Conan O’Brien explains why Donald Trump is “absolutely not” good for comedy
Conan O’Brien has criticised comedians for their jokes about Donald Trump, who he believes has been bad for comedy.
The former late-night television host made the admission during a recent appearance at the Oxford Union at the University of Oxford.
Outlining his view, O’Brien told those in attendance, “People who maybe know less about comedy, or haven’t given it a lot of thought, say, ‘Oh my god, Trump is president. This must be so great for comedy.’ And I think it’s actually not.”
In Conan’s view, due to the wild set of events that seemingly play out at the White House on a weekly basis, it’s difficult to poke fun by creating comedy that is more absurd than reality.
He explained, “People say, ‘We’ve got a great Trump sketch for you. In this one, he’s kind of talking crazy, and he tears down half the White House to build a giant ballroom and says it’s going to be the new Mar-a-Lago.’ Well, no, that happened yesterday.”
O’Brien added of the current landscape, “Comedy needs a straight line to go off of, and we don’t have a straight line right now. We have a very bendy, rubbery line. We have a Slinky. We have a fire hose that’s whipping around, spewing water at 100 miles an hour. Comedically, it’s been very challenging.”
The former Simpsons writer also said of other comedians that rely on Trump as a source of material, “I think some comics go the route of ‘I’m going to just say F Trump all the time,’ or that’s their comedy. And I think, well, now a little bit you’re being co-opted because you’re so angry. You’ve been lulled.”
He elaborated, “It’s like a siren leading you into the rocks. You’ve been lulled into just saying, ‘F Trump. F Trump. F Trump. Screw this guy.’ And I think you’ve now put down your best weapon, which is being funny, and you’ve exchanged it for anger.”
On March 15th, O’Brien is set to host the Oscars for the second consecutive year after winning praise during his debut in 2025. Additionally, he recently starred in If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, which is expected to be among the contenders at the ceremony.
Never Miss A Scene
The Far Out Film Newsletter
All the latest film news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.