For those unfamiliar with the idea of a Comedy Central roast, I should tell you up front that it has nothing to do with cooking food. No, as tempting as that is, the "roast" I'm referring to is a rather special affair. One celebrity — often with a very interesting public persona or long career in entertainment — is elected to be the center of a "roasting," wherein other famous faces get to hurl some sick burns at the celebrity being honored. This time around, it was Rob Lowe's turn to be roasted. Among those chosen to roast him was notoriously conservative political commentator Ann Coulter. While Coulter has no clear connection to Lowe, all reports ahead of the airing of The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe say that Coulter herself became an unwitting target of the fellow roasters. But why was Coulter even there if she has no discernible connection to Lowe?
When interviewed for Variety, Lowe enlightened us as to why she was invited along: "I think the best daises are the daises that have people where you’re like, ‘What the f**k?’ You need every flavor to make these things go right and cut them all together for a show," he said. It's worth mentioning that it's not uncommon for unrelated celebrities to get invited to another's roast special (previously, Shaquille O'Neal roasted Justin Bieber on the latter's special). Yet the choice of Coulter was a very calculated move on Comedy Central's part. Coulter has often drawn ire for her political views. As a staunch conservative, to be thrust into a group of a ostensible Hollywood liberals meant that the only outcome was to steal some of Lowe's thunder. It's genius casting but it meant that Coulter has some roasty fastballs thrown her way over the course of the evening.
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So while Lowe and Coulter may have no real connection, Coulter was definitely unable to keep a low profile during Lowe's special evening. Coulter bore the significant brunt of roasting, receiving cutting one-liners from Peyton Manning, Jewel, Pete Davidson, Rob Riggle, and the evening's roastmaster, David Spade. The insults are pretty colorful, though. I won't post them here but if you're curious, head over to The Hollywood Reporter to see just what kind of zingers got lobbed at Coulter.
She, amazingly, took it all in stride. After enduring some serious slings and arrows, she opened her set by quipping, "I'd like to welcome everyone to the Ann Coulter roast with Rob Lowe," then proceeding to return those roasts in kind. For those unprepared to be put in the hot seat, especially during such a tough environment like a Comedy Central roast, Coulter held up surprisingly well. When you further consider she had no real connection to Lowe, her willingness to participate is equal parts curious and amusing. Whatever the reason, you have to admit it makes for some great entertainment.
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Lowe's Comedy Central roast was indeed a notable occasion. Not only was it he who got put on the proverbial spit and roasted, it was the one guest he suspected would really set the room on fire. As she is often wont to do, Coulter got tongues wagging during the evening's proceedings; now it appears we'll still be talking about this infamous appearance long after the special has aired, if only because of her rarefied appearance.
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