Comedy Central's Night of Too Many Stars, where Jon Stewart played host in New York Saturday night, had several of them lining up to take shots at CNN's Rick Sanchez, reports USA TODAY's Gary Levin.
Anchor and reporter Sanchez, a frequent target for mockery on Stewart's Daily Show, called him a "bigot" in a radio interview last week and said CNN and other media were run by "people like him." CNN promptly fired Sanchez. The jokes at his expense were never based on his Hispanic heritage: "The only issue is he's a meathead doofus," explained correspondent John Oliver at the after-party.
Opening the three-hour taping, Stewart suggested that donors feeling guilty about something should pony up the bucks for the benefit's good cause, raising funds to educate autistic children: "If you dented a car, $50. If you cheated on something to get ahead, $500. And if you went on radio and said Jews run the media, in that case you better hold onto your money," he said. Surprise guest David Letterman got into the act, explaining he was in Manhattan over the weekend helping Sanchez "clean out his office," and even former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw joked that he and Stewart had more in common than each thought: "In junior high I didn't want to sit next to Rick Sanchez either."
But it wasn't all topical humor at the benefit, which airs Oct. 21 as part of a telethon,live from Los Angeles. In fundraising gambits, Tina Fey sought donations with a Photoshopped "Tina Fey swimsuit calendar," since "sadly, the Tina Fey glasses calendar did not sell well."
Stephen Colbert and Steve Carell, donning pilot uniforms, offered their own choreographed novelty song, Everybody's Talking 'Bout Sully, but conceded it had been sitting around for awhile. Chris Rock raised $20,000 from a woman by calling her ex from the stage and cursing him out. (She'd found out he was cheating on her through Facebook photos). And Carell raised $10,000 from bidder Naomi Watts and another woman by holding their hands and moaning their names while "simulating orgasm."
Letterman brought out an actor portraying the president of the TV Academy, who complained that Stewart's record eight Emmys were just too many: "People hate you." So Letterman handed Stewart four more statutes, saying "Here, now get out of the business."
Jimmy Fallon, Sarah Silverman, Jim Gaffigan, Lewis Black, Joel McHale, Lewis Black, Robin Williams and Triumph the Insult Comic Dog also appeared. So did Paul Simon, offering to help out as Morgan and Rock closed the show with an off-key, lyrics-mangling version of Scarborough Fair.
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