Last Comic Standing 2014 performer Ben Kronberg made a name for himself on the premiere episode of the NBC show.
Probably not the way he hoped. His performance rubbed the judges the wrong way, especially Last Comic Standing 2014 judge Roseanne Barr. Ben Kronberg and Roseanne Barr exchanged heated words after the comic’s performance. Roseanne even told the comic to “go f*ck himself.”
In case you missed Ben Kronberg’s performance on Last Comic Standing 2014, here’s how it all went down.
Ben Kronberg is an established comic, who even had a Comedy Central special, but the brash moment elicited outrage from viewers and fans of Last Comic Standing 2014. The moment even inspired a trending #GoFuckYourselfBen hashtag and meme on social media.
Last Comic Standing 2014 contestant addresses incident
As with any reality show, large chunks of footage hit the cutting room floor. Ben himself address the whole issue in an interview with The Comics Comic. Here’s his side of the odd incident.
What’s the real version? What else did we not see?
“I’ll fill in the blanks for sure. I asked the judges if they noticed the applause break my disrespectful first joke got. Then I actually asked the audience if they thought my first joke was funny? They cheered. I THEN asked: ‘Or did you agree with Roseanne?’ They cheered. If they would have left all that in, it would show too much hypocrisy and not enough drama I think. She called me arrogant and I said my mom always told me to be confident onstage. They didn’t include that part, to my mother’s dismay. They also referred to my old joke opener as something someone did on a LCS a couple nights before. I said I didn’t see that show or was at it to know, plus I had done that joke on my Comedy Central Half Hour blah blah…So when Keenen called me gimmicky, I couldn’t help but tit that tat. I said, ‘This show is gimmicky, is it not?’ Then the audience gasped and ummmmmed. That’s about when Roseanne told me: ‘Go fuck yourself!’ I couldn’t believe it. And neither could the other judges. It was surreal for sure. Like a real connection had been made. I ruffled America’s favorite mom’s feathers. I felt like Darlene must have felt so many times. Then I’m pretty sure soon after that, JB shuttles me off (he is awesome by the way) and as I’m walking off, Roseanne flips me off. It was hilarious and shocking. I’m glad I didn’t flip her off or they would have used that.”
The entire interview with Last Comic Standing 2014 contestant Ben Kronberg is a fascinating read. Let’s hope tonight’s episode is just as solid as the premiere.
NEXT: 10 funniest jokes from the ‘Last Comic Standing’ season premiere