Comedy Central Roast

Comedy Central Roast
Distributor	ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks
Original network	Comedy Central
Country of origin	August 10, 2003 – present

Comedy Central Roast is a series of celebrity roast specials that air on the American television channel Comedy Central. The first official Comedy Central Roast premiered on August 10, 2003. On average one or two roasts air every year. There are eight to ten people invited who roast each other before finally roasting the title subject of each show. As of 2019, seventeen roasts have aired. Targets of roasts have included musicians, actors and comedians. Since 2010, Comedy Central affiliates outside the United States have occasionally produced their own roasts; twelve such roasts have aired so far, in five countries.

U.S. roasts

Roastee	Date	Venue	Roast master(s)	Roasters	Notable audience members
Denis Leary	August 10, 2003	Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York	Jeff Garlin	Jim Breuer, Mario Cantone, Lenny Clarke, Dane Cook, Nick DiPaolo, Doctor Dré, Adam Ferrara, Michael J. Fox, Peter Gallagher, Don Gavin, Gina Gershon, Gilbert Gottfried (as Denis' Irish Wolfhound), Ed Lover, Joe Mantegna, Conan O'Brien, Colin Quinn, Rene Russo, Christopher Walken	N/A
Jeff Foxworthy	March 20, 2005		Bill Engvall, Ron White and Larry the Cable Guy	Steve Bridges (as U.S. President George W. Bush), Nick DiPaolo, Christian Finnegan, Greg Giraldo, Gilbert Gottfried (as Jeff's cow), Heidi Klum, Lisa Lampanelli, Denis Leary, Jay Mohr, Patrice O'Neal, Colin Quinn, Anna Nicole Smith, G. E. Smith Phil McGraw (pre-taped appearance)
Pamela Anderson	August 14, 2005	Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California	Jimmy Kimmel	Courtney Love, Adam Carolla, Bea Arthur, Nick DiPaolo, Greg Giraldo, Elon Gold, Eddie Griffin, Lady Bunny, Lisa Lampanelli, Tommy Lee, Jeff Ross, Sarah Silverman, Andy Dick, Jimmy Kimmel David Spade, Hugh Hefner (pre-taped appearances)	Anna Nicole Smith, Doug Benson, Wayne Federman
William Shatner	August 20, 2006	CBS Studio Center, Los Angeles, California	Jason Alexander	Andy Dick (as the "love child" of James T. Kirk and Spock), Farrah Fawcett, Greg Giraldo, Lisa Lampanelli, Artie Lange, Nichelle Nichols, Patton Oswalt, Kevin Pollak, Jeff Ross, George Takei, Betty White, Fred Willard Leonard Nimoy, Sandra Bullock, Ben Stiller, Sarah Silverman, Jimmy Kimmel, Clint Howard (pre-taped appearances)	Andy Daly, Adrian Zmed, David Carradine, Roger Corman, Brent Spiner, Jeri Ryan, René Auberjonois, Rosalind Chao, Mark Valley, Carrie Fisher, Scott Hamilton, Brad Paisley, Cedric Yarbrough, Niecy Nash, Brian Posehn
Flavor Flav	August 12, 2007	Old Warner Brothers Studio, Los Angeles, California	Katt Williams	Ice-T, Jimmy Kimmel, Snoop Dogg, Greg Giraldo, Patton Oswalt, Lisa Lampanelli, Jeff Ross, Carrot Top, Sommore, Brigitte Nielsen	Flavor of Love, Ron Jeremy, Luenell, Red Grant, Scott Adsit, Nicole "Coco" Austin, Kordell Stewart, Derek Parker, Dennis Hof, Chyna
Bob Saget	August 16, 2008	Warner Bros. Studios, Burbank, California	John Stamos	Susie Essman, Greg Giraldo, Brian Posehn, Jim Norton, Jeff Garlin (as fictional Full House executive producer Saul Schwartz; only to break character at the end), Gilbert Gottfried, Jon Lovitz, Norm Macdonald, Cloris Leachman, Jeff Ross Sarah Silverman, Lewis Black, Don Rickles (pre-taped appearances)	Lori Loughlin, Jodie Sweetin, Dave Coulier, Alan Thicke, Rex Lee, Scott Bakula, Jordan Levin, Carlos Jacott, Jonathan Silverman, Alonzo Bodden
Larry the Cable Guy	March 16, 2009		Lisa Lampanelli	Nick DiPaolo, Jeff Foxworthy, Greg Giraldo, Toby Keith, Jeff Ross, Reno Collier, Maureen McCormick, Warren Sapp, Gary Busey Bill Engvall (pre-taped appearance)	N/A
Joan Rivers	August 9, 2009	CBS Studio Center, Los Angeles, California	Kathy Griffin	Carl Reiner, Gilbert Gottfried, Mario Cantone, Whitney Cummings, Tom Arnold, Brad Garrett, Robin Quivers, Greg Giraldo, Jeff Ross, Melissa Rivers Donald Trump (pre-taped appearance)	Melissa Rivers, Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Alan Thicke, T.J. Miller, Chris Pratt, Anna Faris
David Hasselhoff	August 15, 2010	Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California	Seth MacFarlane	Jeff Ross, Pamela Anderson, Lisa Lampanelli, Hulk Hogan, Jerry Springer, Whitney Cummings, Greg Giraldo, George Hamilton, Gilbert Gottfried, William Daniels (as the voice of KITT) Sharon Osbourne, Piers Morgan (pre-taped appearances)	John Slattery, Craig Robinson, Christina Milian, Hayley Hasselhoff, Taylor Ann Hasselhoff, Nick Hogan, Alexandra Paul, Nicole Eggert, Gena Lee Nolin, Traci Bingham, Angelica Bridges, Jeremy Jackson
Donald Trump	March 15, 2011	Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York		Whitney Cummings, Gilbert Gottfried, Anthony Jeselnik, Larry King, Lisa Lampanelli, Marlee Matlin (interpreted by interpreter Jack Jason), Jeff Ross, Snoop Dogg, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino	Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Ice-T, Russell Simmons, Chrissy Teigen, John Legend, Lindsay Lohan, Joel Madden, David Foster
Charlie Sheen	September 19, 2011	Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California		Anthony Jeselnik, Jon Lovitz, Patrice O'Neal, Jeff Ross, Amy Schumer, William Shatner, Steve-O, Mike Tyson, Kate Walsh	Brooke Mueller, Aaron Paul, Slash, Maria Menounos, Corbin Bernsen, Duane Chapman, Kevin Cronin, Michael Boatman, Kristin Cavallari, Ciara Hanna, Wayne Federman, Richard Kind, Patrick Warburton
Roseanne Barr	August 12, 2012	Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California	Jane Lynch	Ellen Barkin, Wayne Brady, Carrie Fisher, Gilbert Gottfried, Seth Green, Anthony Jeselnik, Jeff Ross, Katey Sagal, Amy Schumer, Tom Arnold	Sarah Chalke, Natasha Leggero, Blake Anderson, Wayne Federman, Alicia Goranson, Michael Fishman, Frances Fisher, Traci Lords, Chris Colfer, Caroline Rhea, Fred Willard
James Franco	September 2, 2013	Culver Studios, Culver City, California	Seth Rogen	Aziz Ansari, Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Nick Kroll, Natasha Leggero, Jeff Ross, Andy Samberg, Sarah Silverman	Blake Anderson, Jillian Bell, Adam Devine, Andy Dick, Chris Farren, Wayne Federman, Dave Franco, Jennie Garth, Brett Gelman, Eiza González, Anders Holm, Gabriel Iglesias, Kelley Jakle, Samm Levine, Maribeth Monroe, Matthew Morrison, Amy Poehler, Stephen Rannazzisi, June Diane Raphael, Retta, Horatio Sanz, Paul Scheer, Kate Walsh
Justin Bieber	March 30, 2015	Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California	Kevin Hart	Hannibal Buress, Pete Davidson, Chris D'Elia, Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, Natasha Leggero, Ludacris, Shaquille O'Neal, Jeff Ross, Snoop Dogg, Martha Stewart	Scooter Braun, Dave Chappelle, Tito Ortiz, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Kendall Jenner, Wayne Federman, Jack Gilinsky, Blake Anderson, Katharine McPhee, Kourtney Kardashian, Kate Walsh, Chris Paul, Trevor Noah, Sarah Tiana, Larissa Marolt, Carly Rae Jepsen, Jaden Smith, Gloria Allred, Kyle Kinane
Rob Lowe	September 5, 2016		David Spade	Jimmy Carr, Ann Coulter, Pete Davidson, Nikki Glaser, Jewel, Ralph Macchio, Peyton Manning, Rob Riggle, Jeff Ross Amy Poehler (pre-recorded segment)	Maria Shriver, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Nick Swardson, Fred Savage, Chad Lowe, Kate Walsh, Robbie Williams, Brandon Flowers, Marlee Matlin
Bruce Willis	July 29, 2018	Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles, California	Joseph Gordon-Levitt	Cybill Shepherd, Edward Norton, Nikki Glaser, Lil Rel Howery, Dom Irrera, Kevin Pollak, Dennis Rodman, Martha Stewart, Jeff Ross, Demi Moore	David Hasselhoff, Maggie Q, Seth Green, Mackenzie Davis, Emma Heming, Dulcé Sloan, Rumer Willis
Alec Baldwin	September 15, 2019	Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills, California	Sean Hayes	Robert De Niro, Blake Griffin, Caitlyn Jenner, Chris Redd, Jeff Ross, Ken Jeong, Nikki Glaser, Caroline Rhea, Adam Carolla, Ireland Baldwin, Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Lady Gaga (pre-taped appearance)	David Spade, Larry David, Dakota Johnson

International roasts

Country	Roastee(s)	Roast master(s)	Channel	Date
Africa	Steve Hofmeyr	Trevor Noah	Comedy Central	September 24, 2012
	Kenny Kunene	Jimmy Carr		April 28, 2014
	Somizi Mhlongo	Gareth Cliff		May 7, 2018
	AKA	Pearl Thusi		February 21, 2019
Latin America	Héctor Suárez	Héctor Suárez Gomís	Comedy Central	May 18, 2013
Netherlands	Gordon	Jörgen Raymann	Comedy Central	December 20, 2016
	Giel Beelen	Gijs Staverman		December 13, 2017
	Johnny de Mol	Jeroom Snelders		December 18, 2018
	Ali B	Sanne Wallis de Vries		December 17, 2019
	Hans Klok	Henry van Loon		December 21, 2021
New Zealand	Mike King	Willy de Wit	Comedy Central	December 15, 2010
	Murray Mexted	N/A		September 7, 2011
Spain	Santiago Seguera	Alex O'Dogherty	Comedy Central	May 14, 2014
	El Gran Wyoming	Andreu Buenafuente		July 12, 2015
	José Mota	Anabel Alonso		February 24, 2019

Modern Takes on Roasting

Roasting has evolved from being a form of comedic entertainment to a versatile term used in various contexts, including the digital world. Today, AI technology is even getting in on the action.

One such AI tool is Wingman, which not only provides dating advice but also roasts and rates dating photos and profiles on apps like Tinder. Wingman offers users humorous yet insightful critiques to help them improve their online dating presence.