Interview · moment 10 of 16
Ideological and Class Diversity in Comedy Writers' Rooms
from An Exotic Beast · #131
Audio-only archive episode — no video to seek.
5 minGuest
Tim argues writers' rooms and late night are ideologically homogenous and lack blue-collar voices; Zinoman concedes the class diversity point but defends comedy's overall ideological range, citing the Comedy Cellar's mix of Nick DiPaolo and progressive comics, and his own reporting trips to Ohio and Texas.
- 32:23Tim argues that comedy today has many different kinds, but comedians get elevated by politics rather than pure talent.
- 33:14The lack of ideological and class diversity in mainstream comedy writers' rooms—mostly Ivy League, coastal, and left-leaning—limits what gets made.
- 34:04Tim pushes back: there's actually more ideological diversity in comedy clubs than almost anywhere else in art.
- 35:10UCB is more progressive than clubs but worse on labor issues and more racially homogenous—ironically the opposite of what people assume.
- 35:38Every single late-night show has the same ideological perspective, making the diversity problem in mainstream television undeniable.
- 36:11The guest claims to have written positively about Larry the Cable Guy in the New York Times and traveled to Texas to see him perform.
- 36:29Tim mocks the guest's description of going to Ohio and Texas as if on a dangerous expedition, standing in line with audiences he clearly disdains.
Saturday Night LiveMichelle WolfAmy SchumerLarry the Cable GuyNick DiPaloUCBAli WongComedy CellarTed AlexanderJon StewartJeff FoxworthyJenna FreemanNew York TimesJohn Mullee