Hollywood actress Rebel Wilson has revealed comedians taking part in her wild new show had to undertake “psychological counselling” as a result.
The Bridesmaids star returned to her native Australia to host Amazon’s LOL: Last One Laughing, a programme which challenges 10 stand-up comics with making their rivals laugh while keeping a straight face themselves.
The winner takes home a cash prize of 100,000 Australian dollars (about £55,000), which Wilson, who serves as referee, says is a year’s salary for some comedians.
It led contestants to push the boundaries in a bid to eliminate their rivals, leaving some of the comics to seek psychological help after appearing on the show.
Wilson told the PA news agency: “Some of the things that happened in the series are a bit bad and some of them did have to have some psychological counselling – I’m not even joking, there was some psychological counselling that needed to happen.
“And there were some things that even I didn’t realise because I was watching so many screens and stuff.”
Wilson – whose film credits include Pitch Perfect and Cats – admitted she felt pressure to police her fellow comics with so much riding on the outcome of the show.
However, she said no-one held a grudge afterwards.
“We all saw each other the next day and everything was fine, but it was interesting because I guess they were a bit competitive and they did all want to win,” she said.
“But I liked when they got eliminated and we could chit chat because I’d been away from Australia – I’ve been based in the US for a decade – so some of them I wasn’t as familiar with. I really liked getting to hang out with them.”
LOL: Last One Laughing Australia launches on Prime Video on June 18.
