TV personalities who drew criticism for their on-screen behavior

TV hosts have a challenging job. Not only do they have to be charismatic to draw the crowd, but they also have to watch out for what they say and do on the screen. They have to take care not to slip up or offend the crowd, especially during live shows and interview sessions. Here are some TV hosts who have drawn flak and even lost their jobs for their behavior on television.

Talk show host Ellen DeGeneres used to be one of America’s most beloved TV personalities. Now, Ellen is trying to repair her damaged reputation from the accusations of workplace bullying and harassment behind the scenes of her show. In addition, there are multiple allegations from the public about her less-than-cordial off-screen behavior.

In the midst of the allegations, clips of a 2008 and 2019 segment of ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show’ resurfaced on the internet, and many viewers revisited them for evidence to support the allegations against Ellen.

The Daily Record recalls a 2008 interview by Ellen DeGeneres with Mariah Carey as an example of bullying of an on-screen guest. Vulture states that the singer was pregnant during her interview with Ellen and was not yet ready to announce her pregnancy.

To get a confirmation of the rumors about Mariah Carey’s pregnancy, Ellen DeGeneres attempted to get the singer to drink on TV. Mariah Carey’s refusal of the drink would mean a confirmation that she was pregnant. The segment made Mariah Carey "very uncomfortable," the Daily Record recalls, because she really didn't want to share the news of her pregnancy yet.

Australia’s Channel Nine presenters Sylvia Jeffreys and co-host David Campbell both reviewed and criticized the notorious Mariah Carey interview. The supposed unprofessional behavior on- and off-screen by the American talk show host and comedian has caused Channel Nine to pull Ellen's show from their channel.

In April 2021, CNN reported that Fox News host Tucker Carlson was the target of America’s Anti-Defamation League (ADL). They called for the media company to fire Carlson for "race-baiting" on-air.

CNN notes that Tucker Carlson often championed ‘white replacement theory’ in his appearances on Fox News. The news outlet describes ‘white replacement theory’ as "a racist conspiracy theory that imagines White people are being intentionally replaced by immigrants." The same theory has been championed by political far-right groups and was also cited by the infamous 2017 'Unite the Right Rally' participants in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Due to Tucker Carlson’s repeated mention of ‘white replacement theory’ on Fox News, the ADL considered Carlson’s actions to be promoting white supremacy. Hence, it deemed Carlson unfit and too dangerous to remain on the prominent news platform. New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait has also weighed in on the matter and calls Carlson’s actions "appealing to racists."

It wasn’t the first time that Tucker Carlson has been called out for his ethics on-air. Jon Stewart called out Carlson in 2004 on CNN’s ‘Crossfire’ when Carlson was working at CNN. He accused Carlson and his co-host of "hurting America" with their "partisan hacks," and said that Carson was "doing theater" when he should be "doing debate," Wonderwall reports.

(Image: ViacomCBS Domestic Media Networks, Fox News Media)

In 2015, Emmy-award winner and TV host Rodner Figueroa drew flak for his comments about America’s then-First Lady Michelle Obama. He did so during a live screening of ‘El Gordo y la Flaca.' The Sacramento Bee quoted Figueroa as he likened Michelle Obama to an ape, saying that "Michelle Obama looks like she’s from the cast of Planet of the Apes, the movie."

The next day, Univision quickly released an official statement regarding the matter. It denounced Rodner Figueroa’s actions on the show and swiftly fired the TV host. In the same week, Figueroa released a public apology in an open letter to Michelle Obama, apologizing for his actions while insisting that he is not a racist despite his comment.

From The Independent, British TV host Piers Morgan made a statement regarding Meghan Markle in ‘Good Morning Britain’ in March 2021. Piers Morgan questioned the credibility of Megan Markle’s teary confession during her interview with Oprah. He did so in a live show and drew huge criticism - not only from the public but also from his co-host in the same broadcast.

Reuters reported that Piers Morgan’s comments were read as insensitive and racist, as he dismissed Megan Markle’s account of her experiences of racial prejudice in the British Royal family. After the show’s airing, more than 41 thousand viewers sent in their complaints to Britain’s media regulator. The scandal led to Piers Morgan’s departure from ITV.

In a discussion on ‘Striscia la Notizia’ in April 2021, Italian TV host Michelle Hunziker and her co-host Gerry Scotti mocked Asian accents and made offensive gestures mocking Asian ethnicities, The Independent reports.

(Image: therealhunzigram, gerryscotti on Instagram)

The move was offensive and detrimental to the Chinese population in Italy who were already being unfairly blamed for the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was considered an abuse of media influence by two prominent Italians.  Viewers, therefore, called for the two hosts to apologize for their insensitivity.

(Image: therealhunzigram, gerryscotti on Instagram)

Although not a typical TV personality, Sinead O'Conner shocked the makers and viewers of a live show in 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II in the middle of a 'Saturday Night Live' sketch. The Irish singer-songwriter did this to protest child abuse by the church. The incident caused the singer to face a huge backlash.

The 1992 performance stunned not only audiences, but also the producers of SNL. During rehearsals, Sinead O’Connor had prepared a protest against 'racism' by tearing up a photo of a young Brazilian boy, CNN reports. However, at the last minute she decided to switch from protesting against racism to protesting against "child abuse" in the Catholic Church. The move threw off SNL producers and audience members alike.

Needless to say, Sinead O’Connor offended many believers of the Catholic doctrine with her sketch. The move did not sit well with SNL either. The show blacklisted Sinead O’Connor, banning her from ever appearing on the show again. As she remembered the moment in the Today Show in June 2021, O'Connor said: "I'm not sorry I did it. It was brilliant."

(Image: NBC)

SNL host Joe Pesci took to parodying O’Connor’s infamous protest by piecing together the torn photo of the pope and tearing up a photo of Sinead O’Connor. It was part of SNL’s apology to the audience for the incident. The show would continue to parody the singer years after the incident, with the most notable one being that of Jan Hooks in the "Sinead O’Connor Goodtime Happy Jamboree."

(Image: Warner Bros. and NBC)

As we know now, the allegations against the Catholic church have been confirmed by various revelations and investigations. Looking back now, it's actually Joe Pesci’s and Jan Hooks’ sketches that leave a bad taste in many mouths. Public opinion has increasingly moved towards supporting Sinead O’Connor for her brave protest on SNL.

Another celebrity blacklisted from SNL is Adrien Brody. He got banned from SNL for his infamous 2003 appearance. Despite being a hugely successful and popular actor on the big screen, Adrien Brody was much less so on TV. He had to take a premature exit after his first TV appearance and hosting attempt on SNL.

In his 2003 SNL skit, Adrien Brody donned dreadlocks and spoke in an exaggerated Jamaican accent to welcome Jamaican musical guest Sean Paul. Far Out Magazine reports that the improvised bit did not amuse SNL executive Lorne Michaels at all and that he gave Brody a lifetime ban from SNL.

(Image: 'The Pianist')

The List explains that the improvised donning of dreads and Jamaican pidgin was not only unassuming but also racially offensive to SNL’s viewers. Many have likened the act to the donning of ‘blackface’.