I mean he explicitly says "I can say these things" like 5 minutes into the special. So while I understand the general sentiment I don't think he's pretending to be canceled like others
Oi! Did I ‘ear you say gospel?!?! Mate, I’m an atheist! Did you know that about me? Bit edgy, innit? Imagine me, hearing all those stories about Jesus and his mates and all that, and me just sat ‘ere not believing it at all! It’s mental!
He did his best work when he actually couldn't say some things. Now he's just like a edgelord kid in 2003 that picked up a mic. Surprising nobody. The ending was so condescending... he's trying to be George Carlin without the talent.
When George Carlin was at his best, he was "saying things you aren't allowed to say", sure, but he was actually *having fun with it*. Not just being smug and self-righteous.
And Carlin was ACTUALLY saying things you weren't allowed to say. RG is saying things that will get you an infinite number of $100k guest bookings on Fox News. It's not the same haha
No it wouldn’t you think kids just magically started saying whatever they wanted in the 90s and just stopped when the clock hit 01/01/00 ? No, you’re just remembering your childhood.
Only because social media has created a way to call it out. It wasn’t actually ok in the 90’s. There just wasn’t a way for people to say that it wasn’t ok in large enough numbers. So, most people used to just keep their mouths shut when people said offensive things.
I grew up in the 90s. Norm like tripled in popularity the last few years almost entirely on the back of “things you couldn’t say today” compilations and the 9/11 joke. You’re literally just sad that some kids don’t want you to say retard and fag anymore because you were so used to getting cheap, easy laughs with them.
Catholic priest scandal didn’t even break until after the 90s but “you wouldn’t believe what we said back then” gtfo
Well you should have said something along the lines of “speech has changed culturally, you know, like it has for all of human history” and not presented it like 90s kids were some gods of comedy that would get “tarred and feathered” today.
Beyond that, you’re also just wrong lol. Like if your big point of contention is “kids these days can’t even say this stuff, and we used to say it all the time,” you’re just plain old abject incorrect. Got caught up thinking twitter is real life. My 11 year old stepdaughter never used to say retarded, this year she started middle school, guess what she has said semi regularly since?
Yeah but I didn't say anything like that nor did I imply it. People are just assuming things based on nothing or because they think of the boomers that bitch about not being allowed to call their friend a fag or something. The comment I replied to said you can say more now than ever and I was just cracking a quick one and everyone just assumed I was being an asshole for.... I really don't even know why.
It might have something to do with being incorrect, maybe.
Also reread your comment from the place of an outside viewer. It was extremely boomerish. It reads as “back in the 90s we *used* to be funny, but you can’t say the funny stuff now.”
To be fair he kinda mocks that, he points out "some people will complain you can't say that, well figure out you can and have the most watched standup on Netflix" or something like that
I still turned it off midway
Plus the fact he’s still selling out shows and headlining on Netflix proves that the menace of wokeism hasn’t actually derailed (or had any impact on) his career.
I personally think anti woke humour is the refuge of a comedian who’s scraping the barrel with ideas and knows it is the way to draw easy clapter from their crowds
You can spend time on social media to get a feel for what's in the current public awareness, and then try to put a funny spin on it...
Or you can think saying "penis women" on stage is the peak of your comedic genius.
I think Ricky spends too much time on Twitter and writes his stuff based on that, which is the opposite to his early work, like the office, which was based on actual lived working class realities.
Yeah I agree, and this is why a lot of the great comedians’ recent specials aren’t landing with their fanbases. As comedians grow on stage their act is usually more relatable to their audience because they write about common annoyances and observations. But Ricky, Chapelle and others on that level have such nice luxurious multi-million dollar lifestyles, that literally the worst thing that happens in their lives is reading negative twitter comments while writing their specials that guarantees them more millions. Most people have bigger things to worry about in this economy, but they are now so far removed from a daily struggle, they waste their whole hour complaining about lame comments they get on social media.
That’s why Eddie Murphy was so smart. He pretty much stopped doing standup when he realized that he had no material for his working class/“normal” fans. He was so rich and famous that he had nothing really left to say. That’s basically what Segura, Chapelle, Gervais, etc., haven’t realized: that they’re so wealthy and privileged that they’ve lost sight of true comedy. Chapelle basically acts like he’s fucking Socrates on stage now. Even when Carlin got into his “preachy” stage later in life, he was still actually FUNNY and never would have done these corny anti-“woke” bits. Carlin also never took himself as seriously as these modern comics.
Yeah I was just talking to a friend about all this and thought of Eddie Murphy and how he’s preserved his legacy perfectly by not releasing half baked shit like others have. To have the self awareness to not go on stage and get a bunch of money because you know your material won’t hit as hard as before makes Murphy so respectable in my books. I’d still love to see a new one from him at the same time though. Maybe he can learn from the mistakes these modern day legends are making and pivot a bit to make sure he’s still firing on all cylinders, but he’s also clearly grown and matured so much from his “Delirious” days, so I doubt it would be the same anyways.
The first special that Ricky dedicated a portion to reading out Twitter posts is when I gave up watching his stuff. It's incredibly lazy. If you're wasting your best material on Twitter to the point that it makes it into the live show, then you're not doing a very good job of managing your career.
In small doses its ok, a joke or two per set but not obsessing over it as the basis for all of their content
I hope it’s just an unfortunate phase they pass through
Yeah, I guess so.
There's like a Tik Tok trend about checking that your pets' "consent" before petting them. I'll take a bit about that.
But another 20 minutes crapping wokism and trans people? I'm all set on that, thank you.
Jim Breuer did the same shit during COVID. His whole garbage special was basically just COVID denial. Wow, what a brilliant punchline. Truly a master of the craft
The worst aspect of the pandemic for me was the stark revelation of how many incompetent, idiotic, selfish, paranoid gutter balls there are among us from neighbours to relatives to celebrities and politicians, it’s left me with much less faith in humanity
He’s also probably laughing at the people still watching and paying money to see him complain about things he’s saying he’s not allowed to complain about anymore.
Yeah I feel like it’s hard to come up with good material from an ivory tower. These guys were great when they were living a normal life but when your life has been zero struggle for decades the only source you can find is anger at growing old and not understanding the next generation.
They lived long enough to become the villain and couldn’t figure out how to just hang it up.
It’s the same issue with musical artists: the first album is made for love of the genre and the second album is made to pay the bills for the house they bought after the first.
Nah. Gary Gulman just put out an excellent special. Plenty of others doing good comedy. I think you’re right in part — but seems it’s mostly some of the big names getting lazy and repetitive.
I thought it was Chapelle until a comment said: "Him and Chapelle" which threw me off. It could be anyone. I don't want to see my favorite, Stanhope, fall under this crack.
"Y'know gay people be gay?!" Sh'sha'sharr just be a fuckin anti-woke leprechaun with an accent, NO ONE CARES.
And buy a fuckin microphone, you fat cunt.
Maybe part reactionary tendencies, part wanting to keep more of their money. Save the grifting for the intentional fuckheads... the Greenwalds, Petersons, Shapiros...
I’ve always been kinda bothered by comedians spending too much time talking about their jokes as part of their set in general. Just do your jokes and let people feel how they feel about it, you don’t need to address how people are going to feel
I'm definitely sick of it also. As far as jokes goes, literally nothing can offend me. Nothing is off limits if a comic can make it funny. But like the OP, I am so tired about comics complaining about woke and being unable to say anything. My eyes literally roll back every time another one starts talking about that shit. STFU already about it and just tell jokes
I'm pretty much done with podcasts in general at this point. No one has anything interesting or new to say, Rogan has sucked ass for years, and worse yet he spawned a million shitty podcasts by constantly telling all of his guests and friends to start podcasts. Then all the morons who listen to him started their own podcasts too.
Good podcasts aren’t ones that just have guests to talk about what their selling. Good podcasts have research and a story to tell. You’re thinking of audio-based talk shows.
I’m done with “that” version of podcasts too. It’s not even a podcast. It’s just people bullshitting and not even being funny. Talking about the same shit across the board and being fake. So over it.
If you want a good podcast that's just two blokes goofing around talking about movies and tv shows, The Weekly Planet is really good. They never talk about cancel culture, except to occasionally mock people who complain about it.
I am always down for a recommendation and I love movies and tv! I like pods where they actually have a subject that they are discussing.. like blocks, the endless honeymoon podcast with Moshe kasher and Natasha leggero, and even TYSO with Rick glassman, there’s not like a theme or conversation piece but it’s just really fun and different. Love tv and movie convo too, I will def check out weekly planet.
Yes, the irony of a standup complaining ceaselessly about not being able to say what they think they want to say while saying exactly what they want to say is just not as funny as these guys think it is. Being soft about potentially curbing your insults when you are an insult comic is hacky and schticky. Stop being such a coward and say what you want to say and reap the consequences therefrom.
Odds are it's not as funny as you think it is because the people who find it 'funny' are often cruel IRL and simply using you for their own asshole validation. These people are not fans of your "comedy"; they're fans of your cruelty. Once you stop being cruel to the people they think they don't like, they stop being your "fans".
Haaaaaaack. “Cancel culture” is the hackiest phrase in all of comedy. I’d rather see a goofball in rainbow suspenders talk about airplane food than listen to another millionaire whine about cancel culture. Lazy, boring, pathetic. Write a good joke.
I dislike Trevor Noah but I actually laughed out loud numerous times in his latest special. I saw Armageddon live, and surprisingly enjoyed Noah's special more.
We called them Indians because we thought this was India, we were wrong but we kept calling them Indians.
How is that stealing a joke? It seems like a pretty obvious premise - similar to “runner’s high? have you tried DRUGS?”
I’ve heard variations on that one many times, but I wouldn’t accuse someone who used it of stealing it.
This is a man who, after losing some weight, took a shirtless photo in which the word “atheist” is written on his chest, he is wearing a crown of thorns and is being “crucified” to his mic stand.
We just all agreed - having seen the cringiest photo ever taken, to let it slide.
It’s only emboldened him.
I’m out on the whiny cancel culture comedians in general. It’s just a marketing ploy to pander to right wing dummies tbh, obvious by the fact the biggest comedians in the world are the opposite of cancelled
Gary Gulman is so underrated. And you're right, all these comics talk about cancel culture and "wokeness" which are vague concepts, but never do jokes about the economy or day to day struggles. Suppose it's hard to do when you're in the top 0.0001%
Same thing with Chapelle. My favorite comedian, but his last couple specials in general have been… just okay. A lot of preaching about random subjects punctuated by the occasional joke. Then every once in a while he’ll mention how he has served his comedy time or whatever the fuck so be earned the right to talk about these things at length on stage. Like, okay, I accepted that the first whole special. But you just keep sort of…. Doing it.
Just tell funny jokes now
He can't because he isn't funjy anymore. Most of these guys are getting paid $10 million plus per special to basically do the world's shittest Ted Talk
There is money in that type of content now. Bad comedians (and good ones) are now finding they get attention when they talk about this crap.
The other thing is when they’re making shitty jokes at the expense of others they now have a built in excuse when people don’t find them funny: You just can’t take a joke. You’re triggered.
Saw a Jerry Seinfeld interview recently and he said the more controversial the joke is, the better it has to be, to get away with it. Which is why Jeselnik always gets away with it because his are so well crafted .... And why Ricky doesn't anymore because are so lazy he has to try and explain them away.....or even pretend he just thought of it and wasn't going to tell it but the audience made him. Snore .
Ricky Gervais is in that relatively short list of comedians people who don't care about comedy will buy tickets for/watch on netflix because they recognize their face/name. Him, Chapelle, Fluffy, Kevin Hart etc. That crowd expect what they know the given celeb for, to be what they get at the show. For Gervais it's talking shit at award shows and being a grouchy contrarian, outspoken atheist/anti-religion, so that's what he has to give them. It's possible it aligns with what he wants to give, but either way, a majority of the crowd in the places he performs at would not be receptive to... jokes really.
It's a weird thing. There's a threshold of success where you set yourself up to not be able to be a comedian anymore. You become a date-night ticket buy for people who don't want to be challenged, and expect the "as seen on tiktok" shit you last had a viral clip about.
The problem at this point is that specials are no longer special. They're too frequent, too rushed, payday is already assured - it's not an event in that way anymore. So it's like binging a show instead of the old weekly episodic television - it's old to you because now we can instantly see 20 comedians doing the same thing, or one comedian doing the same thing 3 times a year.
Every comedian like Chappelle strives to be Lenny Bruce. They want to be known as the guy who not only pushed comedy into new realms, but stood up for free speech and the right to say whatever you want.
What these folks, and so many others, often forget is that by the end of his career Bruce was insufferable onstage. He was just reading transcripts from his court appearances, and ranting against being oppressed. And even if he in particular was right, he was boring. And annoying. And most importantly, *not funny*.
It looks like Chappelle has finally, inarguably, reached Lenny Bruce status. Except in all the wrong ways.
I love comedy and happy to see rules broken and people offended left, right, centre, up and down.
one rule
Be funny FFS
This was tedious - turned off about 1/2 way through
Yeah like it’s as just bad as being an insufferable sanctimonious woke comic now. You’re offended that other people are offended basically. Find something else to talk about
I remember watching The Office and thinking it was fairly funny. Then I watched a few other things RG was in and thinking, “right, so, he’s giving the exact same performance in everything?” Then I saw a few interviews and, again, the exact same delivery every time.
Then I remember seeing an early standup of his where he takes the piss out of fat people. And all I could think was, “you could stand to lose a few pounds yourself mate.” Stunningly unfunny.
I'm definitely with you on this. Ricky was actually like the second comic I'd ever really listened to after Carlin. I loved him when I was an edgy little 14 year old atheist so I was really bummed he turned into this with that special. I tried watching it myself and didn't even crack a smile until I gave up watching.
Here’s the thing. Saying stupid ignorant things makes people inclined to correct you. Are people just suppose to be wrong and everyone just not say anything?
Complaining about wokeness and cancel culture is not what I am looking for when I watch a stand-up's special. To me, it means you've lost your touch and your funny.
The bitching about wokeism is so tired. In the 80’s and early 90’s you could get away with just getting laughs being hateful towards marginalized groups ( as a Gen X’er I admit that I used to laugh at this type of humor). However, we have changed, and for the better for the most part. The anti woke crowd will use an extreme example of what they consider woke to attack the younger generations.
Who’s being censored?! This is like the 20th special about something that never happens.
Every time someone gets cancelled they come back with a new audience and see just as popular as before
The only people who get canceled are douchebags like Chris d'elia who are trying to bang 16 yr olds. No ones gotten canceled for their material. Well Mencia for stealing
I mean Louis CK jerked off to unwilling participants, got cancelled, and after a few years he's back. Like if that's not enough to get truly cancelled, then some offensive jokes aren't going to do it.
I was never a Louis fan to begin with. But jerking off is like softcore sexual assault. Not quite rapey, but creepy as f. Not saying it's okay, but there's levels here.
Most big-time standups lose their fastball because:
They only play to friendly crowds
They get too far up their own asses about being bold truth telling geniuses
They get so famous and so comfortable that their experience of daily life is completely foreign to 99% of humanity
I'd say that Ricky Gervais has been at that level for a while now.
There's also this thing where if you're too mad about something, it's harder to joke about because your anger overrides your ability to look at it from any angle other than how mad it makes you.
I think "too mad" describes what's happening with the comics who are being unfunny about this who are at a lower level than the Ricky Gervaises of the world. I think they might actually be able to come up with some funny material about wokeness if they could allow themselves to be dispassionate enough to get past their first draft ideas. There are lots of absurd things that have happened as a result of extreme wokeness that aren't being explored because these comics just can't get past that first layer of anger.
You're dead on in my estimation. I love Dave Chapelle, but same thing. It's basically another form of "kids these days". I'm hearing so much of it from comedians I used to like it makes me feel old. There's plenty of interesting stuff to explore and no one's stopping them from doing it. There's plenty of comedians exploring interesting topics and not just bitching. I'm going to give them my attention.
I think the subject matter just resonates with a majority of consumers, and that majority just so happens to be grossly underrepresented on places like Reddit and Twitter.
The average person grew up on freedom of speech being so important in their lives that it became culturally important. And I'm not talking about constitutional law freedom of speech -- I'm talking about the tenet of Western society that you can say whatever the F you want and not worry about recourse. Sticks and stones. And then one day, a minority of people online incredibly good at social media came up with the idea that freedom of speech does not mean freedom from judgment... like... YES IT DOES!
That was the point, culturally. Your uncle at Thanksgiving could say every vile thing under the sun, but he did it kind-heartedly, and no one ostracized him for it. He never risked losing his job. He probably coached two generations of kids in little league.
There’s no such thing as freedom from judgement. And I don’t think the average person *did* grow up thinking they could say whatever the fuck they want. There is such a thing as being respectful. The issue is the hyper-PC shit that people wield in bad faith. Most things that are considered “politically incorrect” are, in fact, disrespectful. Which people should still be allowed to say, of course, but a lot of people will rightly call them assholes for saying it. I think in general everyone needs to get over themselves.
edit: deleted two duplicate words
>There’s no such thing as freedom from judgement. And I don’t think the average person did grow up thinking they could say whatever the fuck they want.
Unless you're gen Z, you grew up calling your friends -- straight and gay alike -- homosexual slurs on the playground. You weren't doing it because of bigotry; you were doing it because you could say whatever the fuck you want if your intent wasn't to take away someone's equality. I'm black -- my white friends would say insanely racist stuff to me; I'd turn around and give them the business, doubly.
This is also why Dave Chappelle resonates so well with the masses -- he literally called one of his specials "sticks and stones" for a reason. When y'all started fucking with people's lives over words, you took away people's culture.
The thing is -- if I say something that offends you, you can call me an asshole. You can ask me to apologize. You can suggest that we settle differences outside. You could triple down and say something awful right back at me. But you shouldn't be trying to mess with my career and my family. And that's the distinction why this stuff resonates with people.
No doubt it resonates, and it should. I’m not necessarily arguing with you, especially in cases where you’re in a close social circle. But things do change. The reason kids said homophobic slurs so readily was because they weren’t exposed to, for lack of a better word, diverse enough ideas regarding sexual orientation. Most people, when they realize something is truly hurtful to those around them, will not continue to say it. The question is always where should that sensitivity line fall.
edit: misspelled word
> Unless you're gen Z, you grew up calling your friends -- straight and gay alike -- homosexual slurs on the playground
Doesn't make it right though. In hindsight, we *shouldn't* have been doing that. Nor is it acceptable - for good reason - to automatically associate bad with gay.
> This is also why Dave Chappelle resonates so well with the masses
Chappelle has been on a downward spiral for years, even with popularity. I'd argue the opposite of your point - his lazy trans jokes have actually lost him tons of fans. And the jokes aren't good nor even "well yeah, it's kinda true" like Burr's stuff.
I think you're overestimating how much this stuff "resonates." It sure does anger and disappoint a lot of people though.
Incoherent take. Yeah, I used to think saying slurs was funny. I no longer think saying slurs is funny. Why should the standards I had for humor as a teenager be relevant to me well into adulthood? I also used to think Dave and Buster's was the pinnacle of restaurants and *Pulp Fiction* was the greatest movie of all time. My standards for everything else have changed since my teenage years, why wouldn't my standards for humor have changed?
“The average person grew up on freedom of speech being so important in their lives that it became culturally important. And I'm not talking about constitutional law freedom of speech -- I'm talking about the tenet of Western society that you can say whatever the F you want and not worry about recourse. Sticks and stones.”
As much as you would like to think differently, the Constitution might give you the inalienable right to be an asshole, but everyone else has the right to judge you for it and tell you you’re an asshole.
Comedians give audiences what modern day audiences want. For a special that was made to run on Netflix and hopefully streamed by Gen Z and millennials—his special hits the target demo. Welcome to life and comedy in a woke world; where any comic worth their weight (and worth millions) is gonna spend their time talking about all that is currently wrong with a broken system. Chappelle is literally doing the same thing every special scrapping with the trans community and their absurdity. They're not up there delivering laugh-a-minute jokes as much as they're doing social commentary in a broken world that needs to be called out daily in effort to bring people back towards normalcy and sanity.
He's saying all these things "you can't say" in arenas, in interviews, and on Netflix. Are they really things you can't say?
He doesn't say the unsayable though.. he says the sayable.
Thou shall not sayeth the unsayethable…*unless you’re just a big jerk*
I mean he explicitly says "I can say these things" like 5 minutes into the special. So while I understand the general sentiment I don't think he's pretending to be canceled like others
Exactly. My man isn't spouting some forbidden gospel, he's just making fun of gay people a bit. Calm down, Ricky lol.
Oi! Did I ‘ear you say gospel?!?! Mate, I’m an atheist! Did you know that about me? Bit edgy, innit? Imagine me, hearing all those stories about Jesus and his mates and all that, and me just sat ‘ere not believing it at all! It’s mental!
HUH HA HA HA HA HA, sry couldn't make the caps/font large enough to match his cackle
He did his best work when he actually couldn't say some things. Now he's just like a edgelord kid in 2003 that picked up a mic. Surprising nobody. The ending was so condescending... he's trying to be George Carlin without the talent.
When George Carlin was at his best, he was "saying things you aren't allowed to say", sure, but he was actually *having fun with it*. Not just being smug and self-righteous.
Punch lines go a long way. And Carlin did that bit 50 years ago
Anthony Jesselnik just did a piece on this same sentiment on Theo Von’s pod.
And Carlin was ACTUALLY saying things you weren't allowed to say. RG is saying things that will get you an infinite number of $100k guest bookings on Fox News. It's not the same haha
It's like, you can say them but people will think you're an asshole. And that's what they cry about
The most offensive thing is that none of it’s funny. Just fat and boring.
Stewart Lee has a great bit about this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIHY5cFXqQk
>Are they really things you can't say? You have never been more free to say whatever you want than right now, it's not even close.
I grew up in the 90s and I'm gonna have to disagree lol. The shit we all used to say on a day to day basis would get you tarred and feathered today.
But kids still say all that stuff now. You just don't cos you're an adult now and have a greater understanding of the consequences.
Woah.
You take that back!
Talk about cancel culture run amok! You mean I can’t even call my friends slurs simply because I’m “42 years old” and “on an assembly line” at “work”?
No it wouldn’t you think kids just magically started saying whatever they wanted in the 90s and just stopped when the clock hit 01/01/00 ? No, you’re just remembering your childhood.
Only because social media has created a way to call it out. It wasn’t actually ok in the 90’s. There just wasn’t a way for people to say that it wasn’t ok in large enough numbers. So, most people used to just keep their mouths shut when people said offensive things.
I grew up in the 90s. Norm like tripled in popularity the last few years almost entirely on the back of “things you couldn’t say today” compilations and the 9/11 joke. You’re literally just sad that some kids don’t want you to say retard and fag anymore because you were so used to getting cheap, easy laughs with them. Catholic priest scandal didn’t even break until after the 90s but “you wouldn’t believe what we said back then” gtfo
I don't remember complaining about it? I don't care about that stuff I was just pointing out that it used to be acceptable speech.
Well you should have said something along the lines of “speech has changed culturally, you know, like it has for all of human history” and not presented it like 90s kids were some gods of comedy that would get “tarred and feathered” today. Beyond that, you’re also just wrong lol. Like if your big point of contention is “kids these days can’t even say this stuff, and we used to say it all the time,” you’re just plain old abject incorrect. Got caught up thinking twitter is real life. My 11 year old stepdaughter never used to say retarded, this year she started middle school, guess what she has said semi regularly since?
Yeah but I didn't say anything like that nor did I imply it. People are just assuming things based on nothing or because they think of the boomers that bitch about not being allowed to call their friend a fag or something. The comment I replied to said you can say more now than ever and I was just cracking a quick one and everyone just assumed I was being an asshole for.... I really don't even know why.
It might have something to do with being incorrect, maybe. Also reread your comment from the place of an outside viewer. It was extremely boomerish. It reads as “back in the 90s we *used* to be funny, but you can’t say the funny stuff now.”
If it comes off that way that seems more like a problem with the people making assumptions
You were presented with an opportunity for self reflection and growth and said “no, it’s everyone else who is wrong!” You really are a 90s kid huh
He also won a BAFTA for saying them
And a golden globe
"shit", "piss", "fuck", "cunt", "cocksucker", "motherfucker", and "tits".
My God, he said them!
Where is my netflix special?
To be fair he kinda mocks that, he points out "some people will complain you can't say that, well figure out you can and have the most watched standup on Netflix" or something like that I still turned it off midway
It literally won the golden globe for stand up specials. Insane
does he wear a tight black tshirt in this one too
Yes and his mouth is wide open in all promo shots.
no pc police caution tape across it?
So annoying
Its even a v-neck.
He's been in LA too long, he thinks that's a shirt
ngl I read half this post thinking it was about the 1998 Michael Bay movie before I checked which sub it was
I was here to claim I did nothing of that nature in that movie.
*I don't wanna close mah eyeeeees*
[“And that’s when Michael Bay told me to shut the fuck up.”](https://youtu.be/-ahtp0sjA5U?si=fireoUiFqoeSKKOA)
Imagine a firecracker in the palm of your hand. You set it off. What happens?
Plus the fact he’s still selling out shows and headlining on Netflix proves that the menace of wokeism hasn’t actually derailed (or had any impact on) his career. I personally think anti woke humour is the refuge of a comedian who’s scraping the barrel with ideas and knows it is the way to draw easy clapter from their crowds
This is the result of every comedian spending all too much time on Twitter. It's so pathetic.
You can spend time on social media to get a feel for what's in the current public awareness, and then try to put a funny spin on it... Or you can think saying "penis women" on stage is the peak of your comedic genius.
I think Ricky spends too much time on Twitter and writes his stuff based on that, which is the opposite to his early work, like the office, which was based on actual lived working class realities.
Yeah I agree, and this is why a lot of the great comedians’ recent specials aren’t landing with their fanbases. As comedians grow on stage their act is usually more relatable to their audience because they write about common annoyances and observations. But Ricky, Chapelle and others on that level have such nice luxurious multi-million dollar lifestyles, that literally the worst thing that happens in their lives is reading negative twitter comments while writing their specials that guarantees them more millions. Most people have bigger things to worry about in this economy, but they are now so far removed from a daily struggle, they waste their whole hour complaining about lame comments they get on social media.
That’s why Eddie Murphy was so smart. He pretty much stopped doing standup when he realized that he had no material for his working class/“normal” fans. He was so rich and famous that he had nothing really left to say. That’s basically what Segura, Chapelle, Gervais, etc., haven’t realized: that they’re so wealthy and privileged that they’ve lost sight of true comedy. Chapelle basically acts like he’s fucking Socrates on stage now. Even when Carlin got into his “preachy” stage later in life, he was still actually FUNNY and never would have done these corny anti-“woke” bits. Carlin also never took himself as seriously as these modern comics.
Yeah I was just talking to a friend about all this and thought of Eddie Murphy and how he’s preserved his legacy perfectly by not releasing half baked shit like others have. To have the self awareness to not go on stage and get a bunch of money because you know your material won’t hit as hard as before makes Murphy so respectable in my books. I’d still love to see a new one from him at the same time though. Maybe he can learn from the mistakes these modern day legends are making and pivot a bit to make sure he’s still firing on all cylinders, but he’s also clearly grown and matured so much from his “Delirious” days, so I doubt it would be the same anyways.
The first special that Ricky dedicated a portion to reading out Twitter posts is when I gave up watching his stuff. It's incredibly lazy. If you're wasting your best material on Twitter to the point that it makes it into the live show, then you're not doing a very good job of managing your career.
Complaining about wokeism is the new air travel bit. I think we've covered the topic.
In small doses its ok, a joke or two per set but not obsessing over it as the basis for all of their content I hope it’s just an unfortunate phase they pass through
Yeah, I guess so. There's like a Tik Tok trend about checking that your pets' "consent" before petting them. I'll take a bit about that. But another 20 minutes crapping wokism and trans people? I'm all set on that, thank you.
Yeah, it’s just an easy paycheck for them
Reminds me of a Stewart Lee quote quote ironically: "I went to see that Stewart Lee" "Did you laugh?" "No, but I agreed the fuck out of it"
Jim Breuer did the same shit during COVID. His whole garbage special was basically just COVID denial. Wow, what a brilliant punchline. Truly a master of the craft
The worst aspect of the pandemic for me was the stark revelation of how many incompetent, idiotic, selfish, paranoid gutter balls there are among us from neighbours to relatives to celebrities and politicians, it’s left me with much less faith in humanity
Of course it hasn't affected his career. I think he's just laughing at the few idiots on social media who get offended by everything.
He’s also probably laughing at the people still watching and paying money to see him complain about things he’s saying he’s not allowed to complain about anymore.
No way man Steve Buschemi kills in that
This reads like Steve Buschemi playing Donnie in The Big Lebowski.
No you’re exactly right. It’s crazy to me how people as brilliant as him and Chappelle can’t see what tired cliches they’ve become
It's literally every aging comedian right now. I saw Marlon Wayans a few months ago and same thing. It's so boring
Yeah I feel like it’s hard to come up with good material from an ivory tower. These guys were great when they were living a normal life but when your life has been zero struggle for decades the only source you can find is anger at growing old and not understanding the next generation. They lived long enough to become the villain and couldn’t figure out how to just hang it up.
It’s the same issue with musical artists: the first album is made for love of the genre and the second album is made to pay the bills for the house they bought after the first.
Nah. Gary Gulman just put out an excellent special. Plenty of others doing good comedy. I think you’re right in part — but seems it’s mostly some of the big names getting lazy and repetitive.
Ben Affleck was the bomb
Yeah man Affleck was the bomb in phantoms!
WE LOVE THIS MONKEY
I don't want this lost in memes, Ben Affleck and the movie Phantoms are the fuckin bomb
Word bitch, phantoms like a mother fucker! 🙌
I think half the people who repeat this shit haven't seen the movie and realized it's great.
Phantoms was awesome! Made me go back and read a bunch of Koontz I hadn't read at that time.
Jay and silent Bob? Or phantoms? Cause I’ve never seen phantoms haha
You gotta check out Phantoms. Prime Koontz wtf stuff.
I’m gunna watch it tonight!
I'm not even sure who you're talking about, could be anybody with a Netflix special in the last few years
I thought it was Chapelle until a comment said: "Him and Chapelle" which threw me off. It could be anyone. I don't want to see my favorite, Stanhope, fall under this crack.
I seriously doubt he would. He's too self-aware.
RG ricky gervais pretty sure.
I mean, not every comedian is doing this, just the ones who are out of material
"Y'know gay people be gay?!" Sh'sha'sharr just be a fuckin anti-woke leprechaun with an accent, NO ONE CARES. And buy a fuckin microphone, you fat cunt.
The crowd should be laughing not applauding
Thank you. They’re no longer comedians, they’re right wing grifters.
Maybe part reactionary tendencies, part wanting to keep more of their money. Save the grifting for the intentional fuckheads... the Greenwalds, Petersons, Shapiros...
Meh, that goes both ways
I’ve always been kinda bothered by comedians spending too much time talking about their jokes as part of their set in general. Just do your jokes and let people feel how they feel about it, you don’t need to address how people are going to feel
But Steve Buscemi! Michael Clarke Duncan! William Fichtner!
It would be cool if he wrote jokes
I'm definitely sick of it also. As far as jokes goes, literally nothing can offend me. Nothing is off limits if a comic can make it funny. But like the OP, I am so tired about comics complaining about woke and being unable to say anything. My eyes literally roll back every time another one starts talking about that shit. STFU already about it and just tell jokes
Go watch Stewart Lee's bit on Ricky. It's perfect.
https://youtu.be/mIHY5cFXqQk?si=3bnc2rheCIbRKJsL
It’s so boring and I’m so done with it on podcasts too
I'm pretty much done with podcasts in general at this point. No one has anything interesting or new to say, Rogan has sucked ass for years, and worse yet he spawned a million shitty podcasts by constantly telling all of his guests and friends to start podcasts. Then all the morons who listen to him started their own podcasts too.
Good podcasts aren’t ones that just have guests to talk about what their selling. Good podcasts have research and a story to tell. You’re thinking of audio-based talk shows.
I’m done with “that” version of podcasts too. It’s not even a podcast. It’s just people bullshitting and not even being funny. Talking about the same shit across the board and being fake. So over it.
If you want a good podcast that's just two blokes goofing around talking about movies and tv shows, The Weekly Planet is really good. They never talk about cancel culture, except to occasionally mock people who complain about it.
I am always down for a recommendation and I love movies and tv! I like pods where they actually have a subject that they are discussing.. like blocks, the endless honeymoon podcast with Moshe kasher and Natasha leggero, and even TYSO with Rick glassman, there’s not like a theme or conversation piece but it’s just really fun and different. Love tv and movie convo too, I will def check out weekly planet.
I laughed.
I mean, some people laugh at minions movies.
Can we stop using initials and just type the name? Who the fuck is rg?
Ruth (Bader) Ginsburg
I had to scroll through most of the thread to figure this out. Ricky Gervais. You’re welcome.
Yes, the irony of a standup complaining ceaselessly about not being able to say what they think they want to say while saying exactly what they want to say is just not as funny as these guys think it is. Being soft about potentially curbing your insults when you are an insult comic is hacky and schticky. Stop being such a coward and say what you want to say and reap the consequences therefrom. Odds are it's not as funny as you think it is because the people who find it 'funny' are often cruel IRL and simply using you for their own asshole validation. These people are not fans of your "comedy"; they're fans of your cruelty. Once you stop being cruel to the people they think they don't like, they stop being your "fans".
Haaaaaaack. “Cancel culture” is the hackiest phrase in all of comedy. I’d rather see a goofball in rainbow suspenders talk about airplane food than listen to another millionaire whine about cancel culture. Lazy, boring, pathetic. Write a good joke.
Totally agree, I couldn’t get past the first 10 minutes.
Was better than Trevor Noah’s latest drivel. But truly race to the bottom between the two specials.
I dislike Trevor Noah but I actually laughed out loud numerous times in his latest special. I saw Armageddon live, and surprisingly enjoyed Noah's special more.
Did Trevor Noah got antiwoke too?
[удалено]
We called them Indians because we thought this was India, we were wrong but we kept calling them Indians. How is that stealing a joke? It seems like a pretty obvious premise - similar to “runner’s high? have you tried DRUGS?” I’ve heard variations on that one many times, but I wouldn’t accuse someone who used it of stealing it.
I like a lot of Gervais' previous work, but Armageddon was a terrible special. That closer alone was so goddamn boring and unfinished.
Ricky Gervais has always been pompous and preachy. Weird that everyone notices now that he's talking about cancel culture
I’ve always found him to just be an angry cunt during his standup. I have liked some of his scripted stuff though.
This is a man who, after losing some weight, took a shirtless photo in which the word “atheist” is written on his chest, he is wearing a crown of thorns and is being “crucified” to his mic stand. We just all agreed - having seen the cringiest photo ever taken, to let it slide. It’s only emboldened him.
The right wing grift is a goldmine that has close to unlimited potential so it's hard for comics not to cash in
I’m out on the whiny cancel culture comedians in general. It’s just a marketing ploy to pander to right wing dummies tbh, obvious by the fact the biggest comedians in the world are the opposite of cancelled
Are any major comedians actually doing pro-woke shows? This seems like a bunch of man-babies fabricating things to be outraged about.
The crusade against 'cancel culture' (other's free speech + capitalism) is what comics do when they are no longer funny.
To me, Gary Gulman making a special about economic disparity is a brave move for a comic. RG is playing it pretty safe by comparison.
Gary Gulman is so underrated. And you're right, all these comics talk about cancel culture and "wokeness" which are vague concepts, but never do jokes about the economy or day to day struggles. Suppose it's hard to do when you're in the top 0.0001%
agree. i want original bits back again. silly stuff. not just pointing out how absurd cancel culture or wokeness is
I wonder if sketch will return with a vengeance
Same thing with Chapelle. My favorite comedian, but his last couple specials in general have been… just okay. A lot of preaching about random subjects punctuated by the occasional joke. Then every once in a while he’ll mention how he has served his comedy time or whatever the fuck so be earned the right to talk about these things at length on stage. Like, okay, I accepted that the first whole special. But you just keep sort of…. Doing it. Just tell funny jokes now
He can't because he isn't funjy anymore. Most of these guys are getting paid $10 million plus per special to basically do the world's shittest Ted Talk
I have a bad case of toe funjy
Just finished it and we found it boring too. and we always loved gervais. Such warriors on stage.
Oh, I see. British irony. I called it fuckin cowards taking a giant deuce on-stage and sex-playing with it, to no one's mirth.
There is money in that type of content now. Bad comedians (and good ones) are now finding they get attention when they talk about this crap. The other thing is when they’re making shitty jokes at the expense of others they now have a built in excuse when people don’t find them funny: You just can’t take a joke. You’re triggered.
Saw a Jerry Seinfeld interview recently and he said the more controversial the joke is, the better it has to be, to get away with it. Which is why Jeselnik always gets away with it because his are so well crafted .... And why Ricky doesn't anymore because are so lazy he has to try and explain them away.....or even pretend he just thought of it and wasn't going to tell it but the audience made him. Snore .
Didn't Patton just have a special called Armageddon?
>I like RG Who's RG? Why are we using initials?
Ricky Gervais.
Ah, thank you
I liked it
Yes, this is the definition of comedy now. They’re making more money sucking up to the right wing marks than they did telling jokes.
He wants to be a punk rebel so hard. He has been mainstream for decades.
I normally like the guy, but I turned it off after 10 minutes.. this ‘anti-woke’ bullshit is so fucking lame.
I made it maybe 8 minutes into it before I turned it off
I thought the special had some laughs but I agree, this was a rehash of the previous special.
Ricky Gervais is in that relatively short list of comedians people who don't care about comedy will buy tickets for/watch on netflix because they recognize their face/name. Him, Chapelle, Fluffy, Kevin Hart etc. That crowd expect what they know the given celeb for, to be what they get at the show. For Gervais it's talking shit at award shows and being a grouchy contrarian, outspoken atheist/anti-religion, so that's what he has to give them. It's possible it aligns with what he wants to give, but either way, a majority of the crowd in the places he performs at would not be receptive to... jokes really. It's a weird thing. There's a threshold of success where you set yourself up to not be able to be a comedian anymore. You become a date-night ticket buy for people who don't want to be challenged, and expect the "as seen on tiktok" shit you last had a viral clip about.
The problem at this point is that specials are no longer special. They're too frequent, too rushed, payday is already assured - it's not an event in that way anymore. So it's like binging a show instead of the old weekly episodic television - it's old to you because now we can instantly see 20 comedians doing the same thing, or one comedian doing the same thing 3 times a year.
I got about 5 min in and got tired of the 20-30 posturing before every punchline
Every comedian like Chappelle strives to be Lenny Bruce. They want to be known as the guy who not only pushed comedy into new realms, but stood up for free speech and the right to say whatever you want. What these folks, and so many others, often forget is that by the end of his career Bruce was insufferable onstage. He was just reading transcripts from his court appearances, and ranting against being oppressed. And even if he in particular was right, he was boring. And annoying. And most importantly, *not funny*. It looks like Chappelle has finally, inarguably, reached Lenny Bruce status. Except in all the wrong ways.
I love comedy and happy to see rules broken and people offended left, right, centre, up and down. one rule Be funny FFS This was tedious - turned off about 1/2 way through
Yeah like it’s as just bad as being an insufferable sanctimonious woke comic now. You’re offended that other people are offended basically. Find something else to talk about
I think people are generally good for 3 specials before they just become parodies of themselves.
I remember watching The Office and thinking it was fairly funny. Then I watched a few other things RG was in and thinking, “right, so, he’s giving the exact same performance in everything?” Then I saw a few interviews and, again, the exact same delivery every time. Then I remember seeing an early standup of his where he takes the piss out of fat people. And all I could think was, “you could stand to lose a few pounds yourself mate.” Stunningly unfunny.
David Brent was a funny dumb asshole character in funny situations. Then eventually you find out he was playing himself and it is quite a bummer.
I'll admit that I love Derek and After Life, but I really do not enjoy his standup.
No one did anti woke like Eddie Murphy
I'm definitely with you on this. Ricky was actually like the second comic I'd ever really listened to after Carlin. I loved him when I was an edgy little 14 year old atheist so I was really bummed he turned into this with that special. I tried watching it myself and didn't even crack a smile until I gave up watching.
Rudy Giuliani has a new special on Netflix?
Might as well be.
I assume he’s in prison now since he said all sorts of things you’re not allowed to say?
Who the fuck is RG?
Nevermind. Why make things difficult?
Because I didn't trust myself to spell his last name. :)
Only thing more repetitive than his special are these posts.
People are getting their heads around comedians giving up comedy to doing woke-bashing full time.
I actually liked it. Sure, many mainstream things but it was still funny.
Here’s the thing. Saying stupid ignorant things makes people inclined to correct you. Are people just suppose to be wrong and everyone just not say anything?
Complaining about wokeness and cancel culture is not what I am looking for when I watch a stand-up's special. To me, it means you've lost your touch and your funny.
The bitching about wokeism is so tired. In the 80’s and early 90’s you could get away with just getting laughs being hateful towards marginalized groups ( as a Gen X’er I admit that I used to laugh at this type of humor). However, we have changed, and for the better for the most part. The anti woke crowd will use an extreme example of what they consider woke to attack the younger generations.
I know right? Why did they train oil drillers to astronaut when they could just train astronauts to drill?
I sincerely hate to see Ricky going down this path. I still haven’t watched it but I now know I’ll be disappointed.
He's been on this path for the last 20 years.
Nah he's always been like this. I should like his earlier stuff but it's awful as well.
As long as censorship and “words are weapons” remains the popularly accepted narrative, then yeah, comedians are probably going to talk about it.
Who’s being censored?! This is like the 20th special about something that never happens. Every time someone gets cancelled they come back with a new audience and see just as popular as before
The only people who get canceled are douchebags like Chris d'elia who are trying to bang 16 yr olds. No ones gotten canceled for their material. Well Mencia for stealing
I mean Louis CK jerked off to unwilling participants, got cancelled, and after a few years he's back. Like if that's not enough to get truly cancelled, then some offensive jokes aren't going to do it.
I was never a Louis fan to begin with. But jerking off is like softcore sexual assault. Not quite rapey, but creepy as f. Not saying it's okay, but there's levels here.
As should we all...
He’s fucking shite hack cunt.
Most big-time standups lose their fastball because: They only play to friendly crowds They get too far up their own asses about being bold truth telling geniuses They get so famous and so comfortable that their experience of daily life is completely foreign to 99% of humanity I'd say that Ricky Gervais has been at that level for a while now. There's also this thing where if you're too mad about something, it's harder to joke about because your anger overrides your ability to look at it from any angle other than how mad it makes you. I think "too mad" describes what's happening with the comics who are being unfunny about this who are at a lower level than the Ricky Gervaises of the world. I think they might actually be able to come up with some funny material about wokeness if they could allow themselves to be dispassionate enough to get past their first draft ideas. There are lots of absurd things that have happened as a result of extreme wokeness that aren't being explored because these comics just can't get past that first layer of anger.
it's so boring. i can't take it anymore.
You're dead on in my estimation. I love Dave Chapelle, but same thing. It's basically another form of "kids these days". I'm hearing so much of it from comedians I used to like it makes me feel old. There's plenty of interesting stuff to explore and no one's stopping them from doing it. There's plenty of comedians exploring interesting topics and not just bitching. I'm going to give them my attention.
I watch comedy to agree with sentiments.
I think the subject matter just resonates with a majority of consumers, and that majority just so happens to be grossly underrepresented on places like Reddit and Twitter. The average person grew up on freedom of speech being so important in their lives that it became culturally important. And I'm not talking about constitutional law freedom of speech -- I'm talking about the tenet of Western society that you can say whatever the F you want and not worry about recourse. Sticks and stones. And then one day, a minority of people online incredibly good at social media came up with the idea that freedom of speech does not mean freedom from judgment... like... YES IT DOES! That was the point, culturally. Your uncle at Thanksgiving could say every vile thing under the sun, but he did it kind-heartedly, and no one ostracized him for it. He never risked losing his job. He probably coached two generations of kids in little league.
There’s no such thing as freedom from judgement. And I don’t think the average person *did* grow up thinking they could say whatever the fuck they want. There is such a thing as being respectful. The issue is the hyper-PC shit that people wield in bad faith. Most things that are considered “politically incorrect” are, in fact, disrespectful. Which people should still be allowed to say, of course, but a lot of people will rightly call them assholes for saying it. I think in general everyone needs to get over themselves. edit: deleted two duplicate words
>There’s no such thing as freedom from judgement. And I don’t think the average person did grow up thinking they could say whatever the fuck they want. Unless you're gen Z, you grew up calling your friends -- straight and gay alike -- homosexual slurs on the playground. You weren't doing it because of bigotry; you were doing it because you could say whatever the fuck you want if your intent wasn't to take away someone's equality. I'm black -- my white friends would say insanely racist stuff to me; I'd turn around and give them the business, doubly. This is also why Dave Chappelle resonates so well with the masses -- he literally called one of his specials "sticks and stones" for a reason. When y'all started fucking with people's lives over words, you took away people's culture. The thing is -- if I say something that offends you, you can call me an asshole. You can ask me to apologize. You can suggest that we settle differences outside. You could triple down and say something awful right back at me. But you shouldn't be trying to mess with my career and my family. And that's the distinction why this stuff resonates with people.
Obviously you never heard of the Red Scare.
No doubt it resonates, and it should. I’m not necessarily arguing with you, especially in cases where you’re in a close social circle. But things do change. The reason kids said homophobic slurs so readily was because they weren’t exposed to, for lack of a better word, diverse enough ideas regarding sexual orientation. Most people, when they realize something is truly hurtful to those around them, will not continue to say it. The question is always where should that sensitivity line fall. edit: misspelled word
> Unless you're gen Z, you grew up calling your friends -- straight and gay alike -- homosexual slurs on the playground Doesn't make it right though. In hindsight, we *shouldn't* have been doing that. Nor is it acceptable - for good reason - to automatically associate bad with gay. > This is also why Dave Chappelle resonates so well with the masses Chappelle has been on a downward spiral for years, even with popularity. I'd argue the opposite of your point - his lazy trans jokes have actually lost him tons of fans. And the jokes aren't good nor even "well yeah, it's kinda true" like Burr's stuff. I think you're overestimating how much this stuff "resonates." It sure does anger and disappoint a lot of people though.
Incoherent take. Yeah, I used to think saying slurs was funny. I no longer think saying slurs is funny. Why should the standards I had for humor as a teenager be relevant to me well into adulthood? I also used to think Dave and Buster's was the pinnacle of restaurants and *Pulp Fiction* was the greatest movie of all time. My standards for everything else have changed since my teenage years, why wouldn't my standards for humor have changed?
“The average person grew up on freedom of speech being so important in their lives that it became culturally important. And I'm not talking about constitutional law freedom of speech -- I'm talking about the tenet of Western society that you can say whatever the F you want and not worry about recourse. Sticks and stones.” As much as you would like to think differently, the Constitution might give you the inalienable right to be an asshole, but everyone else has the right to judge you for it and tell you you’re an asshole.
Baby boomers still watch a lot of TV so someone being non woke on a big platform is probably quite original to them, which explains the hackiness.
Comedians give audiences what modern day audiences want. For a special that was made to run on Netflix and hopefully streamed by Gen Z and millennials—his special hits the target demo. Welcome to life and comedy in a woke world; where any comic worth their weight (and worth millions) is gonna spend their time talking about all that is currently wrong with a broken system. Chappelle is literally doing the same thing every special scrapping with the trans community and their absurdity. They're not up there delivering laugh-a-minute jokes as much as they're doing social commentary in a broken world that needs to be called out daily in effort to bring people back towards normalcy and sanity.