Certain forms of comedy like roasts, dark humor, and one-liners for the sake of having shock value are all risky, but if the jokes are clever to start and delivered smartly, comedians can really knock it out of the park.
Or they could really have a negative impact on audiences.
Curious to find out about the boundaries within the world of standup, Redditor thebosomofthePacific asked:
"What should be off-limits in comedy?"
Pranks are a popular comedy tactic, but the result isn't always a laughing matter.
Unwilling Participants
"Pranks on people who don't want to be involved, especially ones that physically or psychologically hurt people."
"Agreed, all those 'prank' channels where they say and do horrible things to their children and then go 'it's just a prank, you little baby!' while their kid is sobbing… that sh*t makes me sick."
Pranksters
"Physically involving people who didn't want to be involved (e.g. YouTube / TikTok pranksters)"
"ANYTHING should be allowed on pure standup comedy though."
The Golden Rule
"I had a practical joke book when I was a kid and on the first page and the back it had in big letters: 'The golden rule of pranks: A prank is supposed to make people happy and laugh' If you pull a prank on someone and they don't laugh or find it funny, no matter what: YOUR PRANK WASNT FUNNY! STOP, APOLOGISE IMMEDIATELY, EXPLAIN YOURSELF AND APOLOGISE MORE. If you don't do this, you're not a prankster you're just an a**hole!""
"At the end of every joke it had 'Remember the Golden Rule' It kinda stuck with me 20 years later."
– Cprich22
Dark humor is perfectly acceptable, but even those can have hard limits.
Rule Of Thumb
"Nothing should be off limits, but Chris Rock gave a good rule of thumb on Talking Funny that you should joke about what people DO, not what they ARE."
Frankie Boyle
"Frankie Boyle is possibly my least favourite comedian because, while some of his lines are funny (albeit dark and uncomfrotable) he usually goes for the darkest and most controversial thing he can say in a given scenario even if it is not really relevant or funny. His dark jokes are fine but they're ruined for me by the fact he clearly tries to make everything as dark and controversial as he can, and sometimes they end up being funny, rather than being as funny as possible and sometimes they're dark and controversial."
A Study In Contrasts
"Listen, dark jokes are fine. Nothing is off limits. But there's a difference between being funny and just saying disgusting sh*t."
"Bias Comedy"
"Shock comedy, and what I'll call 'bias comedy.'"
"If the punchline itself is just the fact that you said a racial slur, or made fun of somebody with cerebral palsy, that's pretty lame."
"Also, if the only reason anyone is laughing is just because you made a political statement and they agree with you, that's pretty lame as well."
Reading the room was mentioned as a key factor to successfully landing a joke.
Gauge The Audience
"Comedy is subjective, there should be no limits. However it is still a good idea to keep in mind who the audience is."
The Right Structure
"depends on the structure of the Joke."
"you can laugh: about it , or with it , or at it."
"if you laugh at someone or something on the other hand , you reeeaally gotta know your audience."
Expectations
"I think it's a mutual trust thing, both the comedian should know the audience and the audience should know the comedian. I will not sympathize with someone who is offended at jokes Bill Burr makes and then simultaneously goes to a Bill Burr performance a few weeks later."
Racist jokes are tricky. I understand some of them are rooted in truth, but if delivered poorly, they can be downright offensive.
Being Asian, I'm indifferent to a comedian's dig at a minority group if it's based on a tired stereotype like, "Asians make terrible drivers"—which is absolutely not true.
To deliver hackneyed jokes like that is a mark of laziness in my opinion.
But even more unforgivable is when racial epithets are used. I cringe whenever a comic of any ethnicity uses a racist slur targeting themselves as if to demonstrate they have permission to denigrate their own community.
And it's not about being "too sensitive." The opposition stems from the need to prevent microaggressions from potentially evolving into bigger forms of hatred many ethnic groups constantly face in their everyday lives.
But that's just my take.
Actor and comedian Kenan Thompson is best known for his tenure at Saturday Night Live.
He has a number of solid characters and impressions under his belt, from Charles Barkley to David Ortiz.
One of his most popular, and perhaps most dead-on in his portrayal, is Steve Harvey.
Family Feud: Extended Family - SNLwww.youtube.com
The SNL cast member was recently approached by Harvey himself, on the set of Thompson's new reality competition show Bring the Funny. Turns out, Harvey is very familiar with Thompson's impression of him, and issued him a joking threat.
Thompson spoke of this encounter to Fox News.
"I just saw [Steve Harvey] when we were shooting 'Bring The Funny' and he was on the next stage doing 'Family Feud,' so I sat down with him and he was like, 'You better watch yourself'. I love Steve. I've known him for a super long time."
Despite Fox, it was a pretty funny encounter.
Many SNL fans thought so too.
Steve Harvey telling Kenan Thompson to watch himself over his SNL impression is by far the funniest thing he has ever done— Dazzling, Deft & Devoid of Feeling (@Dazzling, Deft & Devoid of Feeling) 1558026290.0
#SteveHarvey #kenanthompson Celebrity boxing match is needed to settle this!! https://t.co/GDVbikjtgq— christian (@christian) 1558023586.0
While initially some fans took the threat a little seriously, it was obvious to Thompson that the comment was in jest.
After all, he is a comedian.
"Comedy is a craft. It's something that you sharpen over time so the more you educate yourself about topics and references the better [your comedy] will be and the more appealing it'll be to a wider audience. Your comedy skills get better over time but you have to work at it."
Thompson has gained a large following over the years, beginning with his involvement with Nickelodeon in the 90's. After starring in shows such as Kenan and Kel and All That!, he wound up scoring a spot on the biggest sketch comedy show of all time.
In fact, Thompson broke the record for the longest running SNL cast member.
He is now has sixteen seasons under his belt, and he won't be stopping anytime soon.
The year 2093. Earth is a barren hellscape. Humanity has been extinguished. Kenan Thompson celebrates his 100th sea… https://t.co/cFkI4g8e7D— JC (@JC) 1557536065.0
Thompson is now getting his own sitcom on NBC, titled The Kenan Show, along with a new unscripted reality game show called Bring the Funny.
He has no plans to leave SNL.
What a legend.