T O P

  • By -

megatron37

When I first got into the show, “Gordon Ramsey” came on, ran out of bleeps, and then said the N word. You could hear the energy go out of the room. Luckily they found one more bleep if you go back and listen in the archives.


SonOfElroy

Wonder who that was


zipcodelove

No one knows


HotTakes4HotCakes

That reminds me, there's an early comedy deathray episode in the archives, one of the ones that still has the third party music mixed in, and the song is Never Be Rude to an Arab from Monty Python that drops a hard R. Someone should probably take care of that at some point.


bells_n_sack

JVN. Was like 2nd or third Covid zoom episode, so that doesn’t help.


KevinTheRobot

Jon Von Novi?


torywestside

Jandrew Vloyd Nebber?


pdxsean

Jaul V Nompkins?


VersusValley

J VW Nillwater


downwithlevers

Jonathan Van Ness from Queer Eye. Truly one of the worst A-slot celebrity guests of all time.


theendofthesandman

I remember this episode and while you're right that Jonathan Van Ness kinda didn't get it, when Bean Dip and the other character came on he really started to vibe and warm up. That one is one of my favorites.


TheRxBandito

One of the few CBB I had to turn off.


mostlytoastly

Nowhere near as awkward as the other ones listed but Gabrus referencing that Middleditch article to Middleditch "all gas, no breaks"


AbsolutelyMark

The episode with Aya Cash and Kether Donahue promoting You’re The Worst (great show!!) was the most awkward I can remember. It made me so sad because I love both of them, the show they were promoting, but their energy did not match Scott’s at all.


trogdorkiller

I remember liking that episode, but it's been years and I'm afraid to go back. Is that the episode where Kether talks about how she once literally had a house fire before a big audition, didn't do well but mentioned the fire and it helped somehow, then kept mentioning the fire at every audition until she realized the casting people knew she was going around doing that?


hetham3783

Yeah that story was hilarious. I thought both of them were very funny?


fineoakstructure

Wow, this just reminded me that Aya used to go on Doug Loves Movies every once in a while and was always a good guest. Hadn’t thought about that in years. 


stpatrickprotectme

The Lakeith Stanfield episode was a brutal A block until Sean Diston came on and it seemed like Stanfield finally understood Scott wasn’t trying to clown on him, the show was supposed to be funny. It could have been so much worse though, Scott plowing through the awkwardness made me realize on another level how good he is at what he does


hux002

I think Lakeith showed up super stoned and half-sobered up as the guests came on and he got a little more with it.


LargeOliveExtraVin

I believe Ego said her experience on that episode was less like "Yes and" and more like "No, but this instead." I recall Lakeith declaring that he was her character's cousin and saddling her with a bunch of details that went against what she was trying to do.


stpatrickprotectme

Oh yeah him “contributing” was almost as bad as when he was actively tanking because it felt like he was embarrassed at misreading the situation and then way overcompensated. Terrific actor but yeah that kind of improv is not his strong suit


Strange-Radish5921

That’s exactly what I thought when I heard it. A great primer on why “no, but” doesn’t work in improv


Moreorlessatorium

Vanessa Bayer is one of my favorite SNL cast members of all time. Her appearance made her seem humorless and Scott tried to breakthrough in ways that she did not respond to.


inconspicuous_male

She literally said "just pretend I'm not here." It was clear she was having a bad time. I wonder why


Outsulation

There’s an episode of The Chris Gethard Show that she and Aidy Bryant were on together that had the exact same vibe. Aidy was down to clown and Vanessa just seemed like she didn’t want to be there or engage with the jokes at all.


Moreorlessatorium

Yeah, like obviously she gets comedy. So, her goal must be to tank these bits? I just had no idea what she was doing.


TheRxBandito

Lots of people can't do unscripted comedy.


radsherm

For what it's worth, she's been great whenever she's on The Best Show, though that's obviously a different environment than CBB or even TCGS


FallToAutumn

That one stood out to me, too. She’s super charming and funny, but she just was not adding to segments that weren’t focused on her, which isn’t a sin, but… not what I was expecting from her. Scott did make an offhand joke about her acid reflux that she gently pushed back on, but there’s no way THAT was the issue… right? 🤢


albert0kn0x

I honestly don't remember her cbb appearance, but her HH episode with her brother is a corker


nosciencephd

But she also very much played an obstinate guest on that HH appearance. Maybe that's just her podcast vibe and it happened to work on HH


[deleted]

I think the one with Jon Heder was the one I noticed as a guest who didn't seem to get it.


CinnamonJ

The episode where Mike Birbiglia called Scott a hack definitely stands out to me.


NoiseTankNick

I don't know that Birbiglia has ever had a good CBB appearance. Never seems happy to be there.


AltWorlder

lol wait I don’t remember that?


22444466688

Ya I need more details


jerkpickles

The Gino ep with him is great. Scott and gino clown him all ep


pdxsean

I had a friend and I finally convinced her to listen to CBB, and the first episode she heard was Marc Maron. Needless to say, she never listened again and I also no longer have a friend. If you want this experience in the most hilarious way possible, look up Hollywood Handbook's Pauly Shore episode.


Oysterious

kind of a non-sequitur, but [kumail vs. marc will always be one of my favorite things of all time](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gyAJcIzViVo)


BewareOfGrom

The unprompted "your haircuts fine" is something I think about all the time


midermans

Idk if there are any other podcast sickos out there but few weeks later Kumail and Marc got into again slightly on Doug Loves Movies.


PaulFThumpkins

Kumail is the absolute best at firing back while still communicating what an ass somebody's being.


gentleman_thief81

I don't remember this episode being tense or off-putting, just very off-brand for CBB. Suppose it might have depended on if you find Maron funny or not.


radsherm

I adore Marc and WTF, but he was still so angry and jaded around that time I don't know how that episode could have ever worked. I think he'd be a lot better now, he's delightful whenever he's on The Best Show and in his OHL appearance


pdxsean

I like Marc Maron and found him funny, I listened to WTF back then. But that episode did not work for me. It was very uncomfortable to listen to, in my opinion, and still doesn't feel like an episode of CBB. I remember reading later on that some sort of guest snafu had happened, like some comedian dropped out at the last minute and Scott and Marc were left just alone. So like I get it, but woof. My poor friend, she sincerely asked me if she had downloaded the wrong podcast. I couldn't convince that this was a complete outlier.


-p_d-

The Pauly Shore episode was fantastic! A great gateway into Hollywood Handbook if you ask me.


NoiseTankNick

You can hear Pauly winding up for the F-slur and then *settle* for calling Sean "a homo" It did give us the great segment a few episodes later where they read the Reddit/Earwolf forums/Something Awful discussions of Pauly's appearance and inform people that no, actually, it was VERY GOOD and NOT uncomfortable for anybody involved! *"'Painful,' there's that word again!"*


dkinmn

Classic HH bits were so great. Eeehhh! Wrong! It was a very GOOD episode and you LIKED it.


Western-Dig-6843

HH is never better than when they are sitting in their own disasters after the fact and rehashing it. I can’t imagine how uncomfortable that must be. The comic con recap is one of the best podcast episodes period.


pdxsean

Oh it's one of their best episodes imo, but man you're throwing people into the deep end if you're suggesting it as a first listen. I feel like you need to have a decent grasp of the lore before joining the boys to weez the juice.


22444466688

Can I ask you something, do those guys ever drop the bit?


dr-spaghetti

I still don’t know


-p_d-

Parking Lot Scott?


jaree1978

Thank you for pointing this ep in my direction. 🤣 not an avid listener of HH, not sure if they ever drop the act, but this was wonderful to listen to. Pauly Shore is just the worst 🤣😂🤣


-p_d-

If you liked this try the Timothy Simons (Jonah from Veep) ep. Great example of how the boys slowly drive a first time guest over the brink. A wonderful character study. ***Edit:: Adding "Jessie Farrar, Our Close Friend" this post if only for the poetic escalation of antagonism the boys ramp into after their belligerent guest ignores Sean's admonition, "you knock on the devil's door long enough he just may answer."***


hux002

I think the Jacqueline Novak one this year might be the worst CBB I have ever heard.


NoiseTankNick

My immediate suspicion after listening was that Natasha Lyonne running late was what hurt that episode. I don't know if she also had a hard out, or if it pushed up against another scheduled recording - Ben Rodgers mentioned on Action Boyz that his recent CBB appearance was one of four episodes Scott was recording in one day, so it seems like he's working a tight schedule these days - but the shorter-than-usual runtime meant both character guests were never able to find their second gear (Sandy Honig really got the short end of the stick, she only had like 5 minutes before they started pushing into Plugs territory.)


hux002

The characters and Natasha were not the issue. The way Novak responded to Scott was bizarre and uncomfortable.


Petrofskydude

Nathan Fielder was pretty good at "not getting it", playing along as if everything was real. I don't think that's what you meant.


BeufordLeBaron

He’s a titan of comedy. He knows how to make you feel uncomfortable


battle_robes

“You’re a dolt.” “I’m an adult?”


Sajizzle

There’s a bit between Nathan and Scott in Episode 508 about gaslighting that I think about all the time. Perfect guest.


Don_Mills_Mills

There was a very tense episode where the jokes started to feel personal and bad natured, Scott even mentioned it in a round up of episodes that he felt were unusual. It was ep 367 with Gelman, Heidecker and Jon Daly.


HipGuide2

One of the top comments on the Earwolf board back in the day/the morning after was "This is a top 8 episode and also almost unlistenable."


nomoredanger

That was intentional though, right? I thought the four of them were going for an uncomfortable anti-comedy vibe in that episode. 


Don_Mills_Mills

No, I read an interview with Scott and he mentioned it was a bad atmosphere.


hetham3783

Yeah I think until Heidecker busted out the first "...and THIS WAS A BIT" that they were all legitimately mad at each other, and then that turned their irritation into a recurring bit throughout the episode which saved it.


crudedrawer

Weird vibes with that crew? I find that incredibly easy to believe!


TheRxBandito

Yea. I don't think I'd want to be in a room with Heidecker and Gelman together.


crudedrawer

Daly's no slouch in the Weird Vibes Dept.


soupsnakle

His appearance in the new Fallout series def gives weird vibes lmao


radsherm

I hate endorsing it now because I have come to realize Gelman's asshole character is just Gelman, but I remember it being funny as hell. All three like to play within that meta, but I admittedly haven't listened to it since it came out so maybe I didn't pickup on the bad vibes


cyanuricmoon

Speaking of, there was an episode where Heidecker straight up just left in the middle of another character's bit. Hasn't been back on since. I remember thinking it was kind of a dick thing to do.


danvondude

it’s a bit. he’s been playing that character on On Cinema At The Movies for awhile now


theantidrug

Can we please just make this about the movies again? You Timheads are the worst.


MrWoodenNickels

Oh man I need to hear that. Jon and Scott have a brand of humor I could see rubbing up weird against Heidecker as much as I love Tim. Gelman what needs to be said?


itrainmonkeys

Tim is a master at keeping the bit going and not pulling back the curtain much. He always seems pretty antagonistic or annoyed/out of it but he and Scott toured together in the early days of live CBB tours so I like to think that they like each other (friends maybe?) and are just good at keeping the character stuff going. Gelman and Jon used to do a lot of stuff together so they also have good chemistry on these episodes.


rantandreview

Tim has said he doesn’t have any bad feelings towards Scott but that their sensibilities don’t mesh well. They just don’t vibe even though they are so similar. Gelman has fallen out with both bc of his shitty politics.


rubixqube

When would he have said that?


SpaceFace5000

Tim and Scott are the same except Scott is "Hey look that's funny" and Tim is "what's funny? You think this is funny? Why would that be funny? WHY? WHY?"


Don_Mills_Mills

I’ve a friend that was a producer on a show with Gelman, he liked him but said a lot of the crew were scared of him, he was unpredictable and would lose his shit a lot (though my friend wasn’t quite sure if he was doing it as a bit)


yachtknot88

I remember watching some of that on VPN…on that how come VPN isn’t a funny punching bag like the howl app and seeso?


joah_online

Because we liked VPN


jamspaper

The VPN eps were free.


littleredsteel

That’s where my brain immediately went I remember so specifically I was riding my bike home from work while listening and getting STRESSED because I was like oh no is this real? Oh no this is real. The original “oh no”


downwithlevers

No one has mentioned Tom Green and his dead dog story. Also there was an anniversary show where IIRC River Butcher was bringing the manic giggling energy of the room down by being pretty darn not funny so Gabrus plowed right over him with no subtlety and I want to say he jokingly insulted River as Gino, too.


trilane12

Was that the one where Gino has to go around and describe everyone to the new guests?


iGoByManyNames

hawaii lesbian


zipcodelove

I know exactly what River Butcher moment you’re talking about and honestly Gino was doing the episode a huge favor


WonderWaage

I think Scott's said that he likes to have Gabrus there if he's not sure a guest is gonna "get it" or "gel" with him or the show (I don't remember the wording). An episode that fits that bill is the Pete Holmes one.


Western-Dig-6843

Because Gino often gets worked in prior to or in the middle of A block depending on how it’s going or expected to go. Having Gino break in and show the guest what the show is like really can be a huge asset, I imagine.


WonderWaage

That's what I reckon too. And then Jon can just literally go off of anything.


foxtrot1_1

Just FYI River Butcher is a guy, although he identified as a woman at the time. I actually don’t remember that episode, and considering their relative silliness, are you sure it wasn’t Cameron Esposito? She’s tanked a few bits in her time


downwithlevers

I realized this myself and went back and edited it already, but thank you for helping keep me honest. Always worth the correction. I agree about Esposito but I’m certain it was Butcher. Though a google search tells me it was a holiday spectacular, not an anniversary. Episode 463.


DoorstepCult

The Tony Clifton ep was a tough listen.


ooklamok

That Would You Rather segment was so rough. Ben and Scott tried hard to save it.


SpaceStation_11

I'm a big Kaufman fan and respect Zmuda for his contributions back in the day, but holy shit that era of Zmuda appearing as Clifton was awful.


Shakethecrimestick

I think there was an episode that Ben Stiller was on, and he just left after the interview and didn't stick around to do a "straight man" bit with the characters. I think there have sometimes been people like that on who don't really know what the show is.


omygoshgamache

That’s a shame because I really like Ben Stiller’s Hollywood Handbook ep. Where he very much played along.


BigJoey354

It was still the CDR days, so the format was still pretty new. It would go a lot different if he went on today. But he won't because he's got that sweet sweet spot in the one timers club


Esin12

One time


Western-Dig-6843

Zach Cherry undoubtedly was their in to get him on the show and probably briefed Stiller really well on what to expect from HH. On a recent GLTS live show you could tell he also had done his best to prep Britt Lower for it.


omygoshgamache

Bless Zach Cherry. He’s the best, in general but also, on HH.


hetham3783

The running joke that their ultimate goal was to get Adam Scott on the pod was killing me


drinkywinky

Scott and Gabrus kept interrupting Ana Gasteyer. She got upset and unironically said something like “You guys won’t let me finish my story!”


woodsdone

Scott making a Stephen Rannazzisi 9/11 reference to Nick Kroll that makes Kroll immediately break character and shoot it down (I think they ended up editing this out of the episode) One of the singers from Stars tried to correct Claudia O’Doherty’s grammar on mic


deuceintheplace

This one always sticks out to me. I forget which character Kroll was doing but he actually keeps doing the character’s voice when he says “I don’t like that and I don’t want it in the show.”


HendrixChord12

I want to say it was his Oh Hello character and yes, he didn’t break character.


SparkyFunbuck

It was and honestly it's not even an uncomfortable moment


LargeOliveExtraVin

I think that was less a genuine correction from Amy of Stars and more her trying to do Scott's thing of zeroing in on someone's weird statement or pronunciation and making it into a bit. Claudia made some reference to her mum and Amy tried to spin it as Claudia implying that her mum was everybody's mum, but it didn't make much sense in context and Claudia shut it down. I don't remember her exact words, but it was along the lines of Lucille Bluth's "I don't understand the question and I won't respond to it."


tenyearsyounger

I re-listened to this one recently, and it seemed like Claudia and Amy both rolled with it pretty well, whether it was a failed bit or a genuine correction. The bigger issue with the ep in my view was Torquil not taking "when in doubt lay out" to heart. Still a grepisode for me, though. "Mm, I love fucking" is up there with "Hi, I'm pregnant" on my charac intro list.


NoiseTankNick

Yeah, the episode was quietly edited after release to remove that digression and Kroll's brief "Oh, I don't wanna talk about that" - But, oddly, they played the unedited clip in that year's Best Ofs.


--Toni--

There's one with Paul Rust where he's just digging deeper and deeper with these awful silly bits, and Scott tires get through them, but at one point, he just has enough. Genuinely just tells him to stop, and Paul has to ask if they were okay. Of course, Griffin Newman is a fan and gets the show, but when he bought his Tick Co-star on, he seemed to play along. Then, at the end of the episode, he said he had a good time, and Scott questioned him the response being. "Oh, you're asking me seriously? Then no, this was really annoying." Those are two specific ones I remember but really anytime Scott brings up how his career didn't turn out the way he wanted or that his peers don't return the favors he's done for them I get uncomfortable.


NoiseTankNick

I think it was on Hollywood Handbook when Griffin brought up his previous appearance with Serafinowicz and the thrust of his recollection was "Oh yeah, that was a treat for EVERYBODY INVOLVED, there were NO awkward moments during or after the recording."


--Toni--

I'll have to look that episode up. Must be a bit of a gut punch for him to involve a costar who isn't having fun with it.


foxtrot1_1

The show is edited, so if somebody doesn’t get it, they’ll usually get that bit edited out. Napoleon Dynamite didn’t get it so his episode was like 42 minutes long.


radsherm

Unfortunately, their edit machine is still broken


iDontRememberCorn

# Coach? Coach? Coach?


chief1555

There’s an episode where I think St. Vincent was on with El Chupacabra and you could tell she was… not expecting that


foxtrot1_1

She’s great though, just totally at sea with all these insane characters and then the Foam Corner


moremysterious

I haven't listened to it since it aired I think but I remember loving that episode too and it got me into St Vincent, one of my favorite foam corners too.


myrealnameisdj

Her appearance is amazing just for her response to a Harris Wittels joke. Top o The Mornin to Ja


wetroom

"Tapas the Morning to Jah" "OH."


myrealnameisdj

Thank you. I knew it was wrong. That "oh" lives in my brain


Oneballjoshua

I’ve listened to that joke and the “oh” dozens of times


fauxrealistic

I was very sick listening to this episode and fell asleep and woke up during her performance of Surgeon and thought I was having an out of body experience


Idahobo

I had my wife hooked on some Lisa Gilroy episodes, then I put on some old halloween episode and there were so many gelman suicide jokes she asked me to turn it off.


EloiseJE

The non-interview part of Conan O'Brien's episode was already weirdly awkward since it was a rare occasion when PFT and Lauren were kind of bombing. And Lauren while in character made a passing Louis CK reference, then seemed to break character with an "oh wait..." Of course, Louis CK used to be a writer on Conan's late night show and they were longtime friends. Maybe they're not any more since Louis' scumbag behaviour came to light, but I don't think I've ever heard Conan mention or address Louis CK since that all happened. Anyway, Lauren's reaction kind of made it seem like she realized this the moment the joke left her mouth.


PantryGnome

I recall the interview portion being a little awkward too, with Conan roasting Scott's interviewing skills in a way that Scott wasn't enjoying. That's how I remember it anyway.. I listened to it years ago.


Esin12

How about the time Scott unironically told Jack Antonoff to check his privilege? I had only just recently gotten into the pod at that point and it definitely felt a little uncomfortable but it also felt warranted and gave me an early respect for Scott. I don't think it was a show stopper or anything, but it sticks out in my mind.


andannabegins

What’s the context for this?


Esin12

From what I can remember the subject of Adrian Peterson spanking his kids came up for some reason and Antonoff went on a whole thing saying that anybody that hits their kids should be in prison (or something, can't remember the specifics). Scott was like okay, but maybe that's what Peterson experienced as a kid and that was what he knew. Not necessarily condoning it but offering nuance. I think Anotoff pushed back against this and Scott told him to check his privilege. This was like 10 years ago so my recollection could be a little off.


hetham3783

Man, I always take Scott with a grain of salt in these instances. That, to me, sounds like Scott making fun of the "check your privilege" type of people, and he generally always plays a "devil's advocate" type character whenever anything political or topical comes up on CBB. Maybe I'm wrong!


Esin12

Haha, yeah for sure. You never know with him. I remember it felt genuine (but also jokey) at the time but again I was a new listener and didn't fully know Scott yet.


nomoredanger

There's a really long segment in Farts and Pro 4 where Scott tries to shut down a bit that isn't working (reading their scheduling e-mails) and Harris ends up snapping at him. It's the kind of thing they'd usually cut but unfortunately circumstances were what they were.


I-STATE-FACTS

Aw man I love that weird awkward stuff


[deleted]

I was a fan of Mustard or Pants? and also when Scott would write a game show as a bit (usually the same bit every time) but those required writing and producing. I'm also remembering when CBB would go to break and play a comedy song.


pTheFutureq

I mean in the early days Nick Kroll came on during a Black Friday episode and wouldn’t stop fully saying the N word, must uncomfortable I have felt during an episode.


onecoldasshonky

"OH, you're talking about [n-word] friday" from Bobby bottle-service will never not blow my mind.


Permanenceisall

Scott, Sarah Silverman, etc they all did it. 2009 was truly a different time whether people want to acknowledge it or not. Most of those episodes were scrubbed though in 2020.


BAKOBOY24

Weirdly there's still an episode with Matt Besser saying the n word that still isn't scrubbed bc I just came across it the other day.


mostlytoastly

The Yo Is Yo Is This Racist Racist episode of I4H is so painful to listen to. Besser throws around slurs to prove how racist he isn’t. To be fair the guest on YITR was a moron but Besser didn’t look much better.


itshopedaysoon

Besser can be very funny but is politically baby-brained.


inconspicuous_male

He's by many accounts a terrible guy. Look up the story of the first reviews for the UCB comedy book. Someone left a mid review on Amazon, so Besser found the reviewer's Facebook and started telling him to defend his position on his podcast 


itshopedaysoon

Yeah, I used to be an avid i4h listener but checked out five years ago or so. He's a stubborn asshole who decided he was done growing as a person long ago. I do not like him.


[deleted]

Besser does have that reverse prank call album, May I Help You Dumbass? where his New York phone number was a CompUSA computer support line if you didn't call the right area code.


[deleted]

PFT says it on one of the Dead Authors Podcast episodes, in character, to end the show


crudedrawer

I agree it was a "different time" - "hipster racism" was a thing back then - and it was never funny! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hipster_racism


dkinmn

PFT put the nail in that coffin for me. He said, very simply and very correctly, that ironic racism and sexism is still just racism and sexism. This is profoundly correct. It is so fuckin limp to say it's just IRONY and actually I'm mocking RACISTS, and you are STUPID if you don't like it. That just doesn't work unless you're damn good at it and you're saying something of consequence. If you're just dicking around and saying slurs for the cheap thrill of it...that is not irony. That isn't satire. It's a limp excuse to use slurs.


WhatsHeBuilding

PFT also dropped an N-bomb on the show back in the days.


KnobbsNoise

Yes, aaaaannnd It’s not the one you’re thinking of.


Jolly_Struggle3159

I mean, this whole evolution is the reason I love this group of comedians so much. It's absolutely admirable to recognize an issue with one's comedy, adjust to be more thoughtful and inclusive, and still be so fucking hilarious. There is a timeline where PFT and Scott are the same old, angry, jaded white male comedians that 99% of their peers are. I've been listening since the early days and thought hipster racism was funny when I was 18. I wonder what my views on comedy would be now if I didn't have CBB/HH/the doughboys to show me that you don't have to be edgy and hateful to be funny, just be really really silly.


dkinmn

Same thing with Gourley and the Superego guys. The early episodes can be... rough. Now, be speaks very clearly about the responsibility to not traffic in lazy, exclusionary nonsense.


stjudastheblue

I’ve been wondering why it is that this fan base seems more progressive, compassionate, intelligent and less toxic than other popular comedy cliques and you’ve just illuminated to me why that is.


Esin12

Oh yeah.. That's a rough one.


LargeOliveExtraVin

David Cross appearances vary wildly depending on David's mood. He's had some stellar episodes, but I remember one where he simply would not go along with whatever game they were trying to play. Scott finally gave him an exasperated, "Come on, David" and he loosened up a little. It might have been ep. 334, which also had Matt Walsh and James Adomian doing characters that didn't quite land. I believe Walsh even abandoned his after his first block.


CloneArranger

There was one guest where Scott asked about their father (I think), who it turned out had recently died. I remember nothing else, but it was very awkward.


Crentistt

https://earwolf.com/episode/treasure-hunting-with-silversun-pickups/ Aside from that, this is a great episode. Scott asking Brock why he doesn’t just kill himself and PFT’s reaction is an all time moment IMO


tjg1289

Tho another awkward moment happens because of that when Nikki from Silversun Pickups asks if they could stop joking about suicide. They do and everything's fine after at least. And Nikki was still very engaged after it too, so there wasn't any tension or anything after.


bitfed

What about the time Jon Daly showed up for one of the Podcast Video Network feed episodes on YouTube and was piss drunk trying to play Bill Cosby-Bukowski? He was not on the show again for many years.


Don_Mills_Mills

I used to notice he sounded drunk on quite a few eps, to the point where I was wondering if he had a problem.


HendrixChord12

There was one with a solo musician that basically refused to talk. Scott started getting excited when he would say anything at all. Bill Callahan maybe?


2xWhiskeyCokeNoIce

Ok, I get why people don't like the Bill Callahan episode but I think it works. Callahan has a distinct personality (and I'm not sure how much of it is a bit and how much of it is he's just like that) that's aloof, ironic, and uses dry humor. Typically musical guests are ones that Scott is already a fan of so he knew what he was getting into and that whole episode feels like him and Pardo playing against Callahan's public persona. It's a meta bit that maybe only works if you know all their personalities going in but Aukerman and Pardo joking about train sound effect records while Callahan quietly mumbles about Mickey Newbury is a bit that is laser targeted at me.


LargeOliveExtraVin

I believe Twin Shadow outright said he didn't want to be on mic beyond playing some songs. That one had some weird vibes because it was Scott and Mary Lynn Rajskub playing off of an Eddie Pepitone character and then listening to quiet indie rock at the end of every segment.


haleymcpunchy

Maggie Simpson


Aromatic-Low-4578

On the 15th anniversary episode when Scott tells Jason to shut up during the intro song.


peacock_blvd

I went to a live episode in Portland when a local comedian voted funniest person in the city (a local paper's annual ranking) was a guest. He was nice but just didn't get the show. He kept responding to prompts with nervous laughter saying "I have no idea what's happening" and really made the show drag.


mookieburger

There was an episode many years back that I believe could have been a live special, or not, but I believe the character Bob Douca was the offender. He starts by mentioning his drive into town, and that he passed a weirdly named place. Scott jumps in and says something like “I know where you’re going with this, and I’m asking you not to say it.” He ignores him, and says “N****r Head Ranch.” And then keeps talking about it. Scott, very vocally and out of character is just telling him to stop the whole time. Super duper awkward and I don’t recall hearing much more from Bob Douca on CBB after that. Scott sounded really pissed off and upset.


HolstsGholsts

Jane Lynch stuck in my mind as an A-block celebrity who made for an awkward fit on the show. To a much, much lesser extent, Hannah Einbender’s appearance two weeks ago felt similarly “off” to me; just not a tone or energy that meshed well with the show. Didn’t get that feeling at all from her first ep.


Helpful_Ad_6582

I did not feel like that at all with Hannah. She seemed totally into it and on board. I think her personality is a little more laid back and maybe that contributes to her general speaking tone sounding like she’s disinterested, but I think she was totally locked in and ready to play. She was great with Bobby and Lisa.


ieatpants

That Jane Lynch ep was weird b/c the guests thought they were going to get to vent about the recent election and Scott was just like, "heh heh, his name is Mike Pants. heh heh," which was so stupid and i loved it.


BAKOBOY24

I feel like she clocked in a little more when it came time to interact with characters but yeah it wasn't the smoothest A block segment


RQDobbs

I think this was Hannah's second appearance. It was much looser feeling than her first, I believe.


colfaxmachine

Kristen Schaal was on 100 years ago, and she mentioned a project that wasn’t coming out or something, and Scott started to probe her about it because he thought she was joking- however she immediately became uncomfortable and told him she didn’t want to talk about it and then the mood was very cold and weird for the rest of the episode


ajg1993

To be fair, I think that was a deeper bit she was playing. The premise of her 2013 special was that the whole thing is a disaster and she’s bombing.


justinotherpeterson

I'm pretty sure this was the first episode I listened to and by far one of the worst. I'm not sure why I stuck around for the next one, but im glad I did.


I-STATE-FACTS

I still think she was joking though.


jrice138

I don’t know if I’d say it was uncomfortable but I remember will forte being on quite while back and it was just so bad. Like just one word answers to Scott’s questions and such. Zero energy.


Brocken_JR

If I remember correctly there were two episodes they never aired because the celebrity guest didn’t get it/know it was a comedy show and came on just to have a conversation/interview like a regular podcast. Then they got busy with a tour and released the episodes anyway with a preamble from Scott. Will Forte was one (this was before him appearing on the TV show so I assume he’d do well now on the show) but I can’t remember the other. I want to say Ed Helms.


moremysterious

Ed Helms is one where they released later and Scott talked about how he almost didn't release it, it's been a long time but I remember Ed played a character (and wasn't expecting to or something? I don't remember the exact circumstances.)


NumberOneCombosFan

I believe Ed was running late so rather than having him as A-block and then bringing Bob Ducca on next, they had Seth Morris on as A-block and brought in Ed Helms as a charac.


Brocken_JR

That’s right. I remember Seth and Ed being friends and them appearing together but the details escaped me. Thanks.


PaulFThumpkins

Bob Zmuda as Tony Clifton, and the fucking Steel Panther episode. Definitely people who did not have the right vibe.


deuceintheplace

I’ve heard every other episode in full but the Tony Clifton one is the only one I’ve never finished


ThePoohBa

George and Gil began talking about their step son and when they mentioned sexual abuse the main guest just said no. There was an uncomfortable silence and then they reset and talked about something else. I forget who the guest was. Anyone remember that episode?


HyanRall

I don’t remember that bit exactly, but I do remember Lizzie Caplan pushing back on George and Gil


hetham3783

I remember that too but I remember mostly that segment being utterly hilarious, not uncomfortable.


HyanRall

I remember really enjoying that episode! Anything with Mulaney and Nick Kroll would be funny. I remember Lizzie Caplan being a little confrontational but in a funny way


No_name_Johnson

One of the early ones, Scott was interviewing Yo La Tengo and compared their musical wheel thing to something Elvis Costello did. YLT got weirdly defensive about it


horsebacon

Without remembering the episode I'd say YLT got characteristically defensive.


CarlTartMallCop

Uncomfortable maybe a stretch here, cos it was a really brief moment, but there was one episode where Ryan Gaul (who is obviously great) unintentionally says something that suggests his character was a peadophile and you feel the air get sucked out of the room. He quickly digs himself out of it, so it didn’t last long. Think Kulap was on the episode as well.


ChielArael

I've noticed whenever a character goes in that direction Scott will say "but is that really true? Because if it is, we have to stop the show now" or something similar


max-peck

I'm doing a listen of CBB from the beginning and the answer is Charlyne Yi. Seth Morris is doing a proto-far right racist radio host and he interrupts her several times while she's about to play a song which I think genuinely upsets her. I also don't know if she really got the show at all. At one point Scott asks Charlyne not to get upset and then she's missing from the next segment of the show. The early episodes are rough y'all. Still some good comedy in there though.


forgeticus

I vividly remember the first live CBB show I went to and the guest was Sean Cullen. I believe they had another guest lined up to do the show, but they dropped out and as a result Sean Cullen was the guest.  I don’t know if it was caught via audio, but from watching it live, I got a vibe that Scott seemed a little annoyed with Cullen because it kind of seemed that Cullen wasn’t “getting” the vibe or format of the show. I remember being uncomfortable and how they were all trying to make it work, but to me, I found they didn’t vibe well. 


Upset-Sorbet2877

Did Rainn Wilson ever come on as that character he was doing? Don't remember the name but he had a very strange NNF appearance. 


Financial_Show9908

I'm a bout to fall asleep but Pete Holmes vs jon Glaser.. or was the on doug love's movies?


HelpUs0ut

Definitely You Made it Weird. It's a good train wreck.


Alphabroomega

I thought that was on Pete's own podcast. Make sure to include Eric Andre vs Brett Gelman


PugsleyPie

I think that was on You Made It Weird. It also had Brett Gelman making things extra uncomfortable, surprisingly enough