Jokes About Celebrities That Might Have Gone Too Far

After multiple years of having her struggles with addiction publicized and scrutinized by the media, in 2014 Lindsay Lohan revealed on the last episode of her docu-series that she had suffered a miscarriage during filming. Despite the sensitive topic, comedian Joan Rivers showed no sympathy for the Parent Trap actor, remarking: 

I hope she kept it.

When her daughter, Melissa Rivers, seemed visibly taken aback by her mother's remarks, Joan continued: 

Excuse me, what do you think I am?… I was born with a coat hanger in my ear.

The elder Rivers continued to mock Lohan's hypothetical parenting abilities: 

She would have been diapering the wrong end.

Jokes regarding Paul Walker's November 2013 passing at the 2015 Comedy Central roast of Justin Bieber became so offensive to the cast of Fast and Furious that Ludacris asked for them to be edited out of the taping before it aired on national TV. During the event, comedian Jeff Ross made an unabashed jab at the franchise, commenting: 

“Move b*tch, get out of the way!” is what Paul Walker should’ve told that tree. Too soon? Too fast? Too furious?

Saturday Night Live's Pete Davidson also had jokes lined up with Walker as the brunt: 

Just this past year, Justin [Bieber] got arrested for drag racing… Unfortunately, it wasn't with Paul Walker. What? He's doing great! He's got a movie coming out!

Ludacris later reflected on the event and how it affected him: 

Yeah, there were some Paul Walker jokes in the roast that I was definitely not feeling at all, and… I kind of was vocal about it… I almost didn't make it through the roast because I was ready to slap the hell out of somebody… It was more than one person, but you know, I went up to all of them and said, “Man, these jokes don't need to make [the final cut]”…

Let me just say this. Apart from the Paul Walker jokes, I thought it was a great roast... I mean nobody was safe. We were all laughing at the jokes on ourselves, as well as joking on everybody else. However, I mean, again. Y'all can agree to disagree with me. I know what was said and I felt like it was inappropriate. And I'm going to stand by that no matter what anybody says. 

In his tell-all memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry shared intimate details about his struggles with dependency and addition, his relationships that ebbed and flowed throughout his recovery, and his thoughts on other celebrities who passed before their time. While he reserved the deepest respect for some A-listers, a flippant joke about John Wick star Keanu Reeves wasn't well received: 

River [Phoenix] was a beautiful man, inside and out - too beautiful for this world, it turned out. It always seems to be the really talented guys who go down. Why is it that the original thinkers like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger die, but Keanu Reeves still walks among us?

Once published, Perry apologized for the remarks. Reeves chose not to make a public statement over the comments, despite the nearly immediate backlash this portion of Perry's book received. However, an insider did come forth for US Weekly, stating: 

Keanu thought the comments came out of left field… It’s kind of backfired on Matthew anyway, which is why he had to apologize.

Just two months after famed outdoorsman Steve Irwin's passing from complications of a stingray sting in September 2006, South Park included his likeness in an episode titled “Heaven on Earth,” in which a caricatured Irwin is seen in hell with the ray's barb plunged into his chest.

A family friend of the Irwins had this to say: 

Terri [the widow] is devastated Steve is being mocked in such a cruel way… Her worry is that [kids] Bindi and Bob will see it and break down. Steve had as big a sense of humor as anyone, but this goes too far too soon.

After Britney Spears made headlines for her very public mental health struggles in 2007, she was invited to perform at the Video Music Awards. According to the “Stronger” vocalist, she was uncomfortable being in the spotlight - expected to perform in her typical tummy-baring outfit after having two children in two years and knowing the media's eyes would undoubtedly be turned to her, waiting to see if she could handle the pressure surrounding the anticipated event. 

After the performance, comedian Sarah Silverman roasted Spears so hard that it caused her to cry backstage. In her memoir, Spears recalled:

She said that at the age of twenty-five I’d done everything worthwhile in my life I’d ever do. She called my two babies “the most adorable mistakes you’ll ever see.” I didn’t hear that until later, though. At the time I was backstage sobbing hysterically.

In 2021, Spears's fans called out Silverman out on social media regarding the event, to which she replied:

I was known then 4 roasts. MTV asked me to mini-roast Britney after her big performance. While she was performing I was having diarrhea & going over my jokes. Had no idea she didn’t kill. Unfortunate. Art changes over yrs as we know more & the world changes…

I wish I could delete it but I can’t. But you are posting it for people to see. So r u trying to be kind or right?

Soon after Paris Hilton shared photos of her 9-month-old son Phoenix - who was born in January 2023 - social media went overboard with jokes concerning the size of his head. One TikTok user compiled a list of some of the most targeted insults, including referring to him as “Stewie,” the cartoon baby from Family Guy, or suggesting he was “genetically engineered to be a genius for sure.” One user didn't make fun of Phoenix, but rather offered unsolicited medical advice: 

You need to have your baby evaluated by a pediatric neurosurgeon - he has a pretty large fontanelle (soft spot) and macrocrania. He would likely need an MRI or US to rule out a blockage of spinal fluid in his brain to be on the safe side.

Hilton immediately came to her baby's defense in the comment section of her original post, asserting: 

There are some sick people in this world… My angel is perfectly healthy. And yes, of course he has been to a doctor, he just has a large brain.