In Praise of Zeppo and Shemp
Two new biographies tell the stories of the unsung members of the Marx Brothers and the Three Stooges.
Comedy
Review: Netflix's Mo Captures the Absurdity of the U.S. Immigration System
A stateless protagonist dodges the federal government in comedic fashion.
Leigh Stein and Julius Taranto: Did Wokeness and Trump Kill Literary Satire?
The novelists join the podcast for a sharp, satirical dive into fiction, free speech, and the absurdity of modern culture.
The Conspiracy Jokers
A new book explores the legacy of the Report on Iron Mountain, while another probes the life of the novelist and essayist Robert Anton Wilson.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Printed Guns, Scratch and Sniff, Jakarta Traffic (Vol. 18)
Good intentions, bad results.
Partisan Press Conference (Episode 3)
Republican and Democratic coaches take questions from the press on the eve of the 2024 election.
Remy: Trump vs. Harris Debate Song (I Don't Care Parody)
Remy fails to fit in at the presidential debate.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: Fossils, Price Controls, and Traffic Lights (Vol. 17)
Good intentions, bad results.
Review: Hacks Explores the Comedy of Cancel Culture
An aging comedian wrestles with woke campus culture in the new season of the Max series.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences: DoorDash, Google AI, and French Wikipedia (Vol. 16)
Good intentions, bad results.
Saudi Arabia Reportedly Sentences Netflix Comedian to 13 Years
The creator of Masameer County was charged with promoting homosexuality and terrorism for his South Park-style satirical cartoon.
Reason Wins 7 Southern California Journalism Awards
First-place finishes include an investigative piece on egregious misconduct in federal prison, a documentary on homelessness, best magazine columnist, and more.
Federally Funded Dad Jokes
Does America really need a National Strategic Dad Jokes Reserve?
Review: South Park's Take on ChatGPT
The long-running satirical show turns its animated sights on AI and ChatGPT.
'Dozens' of Duke Students Walking Out of Seinfeld's Commencement Speech Is Not a Story
The media's habit of highlighting fringe voices out of context continues to create distorted pictures of reality.
Remy: Fortnight (Federal Employee Version)
A tale from the Tortured Public Servants Department.
Noam Dworman: Free Speech for All, From Finkelstein to Chapelle
The owner of the Comedy Cellar and viral podcaster wants to argue with you about Israel, the media, and whether women are funny.
Read the FCC's Crank Mail About Saturday Night Live
One viewer said it should be illegal to take the Lord's name in vain on TV—and that was one of the more coherent complaints.
Remy: It's Raining Men (Boeing Parody)
Boeing throws conventional wisdom out the window, among other things.
Partisan Post-Game (Episode 2)
Republican and Democrat coaches take questions from the press.
Jon Stewart's Return to The Daily Show Was Actually Pretty Great
When he's on his game, he's still one of the best bullshit detectors in the media.
The Best of Reason: Comedy's Truthiness Problem
Hasan Minhaj’s stand-up tests the boundaries of fact and fiction.
Comedy's Truthiness Problem
Hasan Minhaj’s stand-up tests the boundaries of fact and fiction.
AI Fraud Act Could Outlaw Parodies, Political Cartoons, and More
The bill is broad enough to target a Saturday Night Live skit lampooning Trump, a comedic impression of Taylor Swift, or a weird ChatGPT-generated image of Ayn Rand.
My Favorite Things (TSA Version)
A reined-in TSA would be the sound of music to many Americans' ears.
Shane Mauss: Is the End of the Drug War Inevitable?
Comedian Shane Mauss on the democratization of mushrooms, LSD, cannabis, DMT, and ketamine
How The Simpsons Strangled Itself Into Irrelevance
The once-subversive show now traffics in the clichés it used to mock so effectively.
Great Moments in Unintended Consequences (Vol. 13): Gun Buybacks, Poppy Payday, CAFE Standards
Good intentions, bad results
