Will Arnett Shares the Time They Removed a Difficult Comedian from SmartLess After Just 10 Minutes

Will Arnett on “The Romesh Ranganathan Show”.
Credit :

The Romesh Ranganathan Show/YouTube

NEED TO KNOW

• The hosts of SmartLess don’t shy away from expressing their opinions
• Will Arnett disclosed that a “very famous comedian” was recently a guest on their podcast, but the interview did not proceed well
• “We cut him off after 10 minutes,” Arnett remarked about the “a–hole” guest, whose identity he did not reveal

The hosts of SmartLess are known for their candidness with guests. On the January 26 episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Will Arnett, who co-hosts SmartLess with Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes, revealed that their recent interaction with a “very famous comedian” ended prematurely due to unsatisfactory behavior.

Describing the unnamed comedian as “a f—ing rank a–hole,” Arnett promised to disclose the comedian’s identity to Ranganathan once the cameras were off. He noted, “We cut him off after 10 minutes and said, ‘Thanks so much,’ and ditched him.” He added, “And you’ll be blown away by who it is,” jokingly suggesting, “‘Cause you’ll be like, ‘How did you get Bill Cosby?'”

In another moment during the episode, Arnett mentioned that a different comedian had requested that their recorded episode not be aired. “We were like, ‘F—, it cost us money and the guys, we all had to do it, and blah blah blah,'” he explained. The comedian expressed concerns about her career trajectory, but Arnett reassured her, saying, “You’re good.” He reflected, “And turns out, we were right.”

These revelations from Arnett came just days before an episode featuring Charli XCX created some controversy online. In the February 2 installment of SmartLess, the singer spoke about her future family plans. Bateman suggested her feelings on motherhood may evolve with the right partner, unaware that Charli had married George Daniel last July.

When asked if she desired children, Charli responded, “I actually don’t really want to have kids,” although she acknowledged that her thoughts could change over time.

Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett speak onstage during SiriusXM Presents SmartLess Live with special guest Howard Stern at The Stephen Talkhouse on August 17, 2024 in Amagansett, New York.

Bryan Bedder/Getty

As Bateman offered a personal anecdote about his wife Amanda Anka’s initial refusal to have children, the conversation with Charli took an awkward turn. He said, “[Amanda] did not want to have kids, so the story goes,” and added that she later reconsidered after they started dating. “So you might find somebody,” he suggested. Charli quickly responded, “Well, I’m married.” Bateman humorously acknowledged his oversight, stating, “I’ve got to read a newspaper one of these days.” Charli commented she anticipated his line of questioning and was prepared for it.

Bateman jokingly remarked that Charli hadn’t “let [him] finish,” quipping, “maybe your next husband, you’re gonna want to have kids with him.”