Hot Takes: Joking About the Trump Assassination Attempt

On July 13th I sat in the comic's green room area of the show I was on, and the headliner asked, "are we addressing the elephant in the room?" Just hours before the show, former president, Donald Trump, was shot at. Now unless new information becomes clear, this was a straight forward assassination attempt. While many can (and have) created conspiracy theory rhetoric, it's an attempt by one man to eliminate the voting power of half the nation. Regardless of where you stand in the MAGA worldview, the attempt was the least democratic way of addressing frustrations with Trump, Biden, etc. I've seen a lot of jokes about the shooter, the Secret Service, and Trump's fist pumping the air. While all subjects have the right to be discussed, dissected, deconstructed, and even just dissed in comedy, keep in mind that "it's just a joke" works much better making fun of President Biden's ramblings than Trump's near death experience. So while you may have already made your Twitter jokes, or chose to move on, here are a few things to think about when the next major event of this magnitude occurs. Because while many have the thought all jokes are okay, that doesn't mean there might not be repercussions for taking jabs at huge moments in history.    

It Might Be Funny, But Is It Wise? 
Many comedians think about the funny first and the wisdom of the joke next. When we look at the ever changing winds of "cancel culture," making truly divisive jokes about death, rape, child abuse, etc. could jolt the crowd to pay attention, but it cold also create a situation with the crowd or the venue. At the highest levels, comics like Bill Maher have faced huge pushback for "jokes," even going back to 2001 with his hot takes on which soldiers are the real brave ones. Louis CK's school shooter jokes got him in hot water just as he was trying to return. And comics like Kathy Griffin lost all their TV deals after holding a fake head of Donald Trump. 

On a minor level, I remember there was an open mic comic at Flappers who once made a joke about kids that was so offensive, he was asked to not come back to the open mics. Not everyone is paying to have those images pushed into their heads. And if you want to argue, "this is comedy, man! Get over it!" I would love to know if you'd made a dime in comedy these past couple months.     

I've heard stories about and seen bar shows coming to a World War III climax with fists flying after a few political jokes. I once lost a whole crowd on a Trump joke that was pretty tame. So anytime you have a triggering joke, keep in mind it's a bigger gamble than making a joke about how bad your date was during sex. People might think sex jokes are gross, but they might think joking about high wire topics like the assassination of a president or the death of a kid is in bad taste. 

Many comics like to say, "Carlin would make the joke!" Yes, but he also would make the joke in front of people who paid to see him. They came for his brand of envelope pushing jokes. He has a built in fan base. Also, Carlin might have done the joke in his HBO special but not while sitting next to Johnny Carson. Even Carlin knew there's a time a place for edgy jokes.   

Asking strangers to go down dark allies with you might not work. Your 10 minute set might not be the place to piss off a complete crowd. Even if you limit your jokes to social media, you could see a lot of notifications that create a headache, causing an internal debate if you should just take it down all together.       

Are You Prepared To Lose Gigs or Friends Over It?  
Recently, Jack Black canceled his Tenacious D concert tour when bandmate and best friend Kyle Gass "joked" on stage "Next time don't miss." Black condemned the joke, saying he doesn't support any violence of any kind and he then hinted he would no longer be associated with his long time friend. Seems excessive to many, but if you joke about something that others can't associate with, they are going to respond as such. Many called Black a coward, but maybe he just thinks jokes in that tone aren't funny. He's clearly anti-Trump, but he's not pro-death.  

Hot button and politically driven jokes are going to hit people differently. Many people believe that you "actually believe" what you say in your jokes. People aren't sophisticated. They're complicated. They don't get satire, but they might understand complex mathematics. I've told jokes about dating that are clearly exaggerated emotional truths, but people think they're real. So if you joke about how you think Trump should have been shot, even if "its just a joke," keep in mind people might think you're advocating for the murder of public official. You might think Trump is the greatest monster in the history of the world, but if you scream about how you agree with assassinations, you're going to look like Sarah Connor in T2: Judgment Day to many other people. 

Do These Jokes Work In Your Wheelhouse Brand?          
Let's say you want to tell a few hot take jokes. Here are a few things to consider. Are these jokes within your wheelhouse? If your act is about dating and dogs, do these jokes even fit? Or will they come out of nowhere, like the bullet shot at Trump? (See what I did there?)

How'd you feel about that? Did it feel out of place? Were you waiting for a joke to be made? Some people are probably upset by it. Sorry, mom. Some probably laughed. You're welcome, comics. And a few skimmed over it or didn't understand it. Hello, bots! 

The point is to think if the jokes make sense to your overall goals as a comic or writer. You don't want a situation where you lose a gig or get docked pay because you cross a line. There are so many things to joke about that can stay in the act. Jokes on passing political or social topics might not be the best way to spend your time when starting out.

If you are going to write jokes about this story, maybe address topics from an angle no one thought of. Like, why did the shooter give $15 to the DNC? How would Biden respond in his forgetful state? How could Trump change for the better after a near death Scrooge-like scenario. Don't go for the "easy" joke in hard times for others.   

Final Thoughts
We are in a very high octane time in our country. As the election comes closer and the options feel glim, you have a job to be funny first and run your Ted Talk second. If you want to split the room, I suggest you keep it with dick jokes and swear words. Most people understand their context within a comedy show. But the second you cross into hot take political beliefs territory, you should have a strong handle in how to walk through that material. The "it's just a joke" excuse is fine at an open mic and moving on, but once you are in front of bookers and crowds, you still need to make the choices that are best for your career. 

I have a few political jokes. But they fit within my brand of silly dating stories and fat jokes. You wouldn't know if I was liberal or conservative. Because I just want the crowd to think I'm funny.