Comedy Central Roasts Ranked
Photo: Jason Merritt/FilmMagic (Getty).
That much was clear Sunday at the Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin (airing Sunday, 10 p.m. EDT/PDT), when Baldwin was the butt of jokes made by roast master Sean Hayes and roasters including. However, it wasn't until the New York roasts were picked up by Comedy Central did the audiences start to boom, reaching a peak in 2011 when 6.4 million people tuned in to watch Charlie Sheen roasted.
Over the years, Comedy Central has given television one night where all the rules go out the window and top comics and celebrities deliver some of the most shocking and flat out mean jokes you’ll hear on basic cable. While most of the quips are directed at the “star” of the show — with a few minor jabs taken at the rest of the roster of presenters — more often than not, someone else besides the number one target takes the brunt of the abuse. For instance, this year’s roast of actor Rob Lowe saw Ann Coulter, who inexplicably participated in the event despite not having a funny bone in her body, being ripped apart so harshly by nearly everyone that it’s a wonder she didn’t burst into tears multiple times during the show.
Best Comedy Central Roasts Ranked
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However, at the end of the day, no matter how raunchy, outrageous, and even downright offensive the jokes get, it’s all in the name of laughter and good fun. That’s not to say there haven’t been both high- and lowlights since the tradition began back in 2003 with the Comedy Central Roast of Denis Leary. In fact, here’s a look at each of them, as well as a ranking to determine which one was the best of all time.
Comedy Central Roasts Ranked List
Ranking The Comedy Central Roasts
The only question that remains now is, “who’s left to roast?” Sound off in the comments who you believe would make for the next great roastee. And as always, feel free to critique our ranking, as well. This is comedy, after all. Just because we say something is the funniest, that doesn’t mean you can’t disagree. You’d be wrong if you did, but that doesn’t mean you can’t.
Comedy Central Roasts Ranked Youtube
Speaking of the best and brightest Comedy Central has (or had) to offer: 10 Shows That Never Should Have Left Comedy Central
Comedy Central Roasts Ranked Best
The “Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin” drew 2.4 million total viewers across six Viacom networks, according to Nielsen data, which is 800,000 fewer viewers — and two fewer channels.