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‘Comedy is a powerful recruitment tool’: how the US rightwing use laughs for vast influence
Matt Sienkiewicz and Nick Marx spent months researching rightwing comedy and found that whether or not you’re laughing, you can’t ignore its power
In January, Neil Young gave Spotify an ultimatum: it’s me or Joe Rogan. The streaming giant picked Rogan, the comedian who was accused of spreading vaccine misinformation on his podcast. Days later, compilations of the presenter using the N-word emerged online and he apologised. Spotify stood by Rogan, on whom they had reportedly spent $200m locking into a three-and-a-half-year contract. Young’s protest marked the first time many had heard of Rogan’s libertarian podcast, despite it having an estimated 11 million listeners.
The vast network of US rightwing comedy – from podcasts and television to YouTube and live standup – needs to be taken seriously, say Matt Sienkiewicz and Nick Marx, authors of That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them. The pair spent months researching rightwing comedy, concluding that whether or not you’re laughing, you can’t ignore its influence. “What first breaks through as a joke may well show up later as part of a political platform,” they write. “The increasingly influential world of rightwing comedy provides cover and succour to those inclined toward the ugliest of ideologies.”
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