Media Beef: Joe Buck vs. Artie Lange

Joe Buck once hosted a talk show on HBO called Joe Buck Live. Well, technically Joe Buck thrice hosted a talk show on HBO called Joe Buck Live. The premiere episode, which aired on June 15, 2009, featured Brett Favre, Michael Irvin, Chad Ochocinco, and David Wright. The format also allowed for three celebrity guests: Artie Lange, Paul Rudd and Jason Sudeikis.

Joe Buck vs. Artie Lange

Only Joe Buck remembers how the athlete portion of the show went, but some people may remember what a trainwreck the celebrity portion of the show was thanks to a contentious dynamic between Buck and Lange. For better or much more likely worse, the entire segment, plus the bonus content has been preserved on YouTube. It is quite unsafe for work.

When it happened live it seemed like the most awkward thing to ever, but Lange went on Howard Stern the next day and said it's what Buck asked for and that Rudd had loved it, according to a recap by TBL founder Jason McIntyre the day after Joe Buck Live aired. Buck confirmed this all in an interview with Graham Bensinger in 2017.

Here's the clip of the cold open from the second show which featured Lange.

In the interest of full disclosure, Lange actually briefly and very half-heartedly contributed to TBL during the Joe Buck Live era, providing three gambling picks each week throughout the 2009 NFL season. While Lange hasn't come up much in our coverage lately, Buck remains one of the biggest sports broadcasters alive, having recently joined the $10 Million Club when he and Troy Aikman moved from FOX to ESPN. His new deal includes producing ESPN+ projects which means it may finally be time for that fourth episode of Joe Buck Live.

TL;DR: Comedian Artie Lange was rude on Joe Buck's talk show back in 2009. Buck didn't take it personally.
Current Beef Status: SQUASHED.