# Bill Maher slammed by Seth Meyers’ writer Amber Ruffin in award-host monologue **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 13, 2018, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-slammed-by-seth-meyers-writer-amber-ruffin-in-award-host-monologue/808757 "2018-02-13T12:21:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2018, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-slammed-by-seth-meyers-writer-amber-ruffin-in-award-host-monologue/808757/41 "2018-02-14T23:32:46Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Right, they were a humor magazine. They were known for making jokes. They were not known for deep insights and critiques. I wouldn’t put it past them to put that line in for a laugh without agreeing to the premise. The first five years, the Kenney and Beard era, they were the smartest, deepest satirists in the country. Even then, I have to admit, the magazine got dumber year by year as the 60s receded and the frat culture took over. But people thinking of the Lampoon as Animal House aren’t thinking of Harvard intellectuals skewering the society, which it started out as. > [@](#): > > I am not a Joan Rivers historian. But come on, her entire career was jokes. She said one liners. One after another. No one is saying you have to find anyone funny but to say her act was just her delivery is just wrong. In a routine she would toss out dozens of punchlines. She was a joke machine. She is very much like Rodney Dangerfield. He created a persona and then bought thousands of jokes from writers sending them in. It was delivery that sold them, but she had to create the environment in which those jokes would work. They were throwbacks to people like Bob Hope and Jack Benny. You liked the jokes or not; either way another one came along in five seconds, meaningful because of who told them and how… > [@](#): > > And Gilbert Godfried is hilarious and incredibly quick witted. Yes he is intentionally odd, sometimes more than others, but he is a great comic. And yes he’s another one that is universally admired by other comics. Gilbert is also a persona. He ends his act with a series of old jokes that would elicit groans if some other comic told them, like Lewis Black, e.g., even though he’s terrific in his own right. Once a comic has a persona, that’s better than jokes. It will last a lifetime. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2018, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-slammed-by-seth-meyers-writer-amber-ruffin-in-award-host-monologue/808757/42 "2018-02-14T23:49:56Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The first five years, the Kenney and Beard era, they were the smartest, deepest satirists in the country. Even then, I have to admit, the magazine got dumber year by year as the 60s receded and the frat culture took over. But people thinking of the Lampoon as Animal House aren’t thinking of Harvard intellectuals skewering the society, which it started out as. Well sure. But that still has nothing to do with being critics or writing scholarly critiques of comics. A joke they made about Joan Rivers was quoted as if it had any more weight than my opinion or anyone else’s. I’m 50. There’s no reason for anyone to be commenting like I have no idea about the magazine. I was probably about 12 or 13 when I started reading it from older brother’s copies. I read it with varying frequency for years. > [@](#): > > She is very much like Rodney Dangerfield. He created a persona and then bought thousands of jokes from writers sending them in. It was delivery that sold them, but she had to create the environment in which those jokes would work. They were throwbacks to people like Bob Hope and Jack Benny. You liked the jokes or not; either way another one came along in five seconds, meaningful because of who told them and how… I was actually going to bring up Rodney as an example but decided not to muddy the water. I saw him live once and he was great. I was never a big Joan Rivers fan and never wanted to see her live but I respect what she was able to do. > [@](#): > > Gilbert is also a persona. He ends his act with a series of old jokes that would elicit groans if some other comic told them, like Lewis Black, e.g., even though he’s terrific in his own right. Once a comic has a persona, that’s better than jokes. It will last a lifetime. I’ve heard Gilbert many different ways. Whether it was on Stern years ago or now on his own podcast. I’m not sure who he really is. He has multiple personas. His quick wit can not be denied. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-slammed-by-seth-meyers-writer-amber-ruffin-in-award-host-monologue/808757/43 "2018-02-15T02:27:42Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Well sure. But that still has nothing to do with being critics or writing scholarly critiques of comics. A joke they made about Joan Rivers was quoted as if it had any more weight than my opinion or anyone else’s. > > I’m 50. There’s no reason for anyone to be commenting like I have no idea about the magazine. I was probably about 12 or 13 when I started reading it from older brother’s copies. I read it with varying frequency for years. I had no intention of attacking you, just riffing off your comments. Yes, the Lampoon insulting someone, anyone, at any time, was their stock in trade and didn’t necessarily have any relation to reality. It would be nice to see the quote in context, though. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2018, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-slammed-by-seth-meyers-writer-amber-ruffin-in-award-host-monologue/808757/44 "2018-02-15T16:09:42Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > I saw Bill Maher in concert a couple of years ago. He was fantastically funny. He was also far more nuanced when given the time to stretch the routines out than during his one-liner monologues on his show. I’m on Maher’s side in general when he gets into it with other liberals, I think we need more liberals who are willing to actually stand up for liberal values (liberal democracy, universal declaration of human rights, etc) in the face of beliefs that threaten those liberal values, and who do not mind offensive humor. Watching liberals hem and haw when Muslims persecute gays, women and religious and ethnic minorities is offensive. At least Maher is willing to stand up for liberal values in the face of PC culture But I saw his standup in 2017 and it was not good. I felt I wasted my money. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bill-maher-slammed-by-seth-meyers-writer-amber-ruffin-in-award-host-monologue/808757.md?page=2)