Reason.com - Free Minds and Free Markets
Reason logo Reason logo
  • Latest
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Archives
    • Subscribe
    • Crossword
  • Video
    • Reason TV
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • Just Asking Questions
    • Free Media
    • The Reason Interview
  • Podcasts
    • All Shows
    • The Reason Roundtable
    • The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie
    • The Soho Forum Debates
    • Just Asking Questions
  • Volokh
  • Newsletters
  • Donate
    • Donate Online
    • Donate Crypto
    • Ways To Give To Reason Foundation
    • Torchbearer Society
    • Planned Giving
  • Subscribe
    • Reason Plus Subscription
    • Gift Subscriptions
    • Print Subscription
    • Subscriber Support

Login Form

Create new account
Forgot password

Democratic Convention 2016

When Reason Met Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at the DNC

"If free speech is so great, why are they just giving it away for free?"

Nick Gillespie | 8.30.2016 4:14 PM

Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

At the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Triump the Insult Comic Dog was on hand to cover the event for Hulu (or, as he pronounces it, "Hooolu"). Along with Reason TV producer Alexis Garcia, I had the opportunity to participate in a bold experiment inside Triumph's "Free Speech Booth," where our very souls were tested. We could either say whatever we wanted to say or read a script about Goldman Sachs for a crisp $50 bill. Click above to see what we end up doing. We show up one after the other around the 2:30 mark.

Shortly after that harrowing encounter, I talked with Triumph's creator, Robert Smigel, who created a series of tremendous videos for Saturday Night Live beginning in 1996. Click below to watch that Facebook Live stream, which updates Walter Benjamin's "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction" for a time when a grown man can make a living and create a cult following with a foul-mouthed (and incredibly funny) dog puppet.

Start your day with Reason. Get a daily brief of the most important stories and trends every weekday morning when you subscribe to Reason Roundup.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

NEXT: FBI's Comey Proposes an 'Adult Conversation' About Giving the FBI Whatever They Want

Nick Gillespie is an editor at large at Reason and host of The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie.

Democratic Convention 2016Election 2016Free Speech
Share on FacebookShare on XShare on RedditShare by emailPrint friendly versionCopy page URL Add Reason to Google
Media Contact & Reprint Requests

Show Comments (9)

Latest

Trump's $1.1 Billion Tax Hike on Toys and Games

Eric Boehm | 11.28.2025 7:45 AM

Self-Driving Cars Will Make the World Safer for Cats—and Humans Too

Steven Greenhut | 11.28.2025 7:30 AM

This Black Friday, Thank Globalization for Affordable Gifts

Jack Nicastro | 11.28.2025 7:00 AM

Review: Quasi-Government Megacompanies Collide in Alien: Earth

Peter Suderman | From the December 2025 issue

Brickbat: Small Town, Big Screwup

Charles Oliver | 11.28.2025 4:00 AM

Recommended

  • About
  • Browse Topics
  • Events
  • Staff
  • Jobs
  • Donate
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe
  • Contact
  • Media
  • Shop
  • Amazon
Reason Facebook@reason on XReason InstagramReason TikTokReason YoutubeApple PodcastsReason on FlipboardReason RSS Add Reason to Google

© 2025 Reason Foundation | Accessibility | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300
Take Reason's short survey for a chance to win $300