10 Comedians Everyone Lost Respect For
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VOICE OVER: Ryan Wild
WRITTEN BY: Holly Hoyt
NOT funny... Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at comedians whose mouth and/or misdeeds caused them to lose some - or all - of their supporters. Our countdown includes comedians Michael Richards, Russell Brand, Carlos Mencia and more!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at comedians whose mouth and/or misdeeds caused them to lose some - or all - of their supporters. Which comedian has lost YOUR respect? Let’s discuss it in the comments!
Mencía has earned a pretty negative reputation in comedy. This bad publicity hasn’t been the result of his own jokes, either (though his hurricane Katrina comments didn’t help.) Rather, Mencía is disliked because of the plethora of jokes he’s been accused of plagiarizing. The former host of Comedy Central’s “Mind of Mencía” has allegedly stolen material from various other comedians, not limited to Ari Shaffir, Bobby Lee, and George Lopez. After Joe Rogan publicly presented Mencía with video evidence of his misdeeds in 2007, the Honduran-born comedian became the laughingstock of the comedy world - and not in the way he intended. Some even know him as “Carlos Menstealia.”
It’s hard to lose respect as a comedian when some would say you never had any in the first place. Brendan Schaub has enjoyed quite the multifaceted career, having found success as a mixed martial artist, a podcaster, and a stand-up comedian. However, not everyone is wild about some of the things Schaub has said behind the mic. He’s generated a lot of criticism for his off-color remarks, which his detractors have deemed unfunny and hateful. His material aside, the Colorado native has also been accused by many of piggybacking off of other comics, namely Joe Rogan.
There’s off-color humor, but then there’s straight-up unethical behavior. And unfortunately for Jim Jefferies, he was caught red-handed engaging in the latter on his show in 2019. The Australian funnyman had acquired a large international fanbase, with several Netflix specials and even his own Comedy Central talk show. But many of his supporters lost their taste for Jefferies when he conducted an interview with Avi Yemini. Jefferies edited his conversation with the Jewish right-wing activist to mislead the audience, making Yemini look like an aggressive racist to suit Jefferies’ own narrative. Yemini secretly recorded the actual interview to expose Jefferies’ indiscretion. This didn’t exactly support Jefferies’ reputation for brutal honesty.
In his earlier years, this New Jersey native achieved considerable popularity in the realm of comedy. In addition to a fruitful stand-up career, D’Elia can be recognized for hosting a number of podcasts, popping up in various sitcoms, and doing a killer impersonation of Eminem that notably wowed the rapper himself. However, D’Elia fell out of favor in 2020, when several women (and underage girls) came forward with claims D’Elia had abused them and/or behaved in a predatory fashion. In response to the allegations, D’Elia was dropped by his agents and managers, not to mention lambasted by fellow comedians such as Whitney Cummings and Amy Schumer.
Usually when comedians reference 9/11, it’s in a dark joke. While it’s a risky topic to joke about, that hasn’t stopped edgier comics from working it into their material. But Stephen Rannazzisi’s bizarre account about surviving the attack wasn’t a joke; it was a downright lie. Throughout his career, the actor and comedian maintained that he had narrowly escaped death in the South Tower, stating that this “second chance” inspired him to move to Los Angeles and follow his dreams of stand-up. But after being confronted by a news reporter in 2015, Rannazzisi admitted that he had fabricated the entire story. The entertainment world hasn’t seen much of Rannazzisi since. Talk about poor taste.
Although his offbeat sense of humor wasn’t for everyone, this British star was considerably popular for many years - until he wasn’t. Beginning in the early 2000s, Brand was known for his work onstage and onscreen. He cracked audiences up in movies like “Get Him to the Greek” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” turned heads as an MTV presenter in the UK, and was even married to pop star Katy Perry for a time. But in the fall of 2023, Brand's success came to a screeching halt when a number of complaints about his past predatory behavior surfaced. Even though Brand has vehemently denied these allegations, they certainly didn’t do his standing in Hollywood any favors.
In his heyday, Louis C.K. was known as one of the darkest and wittiest comics in business. Not only did C.K. achieve a massive following, but he impressed critics left and right, shooting special after special and winning various accolades - including six Emmys and three Peabody awards. Then in 2017, multiple people came forward with stories about C.K.’s past inappropriate conduct, leading him to release a statement admitting his guilt. In addition to losing the love of numerous fans, C.K. was subsequently dumped by his publicist, FX, Netflix, and Universal, among other major bodies. The scandal also caused his soon-to-be-released film, “I Love You, Daddy,” to be pulled.
If you’re wondering how to destroy your comedy career in two minutes, ask Michael Richards; he’s an old pro. Richards won hearts in the 90s as Cosmo Kramer, Jerry’s wacky but lovable neighbor on “Seinfeld.” While he also had a moderately successful run as a stand-up comedian, it was his role as Kramer that put him in the spotlight. That made it all the more shocking when 2006 rolled around, and he directed a vicious racial diatribe at some hecklers at the Laugh Factory. His incredibly awkward apology on the “David Letterman” show didn’t exactly reek of sincerity, either. Today, Richards is arguably just as well known for the Laugh Factory incident as he is for his role on “Seinfeld.”
It’s no secret that Roseanne Barr’s shtick has always revolved around her obnoxiousness. It’s this rough persona that launched Barr into fame in the first place. But there’s a fine line between joking and downright bigotry, and people believe that Barr has crossed that line not just once, but multiple times. And that isn’t even including her lovely rendition of the national anthem at a baseball game in 1990, which then-president Bush referred to as “disgraceful.” 28 years and a boatload of controversies later, Barr essentially annihilated her career when she compared a former Obama administration official to a monkey. Although Barr claimed she hadn’t meant to be racist, the tweet was enough to get her show’s reboot canceled and turn former fans against her.
If you grew up watching “Fat Albert” or “The Cosby Show,” this one probably hurts. The Philadelphia-born star was a fan-favorite for decades - until his career took a nosedive in the mid-2010s following multiple sexual assault allegations. Dozens of women came forward with claims that Cosby had been committing lewd acts as far back as 1965. Not only did this news destroy Cosby’s wholesome family image, but it led to a well-publicized trial, a conviction, and the revocation of various awards and honorary degrees. Cosby may have been known as “America’s Dad,” but now he’s more the creepy uncle who’s no longer welcome at Thanksgiving.
Carlos Mencía
Mencía has earned a pretty negative reputation in comedy. This bad publicity hasn’t been the result of his own jokes, either (though his hurricane Katrina comments didn’t help.) Rather, Mencía is disliked because of the plethora of jokes he’s been accused of plagiarizing. The former host of Comedy Central’s “Mind of Mencía” has allegedly stolen material from various other comedians, not limited to Ari Shaffir, Bobby Lee, and George Lopez. After Joe Rogan publicly presented Mencía with video evidence of his misdeeds in 2007, the Honduran-born comedian became the laughingstock of the comedy world - and not in the way he intended. Some even know him as “Carlos Menstealia.”
Brendan Schaub
It’s hard to lose respect as a comedian when some would say you never had any in the first place. Brendan Schaub has enjoyed quite the multifaceted career, having found success as a mixed martial artist, a podcaster, and a stand-up comedian. However, not everyone is wild about some of the things Schaub has said behind the mic. He’s generated a lot of criticism for his off-color remarks, which his detractors have deemed unfunny and hateful. His material aside, the Colorado native has also been accused by many of piggybacking off of other comics, namely Joe Rogan.
Jim Jefferies
There’s off-color humor, but then there’s straight-up unethical behavior. And unfortunately for Jim Jefferies, he was caught red-handed engaging in the latter on his show in 2019. The Australian funnyman had acquired a large international fanbase, with several Netflix specials and even his own Comedy Central talk show. But many of his supporters lost their taste for Jefferies when he conducted an interview with Avi Yemini. Jefferies edited his conversation with the Jewish right-wing activist to mislead the audience, making Yemini look like an aggressive racist to suit Jefferies’ own narrative. Yemini secretly recorded the actual interview to expose Jefferies’ indiscretion. This didn’t exactly support Jefferies’ reputation for brutal honesty.
Chris D'Elia
In his earlier years, this New Jersey native achieved considerable popularity in the realm of comedy. In addition to a fruitful stand-up career, D’Elia can be recognized for hosting a number of podcasts, popping up in various sitcoms, and doing a killer impersonation of Eminem that notably wowed the rapper himself. However, D’Elia fell out of favor in 2020, when several women (and underage girls) came forward with claims D’Elia had abused them and/or behaved in a predatory fashion. In response to the allegations, D’Elia was dropped by his agents and managers, not to mention lambasted by fellow comedians such as Whitney Cummings and Amy Schumer.
Stephen Rannazzisi
Usually when comedians reference 9/11, it’s in a dark joke. While it’s a risky topic to joke about, that hasn’t stopped edgier comics from working it into their material. But Stephen Rannazzisi’s bizarre account about surviving the attack wasn’t a joke; it was a downright lie. Throughout his career, the actor and comedian maintained that he had narrowly escaped death in the South Tower, stating that this “second chance” inspired him to move to Los Angeles and follow his dreams of stand-up. But after being confronted by a news reporter in 2015, Rannazzisi admitted that he had fabricated the entire story. The entertainment world hasn’t seen much of Rannazzisi since. Talk about poor taste.
Russell Brand
Although his offbeat sense of humor wasn’t for everyone, this British star was considerably popular for many years - until he wasn’t. Beginning in the early 2000s, Brand was known for his work onstage and onscreen. He cracked audiences up in movies like “Get Him to the Greek” and “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” turned heads as an MTV presenter in the UK, and was even married to pop star Katy Perry for a time. But in the fall of 2023, Brand's success came to a screeching halt when a number of complaints about his past predatory behavior surfaced. Even though Brand has vehemently denied these allegations, they certainly didn’t do his standing in Hollywood any favors.
Louis C.K.
In his heyday, Louis C.K. was known as one of the darkest and wittiest comics in business. Not only did C.K. achieve a massive following, but he impressed critics left and right, shooting special after special and winning various accolades - including six Emmys and three Peabody awards. Then in 2017, multiple people came forward with stories about C.K.’s past inappropriate conduct, leading him to release a statement admitting his guilt. In addition to losing the love of numerous fans, C.K. was subsequently dumped by his publicist, FX, Netflix, and Universal, among other major bodies. The scandal also caused his soon-to-be-released film, “I Love You, Daddy,” to be pulled.
Michael Richards
If you’re wondering how to destroy your comedy career in two minutes, ask Michael Richards; he’s an old pro. Richards won hearts in the 90s as Cosmo Kramer, Jerry’s wacky but lovable neighbor on “Seinfeld.” While he also had a moderately successful run as a stand-up comedian, it was his role as Kramer that put him in the spotlight. That made it all the more shocking when 2006 rolled around, and he directed a vicious racial diatribe at some hecklers at the Laugh Factory. His incredibly awkward apology on the “David Letterman” show didn’t exactly reek of sincerity, either. Today, Richards is arguably just as well known for the Laugh Factory incident as he is for his role on “Seinfeld.”
Roseanne Barr
It’s no secret that Roseanne Barr’s shtick has always revolved around her obnoxiousness. It’s this rough persona that launched Barr into fame in the first place. But there’s a fine line between joking and downright bigotry, and people believe that Barr has crossed that line not just once, but multiple times. And that isn’t even including her lovely rendition of the national anthem at a baseball game in 1990, which then-president Bush referred to as “disgraceful.” 28 years and a boatload of controversies later, Barr essentially annihilated her career when she compared a former Obama administration official to a monkey. Although Barr claimed she hadn’t meant to be racist, the tweet was enough to get her show’s reboot canceled and turn former fans against her.
Bill Cosby
If you grew up watching “Fat Albert” or “The Cosby Show,” this one probably hurts. The Philadelphia-born star was a fan-favorite for decades - until his career took a nosedive in the mid-2010s following multiple sexual assault allegations. Dozens of women came forward with claims that Cosby had been committing lewd acts as far back as 1965. Not only did this news destroy Cosby’s wholesome family image, but it led to a well-publicized trial, a conviction, and the revocation of various awards and honorary degrees. Cosby may have been known as “America’s Dad,” but now he’s more the creepy uncle who’s no longer welcome at Thanksgiving.
