Free Republic

I had no idea who Ben Bankas was until I heard that all of his sold-out stand-up comedy shows in Minnesota were abruptly canceled. So I had to do a little digging. The internet tells me that he's originally from Toronto, but now based in Austin, Texas, and he has a podcast that's pretty popular, as well as a solid, cult-like following. He regularly sells out shows in the United States, Canada, and Europe. I took a look at his social media pages, and he's actually pretty funny. His humor is dark, just the way I like it, and he's...

Legendary New Jersey comedian Floyd Vivino, known as “Uncle Floyd,” has died at 74. On Friday, his brother, musician Jerry Vivino, announced on social media that Floyd had passed away the previous day. “Rest in peace big brother,” Jerry posted. “You will be missed, but always remembered by friends, family and your loving fans.”

‘I truly believe humor is a tool. It’s a tool that helps people release emotional tension, a tool that helps people feel safe. Very often, when someone tells me a joke or makes me laugh, even about something very small, it feels like a gesture – like they’ve seen me and said, ‘I want to make you feel a little better,’” said Zohar Shahar, one of the co-directors of Bella, a very funny and audacious new Israeli comedy, with a touch of drama, that dares to find laughs in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It opened in theaters around the country on...

Conan O’Brien warned comedians giving in to their anger at President Donald Trump that they are being “co-opted” and not making much of a difference. In a conversation with Oxford Union on Tuesday, O’Brien noted he often hears people say how “great” Trump must be for comedians. The one-time Tonight Show host argued the opposite, saying “talking crazy” is part of Trump’s brand and it makes it difficult to structure satire around it. O’Brien cited Trump’s construction of a White House ballroom as something sketch comedy writers would likely come up with to mock Trump — except it’s reality. “Comedy...

Over the weekend, Covid-cautious individuals shared clips on social media of Jon Stewart punching down on people who are masking, who are presumably doing so to protect themselves from Covid, the flu, and other infectious diseases that are spreading across the United States. On the December 11 episode of the podcast The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart, guest Tim Miller of The Bulwark said there have to be at least two people at fellow guest Jon Favreau’s workplace wearing masks because it’s a progressive organization. Stewart responded, “There’s always two, and you always say, ‘Oh, are you sick?’ And they...

What To Know -Dave Chappelle responded strongly to Bill Maher’s criticism of his comments about free speech at a Saudi comedy festival in his new Netflix special. -Chappelle clarified that his remarks about freer speech in Saudi Arabia were made on stage and not intended for publication, referencing his own experiences with backlash in the U.S. over transgender jokes. -Bill Maher had publicly disputed Chappelle’s claim about free speech in Saudi Arabia, prompting Chappelle’s pointed remarks in his stand-up special. Dave Chappelle just sent a fiery message to Bill Maher after the late-night host slammed comments he made about free...

A Brazilian comedian said a judge took issue with his Wikipedia page when she handed down an eight-year prison sentence. Comedian Leo Lins, whose full name is Leonardo de Lima Borges Lins, was about three years removed from his comedy special when Judge Barbara de Lima Iseppi ruled the comedian made "discriminatory" remarks while on stage. The comments the judge made during her ruling have been perceived as "power-hungry" by other comedians, who expressed shock at their compatriot's conviction. Lins' 2022 special "Disturbing," or "Perturbador" in Portuguese, was ordered to be taken down from the internet by the Brazilian government...

Comedian Druski is coming under fire for a “white face” performance in which he donned incredibly realistic makeup and proceeded to cosplay as a racist NASCAR fan. The black comedian, 30, looked unrecognizable after he painted his entire face, arms and torso to a believably Caucasian tone — and even added some extra detail to the bit with a farmer’s tan sunburn at a recent NASCAR race. He completed the redneck character’s look with a mullet, beard, American flag cowboy hat and a pair of overalls with no shirt revealing American flag tattoos. SNIP Great, now we have Druski cosplaying...

The liberals have gotten so absurd that they have turned themselves into comedy material. Therefore Justine Brooke Murray is now performing MRCTV comedy based on material published in Newsbusters. Here is Justine commenting on the absurdity of a Politico editor whining about no mass protests in DC against the federal takeover of the police department in the Capital. Oh, and look closely to see which Newsbusters article provided the comedy material. I would tell you the name that can be seen on that article but I'm much too (BLUSH!) humble..@Justine_Brooke schools the editor of Politico who is upset that there's...

Tom Lehrer, the popular and erudite song satirist who lampooned marriage, politics, racism and the Cold War, then largely abandoned his music career to return to teaching math at Harvard and other universities, has died. He was 97. Lehrer had remained on the math faculty of the University of California at Santa Cruz well into his late 70s. In 2020, he even turned away from his own copyright, granting the public permission to use his lyrics in any format without any fee in return. A Harvard prodigy (he had earned a math degree from the institution at age 18), Lehrer...

James Comey broke his silence on Sunday evening and went off on President Trump after the Justice Department fired Maurene Comey. Maurene Comey, daughter of James Comey, was fired as a federal prosecutor in the Manhattan US Attorney’s office last Wednesday. “There was no specific reason given for her firing from the U.S. attorney’s office in the Southern District of New York, according to one of the people who spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity to discuss personnel matters,” the AP reported. Maurene Comey didn’t call out Trump by name, but she attacked the president and his...

HBO will air the show, expected to arrive in 2026The as-yet-untitled sketch show will star the Curb Your Enthusiasm creator, alongside some familiar faces from that series and notable guest stars, according to a report from LA Times. The Obamas will serve as executive producers through their company Higher Ground Productions. There is no official release date for the show, but it is likely to air next year as the United States celebrates its 250th anniversary. In a press release, HBO wrote: “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honour America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation...

Texas comedian reads his electric bill like a Faulkner novel. OMG, this is SO funny. This guy is fantastic. Great script and super delivery. Jerry Wayne has his own YouTube channel. Here's the link to this video on YouTube.

Hitler gives Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a call to discuss Iran's nuclear program.

Original joke by me What was the radio call sign used by the IDF for a successful surprise strike on Iran? "Torah,Torah,Torah"

Oh man it's just imigra. I forgot, it's the wedding. They're looking for illegal aliens. I forgot it's the wedding. They are gonna deport these dudes. Yeah, my cousin's getting married down in TJ so he calls immigration on himself. They come down with a big bus and take the whole wedding party down to TJ. Plus they get fed lunch man......

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...

The Secret Service is investigating after ex-FBI Director James Comey posted an Instagram photo of seashells arranged to make the numbers "86 47" — a message that White House officials swiftly condemned as an attempt to put out a "hit" against the 47th president. Comey later deleted the post after online backlash from government officials, lawmakers and President Donald Trump’s son. Trump has faced two assassination attempts — one of which resulted in him being shot and a bystander being killed — in the past year. The post including the alleged "hit" showed the numbers in question etched into the...

Benny Hill was once one of Britain's most popular entertainers, with his particular brand of comedy - slapstick and risque - hugely popular for some two decades with a theme tune that will bring back memories for anyone of a certain age. It's reported that one of his specials, aired in 1969, attracted a bigger audience than the moon landings but in recent years, the comedian has fallen out of favour, with some of his sketches being criticised over their racist and sexist jokes. This was the topic of a recent Channel 5 programme, The Cancellation of Benny Hill, looking...

The first teaser trailer for the new The Naked Gun movie dropped last weekend. The reboot of the 1988 film will replace Leslie Nielsen, who passed away in 2010, with Liam Neeson as the film’s lead. The trailer shares a comedic identity with the original franchise as both are a spoof of the action movie genre. Some have resisted the new film, claiming that Leslie Nielsen’s iconic performance can’t be matched, even by a talented actor such as Neeson. TRAILER AT LINK.................... Others have attacked the film for being another reboot, amidst a surplus of low-quality, tiresome remakes such as...