History Main / SmarmyHost

Has quite a lot in common with, but is usually quite a bit more influential than, the LoungeLizard.

* The host of the show "Can You Spend It?" In the ''Series/PunkyBrewster'' episode "Punky's Millions" seems to hope that Punky and her pals don't succeed at spending a million dollars in 24 hours. They don't succeed and the host celebrates it. (The story does end well, though.)

A related trope to KentBrockmanNews and HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight, this is the game show or sport event counterpart. You know the type, [[SmugSnake preening]], [[{{Narcissist}} narcissistic]], slicked hair and an [[{{Slimeball}} equally slick personality]]. He will crack lots of jokes of the WittyBanter type, but you always suspect he's really a JerkAss, and you're often proved correct in that assumption.

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* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' has a lot of sketches based on this trope. Creator/MichaelPalin as the host of ''{{Blackmail}}'' is one of the more notorious.

* Fred Willard often plays this type, especially in Christopher Guest's movies, with ''Film/BestInShow'' being a good example.

A related trope to KentBrockmanNews and HatesTheJobLovesTheLimelight, this is the game show or sport event counterpart. You know the type, slicked hair and an equally slick personality. He will crack lots of jokes of the WittyBanter type, but you always suspect he's really a JerkAss, and you're often proved correct in that assumption.

When used in an actual broadcast, this tends to go best when said host is schooled enough in SelfDeprecation to realize that he comes off as this, and uses it to make more jokes.

* ''Film/TheHungerGames''' Caesar Flickerman (pictured).

* In a BLAM Episode of ''Anime/ErgoProxy'', Vincent and company end up trapped by a Proxy who acts as a game show host and has this personality to a T, and delivers exposition in the form of quiz questions.

* ''ComicBook/FrankMillersRoboCop'' sees Luke Spindle, a creep of a talk show host who frequently insults his audience and guests, causally dropped a homophobic slur, kisses a girl in the audience, decks a guy who rightfully calls him a punk, and makes lewd remarks to a female police officer. Naturally, the female cop uppercuts Spindle and later, an audience member makes a failed attempt to kill him.

* The jerkass ''Millionaire'' host in ''Film/SlumdogMillionaire''
* Subverted with Corny Collins in ''Film/{{Hairspray}}''. He has the hair for it, and is somewhat self-absorbed, but he is wholly redeemed by the fact that he's not a racist and, in fact, is very open to racial desegregation. In the end, he openly defies the villain role and generally functions as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.

* ''Series/ABitOfFryAndLaurie'':
** ParodiedTrope: Frequently mocked on this show, including various real-life targets such as Noel Edmonds.
** One episode had a DoubleSubversion where Laurie played one of these and Fry was a highbrow author who lost patience and gave him a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech about his personality, intellect and method of interviewing; the audience was laughing at this, and then halfway through he "forgot" his lines and it was revealed that the characters themselves were rehearsing the interview, the purpose of which was to stir up publicity and make the author look edgy and impressive.

* RealityShow satire ''Series/Unreal2015'' has a typically insincere Smarmy Host as host of ShowWithinAShow ''Everlasting'', a dating show. In Episode 4 he's show practicing his patter right after having sex with a dismissed contestant, and right before sending her to the airport.

* In the classic arcade game ''VideoGame/SmashTV'', the chatty host is definitely this trope, using such catch phrases as "Big money! Big prizes! I love it!" In this game, he goes much farther than just being a smarmy announcer. If you make it to the last level, he is the TrueFinalBoss.

* Beaux Handsome in ''WesternAnimation/WordGirl''. There's also Seymour Orlando Smooth. One of the villains, he's not only smarmy, but skeezy-- a corrupt host who rigs all of his game shows so that none of the real contestants has an actual shot at winning. Oh, and he uses his dazzling white teeth to stun his opponents.

* On December 1, 1976, the notorious broadcast of Thames Television's ''Today'' show aired in the London region, featuring Siouxie Sioux and members of Music/SexPistols. During what was apparently thought to be pre-show banter, host Bill Grundy, apparently drunk, made a rather explicit pass at Sioux. The resulting wordplay, which included guitarist Steve Jones [[PrecisionFStrike swearing at Grundy]], resulted in the famous "The Filth and the Fury!" headline in ''The Daily Mirror'', and effectively ended Grundy's career.

* Chris on ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' to humorously sociopathic levels.

[[folder:Web Video]]
* Played for increasingly dark laughs in ''WebVideo/SexHouse''. When [[NoNameGiven The Host]] comes into the show for the first time, he's way too personal with everybody, and Derek notes he looks 'dead-behind-the-eyes'. Over the course of the show, he goes [[DrivenToMadness just as insane as everybody else]].
[[/folder]]

* ''Film/TheHungerGames''' Caesar Flickerman. Full stop.

* Chris on ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'' to humorously sociopathic levels.

* On December 1, 1976, the notorious broadcast of Thames Television's ''Today'' show aired in the London region, featuring Siouxie Sioux and members of TheSexPistols. During what was apparently thought to be pre-show banter, host Bill Grundy, apparently drunk, made a rather explicit pass at Sioux. The resulting wordplay, which included guitarist Steve Jones [[PrecisionFStrike swearing at Grundy]], resulted in the famous "The Filth and the Fury!" headline in ''The Daily Mirror'', and effectively ended Grundy's career.

* RealityShow satire ''Series/UnREAL2015'' has a typically insincere Smarmy Host as host of ShowWithinAShow ''Everlasting'', a dating show. In Episode 4 he's show practicing his patter right after having sex with a dismissed contestant, and right before sending her to the airport.

* RealityShow satire ''Series/UnREAL'' has a typically insincere Smarmy Host as host of ShowWithinAShow ''Everlasting'', a dating show. In Episode 4 he's show practicing his patter right after having sex with a dismissed contestant, and right before sending her to the airport.

* ''ComicBook/FrankMillersRoboCop'' sees Luke Spindle, a creep of a talk show host who frequently insults his audience and guests, kiss a girl in the audience, decks a guy who rightfully calls him a punk, and makes lewd remarks to a female police officer. Naturally, the female cop uppercuts Spindle and later, an audience members makes a failed attempt to kill him.

* ''ComicBook/FrankMillersRoboCop'' sees Luke Spindle, a creep of a talk show host who frequently insults his audience and guests, kiss a girl in the audience, decks a guy who rightfully calls him a punk, and makes lewd remarks to a female police officer. Naturally, the female cop uppercuts Spindle and later, an audience members makes a failed attempted to kill him.

* Talk show host and former sports presenter [[KnowingMeKnowingYouWithAlanPartridge Alan Partridge]].

* In the classic arcade game ''SmashTV'', the chatty host is definitely this trope, using such catch phrases as "Big money! Big prizes! I love it!" In this game, he goes much farther than just being a smarmy announcer. If you make it to the last level, he is the TrueFinalBoss.

* Chris on ''TotalDramaIsland'' to humorously sociopathic levels.
* Beaux Handsome in ''WordGirl''. There's also Seymour Orlando Smooth. One of the villains, he's not only smarmy, but skeezy-- a corrupt host who rigs all of his game shows so that none of the real contestants has an actual shot at winning. Oh, and he uses his dazzling white teeth to stun his opponents.

* ''ABitOfFryAndLaurie'':

* Fred Willard often plays this type, especially in Christopher Guest's movies, with ''BestInShow'' being a good example.
* The jerkass ''Millionaire'' host in ''SlumdogMillionaire''
* Subverted with Corny Collins in ''{{Hairspray}}''. He has the hair for it, and is somewhat self-absorbed, but he is wholly redeemed by the fact that he's not a racist and, in fact, is very open to racial desegregation. In the end, he openly defies the villain role and generally functions as a ReasonableAuthorityFigure.

* In an episode of ''MartianSuccessorNadesico'', the various female characters on the show participated in a fashion show to be the [[strike: new captain]] [[BlatantLies captain for a day]], and Jun and Nagare acted in the role of commentators. The latter fit into this role like a glove, being a rather jerkish TheCasanova.

* ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' has a lot of sketches based on this trope.

* TheHungerGames' Caesar Flickerman. Full stop.