Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue last night consisted entirely of repeating the news about the Trump administration’s stupid intelligence leak to the Atlantic magazine in a serious not even close to funny tone. I had just spent the evening watching the exact same information on the regular news shows. It’s the same every fucking night with Kimmel. He has simply gone insane about Trump. I didn’t vote for Trump or the DEI hire so I am not going to shill for him here but I will ask one question.
Do the Democrats ever do anything funny anymore?
Does anyone remember when comedians were willing to make fun of the foibles of both parties? Now Steven Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and John Oliver are so one sided they sound like scolds. Only Bill Maher, Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle are willing to take shots at both sides. They remain funny. The others not.
Most normal people don’t find Trump funny in the least. But conservatives are known for getting their humor from others misery and abuse, so I can understand why you would think it's funny.
I probably sound like a dinosaur saying this, but there has been zero worth staying up for since Carson retired. Letterman had some moments, but Carson was the gold standard. Google some of his old clips if you’re too young to remember.
Carson retired when I was in kindergarten, so I definitely missed that wave. Conan was a big thing for my generation, but he was explicitly apolitical and focused more on absurdism. I never got into Letterman. David Foster Wallace wrote a great short story called "My Appearance" that really nailed what I don't like about him.
Here’s a Carson monologue. He was probably even better interviewing guests. The jokes are dated of course, but the political humor of funny and gentle. https://youtu.be/9cKHg3qg1i8?si=Bkm5ei4kuNHokSZy
I don't think Bill Maher has ever in his 30 years on television been funny. Chappelle also has become unbearably boring, going on long smug diatribes instead of telling jokes..
Janice: Her name is Harris. Just recognition of the fact that Democrats are proud of using factors other than merit in selecting students, employees and leaders. Factors like race and sex. Since they are proud of DEI they shouldn’t complain about people selected by that approach being referred to as DEI hires. Right?
Colbert traded his right-wing flavored satirical persona that he played on Comedy Central for his more-earnest real self when he moved to CBS. It was widely-known that Report-Colbert was a character being played, but if someone didn't know the rhetorical subtext of his act I can see how they would interpret him as earnest by default. Careful interpretation is so important over short form internet media where tone and context isn't carried well. Best to not take any tweets too heavily.
The medium was still so relatively new, a lot of folks had a hard time with interpretation. I think Park was smart enough to know the deal, she just didn't believe it justified the joke. The other folks who jumped on the bandwagon though...
There are those of us who recall late night as being entertaining. (See: “funny”) That was long ago in a normal land far away where ideology wasn’t a handy cudgel. The usual suspects ruined a once desirable segment of the media with opinion drivel of all sides.
I honestly do feel a sense of empathy for her. She didn't create the monster, she just exposed a lot of people to it for the first time and caught a very intense response in kind. She was pretty tame compared to what was to come.
Great post, thank you for this! I’m not sure political satire can even exist (much less be effectively comical) in this age when exaggeration, excessiveness, and extremism of absolutely everything is normalized. It just feels like exhausting the already exhausted.
Thank you for reading. The opening sketch on SNL is a great example of this. It’s just reciting what happened during the week. There’s no escalation point for them to take.
Maybe woke is over in the US, but in the entire rest of the west the battle very much rages on. I feel it’s a bit blasé to assume that it’s not coming back, even in the US most of its power centres are still intact, academia, the media etc. The Trump administration is of course making efforts to cut it back, USAID, NPR and the DfE being recent examples. But one bad election campaign in 2028 and you’ve got AOC in the white house and all the soft power funding starts back up.
Nonetheless I do agree with your point that one has to stand for something, rather than merely against something. But from over here in the UK the stifling atmosphere of woke is very much intact, if anything it’s even worse. The government knows that its traditional soft power mechanisms like the BBC are less effective now, so has increased use of hard power like jailing people for critiquing woke ideologies online.
The vibe is very different in Europe for sure, I could feel it when I was over there in January. I might be being naive or Pollyannaish, but I think the US can act as a shining example that will help Europe get back to normal. As far as woke’s resurgence in the US, it’s certainly a possibility. But I feel like there’s such a groundswell of momentum against it that the majority of the country won’t let it take full hold again. Again, I could be too optimistic here, but that’s where I’m at right now.
What Trump is currently doing to the DC established order is similar to when Joseph Kennedy Sr lobotomized his daughter Rosemary.
In both cases, it was an extreme, possibly destructive, treatment of a persistent and increasing problem that had resisted all other more moderate efforts.
To extend the analogy a bit further, how bad would it be if the US administrative agencies stopped talking and had the capacity of a two year old child?
That we might even consider the question is itself a measure or what it's come to.
Sure miss the good Ole days when you could tell nigger jokes around the water cooler. Thank God we got beyond the whole beating up on the crippled kid isn't funny thing. Hopefully all us lazy comedians can finally get back to doing the old stereotypical jokes whilst the majority nods along knowingly.
Thanks Peter I definitely got why journalist, political pundants,comedians & others in entertainment liked Twitter it just wasn't for me. Having watched a lot of standup over the years I can picture the old school guys/gals that disliked it because of the obligation it presented them of promoting themselves when they figured the clubs should be doing that.
What was your experience during this time with successful comedians, maybe not nationally known but good enough to make a living at it. Anyway these aforementioned comedians not bothering with social media even though they knew it was a good way to promote their act. I asked this because at the time I was a big fan of The Colbert report but I do not remember hearing anything about that one person wanting him canceled. I can only attribute this to me not liking or using Twitter. By then I was tired of Facebook and more likely to use YouTube and then later Instagram sparingly. I guess my point here is I do think that especially Twitter at the time really amplified events like this that for the most part even more than casual fans of Colbert wouldn't be aware of.
Unfortunately, as far as I know, a lot of those comics either adapted to the environment or didn't last. You could get away with avoiding the internet at the start of the decade, but by the end you pretty much didn't exist if you didn't have an online presence.
Also Twitter was/is a very specific echo chamber. Only around 10% of the population is on it, but nearly 100% of journalists are. So what happens on Twitter gets reported like the rest of the country is impacted/cares, when that's usually far from the truth.
Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue last night consisted entirely of repeating the news about the Trump administration’s stupid intelligence leak to the Atlantic magazine in a serious not even close to funny tone. I had just spent the evening watching the exact same information on the regular news shows. It’s the same every fucking night with Kimmel. He has simply gone insane about Trump. I didn’t vote for Trump or the DEI hire so I am not going to shill for him here but I will ask one question.
Do the Democrats ever do anything funny anymore?
Does anyone remember when comedians were willing to make fun of the foibles of both parties? Now Steven Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Stewart and John Oliver are so one sided they sound like scolds. Only Bill Maher, Ricky Gervais and Dave Chappelle are willing to take shots at both sides. They remain funny. The others not.
Trump being funnier than 99% of them has completely upended their entire creative output
Most normal people don’t find Trump funny in the least. But conservatives are known for getting their humor from others misery and abuse, so I can understand why you would think it's funny.
I probably sound like a dinosaur saying this, but there has been zero worth staying up for since Carson retired. Letterman had some moments, but Carson was the gold standard. Google some of his old clips if you’re too young to remember.
Carson retired when I was in kindergarten, so I definitely missed that wave. Conan was a big thing for my generation, but he was explicitly apolitical and focused more on absurdism. I never got into Letterman. David Foster Wallace wrote a great short story called "My Appearance" that really nailed what I don't like about him.
Here’s a Carson monologue. He was probably even better interviewing guests. The jokes are dated of course, but the political humor of funny and gentle. https://youtu.be/9cKHg3qg1i8?si=Bkm5ei4kuNHokSZy
Yeah, compare his easygoing approach to Kimmel’s constant anger. I can’t let political crap ruin my final years.
Peter: We were fans of both Conan and Dave. Nothing today matches either of them.
Is funny.
AIrish: I am old enough to have watched Jack Paar when Johnny was still in Omaha. 😎
Me, too.
I kid you not.
I don't think Bill Maher has ever in his 30 years on television been funny. Chappelle also has become unbearably boring, going on long smug diatribes instead of telling jokes..
Who exactly is the “DEI hire?”
Janice: Her name is Harris. Just recognition of the fact that Democrats are proud of using factors other than merit in selecting students, employees and leaders. Factors like race and sex. Since they are proud of DEI they shouldn’t complain about people selected by that approach being referred to as DEI hires. Right?
Wow
You’ve a point about Ricky Gervais being funny for both sides but Bill Maher is a fucking shill idiot, he never has any jokes on his show anyway.
Comedians are funny. Stephen Colbert is not funny.
Colbert traded his right-wing flavored satirical persona that he played on Comedy Central for his more-earnest real self when he moved to CBS. It was widely-known that Report-Colbert was a character being played, but if someone didn't know the rhetorical subtext of his act I can see how they would interpret him as earnest by default. Careful interpretation is so important over short form internet media where tone and context isn't carried well. Best to not take any tweets too heavily.
The medium was still so relatively new, a lot of folks had a hard time with interpretation. I think Park was smart enough to know the deal, she just didn't believe it justified the joke. The other folks who jumped on the bandwagon though...
That's fair!!
OMG .. so good.. But bra, honestly, none of that means Teslas don’t need to be set on fire…🔥
Saw the thumbnail and got scared before I remembered the genius that was his Comedy Central show 😅
There are those of us who recall late night as being entertaining. (See: “funny”) That was long ago in a normal land far away where ideology wasn’t a handy cudgel. The usual suspects ruined a once desirable segment of the media with opinion drivel of all sides.
Great article. It had me after reading the first paragraph.
Thank you, that’s something any writer is happy to hear.
Suey Park created a monster 😂
I honestly do feel a sense of empathy for her. She didn't create the monster, she just exposed a lot of people to it for the first time and caught a very intense response in kind. She was pretty tame compared to what was to come.
Great post, thank you for this! I’m not sure political satire can even exist (much less be effectively comical) in this age when exaggeration, excessiveness, and extremism of absolutely everything is normalized. It just feels like exhausting the already exhausted.
Thank you for reading. The opening sketch on SNL is a great example of this. It’s just reciting what happened during the week. There’s no escalation point for them to take.
SNL came to my mind as well!
Maybe woke is over in the US, but in the entire rest of the west the battle very much rages on. I feel it’s a bit blasé to assume that it’s not coming back, even in the US most of its power centres are still intact, academia, the media etc. The Trump administration is of course making efforts to cut it back, USAID, NPR and the DfE being recent examples. But one bad election campaign in 2028 and you’ve got AOC in the white house and all the soft power funding starts back up.
Nonetheless I do agree with your point that one has to stand for something, rather than merely against something. But from over here in the UK the stifling atmosphere of woke is very much intact, if anything it’s even worse. The government knows that its traditional soft power mechanisms like the BBC are less effective now, so has increased use of hard power like jailing people for critiquing woke ideologies online.
The vibe is very different in Europe for sure, I could feel it when I was over there in January. I might be being naive or Pollyannaish, but I think the US can act as a shining example that will help Europe get back to normal. As far as woke’s resurgence in the US, it’s certainly a possibility. But I feel like there’s such a groundswell of momentum against it that the majority of the country won’t let it take full hold again. Again, I could be too optimistic here, but that’s where I’m at right now.
What Trump is currently doing to the DC established order is similar to when Joseph Kennedy Sr lobotomized his daughter Rosemary.
In both cases, it was an extreme, possibly destructive, treatment of a persistent and increasing problem that had resisted all other more moderate efforts.
To extend the analogy a bit further, how bad would it be if the US administrative agencies stopped talking and had the capacity of a two year old child?
That we might even consider the question is itself a measure or what it's come to.
Saved. Great.
Sure miss the good Ole days when you could tell nigger jokes around the water cooler. Thank God we got beyond the whole beating up on the crippled kid isn't funny thing. Hopefully all us lazy comedians can finally get back to doing the old stereotypical jokes whilst the majority nods along knowingly.
Good post
Thanks!
Thanks Peter I definitely got why journalist, political pundants,comedians & others in entertainment liked Twitter it just wasn't for me. Having watched a lot of standup over the years I can picture the old school guys/gals that disliked it because of the obligation it presented them of promoting themselves when they figured the clubs should be doing that.
What was your experience during this time with successful comedians, maybe not nationally known but good enough to make a living at it. Anyway these aforementioned comedians not bothering with social media even though they knew it was a good way to promote their act. I asked this because at the time I was a big fan of The Colbert report but I do not remember hearing anything about that one person wanting him canceled. I can only attribute this to me not liking or using Twitter. By then I was tired of Facebook and more likely to use YouTube and then later Instagram sparingly. I guess my point here is I do think that especially Twitter at the time really amplified events like this that for the most part even more than casual fans of Colbert wouldn't be aware of.
Unfortunately, as far as I know, a lot of those comics either adapted to the environment or didn't last. You could get away with avoiding the internet at the start of the decade, but by the end you pretty much didn't exist if you didn't have an online presence.
Also Twitter was/is a very specific echo chamber. Only around 10% of the population is on it, but nearly 100% of journalists are. So what happens on Twitter gets reported like the rest of the country is impacted/cares, when that's usually far from the truth.
Good article.
Let’s declare victory and move on.
Thanks! Yes indeed.
Divorce yourself from contemporary nonsense like Kimmel and crew.
If you do and you happen to meet the ghost of Lenny Bruce, he will say, "You betta off."