There’s an old adage that comedy is just tragedy given time. But, in the modern comedy landscape, we don’t have time. Everything has to be funny now, no matter what.
So, what does funny look like now?
On Nov. 9, Saturday Night Live ran its first episode since Donald Trump was reelected as president of the United States.
On one hand, the first Trump presidency had a lot of absurd, hilarious moments. On the other, it was dark and frightening. A Trump presidency is less funny now that we know just how bad it can get.
The episode opened with a somber message from the main cast, in which they reflected on the results of the election and Trump’s promises to persecute political enemies. Eventually, SNL satirically pledges its unconditional, undying love and loyalty to Trump, at one point saying “Hail Trump” and unveiling its new “hot Trump” impression, which is exactly what it sounds like.
Nov. 9’s episode was hosted by Bill Burr, an older white guy who didn’t do a very good job.
Eight minutes into the episode, we get our first racist joke in Burr's monologue. When pondering why he may have gotten the flu recently, Burr speculates that he might have “walked by an Asian or something.”
Then, we move into the “rampant misogyny” portion of the evening.
In reference to Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to Trump in the 2024 election, Burr said: “Alright ladies, you’re 0-2 against this guy … but you learn more from your losses than your wins … enough with the pantsuit, okay, it’s not working. Stop trying to have respect for yourselves. You don’t win the office on policy. You gotta whore it up a little.”
He follows it up with several more cheap misogynistic jabs, using staples like “feminists are ugly” and “sexually active women have daddy issues.”
All of this, mind you, from a man who can’t even match the black of his sweatpants to the black of his sweat jacket.
I loathe Burr’s jokes about Harris on several levels. Firstly, I hate the implication that women have failed America, when in fact, America has failed women. Secondly, Harris has already been repeatedly accused of sleeping her way to the top. Lastly, it’s just so lazy. This is SNL — let’s see some material I haven’t already seen in a Reddit thread from 2016.
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I’m not sure if Burr meant what he said, or if it was a bit within a bit meant to satirize older, white male comedians. Honestly? I don’t think I really care.
Irony doesn’t make remarks like that funny. The jokes are at worst, cruel, and at best, bad. It’s just not funny.
I dread four more years of men mocking women because it’s topical again. I fear another Trump presidency emboldens many’s worst instincts, including white male comedians' instincts to punch down.
Throughout the episode, I saw themes emerging that I think we’ll see a lot over the next four years. Much of the comedy focused on masculinity and generational divides, with many bits featuring fathers and sons struggling to communicate and find common ground, as well as older men struggling with toxic masculinity.
One bit featured a father trying to share a “sex rock” — think glam rock — band from his youth, but instead discussing his childhood experiences with cross-dressing and being molested. Another featured father-son duos sharing emotional moments, but the fathers were unable to speak through anything other than references to sports or cars.
“Weekend Update” with Colin Jost and Michael Che, an SNL segment that focuses explicitly on current events, heavily referenced the 2024 election. Che said of the election: “How’d I let y’all convince me that rural Pennsylvania would pick the Jamaican-Indian lady? Clearly I’ve been spending too much time with you white liberals and your goofy optimism.”
Trump’s shadow falls long over comedy, unfortunately. Even jokes that weren’t about him were about him. Or at least about what he represents.
The ending bit stood out to me a lot. It was a weird one. It featured a woman attempting to tell a joke at a dinner table full of her husband's friends.
The joke is about “four gorgeous dogs” who were playing ball in the park. When they return home, they note their house smells terrible, and start wondering if one of them pooped inside the house. The “punchline” is this: “Besides, if it was one of us, it wouldn’t smell like that!” Despite no one laughing, she keeps repeating it verbatim with more and more distress.
When it finally got a laugh, she wept. I didn’t get the joke. I’m not sure there was a joke to get. But I did know the feeling. What’s funny now? What’s on and off the table?
I don’t know. No one does. Certainly, Bill Burr doesn’t.
It’s going to be a rough four years for everyone, SNL included. Hold tight to your loved ones and your laugh tracks.
Addison Fulton is the culture editor for the Daily Lobo. She can be reached at culture@dailylobo.com or on X @dailylobo
