was first confirmed to be round over two thousand years ago, as proven by figures like Eratosthenes. Despite the overwhelming evidence, people still disagree, like American Mark Sargent. This led to an especially amusing interaction, with Sargent doing an appalling job of explaining his beliefs. Both Willoughby and Schofield looked perplexed throughout the entire interview; either that or it was genuine concern. A lot of viewers criticised them for giving such a controversial person a platform. Others argued that Sargent’s points were far too ridiculous to convince anyone to support his cause.
#5: Newsnight with Bill Gates
Gates is heavily praised for creating Microsoft, but his extensive career hasn’t been free from scandal. One infamous example was his appearance on “Newsnight.” Host Paxman didn’t shy away from asking him difficult questions, specifically relating to wealth inequality and Microsoft’s alleged tax blunders. It’s one of many examples of Paxman’s aggressive interview style. Usually, he can come across as quite patronizing, but not in this interview. His style results in Gates contradicting himself, initially claiming he was happy to pay a lot more in tax. By the interview's conclusion, he clarified that while he would happily pay more, he’s not going to volunteer to do so.
#4: Mark Wahlberg on Graham Norton
This American actor has gotten himself in trouble quite a few times since he was a teenager. One example comes from 2013, when he was inebriated on “The Graham Norton Show.” It wasn’t clear at first, but as things progressed, it became increasingly obvious. Wahlberg then devolved into being one of the most annoying guests in talk show history. He was constantly interrupting the other two guests, Sarah Silverman and Michael Fassbender, plus he kept getting uncomfortably affectionate. It looked like a nightmare to film for all who weren’t Wahlberg, with everyone increasingly irritated throughout the interview.
#3: Tourists
Out of the iconic “Top Gear” trio, none of them detests Americans quite like Clarkson. Not only would he frequently belittle their cars, but every time he was sent stateside, he was constantly firing shots. Nothing was off the table; if you can think of an American stereotype, he made at least 10 jokes about it. These American specials then became some of the show’s most hilarious episodes. It wasn’t just the locals who got mocked; Richard Hammond did too. The pair had opposite opinions on the U.S., making some fans theorise that Hammond is an American in disguise.
#2: Huey Morgan & Rizzle Kicks
During the 2000s and early 2010s, “Never Mind the Buzzcocks” was one of the most savage panel shows on TV. It became an environment that a handful of guests struggled to handle. One example is of Huey Morgan, an American musician and frontman of the Fun Lovin’ Criminals. The hosts, Rizzle Kicks, kept asking him to guess his own lyrics, which ended up massively irritating Morgan. It all got a bit too much for him, so he smashed his mug and stormed off. Since then, he’s attributed it to him being in a particularly stressful period.
#1: Michelle Williams & Frankie Boyle
Few comedians make jokes riskier than Frankie Boyle does. Americans, on the other hand, are generally unfamiliar with panel shows and their brutal banter. This led to an iconic episode of “Never Mind the Buzzcocks” featuring Boyle and Destiny’s Child star, Michelle Williams. She looked unimpressed with the majority of Boyle’s jokes, especially the ones aimed at her. This incident became highly contentious, with viewers flocking to social media to complain about his edginess. Others thought it was pure hilarity. While the show ran for hundreds of episodes, Boyle was only invited to three in total, which can be considered three of the series’s funniest.
Do you think all these entries were justified, or were they being a bit too harsh? Let us know in the comments below!
