The Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump: The Scriptures of Old and a Prophecy of Things to Come
Revisiting a landmark night for comedy and politics
The year is 2011. The 11th season of The Apprentice is airing on NBC to an audience of near 8 million viewers. Donald Trump has been a fixture on NBC for years with his dramedy game show that made him a likable pop culture icon.
Likable? Believe it or not my friends, there was a time when Donald Trump was the primary alternative to Chef Gordon Ramsay’s insult laden foul-mouthed kitchen chef routine (Ramsay > Trump wasn’t even a debate for me). Trump was a reality television character whose traits consisted of being rich and having a popular catchphrase you and all your friends did an impression of. Trump’s name was synonymous with money, and many rappers would reference Trump among their rhymes about wealth.
Trump was never a saint, which goes without saying. The entire library of jokes that late night TV show hosts make about the sitting president have existed for decades. The shady business practices, the lawsuits, racism, the fondling of young models, the failed business ventures, were all attached to the Trump name. But in the early 2010’s Charlie Sheen was a symbol of stardom. Crazy celebrities sold magazines.
