Anthony Jeselnik’s sardonic comedy aims to unite, he says

Standup comedian Anthony Jeselnik rose to fame after roasting Donald Trump with jokes that would make those with even the thickest of skins wince – long before the Trump presidency. Jeselnik’s act, though edgy, doesn’t take sides: He’s an equal opportunity offender. He explains why, before heading out on the second leg of his Funny Games Tour, which hits Knight Theater Thursday.

Q: We’re in a moment where touchy subjects have become even touchier and divisive. Does that sort of collective shift toward a topic have any bearing on what you say in your act?

A: I kind of just address the culture and the culture’s reaction to things. I won’t talk about Trump, but I’ll talk about racism. I don’t talk about sexual harassment, but I talk about hyper-masculinity. You aren’t turning people off the way some people do. The point of the joke is to get tension out of the audience and release that. I just want to toy with them.

Q: When did you realize that this type of comedy was what worked for you?

A: I found it got the best response from the audience. If you laugh at a funeral, you shouldn’t be laughing. I find it’s best when people are a little bit scared. I’m the horror movie version of a comedian. I’m not comforting.

Q: Were there certain topics you wanted to address, that you built around, in this new show, Funny Games?

A: It was almost what I didn’t want to address. “Thoughts and Prayers” (his previous special) got personal. I felt the need to talk about why I do these dark jokes. This hour I want to be like a rock album – let’s just give these people a great show full of challenging jokes.

Q: Is there anything that’s off limits?

A: No, I do not care. I just want everyone to be able to laugh at the same awful things. The things I talk about are universally awful. You won’t hear me preaching about guns. I want people to think: “That was impressive, we laughed at everything. No matter what our beliefs are, we all laughed at the same horrible thing.” You should not believe anything I say. People think because I’m not politically correct, I must be a huge Trump fan. I’m actually a fan of political correctness. It’s an obstacle course you have to get through to make this joke still funny.

Q: Your first big break was roasting Trump for Comedy Central. Did you ever in your wildest dreams imagine him becoming president?

A: Not at all. Dennis Rodman had as much of a chance of becoming president then.

Q: There’s a lot of routes to take in comedy.

A: Standup is definitely my first love. If I sit down to write anything else, I think, “Why am I not writing a joke?” I’ll write a book if I break my leg. Maybe I’ll wake up after this special (which he’ll film in the fall) and want to give standup a break. Right now I wake up every day wanting to work on standup. When you have great jokes the way I think I do right now, there is no better feeling.

This story was originally published March 14, 2018 at 3:21 PM with the headline "Anthony Jeselnik’s sardonic comedy aims to unite, he says."