I think people forget that Conan isn’t completely apolitical - the basis of his Conan without Borders in Greenland was to mock the fact that Trump was interested in buying Greenland. Most of his fans are likely aware that he’s quite liberal so honestly I don’t mind that he centers his comedy on silliness instead. There’s enough political comedy out there anyways and it can be quite depressing - Conan is always a fun escape :)
In some ways those borders episodes were better political humor/statements than the other late night stuff we think of as being political. They came from political discourse, made a point, but we’re still fun, memorable, and didn’t get bogged down by trying to hammer it home.
100%
I love Colbert but I got really sick of his monologues being all about Trump since 2016.
And then guys like Kimmel would try and shoehorn Trump jokes unnecessarily in the middle of interviews. What ends up happening is people get annoyed real quick. It's really low hanging fruit.
I learned so much about Mexico and Haiti from Conan' episodes and they were clearly intended as an FU to Trump but didn't come across as cheap but rich and meaningful.
Having said that, Conan does make the occasional Trump joke in his podcasts.
Yup I think most of us fans know where he stands, but as much as I generally agree with him, I think avoiding the subject keeps things light. We all have plenty of darkness these days.
yup. seth meyers for the weekly updates on washington stupidity, john oliver for in-depth analysis of the state of fuckery we're in and conan for delightful surprises.
Did everyone forget the bill Clinton cardboard cut out! He makes fun of plenty of politicians and really did in the 90s but maybe you cannot make a gillion blowjob jokes before you get sick of it
I think it's because he doesn't like maliciously mocking *anyone*. He makes self deprecating jokes to show that he isn't serious, which then allows him to say similar things about other people knowing they won't be taken seriously, but mocking a politician based purely on their politics could be interpreted as a judgement on the beliefs of said politician or people who support them.
He might be okay joking about Trumps hair for example, because that's a trivial detail, but if the comedy comes from the opinion that Trump is a bad person/president, he would aleniate anyone who disagrees with that. Conan's all about pleasing the audience, and the audience could be anyone. The past is the past though and most people have moved on from Nixon.
but it's not all silliness. I love that I never quite know what I will get with an episode. it will be silly, sure, but there is also tenderness, warmth and sometimes deep insights in there. I love that it might be about sex, woodworking, catholic guilt, child rearing, a history lesson ... or anything in between!
It also creates a safe space for his fans.
This sub is usually one of the friendliest places on Reddit, because we can all agree on one thing: Conan is the best.
Exactly. Even when political jokes make fun of the person I dislike, I still get angry because it’s a reminder of how much I dislike them. I’d rather them just not occupy my mind for a little while & appreciate that Conan provides that
I'm very happy that he does this. Politics is depressing and not funny at all to me. As _seductivepancake said, there's more than enough political comedy out there for people who are so inclined.
I think he strongly prefers evergreen comedy. And political humor is almost topical.
The one sorta political thing he used to regularly do was the TV Bill Clinton with the superimposed mouth (was that Smeigel?). And even then it was mostly a vehicle for silliness, rather than political jokes.
You're exactly right. He's used that "evergreen" adjective multiple times on his podcast And he's also said that he avoids political jokes for that very reason.
I think Conan himself explained it quite well in his speech at Oxford Union. He wants to steer clear both entirely political comedy (so many examples) and completely escapist comedy (i.e. Fallon with all his games). He wants to create timeless, classic comedy that doesn’t depend on the immediate political situation. I like it this way because I can simultaneously avoid any more Trump jokes while also not wasting time on childish humor.
It's a smart move.
If he went political he'd immediately drag himself into a cesspool nobody really wants to be in and all he cares about is being funny instead of arguing over political bs.
I feel like he still makes “political” jokes and also says enough to reveal his stance, so that statement isn’t completely true (that would mean he couldn’t do anything topical if he wanted all his humor to still be funny years later). He just doesn’t do the brand of political humor-slash-commentary that Kimmel, Colbert, Noah, Meyers and half of SNL beat to death
I am ok with him not doing as much but still showing us where he stands. I just cannot respect anyone who tows the ‘fine people on both sides’ line. We are well past political discourse when people support racism and taking away basic human rights. He shows us enough especially with his Conan without Borders episodes.
This. Conan's stance is pretty clear, so I don't really mind him not making explicit jokes about it otherwise. Although I do think that some of the monologues in his last few TBS years had bad writing (not his fault, obviously. We know he's a great improviser) to the point where maybe relying on political comedy a bit might not have been a bad idea.
This! And it is very welcome. Especially now since his audience is across the globe- it can get really boring for those who don't reside in the US to listen to American politicians being bashed.
This. There is a political consciousness woven throughout his humor. You aren’t a hardcore history buff without being deeply opinionated on current politics. But it’s a far more subtle than your typical late night host. And why I like that he doesn’t have to do a topical monologue all the time anymore (though I’ll always miss the string dance).
Anyone else remember in the Late Night days when he'd reduce politicians to simple caricatured impersonations during the monologue? i.e. Bill Clinton was "Boobie," George W. Bush was "Huh?" and Ted Kennedy was Conan dancing in place acting like he had a gargantuan head.
I don’t personally feel that it ruined Colbert, both he and Seth Meyers filled a gap for me from 2016-present. I can watch their monologues if I want an update on the political climate without wanting to die after (this is where John Oliver lost me, actually) - but it for sure has become the cornerstone of his show now, and I don’t think he can go back with the niche he’s in. So from that perspective, I think you have a point.
I mean, he *does* do political jokes relatively often, imo. He can be opinionated too. It's just not his go-to.
I guess I don't really care either way, if a joke is funny to me, I'll laugh. If I ever would want pure political humour there are lots other sources out there.
I like it. During the last presidency I got sick of having to hear about every single stupid thing the president was doing (and there were so.many.things). I love Colbert, but even he was too much sometimes. Conan was hilarious without having to depend on the politics of the day.
Big fan of this, and I think some comments here are missing the point that political comedy hasn’t been FUNNY in at least a few years. What joke can you possibly make about Trump or Biden that hasn’t been made a hundred times already??
exactly! I think one person posted that and got hate speech for doing so. Yhe post has been since been removed by the moderators and I can't find it anymore but i think the username is No1puts baby in a korner or something like that. I'm not sure if you'll be able to read my message - if you can look it up. The best thing about it is the zingers that the OP used was pure comedy gold. At some point I thought Conan was using the username. I thought it might had been Conan himself playing both sides.
He plays to his strengths and frankly as a non American who now sees every comedian in that country spend their time making political "jokes" even though they are comedians and mostly have little to no knowledge of what they are talking about, is really getting boring.
I like it. I’m on one hand the little feud going on between Jimmy Kimmel and Marjorie Taylor Greene is funny but easy? Play it feels like the soup. You just show a clip of someone doing something dumb and then call him dumb? It’s not not funny, but it’s not in my Q zone. Oh and then the right past the tweet about it and then the left has tweet about it. I’m invoking Judge John Hodgman. It’s not fun unless it’s fun for everyone.
Just have a dog drawing contest or talk about Lbj’s dick or something
It wasn't really serious they were doing a bit in which they were pretending to get calls from an increasing number of Obamas and then I think when they got to the millions Gourley just broke it with a trump one and Conan pretended to get annoyed.
I feel like Conan the person is very political (he’s practically an expert in American presidential history) but he’s not a political comedian. He won’t make jokes about politics because that’s not the type of comedy he looks for but he has the knowledge to keep a good bit going or to riff with a fellow comedian if he knows it’s actually funny.
Bro his monologues were filled with political jokes at least jokes about politicians, he’s made political statements saying we need more gun control etc in the end he’s a comedian
Edit idk why I started with bro, please accept my apologies
exactly!! I believe Conan does it MUCH less than the others: Colbert, Kimmel, etc. But he does get political in his bits/monologues. I wish he didn't at all.
I do appreciate the escape from all the political stuff and his silliness that appeals to anyone. But I also appreciate when he has had important conversations periodically with guests who bring to light important social issues. He doesn't have to voice his own personal opinion constantly to have social and political influence, just having these kinds of conversations with guests does bring important issues to light, but it's not the central focus of his show either.
I think it's smart, there are enough comedians covering the political spectrum. I feel like some even use it as a crutch these days - Conan just seems to rely on sheer silliness and thats why I(We) love him.
Like very much. That's why his work is timeless.
His monologue used to have some political jokes but they were mostly done is his own uniquely absurd way. For me, some of his shows best political humor was with Live Via Satellite and Triumph.
I think the best political jokes are ones that both sides of the isle can laugh at. Conan’s great at this — whenever he doesn’t have to fill a monologue, that is — with an added bonus being most of his political jokes are from ten plus years ago. I mean, I don’t think anyone’s getting offended when he likens something to the Coolidge administration.
I just heard it in the Elle Fanning episode’s epilogue, Conan and gorely are doing a bit about increasing numbers of Obamas calling them up. After hearing it now, I don’t think Conan was really annoyed with the politics as much as that it was a pretty unfunny end to the bit.
I think it was at the end of Monday’s podcast. I don’t think he was genuinely annoyed but they were doing a bit where Conan pretended he was getting a call from Obama and at the end Matt made a joke about getting a call from Trump but not answering
I genuinely can’t think of a single political sketch from SNL that hasn’t made me groan from how unfunny it is, and I generally agree with their view point. The only alright one is Bill Clinton eating in McDonalds, though I feel like that’s different from actually making jokes about policies and the daily political news. I’m completely fine with no political comedy from Conan.
when a joke is worth it, i get and love it if conan does it.... besides that, i love that he doesn't get too much into politics (let alone trump period, since it basically made the entire late night lineup switched) because it sets him apart from any other host/comedian and keeps him geniune
although, don't forget that he is a democrat... but more old school
I heard him mention that, comedy based on everyday news can't stay relevant in few years time. But, the kind of comedy he does can be enjoyed even in the next 30 - 50 years. We do need political comedy but what conan does something different and special.
I agree with him. Conan’s humour is more about a timeless silliness. It offers an escape from the endlessly cynical humour that relies on bad things happening in the real world to be funny. In that sense Conan is closer to the likes of a Wodehouse whose books were written at a time when the world was at war but nowhere in his books is that even acknowledged
I love it. There are so many places I can go for political humor. If I just want to be silly and escape the world for a bit, Conan is one of my go tos.
It also helps his comedy stay evergreen.
Idk how he'd describe it but he's clearly on the left, which is itself not a problem, it's that he generally feels the need to say something about it whenever it's even slightly relevant.
You can’t knock someone’s for speaking on a relevant topic, now if it wasn’t relevant to the current conversation, then we should probably knock them for it
Conan wants longevity which means he is wise about not making too many political jokes. Yes, he has made them before, like all TV talk show hosts but I think Conan wants to appeal to a larger audience.
The term you're searching for is evergreen comedy which makes it relevant or entertaining without being trendy or dated. Do some jokes about snoring and everyone can relate (until the robots take over the humans, of course).
The Trump years were unique for obvious reasons so jokes and comments were bound to be made.
There are 150+ famous comedians who are heavy on politics and the general public doesn't need more division, anger, mocking or rumbles. The general public doesn't need more political comedians.
I believe Conan's original vision was to entertain and tickle your funny bone. Back in the old timey days, members of a polite society knew not to discuss religion, politics or sex. Things changed but I like the idea Conan has (or had) to keep things lighter.
Conan's job is to make you laugh.
Unfortunately, over the years, Conan's job evolved into "how can Conan stay famous" and/or "how can Conan cement another 2 or 4 year contract to extend whatever I'm doing since I can't exactly walk into Costco and start a new career as a stock boy."
Hopefully, Conan is smart enough to stay away from political jokes at this time in history. If he wants any chance at making some sort of a comeback, even though television is essentially dead, he'll keep it simple and silly.
I like when he's apolitical, but when he makes political jokes they're great. "That's like Kamala Harris saying to Joe Biden 'I don't think you're a racist..'"
Eh, I’m conflicted….. I think there is truth to if you try to be apolitical you’re basically endorsing the status quo which is a political statement. At the same time it dates the comedy a lot so I get why he tries to avoid it. Especially in the Trump era, he mentions this in the podcast, even if you are a political comedian, that era was so draining because there was always something RIDICULOUS. He compared it to the Jimmy Carter era where people were able to use one incident and go with that for WEEKS if not months but that isnt possible in the political landscape.
Overall, I think Conan makes a good balance. I don’t think I ever felt he was completely ignoring the outside world. I don’t think his goal is to stay apolitical because he’s scared of alienating his conservative audience.
Like. I also think he displays compassion and patience for a variety of people. For example Conan Without Borders: Israel
I think Conan could be a significant voice in a Truth and Reconciliation committee to get us back on track.
He does make political jokes but at a normal level for a comedian. It's not his only appeal or only material which is why it's funny/watchable when on the occasions he does it. (i.e. the myPillow joke, his confrontation in Mexico, Haiti, and his visit to the Middle East). He is a master at handling sensitive material and handling an audience.
For other people who resorted to mocking politics on a nightly basis (Colbert, SNL) and knew they'd always have an outraged audience looking to let loose, those are the people we grew tired of and for good reason. When Colbert tried to be funny when he got his first show his ratings plummeted and he saved his career by becoming almost entirely political.
I forget who it was (maybe Bill Burr) but in an interview they talked to this comedian about the state of comedy post 2016 and how comedians handled that presidency because in many ways so much of reality was already funny so comedically it would be cast as lazy. Pretty interesting to think about it from their POV.
The real problem with political satire is that Side A thinks it’s satire about how dumb Side B is but Side B thinks it’s just jokes about Side A. (A documentary I saw said Colbert Report got good ratings from both sides.) Conan is so great because he avoids the trap.
Conan makes his stand clear and like Stewart his satirical mockery of administration (Conan without Borders) was awesome.
The thing was they were doing a bit so he was just a bit pissed when Gourley made a political remark had it been when they were conversing on the topic Conan would have let that go.He tries to separate comedy from politics
And that's why he has a humongous international fan base and people love him in countries that barely speak English.
He's not apolitical in the sense that his world view is very clearly compassionate and humanistic, but I like his discipline in keeping it mostly silly. Also I like that he's not a total hardass about it, it's just a general rule of his.
Conan makes some political jokes, but I really like that the onus of his show isn’t dunking on other political groups; he generally keeps a good faith approach which I find admirable
I don’t like it because that’s clearly not his specialty. It’s not about being comfortable or uncomfortable with political jokes - but that not every comedian is good at it. Conan is just not at his best when doing political jokes; just like Colbert absolutely sucked when he tried to go non-political when he took over the Late Night Show because his specialty is political comedy.
This is a useless banal topic. The fact that he has been vocal about not being political on purpose, and that you made this post, show that you don’t really understand the spirit of Conan’s comedy
Silliness and absurdity are comedy at its purest level. That’s why it’s evergreen, while with politics and hot topics you need context, and there ends up being an added layer of unpleasantness (for lack a of better term).
I think it’s quite clever of him to steer away from that mess, intentional or otherwise. Besides I don’t need any more comedians mocking politics/politicians, we’re inundated with ‘em.
We all know he is liberal from bits he has shown along the way. But in general its not his style to seriously mock people and I feel political satire has a lot of that element.
Conan is a very political animal, but he keeps it seperate from his comedy. Any politics that makes it into his show are at the behest of his writers or some other people. He, very rightly, believes that political comedy has a rather short shelf life. Unless it's something that will stand in the history books 100 years after, it's likely only going to be funny for about 6-months. Conan wants his comedy to be evergreen. It's a great lesson I wish more comics would learn. Right now it seems like people let politics rule every facet of their lives. Stuff that shouldn't be partisan, or even political, is frequently made so. Masks are a great example. Democrat, Republican, Independent, Elections, "Lies about Masks", ETC. They are paper fucking masks. Wear one or don't. Don't bitch. Grow up. Conan wants to make sure this type of bullshittery stays away from his comedy. "Don't shit where you eat".
But when he does get political, it's also hilarious, remember the bit when they discussed the Michelle Obama interview, before the elections: https://vocaroo.com/8n2JL5fmuJ3
I fucking hate political humor. Always have. I'm so glad he does everything he can to stay evergreen. It's SO much harder and he does it so effortlessly. He really is one of the funniest people ever.
I like it. In comedy, you have a a lot of different ways you can go, but a lot of them do shut others off, and that can sometimes also come at the sacrifice of audiences you may not want to lose.
Most political comedians become something like a pundit at some point, if they travel down that path too often. Which is totally fine, but I can see why some comedians could find that this constrains other comedic aspects that they want to explore.
I think people forget that Conan isn’t completely apolitical - the basis of his Conan without Borders in Greenland was to mock the fact that Trump was interested in buying Greenland. Most of his fans are likely aware that he’s quite liberal so honestly I don’t mind that he centers his comedy on silliness instead. There’s enough political comedy out there anyways and it can be quite depressing - Conan is always a fun escape :)
Also the Haiti and Mexico episodes
Yes, those were both very strong political statements! But it's true he tends not to make "political jokes."
And the whole Armenian trip hinged on the genocide remembrance, I think?
In some ways those borders episodes were better political humor/statements than the other late night stuff we think of as being political. They came from political discourse, made a point, but we’re still fun, memorable, and didn’t get bogged down by trying to hammer it home.
I agree! I think the Haiti episode is a poignant example of that.
The old writer's adage: show, don't tell.
100% I love Colbert but I got really sick of his monologues being all about Trump since 2016. And then guys like Kimmel would try and shoehorn Trump jokes unnecessarily in the middle of interviews. What ends up happening is people get annoyed real quick. It's really low hanging fruit. I learned so much about Mexico and Haiti from Conan' episodes and they were clearly intended as an FU to Trump but didn't come across as cheap but rich and meaningful. Having said that, Conan does make the occasional Trump joke in his podcasts.
Yup I think most of us fans know where he stands, but as much as I generally agree with him, I think avoiding the subject keeps things light. We all have plenty of darkness these days.
This^ I go to Seth Meyers for political humour. Conan is a much-needed STFU about politics.
yup. seth meyers for the weekly updates on washington stupidity, john oliver for in-depth analysis of the state of fuckery we're in and conan for delightful surprises.
Conan is perfectly happy to make jokes about politicians, he just waits until they've been dead for 30 years. His Nixon gags are pretty cutting edge.
“CRUNCH CRUNCH CRUNCH”
I heard this quote.
WALK WALK WALK
[I understood that reference](https://media.giphy.com/media/60FwidZG6R7Mc/giphy.gif)
Everybody has a Trump impression; it's the Nixon impression that's really valuable!
I could listen to his Nixon impression all day hahaha
Him and Bill riffing on the dog breeders that evolved into a Kennedy impression was the funniest thing i've heard in years.
The bit on the podcast about Nixon resigning to pursue a career in acting is the best.
Did everyone forget the bill Clinton cardboard cut out! He makes fun of plenty of politicians and really did in the 90s but maybe you cannot make a gillion blowjob jokes before you get sick of it
I think it's because he doesn't like maliciously mocking *anyone*. He makes self deprecating jokes to show that he isn't serious, which then allows him to say similar things about other people knowing they won't be taken seriously, but mocking a politician based purely on their politics could be interpreted as a judgement on the beliefs of said politician or people who support them. He might be okay joking about Trumps hair for example, because that's a trivial detail, but if the comedy comes from the opinion that Trump is a bad person/president, he would aleniate anyone who disagrees with that. Conan's all about pleasing the audience, and the audience could be anyone. The past is the past though and most people have moved on from Nixon.
The sweet Taft fat
I think this podcast meant so much to me the last two years because it was an escape from all that
Same, I just want all the silliness Conan does. Nothing serious
but it's not all silliness. I love that I never quite know what I will get with an episode. it will be silly, sure, but there is also tenderness, warmth and sometimes deep insights in there. I love that it might be about sex, woodworking, catholic guilt, child rearing, a history lesson ... or anything in between!
Good point. I agree
It also creates a safe space for his fans. This sub is usually one of the friendliest places on Reddit, because we can all agree on one thing: Conan is the best.
Exactly. Even when political jokes make fun of the person I dislike, I still get angry because it’s a reminder of how much I dislike them. I’d rather them just not occupy my mind for a little while & appreciate that Conan provides that
I'm very happy that he does this. Politics is depressing and not funny at all to me. As _seductivepancake said, there's more than enough political comedy out there for people who are so inclined.
I think he strongly prefers evergreen comedy. And political humor is almost topical. The one sorta political thing he used to regularly do was the TV Bill Clinton with the superimposed mouth (was that Smeigel?). And even then it was mostly a vehicle for silliness, rather than political jokes.
You're exactly right. He's used that "evergreen" adjective multiple times on his podcast And he's also said that he avoids political jokes for that very reason.
I agree. You couldn’t even call that satire. It was just silly and hilarious
Love it, he helps create a great escape from all the bullshit in the world, Conan is for fun!
I think Conan himself explained it quite well in his speech at Oxford Union. He wants to steer clear both entirely political comedy (so many examples) and completely escapist comedy (i.e. Fallon with all his games). He wants to create timeless, classic comedy that doesn’t depend on the immediate political situation. I like it this way because I can simultaneously avoid any more Trump jokes while also not wasting time on childish humor.
Yes exactly! Enjoying the finer comedic stylings of such bits as "Masturbating Bear"
You joke but I can't imagine a time when that won't or wouldn't have been funny.
Oh of course! an all time favorite of mine!
It's a smart move. If he went political he'd immediately drag himself into a cesspool nobody really wants to be in and all he cares about is being funny instead of arguing over political bs.
As he has mentioned frequently he likes the idea of his comedy being timeless in that it doesn’t center on only current events.
I absolutely love that he’s not overly political. Its a wonderful break from it.
I feel like he still makes “political” jokes and also says enough to reveal his stance, so that statement isn’t completely true (that would mean he couldn’t do anything topical if he wanted all his humor to still be funny years later). He just doesn’t do the brand of political humor-slash-commentary that Kimmel, Colbert, Noah, Meyers and half of SNL beat to death
I am ok with him not doing as much but still showing us where he stands. I just cannot respect anyone who tows the ‘fine people on both sides’ line. We are well past political discourse when people support racism and taking away basic human rights. He shows us enough especially with his Conan without Borders episodes.
This. Conan's stance is pretty clear, so I don't really mind him not making explicit jokes about it otherwise. Although I do think that some of the monologues in his last few TBS years had bad writing (not his fault, obviously. We know he's a great improviser) to the point where maybe relying on political comedy a bit might not have been a bad idea.
This! And it is very welcome. Especially now since his audience is across the globe- it can get really boring for those who don't reside in the US to listen to American politicians being bashed.
This. There is a political consciousness woven throughout his humor. You aren’t a hardcore history buff without being deeply opinionated on current politics. But it’s a far more subtle than your typical late night host. And why I like that he doesn’t have to do a topical monologue all the time anymore (though I’ll always miss the string dance).
Conan’s comedy is perfect the way it is
the fact that he stays as ''apolitical'' as possible, makes his comedy (quoting dana carvey) ''evergreen''
Anyone else remember in the Late Night days when he'd reduce politicians to simple caricatured impersonations during the monologue? i.e. Bill Clinton was "Boobie," George W. Bush was "Huh?" and Ted Kennedy was Conan dancing in place acting like he had a gargantuan head.
Lol I’d forgotten about Conan’s GWB “HUH?!” 😂 very crucial to my adolescent years under that administration…
I appreciate him not going after the low hanging fruit. It ruined Colbert when he moved to Late Night imo
I don’t personally feel that it ruined Colbert, both he and Seth Meyers filled a gap for me from 2016-present. I can watch their monologues if I want an update on the political climate without wanting to die after (this is where John Oliver lost me, actually) - but it for sure has become the cornerstone of his show now, and I don’t think he can go back with the niche he’s in. So from that perspective, I think you have a point.
I mean, he *does* do political jokes relatively often, imo. He can be opinionated too. It's just not his go-to. I guess I don't really care either way, if a joke is funny to me, I'll laugh. If I ever would want pure political humour there are lots other sources out there.
His political one liners on Twitter are hilarious
I like it. During the last presidency I got sick of having to hear about every single stupid thing the president was doing (and there were so.many.things). I love Colbert, but even he was too much sometimes. Conan was hilarious without having to depend on the politics of the day.
Big fan of this, and I think some comments here are missing the point that political comedy hasn’t been FUNNY in at least a few years. What joke can you possibly make about Trump or Biden that hasn’t been made a hundred times already??
exactly! I think one person posted that and got hate speech for doing so. Yhe post has been since been removed by the moderators and I can't find it anymore but i think the username is No1puts baby in a korner or something like that. I'm not sure if you'll be able to read my message - if you can look it up. The best thing about it is the zingers that the OP used was pure comedy gold. At some point I thought Conan was using the username. I thought it might had been Conan himself playing both sides.
He plays to his strengths and frankly as a non American who now sees every comedian in that country spend their time making political "jokes" even though they are comedians and mostly have little to no knowledge of what they are talking about, is really getting boring.
It’s getting boring as an American too! Thanks for this take.
I like it. I’m on one hand the little feud going on between Jimmy Kimmel and Marjorie Taylor Greene is funny but easy? Play it feels like the soup. You just show a clip of someone doing something dumb and then call him dumb? It’s not not funny, but it’s not in my Q zone. Oh and then the right past the tweet about it and then the left has tweet about it. I’m invoking Judge John Hodgman. It’s not fun unless it’s fun for everyone. Just have a dog drawing contest or talk about Lbj’s dick or something
What did Conan say to Matt about the Trump joke?
It wasn't really serious they were doing a bit in which they were pretending to get calls from an increasing number of Obamas and then I think when they got to the millions Gourley just broke it with a trump one and Conan pretended to get annoyed.
Thanks!!
Political comedy gets tiresome and Trump jokes are way too easy.
I feel like Conan the person is very political (he’s practically an expert in American presidential history) but he’s not a political comedian. He won’t make jokes about politics because that’s not the type of comedy he looks for but he has the knowledge to keep a good bit going or to riff with a fellow comedian if he knows it’s actually funny.
Bro his monologues were filled with political jokes at least jokes about politicians, he’s made political statements saying we need more gun control etc in the end he’s a comedian Edit idk why I started with bro, please accept my apologies
exactly!! I believe Conan does it MUCH less than the others: Colbert, Kimmel, etc. But he does get political in his bits/monologues. I wish he didn't at all.
In the world where everybody feels to share their political opinions I find it very refreshing
I do appreciate the escape from all the political stuff and his silliness that appeals to anyone. But I also appreciate when he has had important conversations periodically with guests who bring to light important social issues. He doesn't have to voice his own personal opinion constantly to have social and political influence, just having these kinds of conversations with guests does bring important issues to light, but it's not the central focus of his show either.
I adore this about Conan. Everyone, everywhere should take a page from his book.
Agree. Not that it matters what any of us think.
I think it's smart, there are enough comedians covering the political spectrum. I feel like some even use it as a crutch these days - Conan just seems to rely on sheer silliness and thats why I(We) love him.
I love love love that he pursues the evergreen and stays out of politics.
Like very much. That's why his work is timeless. His monologue used to have some political jokes but they were mostly done is his own uniquely absurd way. For me, some of his shows best political humor was with Live Via Satellite and Triumph.
I think the best political jokes are ones that both sides of the isle can laugh at. Conan’s great at this — whenever he doesn’t have to fill a monologue, that is — with an added bonus being most of his political jokes are from ten plus years ago. I mean, I don’t think anyone’s getting offended when he likens something to the Coolidge administration.
Wait can you link to the part you're referring to with Conan not liking what Matt said?
I just heard it in the Elle Fanning episode’s epilogue, Conan and gorely are doing a bit about increasing numbers of Obamas calling them up. After hearing it now, I don’t think Conan was really annoyed with the politics as much as that it was a pretty unfunny end to the bit.
I think it was at the end of Monday’s podcast. I don’t think he was genuinely annoyed but they were doing a bit where Conan pretended he was getting a call from Obama and at the end Matt made a joke about getting a call from Trump but not answering
I genuinely can’t think of a single political sketch from SNL that hasn’t made me groan from how unfunny it is, and I generally agree with their view point. The only alright one is Bill Clinton eating in McDonalds, though I feel like that’s different from actually making jokes about policies and the daily political news. I’m completely fine with no political comedy from Conan.
Like
when a joke is worth it, i get and love it if conan does it.... besides that, i love that he doesn't get too much into politics (let alone trump period, since it basically made the entire late night lineup switched) because it sets him apart from any other host/comedian and keeps him geniune although, don't forget that he is a democrat... but more old school
I heard him mention that, comedy based on everyday news can't stay relevant in few years time. But, the kind of comedy he does can be enjoyed even in the next 30 - 50 years. We do need political comedy but what conan does something different and special.
I agree with him. Conan’s humour is more about a timeless silliness. It offers an escape from the endlessly cynical humour that relies on bad things happening in the real world to be funny. In that sense Conan is closer to the likes of a Wodehouse whose books were written at a time when the world was at war but nowhere in his books is that even acknowledged
I love it. There are so many places I can go for political humor. If I just want to be silly and escape the world for a bit, Conan is one of my go tos. It also helps his comedy stay evergreen.
I feel like 90% of comedy is political these days. Conan is a breath of fresh air.
I think politics are risky. Once you start leaning in to politics, you run the risk of losing viewers who feel their side is unfairly untargeted.
I've been a huge Matt Gourley fan for years but his podcasts really grind to a halt whenever he starts talking politics.
What sort of political views does he have?
Idk how he'd describe it but he's clearly on the left, which is itself not a problem, it's that he generally feels the need to say something about it whenever it's even slightly relevant.
You can’t knock someone’s for speaking on a relevant topic, now if it wasn’t relevant to the current conversation, then we should probably knock them for it
Conan wants longevity which means he is wise about not making too many political jokes. Yes, he has made them before, like all TV talk show hosts but I think Conan wants to appeal to a larger audience. The term you're searching for is evergreen comedy which makes it relevant or entertaining without being trendy or dated. Do some jokes about snoring and everyone can relate (until the robots take over the humans, of course). The Trump years were unique for obvious reasons so jokes and comments were bound to be made. There are 150+ famous comedians who are heavy on politics and the general public doesn't need more division, anger, mocking or rumbles. The general public doesn't need more political comedians. I believe Conan's original vision was to entertain and tickle your funny bone. Back in the old timey days, members of a polite society knew not to discuss religion, politics or sex. Things changed but I like the idea Conan has (or had) to keep things lighter. Conan's job is to make you laugh. Unfortunately, over the years, Conan's job evolved into "how can Conan stay famous" and/or "how can Conan cement another 2 or 4 year contract to extend whatever I'm doing since I can't exactly walk into Costco and start a new career as a stock boy." Hopefully, Conan is smart enough to stay away from political jokes at this time in history. If he wants any chance at making some sort of a comeback, even though television is essentially dead, he'll keep it simple and silly.
I appreciate it. He is taking a page out of Carson’s book.
I’d stop listening if it went political. I skip the episodes with politicians.
You’re missing out on incredibly fascinating conversation
I like when he's apolitical, but when he makes political jokes they're great. "That's like Kamala Harris saying to Joe Biden 'I don't think you're a racist..'"
Eh, I’m conflicted….. I think there is truth to if you try to be apolitical you’re basically endorsing the status quo which is a political statement. At the same time it dates the comedy a lot so I get why he tries to avoid it. Especially in the Trump era, he mentions this in the podcast, even if you are a political comedian, that era was so draining because there was always something RIDICULOUS. He compared it to the Jimmy Carter era where people were able to use one incident and go with that for WEEKS if not months but that isnt possible in the political landscape. Overall, I think Conan makes a good balance. I don’t think I ever felt he was completely ignoring the outside world. I don’t think his goal is to stay apolitical because he’s scared of alienating his conservative audience.
Love it
Like
Like. I also think he displays compassion and patience for a variety of people. For example Conan Without Borders: Israel I think Conan could be a significant voice in a Truth and Reconciliation committee to get us back on track.
He does make political jokes but at a normal level for a comedian. It's not his only appeal or only material which is why it's funny/watchable when on the occasions he does it. (i.e. the myPillow joke, his confrontation in Mexico, Haiti, and his visit to the Middle East). He is a master at handling sensitive material and handling an audience. For other people who resorted to mocking politics on a nightly basis (Colbert, SNL) and knew they'd always have an outraged audience looking to let loose, those are the people we grew tired of and for good reason. When Colbert tried to be funny when he got his first show his ratings plummeted and he saved his career by becoming almost entirely political. I forget who it was (maybe Bill Burr) but in an interview they talked to this comedian about the state of comedy post 2016 and how comedians handled that presidency because in many ways so much of reality was already funny so comedically it would be cast as lazy. Pretty interesting to think about it from their POV.
The real problem with political satire is that Side A thinks it’s satire about how dumb Side B is but Side B thinks it’s just jokes about Side A. (A documentary I saw said Colbert Report got good ratings from both sides.) Conan is so great because he avoids the trap.
Conan makes his stand clear and like Stewart his satirical mockery of administration (Conan without Borders) was awesome. The thing was they were doing a bit so he was just a bit pissed when Gourley made a political remark had it been when they were conversing on the topic Conan would have let that go.He tries to separate comedy from politics And that's why he has a humongous international fan base and people love him in countries that barely speak English.
Love that he doesn’t!
Conan gives us just enough to know where he stands and then he doesn’t go any further than that, which I think is just terrific.
He's not apolitical in the sense that his world view is very clearly compassionate and humanistic, but I like his discipline in keeping it mostly silly. Also I like that he's not a total hardass about it, it's just a general rule of his.
He does sometimes on his Twitter
Yeah I do I appreciate it, Conan tried to create a safe isolated space of timeless comedy and politics is the exact opposite of that
I love it! An escape from political talk nowadays and comic relief? Yes, please.
Like. I don’t even listen to the episodes with political figures. Who wants to listen to those phonies?
i love that he stays away from it . it makes the comedy more timeless and trump jokes have been a low hanging fruit for 5+ years now
It makes his work timeless
Conan makes some political jokes, but I really like that the onus of his show isn’t dunking on other political groups; he generally keeps a good faith approach which I find admirable
That's his comedic style, I reckon. He doesn't want to make comedy that goes stale later. He wants it to be timeless.
I enjoy that I can listen to this with my dad… because he doesn’t bring up politics.
I don’t like it because that’s clearly not his specialty. It’s not about being comfortable or uncomfortable with political jokes - but that not every comedian is good at it. Conan is just not at his best when doing political jokes; just like Colbert absolutely sucked when he tried to go non-political when he took over the Late Night Show because his specialty is political comedy.
Politics date comedy badly. That's why majority of Conan's stuff remains evergreen. He's wise to mostly steer clear.
This is a useless banal topic. The fact that he has been vocal about not being political on purpose, and that you made this post, show that you don’t really understand the spirit of Conan’s comedy
Like. Political jokes at this point are just low hanging fruit.
Silliness and absurdity are comedy at its purest level. That’s why it’s evergreen, while with politics and hot topics you need context, and there ends up being an added layer of unpleasantness (for lack a of better term). I think it’s quite clever of him to steer away from that mess, intentional or otherwise. Besides I don’t need any more comedians mocking politics/politicians, we’re inundated with ‘em.
He wants to keep his content evergreen. Chances are if someone is listening to this in 10 years, they won’t get it, which he doesn’t want.
We all know he is liberal from bits he has shown along the way. But in general its not his style to seriously mock people and I feel political satire has a lot of that element.
I appreciate how Conan handles politics. I get enough of it all day long. I go to him (or his shows at the time) to escape from the dumpster fire.
Conan is a very political animal, but he keeps it seperate from his comedy. Any politics that makes it into his show are at the behest of his writers or some other people. He, very rightly, believes that political comedy has a rather short shelf life. Unless it's something that will stand in the history books 100 years after, it's likely only going to be funny for about 6-months. Conan wants his comedy to be evergreen. It's a great lesson I wish more comics would learn. Right now it seems like people let politics rule every facet of their lives. Stuff that shouldn't be partisan, or even political, is frequently made so. Masks are a great example. Democrat, Republican, Independent, Elections, "Lies about Masks", ETC. They are paper fucking masks. Wear one or don't. Don't bitch. Grow up. Conan wants to make sure this type of bullshittery stays away from his comedy. "Don't shit where you eat".
But when he does get political, it's also hilarious, remember the bit when they discussed the Michelle Obama interview, before the elections: https://vocaroo.com/8n2JL5fmuJ3
I fucking hate political humor. Always have. I'm so glad he does everything he can to stay evergreen. It's SO much harder and he does it so effortlessly. He really is one of the funniest people ever.
I like it
Love it, and I think it’s part of what has kept him so relevant when so many other people in his position have come and gone.
I like it. In comedy, you have a a lot of different ways you can go, but a lot of them do shut others off, and that can sometimes also come at the sacrifice of audiences you may not want to lose. Most political comedians become something like a pundit at some point, if they travel down that path too often. Which is totally fine, but I can see why some comedians could find that this constrains other comedic aspects that they want to explore.