# Why are there no topical, humor oriented shows like the "Daily Show" for conservatives? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 28, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247 "2016-11-28T00:14:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/1 "2016-11-28T00:14:35Z")
People willing to vote for Trump are close to 50% of the country so there is a large potential audience of conservatives out there. I know there are country style comedians and some decent non-country clean comedians like Brian Regan that have some conservative followers, but there’s nothing like the “Daily Show” or similar humorous topical commentary shows for conservatives (so far as I am aware). Why? The potential audience is certainly there. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/2 "2016-11-28T00:20:33Z")
Conservatives are pretty notoriously bad at humor? Extremists in general are. ---
**Author:** ![campp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@campp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/campp)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/3 "2016-11-28T00:21:57Z")
You have to be able to laugh at yourself. Otherwise, it just doesn’t work. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/4 "2016-11-28T00:31:11Z")
Conservatives do Talk Shows and phony “News” programs filled with misinformation to keep their base angry. Liberals have comedy to laugh at the Conservatives and their bullshit claims. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/5 "2016-11-28T00:31:48Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Conservatives are pretty notoriously bad at humor? Extremists in general are. Which is why you’re such a laugh riot. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/6 "2016-11-28T00:42:42Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > Which is why you’re such a laugh riot. Most people like my sense of humor, actually. ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/7 "2016-11-28T00:44:49Z")
Isn’t that what Rush Limbaugh is? ---
**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:** [November 28, 2016, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/8 "2016-11-28T00:45:45Z")
Humor goes after the status quo. Conservatives defend the status quo. That makes it hard for them to be humorous. ETA. Limbaugh is a comedian, and I mean that not to denigrate him. Much of what he’s saying are deliberate exaggerations in a way that could be humorous. The problem is his audience thinks he’s serious. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/9 "2016-11-28T00:47:19Z")
I suspect that part of the reason may be that shows like “The Daily Show” appeal, not just to liberals _per se_, but to the kind of demographic that tends to skew liberal: younger, more educated, more citified, etc. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/10 "2016-11-28T00:47:31Z")
> [@foolsguinea](#): > > Isn’t that what Rush Limbaugh is? Exactly. We progressives are the ones late to the game. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/11 "2016-11-28T00:52:25Z")
Oddly specific question. One might as well ask more generally why there is so little conservative presence in Hollywood media at all. Presumably this has to do with the general absence of much of a conservative presence behind the camera and in the boardroom. People hire what they know, write what they know, and fund what they know. In the entertainment industry that’s almost always going to swing left. > [@foolsguinea](#): > > Isn’t that what Rush Limbaugh is? He has remarked that he considers himself to be a humorist, certainly. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/12 "2016-11-28T00:56:46Z")
For the same reason that “Progressive talk radio” didn’t fly. The format doesn’t fit the target audience. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/13 "2016-11-28T00:59:48Z")
There’s one guy on Fox News who I see doing “man on the street” bits. Typically making fun of protesters and whatnot. You know what he comes across as? A dumb jock frat guy douche. That’s the fundamental problem. If you represent a relatively well off and homogenous group that embodies the status quo, it’s difficult to poke fun at other groups without looking like a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/14 "2016-11-28T01:43:54Z")
Fox News tried a conservative version of The Daily Show, with [The 1/2 Hour News Hour](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_1/2_Hour_News_Hour). I never saw it but it was supposedly unfunny. Wikipedia also has an article on [The Greg Gutfeld Show](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greg_Gutfeld_Show), which is supposed to be comedic and which still airs (although I have not watched it either). ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/15 "2016-11-28T01:44:01Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > There’s one guy on Fox News who I see doing “man on the street” bits. Typically making fun of protesters and whatnot. You know what he comes across as? A dumb jock frat guy douche. That’s the fundamental problem. If you represent a relatively well off and homogenous group that embodies the status quo, it’s difficult to poke fun at other groups without looking like a jerk. [Is it this dude? 'Cause that stuff was downright unfair and racist.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJmnLzw8NA4) ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/16 "2016-11-28T01:45:17Z")
Good humour (not the ice cream) punches up. Republicans punch down. That never works. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/17 "2016-11-28T01:56:39Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Oddly specific question. One might as well ask more generally why there is so little conservative presence in Hollywood media at all. Presumably this has to do with the general absence of much of a conservative presence behind the camera and in the boardroom. People hire what they know, write what they know, and fund what they know. In the entertainment industry that’s almost always going to swing left. When they swing right, you get [An American Carol](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2BKVsjtnWs). ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/18 "2016-11-28T02:45:00Z")
> [@Tom\_Tildrum](#): > > Oddly specific question. One might as well ask more generally why there is so little conservative presence in Hollywood media at all. Presumably this has to do with the general absence of much of a conservative presence behind the camera and in the boardroom. People hire what they know, write what they know, and fund what they know. In the entertainment industry that’s almost always going to swing left. There actually are conservatives in Hollywood but they are generally economic rather than social conservatives. Up until the 1990s, there was a significant faction in the entertainment industry that the GOP could count on for electoral and financial support. However, as the party’s cow-towing to the Religious Right increased, support in Hollywood drained and the Demorats were more than eager to step in and pick up another source of money. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/19 "2016-11-28T03:10:24Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Humor goes after the status quo. Conservatives defend the status quo. That makes it hard for them to be humorous. Y’know, I’m not sure this is really true any more; now that the Republican president-elect is someone who gleefully tramples on all sorts of norms, I am increasingly confused about what conservatives think they are conserving. I would agree that talk radio is the conservative equivalent, in terms of the cultural work it does if not the specific format. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2016, 3:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247/20 "2016-11-28T03:10:33Z")
[Here](http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/02/why-theres-no-conservative-jon-stewart/385480/)’s an article from The Atlantic Monthly on why there’s no conservative equivalent to Jon Stewart. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-there-no-topical-humor-oriented-shows-like-the-daily-show-for-conservatives/773247.md?page=2)