Comedian John Henson is facing the heat after First Lady Melania Trump publicly called him out for a joke about her 14-year-old son, Barron Trump. John, 52, tweeted on Father’s Day, “I hope Barron gets to spend today with whoever his dad is.” John maintained that the tweet, which he has since deleted, was just a joke about President Donald Trump — not Barron. But Melania wasn’t having it. She released a statement via her spokesperson, calling the joke “inappropriate” and saying that her son was “off limits.” Learn more about the comedian and television host here:
1. He hosts Halloween Baking Championship. John may be best known now as the host of Food Network’s incredibly popular holiday competition show, Halloween Baking Championship. John started hosting the show, which is now in its fifth season, in 2017. It features some of the most talented bakers in the United States competing against each other to make elaborate, spooky desserts. And John’s there the whole time to present the challenges and provide quips along the way.
2. He hosted the ABC game show Wipeout. John was the emcee of the game show Wipeout, which ran from 2008 to 2014 on ABC. Contestants competed to complete the “world’s biggest” obstacle course, which featured crazy challenges that usually ended in, well, a wipeout into the water beneath them. John would provide hilarious commentary throughout the show, including mocking the poor contestants. His signature catchphrase was “Good night, and Big Balls,” a reference to the show’s famous obstacle.
3. He was the longest-running host of Talk Soup. Before Joel McHale and Aisha Tyler became the faces of the talk show, John Henson helmed the E! hit. John hosted the show, which mocked the biggest celebrity news of the week, from 1995 to 1999. In just four years, he taped over 1000 episodes. He received three Emmy nominations.
4. He’s a standup comedian. John started doing standup comedy in the early 1990s, before landing acting roles. Throughout his career, he has continued to perform comedy and record standup specials, including several at the legendary Laugh Factory.
MY President drinks out of a big boy cup, thank you very much!
— John Henson (@John_Henson) June 21, 2020
You just described @realDonaldTrump, dumbass. https://t.co/T1ygl8LNX7
— John Henson (@John_Henson) June 15, 2020
5. He’s a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. John’s criticism wasn’t just limited to his Father’s Day joke about Barron. That same day, June 21, John tweeted dozens of jabs at the president, as he does nearly every day. He hasn’t backed down since the controversy, either. He joked on June 23 that he’s “thinking about a run of jokes on Kellyanne Conway next.”