The Most Arrogant Talk Show Hosts

The following article includes mentions of sexual abuse and workplace harassment allegations, as well as addiction, suicide, and mental health issues. 

Here's... Johnny! All work and lots of airplay apparently make talk show hosts arrogant boys (and girls). The entertainment industry is notoriously cutthroat, with a fair amount of behind-the-scenes backstabbing going on, but talk show hosts are hardly synonymous with being bona-fide prima donnas. More often than not, it's the talk show guests, rather than the presenters, whose self-conceit dominate the show. Well, these folks apparently didn't get the low-down, as the hosts on this list are allegedly among the most arrogant in the biz and will seemingly step on just about anyone to get what they want.

Throughout the years, the talk show format has spawned countless unforgettable hosts, from the intellectual musings of Dick Cavett to the sillier, slightly inebriated shenanigans of Graham Norton across the pond. What makes the aforementioned presenters so lovable is that they not only appear to genuinely enjoy the company of their guests, but the art of their craft, too. Yet, there are certain hosts who take themselves a tad too seriously and that leads to some very inflated egos indeed — and the following hosts are not-so-shining examples of the latter. While some have been accused of making their shows extended vanity projects to bolster their own image, others have allegedly undermined others by abusing their position of power in shocking ways. 

It's time to turn the tables on these supposed megalomaniacs and give a run-down of the most arrogant talk show hosts.

James Corden is adept at playing the role of the affable Brit out of water, and his tenure on "The Late Late Show" has delighted audiences with iconic segments like "Carpool Karaoke" (who can forget former first lady Michelle Obama bopping with Missy Elliott, for example?). But beneath that cheeky veneer, revelations regarding Corden's supposed arrogance have left some fans astounded.

The dents in Corden's glowing reputation manifested in a 2019 Reddit AMA, wherein several users roasted him for his many alleged indiscretions. That same year, a late-night writer took to Twitter to accuse Corden of attempting to undermine union writers by recommending "a lower pay grade," though Corden denied this, claiming he was advocating for younger talent. Years before this, however, his more controversial behavior was on full display.

When accepting the audience award for "Gavin & Stacey" at the 2008 BAFTAs, Corden came across as wholly ungracious, grumbling (via Metro), "Just out of interest, how can the best comedy performance and programme of the year not be eligible for best sitcom?" Sir Patrick Stewart later castigated Corden for his seemingly rude manner at the 2010 Glamour Awards, declaring, "Don't stand at the back of the stage with your hands in your pockets looking around as though you wished you were anywhere but here." As The Guardian previously paraphrased in 2008, "Corden says he had a confidence problem — too much of it."

With his old-school brand of stand-up comedy, Jay Leno regularly pulled in record viewing figures in the '90s. Legend has it, however, that the longtime late-night host remained at the top via unscrupulous means. When his time on "The Tonight Show" ended in 2009, Leno moved onto his eponymous primetime series, which resulted in a long feud with successor Conan O'Brien. 

The latter was seemingly furious when NBC offered Leno his old 11:30 pm timeslot amid dwindling ratings, while O'Brien was given an ultimatum of either taking the unsociable 1 am slot or getting axed, as reported by TMZ. This meant that O'Brien was effectively robbed of the dream job he'd been long promised by the network, one for which he had moved his family all the way out to New York City. As he joked during one episode of "The Tonight Show" (via CNN), "You can do anything you want in life. Unless Jay Leno wants to do it, too."

While Leno later expressed zero regrets on "Watch What Happens Live," communications professor Jeffrey McCall told the Los Angeles Times that the ensuing controversy resulted in Leno's reputation "getting warped in public ... from that of a fun-loving comedian to a guy who ends up looking like he has a more dark, selfish side." Rosie O'Donnell helped lead the charge against Leno, calling him "the bully on the playground who doesn't want to let go." However, Team Coco had the last laugh, presenting his highly popular TBS show until 2021.

As former host of "The Late Show," David Letterman was once synonymous with the talk show circuit, becoming an iconic figure in late-night entertainment. However, the post-#MeToo era has led to his reputation being sullied by numerous unsavory revelations. In 2019, the extent of Letterman's alleged abuse of power — as his former writer Nell Scovell put it in Vanity Fair — particularly in his admitted interactions with women, was eye-opening. 

As previously reported by the New York Daily News, Letterman allegedly bullied and yelled at both his colleagues and guests. "There comes a moment when he turns on you," an anonymous co-worker claimed. While EP Rob Burnett alleged that Letterman was perpetually moody, writer Eric Stangel claimed that he behaved "like a pervy old man at times" — something which manifested onscreen. Not only did he infamously creep on Jennifer Aniston, sucking on the actor's hair as she squirmed in her seat, before blaming her for the entire ordeal after she expressed her discomfort, but the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Taylor Swift, Janet Jackson, and many others were all subjected to his unreciprocated on-air advances. 

Letterman himself admitted to doing some "terrible" and "creepy stuff" during an episode of "The Late Show," later telling Scovell he finds it "so disturbing" looking back on his on-set behavior. "I'm sorry I was that way. ... I felt horrible because who wants to be the guy that makes people unhappy to work where they're working? I don't want to be that guy. I'm not that guy now. I was that guy then."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

There's seemingly no end to Wendy Williams' WTF shenanigans on her eponymous show. And while fans love her for it, the host is also known to frequently make light of highly-sensitive subjects. 

For instance, when a woman accused Drake of rape in 2018 (which he denied), Williams joked about the accuser's body shape rather than addressed the serious allegations at hand. Three years later, she went viral for going on what BuzzFeed called a "bizarre" rant about TikTok star Swavy, noting that he had more social media followers than her, only to nonchalantly drop the bombshell that he was murdered at the age of 19. With the mystifying segment resulting in major backlash, many viewers accused her of trivializing and reducing his tragic death to social media clout, calling for Williams to be canceled (via Complex).

In addition to being called out for alleged homophobia and ableism, Williams has also been condemned for appearing rude to her guests. In 2020, she seemed bored while interviewing entertainment journalist Chris Witherspoon, at one point telling him to "stop looking" at her, per The U.S. Sun. "This was uncomfortable to watch," one viewer tweeted in part, while others called Williams "disrespectful" and a "spoiled brat."

Responding to ongoing criticism of her more outlandish behavior, Williams told TV Line that "people [have always been] looking to pick and poke. ... And all of a sudden, social media came up and people, they get together and they want to think what they think. All I am is Wendy. That's it."

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

Throughout the years, Bill Maher has perhaps become less known for comedy and better known for his somewhat fearless willingness to embrace opinions that are neither popular nor politically correct. As posited by Jacobin Mag, the controversial talk show host boasts a "distinctly metropolitan smugness that revels in causing offense then greeting the inevitable blowback with caustic superiority." 

For instance, Maher's first show, the aptly titled "Politically Incorrect," was canceled by ABC due to comments he made in the weeks following 9/11. As reported by The New York Times, he went against the consensus of the time by claiming that Americans, as opposed to the terrorists who hijacked the planes, were "cowardly." Maher continued with this approach on HBO's "Real Time," often being accused of expressing anti-Muslim sentiments — famously, he was called out by Ben Affleck for jokingly dismissing Islamophobia in 2014, with the actor branding his views as "gross and racist." Amid allegations of racism, sexism, homophobia, and so on, Maher has perhaps unsurprisingly joined a long line of middle-aged comedians taking aim at so-called "wokeness" and "cancel culture." 2021, for example, saw Maher defend Dave Chappelle's transphobic jokes.

In 2015, Salon lambasted Maher's "arrogant schtick," arguing that his "aggressive brand of atheism ... has gained a strong following among a certain type of self-professed intellectual ... which is pretty funny, given the know-it-all arrogance of the anti-religion big leaguers like Maher himself."

We all love those cute little skits on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," particularly the comedian's scaring celebs stunts, but who knew that beneath her funny pranks and "be kind to one another" brand was an allegedly nightmarish reality behind the scenes? When Kate McKinnon parodied DeGeneres on "Saturday Night Live," the running gag was that the host could do pretty much anything and brush it off with the mantra, "I'm Ellen!" Whether this was a prophecy or yet another joke for the aged-like-milk canon, one thing's for certain: DeGeneres sure annoyed tons of her employees. 

As reported by BuzzFeed, numerous people levied troubling accusations toward DeGeneres and show execs in 2020, including claims of racist microaggressions, belittling staff, and contributing to a toxic work environment. "That 'be kind' bulls**t only happens when the cameras are on," one employee claimed. "It's all for show." The allegations led to an investigation and swift backlash against DeGeneres, prompting a number of her uncomfortable interviews with celebs to resurface, and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" announced it would end its 19-season run in 2022. But those aren't the only troubling claims against the titular host. According to the Daily Mail, a waitress alleged that DeGeneres once tried to get her fired because her nail polish was chipped, saying, "She really went out of her way to try to hurt someone who was beneath her and serving her."

Forbes argued that people overlooked DeGeneres' alleged mean girl behavior due to talk show hosts' typical "passive-aggressive demeanor" while on-air.

As host of "Piers Morgan Live" and "Good Morning Britain," Piers Morgan seemingly made a career out of being disliked by much of the public — and his peers. In a 2014 column for The Times, fellow TV host Jeremy Clarkson lambasted Morgan for "his stupid Twitter boasts about his huge fame and lavish lifestyle," adding that his CNN "show failed because the viewers hated him. Everyone hates him." Ouch.

By March 2021, Morgan's controversial remarks about Meghan Markle resulted in tens of thousands of complaints, leading him to literally walk off the ITV morning show's set and resign. The Guardian branded him "the man who never knew when to stop." Away from the camera, Morgan has been embroiled in some other allegedly shameful improprieties — and we're not talking about his propensity for the more-than-occasional the celebrity Twitter feud.

While Morgan has long denied his involvement, the former editor of the Daily Mirror found himself at the center of the tabloid's celebrity phone hacking scandal in the late 2000s. Fellow TV presenter Jeremy Paxman even alleged to the Leveson Inquiry that Morgan once explained to him in explicit detail how to hack a phone, as reported by The Guardian. While Lord Justice Leveson stated the allegation didn't prove Morgan's involvement, he did add, "What it does, however, clearly prove is that he was aware that it was taking place in the press as a whole and that he was sufficiently unembarrassed by what was criminal behavior that he was prepared to joke about it."

An understated and slickly professional host, Charlie Rose was renowned for his expertly researched interviews on both his titular show and "CBS This Morning." One got the sense that Rose was genuinely invested in his guests, who were the focus of his interviews, as opposed to himself. While not a huge personality in the vein of, say, Jay Leno, Rose's contribution to the talk show medium is undeniable as he remained the antithesis of a larger-than-life TV host.

This reputation made it all the more surprising how apparently audacious Rose was in his alleged entitlement toward women's bodies. As reported by The Washington Post in 2017, eight female employees of the "Charlie Rose" show accused him of sexual misconduct. The former employees alleged, among other things, that Rose frequently exposed himself to women, made "lewd phone calls," gave unwanted shoulder rubs, and engaged in groping. Insider reported that Rose's one-time makeup artist, Gina Riggi, was suing him. "Far from being an advocate for their careers, Mr. Rose treated them as sexual targets, using his power and influence to serve his personal desires," the lawsuit alleged.

Responding to The Washington Post's exposé, Rose admitted to some of the accusations and apologized for his behavior, though he argued that a number of the claims were inaccurate. Subsequently, when TMZ asked Rose to comment on his wrongdoings, he dismissively replied, "It's not wrongdoings," before casually walking away and closing the door on the reporters. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

The notion of "The Jeremy Kyle Show" might seem unfathomable in the current climate. Often compared with the likes of "The Jerry Springer Show," Jeremy Kyle appeared to take the moral high ground on his eponymous tabloidesque series in the UK, when, as argued by The Guardian, he was allegedly attacking the most economically deprived and marginalized people in society "as if decency and compassion are middle-class affectations."

Subsequently, the Independent suggested that Kyle contributed heavily to the demonization of the poor. "Kyle exploited people's genuine problems (which were frequently mental health related) for entertainment, using faux concern and cod psychology to give a paper-thin veil of respectability to the nastiness. Kyle, for his part, was vicious — a pugnacious troll with a God complex," the publication posited.

Indeed, Kyle's frequent targets included the unemployed, young single mothers, and those with substance use issues, as his show appeared to quench viewers' thirst for public shame and ridicule. In a New! magazine column (via the Mirror), singer Kerry Katona called Kyle "an arrogant little t***," claiming that his show was "a vehicle to mock lower class people with no teeth, whose mental health problems aren't always taken seriously." While defenders of the show have noted that Kyle attempted to resolve whatever issues the guests had, albeit in exchange for being verbally lambasted at great length, this controversial technique tragically resulted in the death of a contestant by suicide shortly after filming an episode, effectively bringing the longtime series to an end in 2019.

If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

If you or someone you know is struggling with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline​ at​ 1-800-273-TALK (8255)​.