The Roast of Pamela Anderson (full title The Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson) is a television special that aired on Comedy Central in 2005. As the title implies it is a comedy roast in honor of model, actress and 90s-and-early-2000s sex symbol Pamela Anderson. The role of Roast Master this time around is Jimmy Kimmel and featured roasters include Sarah Silverman, Courtney Love, Lisa Lampanelli, Tommy Lee, Adam Carolla, Andy Dick, Greg Giraldo, and Bea Arthur. The special also opened with a music video/medley celebrating Pam's career titled "What we like about Pam".
Not long after the special's initial airing, an extended version played on Comedy Central's The Secret Stash, a programming block at 1:00 am that showed movies and specials uncut and uncensored.
Though no one knew it at the time, The Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson marked something of a turning point in terms of Roasts. Many of the roasts that followed have been criticized for being too mean-spirited, with roasters leaning harder into just how mean they could make their jokes and trying to push the envelope regardless of tact or good taste over being funny. Causing many to see the Roast of Pamela Anderson as one of the last Comedy Central Roasts to actually celebrate the roastee and be in good fun overall.
The Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson contains examples of:
- Between My Legs: In the opening introducing the roasters and guest stars, the camera zooms through a tunnel of bare female legs, presumably meant to be Pam's.
- Blatant Lies: Courtney Love insist throughout the Roast that she is sober, when it's clear to everyone in attendance that she's anything but.
- Cluster F-Bomb: During Sarah Silverman's time at the dias, she unleashes a metric ton of obscenities while describing certain parts of Pam's anatomy. The original televised version combines this with Cluster Bleep-Bomb as nearly every word out of her mouth had to be bleeped out.
- Dumb Blonde: Several jokes of this kind are made at Pam's expense. For example, Jimmy Kimmel joked that Pam having two published books meant that she had "written more books than [she] read."Jimmy Kimmel: "Don't let the dumb blonde thing fool you, this woman is as smart as a rock."
- Fan Disservice: Lady Bunny (a drag queen) joked that they were the night's "boner break" to offset all the eye candy that had been on display. Apparently, Courtney Love is the second one.
- Later in the uncut version, as if making good on that statement, an absolutely trashed Courtney Love throws open her legs and flashes everyone.
- Fanservice: As to be expected from a TV special focused on Pamela Anderson, there's plenty to go around. From Pam's see-through shirt to the opening credits having the Between My Legs moment mentioned above. And the What We Like About Pam's music video is all about giving the audience a tone of fanservice.
- Floating in a Bubble: Invoked when Pam makes her grand entrance. She descends from the ceiling seated in a chair shaped like a bubble and with actual bubbles floating all around her.
- Has a Type: Pam's penchant for dating musicians was one of the roasters frequent targets.Jimmy Kimmel: "She's fucked more musicians than Napster."
- I Call Him "Mr. Happy": Once it's Pam's turn on the dais, she finishes her section and the show by thanking her best and more helpful friends she had on her career: Poncho and Lefty.
- Intoxication Ensues: Several of the roasters got noticeably drunk and druker over the course of the show. This goes double for Courtney Love, who started off trashed and got worse from there.
- Medley: The music video at the start of the show, titled "What We Like About Pam" is a musical medley consisting of "Looks that Kill" by Mötley Crüe, "My Humps" by The Black Eyed Peas, "Lady" by Lenny Kravitz, and "So Damn Hot" by Ok Go.
- Meet My Good Friends Lefty and Righty: Used hilariously at the end. After it's all over, she steps on stage to thank the people for coming, then very bluntly draws attention to her kinda see-through shirt. After apologizing, she then states that she couldn't have been there without her two best friends, "Poncho and Lefty," points at her breasts, then enthusiastically bounced them around.
- Off the Wagon: Courtney Love, despite claiming otherwise, is clearly trashed throughout the special. By the time she gets up to the dias she can barely make it through the set.
- The Roast: As should be obvious from the title, this is a comedy roast centered around Pamela Anderson.
- Sudden Soundtrack Stop: After a sudden build up set to "You're So Damn Hot" What We Like About Pam's music suddenly cuts off as we see a giant Pamela Anderson devour a dude and strut away. The cherry on top is the music ending with a short yell, which in context makes it come across as the guy getting eaten's death scream.
