John Fugelsang is a comedian and radio host who’s dedicated his career to skewering politicians. He built an early reputation as a fierce critic of the George W. Bush administration, appearing on shows like "Politically Incorrect" with Bill Maher and "The Daily Show." These days, he hosts a radio show on SiriusXM, and tours the country doing stand-up.
He’ll be at the Arizona Financial Theater this weekend as part of Stephanie Miller’s Sexy Liberals Save The World Tour.
Fugelsang joined The Show to discuss how he feels that politicians come and go, but his approach to political comedy remains the same.
Full conversation
JOHN FUGELSANG: You know, there's one big rule I have for comedy governance and Christianity. And that's you don't punch down. With Kamala Harris, you're going after someone who is a woman, someone who is a mixed race person and someone who is breaking a lot of boundaries. So it's kind of hard to make fun of her. And you could go after her in terms of her policy positions, you could go after her because oh, before you were, you wanted to ban plastic straws. Now you don't care if the ducks suffocate.
You know, there's a lot of ways you can go. But on a comedic level, I think most people are focused on the election right now, Donald Trump is a much easier target, doesn't mean he's been good for comedy, By the way, there's been a lot of terrible comedy because of Donald Trump. And every comedian I talk to is bloody well sick of the man. I will tell you this. I never run out of material with him.
But I think once Kamala Harris assumes office, then her policy positions like Bill Clinton's will be up for grabs for comics. Unlike Bill Clinton, she's not as easy to make fun of.
SAM DINGMAN: Yeah. Well, what for you is the most interesting angle to take on Trump right now? As you, as you were just mentioning, there's nearly a decade just when we think about his political career of jokes that have been made, and there's a fatigue that has set in. What is the most vital angle for you?
FUGELSANG: For me personally, and it's just for me, I am endlessly fascinated by the subject of Donald Trump and Christianity. As someone who comes from an abnormally Christian background, raised by two former clergy who once promised God I would never happen. I filter everything through a New Testament filter, and I'm a big fan of pointing out the difference between what Jesus actually said and what his various unauthorized fan clubs like to believe he said.
So for me, it's endlessly funny to look at people who call themselves followers of Jesus, but they vote for comb-over Caligula. I mean, the only thing Donald Trump has in common with Jesus is they both spent a lot of time with prostitutes and they both use ghostwriters. So, to me, it's endlessly funny because anyone who thinks that Donald Trump and Jesus have anything in common ideologically hasn't read either one of their books.
DINGMAN: Do you think of yourself as a comedian?
FUGELSANG: First and foremost, I do. A few years ago, I was working on CNN and one morning we were interviewing Mitt Romney's communications director. And I said to him, how are you guys gonna go back to the middle for a general after going so far to the right to beat Newt Gingrich in a primary campaign?
And he said, oh, you just shake the Etch A Sketch. It's like an Etch A Sketch. And by the time I got home, that story had gone viral around the world and I had caused the first scandal of the Romney campaign.
But throughout my career, as I've worked at cable news stations, I've always made it known, I do not pretend to be a journalist. If I were to do that, I'd go work for Fox.
DINGMAN: But you have over the course of your comedy career kept the news close, kept politics and, and, and issues close.
FUGELSANG: Always.
DINGMAN: What is it about keeping that as a primary register of your comedy that continues to be appealing to you, even, even as you, you don't identify as of that world?
FUGELSANG: That is such a great question because I first came out to Hollywood when I was very young to host “America's Funniest Home Videos,” which I did for a couple of seasons and it was very high profile. It was very good money and I was deeply unhappy and my agents were thrilled that I had booked this job. And it taught me that my definition of success was not the same as my agents and managers.
My, my dad had been a history teacher. So growing up being engaged in politics and American history was a way to earn his love like normal guys would with sports. So that's always been a focus of mine. I've always had a passion for current events and for trying to find ways to take current events and make them funny. For so many of us, we glaze over what is going on. And I find humor is often the most effective delivery system for truth or facts.
DINGMAN: Yeah, that's so interesting. The idea of earning love through having a, an interesting perspective on, on history or, or the news or, or politics. Because a huge part of the comedian's job is to earn the love of the audience. So it makes sense to me that, that those things would be fused together. Do you ever find though that your audience or the audience of the Sexy Liberal Save the World Comedy Tour …
FUGELSANG: I play the role of tour on the Sexy Liberal Tour by the way.
DINGMAN: One of the things that, you know, has, it was a kind of a striking moment for me recently was when Kamala Harris went into the Penzi Spices outside Pittsburgh and met with some supporters, and one of them was just crying because she was so scared about the possible outcome of the election.
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DINGMAN: I know that people have always been worried that their preferred side is going to lose, but it does seem like there is a little bit more existential dread this cycle on both sides than there has been previously. And do you find when you're addressing an audience that that is something that you're, you're up against and have to take into account in your material? That, that people don't just need to laugh. They need like a reason to believe it's all gonna be OK.
FUGELSANG: Yes. And that's been one of the interesting things about our tour this year. I understand that existential dread a lot of folks have because people grew up with a certain idea of America and now they're realizing America is gonna maybe reelect this racist game show host who stole from vets with a fraud online university and a fraud charitable foundation.
I get the despair. And I try to remind people that at this point and I'm sorry for being so nakedly partisan, but at this point, despair is privilege. If you're psyched out, if you're down, I understand, take a break from news for the day, but then get back in the game because your democracy needs you.
DINGMAN: Well, let's imagine for a moment that Kamala Harris does win the election but then does not shake the Etch A Sketch, does end up governing more from the center. Could you envision a version of yourself that would then to whatever extent, more centrist, perhaps even somewhat Republican policies, offend your values, starting to be harder on her. And if you ended up doing that, would you, would you worry about the reaction of, of your fans?
FUGELSANG: Well, not if it's funny, that's the trick. You know, Billy Wilder said, if you're gonna tell people the truth, make it funny or they'll kill you. Jesus taught me the joys of mocking pious hypocrites. In my sense, I've got to make sure that I attach a punch line so it doesn't become tiresome and preachy.
