The Evolving Landscape of Stand-Up Comedy and Social Commentary

Vox's Sean Illing talks with comedian Bill Maher about the risks and challenges of political comedy today, free speech, and whether ideology undermines humor. They discuss how Maher — who's been out front on issues like animal rights and climate change — has become such a lightning rod for a certain species of progressive.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), Interviews Writer, Vox

Guest: Bill Maher (@billmaher), comedian; host of Real Time with Bill Maher

References: 

• Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO and Youtube
• Bill Maher: stand-up tour schedule
• "10 Percent of Twitter users create 80 percent of tweets, study finds" by Ren LaForme (Poynter; Apr. 24, 2019)
• "Americans and 'Cancel Culture': Where Some See Calls for Accountability, Others See Censorship, Punishment" by Emily A. Vogels et al. (Pew Research; May 19)

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This episode was made by: 

• Producer: Erikk Geannikis
• Editor: Amy Drozdowska
• VP, Vox Audio: Liz Kelly Nelson

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