The Roast of Rob Lowe That Became the Roast of Ann Coulter Is Once Again Topical

“Why is Ann Coulter here tonight?” Rob Lowe asked at his Comedy Central roast in 2016. “Because the right-to-lifers wanted everyone to see what an abortion looks like up close.”

If you can believe it, Lowe’s low blow was actually one of the evening’s mildest burns of the conservative author and commentator who once called for “Jews to be perfected, as they say” in order for America to become a true Christian nation. Seeing as Coulter’s provocative public persona (and, thus, her entire career) is mainly a collection of explosive and hateful sound bites such as the above quote, hitting Coulter with some ruthlessly prejudicial punchlines was the only appropriate course of action when the perennial Fox News guest confusingly agreed to serve as a celebrity roaster on the Comedy Central special. 

As such, Coulter’s fellow guest stars spent the entire evening attacking the inflammatory pundit with equally incendiary jokes that are still searing some eight years after Parks and Recreation star Lowe found himself to be a side dish at his own roast.

This week, Coulter again managed to make herself the center of attention in the most masochistic way possible by posting a tweet in which she mocked the son of vice presidential candidate Tim Walz for becoming emotional during his dad’s speech at the Democratic National Convention. When numerous nonprofit organizations dedicated to supporting the differently abled criticized Coulter’s attacks on 17-year-old Gus Walz as heartless, on the grounds that the younger Walz is both neurodivergent and a literal child, Coulter deleted the tweet — but not before the internet decided to make the most merciless and hilarious critiques of Coulter’s character go viral once again.

For instance, many Twitter users (including actor Billy Baldwin) are currently cackling at Jimmy Carr’s iconic burn, “Ann Coulter is one of the most repugnant, hateful, hatchet-faced bitches alive. But it’s not too late to change Ann — you could kill yourself.”

The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe is, to date, the only instance wherein one of the celebrity roasters earned more numerous and viciously hilarious assaults on their character than the “honoree” themselves. Of course, Lowe didn't escape completely unscathed from his own roast. Comics like Nikki Glaser, David Spade, Pete Davidson and, of course, Jeff Ross brought plenty of A+ punchlines about Lowe’s career-damaging 1988 sex tape, which he shot with a then-16-year-old girl. However, with Peyton Manning, Ralph Macchio and Jewel adding their own barbs, Coulter was the entire cast’s bony, bleach-blonde punching bag, and their haymakers are still some of the funniest burns on the internet.

Nevertheless, if any neutral observers who feel that the piling-on of Coulter both in 2016 and today is distasteful — even considering her long history of deliberate unpleasantness — know that you are not alone. “As a feminist, I can’t support everything being said up here tonight,” Jewel said of Coulter’s treatment during her time at the podium. “But as somebody that hates Ann Coulter, I’m delighted.”