Madonna "Holds Her Own" on The Marriage Ref

Think the Material Mom can out funny Larry David and Ricky Gervais? The Ref Tom Papa tells all

What happens when Madonna sits down with Seinfeld scribe Larry David and The Office mastermind Ricky Gervais for a "comedy panel show?"

A. A fun little game of Which One of These Things Doesn't Belong
B. The looks of a very awkward wedding reception table
C. Disaster
D. Comedy gold

Tom Papa, host of NBC's new series The Marriage Ref (which brings you Madge tonight), gives us the answer...

According to Papa, the answer is D, comedy gold!

"The minute I saw [Madonna] backstage," says Papa, "I knew she was going to be great because she was playful and fun. She came out there, sat between Ricky Gervais and Larry David and held her own. She was not backing down!" 

Not familiar with The Marriage Ref? Here's the idea: What if you and your significant other had a fight that was so irresolvable, you called in three of your closest celebrity pals to weigh in on the issue, and then comedian Tom Papa made the final call as to which spouse wins the tiff? Got it?

"It's like the old Tonight Show [when] celebrities would just hang out," Papa tells us. "They're not promoting anything, they're just having a good time and you get to eavesdrop on it. That's my favorite part of the show."

Not surprisingly, Tom's a huge fan of his longtime friend, and Marriage Ref executive producer, Jerry Seinfeld, too.

"[Jerry] has the best time and laughs harder than anybody else in the room," says Tom. "But he also has a real keen sense of what he thinks works. He's a perfectionist."