Should anything be taboo when it comes to art? Most people would say no, and to some extent, they’re right. If art imitates life, then all topics should be on the table. However, comedy is a very specific form of art that implies there’s something funny about it and there are a great number of topics that due to their nature of human suffering, no matter how you write them, you simply can’t make funny. These topics include (but are definitely not limited to) rape, child abuse, terrorism, and genocide. Sure there are more but those are the biggies.
In a previous blog post, I referenced the time where I saw Jim Gaffigan do a set where he referred to himself as “Hitler’s wet dream.” While he probably thought this was ok because if it’s self-deprecating nature, (and who doesn’t hate Hitler), the joke absolutely died and killed the audience along with it. There are two major problems with this specific joke. First, Holocaust jokes generally aren’t funny. They’re upsetting and they make the audience think of one of the worst periods of human history. Second, the term “wet dream” is disgusting to most people. I’m not saying there aren’t audiences that don’t find it funny, but the majority of people won’t. Especially the type of people who would buy tickets to see Jim Gaffigan.
Another topic that is impossible to make funny is child abuse. Aziz Ansari (who I love) did a whole bit in his Netflix special “Buried Alive” about how he never got molested as a child because the molesters thought he was too cute and got nervous around him. The problems with this joke are that it makes people think about child molesters (which is completely disturbing) and it seems to imply that if kids are cute enough they won’t get molested. While some find that bit hilarious there are many who do not. As an audience member, it can be hard to move on from thinking about kids getting molested when it’s time to laugh again.
The main thing to consider when writing jokes is your audience. Obviously politics are always going to be a hot topic in comedy and for good reason. But you have to be careful not to offend an audience who might be primarily conservative or liberal, otherwise, you run the risk of losing them very quickly. Audiences can be very unforgiving (as any seasoned comic knows), so if you’re going to do political material, don’t assume your audience feels exactly the same as you do. I generally try to make fun of both parties in the same set and it’s usually a win.
Your audience will also dictate how clean your comedy needs to be. I run a comedy show called The Clean Comedy Hour, so obviously all of the comedians I book are expected to do family-friendly material, and I make that very clear upfront. However, there have been times where the comedians have ignored my request and done vulgar or offensive material (sex, abortions, swearing and so much more) with my kids sitting right in the front row. Not only did they absolutely bomb because no one who comes to a show called The Clean Comedy Hour wants to hear about those topics, no one feels comfortable hearing them in front of kids either. If you book a regular show at a comedy club with no restrictions, then you can do whatever material you like. However, it is still important to stay away from topics like the ones discussed above.
While swearing and sexual topics are definitely not taboo in comedy, a smart comedian knows how to use them to their advantage (if they choose to do this type of comedy) as opposed to leaning on them and expecting them to do all the work for them. I once saw a comedian do a whole bit on how the F word is his favorite word. The joke completely bombed. Why? Because the F word is not funny all by itself and saying it 100 times in a set doesn’t make an audience feel comfortable. I’ve also seen more sets than I can count where comedians (especially female ones) relied on vulgarity so heavily that the set was more like a filthy monologue than a joke and no one was laughing.
Racism is a tricky one to tackle. Audiences tend to love racist jokes, depending on the joke, the audience, and the comedian. Comics like Chris Rock can pull off using the N-word all throughout their set and absolutely kill. Michael Richards tried it and retired the following year. Can it be done? Sure Gary Owen is a great comedian who is white and does great jokes about race. He can do it because he has an interracial family. Could every white comedian? No way.
There are definitely comedians who feel that nothing should be off-limits in comedy. If you feel this way as well, ask yourself these questions. What is your goal on stage? Is it to make people laugh? Is it to get booked again? Or is it to exercise your freedom of speech? If your goals are to get laughs and future bookings, stay away from obvious topics that will upset or offend your audience.
Ultimately, No. There’s nothing that is specifically off-limits to anyone who lives in a country that enjoys free speech. Off-color jokes have been around for decades and will continue to be. There is no comedy police (contrary to the rumors you may have heard). There is, however, a matter of taste. If you’re telling tasteless jokes, simply because you can and because there are a few people who will find them funny, that likely won’t translate into commercial success. Perhaps even more important to remember is that your jokes, tweets, posts, etc. will never go away. Even though they may get away with it at the time, comedians who tell jokes with reckless abandon sometimes pay the price for their thoughtlessness, even years later, and it can cost them a lot. Look what happened to Kevin Hart when he was supposed to host the Oscars. Smart comedians will try to appeal to a larger audience and use good judgment when crafting jokes.