Top 10 Most Savage Comebacks on Talk Shows

“Late Night with Conan O'Brien” (1993-2009)

The art of the comeback is one that potentially takes years to perfect. And from the look of things, comedy legend Conan O’Brien’s talk shows might just be the ultimate breeding ground. Back in 2003, Jennifer Garner appeared on “Late Night with Conan O'Brien” to promote her superhero film “Daredevil.” During the interview, the host used the word “snuck,” which prompted a searing response from Garner. Although the audience cheers for her upon seemingly correcting O’Brien’s grammar, the tables quickly turn when he pulls out a dictionary and proves her wrong. Turns out that Harvard degree wasn’t a waste, after all. While O’Brien is lightning quick at volleying back insults, his sidekick Andy Richter might even be quicker and more savage.

“Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” (2014-)

We all knew Stephen Hawking as a brilliant theoretical physicist and best-selling author. But prior to this interview, not many of us were acquainted with his darkly humorous side. During the first season of “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver,” Hawking sat down with the host for his “People Who Think Good” segment. Right off the bat, Hawking pound-for-pound matches Oliver’s bantering, as the two discuss everything from parallel universes to artificial intelligence, and even Hollywood actress Charlize Theron. But arguably the sickest burn of the entire interview comes when Oliver asks the physicist if there’s an alternate reality in which he is smarter than him. Sorry John, but this show just became “Last Week Tonight with Stephen Hawking.”

“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (2014-)

The friendly feud between Hollywood stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart is always hilarious to witness. The two put their antics on display in 2018 when Hart co-hosted “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” For one of the segments, Hart tries to FaceTime Johnson hoping to brag about landing the co-hosting gig, but to his disappointment, his calls go unanswered. Fallon then takes a go at it, only for Johnson to pick up immediately. Seemingly unaware that Hart was right next to Fallon, the wrestler-turned-actor proceeds to mercilessly berate his comedy sidekick. While we’re all aware that it’s a setup, the chemistry between the two still makes this interaction wholesome and belly-achingly funny.

“The Graham Norton Show” (2007-)

Graham Norton is well-known for sometimes putting the most unexpected mix of celebrities on his famous red sofa. And that randomness usually breeds the most hysterical results. In this 2015 episode, Norton invites “Avengers” stars Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen and Jeremy Renner, alongside British comedian Josh Widdicombe. Early on in the interview, Widdicombe takes a jab at the Marvel movie and how ludicrous it comes across to him, only to be reminded by Norton that he once wrote for “Dora the Explorer” magazine. Later, after Widdicombe is asked about his greatest fear, Ruffalo delivers a brutal callback to his earlier remark. The comedian takes the burn like a good sport, and just brilliantly elevates it from there.

“The Dick Cavett Show” (1968-86)

Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer were two of America’s literary heavyweights whose amicable relationship gradually devolved into a full blown feud. Their dispute came to a head during this 1971 taping of “The Dick Cavett Show.” Things had apparently already escalated backstage, when Mailer insulted and head-butted Vidal, but that was nothing compared to the verbal brawl that ensued on-screen. Before Cavett, Janet Flanner and the live audience, the two came at each other, attacking everything from their careers to their ideologies, and even intimate relationships. All of this reportedly because of a scathing review Vidal wrote of Mailer’s book “Prisoner of Sex.” Cavett does his best to keep things at bay, but even he is no match for this war of the words.

“The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien” (2009-10)

NBC’s late-night schedule became a hotbed of conflict in 2010 after an attempt to change “The Tonight Show’s” schedule. Conan O’Brien had helmed the show for just seven months when the network announced that it would change its original time slot in favor of his predecessor Jay Leno. O’Brien opted to leave instead, but enacted a clever revenge before walking away with his $32 million settlement. In his final episodes, the host took several digs at the network, berating them for the struggling viewership and even giving snide suggestions to help them fare better. He also used materials that seemingly required expensive licensing fees in an effort to ruin NBC, although he later admitted that those segments were done in jest.

“The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” (2015-)

Anyone who is familiar with the work of Aziz Ansari is well aware that the comedian routinely highlights the diversity problem in Hollywood. While promoting his Netflix series “Master of None” on “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” Ansari used the opportunity to confront the issue, in a lighthearted manner. Colbert points out that they’re both from the state of South Carolina, prompting some not-so-subtle jabs from Ansari about the lack of diversity at CBS. He even refers to his presence on the show as [an all-time high for CBS]. A veteran comedian himself, Colbert is able to acknowledge the valid point beneath the joke, while managing to riff hilariously with Ansari.

“Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (2003-)

Long before “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” became the late-night ratings juggernaut that it is today, the talk show host improvised a joke that kicked off a so-called feud. At the end of one episode, Kimmel hilariously pretended to bump Matt Damon, and just continued doing it afterwards. This led to Damon making subsequent appearances on the show that kept building upon that one joke. In 2008, however, Kimmel’s then-girlfriend, comedian Sarah Silverman, collaborated with Damon to create this side-splitting song about them getting extra friendly with each other. The video became an instant hit and won Silverman an Emmy Award. Not one to be outdone, Kimmel released an epic rebuttal titled “I’m F*@#ing Ben Affleck,” featuring cameo appearances from a host of celebrities.

“Late Night with Conan O'Brien” (1993-2009)

Norm Macdonald was a revered comedian known for his off-kilter, no-holds-barred humor and deadpan delivery. In 1997, Macdonald appeared on “Late Night with Conan O'Brien,” alongside actress Courtney Thorne-Smith. At the time, Thorne-Smith had just left her regular role on the soap opera “Melrose Place,” and was promoting her upcoming film “Chairman of the Board.” Once Macdonald learnt that the movie was also going to star Carrot Top, he opened wide and sunk his comedic fangs in it. The comedian delivers a hilarious risqué burn, before offering alternative titles suggesting the film was doomed for failure. But perhaps his most incisive quip came once he learnt the actual title of the movie.

“The Tonight Show with Jay Leno” (1992-2009; 2010-14)

Back in the day, late-night talk shows were pretty spontaneous, producing some of the weirdest and most random exchanges. In 1994, movie star Burt Reynolds and TV host Marc Summers were guests on “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.” Even before Summers was brought on, the air was already fraught with tension as Leno made an earlier joke about Reynolds’ divorce from Loni Anderson. Things start off pretty cordial but then take a turn for the worse when Summers takes yet another jab at Reynolds’ divorce. Bitter jokes are exchanged, water is thrown and an epic pie fight ensues. It’s complete chaos. And through it all, Jay Leno maintains his distance, leaving his two guests to provide all of the entertainment.