Charles Barkley recalls John Madden's wish to file lawsuit against comedian Frank Caliendo for absurd reason - “He was not having it”

Frank Caliendo is an American comedian best known for his impressions of famous figures. His most famous, however, would be that of late NFL coaching legend John Madden, which has appeared on MADtv and The Late Show with David Letterman.

But there was a time when the real Madden became so furious at the existence of such an impression that he threatened a lawsuit. Hall of Famer and NBA legend Charles Barkley recounted the story on Spittin' Chiclets:

“I remember this phone call I got from my agent. He says, ‘Hey, John Madden wants to talk to you.’ He called me, I said, ‘Hey, you’re the best. It’s an honor and a privilege.’ He says, ‘Thank you…I want to talk to you about a lawsuit I’m thinking about filing on this a**hole Frank Caliendo.’”

“I’m like, ‘what?’ He says, ‘This ***hole, have you seen the impersonation he does? I hate it and I’m thinking about filing a lawsuit.’”

Barkley, thinking that a lawsuit was too harsh an action, tried to persuade Madden to reconsider his plans:

“You don’t consider that flattering? He’s like, ‘No! I don’t!’”

“And now I don’t want to insult John Madden. I was like, ‘Well, I’ll tell you what, let me talk to my agent and my representation and I’ll get back to you.’ I never called him back.”

In the end, Barkley admitted to liking Caliendo's impression:

“I actually consider it flattering. I know Frank a little bit because he lives in Arizona. I’ve seen it in person, I’ve seen it on television, I think he does a fantastic job. But John was not having it. He was not having it at all.”

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How did Frank Caliendo convince John Madden to like his impression?

At some point, Caliendo met Madden and his family at a Super Bowl, where he got to show the impression to Madden's grandchildren. Speaking to the Chicago Tribune in 2017, he said that afterwards, Madden finally understood it:

“Jimmy Johnson was standing next to him, and I was on the other side of Jimmy like, ‘Can you believe I’m this close to Madden?’ And Jimmy says, ‘What? You haven’t met him?’ He taps Madden on the shoulder, and Madden turns and is like (growls Madden-like)."

He continued:

"He was with his grandkids and had this look on his face of pure terror. So I broke the ice with the kids and I’m like, ‘Hey, I’m the guy who talks like your grandfather. (Madden voice) ‘If you don’t finish your dinner, you don’t get any dessert!’

“The kids look at Madden. They look at me. Nothing. It was the longest three seconds in my life. And suddenly the kids start to crack up, and then it was like a light bulb went on in Madden’s head: ‘I get it now!’”

Upon Madden's death in late 2021, Caliendo referenced the event in a tweet: