Top 10 Funniest King of the Hill Guest Appearances
#10: Country Stars
“Peggy's Fan Fair”
Peggy oversteps music festival etiquette by punching Randy Travis over stolen lyrics at Nashville’s Fan Fair. There, Clint and Lisa Hartman Black, Charlie Daniels and Wynonna Judd make delightfully self-deprecating cameos. Brooks & Dunn are nice, which makes it even wilder when Kix Brooks gets sick from eating an Apple Brown Betty that Bobby dropped in horse manure. Travis still steals the show with his two-faced responses to Peggy’s allegations. After she ends up accidentally knocking the country star’s trailer into a lake, and Hank rescues him, Travis boasts that he rescued Hank. Whoever said “he walks on water” anyway? Fans could rest assured of the irony in these absurd portrayals of beloved musicians. On the other hand, it’s a cutting caricature of celebrity disillusionment.
#9: Matthew McConaughey
“The Wedding of Bobby Hill”
Leave it to Texas native Matthew McConaughey to ham up his iconic quirks in “The Wedding of Bobby Hill.” The over-the-top swagger sure seduces Luanne when she begins dating supposed genius concert promoter Rad Thibodeaux… apparently pronounced with the “x.” Even Bobby is captivated, going so far as to let Rad to throw a party at Boomhauer’s place while Bobby is house-sitting. Luanne and Hank promptly eject the hustler from the second half of the episode. Of course, McConaughey still made a real impression by nailing a charlatan who buys his own bull. Whether the audience can, Mr. Thibodeaux definitely lives up to his charismatic actor’s genius self-parody.
#8: ZZ Top
“Hank Gets Dusted”
“King of the Hill” had great fun casting whole bands like Green Day and the Dixie Chicks in troublemaking roles. What’s unique about Texas rockers ZZ Top is that they play themselves, albeit with bassist Dusty Hill as the fictional Hank’s cousin. It’s already a sour family reunion when the hotshot rockstar comes to pick up a Cadillac Cotton left to him instead of Hank. Never mind that Dusty brings a camera crew for his reality show “Behind the Beard.” The absurdity keeps escalating after a shameless producer, voiced by Will Arnett, recruits the rest of ZZ Top for practical jokes and stunts. Their shenanigans really get Hank under pressure, but the rock industry admittedly has worse role models for Bobby.
#7: Phyllis Diller, Uta Hagen and Betty White
“Escape from Party Island”
Hanks isn’t expecting much excitement when he drives his mother Tilly and her friends for their annual miniatures museum trip. But the group arrives at Port Aransas just as it’s taken over by “MTV Spring Break,” with the old ladies navigating the chaos better than Hank. If anything, Delia, Lillian and Maureen’s bickering makes matters worse. Of course, guest stars Betty White, Phyillis Diller and Uta Hagen have the sharp self-awareness to make this fish-out-of-water farce a riot. The banter and misadventures run deeper than the old joke of modest seniors in an environment of youth on the loose. Hank and Tilly may be the heart of “Escape from Party Island,” but there’s no escaping good times with their one-off party pals.
#6: Kathy Bates
“Lupe’s Revenge”
“Misery” is no laughing matter, yet it sweetened Hank’s storyline in “Lupe’s Revenge.” Therein lies the tension with Kathy Bates’s portrayal of Jane Cooper, a traffic cop who recalls having a crush on Hank in high school when she pulls him over. She ends up stalking him and feuding with Peggy as the latter tries to return a child she accidentally brought home from a field trip to Mexico. Officer Cooper’s obsession escalates to the point of threatening to shoot Hank. It’s actually a bold statement about abuse of authority, alongside a critique of the assumption by Hank’s friends that women make for weaker law enforcement than men. Thankfully, Bates’s stunt casting and impeccable chops underscore these serious themes with thrilling absurdity.
#5: Brad Pitt
“Patch Boomhauer”
The Guy Ritchie flick “Snatch” proved that Brad Pitt doesn't need to be intelligible to have commanding line delivery. So of course he steals the show as the title character in “Patch Boomhauer." Jeff Boomhauer resents his brother’s being even smoother with his friends and the ladies, albeit no more with talking. Never mind that he's engaged to Jeff’s ex Katherine, until she wises up to the sleaze before the wedding. Still, it's easy to hear Patch’s appeal with the A-list actor’s natural charisma and humor. This star power is all the more surreal for Pitt matching Mike Judge’s Boomheaurian gibberish. It was bound to be an iconic guest appearance, but Pitt’s commitment leaves you at a loss for words.
#4: Chris Rock
“Traffic Jam”
There doesn’t seem to be much creativity in casting a successful stand-up comic in the role of an unsuccessful one. But with an entertainer on the level of Chris Rock, defensive driving instructor Roger “Booda” Sack has both sides of the screen in stitches. Let’s just say he’s definitely better at delivering a racially insensitive routine than his protégé Bobby. The relatively cleaned-up Rock naturally pushes the boundaries of “King of the Hill’s” wholesome with his usual off-the-wall delivery. As iconic as “Traffic Jam” is for this headliner, Phil LaMarr holds his own as Booda in a recurring role. Hank does seem to prefer this comedian working at Strickland Propane to Ben Stiller’s Rich in “That’s What She Said.”
#3: Alan Rickman
“Joust Like a Woman”
The unmistakable English accent of the legendary Alan Rickman is the right mix of intimidating and eccentric. He owns that duality as King Philip, a renaissance faire owner and performer who gets a little too into medieval misogyny. His grandiose, nasally roleplaying is as eccentric as it is infuriating to employee Peggy. Only after she bests the King in jousting and he’s sued for gender discrimination does the natural Texas drawl come wailing out. Rickman doesn’t sound so distinguished then. Of course, the theatrical dramatist reigns over “Joust Like a Woman’s” ingenious satire of renaissance faire and workplace cultures. It’s also the perfect feat of self-awareness with one of cinema’s great voices.
#2: Snoop Dogg
“Ho Yeah!”
Does it get any more shocking than Renée Zellweger playing a sex worker who gets taken in by the naive Hills? Try Snoop Dogg as her pimp Alabaster Jones, who goes on a rampage after Hank mistakenly poaches Tammi Duvall. The hip-hop legend really lays on the stereotypical charisma and idioms of this unfairly racialized profession. That Alabaster is as Caucasian as his name suggests is undeniably a big part of the joke. “Ho Yeah!” is obviously an edgy “King of the Hill” episode that thrives on the absurd, especially when Snoop comes onto the scene. The ironic nature of his casting and his signature self-aware coolness turn Alabaster Jones from a bizarre archetype into one of fans’ favorite one-off characters.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Jennifer Aniston, “Queasy Rider”
The Glamorous Icon’s Biker Chick Turn is Uproarious Enough for the Name Pepperoni Sue
John Goodman, “SerPUNt”
The Classic Charmer Sinks His Fangs into a Figurative Snake of an Animal Control Officer
Willie Nelson, “Hank’s Got the Willies”
One of Country Music’s Greats Doesn’t See Eye-to-Eye with Hank After a Golfing Accident
Meryl Streep, “A Beer Can Named Desire”
This Master of Dramatic Accents Has a Blast Playing Up Bill’s Cajun Aristocrat Aunt
Henry Winkler, “A Rover Runs Through It”
The Lovable Veteran Captures the Awe & Absurdity of Celebrities Moving to the Country
#1: Chuck Mangione
Various
Great jazz musician though he was, Chuck Mangione’s wardrobe and flugelhorn were a little far-out. He didn’t need much animating to play himself in the Season 1 episodes “Luanne’s Saga” and “Peggy the Boggle Champ.” Mangione’s deadpan comedic delivery and groovy riff from “Feels So Good” quickly distinguished him among “King of the Hill” guest stars. So much so that he became a spokesperson for the big box chain Mega Lo Mart in “Propane Boom,” then continued randomly popping up around Arlen in cameos throughout the show. Between his eccentric characterization and unhealthy fixation on said flugelhorn, fans never tired of the running gag. Even comedically, Mangione always knew how to enchant an audience.
Who are your favorite “King of the Hill” guest stars? Lend your voice in the comments.
