Craig Ferguson

CBS Airs Feminist Rock Star's Anti-Jesus Song: 'I Wish The Virgin Would've Had An Abortion'
By Tim Graham | July 18, 2014 | 10:45 AM EDT

CBS put on an anti-religion jeremiad early Thursday morning on the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson: a feminist musician who likes “wearing and making something Satanic since music is so not right now.”

Piano-banging rock singer Kristeen Young made her late-night TV debut, accompanied by Foo Fighters stars Dave Grohl and Pat Smear. She sang the song “Pearl of a Girl” that criticizes Islam, Judaism, and Christianity, but most gratuitously proclaims about Jesus “I wish the virgin would’ve had an abortion.” [See video below. MP3 audio here.]

Open Thread: Why Craig Ferguson Loves America
By NB Staff | April 29, 2014 | 10:55 AM EDT

Yesterday, CBS Late Late Show host Craig Ferguson announced he would leave his program at the end of the year. This was not completely surprising given that he was passed over for promotion to the Late Show in favor of Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert.But what impresses us about the Scottish-born Ferguson is his deep pride and love for his adopted home country. [Plus there's that time he called Richard Wolffe out for liberal bias.]

Ferguson has repeatedly spoken warmly of his love for the United States, which, after all compelled him to become an American citizen as well as to write his autobiography, "American on Purpose." So we thought we'd include a video of an interview Ferguson had with Borders Presents a few years back. You'll want to skip ahead to 4:21 for the relevant portion. Leave your comments on this or any thing else on your mind in the comments section for this today's open thread post.

Keith Olbermann Booed for Making Fun of Al Gore
By Noel Sheppard | August 10, 2013 | 11:42 AM EDT

Keith Olbermann on Friday was booed for making fun of Al Gore.

Potentially even funnier, this happened moments after CBS’s Craig Ferguson mocked Olbermann for owning “a little dog that fits in your purse as you go around to your outspoken liberal meetings” (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

Howard Stern to Jimmy Fallon: ‘How You Got The Tonight Show I Don't Know. You Barely Beat Craig Ferguson’
By Noel Sheppard | June 18, 2013 | 10:27 AM EDT

Shock jock Howard Stern really laid into Jimmy Fallon on NBC’s Late Night Monday.

Talking about Fallon replacing Jay Leno, Stern said, “How you got the Tonight Show I don't know. You barely beat Craig Ferguson.”

‘Late Late Show’ Host Ferguson to Bill Maher: You're Controlled by the Democratic Party
By Noel Sheppard | June 5, 2013 | 10:34 AM EDT

This is beyond delicious.

On the CBS Late Late Show Tuesday, host Craig Ferguson accused Bill Maher - to his face! - of being controlled by the Democratic Party (video follows with transcribed highlights and commentary):

Kurtz on Why Late Night Comics Rib Romney More: 'Obama Is Just Not That Easy To Ridicule'
By Noel Sheppard | November 4, 2012 | 3:38 PM EST

As NewsBusters reported Wednesday, late night comedians make fun of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney more than twice as much as they do Barack Obama.

CNN's Howard Kurtz defended this on Sunday's Reliable Sources saying, "Obama is just not that easy to ridicule... Whereas jokes about a rich guy with a 1950s lingo -- well, gosh, golly, gee whiz, isn't that hard to make people laugh" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

The Fall Comedy Campaign: Late-Night Comedians Target Romney for Laughs More Than Twice As Much As Obama
By Tim Graham | October 31, 2012 | 8:02 PM EDT

Late-night comedians have a dramatic bias in favor of Barack Obama. Los Angeles Times media reporter James Rainey passed along that The Center for Media and Public Affairs at George Mason University catalogued jokes about public figures told from August 27 to October 3 by Jay Leno, David Letterman, Jimmy Fallon, and Craig Ferguson. (No Kimmel? No Conan?)

The monologues of the top nighttime talk shows have targeted Romney with 148 jokes since the political party conventions this summer, compared with 62 jokes aimed at Obama. Guess whose act tilted the most against Romney?

Kathy Griffin Says She Bashes the Palins to Get Attention from Bill O'Reilly and 'The View'
By Noel Sheppard | December 24, 2010 | 12:46 PM EST

As NewsBusters readers are well aware, vulgarian comedienne Kathy Griffin spends a lot of time bashing the Palins.

On Thursday's "Late Late Show," she told Craig Ferguson, "Half the fun is knowing I will irritate Elisabeth Hasselbeck and then maybe the other ladies at “The View” as well as hopefully Fox News's Bill O'Reilly (video follows with transcript and commentary):  

Ferguson Calls Out Liberal Bias of MSNBC’s Wolffe: ‘Journalist’ is ‘Much the Same Thing’ As ‘Democrat’
By Brad Wilmouth | December 9, 2010 | 6:29 AM EST

 As MSNBC’s Richard Wolffe - formerly of  Newsweek - appeared as a guest on Wednesday’s Late Late Show on CBS, after Wolffe conveyed his left-leaning take on the deal to extend the Bush tax cuts, host Craig Ferguson asked, "You’re a Democrat, aren’t you?" as he stared at the MSNBC contributor for comedic effect, inspiring audience laughter.

After Wolffe responded, "I am a journalist," Ferguson smiled and quipped, "Much the same thing, isn’t it?"

Ferguson had turned the discussion to President Obama’s role in the recent tax agreement, and Wolffe asserted that it was "embarrassing" for Obama that he had to break a campaign promise, although the MSNBC political analyst also suggested that doing so was necessary in the current economic climate. He then claimed that the deal limits the ability of the GOP to effectively criticize the President in the future because Republicans "are in bed with him." Wolffe:

For two years, the Republicans have said this guy is a socialist, he’s unacceptable, he's a freak. And now it’s very hard for them to go back and do that because they are in bed with him - not literally - but they’re in bed with him and they’ve made the deal, and he’s now acceptable. He’s acceptable to polite company and Republicans.

After Ferguson argued that Obama can be attacked for breaking a "big" campaign promise, Wolffe continued:

On CBS Talk Show, Robin Williams Joked Pope Will Spend Easter 'Hiding Priests' Instead of Eggs
By Tim Graham | April 2, 2010 | 4:23 PM EDT
[Update, 6 pm Eastern: Video added.]

Liberal comedian Robin Williams waded into Pope Benedict-bashing again on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson – just hours after millions of American Catholics celebrated Holy Thursday and the commemoration of The Last Supper, and in the wee hours of Good Friday morning.

The talk began as Ferguson and Williams talked about how the Scottish ask you which soccer team you favor, which is a roundabout way to ask about religion. They chewed over the phrase "some sort of Catholic," and Williams said: "Some sort of Catholic. Same religion, less pedophilia." Then he kicked into gear:

WILLIAMS: It’s going to be an interesting Easter for the pope. Everyone else is hiding eggs. He’s hiding priests. [In comic voice] ‘Find the pedophile! Find the pedophile! Find the pedophile! Where’s the pedophile? [Gibberish and laughter] Oop! There he is! Here’s a hundred thousand dollars! Replace the pedophile!"

Betty White: Craig Ferguson Wrote Sarah Palin ‘Crazy B*****’ Joke, Larry King Laughs at ‘Good Delivery’
By Brad Wilmouth | March 17, 2010 | 11:15 PM EDT

During an interview on Wednesday’s Larry King Live on CNN, actress Betty White recounted a controversial joke from October 2008 when she called Sarah Palin a "crazy b****" during an appearance on CBS's Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as she pretended to be then-presidential candidate John McCain’s speechwriter for a skit. Her recitation of the line inspired laughter from host King, as he praised the actress as having "good delivery." White also informed King that the line had been written by Ferguson or his writers as it was part of a pre-planned sketch.

Below is a transcript of the relevant portion of the Wednesday, March 17, Larry King Live on CNN, followed by a transcript of the relevant clip of the Late Late Show on CBS from October 2008:

Wolf Blitzer Cracks: Palin Will Provide ‘A Lot of Material’ to Comedian Craig Ferguson
By Brad Wilmouth | August 6, 2009 | 10:16 PM EDT

On Wednesday night’s Late Late Show on CBS, when host Craig Ferguson asked guest Wolf Blitzer of CNN’s The Situation Room if he thought Sarah Palin is "gone" now, Blitzer cracked that Palin would provide Ferguson with "a lot of material" as she will still be active publicly. After the two were talking about whether the CNN anchor sometimes finds something "really funny" while he is doing the news, Ferguson cracked that the former Alaska governor is "quite funny," evoking audience laughter, and asked about her future. Ferguson: "Hey, what about Sarah Palin, talking about "quite funny"? Do you think she's gone? Do you think that's it?"

Blitzer responded: "No, she’s not gone. We’ll be seeing a lot of her. She’s going to be writing a book. She’ll be doing speeches. She’ll be on TV. You’re going to have a lot of material. ... If you need material, you’ll have it."

Below is a complete transcript of the discussion of Palin between Blitzer and Ferguson from the Wednesday, August 5, Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson on CBS: