Free Republic

A court has sentenced comedian Leo Lins to more than eight years in prison for inciting intolerance through a stand-up performance viewed by over three million people on YouTube. On Tuesday 3 June, Brazilian comedian Leo Lins was sentenced to over eight years in prison for making discriminatory remarks in a stand-up routine that targeted a wide range of minority groups — including black people, obese individuals, elderly people, those living with HIV, homosexuals, evangelicals, Indigenous communities, people from the impoverished northeast of Brazil, Jews, and people with disabilities. The federal court in São Paulo ruled that the right to...

Comedian and podcaster Theo Von made a now or never pitch in support of President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs, crediting Trump for attempting to steer America off of a path that has left whole swaths of American towns and cities “empty” and “boarded up.” “The goal of tariffs is, if it costs more for people to bring their products in then they will build them here,” Von said, adding “So it’s kind of a longterm play. It’s going to take a while.” “If we don’t try this, then I think it’s a wrap. On this comedy tour, we’ve been to...

The 50501 Movement—or 50 states, 50 protests, one day—is garnering support throughout social media over its plan to stage demonstrations across the nation to "fight Fascism" on February 5.

A piece of conceptual art consisting of a simple banana, duct-taped to a wall, sold for $6.2 million at an auction in New York on Wednesday, with the winning bid coming from a prominent cryptocurrency entrepreneur. "Comedian," by Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan, was a phenomenon when it debuted in 2019 at Art Basel Miami Beach, as festivalgoers tried to make out whether the single yellow piece of fruit affixed to a white wall with silver duct tape was a joke or cheeky commentary on questionable standards among art collectors. At one point, another artist took the banana off the wall...

Kamala Harris held an interview with Chris Cuomo on Sunday afternoon on News Nation. The far-left Democrat Party nominee outlined a Puerto Rico policy during the interview, a topic that rarely comes up in US presidential politics. Kamala promised the Caribbean island “economic development” and “improved disaster response.” …Because we all know how well the Biden-Harris regime does with their disaster response!

How can you make an assassination attempt funny? The quick answer is that you can’t, and you shouldn’t. Yet, comedian Drew Dunn did it somehow. His routine about the Trump assassination attempt on July 13 is great. It’s not over-the-top—it’s hilarious. Given the subject matter, some might not find it humorous, but I respect comedians who push the limits and go there since not all are successful or good at it. Yet, this one right here is hysterical. There was probably high anxiety in the room when he set up the joke. Dunn said that if the government wanted to...

Jewish-British writer and comedian Lee Kern, who is planning on emigrating to Israel, took to social media to express his displeasure with the direction his country has taken in light of the results of the local elections in which many left-wing and Muslim candidates saw great success. "I’m leaving Britain and moving to Israel. Even if it wasn’t for the antisemitism I’d be leaving. Britain is a dying society. I’ll be fine in Israel. It’s the most dynamic, creative, and positive place I’ve ever been - even though surrounded by Islamic fundamentalist psychopaths who daily try to destroy it," Kern...

In another world, Ukraine would have voted on Sunday. In a year where billions get the chance to cast a ballot, people here would have given their verdict on the presidency of Volodymyr Zelensky. Five years ago, the man whose talents as an actor, comedian and producer had made him a household name in Ukraine was propelled into office. But with Russian forces still inside the country and millions of Ukrainians displaced from their homes, fighting on the frontlines, or living overseas, there is no election in sight. Some US Republicans have sought to make the upcoming expiration of Zelensky’s...

Shecky Greene, an entertainment legend whose very name became synonymous with stand-up comedy, has died. He was 97. Greene died at 3:21 a.m. Sunday at his home in Las Vegas of natural causes, confirmed by his wife of 41 years Marie Musso Green. Greene is also survived by his two adopted daughters Dorian Hoffman (Charlie Hoffman) of Boise, Idaho and Alison Greene of Vancouver, Washington; his sisters-in-law JoAnn Musso Sperry, Linda Galasso, nephew Michael Sperry and nieces Angel Galasso Hooper and Gina Dadian. He was preceded in death by his first wife and mother of his children, Jeri Greene, and...

A Chinese stand-up comedian who goes by the name “House” has been fined $2 million for a joke he made which was deemed to take a mocking stance toward the ironically named People’s Liberation Army. Here’s the joke that got him fined:During the show, he began a skit about how he had adopted two stray dogs since moving to Shanghai.He went on to say that their chase after a squirrel one day reminded him of eight words, before he unleashed the controversial punchline, according to audio posted to Chinese social media site Weibo.“Fine style of work, capable of winning battles,”...

A comedian’s searing take on how “woke culture” and climate activism has “gone too far” and “brainwashed” young minds has gone viral. “I’m tired of talking about woke culture. Free speech is not some right-week reframing of whatever — it’s the foundation of Western civilization,” Russian British comedian Konstantin Kisin recently told the Oxford Union Society. “We know that the way to improve the world is to work, is to create, is to build, and the problem with woke culture is that it has trained too many young minds like yours to forget about that,” he added.

Comedian and Netflix star David A. Arnold dead at 54 Comedian David A. Arnold, best known for headlining two Netflix comedy specials, died at the age of 54 on Wednesday. The stand-up funnyman, who was the showrunner of Nickelodeon’s “That Girl Lay Lay” and served as a producer on the “Fuller House” reboot, died “from natural causes” at his home, his family announced

Ukraine has long been considered the most corrupt nation in Europe, and was widely recognized as such by American media outlets – right up until Russia invaded and suddenly Ukraine had to be “reimagined” as a paragon of democracy and a plucky underdog in the fight for freedom. Now that the Ukrainians appear likely to lose the war, however, mainstream outlets like NPR are rediscovering Ukraine’s rank corruption and reporting the truth again – but unfortunately too late to stop the tens of billions of dollars in military aid that’s been shipped off. Jimmy and America’s comedian Kurt Metzger discuss...

Western countries have agreed not to transfer some types of weapons to Ukraine so as not to be drawn into a war with Russia, French President Emmanuel Macron said. It was reported by Ukrinform on Thursday, June 16. Macron confirmed that Western countries are afraid to supply Ukraine with some types of weapons. "You are talking about an informal agreement, but this is almost the official position of NATO partners that we help Ukraine defend itself, but do not go to war with Russia. Therefore, certain weapons, such as assault aircraft or tanks, were agreed not to be supplied, and...

Comedian Dave Chappelle was attacked during a show in Los Angeles Tuesday night after a man reportedly jumped on stage. The alleged attacker was injured in the attack and was carried away in an ambulance, according to reports. Videos of the incident appear to show the man jumping onto the stage at the Hollywood Bowl, where Chappell was performing his standup routine for his Netflix Is A Joke tour, when he attempted to tackle the comedian. He was swiftly taken away by security and other individuals, who appeared to repeatedly hit the man just off-stage, videos appear to show. Immediately...

During a nightly address on Sunday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the congressional delegation for visiting Kyiv and affirming the U.S. commitment to helping Ukraine. "We are grateful to all partners who convey such important and powerful signals of support for Ukraine to the world and to Russia by visiting our capital in these conditions and at such a difficult time," Zelenskyy said. Zelenskyy said he and Pelosi shared "very substantive negotiations" that spanned four hours "on defense supplies, macro-financial assistance, sanctions policy, political cooperation." The Ukrainian leader also expressed his appreciation...

Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky warned on Friday that Russia’s invasion of his country was just the beginning, predicting Russian forces would become a threat to other countries in the region. In a video address uploaded on Facebook and Telegram, Zelensky said Russia was preparing to move into a breakaway region of Moldova, a small country bordering Ukraine and Poland.

The World Bank will provide Ukraine with $4.8 billion for recovery following a roundtable talk held in Washington on April 21 along with the Ukrainian government, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said. "Yesterday, during a ministerial roundtable talk, I turned to the World Bank. The result is $4.8 billion for the restoration of Ukraine," the head of state said on Instagram. He thanked that Ukraine "is heard and supported." "With such help, we will be able to quickly restore the country," Zelensky said. As reported, the president of Ukraine, in his speech at this roundtable talk via video link,...

Addressing the Portuguese parliament via video link, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday called on Portugal to send "heavy weapons" and strengthen the sanctions on Russia. "I am grateful for the opportunity in this difficult time because you know how we are feeling, fighting for our independence, but also our survival," said Zelensky, referring to what Portugal experienced in history. Zelensky's 15-minute speech received a standing ovation in the parliament attended by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared on Thursday, addressing the World Bank Forum, that the country will need around $7 billion monthly, to be able to recover from the losses the Russian side caused during its special military operation. The head of Ukraine urged the international community to ban Russia from international financial institutions as soon as possible, as well as cut any other interactions with the latter.