Summary

• Craig Ferguson still stands by his flirtatious behavior on his late-night show, as it was a part of his character and the artifice of the show.
• While acknowledging the difference in standards today, Ferguson doesn't see his flirting with guests as inappropriate.
• Fans loved Ferguson's playful flirting with both male and female guests on The Late Late Show, making him an endearing host.

Late-night talk shows of yesteryear have been held up to the same grueling standards of today. This was one of the most engaging topics of Craig Ferguson's June 2024 interview on "Breaking Bread With Tom Papa". In the interview, the former Late-Late Show host, whose career has quietened in recent years, addressed the prevalent trend of slamming old-school talk show hosts for their behavior toward guests. This includes when a guest wanted David Letterman about his behavior during a commercial break and when Rebecca Romijn accused Conan O'Brien of asking inappropriate questions during an interview.

But Craig Ferguson's flirting during his time as a late-night talk show was beyond notorious. In fact, fans tuned in just to watch it.

This article will reveal what Craig Ferguson said about flirting with his guests during an interview with Tom Papa. Following that, we will delve into Ferguson's history of making sexual jokes and flirting with both his female and male guests.

Craig Ferguson Intended To Flirt With His Talk Show Guests

Craig Ferguson Hosted The Late Late Show On CBS From 2005 - 2014

About 20 minutes into Craig Ferguson's interview on Tom Papa's podcast in June 2024, the comedian and former late-night host addressed the strict standards in which he and his colleagues have been held today. This is despite the fact that the same rules and opinions were not the dominant ideology when they were working in the field. Ferguson flat-out addressed his reputation for playfully flirting with his interview subjects within the insightful conversation.

"The talk show host to the guest thing... it's amazing how the old shows have been held up... Like, 'Look at Dave [Letterman] talking to this young girl and flirting with her. Look at how they're making fun of Britney Spears'. Like, it's kind of gone through this filter," Tom Papa said to Craig Ferguson, leading him into the conversation. "Part of it is caught up in the 'we're trying to check everything'. But as a host, if you're there with this beautiful actress and she's dressed to let everyone know how beautiful they are... to not comment or flirt or have that moment [is crazy]..."

Craig Ferguson then cut in to explain his position and propensity to flirt with his guests on The Late Late Show when he was a host:

"Well, I was flirting with anyone. Male or female. Because it's artifice. It's a show. It's a bit."

While Ferguson knows that the landscape is different than when he was a host, he doesn't think what he did with his guests was inappropriate. Especially given that it was part of the character that viewers tuned in to watch.

"I would tear up the cards for the interview. I would not do the monologue," Ferguson said of the anti-talk show host character he played while hosting CBS' Late Late Show. He then went on to say that he probably wouldn't do what he did then if he had a show now. But he also remarked on how difficult it is for talk show guests to say or do anything anymore due to the strict censorship rules and public sensitivities.

In his interview with Tom Papa, Craig Ferguson admitted to regretting how often he made fun of Tom Cruise on his show. This is because he is impressed with Cruise's work ethic, his movies, and how he "saved" the theater industry during COVID.

"But because everything [now] is a little more precarious -- and I mean more for the guests, really -- Like a publicist would say, 'We can't do that because we don't know how the conversation is going to go and that's too dangerous for my client 'x'. Whoever it is. And I think it would be difficult to get guests on a show the way I used to do it."

Tom Papa and Craig Ferguson then discussed on podcasts and long-form interview shows have allowed for less censorship and moderation on both the account of the host and guest. But Ferguson pointed out that these shows are ones that viewers seek out. Versus late-night talk shows which are now "just on".

While Craig Ferguson didn't scold David Latterman, Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien, or any of his other late-night talk show host contemporaries for their interactions with guests, he did acknowledge the different world they live in today. He also stood by his creative choice to flirt with his guests, both male and female. Whether he knows it or not, this has become one of the elements of his show that fans still adore; as evidenced by the countless YouTube videos of his flirting skills.

Craig Ferguson Flirted With Many Of His Female Guests While Hosting The Late Late Show

Craig Ferguson fans know that the comedian's playful flirting on The Late Late Show was one of his most endearing qualities. This is because he didn't just flirt with women. Men were also on the table. And all of it was incredibly harmless. But that didn't stop things from getting rather sexually charged at times. Most notable was his interview with Kate Mara who seemingly actually was into the flirtatious tension. Then there was another case when one of Ferguson's guests admitted that he was her hall pass. In short, the female guests on The Late Late Show appeared to fawn over Ferguson just as much as he did them.

There have been countless YouTube videos praising Ferguson for his ability to flirt, mostly because the former Late Late Show host was a master at disarming women with charm. Unlike David Letterman and Conan O'Brien, whose flirtations with guests have been deemed 'inappropriate' with time, Ferguson's flirtations always appeared to be consual. The Scottish comedian also always made fun of himself for being "creepy", which made him so much more approachable.

While Craig Ferguson seems to know that his brand of hosting wouldn't necessarily fly today, he stands by his creative choice. It's also something that his fans appear to be obsessed with years after he left late-night television.