Comedy Central Bruce Willis roast: Best jokes, release date and what to expect

If you’re weren’t able to attend the Bruce Willis roast in person, you missed quite the show.

“We actually just got word that a surprise guest has stopped by,” actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt told the audience at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles during his set. “Ladies and gentlemen, Demi Moore.”

As soon as the Comedy Central Roast of Bruce Willis host finished saying the 55-year-old actress’ name, roasters and attendees alike erupted into a standing ovation. After all, her ex-husband was in the middle of getting skewered by Gordon-Levitt and a stage rife with celebrities known and otherwise, and joining the fray was no small matter.

Since the Bruce Willis roast was filmed nearly two weeks ago, most of its secrets – including Moore’s appearance – have already been well-documented by the press. Even so, the taped special is set to air this weekend, and for everyone else who wasn’t lucky enough to nab a ticket to the event, Moore and her fellow roasters’ quips about the Die Hard star will feel brand new.

For those of you who weren’t on hand for the occasion, here’s a quick guide to the highlights of the Comedy Central’s Bruce Willis roast.

Best moments from Comedy Central’s Bruce Willis roast

Demi Moore

Moore’s surprise appearance reigns as one of the evening’s top moments. For not only was Willis pleasantly surprised by the moment, but the actress’ incisive jokes about the man of the evening were all the more poignant considering their past relationship. “I look at our marriage like The Sixth Sense,” she said as the audience looked on with bated breath. “You were dead the whole time.”

Nikki Glaser

Comedian Nikki Glaser, whose performances in the 2016 Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe and Netflix’s The Standups compilation, ruled the night in Moore’s stead. “Your daughters must be so proud of their father, Ashton Kutcher,” she told Willis at one point. Despite the target on Willis’ bald head, however, Glaser scored even more points when she set her sights on Comedy Central itself. “Comedy Central has been so cool. They’re like, ‘You can say whatever you want. Just obviously not the n-word: Netflix,’” she joked. “Is this going to be on Netflix? I want people to see it.”

Dennis Rodman

Not every moment at the Bruce Willis roast was a roaring success, however. When former star basketball player turned reality television figure Dennis Rodman took the stage, his various attempts to elicit laughter from the crowd bombed hard. This was especially the case when he referenced North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. “You keep making these bomb movies like Kim,” said Rodman, “but at least he is smart enough not to release his.” He apologized for the joke and others that fell flat. Whether or not it makes the final edit, however, remains to be seen.

The Die Hard Christmas movie debate

Perhaps one of the most talked about moments from the roast, Moore’s stint at the podium notwithstanding, came when Willis himself took the dais. The actor told plenty of jokes at his roasters’ expense, including Edward Norton: “You’ve rubbed more people the wrong way than Harvey Weinstein.” Yet the moment that stood out (and launched plenty of think pieces online) was Willis’ declaration that the first Die Hard film was “not a Christmas movie.”