Top 10 Worst Late Night Talk Show Guests
For this list, we're looking at celebrities who have been invited to late night talk shows and have regularly shown to be difficult or standoffish guests.
#10: Joaquin Phoenix
Okay, so the dude’s won an Oscar, and he’s certainly talented, but it just might be possible that Joaquin Phoenix holds himself in slightly too high a regard. Though notoriously self-serious and elusive, Phoenix saw his reputation take a major beating after he appeared on David Letterman in jet black wayfarers and a full mountain man beard. He later said it was for a piece of performance art related to a film he was working on, but that doesn’t change just how awkward the interview was. Clearly, Phoenix does better with a script in his hand than on live TV.
#9: Donald Trump
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Donald Trump has earned himself a reputation for being bullish and arrogant, and it happened long before he was elected President. His pompous and braggadocious manner has historically rubbed hosts the wrong way, but we suppose that’s part of what made him appealing to unhappy voters. Things only got worse as he began his political campaign, as he dialed his rhetoric up to 11 with that unapologetic smirk. While most hosts don’t seem to appreciate him and the style he brings to interviews, he does attract viewers and has loyal supporters throughout the country.
#8: Paris Hilton
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Paris is a bit of a strange case. She’s great at talking about herself, but seems unable to talk about the things that make her famous. Case in point: when interviewers try to broach subjects she’s not down with, she becomes very closed off and resorts to one or two-word answers. For late night hosts, watching her do an impression of a shy six-year-old doesn’t do much for the show, and interviews often get understandably awkward. If you’re wondering how she feels about the interview itself, though... don’t worry, she’ll let you know.
#7: Kristen Stewart
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In recent years, Stewart has taken on more diverse roles to really showcase her talent. Back in her Twilight days, though, her role as Bella overshadowed all else – and her talk show attitude did her no favors in terms of winning the public over. When the most popular thing to your name is a teen vampire drama, coming off as spacey and too cool for the room makes for some awkward interview encounters. We know being on TV can’t be easy, but being genuine and just having a casual conversation with the host goes a lot further than being evasive and distant. She’s seemingly improved over the years, but her reputation continues to follow her.
#6: Casey Affleck
Talk shows are a great opportunity to show that you’re a relatable celebrity, and to simultaneously promote your movie with a quiet ease. Instead, Casey Affleck took his appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to essentially recreate Joe Pesci’s scene from Goodfellas. It’s probably no surprise that Casey Affleck had a hand in the film that resulted in Joaquin Phoenix’s disastrous talk show appearances, because based on his own track record, Affleck has clearly mastered the art of appearing arrogant and standoffish in his interviews.
#5: Andy Kaufman
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No one here is denying that Andy Kaufman was hilarious. Although his talent took on some rather challenging forms, his commitment to his comedic bits is unrivaled to this day. That’s a hell of a double-edged sword, though, as that same commitment more often than not resulted in his talk show appearances being somewhere between bewildering and downright cringe-worthy. Appearing on Letterman throughout the early ‘80s made for a slew of appearances that in hindsight were hilarious, but in the moment must’ve been incredibly taxing for all parties involved.
#4: Robert De Niro
The dude’s a legend. Known for his tough guy attitude in films, De Niro does seem like the kind of guy who would be telling kids to get off his lawn. It’s easy to apply words like curmudgeon to someone like that, but at the same time, you’ve got to respect a guy who doesn’t enjoy flaunting his fame. Unfortunately, that’s kinda what talk shows are for. Needless to say, De Niro and talk shows are less of a De Niro-Pacino combination, and more of a De Niro-Stiller combo. They’re fun in a passing manner, but you can’t shake the feeling that this legendary actor isn’t really there by choice.
#3: Crispin Glover
Very few people can make a career out of being weird, but Crispin Glover has. Say what you will about his acting ability, or his career and film choices. The fact remains that, while it’s easy to write off his appearances as in-character performances to promote upcoming movie roles, Glover’s commitment to the performance was enough to make Letterman walk out of his show. Seriously, it’s his show! After the infamous high kick incident, Glover returned to Letterman’s show at a later date. However, when questioned about his earlier appearance, he was no less cryptic. At least he was better behaved, though!
#2: Andy Dick
Another comedian who likes to push the limits and take his audience in some rather uncomfortable directions, Andy Dick unsurprisingly makes for an uncomfortable interviewee. One notable incident occurred on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in which he was on the couch alongside Ivanka Trump. Andy, slurring his words a tad, got a little handsy with Ivanka, creepily running his hand over her legs. After being asked to stop in the friendliest possible manner by Kimmel, Dick pushed the host’s patience too far, and was escorted off set by security.
#1: Bill O’Reilly
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You’d think with a show of his own, he’d be a little more affable when appearing on the television work of his contemporaries. But before he lost that show due to a history of sexual harassment, though, Bill O’Reilly brought the same bullish and argumentative behaviour he displayed on his own show to every talk show he appeared on. Never one to just shoot the breeze, O’Reilly would show up on the likes of Letterman and Colbert basically wearing boxing gloves. Known for having a habit of losing his temper, it’s amazing he kept getting invited back to events like this.
