Jim Carrey shared a memory from Jerry Lewis’ 90th birthday celebration in New York, which took place in April 2016. During the event, Carrey delivered an impromptu speech, recalling a humorous moment with Lewis. He mentioned that they shared laughter over an old joke Lewis had

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Across civilizations, roasting has always been more than comedy—it’s connection through cleverness, a sign that if someone’s making fun of you, you’re part of the circle, or just an easy target.

Even among Indigenous tribes, light-hearted mockery was part of ritual. An elder might hear, “That deer didn’t run—it surrendered,” and everyone would laugh, ego included.

In Persian culture, poets like Saadi dished out elegant shade. “You have a heart of stone—blessed be the sculptor who spared us more” sounds gentle, but lands like a dagger dipped in honey.

Shakespeare weaponized words through characters who mastered poetic insults. One zinger—“Thy face is not worth sunburning”—is Elizabethan for “You’re not even worth the damage.”

Medieval Europe had court jesters who could roast royalty without losing their heads. If the king wore a ridiculous outfit, only the fool could say, “His Majesty looks like he lost a fight with a velvet curtain.”

African-American culture gave rise to “playing the dozens”—a ritual of rapid-fire insults like “Yo mama’s so old, her birth certificate’s in hieroglyphics.” It wasn’t just a joke—it was linguistic sparring, laying the groundwork for rap battles and stand-up stages.

In Ancient Greece, playwrights like Aristophanes savaged public figures onstage. He once mocked Socrates so hard, the man’s reputation needed philosophical CPR. In a young democracy, comedy was the original watchdog.

Though the word roast today might bring to mind The Kill Tony Show, the act of witty, mocking humor is ancient. Across history, societies have used it to bond, to challenge, and to keep egos in check—with laughter as both sword and shield.

The man was swift with it. Roasting has been a part of how cultures communicate for centuries—more than just playful jabs, it’s a social tool as old as storytelling itself.

Henry Cho making the room laugh!

Watch and listen, and Ted Danson might even teach you a thing or two.