# Does this joke have a real punchline **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Tags:** comedian-jokes\ **Created:** [January 13, 2026, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631 "2026-01-13T04:16:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/21 "2026-01-13T15:29:01Z")
No joke has ever been funny when preceded by “can someone explain to me why this is funny?” Either you get or you don’t. I’m not saying you shouldn’t ask - but don’t expect your reaction to the joke to change once it’s been explained to you. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/22 "2026-01-13T15:31:53Z")
The audience loved Andy Kaufman on SNL, particularly the Mighty Mouse bit, and so did I. Comedy can be more complicated than, as Zippy the Pinhead once said about Dilbert: “Punchline delivered.” ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/23 "2026-01-13T15:33:00Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Standing up awkwardly standing next to an old record player listening to the theme for Mighty Mouse and singing along with “Here I come to save the DAAAAAY!” isn’t funny. It isn’t funny to you, that doesn’t mean it’s not funny to other people and it doesn’t mean that your perspective is the only correct perspective. ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/24 "2026-01-13T16:19:23Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Comedy is about making people laugh. Exactly. > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > And being told your reaction to the awkwardness is what makes it funny doesn’t retroactively make it funny. It means you wasted my time on meta comedy commentary masquerading as humor. Notice how you’ve gone here from the general “people” to the very particular “being told _your_ reaction” and “_my_ time”.. This kind of comedy doesn’t do it for you, fair enough. But clearly Andy Kaufman did make people laugh (which is what comedy is about) by doing this routine. And the reason people laughed isn’t because they felt awkward and had it explained to them that this reaction retroactively makes it funny, they laughed because _in the moment_ they found it funny. And they found it funny because Kaufman presented himself as an absurd and overconfident fool who had completely misunderstood the assignment but was proceeding anyhow with his head held high. (I didn’t think it was very funny either, as it happens). ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/25 "2026-01-13T16:20:30Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > No joke has ever been funny when preceded by “can someone explain to me why this is funny?” I don’t believe this is always true. In many cases, yes - something that is funny to some isn’t funny to others even after after being explained. However, there are jokes that are very clever and enough so that you might not get it immediately. It can become funny after being explained. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/26 "2026-01-13T16:34:28Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Standing up awkwardly standing next to an old record player listening to the theme for Mighty Mouse and singing along with “Here I come to save the DAAAAAY!” isn’t funny. That, of course, is subjective. I watched it “live” and thought it was brilliant and hilarious because… > [@Stanislaus](#): > > … Kaufman presented himself as an absurd and overconfident fool who had completely misunderstood the assignment but was proceeding anyhow with his head held high. It probably helped that, as a comedian, we had come to expect absurd “humor” from him. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/27 "2026-01-13T16:44:21Z")
> [@Lucas\_Jackson](#): > > It probably helped that, as a comedian, we had come to expect absurd “humor” from him. At the time, I’d never heard of him. So to me it was just another “ok, at least it’s over now” weak sketch from SNL. The show was full of them. But I’m also in the camp that thought on first run that Leon Redbone was really Frank Zappa creating a fake persona. I was a kid. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/28 "2026-01-13T16:50:09Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I’m also in the camp that thought on first run that Leon Redbone was really Frank Zappa creating a fake persona. Yeah, but have you ever seen them in the same room together!? ---
**Author:** ![CaveMike](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cavemike/32/16379_2.png) [@CaveMike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaveMike)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/29 "2026-01-13T22:12:53Z")
I found that Guy Kelly routine pretty hilarious FWIW. I also liked the Kristen Rowan, but it wasn’t as elaborate. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/30 "2026-01-13T22:33:24Z")
The Kristin Rowan bit felt _almost_ funny … she wasn’t the right person to deliver it, or her timing was off, or something. It needed to be just a little different, somehow. If that were her first effort, I could see her improving and eventually being hilarious. But if that’s how she comes across after 14 years … hmm, time to give it up. To me, Andy Kaufman was about the funniest comedian EVER. I can understand how he might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but damn, I thought he was original, daring, and combined body language with words in amazing ways. Great, now I’m all depressed again that he’s dead. Stupid lung cancer. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/31 "2026-01-13T22:37:10Z")
I think Kaufman was a generational genius. I don’t believe in conspiracy theories but if _anyone_ faked their death and is going to pop back up decades later, it’s him. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/32 "2026-01-13T22:42:58Z")
Not to derail my own thread, but I agree. The stupidest one was Elvis. Arguably one of the most famous faces on the planet dropped out to be an undercover DEA agent. Yeah, no one would recognize him. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/33 "2026-01-13T23:06:08Z")
Elvis didn’t have the benefit of a career dedicated to putting one over on his fans. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2026, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/34 "2026-01-13T23:49:43Z")
Or maybe he was just that good. The movies were a huge prank. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/35 "2026-01-14T00:27:46Z")
How about Steve Martin’s plumber joke [![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-DvJHhAY9Qc/hqdefault.jpg "Plumber's Joke") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DvJHhAY9Qc) No sensible punchline to what he says is the joke, but clearly very funny, even before the real punchline ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/36 "2026-01-14T01:10:51Z")
> [@Stanislaus](#): > > Worth remembering that this is the end of a gig, she’s had ample time to demonstrate that she can and does make people laugh, the audience by this point likely are confident in her and can see that this is a performance of a bad joke rather than an actual bad joke, and go along with it. I didn’t know her, so I searched on YouTube and found Kristin Rowan - Entire Set, with 25 total views. I didn’t make it through the whole seven minutes. It’s possible that it’s from another set but I didn’t see evidence that she can make people really laugh. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/37 "2026-01-14T01:34:49Z")
There’s the one I posted and your 7 minute one at at least one more, all from “The Covert Cafe”: > Portland, Oregon based Covert Cafe is a small, community focused restaurant-bar-event space where patrons quickly become friends & family. Offering a wide variety of weekly activities such as Star Trek trivia night, live comedy & live music, Covert Cafe has something for everyone! It is basically a small local _extreme_ amateur night. Some more sets: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1thdsIaqRec/maxresdefault.jpg "Comedian Naomi Fitter ‐ entire set!!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1thdsIaqRec) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/mzjCSHklMyI/maxresdefault.jpg "Comedian Molly McNab - entire set!!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzjCSHklMyI) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/9oOCrX3Fw3s/maxresdefault.jpg "Comedian Sabrena Contreras - entire set!!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9oOCrX3Fw3s) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xdthOQ33rK4/maxresdefault.jpg "Comedian Brian Govender - entire set!!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdthOQ33rK4) It seems to be mostly or all LGBT? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/38 "2026-01-14T01:56:46Z")
There’s a similar small club near me. I’ve been a few times. They always have 2 lead-up folks who’re fairly new at the game, trying like hell, and mostly failing during their short sets. Then the club owner gets up, and he’s actually decent. Finally a real name comedian performs and brings down the house. It’s not easy to be a comedian. I kinda think the awkward personalities sorta specialize in the awkward cringy humor where their own neurospiciness, or odd looks, or non cis-het orientation, or whatever other outsider status is a big part of their schtick. Which oddballness probably plays better to the oddballs in the audience than it does to mainstream normies. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/39 "2026-01-14T07:00:20Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > They always have 2 lead-up folks who’re fairly new at the game, trying like hell, and mostly failing during their short sets. One of the problems with amateurs is that you can be the most amazing person your family and friends know, but being a professional is such a step up. It’s not only for stand up but other forms of entertainment. (When I was younger, I was a semiprofessional magician and got gigs at events and such, but wasn’t talented (or hard working?) enough to make the leap. Of course my younger self believed it was just a matter of luck.) ---
**Author:** ![Stanislaus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stanislaus/32/3391_2.png) [@Stanislaus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stanislaus)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2026, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631/40 "2026-01-14T08:49:31Z")
> [@TokyoBayer](#): > > I didn’t make it through the whole seven minutes. It’s possible that it’s from another set but I didn’t see evidence that she can make people really laugh. Yeah, I admit I assumed that if a clip was going viral and the comedian said she’d been doing it for 14 years then the bit I hadn’t seen was the bit where she made people laugh. Ah well. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-this-joke-have-a-real-punchline/1026631.md?page=3)