Charlie Sheen's Naughty, Bawdy Joke Man Reveals Surprising Secrets of the Tour (Exclusive Q&A)

2:22 PM PDT 5/2/2011 by Shirley Halperin

Credited with saving the show, comic Jeffrey Ross reveals how he ended up on the "Torpedo of Truth" tour, the one topic that’s off-limits during the show and how he first had to insult Sheen to get the job.

How does comedian Jeffrey Ross describe his role as Charlie Sheen’s official Torpedo of Truth tour roaster? “I’m like a kid in a candy store,” he says. “The idea that you can roast a notorious figure like Charlie Sheen once is a dream, because there’s so much there. To take it another notch and do it live every night? I’m in heaven right now.”

Ross, known for his Comedy Central putdowns of Pamela Anderson, David Hasselhoff and Donald Trump, has eight Sheen dates under his belt and is scheduled to rejoin the tour in Vancouver on Monday and Seattle on Tuesday. He sat out Saturday's San Francisco show to honor a previous commitment to host an event for the charity Operation Mend.

In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Ross says he considers his 15-minute shtick “a public service” and “a moment of levity” in an otherwise grim, though fascinating, tale of a life lived to the max. It seems audiences agree, as many have commented on Twitter and YouTube that Ross “saved” the near-catastrophic trek, which was seeing walkouts and refund demands at many stops.

“It definitely makes me feel good to hear that,” he says. “Roasting saves lives. Telling the truth through tough love, through backhanded compliments, through harsh insults, it can be really therapeutic and bring people together. That's what I see happening between Charlie and the audience, and also between me and him.”

The Hollywood Reporter: First off, did you know Charlie prior to the tour?