BEVERLY HILLS, California—Like Donald Trump, who received the Comedy Central Roast treatment just five years before he was elected president, Alec Baldwin provides plenty of material for comedians to work with. Unlike Trump, Baldwin is capable of laughing at himself.
The actor’s laugh was ever-present Saturday night during the taping of the #BaldwinRoast at the Saban Theatre in Los Angeles, even as comics like Roastmaster General Jeff Ross, Nikki Glaser, Caroline Rhea and Adam Carolla savaged him with punchlines about his controversial past.
Also on hand were more left-field figures like Caitlyn Jenner, Robert De Niro and comedy superfan Blake Griffin. Debra Messing was originally scheduled to roast the presidential stand-in but backed out at the last minute amidst her Twitter feud with Trump.
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As Roastmaster for the evening, Messing’s Will & Grace co-star Sean Hayes kicked off the show with, “They say we only roast the ones we love but tonight we said, ‘Fuck it.’” Later, he added, “Don’t worry, Alec, nothing said tonight will be meaner than what you left on your daughter’s voicemail,” referring to Ireland, who gave an understanding shrug from the audience—and later took the stage as surprise roaster to deliver some jokes that brought down the house.
But before Hayes finished his introduction, he couldn’t help but get in a dig at Caitlyn Jenner. “I can’t believe you’re here,” he told her. “Wow, you’ve got balls, girl.”
Jenner was a favorite target for all of the roasters throughout the night, receiving the most brutal jokes of anyone on the dais.
“You’re a Republican, I don’t know why,” Nikki Glaser said to Jenner during her set. “You’ve already gained control over a woman’s body.”
Calling out Jenner for being a Trump supporter, SNL cast member Chris Redd joked, “You’re like the Auntie Tom of the trans community.”
Blake Griffin, who recently dated Kendall Jenner, noted that Caitlyn completed her gender reassignment surgery just a couple of years ago, “finally confirming that no one in that family wants a white dick.”
“Here’s how fucked up Hollywood is,” Adam Carolla said during his awkward turn at the mic. “Bruce Jenner announces he’s transitioning and everyone applauds. Caitlyn Jenner announces she’s a Republican and everyone’s outraged.” When that didn’t get the laugh he expected, he added, “Cut your dick off: hero. Cut taxes: Hitler,” before going on an angry rant against “Social Justice Warriors” who he predicted would label his jokes “problematic” on Twitter.
And then there was this joke from Robert De Niro: “There’s something different about you, but I can’t put my finger in it.”
When it was Jenner’s time to take the podium, and her revenge, she joked, “Take a good look kids. This is what happens when you eat your Wheaties every morning.”
“While all of you are making these jokes about how I cut ‘it’ off,” she said, “‘it’ made Kylie Jenner, the only self-made billionaire in history.” After explaining that she raised 10 children, and a few more grandchildren on top of that, she added, “I didn’t cut it off, I just retired it. It was done!”
From there, she went on to expertly roast the rest of the dais, including “Kendall’s ex” Blake Griffin, who she said was welcome at her home anytime as long as he knew he was the “second-best athlete in the house.”
Towards the end of her time, Jenner sent a sincere message to the trans community. “If I’m strong enough to sit up here and get ridiculed all night, you can handle anything,” she said. Then came the joke: “Except listening to Adam Carolla’s podcast.”
And to anyone who doesn’t support her community, Jenner said, “You can suck my dick… if you can find it!”
For more, listen to Roastmaster General Jeff Ross on The Last Laugh podcast below:
