Top 10 Funniest TV Show Insults
These are almost too hilarious to actually hurt. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be counting down our picks for the top 10 funniest TV show insults.
For this list, we’ll be looking at the funniest insults delivered by characters on TV shows. There may be some minor spoilers ahead. Also, since we can’t fit them all on one list, be sure to share your favorite funny TV insult in the comments!
#10: The Opposite
“Community” (2009-15)
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Abed is a guy who takes TV shows much more seriously than most. So when one of his favorite shows is delayed, his friend Britta tries to cheer him up by introducing him to a new show. However, when Abed reaches the end of the show, he goes into a catatonic state, leaving his best friend Troy furious with Britta. Troy unleashes a verbal tirade, referring to her as not only “human tennis elbow” and a “pizza burn on the roof of the world’s mouth,” but also “the opposite of Batman.” We’re not ENTIRELY sure what that means, and neither is Britta, as shown by her failed attempt to use the insult. But it’s still a very creative and hilarious jab!
#9: Sarcasm Binge
“Friends” (1994-2004)
Easily the most sarcastic and arguably the funniest member of the group of six friends, Chandler Bing is always ready with a witty or biting remark. However, some of his funniest insults actually happen when he’s denied the ability to dole them out. A New Year’s bet with Ross forces Chandler to refrain from insulting his friends for a week, which proves physically painful for him, since all of them provide him so much ammo - especially Ross. At last, when Chandler can’t take it anymore, he hands over the money and lets out a week’s worth of insults in hilarious fashion.
#8: Like a Temple
“The Golden Girls” (1985-92)
Top 10 Best Red Insults on That '70s Show
The four main cast members of this show may be “golden,” but their tongues are barbed. An impossibly large number of wicked insults are delivered throughout this series, to the point where it’s tough to narrow it down, but this is without a doubt among our favorites. When the promiscuous Blanche boasts that she doesn’t have to worry about getting sick, since she treats her body like a temple, Sophia takes the comparison a liiittle further . . . Ouch! Blanche’s self-care is going to need to include an ice pack for that burn!
#7: Embarrassment
“Brooklyn Nine-Nine” (2013-)
Captain Raymond Holt is usually an unflappably serious man, but around his nemesis, Madeline Wuntch, he spits pure venom. Their endless bickering has given us ample material over the seasons, but while Holt calling Wuntch a “talking raisin” was amazing, arguably his best put-down was just plain honest. On one of the rare occasions when Holt apologizes to Wuntch, albeit to help his station, Wuntch lists off the reasons she dislikes him, including that Holt supposedly embarrassed her in front of baseball legend Derek Jeter. Holt’s reply is delivered so convincingly, and Wuntch looks so guilty, that we can’t help but feel it’s actually true. That’s a tactical strike right there.
#6: Wrong Order
“Arrested Development” (2003-06, 2013-)
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The Bluth family is seriously dysfunctional, and so they frequently take shots at one another. However, our pick for one of the funniest jibes in “Arrested Development” stands out from the crowd for having been delivered by the comparatively nice Michael. Like most of his family, Michael is baffled by his son George Michael’s interest in Ann Veal, whom they all find to be painfully dull. This opinion is accidentally conveyed to his son, when he tells him that it’s clear that he and Ann care for each other, although his bungling of a common phrase makes his real feelings about her pretty clear. [“It’s as Ann as the nose on plain’s face.”]
#5: Under a Microscope
“Frasier” (1993-2004)
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This “Cheers” spin-off series has a whole host of witty insults, many of them delivered by Frasier’s brother Niles. His burn of Frasier’s agent is a perfect example. However, our pick goes to the titular radio psychiatrist himself. In one episode, Frasier takes a call in which the caller asks for help on what to name his new boat. In response, Frasier describes in detail a powerful microscope capable of examining atoms . . . For a moment, he seems about to deliver a powerful life lesson. But actually, he’s just explaining how little he cares about the caller’s dilemma . . .
#4: Neck Growth
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” (1990-96)
Will Smith’s character on “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” is pretty much the embodiment of cool. However, his character’s cousin, Carlton, is a huge, loveable dork. And more often than not, this means that he winds up serving as the butt of the joke. When the entire family is cursed by a spiritualist in this Halloween episode, Carlton once again gets it worse than most - ending up with his hair dyed an obnoxious shade of yellow. Will rubs it in when he feigns spotting something hideous growing from Carlton’s neck . . . Immature? Sure. But it’s all in good fun.
#3: That’s Your Brain
“That ‘70s Show” (1998-2006)
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Practically everyone in this show delivers a good burn at some point, but the undisputed king of putdowns is definitely Red Forman. The Forman family patriarch is always ready with a cutting remark, or creative threat regarding his foot and someone else’s backside. His most frequent target is his son, Eric. Following a Christmas rager, Eric is left incredibly drunk, causing him to mock Red and vomit all over his shoes. As he lays recovering from a hangover on the couch and complaining that his head hurts, Red provides him with a cutting explanation . . . [“That’s your brain trying to comprehend its own stupidity!”]
#2: Boom, Roasted
“The Office” (2005-13)
The titular workplace of this mockumentary-style sitcom has seen a plethora of memorably funny insults. We were more than a little tempted to include Robert California’s takedown of Andy Bernard. But in the end, we had to give it to show lead Michael Scott. After holding a roast of himself when he sees how much stress he causes his employees, Michael is upset and takes a day off. However, he manages to ease the tension by roasting his employees back when he returns. His rapid fire, simple, and occasionally lame insults are funny in their own right, but Michael adding “boom, roasted” to the end of each of them is icing on the cake.
Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:
If You Can’t Say Anything Nice
“Full House” (1987-95)
A Pleasure
“Breaking Bad” (2008-13)
The Little Kicks
“Seinfeld” (1989-98)
Not Just a Bad Father
“The Simpsons” (1989-)
Alphabetical Insults
“Two and a Half Men” (2003-15)
#1: Jerk Store
“Seinfeld” (1989-98)
There are TV show insults, and then, there’s “Jerk Store”. George Costanza rarely gets the better of those around him, as his inherently selfish nature usually gets in the way of his success. When a coworker mocks him during a meeting, George is angry that by the time he’s come up with a comeback, the man has been transferred. His fanatical devotion to the insult is such that he goes to extreme lengths in order to use it - only for his target to fire back . . . While his friends may not find it funny, we think that it’s iconically hilarious!
