# Shows where comedians are jokingly mean to kids **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 17, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364 "2010-01-17T22:59:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![constantine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@constantine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constantine)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/1 "2010-01-17T22:59:26Z")
This question is inspired by the Jon Dore show. I’ve only seen a few episodes, but in several that I’ve seen, the Character “Jon Dore” is kind of a jerk to kids 9 and under. In one he interviews a kid and sort of asks her jerky questions. I just watched one where he walks up to a kid at a lemonade stand while talking about “hookers and blow” and Las Vegas. Now, on closer examination, it actually looks like they spliced together two shots, because the little girl is not actually in the shot when he is using the adult language. But it seems like there are other scenes where the kid is in the frame. Anyway, just wondering how they do these scenes while protecting the kids. Protecting the kids from what, you ask? Well, if the real life person playing a character “jon dore” is a real jerk to an adult (as also happens on the show where he interviews real people) the adult understands what is going on. But in the case of a 7 to 9 year old kid, I feel like it could kind of freak the kid out, and I’m wondering how they prevent that. ---
**Author:** ![not\_alice](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_alice/32/7283_2.png) [@not\_alice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_alice)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/2 "2010-01-17T23:05:44Z")
> [@constantine](#): > > T. But in the case of a 7 to 9 year old kid, I feel like it could kind of freak the kid out, and I’m wondering how they prevent that. Not familiar with the show, but if youtube is any indication, if the kid freaks out, that sounds like comedy gold! ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@Mister\_Owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Owl)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2010, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/3 "2010-01-17T23:59:50Z")
If it’s a scripted television show (or movie) aren’t the children actors? I cringed in a few scenes of the movie Bad Santa, but the kids are all actors and knew what to expect. Besides, ultimately aren’t they just words? Kids hear and say worse on the schoolyard playground. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/4 "2010-01-18T00:10:36Z")
Going back a way, in[_The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phil_Harris-Alice_Faye_Show) (a spin-off from Jack Benny,) Phil Harris had a regular whipping boy in the neighbourhood kid “Julius,” who was supposed to have been about ten. There was always mutual antagonism, and Phil was always putting him in dangerous situations for laughs. Just regular stuff, sneaking him into a circus ring with hungry lions, using him as a test subject for amateur drug synthesis, that sort of thing. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/5 "2010-01-18T00:16:39Z")
The first thing I thought of was Two and Half Men. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/6 "2010-01-18T00:18:38Z")
> [@Enright3](#): > > The first thing I thought of was Two and Half Men. It doesn’t count if the least mature member of the cast is Charlie Sheen. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/7 "2010-01-18T00:26:52Z")
Not TV, but the gold standard of adults being comically mean to kids is W.C. Fields and Baby Leroy. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/8 "2010-01-18T00:31:49Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Not TV, but the gold standard of adults being comically mean to kids is W.C. Fields and Baby Leroy. That’s exactly what I first thought of! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/9 "2010-01-18T03:30:21Z")
Louis C K regularly calls his kid an asshole in his stand-up and rips on his kids often. Harsh as it may seem, he’s hillarious. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/10 "2010-01-18T04:31:31Z")
> [@Musky\_Moon](#): > > Louis C K regularly calls his kid an asshole in his stand-up and rips on his kids often. Harsh as it may seem, he’s hillarious. Not to them though. He’s my favorite comedian. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 5:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/11 "2010-01-18T05:55:34Z")
I guess you didn’t see Bruno. Parents will let their kids be subjected to pretty much anything if it will get them on TV. ---
**Author:** ![koufax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7ea924/32.png) [@koufax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koufax)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/12 "2010-01-18T15:50:05Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > Going back a way, in[_The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phil_Harris-Alice_Faye_Show) (a spin-off from Jack Benny,) Phil Harris had a regular whipping boy in the neighbourhood kid “Julius,” who was supposed to have been about ten. > > There was always mutual antagonism, and Phil was always putting him in dangerous situations for laughs. Just regular stuff, sneaking him into a circus ring with hungry lions, using him as a test subject for amateur drug synthesis, that sort of thing. I listen to that show on XM radio and Julius (who is hilarious) seems to be able to take care of himself and often does worse things to Phil and his idiot friend than are done to him. And I think that the actor playing Julius was actually in his early twenties. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2010, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/shows-where-comedians-are-jokingly-mean-to-kids/525364/13 "2010-01-18T17:10:24Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > That’s exactly what I first thought of! 🙂 Although, I don’t think W.C. Fields was joking! 😛