The drama in the entertainment world proves to be entertainment for us all. From the good to the bad, the sweet to the terrible, many of us love to hear what goes on in the lives of celebrities to get our drama fill.
For those who think this stuff is the juiciest type of news, here’s a list detailing feuds and fights that got people banned from late-night talk shows.
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Kathy Griffith.
Kathy Griffith has actually been banned from a number of talk shows now, either due to her antics or her unapologetic way of expressing her thoughts about people.
Some examples of her bans include her now reversed ban from The Late Show for swearing too much, and The View for having made an inappropriate joke about Howard Stern and Barbara Walters.
Hugh Grant.
This one is more behind the scenes, but Jon Stewart revealed to Stephen Colbert in 2012 that his least favorite guest he ever had on The Daily Show was Hugh Grant.
He reportedly had a terrible attitude, constantly told production staff he had better places to be, and complained about the promotional clip chosen for his upcoming movie Did You Hear About the Morgans? . Stewart vowed to never have him on the show again.
Gary Busey.
Gary Busey was banned from returning to The Howard Stern Show after one appearance where he got a little too excited and not only bear-hugged and picked up Stern’s co-host, Robin Quivers, but also attempted to wrestle Stern himself.
He went on the blame his behavior on an alter ego named ‘Pesky, the Excitable Boy’.
Artie Lange.
Conan O’Brien banned Artie Lange from returning to Conan after his final appearance wherein he was visibly intoxicated. Lange wasn’t hurt by it, actually considering it kind, as he’d take to Twitter in 2014 to say, “No guys Conan banned me years ago [because] he felt I needed help. It was good intentions. [Conan’s] a great guy who’s been great to me.”
Madonna.
Piers Morgan never shied away from sharing his thoughts about Madonna, calling her boring and annoying among other things. He said she wasn’t welcome on his show, Piers Morgan Tonight , and when asked about it cited multiple ‘incidents’ between them, saying they ‘never saw eye-to-eye’.
Madonna has never commented on this feud, but that hasn’t stopped Morgan from reminding her about it through social media and television on numerous occasions.
Bill Hicks.
Less of a steadfast ban and more of a choice to exclude, Hicks had made 11 appearances on Late Night with David Letterman between 1984 and 1993, but his 12th was thought to be too controversial to air at all. He claims the live audience enjoyed the set, though.
Joan Rivers.
Comedian Joan Rivers got a huge career boost after appearing on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She was hired as a writer soon after, also going on to appear on-screen a ton over the next two decades.
When it came time for Carson to be replaced in the wake of his retirement, a list of potential candidates was leaked, and Rivers wasn’t on it. So she was approached by Fox with an offer of starting her own late-night talk show instead, an offer she took.
Carson was so furious that he not only banning her from The Tonight Show , but also promised to ban any guest she had on her show as well.
Bobcat Goldthwait.
Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait had a rather heated appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in 1994, literally. While talking with the host, he set his own chair on fire, having come prepared with lighter fluid and a lighter up his sleeve. He was not only banned from the show, but charged with arson over the stunt.
Donald Trump.
Late Night host Seth Meyers decided to ban Donald Trump from ever appearing on the show as a form of retaliation, as Trump had recently revoked press credentials from The Washington Post after they published a headline he didn’t like.
Meyers knew Trump appearing was unlikely to start with, though, saying, “We instituted this ban despite the fact he’s never been here, or asked to be here, or would ever be caught dead here. […] Either rescind your Washington Post ban or you’re not allowed to appear on the show you have no interest in appearing on.”
Sandra Bernhard.
Comedian Sandra Bernhard used to be a frequent guest on Late Show With David Letterman for a time, but when Letterman moved to the Late Show on CBS, she was never invited back.
Why? No one’s entirely sure, but Bernhard believes it’s because Letterman thought she was talking bad about him in their business circles, which she claims isn’t true. Either way, she was never invited back.
Howard Stern.
The dislike that Howard Stern and Jay Leno hold for each other is nothing new. It began with Stern’s 1995 appearance on The Tonight Show . He brought two women in bikinis on stage with him, prompted them to kiss in front of the cameras, and proceeded to dominate the show for the rest of the segment, talking over both Leno and the other guests.
Leno was furious, saying Stern had ‘gone beyond the acceptable standards’, and was banned from returning. Leno has since tried to give Stern the opportunity to return, but was turned down.
Vivica A. Fox.
When appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2005, Fox was not a fan of the jokes Kimmel decided to make, namely about Star Jones. It began when adding this line to the end of her introduction, “And most harrowing of all, Star Jones’s bridesmaid!”
Fox told Kimmel she didn’t like the jokes about her friend, but Kimmel continued to bring Jones up anyway, so Fox walked off. He’d later cite Fox as the one guest he’d never have return.
Howie Mandel.
Howie Mandel and Pierse Morgan were co-judges on America’s Got Talent for a time, during which they apparently didn’t get along. Mandel loved to pull pranks on Morgan, which infuriated the latter, so when Morgan returned to host Piers Morgan Live , he banned Mandel from ever appearing.
Kelsey Grammar.
Kelsey Grammar had one condition while appearing on Piers Morgan Tonight in 2012: do not show any photos of his ex-wife, Camille Grammer-Meyer. He was willing to answer questions about her, but not see a photo.
Well, a photo was shown during the opening credits, so Grammar walked off just moments before the interview. Morgan would go on to say this ‘shockingly unprofessional’, and went on to ban Grammar from returning.
Oprah Winfrey.
This ban was actually self-imposed, with Winfrey vowing to not return to Late Night with David Letterman after her appearance in 1989, but not even Letterman knew why for the longest time.
Though some answers were found in 2013 when Letterman appeared on Oprah’s Next Chapter . Winfrey described how uncomfortable she was at the taping of the show, “[I]t was a terrible experience for me. The guy in the audience started yelling, ‘Get her, Dave!’ You were sort of baiting the audience, and there were a bunch of drunk guys down the front. […] it felt so uncomfortable to me. I didn’t want to have that experience again.”
Harmony Korine.
Director Harmony Korine was banned from The Late Show with David Letterman for some time, but it wasn’t fully revealed why until 2013 when Letterman explained it to Korine’s friend, James Franco.
“I went upstairs to greet Meryl Streep and welcome her to the show, and I knock on the door… and she was not in there. And I looked around… and I found Harmony going through her purse. True story. And so I said, ‘That’s it, put her things back in her bag and then get out’.”
Letterman went on to tell Franco that this ban was lifted now, and Korine was welcome back o the show.
Gilbert Gottfried.
Gilbert Gottfried was a well-loved guest on The Howard Stern Show , their comedy blending rather well, but that all came to an abrupt and mysterious end.
No one still knows for sure why Gottfried was banned, but some guesses involve an instance where he spit cupcakes on the floor after a bit got out of hand, while others say it has to do with a strange interaction Gottfried had with Stern’s wife.
Jackie Mason.
Jackie Mason’s ban from The Ed Sullivan Show was all one big misunderstanding that nearly cost the man his career.
While performing his set, Mason looked to Sullivan to see him holding up to fingers, meaning he had two minutes left. Mason made a gesture back, pointing with his thumb and index finger, but from Sullivan’s perspective, he thought the comedian was flipping him off. Sullivan was immediately enraged and banned Mason from the show, cutting his seven-episode contract short.
Just two years later, though, Sullivan would realize his mistake and publicly apologize, bringing Mason back on.
Jay Leno.
Two hosts themselves have a fair amount of beef, Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien.
It began when Leno’s The Tonight Show contract was coming to an end in 2009. NBC promised the hosting job to O’Brien in order to keep him in the network, giving a new show to Leno who wasn’t stoked about being pushed off his own show.
Just one year later, and NBC gave the show back to Leno after O’Brien took a payout. O’Brien would then move to TBS for Conan and said he’d never allow Leno on as a guest.
Dax Sheppard.
Dax Sheppard had a rough appearance on Late Night with Conan O’Brien while he was struggling with drug and alcohol problems. He’d done the pre-interview blackout, leaving him lost during the taping, and reportedly broke a table as well.
Shepard said in an episode of The Pursuit of Healthiness podcast that he was banned from the show for ‘some years’, until he got sober. Conan has opened the guest seat back up to him, which he’s taken, having now appeared on Conan .
