Why political comedy isn't dead in the Biden era: Stop looking at SNL as a political barometer

Salon.com

SNL has come under fire from conservatives for failing to attack President Biden in the early part of his administration, while late-night hosts like Jimmy Kimmel are still fixated on Trump shenanigans nearly three months after leaving office. "But just because Biden comedy has faltered in these early days doesn't mean it's doomed to failure," says Sophia A. McClennen. "In fact, it makes sense that the shift to Biden from a bombastic and absurd blowhard like Trump would send comedy through an adjustment phase. That does not mean, however, that we won't see plenty of political comedy under Biden. In fact, we can count on it for the simple reason that political comedy is a staple of American expression. There are a number of reasons you don't need to worry that Biden's win means comedy's loss." She adds that comedians will eventually make fun of Biden. "The sea change from Trump to Biden has clearly caught the comedians a bit off guard, but that hiccough doesn't mean they won't eventually find their comedic footing. It is worth remembering, too, that when Biden served as vice president under Barack Obama he was regularly roasted. In one example, a viral piece from The Onion held the headline 'Shirtless Biden Washes Trans Am In White House Driveway.' It got folks so riled up that there was even an effort to try to buy Biden a Trans Am. The easy jokes about Biden's age, or the jabs mocking his stutter, may feel like punching down these days. And that's all for the good, since such jokes are just mockery and not satire. Soon enough, though, comedians will find ways to satirize his policies. Remember that even Obama came under fire from comedians like Stephen Colbert, who, on The Colbert Report liked to target Obama's hypocrisies. He delivered an especially scathing take-down in 2012 of Obama's drone program, for example." McClennen also points out that it's wrong to think of Saturday Night Live as a political barometer. "There is little doubt that the show plays a central and significant role in the history of U.S. satire, but it has historically had an uneven status as a source of U.S. political comedy," she says. "During the George W. Bush years, for example, "SNL offered little in the way of biting political comedy. And, while it is true that a lot of powerful Trump material came out on Saturday nights, it is a mistake to think that if Jim Carrey's impersonation of Biden was uninspiring that that means political comedy for the nation as a whole is in decline."