The Biggest Talk Show Controversies That Left People Outraged

Blackface has been considered offensive for decades. Even so, Jimmy Kimmel got his start by impersonating NBA legend Karl Malone, first on radio at KROQ radio in the mid-1990s, and then on his Comedy Central show The Man Show.

In 2020, clips of Kimmel portraying Malone went viral, forcing Kimmel to apologize for them via a public statement. When Kimmel apologized, he attempted to argue that the criticism aimed at him was just an attempt to discredit him after his years of socially minded commentary on the show.

Two years after his breakout role as George McFly in 1985's Back to the Future, Crispin Glover went on a publicity circuit to promote his film River's Edge, in which he plays the friend of a teenager whose girlfriend has died.

When Glover appeared on Late Night with David Letterman, he showed up in character (although not his character from the film), wearing hippie-esque clothing and an unconvincing wig. Glover rambled about showbusiness and read society newspaper clippings about the actor Crispin Glover, before finally demonstrating his martial arts prowess, launching a roundhouse kick within inches of Letterman's face.

Letterman abruptly walked off the set, ending the interview. Though the host was no stranger to stunt interviews, in this case, it's unclear whether or not Letterman was in on the gag.

On another episode of his Late Night show, David Letterman hosted professional wrestler Jerry “The King” Lawler and comedian Andy Kaufman, who at the time were embroiled in an ongoing wrestling feud. True to Kaufman's style, many couldn't quite tell if he was doing a bit or if he was genuinely committed to beating Lawler in the ring.

The feud began when Kaufman began challenging women at his shows to wrestling matches and crowned himself “the World Intergender Wrestling Champion." A disgusted Lawler then challenged him to a wrestling match to prove his ability. The two wrestled on April 5, 1982, in Memphis, TN, with Lawler piledriving Kaufman so hard, he was hospitalized.

In late July, they appeared together on Letterman's show, with Kaufman still wearing a neck brace. The segment quickly escalated into a swear-filled slap-fight, and Kaufman threw coffee on Lawler. Letterman then cut to a commercial.

Years later, Letterman confirmed everyone was indeed in on the joke. At the time, newspapers still reported on the incident as if it was a real assault.

A quick glance at broadcaster and talk show host Wendy Williams's Wikipedia page shows just how hefty her “controversies” section truly is, and this incident is just one example.

In 2021, Williams was reporting on the death of 19-year-old TikTok influencer Swavy, real name Matima Miller, who was killed in a shooting in Wilmington, DE. Williams noted his influencer status, despite the fact that she herself had never heard of him.

“I have no idea who this is," she said, prompting laughter from the audience. "Neither does [my producer] Norman. Neither does one person in this building." These comments were widely criticized around the internet for being disrespectful towards the recently deceased teenager.

Jerry Springer's nationally syndicated talk show ran on NBC from 1991 to 2018, and it was known for addressing scandalous subject matter. On one 2000 episode, however, a Jerry Springer segment resulted in a real-life murder.

The episode was titled “Secret Mistresses Confronted.” In it, Nancy Campbell-Panitz was informed that her ex-husband, Ralf Panitz, with whom she was still living despite being divorced, had secretly remarried Eleanor Panitz. Hours after their episode aired, Ralf fatally beat Nancy, then tried fleeing to Canada. He received life in prison in 2002.

In 2015, The View co-host Kelly Osbourne was attempting to defend the entire Latino community from Donald Trump but ended up saying something racist instead. Osbourne said, “If you kick every Latino out of this country, then who is going to be cleaning your toilet, Donald Trump?”

Osbourne didn't appear on the show the next day, but Whoopi Goldberg and Raven-Symoné apologized on her behalf.