"So what's been going on in the news lately? Anything to make topical humor from? We're going to do like Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers did: briefly say that shooting people is bad then move on. Meyers, particularly, laid out how much gun/political/politically motivated gun violence the American newsreader is constantly subjected to and how it must end. This column has frequently addressed how late-night television has painted itself into a corner by becoming the current-events processing machine."
"It is difficult, some might even say counterproductive, to try to mine comedy from every tragedy the week it happens. We extend our sympathies to the comedy writers who'd rather be showing that one clip of Biden falling up the stairs yet again but are instead trying to make jokes about trauma they haven't even had the time to feel. And now, back to prop comedy and pussy jokes."
Late-night television increasingly functions as a current-events processing machine, forcing hosts to address politically motivated gun violence and other tragedies while trying to be funny. Writers and performers face the strain of quickly mining comedy from fresh trauma, often unable to process feelings before turning them into jokes. Some hosts briefly acknowledge shootings before moving on to lighter material. Sketches like Jimmy Kimmel's shrinkflation gag revel in visual satisfaction rather than deep commentary. Staffers such as Seth Reiss balance newsroom jobs with comedic side projects, sometimes using outrageous prop humor to cut through sentimentality.
Read at Vulture
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