UCB's Unpaid Labor Scandal and Louis CK's Governors Set

• 17:41Tim argues that comedians having national platforms for controversial material would have seemed unimaginable 50 years ago, when even mild language was censored from television.
• 18:21He expresses discomfort with online vigilantism where people weaponize mob anger to elevate their own position and ruin careers for clicks and attention.
• 19:01The core problem in comedy criticism is a complete lack of good faith—always the worst reading of everything, whether judging comedians or journalists.
• 20:09Tim's interviewer explains his approach to reporting on UCB's unpaid labor practice, asking UCB to make their best argument for why he was wrong.
• 20:25UCB's response to the criticism was reportedly bizarre—going into the economics of slavery and how it built up the South.
• 20:40The Upright Citizens Brigade's currency was being cool, and the scandal has hurt them because it undermined that image.
• 20:58UCB has never paid their employees—not comedians—on principle, which is presented as a matter of ideology rather than necessity.
• 21:55Louis CK's leaked Governors set is being compared to his Netflix specials, creating pressure for commentary.
• 22:13Tim's interviewer chose not to write about the leaked Louis CK material because he wanted to wait for a finished product to compare apples to apples.
• 22:36Bad faith commentary on comedy comes from journalists and other comedians alike, making it a widespread problem across the field.

Upright Citizens Brigade TheaterAmy PoehlerTina FeyParkland