I am Todd Thicke, writer for AFV since Season 1 and current Executive Producer. I’m here with the handsome Tom Bergeron, as well as writers Mike Palleschi (who made your childhood awesome on Bill Nye), Jordan Schatz and Erik Lohla. We are ready to answer all your questions without falling asleep on Morgan Freeman’s couch or talking about Rampart.

Proof: http://i.imgur.com/u06BcPE.jpg

This Sunday we are giving away $100,000 to one of these videos: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLd4hww6QWFS7ePRSs9XnXTTmUZGJq76Ku Who do you think should win?

We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Reddit for giving our content new life in the form of gifs. We see at least one of our videos as a gif on the Front Page every day and we’re so glad we can provide laughs (and upvotes) to a new generation after 24 years. For all you gif creators out there, feel free to visit www.youtube.com/afvofficial and go crazy. See you on the Front Page!

Info:

America’s Funniest Videos twitter.com/afvofficial facebook.com/afvofficial instagram.com/afvofficial

Tom Bergeron: twitter.com/tom_bergeron instagram.com/tombergeron

Todd Thicke twitter.com/realtoddthicke Fan Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Todd-Thicke/743204509045527?ref=hl

Mike Palleschi twitter.com/palleschimike

Jordan Schatz twitter.com/wordluchador

Erik Lohla: twitter.com/devilinadiaper

Comments: 459 • Responses: 44  • Date: 

Darmok_At_Tanagra318 karma

I know this is long overdue, but I would like to thank you for something from the days of Bob Saget.

We sent in a video of my brother (11 months at the time) playing with blocks, and throwing a fit when they toppled over. It was aired, which was awesome.

A few weeks afterward, a Doctor from California got in touch with my father (I still don't know how) and said we should have my brother evaluated for Autism. He was right.

Thanks for unintentionally aiding my family regarding my brother's behavior. He's 22 now and doing the best he can.

Semper Fidelis.

EDIT: I've been graciously gilded. Darmok and Jalad on the ocean.

TomBergeronAMA119 karma

Thanks for sharing that.

22PoundHouseCat174 karma

Why does the audience usually vote for the least humorous video?

TomBergeronAMA99 karma

You'd have to ask them

AFVOfficial152 karma

Mike: Okay, Tom's leaving... Let's talk shit about him!

TomBergeronAMA187 karma

I've still got my iPhone!!

sixinabox99 karma

Has anyone ever sent a VHS that included something that was obviously not intended?

TomBergeronAMA230 karma

Yes. And the blackmail income has been amazing!

Sawicki42071 karma

Hey guys, if I post a video of me doing something funny quickly, do think you can throw like 5k my way?

TomBergeronAMA133 karma

Sure. Meet us in the alley behind the studio

losutubers52 karma

Is it true that AFV makes money off of all the clips people submit, even if they don't win or show up on the show?

I have a friend who submitted her video to AFV years ago, nothing came of it and then she put it up on YouTube and it got popular. When she trued running ads against it, she got a copyright violation strike from AFV.

Seems unfair that you guys make all that money off of other people's work.

TomBergeronAMA88 karma

We're like the IRS

bobcatsand48 karma

If the show ever does have a final episode, would you try to get Bob to co-host?

TomBergeronAMA85 karma

Bob co-hosted a show with me during our 20th season. We just had dinner last week and knocked around some ideas for MY final show next season

Argon_Elite45 karma

Hi. I'm from Sweden and just want to know if you guys are aware that AFV is aired all the way over here.

TomBergeronAMA55 karma

We are now. (actually, I get tweets from Swedish viewers quite often)

loonatic11235834 karma

So exactly how many television shows is Tom Bergeron on at this moment?

TomBergeronAMA69 karma

At THIS moment? None.

Olivecloak31 karma

What is the process for choosing an episode's funniest video?

TomBergeronAMA92 karma

Audience voting and alcohol.

Prufrock45126 karma

What's the one video that you didn't believe was possible - the million-to-one coincidence or insane stroke of good/bad luck - and you were genuinely floored when you confirmed it was real?

TomBergeronAMA100 karma

Donald Sterling's audio tapes

jchas525 karma

Do you miss bob?

TomBergeronAMA89 karma

He's on a shelf in my house.

Cezner23 karma

What is the worst entry you have ever gotten that you can remember?

TomBergeronAMA48 karma

Dick Cheney singing Christmas carols

RedheadBanshee23 karma

Did you ever just want to create a New Show called "People Are SO FLIPPING STUPID"??

TomBergeronAMA80 karma

Yes. But we want to put it on pay cable so we don't have to use "flipping."

thehobbitses21 karma

[deleted]

TomBergeronAMA52 karma

Absolutely!

AFVOfficial29 karma

Todd: Where do you even go to meet a cute goat, anyway?

TomBergeronAMA35 karma

Out here old guys have trophy goats

AFVOfficial35 karma

Mike: The problem is, if I did have sex with a goat, and it was a really hot goat, I'd find it hard not to brag about it.

TomBergeronAMA36 karma

Hey! Get your OWN goat!

Steamray19 karma

Hi Tom! Really appreciate when TV personalities do AMAs.
What is the funniest video submission you have gotten on the show?
My favorite was the guy pretending to be shocked and scaring a guy with a banana

TomBergeronAMA36 karma

That's a good one. I like the golden retriever who thought his own hind leg was trying to steal his bone.

dayofthedead20418 karma

Hi Tom, Thanks for doing another AMA!

My question is for you and the AFV staff. Do you watch "Game of Thrones" and if you do - who is your favorite character?

TomBergeronAMA45 karma

Yes. The dragons.

RdscNurse416 karma

Hi Tom! Which was more fun to host AFV or Hollywood Squares. Love you on afv, lightyears better than daisy and the.... other guy.

TomBergeronAMA23 karma

I've enjoyed them both. Equally (have to say that. I'm in a room full of AFVers!!)

xulevi14 karma

What would you do for a klondike bar?

TomBergeronAMA53 karma

Practically nothing. Lactose intolerant.

xulevi14 karma

Who do you think you are?

TomBergeronAMA19 karma

Napoleon

Manfrenjensenjen13 karma

Is it true you're retiring from AFV, Tom? Please say it ain't so? And what happened to big head Tom?

TomBergeronAMA24 karma

I'll be leaving after next season, the 25th for AFV. Big Head Tom will make a return visit during my final season!

iused2dodrugs13 karma

Tom are you a good dancer??

TomBergeronAMA47 karma

Yes. If the tequila doesn't run out

Taco_Champ12 karma

Why do we love pop stars? Not just the catch hooks, but the costumes, the rumors, the mythology?

Why are we fascinated by romantic comedies and talk shows even when they insult our intelligence and contradict our politics?

Why do the lives of famous strangers seem so much more real than our own lives?

TomBergeronAMA15 karma

Because. Just because.

ImmaTurtleHearMeRoar11 karma

What's the most awkward video you have recieved?

TomBergeronAMA29 karma

Personally? On advice of my attorney I can't say...

kylemsweethockey11 karma

Tom, between Dancing with the Starts, Hollywood Squares, and AFV, what would you say is/was the toughest show to host? Most fun?

TomBergeronAMA22 karma

Dancing is the easiest because it's live.

TheMJP0110 karma

Tom, do you hate Bob Saget?

TomBergeronAMA26 karma

Yes, here's proof: http://imgur.com/VxKrGu1

TomBergeronAMA19 karma

We're friends. Had dinner last week with Todd Thicke. Check out my Twitter feed @Tom_Bergeron for our Obscene Shellfish pictures...

TomBergeronAMA40 karma

Obscene shellfish picture: http://i.imgur.com/eubXL1m.png

Manfrenjensenjen8 karma

Do you think well ever see a return of the lovely theme song from the early days? I'm hankering for a hip hop version of 'The Funny Things You Do'

Goodbrian5 karma

I used to watch AFV a lot as a child with my family. However, now with the expanded video technology on the internet and other competing reality TV shows, how do you remain relevant to audiences? How do keep drawing people to watch the show?

AFVOfficial19 karma

Mike: We've never been relevant

TomBergeronAMA14 karma

We don't need no stinkin' relevance!!

jcyr5 karma

First, thanks for the show. Always good entertainment, even if I sometimes disagree with the final voting.

Have you ever thought of doing AFV as a road show? Regional entries? Imagine being in The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH for example. :-)

TomBergeronAMA8 karma

Always happy to be in The Music Hall in Portsmouth, regardless of the reason.

lady_arndt5 karma

[deleted]

TomBergeronAMA11 karma

To quote Woody Allen: I don't want to live on in people's memories. I want to live on in my apartment.

DrAlcoholocaust5 karma

Fight 1 Bob Saget sized duck, or 100 duck sized Bob Sagets?

TomBergeronAMA28 karma

Here at Disney, we're still trying to get ducks to wear pants.

MENKSAUCE3 karma

What everyone's favorite color? :)

TomBergeronAMA8 karma

I just asked everyone. Magenta.

bigwillFTW3 karma

I've heard Bob Sage talking about "jackass" style videos where people say "Americas funniest some videos here I come!" Do you have any stories of videos like these? Do you reject videos that are clearly staged?

TomBergeronAMA10 karma

Unless they're "Assignment America" requests, which are designed to be staged, we try to avoid staged clips

postExistence3 karma

Wow. I've been waiting for something like this.

  1. How do you guys judge which videos get to go onto the show? Would they be more likely to get onto the show if they're seen at the start of the day, when you are not desensitized to the same pratfalls?

  2. How has YouTube changed things for you guys? What did you think of it when it started growing in momentum?

  3. What is the ratio of human-to-animal videos you get?

  4. Are there any videos you get which you can't show because the people in them get hurt... even if it's amazingly, gut-bustingly funny?

  5. There have been a lot of dancing flubs that make it onto AFV. Tom, do you ever feel tempted to sneak footage from the cutting room floor of Dancing With the Stars onto AFV?

Thanks you guys for filling our family rooms with laughter! ...and the occasional gasp of terror.

TomBergeronAMA4 karma

I'll take questions 3 & 4.

  1. 14 to 1

  2. Yes

johnnynoname122 karma

You live next door to Gary D'ell Abate......be honest, have you ever talked to him and just get lost staring at THOSE TEETH?

TomBergeronAMA4 karma

They're hypnotizing.

DeathChess2 karma

Been watching this show pretty much my whole life. Do you guys find it difficult to compete with the internet at all? I mean any time you can just go YouTube and see guys getting hit in the nuts over and over.

TomBergeronAMA6 karma

Yes, it's true, you can. But that would be sad.

steveo7572 karma

Hey Tom! Any one particular AFV clip that always makes you crack up?

TomBergeronAMA10 karma

Yes

Fatmonkey842 karma

Can I have the 100,000?

TomBergeronAMA3 karma

Will you take it in francs?

countrykev1 karma

I've long admired your hosting talents.

Any advice to someone trying to "rise in the ranks" of television hosting gigs?

TomBergeronAMA6 karma

Wait until I retire.

Jssed1 karma

Has there ever been a video you believed was fake that go onto the TV show?

TomBergeronAMA3 karma

Yes. The one where Justin Bieber looked all street.