O'Brien: Arpaio show 'sign of apocalypse?'

Jan. 8, 2009 02:18 AM
Associated Press

PHOENIX - America's self-proclaimed "toughest sheriff" may soon start calling himself the country's toughest talk-show guest.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" Wednesday night to promote his new reality TV show, "Smile ... You're Under Arrest!"

"Smile," a cross between "Punk'd" and "Cops," debuted Dec. 27 on Fox Reality Channel.
O'Brien appeared amused and a bit confused by the program, which sets up elaborate sting operations to snare people wanted on outstanding warrants. A clip of "Smile" showed a man being nabbed by Arpaio and several deputies under the guise of getting a free facial, complete with white skin cream and cucumber slices.

"It's either a brilliant idea," O'Brien told Arpaio, "or the true sign of the apocalypse, that things are coming apart in this country."

Later he said: "I really don't know what's happening to America."

Arpaio told O'Brien the idea for the show came from Fox and that he thinks it's "a great merge of entertainment along with law enforcement."

O'Brien asked Arpaio about the safety issue of setting up felons.

"It all looks like fun and games; these are felons," O'Brien said. "Aren't you worried that you're going to go, Ha ha. Got you!' and the guy is going to freak out on you and hurt somebody?"

Arpaio said each of the felons on the show sign an agreement to be on TV, and that "they love it."

O'Brien also brought up Arpaio's public image.

"You're quite a controversial, polarizing figure, you'll admit that," O'Brien said. "You've done a lot of things in your state that have a lot of people upset."

O'Brien then asked Arpaio about some of his more controversial policies, including issuing pink underwear to jail inmates, reinstating chain gangs, and allowing inmates to watch only The Weather Channel, the Food Network and C-SPAN.

Arpaio told O'Brien that inmates have to wear pink underwear because they hate the color and have to watch The Weather Channel to remind them of how hot it is, the Food Network "to show them what they're missing," and C-SPAN because it's "cruel and unusual punishment."

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