Derek Richards is a glass-half-full comedian.
The “Normal World” guest looks around the culture and finds the bright spots in the chaos.
“Yes, we are living in a dumpster fire,” Richards told The Hollywood in Toto Podcast. “It’s so funny because people will say we’re living in horrible time to be alive, and I say, ‘This is the greatest time to be alive.’”
Why?
“When would you have ever thought about seeing Hulk Hogan speak at the Republican National Convention and be inspired by it and be fired up?” Richards asked.
Richards, slated to appear at Harrah’s Casino Resort in North Carolina (Aug. 7-11, Aug. 14-18), knows we all need a break from the rancid headlines. He also understands some comedy crowds lie in wait, hoping the stand-up will say the “wrong” joke or hot take.
The modern comic must think about the crowd du jour, but only to a point.
“At the end of the day, you just gotta do what you’re comfortable with. You know, Aerosmith doesn’t change its set list. I’m not comparing myself to Aerosmith, but … this is what I’ve planned. This is who I am and this is what I’m about,” he said.
All the World’s a Comedy Stage
Richards has called Las Vegas home for a spell, but the beauty of stand-up comedy in 2024 is not having to hunker down in New York City or Los Angeles to stay relevant. Thank you, Elon Musk and co., but there’s a downside.
“The best part of social media is being able to put your stuff out there to try and gain a bigger audience,” he said. “The worst part is putting your stuff out there for every moron with a WiFi connection to sit there and pick apart what you’re saying and try to piece together a narrative.”
AKA Cancel Culture in action.
Richards suffered a glancing woke blow several years ago when “Will & Grace” alum Debra Messing cried foul over jokes he shared on social media targeting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. He ended up losing a gig entertaining the troops as part of the USO.
He survived, but he knows other progressives are eager to follow up on Messing’s attack. Still, the Cancel Culture brigade isn’t as ferocious as before.
“They realize when they go ahead and try to cancel somebody [the target] end up gaining followers and momentum,” he said. Plus, sometimes a shared bit will have the opposite effect. Some will read the “offensive” jokes and say, “Hey, that’s pretty funny.”
Voila! The comedian has a new fan.
“So much of that has backfired,” he added. “I think we’re beyond the point where jokes cancel people.”
Some Cancel Culture elements remain firmly in place, he said.
He says comedy clubs understand how some woke foot soldiers will try to cancel comedians who share a different worldview with them. Even here there are exceptions.
Yet Richards knows other business professionals, like those overseeing corporate gigs, may be more willing to cancel a comedian to avoid a hassle.
Hear more from Richards, including why he decided to share his cancer journey with comedy club patrons, on The Hollywood in Toto Podcast.
The post Derek Richards: Here’s Why Cancel Culture Is on the Run appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.