Roast (comedy)
A roast is a form of insult comedy, originating in American humor, in which a specific individual, a guest of honor, is subjected to jokes at their expense, as well as genuine praise and tributes.
[7] The format gained public popularity with the "Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts" in the 1970s, televised events that brought the concept into American living rooms.
These events maintained the tradition's spirit, combining affectionate tribute with biting humor, and often featured a dais of comedians and celebrities who took turns roasting the honoree and each other.
After the show was cancelled, NBC decided to schedule a series of The Dean Martin Celebrity Roast specials from the former MGM Grand Hotel and Casino (now Horseshoe Las Vegas) in the Ziegfeld Room; these were recorded and aired approximately once every two months from late 1974 to early 1979, and another three were produced in 1984.
[citation needed] From 1998 to 2002, the cable channel Comedy Central produced and broadcast the annual roast of the New York Friars Club, featuring celebrities such as Drew Carey, Jerry Stiller, Rob Reiner, Hugh Hefner, and Chevy Chase.
The first roastee was Denis Leary in 2003, followed by Jeff Foxworthy, Pamela Anderson, William Shatner, Flavor Flav, Bob Saget, Larry the Cable Guy, Joan Rivers, David Hasselhoff, Donald Trump, Charlie Sheen, Roseanne Barr, James Franco, Justin Bieber, Rob Lowe, Bruce Willis, and Alec Baldwin.
[citation needed] Comedian Jeff Ross gained fame through his participation in the televised Comedy Central roasts, and is frequently referred to as the "Roastmaster General",[12] a position he in fact holds with the New York Friars Club.
[citation needed] The magazine Guitar World organized three "Rock & Roll Roasts" from 2012 to 2014, of musicians Zakk Wylde, Dee Snider, and Corey Taylor.
Channel 4 launched the latest British version on April 7, 2010 with A Comedy Roast, with initial victims being Bruce Forsyth, Sharon Osbourne, and Chris Tarrant.
[citation needed] The Indian comedy group All India Bakchod organized the live show AIB Knockout in January 2015 featuring Arjun Kapoor and Ranveer Singh with Karan Johar as the roastmaster.
[31] The 2019 Netflix series Historical Roasts, hosted by Jeff Ross, featured roasts of historical figures Abraham Lincoln (played by Bob Saget), Freddie Mercury (James Adomian), Anne Frank (Rachel Feinstein), Martin Luther King Jr. (Jerry Minor), Cleopatra (Ayden Mayeri), and Muhammad Ali (Jaleel White).
During presidential election years in the U.S., it is customary for both major party candidates to attend the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, typically engaging in a roast of each other, and occasionally themselves.
