‘Last Comic Standing’ judge Roseanne says she would have won the show in her day

via NBC

 

Last Comic Standing judge Roseanne Barr is confident she would have won the competition if it aired when she was in the prime of her career.

Last Comic Standing did well for NBC in the ratings last week. The show, returning after a four year hiatus, chose its first ten contestants last week. This Thursday, ten more stand-up move on to fight for the title of Last Comic Standing champion.

Last Comic Standing judge Roseanne Barr did an interview with ChicagoPride.com about the new season, her fellow judges Keenan Ivory Wayans and Russell Peters, the stand-ups she’s seen during her time as a judge and the changing face of stand-up comedy compared to the 1980s.

“Becoming a judge on this show and seeing people who are saying and writing jokes that I’ve never heard before,” Roseanne told ChicagoPride, “It’s kind of exciting. I’ve never heard these premises in so many of my favorite comics who are competing. I’ve never heard this particular kind of writing. It’s very brave and it’s cool. So that brought me back into comedy. I went to the Comedy Store and saw these incredible comedians. I have never seen anything like it. I feel really old. It’s a whole different world.”

Naturally, the interviewer asked Last Comic Standing judge Roseanne Barr how she would have done if she were a contestant on Last Comic Standing when she first broke into comedy. The Last Comic Standing judge former star of the biggest sitcom on the planet was honest as always.

“I would have won. In fact I did win the Denver Laugh Off, which propelled my career. I did a number of other un-televised comedy contests. I think I would’ve really worked really hard. That’s what I like about these comics because they’re prepared. I wouldn’t become part of any contest unless I was really prepared and thought I could win. That’s what I think we have here. We’re seeing who’s prepared and who isn’t prepared.

That’s the most exciting part to me. But, of course I have to say I would’ve won.”

It’s hard to argue Roseanne’s logic but here’s a little wrinkle in her logic. Winning local comedy competitions is impressive but Last Comic Standing would have been a national show. Huge comics from all over the country would have auditioned, just like today, but comedy in those days included not-yet-household names like Jerry Seinfeld, Ray Romano, Eddie Murphy, Andrew Dice Clay and Bill Hicks to name just a few. The competition would have been obscene.

Still, Roseanne would have been a strong front runner.

NEXT: The 10 funniest jokes from the ‘Last Comic Standing’ premiere

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Chris Illuminati is a 5-time published author and recovering a**hole who writes about running, parenting, and professional wrestling.