Frat guy to DEI: Will Ferrell’s unfunny fall
Comedians defending comedy, what a concept (with apologies to Mork from Ork)!
This week, it’s Jon Stewart’s turn.
Will Ferrell is on a mission – crush all the goodwill he generated with 20+ years of great big-screen comedies like ‘Elf,’ ‘Old School,’ and ‘Step Brothers.’
The “Daily Show” host actually took the media to task for getting the vapors over bawdy jokes told at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally by Tony Hinchcliffe.
“There’s something wrong with me, but I find that guy very funny,” he said of the “Kill Tony” host.
Stewart continued his defense, throwing salt on an open DNC wound in the process.
“Bringing him to a rally and have him NOT do roast jokes is like bringing Beyonce to a rally and not — oh!”
That Harris campaign gaffe – Beyonce gave a brief endorsement last week but neither sang nor danced for thousands of fans — didn’t become a media narrative. Stewart used it all the same. He can go back to trashing Trump now, but for a moment he let his bipartisan side show.
Rebel comic’s F-bomb frenzy
And then there’s Marc Maron.
The former comedy rebel plays by all the woke rules. He’s even shouted down his fellow comics for daring to suggest woke bylaws hurt comedy.
Yeah, he’s that laughably out of touch.
Now, he’s attacking comic podcasters for interviewing Sen. JD Vance and President Donald Trump. Think Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and Tim Dillon.
Or, as Maron calls them, “fascists.”
Whether or not they are self-serving or true believers in the new fascism is unimportant. They are of the movement. Whether they see themselves as acolytes or just comics doesn’t matter. Whether they are driven by the idea that what they are fighting for is a free speech issue or whether they are truly morally bankrupt racists doesn’t matter. They are part of the public face of a fascist political movement that seeks to destroy the democratic idea.
If he keeps this up, some network bigwig will give him a deeply unfunny late-night show.
The Way-ans forward
We miss the “Scary Movie” franchise.
The saga not only shredded horror movie tropes but employed two very funny comic teams. Members of the Wayans family fueled the first two installments, while “Airplane!” alum David Zucker took over for chapters 3, 4, and 5.
Now, the Wayans are back for another installment. Yes, we’re exhausted by Hollywood’s endless reboots, but the Wayans remain comic royalty. Plus, various Wayans made us howl before the comedy police started pulling people over.
Think “In Living Color,” for starters.
Marlon Wayans, for one, is not a fan of the new woke order.
‘I ain’t listening to this damn generation,” he said in 2022, skewering cancel culture in the process.
Here’s betting the family that gave us “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka” also loathes those woke comedy cuffs.
Kamala drops mic
Diva alert!
Vice President Kamala Harris has an open invitation to appear on “The Joe Rogan Experience.” Except the Democrat insists that the podcast giant come to her, not vice versa.
Even more jaw-dropping? She’ll only sit down with Rogan for an hour-long chat. Rogan’s interviews typically go from two to three hours in length. No-go, says the former “Fear Factor” host.
Looks like the interview won’t happen at this point. And to be fair to Harris, sparing us from a three-hour vibe-fest might be her first real accomplishment.
Ferrell forgets ‘Old School’ lessons
Will Ferrell is on a mission – crush all the goodwill he generated with 20+ years of great big-screen comedies like “Elf,” “Old School,” and “Step Brothers.”
He began his curious quest in 2016 when he flirted with a Ronald Reagan “comedy” about the late president’s Alzheimer’s disease. Only a swift public shaming campaign caused him to drop out of the project.
He hasn’t made us laugh-laugh in some time, with Apple TV+’s 2022 film “Spirited” doing him, and us, few favors.
More recently, he starred in the documentary “Will & Harper,” a buddy road trip featuring his longtime male friend’s life post-transition. Ferrell wondered in various press interviews why trans people get so much hate, ignoring the real concerns parents have with doctors who transition children.
Now, he’s out with a new, vulgar song meant to replace Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.” And worst of all, he’s hitting the streets with the screechy Billy Eichner for more “White Dudes for Harris”-style shtick.
Can we have the old Will Ferrell back? Please?
