Siskel and Ebert had disdain for each other both on and off camera, but I’ve always loved this interview on the Howard Stern show where Gene recognizes that Stern has gone a little too far and steps in to defend Ebert



by BromaEmpire

24 Comments

  1. Cold-Shine-8514 on

    that interview really shows the complexity of their relationship, right? even with all the tension, Gene stepping up for Ebert was a nice moment.

  2. I’ve never heard they had actual disdain for each other, though maybe I just didn’t come across that information nugget. Any source for that? Not that they weren’t friends, but that they actually disdained each other.

  3. They never had *disdain* for another. I believe it was just a working relationship…they were coworkers, not best friends.

  4. I’ve always been baffled as to why people like Howard Stern. Nothing he does entertains me

  5. I really really recommend Opposable Thumbs, the book about them that came out 3 or so years ago. Their relationship was complicated and they drove each other up the wall, but there was a deep well of affection there and they really looked out for each other in the important ways. They seemed more like brothers than friends, and both recognized that what they had was singular.

  6. Howard Stern is partially responsible for stage state the nation is currently in.
    His shtick helped no one.
    He was especially hard on the gay community back in the day.
    Never found it funny, mostly just immature. He is very smart and was capable of doing so much better for all of us but he just dragged us down.

  7. They were partners on TV and competitors at rival newspapers. They were also big personalities. But Ebert was deeply saddened by Gene’s passing and often quoted him in his reviews. They disagreed in the way a couple professional athletes might disagree. On the court they might be in each other’s faces, but off the court they respected one another’s skills.

  8. SpicyAfrican on

    They didn’t have disdain for each other. In fact after Siskel died and Ebert was suffering from cancer he used to like to watch their old clips on YouTube. There’s a story from Ebert’s wife, I believe, when YouTube finally took down the clips, the way Ebert could express his anger was by thrashing his keyboard (he could no longer speak).

  9. They disagreed a lot professionally, but I always got the impression that they were friends, or at least respected each other like friends, personally.

  10. They didn’t have disdain for each other, but what Siskel is showing is empathy for his coworker. That’s why they were such great critics…. They could analyze film through what they saw and how the characters felt.

  11. FullGuarantee4767 on

    Bruh, this is a 20 minute video. Clip that shit to the part that is relevant to the point you’re making. We don’t have time to parse through this shit and find the moment you’re referring to.

  12. I know he’s gotten a lot better these days, and he’s actually a great interviewer when he wants to be, but fuck dude I *cannot stand* Howard Stern. Even if he’s a more amiable dude now, his old persona just taints everything.

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