This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/upstream" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream</a>, The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
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“Every line will be crossed,” promises the poster for “Scary Movie,” the sixth entry in the horror-spoof franchise and the first proper Wayans-family installment in more than two decades. What passes for edgy comedy in 2026 was, not very long ago, simply called comedy. “Scary Movie 4,” released in 2006, featured fake Japanese dialogue consisting of lines such as “Karate judo sumo samurai?” and “Mitsubishi Subaru” — the sort of flippant gag we used to chuckle at collectively.
That is the odd tension running through the new “Scary Movie.” The film arrives in a culture that pushes ideological puritanism alongside libertinism in almost every other direction. We have already seen every variation of the genitalia gag, but a mere preferred-pronoun joke in the trailer inspired the usual online indignation, even as some<a href="https://x.com/drlisastein/status/2061879809572217059"> commenters complained</a> that the film did not instead make fun of Charlie Kirk’s murder. For many such critics, comedy is not so much an art form as a political tool to wield against perceived adversaries.
To their credit, Shawn and Marlon Wayans try to poke that landscape. The film features jokes about transgenderism, pronouns, Black Lives Matter, ICE raids, streamers, OnlyFans, and modern race relations. Nothing is technically off the table. The problem is that putting something on the table is not the same as properly cooking it.
In one scene, a police officer argues with his daughter, who presents as a transgender boy. After asking him to treat her as “one of the boys,” she smacks him across the face. The scene abruptly ends, cutting to the father nodding in baffled acceptance. I am no Hollywood comedy writer, but surely the joke lands better if the film follows its own premise to the obvious absurd conclusion: if she wants to be treated like one of the boys, then Dad should at least be allowed to react as though she is one and throw a punch back. Instead, the film flinches precisely where the gag should escalate.
The narrative is your usual “Scary Movie” premise. Ghostface is back, this time targeting the teenage daughter of Cindy Campbell (Anna Faris). The legacy cast now has children, and the killer is after them. That is the plot, stretched across a 90-minute montage of sketches, callbacks, and horror references. The film swings from “Scream” to “Smile,” “Get Out,” “Sinners,” “Longlegs,” and even “John Wick” for an entertaining final act, cutting from one gag to another with the attention span of a TikTok addict.
In this “throw everything at the wall and see what sticks” approach to comedy, some material works well. In one skit, a grim conversation about a stabbing unfolds against the backdrop of a “Final Destination” theme park, branded as the place “where everyone dies.” As characters discuss the attack, roller coasters fly off their rails behind them, killing hundreds. There is another great gag in which Ghostface calls a teenager asking whether anyone else is home. The teen replies that his father is out, but the plumber, gardener, and pool boy are all around. Ghostface suggests he look out the window, where ICE agents are arresting them all. It is crass and sharply constructed, and the sort of thing I wish the film did more often.
The racial humor is occasionally overdone, but it also produces memorable highlights. In the opening skit, a cameo from Teyana Taylor has her standing in a ritzy bar, bellowing “I’m black” in an exaggerated Harlem accent, prompting the camera to cut to a white woman frantically trying to swallow her pearl necklace. The gag works because the film is, at its best, an equal-opportunity offender, skewering both the performance of racial identity and the vacuity of polite white liberalism.
However, some references feel forced, as if the writers wanted to include them but had no idea what to do once they got there. The film’s riff on Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” recreates the hypnosis scene with Ghostface twirling the china teacup, but it does little beyond dangle the reference in front of the audience as a cinematic “’member this movie?” 
Still, there is pleasure in seeing Cindy, Brenda, Shorty, Ray, and Doofy again. Faris remains wonderfully committed to Cindy’s vacant sincerity, and the cast’s broad comic affectations transport you back to the 2000s.
The Wayanses have not made a cowardly movie. That alone distinguishes “Scary Movie” from much of modern comedy. Fearlessness, however, is not the same as excellence. The film crosses contemporary taboos, only to arrive on the other side with no sharper insight than “remember this?” before scurrying on to the next thing. Every line may be crossed, as the poster promised, but too few are crossed with any real purpose.
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Harry Khachatrian (<a href="https://x.com/harry1t6">@Harry1T6</a>) is a film critic for the Washington Examiner. He is a software engineer, holds a master’s degree from the University of Toronto, and writes about wine at <a href="https://www.betweenbottles.com/">BetweenBottles.com</a>.

scary-movie-SCRY_THEATRE_OnLine_Teaser_One_Sheet_2025x3000_04.30.26_rgb

How ‘Scary Movie’ Got Stuck Between Funny And Safe

Comedy

Horror Movies

Movies

Upstream

Jimmy Kimmel got a little bit misty-eyed during Adam Carolla’s Walk of Fame ceremony on Wednesday.
The hyperpartisan late-night host put aside political beliefs during the ceremony for his longtime friend and former collaborator. Carolla is notoriously anti-woke, but Kimmel still showed up to speak at the event.
Kimmel started off by remembering when he was introduced to Carolla in 1994 when he was working on the Los Angeles radio show “Kevin and Bean.” Carolla, who was a boxing instructor, was brought in to prepare Kimmel for a boxing match. Kimmel said Carolla began roasting him immediately, saying, “Adam told ‘Kevin and Bean,’ ‘Jimmy is 160 pounds of pure chiseled steel. Unfortunately, he weighs 225.’”
“We did very little training. We would box for about eight minutes and then drink Snapple and go to lunch,” Kimmel added. “As a result, I lost that fight, but I gained a life partner. And if that sounds gay to you, it was and it is,” he said during the speech, calling Carolla “one of the funniest people” he’s ever met and the “Laverne to my Shirley.”  
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Jimmy Kimmel shares hilarious stories and gets emotional during Adam Carolla&#8217;s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony:
“Adam and I, as you probably know, don’t agree much when it comes to politics, but I love him dearly. I have never worked with anyone funnier.” <a href="https://t.co/JYtmpKiRHe">pic.twitter.com/JYtmpKiRHe</a>
— Variety (@Variety) <a href="https://x.com/Variety/status/2059714681875685455?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2026</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.x.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Kimmel brought up their opposing political beliefs, but said it didn’t change his feelings for his friend.
“Adam and I, as you probably know, don’t agree much when it comes to politics, but I love him dearly,” Kimmel went on. “I’ve never worked with anyone funnier. I am proud of him … this is a guy who worked his way up from nothing to become, literally, a millionaire, and if you don’t believe it you’ll hear him say it every single show.” 
“Adam is a true original,” he added. “He was a poor kid from the San Fernando Valley who was rejected by the management at Taco Bell, and whose name will now forever be part of this filthy, disgusting intersection,” Kimmel said of the star’s physical location.
Kimmel and Carolla are best known for the Comedy Central sketch show “The Man Show” and the prank call puppet show “Crank Yankers.” Kimmel went on to become a big name in late-night, while Carolla launched a podcast and has worked on various other entertainment projects, including comedy content and animated programming with The Daily Wire.

Kimmel and Carolla

Jimmy Kimmel Chokes Up During Adam Carolla’s Big Hollywood Moment

Adam Carolla

Entertainment

Hollywood

Jimmy Kimmel

Veteran producer Jeremy Latcham admits he helped make movie comedies an endangered species.
“I was at Marvel for 14 years, and I think that the superhero movie ate comedy,” Latcham tells The Daily Wire. Films like “Iron Man,” “Guardians of the Galaxy,” and “The Avengers,” all made under his watch, delivered humor, irreverence, action, and “big popcorn thrills.”
The box office subsequently exploded, and “we forgot about just regular people.”
Now, Latcham is bringing a comedian who personifies that sentiment to the big screen.
Stand-up superstar Nate Bargatze makes his feature film debut with the family comedy “The Breadwinner.” The squeaky-clean comic stars as a husband and father who suddenly finds himself in way over his head caring for his three daughters when his wife (Mandy Moore) lands a big deal on “Shark Tank.”
Now, Nate’s befuddled Dad must do the laundry, juggle school drop-offs, and more. Think “Mr. Mom” for the 21st century, based on the comedian’s wildly popular stand-up shtick.
Latcham was familiar with Bargatze’s brand of clean comedy, but he didn’t realize how far his star had risen until the pandemic. Suddenly, fellow parents were sharing plans to see the Christian comic again and again, no matter how far the venue might be.
“Something’s going on with this guy,” he says. That’s an understatement.
Last year, Bargatze’s stand-up shows <a href="https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/business/comedian-nate-bargatze-is-bigger-than-beyonce-and-wants-to-build-his-own-disney-world-in-nashville/">grossed $77.5 million</a>. That’s nearly 50 percent more than Sebastian Maniscalco, his closest competition. He’s even discussing a Nateland theme park attraction.
He routinely sells out arenas nationwide, all without a single swear or political talking point. His 2024 hosting gig on “Saturday Night Live” delivered one of the show’s most popular sketches — the “Washington’s Dream” sketch has more than 30 million views to date.
Latcham couldn’t wait to work with him.
“I want to make his first movie &#8230; introducing him to the screen is so critical,” the producer says. As luck would have it, Bargatze had pitched an idea to Sony about how to bring his Everyman persona to theaters.
“&#8217;The Breadwinner&#8217; pays homage to his stand-up and the jokes you’ve seen and loved, what would they look like writ large on the screen,” he says.
Some comedians are inherently physical on stage, like Jim Carrey or Maniscalco. Bargatze doesn’t follow that blueprint. His act is more cerebral, with smaller, knowing gestures befitting his aw-shucks demeanor.
Movie comedies, by comparison, demand a bigger palette. That meant Latcham watched Bargatze’s evolution up close during the production process. One sequence finds the comedian tumbling down the stairs after losing a fight with the laundry. The production had to film “pickup” reaction shots later in the shoot.
“You could see the growth as an actor as he figured out how the lensing works, how the camera works,” Latcham says, adding Bargatze often did stand-up gigs on weekends while working on “The Breadwinner” from Monday through Friday.
“He realized how the cinematic gear was different than the stand-up gear,” he says.
Latcham left the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) to tell more down-to-earth stories. That decision was personal, but he thinks the zeitgeist is now on his side.
“We’re at a tipping point when the idea of a regular person is appealing again to audiences,” he says. “We love superheroes but … there’s something equally if not more rewarding to see something you recognize in your life a little bit more.”
The year’s biggest live-action hit follows a high school teacher tasked with saving humanity, “Project Hail Mary.”
Superhero films have struggled of late, a problem he connects to too many TV shows and not enough high-quality yarns.
“When ‘Iron Man’ came out it was a big hit because it was novel,” he says, but it’s too early to pen the genre’s obituary.
“I would never ever write [superhero movies] off. It’s a beloved genre … and the new ‘Spider-Man’ movie [“Brand New Day,” opening July 31] might be the best movie Marvel has made.”
“The good ones will continue to over index and the bad ones will get punished by the audience,” he adds.
Latcham’s prolific resume includes more than MCU smashes. He produced the vibrant “Dungeons &amp; Dragons: Honor Among Thieves” (2023) as well as “Bad Times at the El Royale” (2018).
Now, he has to navigate not just a stand-up superstar’s screen debut but an industry grappling with the AI revolution. Latcham isn’t frightened by the technology. He has faith in his fellow storytellers to wield it properly.
“I think it has to be looked at as a tool set that can transform the stories you can tell and who can tell them,” he says. “There’s gonna be work flows that fold AI into a traditional actor driven, artist driven work flow that’s gonna just double what we can do.”
And, yes, we’ll likely see a crush of what’s often dubbed “AI Slop” before artists get a handle on what it can deliver. And that means more than crazy car crashes and alien invasions.
“Once the price of spectacle is zero, then it really comes down to storytelling, compelling characters, compelling themes, heart and humor spectacle in that order,” he says. “If you lead with heart, you end up with something great.”
For now, he’s happy to bring an analog comedy to theaters. For him, it’s more than overdue.
“As a father of a 10-year-old, she’s never been to a movie like this in a theater like this before,” he says. “It’s wild. I’m ready to make a lot more of them.”
***
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. He&#8217;s also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hollywood-in-toto-podcast-w-christian-toto/id1186449155">The Hollywood in Toto Podcast</a>. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves – Press Conference

Bringing The ‘Everyman’ Comedy Back To The Big Screen

Nate Bargatze

The Breadwinner

Comedian and actor Kevin Hart defended a fellow comic on Tuesday over a George Floyd joke he told at Netflix’s “Roast of Kevin Hart” earlier this month.
Hart said he didn’t like the joke from Tony Hinchcliffe that some people have deemed racist, but he stressed that this type of over-the-top comedy is exactly what always happens at roasts, and he will always &#8220;appreciate humor.&#8221; Hart even went as far as to say that Hinchcliffe had one of the best sets at the roast, if not the best set. 
“The George Floyd joke, it wasn&#8217;t a tasteful joke to our culture, to our audience, but … if you’re watching the roast, you get why they&#8217;re doing it,” Hart said on “The Breakfast Club.” “You get why the racial humor is on the table. I wasn&#8217;t shocked — that’s what they do! Go look at the Tom Brady [roast]. It happens every year when they do a roast.”
During the roast, Hinchcliffe said to Hart, “The black community is so proud of you. … Right now, George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe.”
“People are talking about that joke,” Hart continued. “Talk about the set! Tony Hinchcliffe arguably had the best set, or one of the best sets.” 
<div id="attachment_1102629" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1102629" class="wp-image-1102629 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2275530431-864x576.jpg" alt="Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2275530431-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2275530431-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2275530431-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/05/GettyImages-2275530431.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix</div>
“I&#8217;m going to appreciate humor,” the comedian continued. “I don&#8217;t get affected by the attempt of humor. I get it.”
Hart also went on to ask what people were looking for from him. “What is it that you expect … to take a live production and stand up and fight Tony, or have a reaction? … Tony told a joke, it wasn&#8217;t a tasteful joke to us. We didn&#8217;t like it. Okay, &#8216;Hey man, f*ck that joke!&#8217; We move on.”
“It literally is, either you&#8217;re a fan of this level of content, or you&#8217;re not,” he added. “And if you&#8217;re not a fan, then you don&#8217;t watch it.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Kevin Hart is in Tony Hinchcliffe&#8217;s corner after the controversial comic was blasted for a George Floyd &#8220;joke&#8221; during Kevin&#8217;s roast.
🎥: The Breakfast Club <a href="https://t.co/gDtDTPcric">pic.twitter.com/gDtDTPcric</a>
— TMZ (@TMZ) <a href="https://twitter.com/TMZ/status/2059296457539387589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 26, 2026</a></blockquote>
Hart himself had a run-in with cancel culture. Back in 2018, he was chosen to host the Oscars, but was threatened to be dropped if he didn’t make a public apology over past jokes that some deemed homophobic.
Though he did ultimately offer a public apology, Hart initially refused to apologize and said he had already addressed the old jokes in the past.
“So, I just got a call from the Academy, and that call basically said, ‘Kevin, apologize for your tweets of old or we’re gonna have to move on and find another host,’” he recalled at the time. “I chose to pass. I passed on the apology.”
“The reason why I passed is because I’ve addressed this several times,” he continued. “This is not the first time this has come up. I’ve addressed it. I’ve spoken on it. I’ve said where the rights and wrongs were. I’ve said who I am now versus who I was then. I’ve done it. I’m not gonna continue to go back and tap into the days of old when I’ve moved on and I’m in a completely different space in my life.”
“You live and you learn and you grow and you mature,” he added. “I’m in a space where all I can do is be better as a human being.”
Hart later said that he was sorry that he “hurt people” and was choosing not to host the Oscars so as not to be a “distraction.”

GettyImages-2275528285

Kevin Hart Disses Cancel Culture, Defends Comic Who Told George Floyd Joke

Cancel Culture

George Floyd

Kevin Hart

Comedian Shane Gillis had the perfect snarky response after Chelsea Handler publicly accused him of being “racist” and “sexist” for making jokes.
“This is a big moment for Chelsea. I am glad she’s capitalizing. Good for her. We’re all rooting for her. Anyway, come see me July 17th at the football stadium in Philly,” Gillis <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/chelsea-handler-slams-shane-gillis-tony-hinchcliffe-racists-1236755525/">told</a> Variety.
The drama started after the Netflix special “The Roast of Kevin Hart,” which caused all kinds of controversy for including edgy jokes. One SNL star <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/snl-star-drops-out-of-kevin-hart-roast-complains-writers-were-too-white">dropped out</a> because the joke style annoyed him so much. 
<iframe loading="lazy" title="CHELSEA HANDLER FULL EPISODE &quot;FUNNY KNOWING YOU&quot;" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mB_IMMzDL7M?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Handler was also miffed that political correctness was not properly honored during the event, as she explained during an appearance on the podcast “Funny Knowing You.”  
“It’s just everything we know: that they’re racist, that they’re bigots, that they’re sexist,” Handler said of Gillis and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe. “That they think they’re invincible.”
“It was gross. I don’t find those jokes to be funny — jokes about lynching black people,” the former talk show host complained. “Lynching is not a joke. That’s worse than rape. You’re not joking about rape, are you? … You know you can’t do that, but you can say ‘lynching’?”
This was in response to the joke Gillis made, saying Hart is “so short, you’d have to lynch him from a bonsai tree.”
Handler also took issue with Gillis joking about roast participant Sheryl Underwood’s husband, who died by suicide in 1990, despite him clarifying he had cleared the jokes with Underwood ahead of time. 
“I found them making fun of Sheryl Underwood’s dead husband who committed suicide [gross],” Handler went on. “If she says she’s fine with that, she’s fine with that. I wasn’t fine with that. I thought that was disgusting, too.”
“There was so much disgustingness. I knew it was going to be such a gross vibe that I would be able to elevate it, no problem,&#8221; the comedian insisted. &#8220;Kevin didn’t deserve that. He deserved an elevated roast.&#8221;
Hours after Handler’s podcast episode aired, Gillis put out a podcast episode of his own with Underwood as a guest. She confirmed that the jokes about her deceased husband were still fine by her. 
“Sometimes humor is the thing,” she told Gillis. “It’s the most uncomfortable humor that lessens the tension and the stress.”
Hart was also more than OK with all the jokes. He posted a video on Instagram following the event, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DYNuiWHP6m7/">saying</a> in part, “That, my friend, is what the f*ck a roast is supposed to be — hard-hitting, relentless jokes.”

Handler and Gillis

Shane Gillis Gives Savage Response After Chelsea Handler Calls Him ‘Racist’

Shane Gillis Offers Savage Response To Chelsea Handler Calling Him 'Racist'

Chelsea Handler

comedian

Comedian Michael Che pulled out of “The Roast of Kevin Hart” last weekend, citing “scheduling difficulties,” then complained that the writers involved in the event were too white. He also hated their jokes.
The 42-year-old “Saturday Night Live” star voiced his complaints on Instagram, criticizing both the style of humor and the racial makeup of the participants involved. 
“White guys and black people joke different,&#8221; Che wrote. &#8220;Black guy roast like, ‘look at this n**** shoes!’ White roasts are like, ‘Slavery, math, slain teens, sex crimes, slurs, family secrets.’ White guys don’t give a f*** about they shoes.”
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Che’s comments appeared to reference jokes made during the roast by host Shane Gillis, Tony Hinchcliffe, Pete Davidson, and other comedians who attended. 
Gillis told jokes about Jeffrey Epstein, lynching, and slavery. He joked that Hart’s ancestors &#8220;came to America in a slave ship in a bottle,&#8221; per <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/michael-che-dropped-out-kevin-hart-roast-white-writers-1236746815/">Variety</a>.
Jeff Ross and Katt Williams joked about Hart once attending a Diddy party. Davidson and Hinchcliffe referenced the N-word but didn’t say it. Hinchcliffe also came under fire for saying to Hart, &#8220;The black community is so proud of you… right now George Floyd is looking up at us all laughing so hard he can’t breathe.&#8221;
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Gillis, Ross, and others joked about Hart’s late father’s addiction to crack cocaine, as the outlet noted.
Che followed up with another post criticizing event organizers for not including enough black comedians. This was after he pulled out of the event.
&#8220;&#8216;Lets do a roast celebrating the career of the most successful black comic in the last 10 years,'&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;&#8216;I love that! who should we get to write it?&#8217;” He then attached a picture showing white writers Gillis used, including Nick Mullen, J.P. McDade, Mike Lawrence, Dan St. Germain, and Zac Amico.
“C’monnnnnnnnn… that’s not funny?” Che <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DYQDRXbEfoN/?img_index=1">wrote</a>.
Variety reported that there were black writers on the team as well, though Che didn’t mention any of them. The post also received a community note on Instagram.
While Che didn’t appear to appreciate the roast and Floyd’s family <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2026/05/11/george-floyd-family-angry-over-kevin-hart-roast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called it</a> “sad for the culture,” Hart played along and seemed amused, plus it was well-received by the audience, who were happy for comedians to start pushing boundaries again in the name of comedy. 
These types of “<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/woke-comedy-got-steamrolled-by-a-three-hour-roast-full-of-forbidden-jokes">forbidden jokes</a>” have been taboo for so long that hearing them again felt like a breath of fresh air.

Michael Che

SNL Star Drops Out Of Kevin Hart Roast, Complains Writers Were Too White

This article is part of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/introducing-upstream-a-lifestyle-and-culture-section-of-the-daily-wire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Upstream,</a> The Daily Wire’s new home for culture and lifestyle. Real human insight and human stories — from our featured writers to you.
***
Celebrity roasts are often personal affairs with various personalities insulting each other viciously, usually through jokes that aren’t apparent to outsiders. They border on a class reunion coupled with a podcast. They’re not exactly “your mama so fat…” contests, but they’re close. Nevertheless, they enjoy enough appeal to continue to get airtime. 
“<a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/82194570">The Roast of Kevin Hart</a>” was no exception — until the unannounced special guests showed up. That’s when Hart’s roast took a turn for the better. Granted, much of the show, which approached three hours in length, was terrible. Usher started things off with an adequate diss track. Tom Brady appeared as Hart was talking trash about him. He had his moments. Then Shane Gillis, who phoned it in, offered very few moments that were genuinely entertaining. Jeff Ross, whose existence seems to revolve around appearing at roasts, was meh.
The ladies did set a higher bar. Regina Hall pretended to channel Hart’s mom and had her roast him from heaven. Sheryl Underwood got a standing ovation for a reason. Chelsea Handler, on the other hand, remained Chelsea Handler, reminding viewers of Krusty the Clown’s foray into <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5qAshY2jkw&amp;t=63s">George Carlin-style standup</a>. 
Once Katt Williams came out, though, Hart’s roast got legitimately entertaining. For those who don’t follow celebrity gossip, Hart and Williams had long-running beef, stretching back years. The two often auditioned for the same roles, with Hart winning out. Williams colorfully alleged that Hart was engaged in shady dealings to get those parts. (Specifically, he’s <a href="https://www.bet.com/article/w55944/katt-williams-on-the-illuminati">invoked the Illuminati</a> on more than one occasion and suggested that people like Hart are part of it.) 
He took his opportunity to dig into Hart and did not pull punches. He mocked his height, his career, and his need for the Rock to carry him along. He challenged Hart to spell “Jumanji.” He reveled in his opportunity to light up the target. It was an epic smackdown, and Hart laughed through every moment of it. Once Williams’ set was complete, Hart professed his admiration for the comedian and said he wanted “to extend an olive branch.” The two seemingly put the beef behind them.
After that, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took the stage. His absence had been noted throughout the evening. When he appeared, in what Orson Welles would call a “<a href="https://corvidsketcher.com/2015/08/12/the-124-year-old-movie-star/">star part</a>,” he went savage. He also went way more R-rated than he is known for. If three hours is a bit much for you, start with Williams and enjoy the final 55 minutes to get the splendor of Williams, Johnson, and Hart’s own performance.
All this makes one wonder why the roasts have to go on for so long before getting to the truly entertaining moments. Sure, it’s fun for friends to get together and ruthlessly insult one another. It’s a sign of affection. And it is moderately interesting to see behind the scenes, to appreciate how such a disparate group is extremely tight-knit, bonded together by their chosen profession. 
But just as it’s only moderately interesting, it’s also only moderately entertaining, which is odd given the amount of effort that goes into preparing for these events. It’s not just the people on stage putting in work; there are teams <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/ShaneGillis/comments/1ta4jsx/shanes_writing_staff_for_the_roast/?share_id=DroiCjZht5rHeuzua-U7X&amp;utm_content=1&amp;utm_medium=android_app&amp;utm_name=androidcss&amp;utm_source=share&amp;utm_term=1">behind them</a>. There are jokes that are <a href="https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/kevin-hart-roast-netflix-best-jokes-cut-sex-tape-cheating-1236744717/">tested and scrapped</a>. That jokes are dropped is shocking, given what made it in. There were not one, but two Charlie Kirk jokes. 
On the other hand, poor taste was the theme of the evening, and even if boundaries were crossed, it’s refreshing to see comedians actually pushing them. While there have been bright spots along the way — Anthony Jeselnik, Ryan Long, and Ricky Gervais being notable examples — we’re finally coming out of a period in which comedy was expected to avoid anyone saying, “<a href="https://x.com/exjon/status/591783402015096832">That’s not funny</a>.” 
Lizzo appeared on stage with a troupe of little people. Her weight was mocked. That Hart’s dad was largely a drug-addicted absentee father was a recurring joke, one framed in more than slightly racist terms. Racism, sexism, the R-word, and fat shaming are back on the menu at long last. 
And the result wasn’t division; it was healing, not just between Hart and Williams, but between performers and audiences. Comedy doesn’t exist to comfort us, but to make us uncomfortable, to expose truths that are in front of our eyes just waiting to be noticed. (There’s a reason that Shakespeare used the jesters as he did.) Would it have been better if we could’ve gotten there more quickly? Sure, but the important thing is that we did, for as the Rock said during his segment, he was there “because someone needs to chew up Kevin’s food and spit it into his mouth, like a baby bird.” 
We as a society may not be baby birds, but sometimes we need the fools to chew up unpalatable truths and return them to us in digestible form. Viewed in that light, Hart’s roast was a success, though, again, if you’re pressed for time, use the fast-forward button as your mama bird. Hart may be short, but that’s no reason for his roast to run so long.
***
Rich Cromwell is a writer living in Northwest Arkansas. He produces the <a href="https://cookinupastory.buzzsprout.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cookin’ Up a Story</a> podcast. Follow him on X <a href="https://x.com/rcromwell4" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@rcromwell4</a>.

GettyImages-2275546710

Woke Comedy Got Steamrolled By A Three-Hour Roast Full Of Forbidden Jokes

Charlie Kirk

Netflix

During the two-decade run of &#8220;The Ellen DeGeneres Show,&#8221; its host would end each episode with the line, &#8220;Be kind to one another.&#8221; That was until the show got cancelled following allegations that DeGeneres created a toxic environment for her employees. Now, she spends her time in English exile complaining that President Donald Trump isn&#8217;t nice enough.
We all wish we had a nickel for every celebrity who vowed to leave the country if Donald Trump won the election. And then it happened twice. Ka-ching. 
Yet the vast majority of stars, <a href="https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/cher-leave-the-country-trump-reelected-guardian-interview-1234856398/">like Cher</a>, never leave. They collectively memory-holed their vow while keeping up a “resistance” posture. Not Ellen DeGeneres. She followed through on the promise to leave. The disgraced talk show host literally left the country at the end of 2024 before Trump took office for greener pastures. Bucolic England, to be more accurate. And <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c8d638rrndzo">she loved</a> her new home:
<blockquote>&#8220;We&#8217;re just not used to seeing this kind of beauty. The villages and the towns and the architecture — everything you see is charming and it&#8217;s just a simpler way of life … It&#8217;s clean. Everything here is just better — the way animals are treated, people are polite. I just love it here.”</blockquote>
Yes. The comedienne who was bounced from her own show for chronic cruelty is now a big fan of polite behavior, apparently.
<div id="attachment_949729" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-949729" class="wp-image-949729 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Ellen-DeGeneres-864x576.jpg" alt="Ellen DeGeneres" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Ellen-DeGeneres-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Ellen-DeGeneres-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Ellen-DeGeneres-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/07/Ellen-DeGeneres.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for Live Nation</div>
President Trump’s reelection weighed heavily in her decision to flee the country. She also worried Trump — who has appointed openly gay men to be key parts of his administration, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and adviser Ric Grenell — would end same-sex marriage in the United States.
That was then. A year and a half of Trump-induced exile was apparently enough. The &#8220;Finding Nemo&#8221; star is now using some of her American-earned royalties to buy a new home … back in America.
The comic and her longtime squeeze Portia de Rossi just gobbled up a $27 million mansion in Montecito, California. The plan, at the moment, is for the couple to split time between England and the United States. But it appears their return may <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/02/04/celebrity-news/inside-ellen-degeneres-decision-to-buy-california-home-one-year-after-uk-move/">be temporary</a>.
Imagine having enough money to buy a California mansion with the plan to ditch it in the near future. 
<div id="attachment_1044981" style="width: 779px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1044981" class="size-large wp-image-1044981" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Montecito-ca-769x576.jpg" alt="Backgrid. NY Post." width="769" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Montecito-ca-769x576.jpg 769w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Montecito-ca-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Montecito-ca-768x575.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Montecito-ca.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px" />Backgrid. NY Post.</div>
One would think a celebrity of her stature might have a debt of gratitude to a country that allows that kind of financial freedom. Perhaps she’ll realize life in the United States, even under a so-called “dictator,” still has its perks. 
Maybe not.
It’s also unclear what DeGeneres thinks about the recent crackdowns on free speech on British citizens, including <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/irish-comedian-recounts-shocking-arrest-over-anti-trans-social-media-posts">the arrest</a> of comedic colleague Graham Linehan at Heathrow Airport over a social media post about men entering women&#8217;s spaces. She’s yet to weigh in on the matter via social media, even though she’s been a stand-up comic for decades, a gig that demands all the free speech room Western culture can offer.
For now, a <a href="https://people.com/ellen-degeneres-missing-california-after-moving-to-england-buys-new-house-montecito-11898028">People magazine source</a> says the duo missed California’s weather and “horse scene.” They&#8217;ll hole up back in California while they build a massive horse stable and riding area at the United Kingdom estate. 
De Rossi is an animal enthusiast and appears to have put her extensive Hollywood career behind her. The “Arrested Development” co-star’s resume dried up in recent years with no new projects on the horizon.
The same may not be true for DeGeneres.
The comedian delivered a rare stand-up special late in 2024 on Netflix. It was her first attempt at explaining away all the terrible headlines tied to her ugly TV talk show exit on her terms, not any tabloid headlines.
<div id="attachment_1044967" style="width: 421px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1044967" class="size-large wp-image-1044967" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Ellen-netflix-411x576.jpg" alt="Netflix" width="411" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Ellen-netflix-411x576.jpg 411w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Ellen-netflix-214x300.jpg 214w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/Ellen-netflix.jpg 450w" sizes=" (max-width: 411px) 100vw, 411px" />Netflix</div>
No filters. Just DeGeneres and her considerable wit. Except the special didn’t capture the upbeat humor that entertained so many Americans over the years. And, when it came to addressing the elephant on the stage, her toxic behavior, DeGeneres fumbled.
Even Variety, a far-left outlet that might be gracious to any DeGeneres comeback given her legitimate status as an LGBT pioneer, <a href="https://variety.com/2024/tv/news/ellen-degeneres-netflix-special-review-for-your-approval-1236153600/">cried foul.</a>
It’s a spectacle of ego that seems at odds with the humble demeanor DeGeneres shows on stage — but then, that divide has lately been part of the whole Ellen experience.
And, it appeared, the special was her way of speaking her mind and bowing out of Hollywood, officially.
Then again, how many artists have promised to hang up their professional hats only to return a short time later? If DeGeneres truly embraced the kindness and beauty of her new British home, why not move to any of the other states in America, where she’ll find plenty of both? Why pick a city that’s less than two hours from Los Angeles, still a major Hollywood hub?
Her recent social media musings prove she’s still plugged in to American news headlines and, more importantly, remains on the same page as her former Hollywood denizens. She recently offered “<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DTquV4Ekoa1/">prayers</a>” to Minneapolis for the self-inflicted chaos engulfing the city over ICE arrests.
Perhaps DeGeneres is taking a page from the playbook of another former talk show host: Rosie O’Donnell. They’re both former comedians who fled the country thanks to President Trump, but neither can leave their old home’s politics behind.
<div id="attachment_1044987" style="width: 857px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1044987" class="size-large wp-image-1044987" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2209608348-847x576.jpg" alt="LONDON, ENGLAND - APRIL 10: Rosie O'Donnell and Carolyn Strauss attend Sky's UK Premiere of &quot;The Last of Us&quot; Season II at Vue West End on April 10, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Sky &amp; NOW)" width="847" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2209608348-847x576.jpg 847w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2209608348-300x204.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2209608348-768x522.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/02/GettyImages-2209608348.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 847px) 100vw, 847px" />Mike Marsland/Getty Images for Sky &amp; NOW</div>
O’Donnell’s unhinged rants over all things Trump have flowed steadily from her social media accounts despite living full-time in Ireland for the past year. She even questioned whether President Trump’s 2024 assassination attempt <a href="https://www.aol.com/rosie-o-donnell-angrily-rants-170206586.html?guccounter=1&amp;guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&amp;guce_referrer_sig=AQAAALPU--JZlGu-3QIZUjsflhvuYeZX7XoyxpfJhyLNRnDIDk9HQL9hAPxOsPCgPQy9SswtbIx4ZnRpJGMKNouhyDFBJGmhF7-yioQ8-MHodua6LPGwGCthczcNsJ2FQQCqA6-bMXCmKzKUBcL4iEh6QiwcUag87dgV7xzqhfeN2Fsy">actually happened</a>.
And both DeGeneres and O’Donnell played up a sweet, friendly brand that proved to be anything but accurate. O’Donnell’s “Queen of Nice” shtick, along with her crush on Tom Cruise, proved to be pure Hollywood fiction.
And we all know how afraid “Ellen” staffers were to be near their boss behind the scenes.
Perhaps DeGeneres’ self-imposed American exile, along with her speedy return, will end up as stand-up fodder for her next comeback attempt. Turns out even self-exiled Hollywood royalty will eventually return to the kingdom that made her rich.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

Ellen DeGeneres

Why Ellen DeGeneres’s Public Image Is Still In Free Fall

Exile Interrupted — Ellen’s Sudden Return Comes With A Catch

California

Donald Trump

Ellen Degeneres

England

Great Britain

Santa Barbara

Trump Derangement Syndrome

Woke Culture

Jimmy Failla falls to sleep each night watching “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson.
Yes, the late-night legend signed off in 1992, but YouTube and streaming services let fans relive his classic interviews.
“There’s a warmth to it … it’s exactly what I’m trying to bring back to late-night,” Failla says. And, so far, it’s working.
“Fox News Saturday Night,” Failla’s foray into the late-night market, just enjoyed its best ratings numbers to date after two-plus years on the air — nearly 1.8 million and 156,000 viewers in the 25-54 demo for the April 18 episode. That topped CNN’s airing of “Real Time with Bill Maher” in that 10 p.m. ET time slot. The latter, according to Fox News, drew 1,081,000 viewers and 97,000 in the 25-54 demo.
Failla doesn’t hide his right-leaning views, but he’s a far cry from Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and their liberal late-night peers.
You won’t see Failla bawling during his monologues, for starters. He’ll also take shots at President Donald Trump and other GOP darlings should their behavior warrant it. The focus is on laughs, not talking points.
“We’re playing ‘Steakhouse or Gay Bar’ and keg party crisis management skills [on ‘Fox News Saturday Night’]” he says, bits that don’t have a partisan bent. Failla adds, “The growth of the show is reflective of that.”
And while Colbert and Kimmel avoid right-leaning guests, Failla welcomes people across the political spectrum to the show, like Fox News pundit Jessica Tarlov, Democratic strategist Kevin Walling, and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. Viewers may see more of them soon.
It’s a continuation of a mission he started with the “Everybody Calm Down” podcast, which wrapped in 2019.
“At my core, I am a comedian. My reverence is for comedy, to be a source for centrist fun,” Failla says. He refuses to demean liberals or insist on ideological purity.
Jimmy Kimmel once told a reporter about his right-leaning fans, “<a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/video/5613062102001">not good riddance but riddance.”</a>
Not Failla. He calls himself an “In-activist” and wants no part of the culture wars.
“You shouldn’t have to vote a certain way to like the song &#8230; I was beating that drum before there was a major market for it,” he says, an approach that “gives you a shot at a much broader target.”
Failla calls the current late-night landscape “purposeful” comedy, with jokes designed to prop up a narrative or deflect from news that could damage Democrats. Chevy Chase made a career out of portraying President Gerald Ford as a bumbling fool, Failla notes, based on a clip of the world leader stumbling down a stairwell.
President Joe Biden, by contrast, stumbled up one repeatedly and late-night hosts either played it down or ignored it. The hosts, Failla suggests, asked themselves how that material could help or hurt their party’s cause.
“The cause should always be … funny,” he says.
Failla’s red-meat-free approach sometimes comes back to bite him. He recalls one late-night monologue that singed President Trump, and it generated fan blowback.
“I’m never watching you again … I didn’t know you were a liberal … RINO!” read a smattering of responses Failla saw on social media. He was heartened by one viewer’s response, though.
President Donald Trump praised the segment, calling him a “very funny guy.”
“When it comes to comedy, he’s the most adult person in the room,” Failla says.
This weekend, Failla is taking his “can’t we all get along” approach to Saturday’s White House Correspondents Dinner gala in Washington, D.C. for live coverage from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET. on Fox News. He previously attended what’s comically dubbed “nerd prom” and yukked it up with the folks from the liberal “Daily Show” and NBC’s “Today.”
“My show is the ‘play nice in the sandbox’ show,” he says, adding Fox News will add a live text option so viewers can weigh in during the telecast. “People are very receptive to that idea.”
The live-text feature is one way he’s shaking up the staid late-night format.
“I’m trying to give the people at home the highest security clearance they can get and make them feel like they’re at the event,” he says.
Now, with his show’s ratings on the rise, Failla wants to expand on his bipartisan approach.
“We’ve established that we don’t need to be a viciously partisan show to draw a sizable audience,” he says. “That allows us to bring on more people you wouldn’t expect to see on the show.”
If that means California Governor Gavin Newsom drops by, so be it — even if Failla thinks the presidential hopeful is a “sociopath.” Prove me wrong, he says.
“Fox News Saturday Night” is hardly Failla’s only gig. He hosts the three-hour “Fox Across America” radio show, syndicated nationally, and he has a bustling stand-up career, too. The former New York City cab driver has found a system to juggle his gigs without dropping a single ball.
“It’s consistency of schedule,” he explains. “I’m a 48-year-old man who plays video games. I’m not the model.” There’s still a method to his hard-work madness. He doesn’t inject “drama” into processes that don’t impact the finished product. Plus, he embraces a “production model that makes the same things happen every day at the same time. You don’t feel the weight of doing them.”
That “weight” includes writing his own “Saturday Night” monologues, a task done by more than a dozen scribes in other late-night shows.
He has some unsolicited advice for his fellow late-night talkers. He suggests Jimmy Fallon pen his own monologues for “The Tonight Show,” leaning into his authentic, goofy self. Colbert’s final show is May 21, but Failla does share a tip for the host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”
“Quit,” he cracks.
***
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="http://www.hollywoodintoto.com/">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News&#8217; Big Hollywood. He&#8217;s also the host of <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hollywood-in-toto-podcast-w-christian-toto/id1186449155">The Hollywood in Toto Podcast</a>. Follow him at <a href="https://twitter.com/HollywoodInToto?lang=en">@HollywoodInToto</a>.

2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards

Jimmy Failla: Late-Night’s ‘Can’t We All Get Along?’ Guy

Late-Night

Television

CBS will reportedly replace &#8220;The Late Show with Stephen Colbert&#8221; with a new late-night program block led by comedian Byron Allen.
Beginning May 22, the network will air “Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen” at 11:35 p.m., followed by the comedy game show “Funny You Should Ask” at 12:35 a.m., according to <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/cbs-late-show-replacement-byron-allen-comics-unleashed-1236556475/">The Hollywood Reporter</a>. The lineup debuts the day after Colbert&#8217;s show airs its final episode on May 21.
Both programs are produced by Allen, who has emphasized a focus on apolitical, family-friendly comedy.
&#8220;I tell the comedians we&#8217;re shooting &#8216;I Love Lucy,'&#8221; Allen <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2025-08-11/byron-allen-comics-unleashed-cbs-late-night">told</a> The Los Angeles Times in 2025 while petitioning to become Colbert’s replacement. &#8220;Something that&#8217;s evergreen. So I don&#8217;t want to hear any political humor. Just be funny, family-friendly, and advertiser-friendly.&#8221;
&#8220;Comics Unleashed&#8221; originally ran in syndication from 2006 to 2016 and later had a brief run on CBS from mid-September 2023 to mid-January 2024, filling the former slot of &#8220;The Late Late Show with James Corden.&#8221; The format features a rotating panel of comedians performing stand-up and engaging in talk show-style banter. 
“I created and launched Comics Unleashed 20 years ago so my fellow comedians could have a platform to do what we all love — make people laugh,” Allen said in a statement, per THR. “I truly appreciate CBS’ confidence in me by picking up our two-hour comedy block of Comics Unleashed and Funny You Should Ask, because the world can never have enough laughter.”
CBS announced last summer that “The Late Show,” which began in 1993, would conclude this year and not be replaced with a traditional late-night format.
“This is purely a financial decision against a challenging backdrop in late night. It is not related in any way to the show’s performance, content or other matters happening at Paramount,” the network said at the time.
Colbert followed the announcement with an <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/anti-trump-late-night-host-stephen-colbert-reveals-date-of-final-show?author=Amanda+Harding&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=undefined&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=Anti-Trump+Late-Night+Host+Stephen+Colbert+Reveals+Date+Of+Final+Show">expletive-laced monologue</a> in which he blasted President Donald Trump and CBS. During the segment, Colbert referenced Paramount Global, CBS’s parent company, noting that it paid Trump a $16 million settlement after being accused of election interference.
CBS Entertainment CEO George Cheeks later reiterated that the show had been losing “significant” amounts of money, describing the losses as being in the “tens of millions of dollars.”
“At the end of the day, it just wasn’t sustainable to continue,” Cheeks acknowledged.

Stephen Colbert

Stephen Colbert’s Replacement Expected To Bring A Different Vibe To Late-Night Slot

Actor and producer Vince Vaughn might have cultivated a certain reputation based on his popular roles as the “Vegas, Baby!” wingman, frat boy who never grew up, or any number of smart-mouthed, fast-talking bros who always seem to land on their feet. It wasn’t a surprise, then, to hear him talking earlier this week with outspoken candidness about the sorry state of entertainment with podcaster and comedian Theo Von on his <a href="https://www.theovon.com/podcast">show</a>, “This Past Weekend with Theo Von.”
Most of the post-podcast focus centered on Vaughn’s criticism of late-night talk shows, with the Swingers actor telling Von they are becoming “the same show” and “really agenda-based.” The Wedding Crashers star continued, “They all became so about their politics and who’s good and who’s bad.”
But his main point, an overarching observation about the current state of American culture in the wake of cruelly divisive politics permeating every facet of entertainment, is that we have lost a deep, authentic sense of commonality. When we can’t share laughter, what can we share?
Vaughn has the secret sauce:
<blockquote>
The truth is most people, they want to laugh. They don&#8217;t want to see stuff be precious that you can&#8217;t talk or joke about. Most people can make fun of themselves. You know, in the real world, if you don&#8217;t have a sense of humor about yourself, then it&#8217;s a lonely experience. You got to be able to laugh at yourself. You can look back at stuff that you believed so strongly a few years ago and laugh about it. So, I think you got to have that quality and comedy is that: being able to laugh at stuff.
</blockquote>
Vaughn’s observation, so simple and truthful that it was easy to overlook, earns him the title of Everyman Hero — especially in an industry increasingly dominated by shallow moral preening and risk-averse, viewpoint-reinforcing clique hierarchies that make junior high cheer squads look like bastions of meritocracies and courageous champions of individuality (no offense to junior high cheer squads).
Vaughn, who grew up in the Midwest and never went to college and put his career on the back burner after getting married and having kids, is the heir apparent to the late actor and comedian John Candy. What these two share is an unapologetic view of the good in people and a refusal to engage in the chest-thumping applause mills that get attention from bobble-heads at award shows, glossy write-ups, and fawning interviews by mainstream media outlets. These hacks would rather rattle their tin cups for pennies like an organ grinder’s monkey than find some connection with the average working-class American.
You’d never hear Kimmel, Steven Colbert, or Jimmy Fallon echoing Vaughn’s sentiments about the Pledge of Allegiance: “We were super pro-America, too. Everything was. It was taught in that way. I thought it [The Pledge of Allegiance] was good. Hell, yes. I liked it. By the way, I love it … I still feel the same way. I still feel like [America] it&#8217;s the best out there. Not that it&#8217;s perfect.”
Instead, we get television “stars” who trash half of America so they can keep paying their kids’ private school tuition. Just after Vaughn’s truth bomb, Jimmy Kimmel illustrated his point by targeting Sen. Markwayne Mullin in his sermon monologue, not for any gaffe or silly political grandstanding on the senator’s part, but because he used to be a plumber. Gee, hard not to find the laughter in that.
Jimmy Kimmel had to keep his career afloat somehow. You didn’t think he was coasting along on his…talent, did you?
The late-night shows had one rule: be funny. To participate, you didn’t have to be a part of the Cool Kids Comedy Club, which isn’t about comedy at all but about signaling your superior intellect or esteemed opinion over the hoi polloi knuckle who (gasp) just want to enjoy some lighthearted entertainment and honest fun before a night’s sleep ahead of a backbreaking or mind-numbing job the next day.
Vaughn understands this concept — that comedy works when shots are taken at everyone and comedians are actually doing comedy. Ratings for these shows are tanking because the people in charge of them aren’t doing their jobs. “You don&#8217;t want to become part of a group and feel like you&#8217;re now a champion for one ideology. You want to make fun of everybody.” What Colbert, Kimmel, and Fallon are selling is “the same show,” but in the sense that it’s entirely predictable. People are tuning out because they know exactly what they’re going to see, night after night: basically, an MS NOW show with a studio audience. People don’t want to turn on a comedy show and get an hour’s worth of condescension and mean-spirited, mindless snark. If they did, Joy Reid might still have a TV gig.
What defined the golden era of late-night was that it offered Americans equal opportunity to laugh, no matter one’s race, sex, religion, socioeconomic status, or political persuasion. “Ultimately,” says Vaughn, “comedy is a big tent.” It used to be. “We used to be a proper country,” the saying goes. We will be again when we can all laugh about it.

West Coast Premiere of “Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice” With Beyond Fest and American Cinematheque

Vince Vaughn Is The Everyman Hero Comedy Needs

Culture

Politics

Theo Von

Vince Vaughn

Hollywood is great at keeping secrets. 
Ellen DeGeneres built a career on a relentlessly nice persona that belied her behind-the-scenes cruelty. Harvey Weinstein’s Midas touch distracted us from his predatory encounters with starlets. And Sean “Diddy” Combs turned out to be more than a music mogul — he allegedly presided over a garish, sex-obsessed ring.
The new Hollywood Blacklist, by comparison, is out in the open. Conservative artists, beware. Sharing your point of view can cost you. Dearly.
Yet very few industry types will admit or decry it. And we’re seeing even more evidence of it.
<div id="attachment_1059531" style="width: 842px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059531" class="size-large wp-image-1059531" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-832x576.jpg" alt="NEW YORK, NY - SEPTEMBER 27: Cheryl Hines and Larry David attend the &quot;Curb Your Enthusiasm&quot; season 9 premiere at SVA Theater on September 27, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)" width="832" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-832x576.jpg 832w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-300x208.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502-768x532.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-854869502.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 832px) 100vw, 832px" />Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images</div>
Cheryl Hines has been working nonstop for decades, even if we all know her best as Larry’s exasperated wife (then ex-wife) on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
But a funny thing happened to Hines on the way to her husband Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.&#8217;s endorsement of Donald Trump.
The roles dried up.
The in-demand comic actress hasn’t had a new gig since “Curb” wrapped two years ago. Is she turning work down? Or did her phone stop ringing? What could have changed?
Hines has been polite on the subject in a barrage of interviews, suggesting her Hollywood friendships have strained under that political weight. She also isn’t a part of Larry David’s upcoming HBO comedy series, an untitled satire co-produced by the Obamas.
The Daily Mail added that the Obamas <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-15000917/Cheryl-Hines-Larry-David-new-HBO-barack-michelle-obama.html">won’t allow Hines</a> to be part of the show.
She even got <a href="https://x.com/bradleywhitford/status/1827444691316732393?lang=en">called out</a> by Emmy winner Bradley Whitford on social media for her political ties.
<blockquote>…way to stay silent while your lunatic husband throws his support behind the adjudicated rapist who brags about stripping women of their fundamental rights. Gutsy. Great example for the kids. Profile in courage.</blockquote>
She also may have lost a long-term friendship with former podcast partner Tig Notaro. The two <a href="https://people.com/tig-notaro-reflects-on-strange-friendship-fallout-from-cheryl-hines-over-rfk-jr-trump-ties-11923515">hosted “Tig and Cheryl: True Story”</a> for three years before ending the show in May of 2023. Notaro helped end the show due to Hines’ husband’s political aspirations, though it’s unclear why that element had to be a show stopper.
<div id="attachment_1059545" style="width: 825px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059545" class="size-large wp-image-1059545" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-815x576.jpg" alt="PALM DESERT, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 31: Cheryl Hines attends the Third Annual &quot;Starry Starry Night Gala&quot; at Chaparral Country Club on January 31, 2026 in Palm Desert, California. (Photo by David Crotty/Getty Images)BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 07: Tig Notaro attends the 62nd Cinema Audio Society Awards on March 07, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Lizeth Ramirez/Getty Images)" width="815" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-815x576.jpg 815w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-300x212.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-768x543.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-1536x1086.jpg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/MixCollage-13-Mar-2026-01-23-PM-8640-2048x1448.jpg 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 815px) 100vw, 815px" />Hines: Photo by David Crotty. Notaro: Photo by Lizeth Ramirez</div>
Notaro suggests politics didn’t end their friendship, although it clearly forced her to quit the podcast.
<blockquote>I realized one day that she doesn’t ever reach out to me anymore. She responds to me, but she doesn’t reach out to me. I had to kind of shake myself out of denial that, ‘Oh, she’s gone,’ and, ‘OK, I need to let this go. I need to let it go.’</blockquote>
Others in Hollywood likely did just that to Hines. The Hollywood Reporter even suggested that would <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/politics-news/cheryl-hines-rfk-jr-drop-presidential-race-trump-1235981992/">happen due to her political ties</a>. The actress has been on the Left for some time, for what it’s worth, but she’s being judged based on her husband’s views.
Dennis Quaid has defied the new Hollywood Blacklist. For now.
The 71-year-old screen legend stays busy, including a supporting turn in the new Netflix action romp “War Machine.” He even starred as the title character in 2024’s “Reagan” and admitted to being a President Donald Trump supporter during the film’s publicity push.
<div id="attachment_1059553" style="width: 875px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059553" class="size-large wp-image-1059553" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-865x576.jpg" alt="CORPUS CHRISTI, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 27: Actor Dennis Quaid (R) joins U.S. President Donald Trump as he speaks at the Port of Corpus Christi on February 27, 2026 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Trump visited Texas to deliver remarks on affordability and economic issues less than a week before the state's midterm primary elections on March 3rd. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images)" width="865" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-865x576.jpg 865w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2263942335.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 865px) 100vw, 865px" />Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images</div>
Still, the work keeps on coming. That’s more common with established, Right-leaning actors like Tim Allen, Kelsey Grammer, and Jon Voight. But Quaid’s political leanings, which he describes as more independent than doctrinaire conservative, still found him singled out by a peer.
A peer who recently joined him on screen.
Nick Offerman and Quaid worked together on last year’s “Sovereign,” the story of an anti-government zealot (Offerman) who pushes his conspiracy theories too far.
Offerman didn’t share a negative word about his time on the set with Quaid on the “Lovett or Leave It” podcast with former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett. Instead, he insulted the actor <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qg2smuJfxN8&amp;t=1s">for thinking the “wrong” way</a>.
“Right after we finished the movie, he suddenly came out with a gospel country record and went on Tucker Carlson and f***ing [Sean] Hannity to play his Trump gospel songs,” Offerman said. 
“What? He’s a hero of my life. I’ve looked up to him. He’s a great actor.”
<div id="attachment_1059591" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059591" class="size-large wp-image-1059591" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-864x576.jpg" alt="SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 12: Nick Offerman speaks during a press conference at Pier One Sydney Harbour on June 12, 2025 in Sydney, Australia. Offerman and Mullally will take the stage for, Unscripted and Unfiltered, to close out Vivid Sydney 2025. (Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2219737581.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Brendon Thorne/Getty Images</div>
Later, the “Parks &amp; Recreation” alum doubled down on both Dennis and brother Randy Quaid. The latter worked in Hollywood for years, but a <a href="https://abcnews.com/Entertainment/randy-quaid-wife-evi-hollywood-refugees-exclusive-interview/story?id=12020421">series of bizarre incidents</a> coaxed his exit from the industry.
“[Randy Quaid] was very crazy, and he went away, but Dennis kept it under wraps until last year,” he continued. “But he’s now gone.”
The Blacklist-style bigotry isn’t relegated to the film industry. Hip hop superstar Nicki Minaj didn’t don a red MAGA hat during President Trump’s first term, but in recent months, she noticed how the Republican leader <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-deep-sense-of-gratitude-nicki-minaj-praises-trump-for-action-on-persecuted-christians">supported Christians being persecuted in Nigeria</a>.
<div id="attachment_1059621" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1059621" class="size-large wp-image-1059621" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-864x576.jpg" alt="WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Musician Nicki Minaj (L) joins U.S. President Donald Trump on stage as he delivers remarks during the Treasury Department's Trump Accounts Summit at Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on January 28, 2026 in Washington, DC. &quot;Trump Accounts&quot; are a portion of recently passed tax and spending legislation where the federal government will deposit $1,000 into investment accounts for every child born between 2025 and 2028 once parents sign their children up while filing their income taxes.  (Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/GettyImages-2258679012.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" />Win McNamee/Getty Images</div>
That resonated with her, and she eventually threw her celebrity cache behind the unorthodox leader. Within weeks, she became the comic target of Grammy host Trevor Noah at the gala’s annual soiree.
<blockquote>Nicki Minaj is not here…She’s still at the White House with Donald Trump, discussing very important issues.</blockquote>
He then broke out his Trump impression as the Tony crowd chortled.
<blockquote>Actually Nicki, I have the biggest ass! Everybody’s saying it. I know they say it’s you, but it’s me. WAP, WAP, WAP. Look at it, baby.</blockquote>
Her crime? Being an independent thinker, and no progressive star in Hollywood or the music industry had her back.
And actress Katherine Heigl could be next. The once-in-demand star of “Grey’s Anatomy” appeared in public earlier this month to support the Big Dog Ranch Rescue gala at Mar-A-Lago, Trump’s private retreat.
<div id="attachment_1058339" style="width: 973px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1058339" class="size-large wp-image-1058339" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-963x576.jpg" alt="Katherine Heigl" width="963" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-963x576.jpg 963w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-300x180.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl-768x460.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/03/Katherine-Heigl.jpg 1200w" sizes=" (max-width: 963px) 100vw, 963px" />Manny Hernandez/Getty Images</div>
She even brought her mom to the red carpet gala.
Heigl had to make a public statement after appearing at the apolitical event, defending her passion for worthy causes by saying, <a href="https://pagesix.com/2026/03/11/celebrity-news/katherine-heigl-hits-back-at-fans-politicizing-her-attendance-at-mar-a-lago-rescue-event/">“animals don’t vote.”</a> Could that one appearance impact her chances at a Hollywood comeback?
Ask Offerman.
And this is the stuff we see in public, not the behind-the-scenes cancellations and attacks. It’s likely far worse there.
The unofficial conservative blacklist may have weakened in recent months, with high-profile stars like Zachary Levi and Sylvester Stallone supporting Trump without overt blowback.
In some ways the bigotry against Right-leaning artists is as strong as ever.
* * *
Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic, and editor of <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. Follow him at <a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

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