The Meanest Tradition in Entertainment
In 1997, Garry Shandling’s meta-sitcom, The Larry Sanders Show, aired an episode chronicling the behind-the-scenes preparations for a roast of the eponymous fictional late-night host. Though the event promises to celebrate Larry, it ends up being a disaster. Jerry Seinfeld drops out at the last minute. Bill Maher mainly performs jokes from his own act. Dana Carvey and Bruno Kirby use the stage to bicker with each other. Meanwhile, Larry quietly stews over barbs about his vanity and perceived homosexuality—mostly delivered by people he doesn’t respect, who appeared only because they were cajoled or pressured. “This is the worst fucking night of my life,” Larry eventually remarks, not long before before the prop comic Carrot Top, the evening’s surprise guest, takes the stage to skewer him. Although Larry’s publicist insists that the roast is a Hollywood rite of passage, the episode humorously illustrates how the industry has sapped all of the romance out of the showbiz tradition. Instead of being a raucous tribute to a friend, it’s become something akin to a networking event, another …
