Ever since Donald Trump entered the fray by becoming President of the United States, I became mesmerized by American politics. When the man they call the Orange Cheeto actually became president, I was both amazed and horrified; a reaction that I found reflected and echoed by some of the funniest and smartest comics of that country.
I have come to greatly admire many of these men and women for their trenchant criticism of their President, their refusal to pull their punches and their ability to tell it like it is along with great dollops of wit and some genuinely clever, thought-provoking humour.
He is an English comedian who has worked with several of the best in the business. Since 2014, he has hosted his own show with HBO called Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. He is my go-to guy to find out what Donald Trump did next and whether he is actually and really crazy. He blends a certain kind of British understatement with a sharp American forthrightness. He is described as a ‘comedic agent of change’ who speaks openly and without fear or apology. His critically-acclaimed show is seen to have so much of an impact on American culture and policymaking that this is known as the “John Oliver Effect”. Watch this hugely funny episode and induge in the sparkling sense of humour!
She is a Canadian-American political commentator, comic, writer, producer and much else. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in their annual top 100 list. Her show Full Frontal with Samantha Bee is a hugely popular take on current issues. Samantha Bee also hosted a wickedly funny and irreverent event called Not the White House Correspondents’ Dinner as a form of protest. Her acerbic wit, astute observations about American gun-love and conviction that Donald cannot read are just some of the reasons people love to follow her YouTube channel.
TV show host, political commentator and comedian Bill Maher is a liberal atheist, but he is as uncompromisingly critical of the Democrats as he is dismissive of the Republicans. He has little time for political correctness; he is both sarcastic and satirical, choosing to comment on a range of subjects from politics, to religion, and to the legalisation of pot. He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has ranked high on Comedy Central’s 100 greatest standup comics of all time. Watch this video to know how two people with diametrical opposing views on practically everything can have a civilized, amenable and utterly watchable conversation.
In his lighthearted way, he makes a lot of hard-hitting observations. He then goes on to interview celebrities; which is also an interesting part of his long running The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. I have come to enjoy his ‘conversations’ with God, his banter with his musicians and his unapologetic but always funny take on current events. He is clearly traumatized by the election results in this video, but would you know it? No? OK, just a little bit!
Tervor Noah is South African by birth; and being born to mixed race parents, he brings a particular brand of authenticity to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. He replaced a personage as illustrious as John Stewart when he took over the reins of the show. I enjoy Noah’s funny, slightly bitter take on issues. His show features a selection of other very funny people as well - for instance this video features the redoubtable Hasan Minaj; originally of Indian extraction.
I leave you with this bonus video: an uproariously funny sketch of the slightly unhinged-seeming Melissa McCarthy playing former White House press secretary Sean Spicer. My only regret, Spicer is history; as are McCarthy’s manic send-ups of him from Saturday Night Live.!
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