Top 10 Times The Boys ROASTED Celebrities
#10: Shia LaBeouf
“Payback” Lots of celebrities publish books. But lots of those celebs aren’t writers themselves. So what do they do? Hire a ghostwriter, of course, which is exactly what the Deep does after his dealings with the Church of the Collective. Deep claims to have used the same ghostwriter as Shia LaBeouf. But this isn’t just any “insert celeb name here” situation. In fact, in addition to the many controversies LaBeouf has found himself in over the years, he was called out in 2013 for plagiarizing a comic while making a short film. Since then, LaBeouf has since been accused of plagiarism on other projects, and was even issued a cease-and-desist letter. Well, at least Deep has ostensibly gone through some legal channels.
#9: Gareth Edwards
“Payback” Big-budget blockbusters often go through grueling production processes, and “Dawn of the Seven” is no different. Season 3 opens with the world premiere of the superhero epic, attended by the “director” of the film, Adam Bourke. Bourke is the definition of a pretentious filmmaker, a studio stooge if there ever was one. And a self-deprecating one as evidenced by his very intense encounter with Ashley in a bathroom stall. Ashley compels him to admit that Tony Gilroy had to shoot a lot of the movie for him. This is clearly a reference to the “Star Wars” spinoff “Rogue One,” which reportedly underwent five whole weeks of reshoots under Gilroy’s supervision, despite original director Gareth Edwards disputing the veracity to the claims.
#8: Howard Hughes
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“Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed” Howard Hughes was at one point one of the most famous and richest people on the planet. But despite all his success, he suffered greatly in his final years living as an extreme recluse. This has been largely attributed to his struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder and germaphobia. It wasn’t a pretty picture, that’s for sure, which is why Soldier Boy brings him up when discussing the supe known as Mindstorm. A former member of the team Payback, Mindstorm has the power of telepathy. However, in his post-supe days, he began to deal with sensory overload due to hearing everyone’s thoughts, and thus had to remove himself from society. It’s a harsh dig, but not a completely inaccurate one.
#7: Marilyn Monroe & John F. Kennedy
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“The Only Man in the Sky” It’s no secret that Homelander is a sexist pig. Of course, that’s just a fraction of all the things wrong with him, but it’s the reason that we aren’t surprised that he goes where he goes here. In preparation for Homelander’s birthday celebration, Starlight is tasked with leading a rendition of “Happy Birthday.” But because she secretly hates him, she sings it less than enthusiastically. Homelander, always one to correct others, tells Starlight she needs to emulate Marilyn Monroe singing for President John F. Kennedy, crudely alluding to their purported affair. All we can say is that if Monroe and Kennedy were having an affair, they still probably had more dignity than Homelander does.
#6: Sarah McLachlan
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“The Only Man in the Sky” If you ever channel-surfed in the 2000s, chances are you’ve seen one of singer Sarah McLachlan’s PSAs with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. They consistently feature McLachlan’s song “Angel” overlaid with some truly heartrending footage of animals in need. They get the message across, but their sentimentality has made them ripe for parody. Crimson Countess, another former member of Payback, has since become a singer and an animal rights activist. The two fields collide in the music video for “Chimps Don’t Cry,” complete with ridiculous lyrics and mawkishness. It’s entirely over the top, which is all we can ask for in a good parody.
#5: Sean Connery
“Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed” The late Sean Connery was undoubtedly one of the most celebrated movie stars of his time. But he was public about more than a few outdated beliefs of his. He’d been quoted on multiple occasions that hitting a woman under certain conditions could be justified, though he did eventually walk back those claims. Obviously, he was wrong, on several different counts, but it does make sense that a supe out of time like Soldier Boy would adopt some of his stances. When Hughie tries to plead with Soldier Boy to save Butcher, Soldier Boy doesn’t take kindly to it, threatening to go all Connery on him. Be careful when idolizing your heroes, kids, especially if they’re Soldier Boy.
#4: Bill Cosby
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“Herogasm” Speaking of Soldier Boy idolizing celebs, this one needs a lot of unpacking, so much so that “The Boys” can’t get to it all. In case you’ve been MIA for the last decade, longtime TV personality Bill Cosby has received numerous accusations of assault dating all the way back to the 1960s. He was charged and eventually convicted in 2018, but this was later overturned for technical reasons. Still, Cosby’s remained guilty in the court of public opinion. But Soldier Boy, whose sensibilities expired in the 1980s, clearly hasn’t been caught up. “The Boys” doesn’t directly reference Cosby’s many accusations, but its level of comedic irony is palpable, and all at Cosby’s expense.
#3: Gal Gadot
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“Herogasm” Technically, this parody goes after all the celebrities who appeared in the cringeworthy “Imagine” Instagram video, but since actor Gal Gadot spearheaded and posted it, she tends to get most of the flak. The video was meant to be supportive in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but many criticized those involved for not understanding the horrible new realities of the average person. It was low-hanging fruit for “The Boys,” which decided to replace Gadot with the Deep and do pretty much the same thing. Also appearing are stars such as Patton Oswalt, Josh Gad, Elizabeth Banks, Kumail Nanjiani and Rose Byrne, making the barb all the sweeter. Oh, and the unspoken end card from Black Noir? Priceless.
#2: Kendall Jenner
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“Glorious Five-Year Plan” In all fairness, the main culprit behind the “Live for Now” commercial is Pepsi itself, but since Kendall Jenner was the face of it, she gets top billing here. The ad sees Jenner walk away from a photoshoot to participate in a protest - and how does she bring everyone together? By giving a cop a Pepsi. The commercial was immediately called out for capitalizing on the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality, which were at the forefront of public consciousness. Seeing as the ad was already tone deaf enough as it is, “The Boys” merely replaced Jenner with A-Train and Pepsi with Turbo Rush. Throw in some histrionics and… ba da boom: savage roast.
#1: Donald Trump
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“Glorious Five-Year Plan” “The Boys” isn’t a show that’s afraid to get political, and it doesn’t get much more political than going after former US President Donald Trump. Many - including showrunner Eric Kripke - have likened Homelander’s rhetoric and behavior to Trump, which seemingly came to a head in the fourth episode of Season 3. Appearing on a right-wing news show, Homelander all but uses the term “fake news” and warns of deep state influences, two things Trump has been vocal about as well. He later welcomes Latino superhero Supersonic with taco bowls, a reference to a controversial tweet Trump made on Cinco de Mayo. We could go on, but all the instances would need a list of their own. Did we miss any other times “The Boys” made fun of celebs? Roast us in the comments!
