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Watch: All the Awkward Cameos Presidential Candidates Have Made on Comedy Shows

SOCK IT TO ME

From Nixon to Hillary, American politicians have made a tradition of awkwardly trying to be funny.

articles/2016/09/22/watch-presidential-candidates-trying-to-be-funny-on-comedy-shows/160922-Place-presidential-candidates-on-comedy-shows-Tease_rbaeig
Courtesy of NBC

At this point in American history, Hillary Clinton’s appearance on Between Two Ferns is hardly unusual. President Obama was on the same low-budget Zach Galifianakis series two years ago, and just last week Donald Trump was getting his hair mussed by Jimmy Fallon. American politicians, even including—or especially including—candidates for the highest office in the country have a long history of appearing on comedic programs, dating back to when Richard Nixon said the catchphrase “Sock it to me!” on Laugh-In in 1968. Here’s a look back on the history of this strange tradition, from Nixon on Laugh-In to Bill Clinton on Arsenio Hall to Obama on… well, everything.

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