It was very off-putting, you had the veneer of entertainment and comedy basically covering up some serious mental and physical abuse. His parents shouldn't be left off the hook, even though they seemed 'nice'. We can do damage to ourselves and each other in many subtle ways, some of those things only manifesting years down the road. Giving your kids the sycophant's type of upbringing may make you look like the cool parents, but you can create monsters in that process.
It's important to to note that even with good parenting you can't always course correct a human being. Genetic disposition towards destructive and addictive behaviour are hard things to overcome.