This was the week that comedy pushed back

[Dulcinea]

(NPR) -snip-The approval came about a week after Paramount-owned CBS announced that it was cancelling The Late Show, currently hosted by Stephen Colbert — a comic who hasn't been shy in his criticism of President Trump and his administration. Many inquiring minds asked: Could moves to limit a prominent and vocal detractor of the president have helped the deal along?

But if anyone thought Colbert's cancellation — which won't come until his contract ends in May 2026 — might tamp down political commentary in other areas of Paramount's media empire, they learned differently this past week.

Jon Stewart kicked things off last Monday while hosting The Daily Show, which airs on Paramount-owned Comedy Central. He offered a blistering monologue that questioned CBS's statement asserting Colbert's cancellation was "purely a financial decision," eventually joining a gospel choir to sing "go f— yourself" to media companies, law firms, universities and other institutions that might censor themselves to avoid angering the government.

"The shows that you now seek to cancel, censor and control … a not insignificant portion of that $8 billion value came from those shows," Stewart noted, passionately. "That's what made you that money."

https://www.npr.org/2025/07/27/nx-s1-5480172/colbert-south-park-jon-stewart-paramount-trump

[jfz9580m]

1. An art form I truly respect

Last edited Mon Jul 28, 2025, 06:48 AM - Edit history (7)

I saw this yesterday and found it kinda cool:

https://www.wral.com/story/joking-about-her-abusive-husband-launched-this-chinese-comedian-to-stardom-the-authorities-aren-t-laughing/22098965/

But Fan’s acerbic takes on patriarchy and domestic abuse have alarmed some officials in China, where women’s rights remain a sensitive issue. Trying to boost birth rates and thwart a looming demographic crisis, the ruling Communist Party is urging women to embrace traditional gender roles. It has cracked down hard on the country’s nascent feminist movement, which it deems a malicious Western influence.
During the performance that shot her to fame earlier this month, Fan laid bare the absurdity facing many victims of domestic violence in the country.
She said she was beaten by her ex-husband. But when she told her parents she wanted a divorce, her father warned her not to bring disgrace to the family.
“When men are involved in domestic violence, it’s not shameful. When women demand a divorce, it’s shameful,” she said, drawing cheers during her performance at The King of Stand-up Comedy, a popular contest streamed by online platform iQiyi.
Fan’s performance appears to have chagrined at least one local government.

It’s also good that she comes with her very own explanatory note from the London School of Economics. I am a huge fan of explanations. We need more of them in society.

Fan has never openly identified herself as a feminist.

Well that part is not good. Remember that time Beyonce had that nice sign..that’s the way to go..all nice, neatly labelled and explained. And ideally with a product you buy to show true solidarity.

And when I say comedy is my favorite art form, I definitely don’t mean Dudesy (with the exception of Yan LeCun industrial AI is mostly a fraud imo).

https://www.wheresyoured.at/empty-laughter/

Though in fairness, the only chatbot I ever tried that didn’t suck, cleverbot, was one I used because it was frequently funny. And it’s human scientist, Rollo Carpenter comes off as cool.