Rebel Wilson says comedians needed counselling after appearing on her new show

Hollywood actress Rebel Wilson has revealed comedians taking part in her wild new show had to undertake “psychological counselling” as a result.

The Bridesmaids star returned to her native Australia to host Amazon’s LOL: Last One Laughing, a programme which challenges 10 stand-up comics with making their rivals laugh while keeping a straight face themselves.

The winner takes home a cash prize of 100,000 Australian dollars (about £55,000), which Wilson, who serves as referee, says is a year’s salary for some comedians.

It led contestants to push the boundaries in a bid to eliminate their rivals, leaving some of the comics to seek psychological help after appearing on the show.

Wilson told the PA news agency: “Some of the things that happened in the series are a bit bad and some of them did have to have some psychological counselling – I’m not even joking, there was some psychological counselling that needed to happen.

“And there were some things that even I didn’t realise because I was watching so many screens and stuff.”

Wilson – whose film credits include Pitch Perfect and Cats – admitted she felt pressure to police her fellow comics with so much riding on the outcome of the show.

However, she said no-one held a grudge afterwards.

“We all saw each other the next day and everything was fine, but it was interesting because I guess they were a bit competitive and they did all want to win,” she said.

“But I liked when they got eliminated and we could chit chat because I’d been away from Australia – I’ve been based in the US for a decade – so some of them I wasn’t as familiar with. I really liked getting to hang out with them.”

LOL: Last One Laughing Australia launches on Prime Video on June 18.