Adult Swim is known for transgressive and abrasive programming that never cares about making viewers uncomfortable. The Eric Andre Show is not only trying to completely alienate its viewers, but it’s also trying to put its guests through a living hell, whether its with awkward questions, gross-out humor or a bunch of different elements.
In its four-season run, the show has maintained its momentum and has used its talk show aesthetic to bring on some of the biggest guests. Andre shows no signs of toning down the antics. To celebrate before the fifth season is out, here are the ten most awkward celebrity interviews on The Eric Andre Show.
Aubrey Peeples
Nashville and Sharknado star Aubrey Peeples had to watch Eric urinate himself in one of the most painful interviews ever. This also included an infamous John Wayne quote that Eric claims Peeples retweeted, at least, according to his notes. That’s funny considering Eric’s note cards are just pieces of hair glued on them. It’s this downward spiral of Hannibal asking genuine questions while Eric is increasingly performing some awful stunt. This perfectly represents the dynamic of the show well.
It ends with Peeples and Eric about to sing a song,only for him to urinate himself as mentioned before.
Jimmy Kimmel
The host of the ABC talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel probably thinks he knows what to expect walking into another talk show. Unfortunately, Andre’s antics are unlike anything he’s dealt with for the last 17 years.
Featuring discussions of bowel movements, chopsticks Hannibal Buress eating a hot pocket in discomfort and a boom mic operator unaware of his surroundings, it’s way crazier than anything a network has put on a late-night show. Also, for some reason, Hannibal insists on checking Kimmel’s hair for lice. The interview concludes with Eric destroying his desk in a frenzy, as always.
Sinbad
Actor and comedian Sinbad has been around since the 1990s. Starring in classics like Good Burger and Jingle All the Way, he has not done as much recently. This early episode of The Eric Andre Show will probably be his most infamous appearance.
The highlight of this interview is the “Wheel of Prizes,” a wheel full of wonderful things that Sinbad could win. The only twist is that it never stops spinning. For over a minute and a half, the wheel never stops spinning. Eric and Hannibal keep shouting out of pure hype, only for Sinbad to stop it on the “Move to North Korea '' space. He mutters, “I’m just going to move to North Korea, that’s it.”
Naturi Naughton
Power star Naturi Naughton’s interview starts weird before the talking even begins. She gets carried onto the stage by two men wearing green morph suits, who are then blended into the background. Eric proclaims he is a virgin and that he’s “saving his virginity for divorce.” After getting shocked by her chair, Hannibal goes on this whole rant about how kale “is on that Matthew McConaughey buzz.”
The ending bit where snakes come out of Eric’s mug on his desk is probably the funniest, as Naughton tries her hardest to stay strong but is clearly scared. Eric chases her out of the room and it ends.
Mel B
Guest drummer for Eric’s in-house band Questlove (of Roots fame) asking if Mel B died is so underrated and funny. The entire thing starts out weird as she and Hannibal are feeding each other Funyuns as Eric is visibly aroused.
Of course, the most noteworthy thing about this interview is when Eric asks the former Spice Girl if Margaret Thatcher had “girl power,” to which she says yes. Eric’s response is priceless, as he says, “do you think she effectively utilized girl power by funneling money to illegal paramilitary death squads in Northern Ireland.” He also asked her to rank her kids.
Stephen Colletti
One Tree Hill’s Stephen Colletti's interview was so awkward, it didn’t even get shown. About a minute into the discussion, Eric interrupts it for his infamous “Bird Up” segment. A recurring part of the show, Eric dresses in a green morph suit with a parrot on his shoulder while interacting with random New Yorkers.
Here, anything goes. This week’s segment had him juggling raw chickens, playing a virtual reality headset that was connected to a microwave and starting a “Bird Up” musical in which dozens of other morph suit-wearing people joined in song. Colletti was not heard from again.
Ryan Phillippe
After getting wheeled in by a delivery man on stage, actor Ryan Phillippe knew this talk show was different than the rest. He gets interrupted by Eric, who tells a story of playwright David Mamet having sex with a monkey from The Wizard of Oz, is given a pencil as an award for being on the show and gets asked how many kids he has “off the books.”
Also, Hannibal gets his own cohost, played by actor and comedian Felipe Esparza, who promptly shoots Eric in the head. The best moment comes from Eric clapping his hands only to shout “ouch this is hurting my hands!”
Tyler, The Creator
Some guests think they can be one step ahead of Eric when it comes to his show. Rapper Tyler, the Creator came into his interview with so much confidence. He walked in through another door, knocked down the globe on Eric’s desk and was ready to party.
The first and only question of the interview was; “Do you believe in God?” The audience was also introduced to Tyler’s dad who is the older gentleman living in the walls of the studio. It's an emotional moment that gets interrupted by Eric attempting to defecate on his desk and a balding man running on stage yelling “investigate 311!” Also, “Calypso” by Billy is a great song.
Nick Cannon
It’s the Hannibal Buress show! After Eric gets injured it’s up to Hannibal to host the show. He brings on Nick Cannon to discuss Jesus (who he likes to compare to rapper Young Jeezy) while Eric decorates his neck brace with Christmas Ornaments and yells in pain.
The end where Hannibal’s dad comes to visit is the best, as Cannon (who is referred to as a “former R. Kelly collaborator”) sits and endures this family drama. At least he was able to enjoy a few crunchy cheese balls for his troubles.
Lauren Conrad
This has to be one of the most infamous things to ever happen on this show. Lauren Conrad, star of The Hills, probably fired her publicist after this one.
It has everything: Hannibal rapping the lyrics to Wakka Flocka's “Hard in da Paint” very loudly, Eric cutting his desk in half with a chainsaw and a quick shoutout to actress Christina Applegate. If that isn’t weird enough, Hannibal is eating a whole head of lettuce and playing with a cootie catcher. The most infamous bit comes at the end, where Eric throws up on his desk and proceeds to eat that vomit. Conrad runs off-stage and audiences are left to wonder how this ever got on TV.