‘Chappelle’ Co-Creator: Doing Show Today Would Be ‘Pain in the A**’
Neal Brennan is a man of the Left, but he has something many of his peers lack.
Self-awareness.
The stand-up comedian and co-creator of the legendary “Chappelle’s Show” opened up to the “Triggernometry” podcast about Cancel Culture, politics and more this weekend.
Brennan admitted he ended a friendship for purely political reasons, a decision he now regrets and calls immature. He mocked President Joe Biden for being “incredibly old” and joked he might be in hospice by the time Election Day arrives (While President Donald Trump rots in jail, he adds).
And he’s exhausted by the Left’s tendency to move the goal posts on cultural issues, not to mention the “purity tests” for maintaining your good standing in liberal circles.
Just ask Bill Maher, J.K. Rowling and John Cleese how that works.
Brennan brilliantly explored that angle in his Netflix special, “Blocks.” He builds on that thesis during his “Triggernometry” interview.
He has little love for conservative theories, playing up the over-hyped “banned book” meme his progressive friends promote. Still, he craves heterodox views, gives credit to right-leaning pundits like Douglas Murray and understands the need to peer outside the progressive bubble.
Brennan also thinks Cancel Culture has lost much of its bite, citing how his former creative partner Dave Chappelle and Joe Rogan survived sizable woke attacks.
The savvy comic took a beat before answering a tough question from co-host Konstantin Kisin. Could “Chappelle’s Show” be made on a mainstream TV platform today?
The cutting-edge program explored racism and other tough subjects with an unblinking sense of humor. The show even used the n-word on more than a few occasions.
Brennan said it was possible despite the new woke order, but it would come with a sizable caveat.
“I think it would be a bigger pain in the a***,” Brennan told “Triggernometry” co-hosts Konstantin Kisin and Francis Foster.
“As much as I say Cancel Culture doesn’t work, I would say it’s taxing on a person’s spirit,” Brennan said. “You get through it, but it is like, ‘oh s***.’”
When Brennan and Chappelle originally made the show, which ran for three seasons on Comedy Central in the early 2000s, “the only barometer for, ‘Should we do this?’ was personal… is that an idea that’s worth promoting?” he said.
RELATED: DID HAMAS ACCIDENTALLY CRUSH CANCEL CULTURE?
Brennan doesn’t deny Cancel Culture in general, like far-Left comics like Jon Stewart does. He thinks comedians routinely survive the attacks of late, which lessens its punitive power. He still understands that the “specter” of Cancel Culture impacts comedians in less obvious ways like the potential for self-censorship.
He also misses using certain words now considered off-limits, a state of affairs that strips away nuance and context. He prefers to have all the comedic tools at his disposal, but he’s resourceful on the subject.
“I’ll just find other tools,” he says.
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