An unwritten rule in the world of roast comedy is that once you agree to participate, any topic is fair game. Perhaps no one illustrates this point better than Pete Davidson, a regular participant in Comedy Central Roasts of various celebrities. While he is one of the most ruthless roasters himself, the former SNL star is often on the receiving end of brutal jokes about his dad, a firefighter who tragically lost his life on 9/11.
Of course not everyone who takes part in a roast is always open to anything in their life being the butt of other people’s jokes. Donald Trump was, for instance, very categorical that his past instances of declaring bankruptcy were the one topic he considered off-limits at his own roast in 2011. This stance did not go down too well with Seth MacFarlane, who was the roast master that evening. The Family Guy creator would later say that he thought Trump was “really freaking boring.”
Unsurprisingly, the arbitrary nature of this rule dictating that no topic is off-limits often leads to debates about whether comedians crossed a line. Ricky Gervais is one of the most merciless roasters in the world, but even he admitted that he might have gone too far when he took aim at actor Tim Allen’s career at the 2011 Golden Globe Awards ceremony.
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Rapper and actor Ludacris is another star who refused to take a joke, when comedian Jeff Ross made fun of his close, late friend Paul Walker.
How Close Were Ludacris And Paul Walker?
Ludacris and Paul Walker crossed paths in the Fast & Furious franchise that they both are so synonymous with. The rapper — whose official name is Christopher Brian Bridges — joined the universe in 2003, when he debuted the character Tej Parker in 2 Fast 2 Furious. The film was directed by John Singleton, and as a sequel of the original The Fast and the Furious, was the second installment in the franchise.
Walker had already starred in that first movie, playing the character Brian O’Conner. Alongside Luda, the California-born star would go on to feature in three more Fast & Furious pictures before his untimely passing in November 2013.
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In the time that they worked together, Ludacris grew really close to Walker. Speaking to The Daily Mail after his friend’s death, the rapper revealed that there were a number of things that brought them together. “Our birthdays were just one day apart. Of all the cast members, we just really got along,” he said. “We were very similar in terms of our personalities: just two Virgos. We shut ourselves out from the big world a lot, and we liked doing thrill-seeking things.”
What Did Jeff Ross Say About Paul Walker?
The Jeff Ross bit that soured things between him and Ludacris happened in 2015, at the Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber. The self-styled roast master general had never been one to shy away from throwing jabs at anyone — including those who have departed from mortal life. Some of his most outrageous jokes include some about “a plot with more holes than Kurt Cobain’s garage” and Bill Gates having so much money “that he hired cancer to kill Steve Jobs.”
Ross was not holding back at the Bieber roast either. He went in hard on all the panelists, including Snoop Dogg, Shaquille O’Neal, event roast master Kevin Hart and Bieber himself, among others.
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When he got to Ludacris, though, things took a dark turn pretty quickly. After making fun of the rapper’s music, he turned his attention to his dearly departed friend. “Move B*tch,” he set his joke up, in reference to Luda’s classic hit song. “..Is what Paul Walker should have told that tree.”
Ludacris Refused To Forgive Jeff Ross For His Paul Walker Joke
Comedy Central edited out the Jeff Ross joke aimed at Paul Walker from the special. The same happened to a bit that was delivered by Pete Davidson, also poking fun at the dead actor. On stage, Ludacris reportedly expressed his displeasure at the jabs, motioning the throat-slitting gesture for “cut it out” as well as a thumbs down.
Justin Bieber himself admitted after the roast that he “didn’t particularly like the Paul Walker jokes.” In a statement, Comedy Central also acknowledged that the barbs went one step too far, although they also insisted that they were not looking to gag comedians before they took to the stage. “We give participants full reign to try things knowing we have to edit,” the statement said. “Sometimes the line is discovered by crossing it.”
Ross would later appear on The Breakfast Club to talk about the incident, among other things. It was here that he confirmed that he tried to reach out to Ludacris after the roast, but received no response. He also revealed that the last time he had bumped into the singer in person, he was blanked.
