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Conan O'Brien is sharing his take on comedians who only opt for "anger" instead of "humor" when addressing Donald Trump
During an appearance at Oxford University, the Late Night with Conan O'Brien alum said things have been "very challenging" comedically amid Trump's second term
"You just have to find a way to channel that anger... because good art will always be a great weapon," he said
Conan O'Briensays he knowsDonald Trump's presidency has been "very challenging" for comedians — but they still "have to find a way" to be funny.
TheConan O'Brien Needs a Friendhost, 62, shared some words of advice for fellow comedians during arecent appearance at Oxford University, shared to YouTube on Tuesday, Jan. 6, where he explained why only saying "f Trump" and opting for "anger" instead of "humor" might not be ideal for anti-Trump comics.
Things have been "very challenging" comedically amid Trump's second term, Conan explained. "Some comics go the route of, 'I'm gonna just say F Trump all the time,' or that's their comedy. Now, a little bit, you're being co-opted. Because you're so angry, you've been lulled into just saying 'F Trump, F Trump, F Trump, screw this guy.' I think now you've put down your best weapon, which is being funny. And you've exchanged it for anger."
He added, "That person, or any person like that, will say, 'Well, things are too serious now! I don't need to be funny.' And I think, well, if you're a comedian, you always need to be funny. You just have to find a way. You just have to find a way to channel that anger... because good art will always be a great weapon. It will always be a perfect weapon against power."
Ultimately, O'Brien said that "if you're just screaming and you're just angry, you've lost your best tool in the toolbox."
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Earlier during the conversation at the Oxford Union, O'Brien expressed that "people who know less about comedy or maybe haven't given it a lot of thought" may think Trump's presidency "must be so great for comedy."
"It's not," he said.
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O'Brien then recalled his time onThe Harvard Lampoon, his alma mater's humor publication also known for its parodies of magazines. One magazine students couldn't parody wasThe National Enquirer, he said, citing its more outrageous headlines over the years.
"How do you parody that? You can't. And I think with Trump, we have a similar situation in comedy, which is people saying, 'We've got a great Trump sketch for you. In this one, he's kind of talking crazy! He's saying stuff and he tears down half the White House to build a giant ballroom, and he says it's gonna be the new Mar-A-Lago,'" O'Brien said, jokingly. "Yeah, no. That happened yesterday."
He added, "So comedy needs a straight line to go off of. And we don't have a straight line right now. We have a very bendy, rubbery line. We have a slinky."
Elsewhere during the appearance, O'Brien explained how he'd handle political comedy in a "cartoony way" during his time on late-night TV and parody politicians on "either side," which he said proved to be popular at the time. Still, he added that it's "easy for someone to lose their way if they're really trying to make a point," calling it "tricky."
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