<\/p>\n
Expect long set-ups and short punchlines on Netflix<\/a> this Sunday (May 10) as the streamer airs The Roast of Kevin Hart<\/em><\/a> live. Kevin Hart<\/a> has put up with put-downs about his stature before as he helped roast Justin Bieber<\/a>\u00a0and Tom Brady<\/a>, but now he\u2019s in the crosshairs, and we\u2019ll see how many of Sunday\u2019s guests pick on his height.<\/p>\n We\u2019ll also have to wait and see how good the special will even be because, as you can see below, not every roast has been fire. Drawing from archival clips and online consensus, we\u2019re presenting our picks for the best and worst celebrity roasts from TV history.<\/p>\n Uncomfortable jokes about the Olsen twins aside, it was fun watching Saget and Full House<\/em><\/a> costar John Stamos<\/a> savaging each other in foul-mouthed fashion. But the MVP of this Comedy Central<\/a> event was Norm Macdonald<\/a>, who roasted the roast idea itself by reciting corny insults from an old book of retirement jokes. Example Macdonald joke: \u201cBob, you have a lot of well-wishers here tonight, and a lot of them would like to throw you down one. A well. They want to murder you in a well. Seems a little harsh, but apparently they want to murder you in a well, it says here on this card.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Wasn\u2019t the better part of the last 40 years one long societal roast of Anderson? The Baywatch<\/em><\/a> alum has suffered indignity after indignity, and yet there she was, being roasted on Comedy Central with joke after joke about her sexualized persona. At least she got to roast her roasters. Example jokes from <\/strong>Greg Giraldo<\/strong><\/a>: \u201cYou\u2019re a vegetarian, but you have no trouble swallowing a moose c***. You\u2019re environmentally conscious, but you\u2019ve caused more seed to be spilled than the Department of Agriculture.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Just months after his public <\/a>Two and a Half Men<\/em><\/a> meltdown<\/a>, Sheen gamely endured a Comedy Central roast \u2014 including savage burns by, surprisingly enough, Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em><\/a> alum Kate Walsh<\/a>. The special also marked one of the final appearances of comedian Patrice O\u2019Neal<\/a>, who alternated between bowing down to Sheen and tearing him down. Example O\u2019Neal joke: \u201cHe proved that nobody can keep a Sheen down, you know? They can keep an Estevez down, \u2019cause his brother\u2026 And he\u2019s the good one!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Franco\u2019s Comedy Central roast came not long before the sexual misconduct allegations<\/a> against the actor-turned-director started mounting. But this special was controversial in its own right, delivering so many gay jokes that BuzzFeed listed them all<\/a>. That tally came in at 26, nearly a quarter of which came from Seth Rogen<\/a>. Example Rogen joke: \u201cEvery man wants to be [Franco], and he wants to be in every man.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n By the time Comedy Central arranged for this roast, the Biebs\u2019 bratty behavior had made him a public nuisance. So it scratched a certain schadenfreude<\/em> itch to see comedians like Hannibal Buress<\/a> and Natasha Leggero<\/a> take the pop star down a peg. A highlight of the evening was Will Ferrell<\/a> reprising his Ron Burgundy persona<\/a>. Example Burgundy joke: \u201cJustin Bieber is a man\u2026 a man who sings songs for 9-year-olds and cuts his hair like a gay figure skater.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Netflix\u2019s roast of this New England Patriots star was one fumble after another<\/a>. For starters, Brady seemed to get testy about a joke Jeff Ross<\/a> made about the solicitation charges that Patriots owner Robert Kraft<\/a>\u00a0once faced before they were dropped. And then there was fellow roaster Kim Kardashian<\/a>, who couldn\u2019t even get a joke out without getting booed. Example Ross joke: \u201cOn the first day of training camp, that scrawny rookie famously walked into the owner Robert Kraft\u2019s office and said, \u2018I\u2019m the best decision your organization has ever made. Would you like a massage?\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Between 1974 and 1984, Dean Martin<\/a> hosted a series of celebrity roasts on NBC<\/a>, and in one episode, he put himself in the hot seat as A-listers lined up to tease the crooner. Bob Hope<\/a>, Orson Welles<\/a>, Jimmy Stewart<\/a>, Gene Kelly<\/a>, John Wayne<\/a>, and even Muhammad Ali<\/a> took pot shots, but it was clear it was all amore<\/em>. Example Welles joke: \u201cA song like [\u2018That\u2019s Amore\u2019] is hazardous to your health. Ladies and gentlemen, [<\/strong>gesturing to Martin<\/em><\/strong>] you\u2019re looking at the end result.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In another Netflix blunder, the streamer recruited the Jonas Brothers<\/a> to be roasted by comedians and even their own famous wives. That\u2019s a fine concept, but even with valiant efforts from Kenan Thompson<\/a> and Pete Davidson<\/a>, the roast forgot to be funny. \u201cWhat a Man Gotta Do\u201d for better punchlines? Example Davidson joke: \u201cNick\u2019s a legit actor. He\u2019s won everything from a Kids\u2019 Choice Award to a Teen Choice Award.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n When it was Sinatra\u2019s turn to be roasted on Martin\u2019s NBC series, many of the aforementioned A-listers returned to the stage. And better: Comedy legends like George Burns<\/a>, LaWanda Page<\/a>, Redd Foxx<\/a>, and Red Buttons <\/a>showed off their funny bones, even as they honored Ol\u2019 Blue Eyes\u2019 legacy. Example Buttons joke: \u201cThere he is, the man, the man himself: Francis Albert Sinatra. Singer, swinger, actor, director, producer, businessman, tycoon\u2026 and on the seventh day, he rested. And it was Billy Graham who once said about this man, \u2018There but for the grace of me goes God.\u2019\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\nBest: Bob Saget (2008)<\/h2>\n
Worst: Pamela Anderson (2005)<\/h2>\n
Best: Charlie Sheen (2011)<\/h2>\n
Worst: James Franco (2013)<\/h2>\n
Best: Justin Bieber (2015)<\/h2>\n
Worst: Tom Brady (2024)<\/h2>\n
Best: Dean Martin (1976)<\/h2>\n
Worst: Jonas Brothers (2021)<\/h2>\n
Best: Frank Sinatra (1978)<\/h2>\n