Sam Pang is making global headlines this morning after a celebrity guest made a controversial statement on his late night show.
The Australian comedian welcomed US talk show host Rosie O’Donnell on his Ten program Sam Pang Tonight for its season two return this week, in what proved to be a lengthy, unfiltered chat.
Dozens of media sites, including Us Weekly, New York’s Page Six and London’s The Independent have published Pang’s interview with the outspoken comedian, who at one point threw an A-list actor “under the bus”.
While discussing some of her best on-air interviews on The Rosie O’Donnell Show, which aired from 1996 until 2002, O’Donnell turned to the candidate who was her “worst” celeb guest – none other than notorious Hollywood nice guy Keanu Reeves, which prompted a surprised reaction from Pang and the studio audience.
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“He’s so sweet, he looks gorgeous, I love all his movies, but he would not answer a question,” O’Donnell said of her 1997 interview with the John Wick star.
“I’d say, ‘So, Keanu, how’s it going? How are you feeling?’ [He’d respond] ‘Good.’ We were live. We couldn’t re-tape.
“I finally said after three minutes, ‘You know, Keanu, it is a talk show. You have to talk.’”
O’Donnell conceded Reeves was “a lovely man and a good-hearted guy” whom she had no intention of throwing “under the bus”, adding he was simply not ideal on-air talent.
Pang’s interview moment going viral has prompted thousands of views of his 20-minute discussion with O’Donnell on Ten’s official YouTube page, with hundreds of comments from American fans who were left impressed by the Aussie program.
“This is a great talk show! I’m glad it’s on YouTube. This interview with Rosie is so much fun!,” one user wrote.
“I am so glad to see this in the US and watch this!” another said.
“Great show! Watching from NYC,” a third added.
“Such an accidental delight. Sometimes the YouTube algorithm throws a great thing my way,” a fourth chimed in.
It’s perhaps unsurprising O’Donnell’s confession made widespread news, given Reeves’ reputation as a national treasure, with his low-key, random acts of kindness over the years re-emerging in the age of social media.
One of the most famous anecdotes about Reeves came from 1997 when he was photographed sitting on the side of the road with a homeless man.
The word was Reeves approached him, sat with him, shared drinks and snacks and listened to his life story.
He’s also been reported to have frequently sacrificed millions of dollars from his own salaries to save at-risk jobs on several of his movies, with claims he’s given up as much as $125 million so people could stay employed.
Reeves, 61, is however known to be incredibly private and humble, which likely explains why he’s made O’Donnell’s hit list as a difficult live TV interview.
Sam Pang Tonight airs Mondays at 8.40pm on Ten
