Jay Leno Seems To Defend Cancel Culture: ‘You Either Change With The Times Or You Die’

September 2, 2021 ^ | Sep 2, 2021 | Megan Basham

[conservative98]

A number of comedians have spoken out against cancel culture in recent years, including Jerry Seinfeld, Bill Burr, David Spade, Kevin Hart, Michael Che, and Ricky Gervais. But there’s one comic who doesn’t think the trend of funnymen and women losing jobs for politically incorrect jokes is a problem — Jay Leno.

The former host of “The Tonight Show” told the Los Angeles Times that stand-up acts have always had to adapt to the new norms, saying, “You either change with the times, or you die.”

[mass55th]

Everybody dies at one time or another. I’d rather die on my terms, not the commies.

[irishjuggler]

Leno is basically saying that he has no core values or principles. His so-called comedy is whatever is considered mildly humorous and acceptable according to the zeitgeist of the day. This is unsurprising to anyone familiar with shtick.

[conservative98]

From the comments:

Fil-AmConservative
7 hours ago

It’s easy for Leno to say, as he wasn’t a comedian in this time. Even with his examples, what he fails to point out is that in these days, saying something politically incorrect could lead to getting ostracized, not getting booked anywhere and people trying to remove his sponsorships. It wasn’t like that back in his days, and he fails to see the extremism that people (usually on the Left) will take to try and ruin someone’s career and reputation.

MontanaTam
6 hours ago

As much as I’ve enjoyed watching Jay Leno in the past, the fact is, he’s not relevant. He can say these things because he’s retired with his dozens of cars and loads of cash - and it really doesn’t matter if he’s “canceled.” He has no skin in the game - so why should he care about his peers? Truly disappointing.

Wanderer
4 hours ago

Think about the full and true implications of that statement.
‘You Either Change With The Times Or You Die’
So you surrender without a fight. What if the British and Americans said that in WWII or Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War or the Founding Fathers or the Apostles or the Greeks at Thermopylae or Moses and the Hebrews. Every great thing that has happened over the history of mankind has been from people fighting and resisting for the Good. The people who lived by moral relativism where the Times set their behavior doomed generations after them to terror.

This is what his quote should have been.

You Either Change With The Times dooming your children to a thousand years of darkness Or You Fight, Risk and Sacrifice for the Good.

[kiryandil]

I tend to distance myself from these ubercelebrities.

I'm not in their league financially, and never will be.

Guys like Bill Murray, Donald Trump and Jay Leno.

I liked Bill Murray and Donald Trump from afar.

I always considered Jay Leno to be a greasy SOB from afar.

[cookcounty]

Sounds like a direct quote from Joe Stalin.

[conservative98]

MrTerrific
7 hours ago

Here’s the difference, Jay.

Of course, if you go to a more Left Wing comedy club, the Audience won’t tolerate a joke about Obama or Biden. Fine. Talk about airplane food. Observational humor. Whatever.

That’s not Cancel Culture. That’s knowing your audience.

Imagine if you’re in a Comedy Club, and five people stand up, and start screaming, just to shut you up. Why? Because they saw a bit you did in the 1990s, and they want to punish Jay.

There’s no placating these people. They delight in ruining a life, just because they can.

rvassar0324
37 minutes ago

Replying to MrTerrific
His comparison is terrible. If someone pays you to do a gig and tells you can’t do certain jokes, that’s completely different than someone in the audience hearing a joke they don’t like and calling you racist, then all of your shows being canceled.

hotsauce
7 hours ago

Replying to MrTerrific
This!!

mikeviscom5268
7 hours ago

[Jay] Sounds submissive. That’s how we got in this mess.

[Az Joe]

Exactly. Not well liked by other comedians is he. An opportunist.

[BradyLS]

Jay’s got his. That’s what I read in that statement.

[Track9]

I wonder who he thinks is doing the killing?

[The Unknown Republican]

Said by every Kapo is a Nazi concentration camp.

[DHerion]

The man has no kids of his own so he has no stake in the future...like most European leaders.

[LittleBillyInfidel]

“You either change with the times, or you die.”.

So, had this priss been doing stand up back in the '40s, he would have been wearing a kimono the day after Pearl Harbor.

[Seruzawa]

Easy to say when youve already banked your millions.

A-hole.

[cherry]

yeah well, I'm old fashioned mostly and can avoid all these "changes".

its too bad that the "changes" mentioned are usually bad or immoral or unethical or unhealthy or just plain evil....no thx.

[Liberty Valance]

Something’s apparently up. Did he kill a kitty with some anti-freeze?

[cherry]

remember that many yrs ago Leno and his wife were very involved in helping the women of Afghanistan......against the taliban....

so maybe he is just not going to care about people anymore...

[Widget Jr]

Johnny Carson would be so proud of you, Jay.

[Still Thinking]

How can you ‘change with the times ‘ when people get canceled for something they said 15 years before it was a no-no?