5 Times That Comedians Delivered Scathing Michigan Roasts

You've got to have a thick skin to be a Michigander.

Over the years, Michigan has become an easy target for comedians - largely due to factors outside its control.

RELATED: 20 Jokes to Help With Your Wolverines/Spartans Trash Talk

You'll hear a joke at Michigan's expense every once in a while on late night TV, but they're not relegated to that time only. Here are a few Michigan (and Michigan-adjacent) jokes that have stuck with us.

Jimmy Fallon Roasts a Small Town in the Upper Peninsula

Early in 2020, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon teased the far-western Upper Peninsula town of Bessemer, Michigan, calling it "Weed Town U.S.A." - a reference to the number of residents growing marijuana. He further joked that instead of being called the "Great Lakes State", Michigan would soon be the "Dank Stank State".

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Jay Leno Busts on Detroit

In 2012, former Tonight Show host Jay Leno riffed off a news story concerning the then-police chief of Detroit being suspended after an alleged affair with a female officer. "The people are stunned," Leno quipped. "Detroit has a police department? Really?"

Steve Harvey Criticized After Flint Joke

In 2017, someone from Flint called into comedian Steve Harvey's radio show, teasing the host that his beloved Cleveland Cavaliers didn't deserve to win a NBA championship. Harvey told the caller to enjoy his "nice brown glass of water" - a not-so-thinly veiled reference to the tragic Flint Water Crisis. Flint residents (and others) were up in arms for awhile after that one.

An "Ouch" From the Daily Show

Comedians Roy Wood Jr. and Michael Kosta shared this back-and-forth at Michigan's expense after airing footage of a snail race of Comedy Central's The Daily Show back in 2019:

Wood: Wow, snail racing. That has got to be the slowest sport in the world!
Kosta: Well, not as slow as baseball!
Wood: Damn it! You say one more thing about America's pastime, I'll send you back to your sh*thole country...
Kosta: Roy, I'm from Michigan...
Wood: Exactly.

Not Michigan, But Michigan-Adjacent

Back before he took over The Late Show, Stephen Colbert hosted The Colbert Report on Comedy Central. In 2012, he published a book titled "America Again: Re-Becoming the Greatness We Never Weren't", wherein he jokingly crowned Detroit's cross-river neighbor Windsor, Ontario, as "earth's rectum".