Top 10 Times Comedians Got Humiliated On TV

#10: David Baddiel on “Taskmaster” (2015-)

“Taskmaster” was created to humiliate comedians, with only a few examples standing out as especially scathing. David Baddiel is one such rare case, and he later became known as their worst contestant ever. In series 9, he came in last, doing terribly in basically every task, except for one episode he miraculously won. This seriously annoyed other contestants when they were paired up with him, especially Ed Gamble. It was great fun to watch, at least, although we were mainly laughing at Baddiel. He became the worst-scoring contestant in objectively scored tasks, and is only tied with Sue Perkins.

#9: Ross & Carr

Jimmy Carr is one of Britain’s most savage comedians, with a reputation for punchy comebacks and brutal put-downs. This means he’s usually the one doing the humiliating, until he was put against Jonathan Ross on “Big Fat Quiz.” Things first got heated because of a fact about a shaved bear, which Ross thought was ridiculous. It then got increasingly tense when Carr insisted that hypnotising people and reading minds are more or less the same, prompting a brutal insult from Ross. Carr can definitely take a joke, but this was a rare example where he didn’t even attempt a single comeback.

#8: Joan Rivers’ Effing & Jeffing

Originally born in New York, Joan Rivers became one of America’s most recognisable comics in the 20th century. Decades into her career, she came onto “Loose Women”, where she opened up about her true feelings for Russell Crowe. Rivers controversially didn’t hold back, using language you’re not supposed to broadcast until after 9 pm. She knew it was a live recording, so she opted to warn people she needed bleeping. Rivers failed to realise this wasn’t possible, as she was warned before appearing. She was then removed, and the episode continued without her, which was apparently the first time she’d ever been kicked out of a TV studio.

#7: Sister-Gate

“Never Mind the Buzzcocks” frequently changes its hosts, with Jack Whitehall making a guest appearance in 2009. One contestant was Johnny Borrell, frontman of Razorlight. This led to an awkward interaction for Whitehall when they began discussing Borrell’s romantic history with his sister. Both Whitehall and Borrell are clearly eager to avoid bringing this up, but contestant Alex Brooker keeps prodding for details. Borrell supposedly flattered his sister with a song he wrote about her, which Whitehall later found out was created two years earlier. The host then accused the musician of not even remembering her at all, given his lacklustre responses.

#6: Young Amstell Clip

Simon Amstell was the most common “Never Mind the Buzzcocks” host back in the 2000s. He was known for his extremely savage hosting style, making many comedians scared to even appear. Amstell eventually got a taste of his own medicine courtesy of Davina McCall. Somehow, they’d unearthed an ancient clip of Amstell as a child, dressed up in a suit and bow tie. We’ve never seen Amstell look more mortified, which makes it arguably the greatest moment in the series. Even the adults in the original clip look like they’re cringing, with them probably already aware he’d hate to rewatch this later on.

#5: Simon Bird & Joe Thomas’ Reunion

“The Inbetweeners” is considered one of Britain’s most culturally significant series. Years after ending, Channel 4 decided to do a reunion in 2019. What should’ve been an easy attempt to cash in on nostalgia became an absolute disaster. Everyone involved was humiliated, especially the primary four cast members. This included Simon Bird and Joe Thomas, who are best known for their acting but have relatively successful stand-up comedy careers. Fans were so upset by the low quality that James Buckley apologised for the ordeal, despite him not being at all responsible.

#4: Deayton's Scandal

Angus Deayton was the original presenter for “Have I Got News for You” from 1990 until 2002. In his final year, the News of the World paper leaked details about his private life. Supposedly, he’d been taking narcotics and paying women to sleep with him. Deayton took it quite well overall, making fun of himself while hosting. Ian Hislop and Paul Merton got involved too, ridiculing him for the scandal for almost an entire episode. Despite how embarrassing it was for him, roughly three-quarters of viewers wanted him to keep hosting it. Despite this, he was dismissed later that year.

#3: Russell Brand's Bible Passage

This Essex-born comedian has garnered increasingly negative attention over his career. One of his most significant scandals came in 2023, when five women accused him of assault. Brand denies them all and was interviewed about them by Piers Morgan. He asked the comic why he brought a Bible into court, and what specific passages he’d been reading. This then resulted in the funniest moment of Brand’s career, as he spent roughly 2 minutes flicking through his Bible, unable to find the passage. Morgan just sits there waiting, unusually quiet, likely as he’s aware of how sidesplitting Brand’s struggle was.

#2: Dapper Laughs Is Gone

Daniel O’Reilly was better known as Dapper Laughs in the early 2010s, a character he first developed on Vine. It was so popular that he got his own series in 2014, called “Dapper Laughs: On the Pull.” It was massively criticised for its misogynistic views, resulting in it being canned after one season. The comic also released an album full of anti-homeless lyrics during the same year. To save face, he promised to donate the profits to Shelter, which refused to accept his money. His UK tour was cancelled, and he appeared on “Newsnight” where he announced the character’s retirement. It felt like he wasn’t being sincere at all, which was confirmed when he revived him a month later.

#1: Corden and Stewart

Few British comedians are as reviled as Corden. For a brief period, the nation fell head over heels for him on account of his series “Gavin & Stacey.” Opinions had taken a complete 180 by 2010 due to numerous scandals. One of the most discussed examples was his clash with Sir Patrick Stewart at the Glamour Awards. Stewart criticised his lazy hosting style, resulting in a painfully awkward interaction when Corden began defending himself. Rather than trying to regain public favour, he eventually fled to America to become a talk show host. Corden then slowly became hated over there, too, so he’s back in Britain now.

Do you know any other examples of a comedian getting a taste of their own medicine on TV? Let us know in the comments below!