In typical Ethan fashion, his version is worse and lazier. 

Taking humor out of it as it’s subjective, Howard and his writing staff would send out Stuttering John, his perpetually unkempt quasi-intern, to ask prepared general and guest-specific questions of red carpet guests. There was an absurdist angle of a interviewer with an extremely prevalent speech impediment (that only became more prevalent when John would get nervous) being tasked with asking outrageous questions of celebrities, and the angle of the interviewee having to grapple with being asked such nonsensical questions in a very structured environment. Some reactions were hostile, some got the joke, and some were just befuddled, but regardless of whether or not this kind of thing jives with you there is clearly thought, planning and execution involved with this.

Whatever your opinion of Howard Stern may be, what he did not do is go out on his own, unprepared, and just start riffing with his limited improvisational skills asking guests witty questions like, “You’re Russian, huh? Puty hole?”

I’m sorry, I just can’t get past how long this guy has held on to an audience being this lazy. It blows my mind. 

Ethan’s red carpet interviews are just another ripoff of a ‘90s Howard Stern bit in which he would send staffer Stuttering John out to ask inappropriate and awkward questions of attendees