The Roast Of Charlie Sheen On Comedy Central

Comedy Central's Charlie Sheen Roast was great. Bawdy, raunchy, no fear, take no prisoners, adult humor. Guitarist Slash played and accompanied Charlie as he made his entrance. The best part of the roast was that the guest of honor was not the only one feeling the heat. Everyone on the dais took a turn at turning on the burn, not only to Sheen but also to each other, and to roast-master Seth MacFarlane.

Every good party needs a good guest mix and this one was eclectic: Heavy-weight boxing champ Mike Tyson, actors William Shatner, Jon Lovitz, and Kate Walsh, Jackass' SteveO, and comedians Jeffrey Ross, Amy Schumer, Patrice O'Neal and Anthony Jeselnik. All were funny but for my tastes the stand-ups who stood out were Jeffrey Ross, Amy Schumer, and Anthony Jeselnik. Jeffrey Ross was irreverently resplendent in a wacky Khadafi costume, and his timing was effortless. Two words: Ross 'killed'. i'd not seen Amy Schumer prior to the roast but i'm now glad i have. This gal is not just funny, she shoots from the lip with the confidence and accuracy of a sharp-shooter. Anthony Jeselnik was another i'd not had the pleasure of seeing before, but he's got my attention now. Masterfully deadpan funny. Even when he wasn't speaking his sly smile and wicked eyebrow arch had me giggling.


And of course the reason for the gathering, the man of the hour [well actually hour and 38 minutes] was Charlie Sheen. 'The Warlock' 'The Rock-Star From Mars' he of the 'tiger blood' gave as good as he got. At turns amused and amusing, gracious, modest, humble, and all in all a good sport. For me the most touching moments were Charlie's concern about SteveO after an improvised physical bit went awry and Charlie's inter-actions with the roasters as they engaged him. Best example was when Jeffrey Ross was giving some particularly searing skewering and asking "too soon?" or better "too real?" and Charlie gave a wan smile as if to say yes to both but then gestured to indicate he was fine with it. Slash put it best quoting good sport Charlie's take on the funny but brutally honest festivities "it's only words". And it was clear that even the sharpest of those were said with love and admiration.

The Roast Of Charlie Sheen On Comedy Central aired Monday September 19th. Comedy Central will have video and bonus footage of the roast on it's website and the network has scheduled encore airings: Wednesday September 21st 12:30am, Friday September 23rd 12:01am, Friday September 23rd 10:00pm, Saturday September 24th 10:00pm, Friday September 30th 11:00pm Please check your local listings.