Comedy has always had a political edge, but never like this.
Story Continued Below
On late-night shows, in stand-up routines and scripted sitcoms, the opposition to President Donald Trump is more intense than a rally full of pink pussy hats. Hes an endless source of material for joke-writers, but also a five-alarm crisis, with barely a voice in mainstream or alternative comedy that isnt against him. Punchlines morph into earnest manifestos about diversity or health care. The jokes and jeremiads give Trump opponents the release they neednever mind how they might alienate Trump supporters on the receiving end. And they drive Twitter rages from a president who once felt all publicity was good publicityuntil he became pop cultures No. 1 whipping boy.
Maz Jobrani, the stand-up comedian and actor, has been trying to channel his own experience hating and protesting Trump into his work. Marching at LAX against the travel ban becomes one bit. Arguing with his mother about her saying she likes that Trump speaks his mind becomes another. But its hard to be funny when you feel like your country is going to hell, and everything starts to sound more shrill than amusing.
He has emboldened racists. I say that. Theres no joke. Theres no punch line, Jobrani told me, in an interview for POLITICOs Off Message podcast. But I think if you do that, you better have a punch line coming soon.
But he quotes a line from the comedian D.L. Hughley: Comedy is like giving people their medicine in orange juice. They dont taste it.
Stephen Colbert, who since the election dropped the pretense of playing it down the middle in his new role at CBS, has turned non-stop mocking Trump into skyrocketing ratings. Jimmy Kimmel turned a monologue about Obamacare into what amounted to a viral ad denouncing Republicans perceived cruelty. Weekend Update is coming back early, ahead of the new season of Saturday Night Live, which will have Alec Baldwin back in his Trump wig, though Sean Spicers departure will probably mean fewer Melissa McCarthy cameos behind her rolling podium.
Appearing on Colberts show on Wednesday night, satirical filmmaker Michael Moorea cartoon of the left himself who nonetheless predicted Trump would win last yearargued that McCarthy should get the credit for taking down Spicer. We need an army of satire, he said. A few minutes later, James Corden opened his CBS show following Colbert in a top hat and tux, singing a parody mocking Trumps tweeted transgender ban for the military.
Jobrani knows its all deepening the chasm between conservatives and the entertainment worldbut he doesnt care.
Trump supporters or people on the right, whenever Ive doneeven under Bush, when I would do jokes, they felt like I was attacking them. And Im not attacking you, Im attacking this politician, he said. If youre going to take it personally, like its yourlike Im making fun of your mother, then thats an issue you have.
Jobrani says that people who cant laugh at Trump are just too invested in the president, and not invested enough in the free speech and critical thinking that to him is the whole point of democracy. Hes heard the response that comes back: Well, then, why dont you make fun of Obama? Because he just didnt do a lot of stuff that was funny to me.
Jobrani arrived in America when he was six, on a visa he may or may not have overstayed illegally: His father brought him and his sister on what was supposed to be a two-week trip for their winter break in 1978, but decided in the face of the Iranian Revolution not to go backon such short notice that theyd left his baby brother behind with relatives. He recorded his new comedy special out on Netflix next week, Immigrant, on stage at the Kennedy Center in April with a giant photo of his Iranian passport picture projected above him, inspired by his reaction to Trump.
Raised near San Francisco, Jobrani was in a political science Ph.D. program at UCLA before dropping out for a performing career that started out with many roles as a terrorist. But its the stereotyping hes seeing going on now, in real life, that has him worried.
No matter how American I amIve been here for most of my lifethere are people that still dont consider me American, Jobrani said. Its like, OK, if youre going after green card holders, whats next?
His routine about the travel ban centers around how differently he and other darker-skinned marchers at LAX in February reacted to the police, compared with the white people who were there. In his joke, everyones in it together, marching, chanting, yellinguntil the police show up, and he says the white people got right in their faces, while he and the other non-white people in the crowd quietly edged away.
That feeling is real, he said, accentuated by a climate Trump has encouraged.
I feel, somewhere in the back of my mind, I would feel like they could take my citizenship away, and send me back to Iran, Jobrani said. I honestly do feel that there is a thing in my mind that my rights could be taken away at any minute. And not just my rights; anybodys rights.
Jobrani has been profiled by casting agents and TSA agents alike, but he said he doesnt mind how thats played into his current big role. On the CBS sitcom Superior Donuts, the Iranian-born actor plays an Iraqi, and one with a much stronger accent in English than he has in real life. He asked the writers about making the character, a dry cleaner, Iranian, offering to bring knowledge and a little Farsi to the role, but they saw the humor in lines that referenced living through a war. He noted to them that the Iran-Iraq War could provide that material, but they told him they didnt think most Americans would be familiar enough with that.
Its an awkward fact that playing around with ethnic stereotypes has boosted Jobranis career, as with so many comedians of color. Does that make him uncomfortable? Not really, he insistsbut hes thought about comedian Aziz Ansaris plea to non-white actors to avoid playing up their accents and other stereotypes (a big theme of Ansaris first season of Master of None). Jobrani sees his Faz as in the tradition of Danny DeVitos Louie DePalma on Taxi and Rhea Perlmans Carla on Cheers.
To have a character with an accent making people in middle America, or wherever it is, laugh, I actually think thats progress, because whether hes like, saying ludicrous stuff, or some of his stuff is like sexist or whatever, I still feel that we are taking a step in the right direction, Jobrani said. It reminds you that there are peopleimmigrantsthat are just businessmen, that are going to say stuff that is ridiculous. But I think its a drop in this big pond that goes in the right direction.
Others in Hollywood have pushed for more. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a recent speech at the Creative Artists Agency, urged the crowd to channel their frustration with Trump and whats happening into scripts and other ways of shaping the popular imagination.
I want them to know that they have power, Schwarzenegger said in his own recent Off Message podcast interview. If they go out and they rally and they go and let their frustration be heard and go and join a movement or whatever it is, be involved and don't just sit there and look at the news and look at the news and look at the television and then complain. Thats not good enough.
Like most comedians, Jobrani has left most of the material recorded in his special behind and is working on new bits. Hes trying to tell jokes about being a father, about his son and daughter, but up on stage, its the political stuff that ends up getting most of the laughs in spite of his best efforts.
Even though Im not trying to do Trump jokes, I end up doing Trump jokes, he sighed. But Im exhausted of Trump jokes.
Originally posted here:
Is Donald Trump Funny? - POLITICO Magazine
- Trump Pushes Immigration Conspiracy Theories and Mass Deportations - The New York Times - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Nikki Haley makes surprise appearance on SNL, mocking Donald Trump and Joe Biden - NPR - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Trump feud with UAW reaches fever pitch - The Hill - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Donald Trump tightens his grip on GOP, bolsters ties with Mike Johnson - USA TODAY - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- 1/31/24 - 2024 Matchups: Biden Opens Up Lead Over Trump In Head-To-Head, Quinnipiac University National Poll ... - Quinnipiac University Poll - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Here's how 2 sentences in the Constitution rose from obscurity to ensnare Donald Trump - Yahoo News - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Donald Trump floats tariff of more than 60% on imports from China and denies it would start a trade war - Fortune - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Jeffries on House Republicans: Wholly owned subsidiaries of Donald Trump - The Hill - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Ex-DOJ Official Says He's 'Now At The Freakout Stage' Over 1 Donald Trump Case - Yahoo News - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Nikki Haley to GOP: Let's wait to see if Donald Trump is convicted - USA TODAY - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Why Supreme Court appeal will be no 'open mic night' for Donald Trump - USA TODAY - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Nikki Haley hits Donald Trump during 'SNL' sketch ahead of SC primary - USA TODAY - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's legal fees are draining his campaign funds - The Economist - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Mentions These Names When Asked About Vice Presidential Picks - NDTV - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Trump's lead over Biden may be smaller than it looks - The Economist - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Tory rising star described Donald Trump as 'refreshing' - The Independent - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Joe Biden v Donald Trump - where contest will be won and lost - BBC.com - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's fed trial on election interference postponed from March - USA TODAY - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Inside Trump's growing influence over congressional Republicans - POLITICO - POLITICO - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Federal judge postpones Trump's March 4 election interference trial - NPR - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Trump Says He Would Not Reappoint Powell as Fed Chair if Elected - Bloomberg - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- I Prosecuted Donald Trump and Won. Here's How It's Done. - The Daily Beast - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Loses London Case Against Ex-MI6 Spy Over Kremlin Dossier - Bloomberg - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- After Speedy Start, Appeals Court Slows Down on Trump Immunity Decision - The New York Times - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Donald Trump and UAW President Shawn Fain exchange barbs: 'Get rid of this dope' - USA TODAY - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Donald Trump dispels rumors that he reached out to RFK Jr for VP: Never happened - Fox News - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- How Donald Trump Got Disqualified From The Ballot And His Entire Candidacy Wound Up Before The Supreme Court - HuffPost - February 5th, 2024 [February 5th, 2024]
- Trump Says Nikki Haley Is Unlikely to Be His Running Mate - The New York Times - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Goes From Calm To Indignant In Newly Released Deposition Video Of Civil Fraud Lawsuit - HuffPost - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Trump: Haley 'probably ... is not going to be chosen as the vice president' - POLITICO - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Trump returns to New Hampshire as primary nears - The Washington Post - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Boris Johnson: Trump's return could be 'big win for the world' - POLITICO Europe - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Zelenskyy invites Trump to Kyiv POLITICO - POLITICO Europe - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- 'New Hampshire Is Close to a Make-or-Break for Keeping the Nomination Out of Donald Trump's Hands.' - POLITICO - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Trump's pitch in New Hampshire is more about Nikki Haley as he hopes for big win - NPR - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's tax cuts would add to American growthand debt - The Economist - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Donald Trump's populism is turning off corporate donors - The Economist - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Why DeSantis Says Trump's Romp in Iowa Is Actually a Sign of His Weakness - The New York Times - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- The GOP Is Already Clashing Over Trump's VP Pick - POLITICO - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- There is still a way to stop Donald Trump but time is running out - The Guardian - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- The Davos Consensus: Donald Trump Will Win Re-Election - The New York Times - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Maine Secretary of State to Appeal Ruling on Her Decision to Exclude Trump From Ballot - The New York Times - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Vice President Harris says she's 'scared as heck' that Donald Trump could win - The Associated Press - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- What is the point of coming second to Donald Trump? - The Economist - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Thousands Sign Christian Petition Urging Bishops Not to Back Donald Trump - Newsweek - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Why Donald Trump Is Facing E. Jean Carroll in Court a Second Time - The New York Times - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Claims He Will Never Allow Creation of CBDC in the US if Reelected - Yahoo Finance - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Keller @ Large: What Donald Trump's win in Iowa means for the presidential race - CBS Boston - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Donald Trump tries to twist felony charges, lawsuits after Iowa win - USA TODAY - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Donald Trump Just Incriminated Himself on Truth Social: Legal Analyst - Newsweek - January 20th, 2024 [January 20th, 2024]
- Putin 'Actively Hoping' to Get Donald Trump Back as President: Ret. General - Newsweek - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Trump Loses Bid to Put E. Jean Carroll Defamation Trial on Hold - The Daily Beast - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Donald Trump denies he 'bullied' his way into 'Home Alone 2' movie - USA TODAY - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Donald Trump: Producers Were 'Begging Me' to Be in Home Alone 2 - Yahoo Entertainment - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Election: How Donald Trump ends 2023 with polling lead on DeSantis - Palm Beach Post - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Trump Ballot Challenges: What to Know - The New York Times - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Donald Trump criticizes Gov. Mike DeWine over House Bill 68 veto - The Columbus Dispatch - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Would Keeping Trump Off the Ballot Hurt or Help Democracy? - The New York Times - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Opinion | Debbie Dingell: Why Standing Up to Trump Is Worth the Pain - The New York Times - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Donald Trump's Amazing Year - 2024 Election - Newsweek - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Petition calls for Hollywood to remove Donald Trump's star on the Walk of Fame - CBS News - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Opinion | The Supreme Court and Donald Trump - The New York Times - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Colorado, Maine, other states trying to block Donald Trump from the ballot. Here's what happens next - USA TODAY - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Lawyers' Amicus Brief Adds New Wrinkle to Donald Trump's Immunity Appeal - Newsweek - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Will Donald Trump go to trial in 2024? Will his support hold? Questions the former president faces next year - USA TODAY - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Donald Trump currently slated to appear on Colorado ballots - FOX 31 Denver - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- The Year We Stopped Being Able to Pretend About Trump - The New Yorker - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Election law expert on legal and political questions as states block Trump from ballot - PBS NewsHour - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- What Donald Trump's Presidency Meant for Your Wallet And How It Could Change If He Wins Again - Yahoo Finance - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Vivek Ramaswamay Hits Maine After Secretary of State Shenna Bellows Boots Donald Trump From Its Ballot - The Daily Beast - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Donald Trump falls off Forbes 400 richest Americans list amid fraud trial over inflated net worth - New York Daily News - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Donald Trump wants future Republican debates to be canceled after refusing to participate in them - Yahoo News - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- The Trump Boys Can't Recall a Thing - Vanity Fair - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Donald Trump business fraud trial began Monday in New York - NPR - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Sam Bankman-Fried Wanted to Pay Donald Trump Not to Run for ... - Vanity Fair - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Donald Trump Says Shoplifters Should be Shot, but Does He Know Who Most Shoplifters Are? - Yahoo News - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Opinion | Donald Trumps Campaign of Violence and Lawlessness - The New York Times - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- Donald Trump is a coward for not debating tonight - The Hill - October 3rd, 2023 [October 3rd, 2023]
- N.H. attorney general 'carefully reviewing' arguments that could keep Trump off state's ballot - POLITICO - August 30th, 2023 [August 30th, 2023]
- Mark Meadows news: The defense of Trump's perfect phone call is really something. - Slate - August 30th, 2023 [August 30th, 2023]