Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakisbegan as a deleted scene from a pilot that wasn’t picked up, and eventually grew into an internet video series that has earned two Emmys, had a TV special, a feature-length movie, and a 22 episodes that featured guests as varied asTila TequilatoPresident Barack Obama. Created byScott AukermanandB.J. Porter,Between Two FernshasZach Galifianakisas the most antagonistic, uncomfortable, and unprepared host of a talk show to maybe ever exist. His attempts to insult his guests and generally be as frustrating of a host as possible makes every one of these videos a joy to watch. Even though there were only 22 episodes over the course of a decade, each episode felt like a hilarious gift, a strange takedown of celebrity culture that never gets old.
Even though it’s been over three years since we last saw Galifianakis sitting between those two ferns, let’s take a look back at the best episodes ofBetween Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis.
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10. “Justin Bieber”
Zach Galifianakis has had some contentious episodes ofBetween Two Ferns, but only in “Justin Bieber” has he taken off his belt and attempted to beat some sense into his guest. In 2013, that seemed like an understandable response to the actions ofJustin Bieber, especially once Zach starts listing his recent escapades like peeing in a bucket and saying he wished Helen Keller was a Belieber. Zach gets right into it, starting off by saying, “it’s really exciting to talk to you, especially right in the middle of your public meltdown.” But the combination of Zach attempting to be a disciplinarian and Bieber’s ability to hold his own with some hilarious comebacks and comments (he mostly hangs out withJoyBehar, and when he’s on the stage, he’s often thinking about how he wishes he was watchingCops), makes this one of the most surprisingly great episodes ofBetween Two Ferns.
9. “Oscar Buzz Edition Part 1” (Jennifer Lawrence, Naomi Watts, Christoph Waltz, Anne Hathaway and Amy Adams)
More a quickfire burst of celebrities than a focus on any one guest for the entire episode, might be what makes the “Oscar Buzz” episodes so much fun. There’s enough time to set up Zach’s vibe with a guest, get some comedy gold in, then move on to the next guest.Jennifer Lawrencestarts things off with some general fat jokes that are fairly common in this series, but things pick up when Zach spends his time withNaomi Wattsasking her how the toilets work in Australia, and discussing the side effects of shrinking a person down to fit them in the camera when filming a movie (“just diarrhea,” Watts says, matter-of-factly).Christoph Waltzhas excellent comedic timing with Zach, whileAnne Hathawaydrunkenly comes on to Zach. But it’sAmy Adamswho brings the whole video home, with the most brilliant line reading of the stupidest line possible.
8. “Charlize Theron”
7. “Oscar Buzz Edition Part 2” (Jessica Chastain, Sally Field, Emmanuel Lewis, and Bradley Cooper)
In the second part of the “Oscar Buzz” episode, Zach flies through his first two guests, as he loses interest inJessica Chastainquickly, since he thinksZero Dark Thirtyshould’ve starred the real person, andSally Fieldmight be the quickest guest in the show’s history. But this makes sense when the final two guests are so good. First, Zach mistakenly thinks he hasDaniel Day-Lewison the show, when he really hasEmmanuel Lewis. But then, Zach brings onBradley Cooperfor his second appearance on the show, a tremendous way to end this show’s look at Oscar season. After threeHangoverfilms together, it makes sense that Cooper and Galifianakis have such a great rapport together, as Zach acts jealous of Bradley’s accomplishments, while Bradley seems genuinely hurt by his friend’s attitude. Here, that dynamic includes Zach writing a concession speech for Bradley’s Oscar nomination forSilver Linings Playbook, followed by Bradley eventually throwing the ferns themselves at Zach. Considering the questions Zach is asking, it’s a surprise no one else has ever used the ferns themselves as a projective weapon before.
6. “Jon Hamm”
For the most part, there are really two reactions a guest onBetween Two Fernscan have: completely closed off (“Brad Pitt,” “Sean Penn,” and “Bruce Willis” mostly have this distinction), or ready to fight against Zach’s approach to interviewing, complete with insults and jokes at the ready. But anyone who has seenJon Hammdo comedy knows that he’s completely game for anything, which he proves in this video. Hamm is completely accepting of Zach’s insults, agreeing that asking why he was inThe Day the Earth Stood Stillis a good question. But it’s Jon and Zach’s back-and-forth about Hamm’s love of websites that is one of the best bits in the show’s history. And the episode even sets up a bit of canon that is never used again: Zach is actually allergic to the ferns he’s surrounded himself with.
5. “Steve Carell”
It seems like most people who go onBetween Two Fernsdon’t know what they’re getting themselves into, butSteve Carellcame to one-up Galifianakis at his own game. Before Zach can even begin, Carell goes all-in on fat jokes and tries to guess the jokes before Zach gets them out. Usually, the fat jokes seem a bit easy onBetween Two Ferns, but the way Steve and Zach lob insults at each other makes it work here, and Zach’s fixation on Steve’s nose is delightfully childish. When Zach’s chair breaks after proclaiming that he’s not that fat, it’s an ingenious bit of Zach’s gift for physical comedy and timing. Honestly, this episode might be the best thing to come out of these two makingDinner for Schmucks.
4. “Michael Cera”
Maybe it’s just that the show is still figuring itself out, or maybe the show wanted to be as awkward as possible at the beginning, but the very firstBetween Two Ferns, “Michael Cera,” is the most cringey episode of the entire show. Directed byRuben Fleischer(Zombieland,Venom), “Michael Cera” is the interview from hell, as Zach mocks Michael, grills him on the “vag” talk inSuperbad, and questions why Michael didn’t move from Canada to the U.S. until a year after 9/11. But it’s when Zach starts tickling Michael on the thigh that the episode becomes arguably the most uncomfortable it’s ever been. Even in its first episode,Between Two Fernsmanaged to make its audience and its guests squirm.
3. “Natalie Portman”
Speaking of uncomfortable, there’s no better way to describe this appearance byNatalie Portman, which starts with Zach asking for her number, and only gets creepier from there. Like “Michael Cera,” “Natalie Portman” is the rareBetween Two Fernsepisode that almost pushes the limits of awkwardness too far, as Zach asks if when Natalie shaved her head forV for Vendettaif she also shaved her “V for vagina,” and brags that his dick is bigger than her dog’s is.Between Two Fernseventually moved away from episodes like these two that are so overwhelmingly agonizing to watch, yet this tone did provide two of the show’s best installments.
2. “Bradley Cooper”
Released right before the firstHangoverfilm, “Bradley Cooper” was really the world’s first example of how brilliant Galifianakis and Cooper can be when playing off each other. Like with “Oscar Buzz Edition Part 2,” Zach is frustrated by Bradley’s ability to get by on his good looks, while Bradley legitimately seems upset that this guy who he thought was his friend is treating him like this. Bradley begins the episode by almost treating this likeInside the Actor’s Studio, except he won’t shut up aboutWedding CrashersandFailure to Launch, that is, until Zach states “who gives a fuck?” The way these two continuously push each other’s buttons builds to a slap fight, but it’s Bradley getting the last word by telling Zach to “water your fucking ferns” that restarts the fight and gives this episode the perfect button.
1. “President Barack Obama”
Truly, it’s insane that this even exists. President Barack Obama appeared on the show as a way to promote healthcare.gov in 2014, and while the president’s interview did bring animpressive number of people to the site, the plug is not really what anyone remembers about this episode. This might be the only time that both guest and host are equally matched in their jokes, with Zach famously asking the president “what is it like to be the last Black president?” while the president jokes about howThe Hangover Part IIIwould be like a third term: it wouldn’t work out. Sure, Obama probably had more preparation for this appearance than all the other guests combined, but it’s incredible how much he allows Zach to get away with, and how well he holds his own in this scenario.
But beyond President Obama being a great guest, “President Barack Obama” hits on many of the tropes of the series, and does so extremely well. Obama reopens Zach’s frustrations about Bradley Cooper’s career, and he makes a quick fat joke after Zach makes fun of the president pardoning a turkey every year. And of course, noBetween Two Fernsepisode would be complete without a killer conclusion, and this might be the best, as we learn that Zach has been recording the show in The White House’s Diplomatic Reception Room, revealing that Bush gave him permission to do so.
“President Barack Obama” has over 43 million views on YouTube, making it the most-watched episodeBetween Two Fernsby far. But “President Barack Obama” isn’t just great because Obama is the most high-profile person to sit between the ferns, it’s great because it hits on everything that has always made this series hilarious, in an episode with a guest who can throw the insults just as well as Zach can.
