2021 was a better year for comedy than 2020, as comedians began to get their bearings in our pandemic world, The Daily Beast’s The Last Laugh podcast host Matt Wilstein tells Molly Jong-Fast and Jesse Cannon on this episode of The New Abnormal, which is all about political comedy.
There were lots of high points—like those Trump and Biden Saturday Night Live impressions that are still fabulous despite how hard it is to find someone to imitate Biden. In fact, SNL’s Biden and Trump are currently played by the same person and “so far they have not been able to have Biden and Trump appear together,” Wilstein notes
Subscribe to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, or Overcast. To listen to our weekly members-only bonus episodes, join Beast Inside here. Already a member? You can listen here and sign up for new episode email alerts here.
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition to listening to their favorite clips, including one of the MyPillow Guy impressionist, the three also touch on the low points in 2021 comedy. Exhibit A being comedians who, as Wilstein puts it, think they’ve been canceled or really want to be for some reason, like Dave Chappelle.
“He knew what he was doing, I think, and pushing the line on these issues with the trans community, which is something that he’s just been obsessed with for, I think, too long now,” says Wilstein, who sees Chappelle deliberately choosing to align himself with the anti-woke comedian crowd, like Joe Rogan, whom he toured with.
“There’s been talk about a civil war in comedy,” he adds.
Of course, this wouldn’t be a political comedy episode if they didn’t talk about the hit show Succession, which Wilstein believes “ended up being both the best drama of the year and maybe one of the funniest shows of the year as well.”
Jesse plays a clip of what he says is the best line from the series this season. Naturally, it’s about fascism.
Listen to The New Abnormal on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon and Stitcher.
