“Aren’t all comedians mean?” 😅 - John Mulaney and Conan O’Brien (via

[@alst4817]

That’s true, I was out walking in west LA once, saw Conan beating up a homeless man. True story

[@sludgerat666]

He was beating him off under that bridge

[@JohnDobak]

@@sludgerat666 For $10 a man? Don't let Adam Eget find out, it could have been on his turf.

[@hojoon0724]

that was jordan schlansky

[@RemySchrader]

Well it must have been funny or he wouldn’t have done it

[@JohnDobak]

@@RemySchrader That homeless guy had it coming.

[@keisha2120]

Being a mean comedian is an art, like they have to read the room and not be cruel

[@davidhill2020]

Lisa Lampinelli was good like that.

[@uncletiggermclaren7592]

John Cleese knows more about comedy than all of those people talking put together. And he says "All humour is cruel".

[@youtubenoob]

​@@uncletiggermclaren7592 John Cleese knows as much about comedy as Chevy Chase.

[@motorbreath22]

There are levels, there can be sadism or simply pointing out someone being ridiculous.

[@trinex3332]

That's not art. Is common sense boy.

[@RRonco]

Mulaney giving crisp mid-century modern priest vibes

[@NGCS-ej4lz]

christian bale in "equilibrium"

[@DylanKosher]

“Crisp” that’s how you know it’s legit

[@muraddiab6393]

Ethan Hawke in “First Reformed”

[@puppy2350]

I like how you describe him as an tele evangelist and your likes are stuck exactly at 666

[@l.c.5285]

😂 LMAOOOO 😂

[@dadassery8506]

They’re certainly meanest to each other. It seems skilled comedians will take a shot if they think the other can shoot back.

[@binaryvoid0101]

Yeah, kind of like Comedy Central Roast where the roastee and roasters all agree to be roasted. Roasting people outside of your gigs or comedy circle just seems unecessarily cruel and mean-spirited.

[@dadassery8506]

@@binaryvoid0101 it sure can be, but I can relate to not being able to pass up a joke.

[@samaraisnt]

yes that would be called “punching down” which most people don’t enjoy Like no one would like if you tore a 99yo special needs grandmother apart, because she isn’t shooting anything back.

[@NoWhereToRun22]

Ranked, competitive comedy, solos

[@tylerdavis3]

Except bill burr. He’ll take shots at anyone he thinks is making an ass out of themselves, or takes a shot at him first. And he doesn’t pull punches🤣🤣

[@hawkeyeeagle5280]

Sona just described her boss 😂😂😂

[@FredDeSouza409]

Tragedy is when I get a paper cut. Comedy is when you fall down a sewer and die. - Mel Brooks

[@CrocusSeal]

wtf lmao

[@CAVCFC]

​@@CrocusSealwatch blazing saddles and you will understand different times better for comedy

[@himanshukamble957]

lmfao

[@rite2bcreative]

Idk, something poetic about it all going to shit

[@nicky7738]

I love when guests genuinely talk to Sona and Matt

[@PD-we8vf]

Who is soma?

[@hoshkotheboy]

Mulaney seems like a good guy

[@kr6productions]

​@@PD-we8vfthe lady talking in the video

[@GEM4sta]

​@@hoshkotheboyisn't mulaney famously an a hole?

[@CAVCFC]

​Well he cheated on his wife and 2 kids with 3 other women so​@@hoshkotheboy

[@jackdaw99]

I like the Nate appreciation

[@omgwhythough]

"They don't know I'm a comedian so it just seems like a mean speech." 😂

[@Malfunction42O]

“They don’t know I’m mean so it just seems like a comedy speech”

[@Xpzilla]

I like how respectful he was with her

[@biegebythesea6775]

respectful? social, inclusive.

[@NateS917]

What reason did he have not to be?

[@radtech21]

@@NateS917Well, he’s a comedian, and they are MEAN.

[@eccreedon]

to bad the account didn’t - attributed her quote to the men smdh

[@SamuelGeist]

A lot of people think they're being funny when they're just being mean. As if they haven't developed past grade school humor and expect people to still laugh because they want to be in the "in group" instead of laughing at something that's actually funny. Comedians know that it HAS to be funny. Funny first, mean second.

[@slofty]

If you can be funny without being a dick, anything goes.

[@TheMr02drop]

Are there not also people who are too sensitive and take anything said to them, not just by a comedian, to heart? Some people need to learn to identify a joke vs a comment said with ill intent.

[@MyNameIsRow01]

@@TheMr02drop if you can’t tell a joke without demeaning another human being, then you’re just a really bad comedian

[@Puuws]

@@TheMr02drop yeah a lot of times people make 'jokes' just to scan where your boundries lie. If you are around a lot off perverts, be sure they will test out the waters with some disgusting comments first and call them jokes, same with racists, cruel people ect: are you one off us, can we easily victimise you, will you run and tell ect

[@TheMr02drop]

@@MyNameIsRow01 There are lots of people who get mad at people like Dave Chappelle. He is a very good comedian. More often it's the person who takes the joke personally and not the fault of the comedian.

[@BricksAndSparrows]

Nate Bargatze is amazing.

[@yougottastayfresh]

Is it me or is Mulaney looking like a cult leader in this clip?

[@eyeyayayay]

Not everyone who wears a Nehru jacket is a cult leader, only around 60% of them

[@greggoreo6738]

A faith Healer? Yes.

[@danpartridge8584]

I thought he was channeling Dr. No 😂

[@David-no7zi]

His hair looks fake.

[@silvarace]

Its the short collared shirt

[@Meld00]

John Mulaney mentioning Nate Bargatze is wonderful

[@sean-in-wnc]

I love that this comment got flagged as a different language. "Translate to English" 😂😂😂

[@sterling7]

There's "None of us are above being laughed at, we shouldn't take ourselves too seriously", and then there's "You better laugh, or I might turn on you next." The former is funny; the latter is a threat painted as comedy.

[@whodis5438]

that second part is not a real thing

[@uriah9559]

john mulaney in full cult uniform

[@Kingbimmy]

I think most comedians are “mean” but the truly good ones are “mean” in a way that the audience *knows* it’s not with any malice or actual hate. There are some great ones who are just fuckin mean, like I love Lewis Black. That man does nothing but yell and talk mad shit, and it’s hilarious. At least I think so. I also personally love Mike Birbiglia, and that guy is so soft and placid. Whenever he’s “mean” it ends up just becoming self deprecating.😂 He also doesn’t even swear all that much I don’t think, and tends to talk a lot about serious life issues, in a relatable way that’s also a bit dark. He’s never outright “mean” about anyone. He might even make a joke about someone and follow it up with a “nah I’m kiddin, I love the guy… he’s actually awesome.” and negate the whole meanness. I like that style. It’s really about delivery.

[@christianfreed]

Lol the only guy Mike Birbibliography was mean to was the kid that booked him a hotel room not on the first floor...leading to him having a full on breakdown, one might say his first "Goddammnnit I'm eating PRETZELS 🥨 moment"

[@nickv1212]

Lewis Black isn't mean. He's angry. Maybe he's mean to the people he's angry with?

[@elmerfudd8656]

Yes, I love that Bargatze quote. You have to know your audience lol.

[@JimmySailor]

Half of hanging out with comedians seems to be not minding being interrupted and the other half is laughing at everything.

[@chrisfloyd77]

That's why self-deprecation is the best, you can be as mean as you want

[@JasonKucherawy]

You can be mean, but punch up. If you’re mean and punch down and hurt someone, that’s not funny. Comedians subvert the power dynamic and take risks by doing so, but no one gets hurt so it’s funny. The targets of humour should be above taking offence.

[@brucekriskovich4975]

One name - Don Rickles

[@bakersupreme2010]

Thank You!

[@biegebythesea6775]

horrible man.

[@jademusic1211]

Good comedians don't have to resort to being mean to get laughs. They're just naturally funny without attacking their audience. I never liked Rickles or people like him because they made their living off of insults and hurtful behavior. True comedians don't have to engage in such despicable acts .

[@karencalvert4290]

The best comedians take you just across mean. Retreat and keep toeing but never cross fully. Restraint is hard for comedians. The negative spaces speak, only people that study and craft it fully understand how to manipulate it. In my opinion awkward and cringe humor are cheap. Mean is cheap and easy when it’s direct. Crafting a story and point of view and expanding it to a common human trait we all laugh at. That’s art. Point a finger at yourself to join humanity in the banality of our existence and make it funny is legend.

[@seanrcollier]

I sense that most comedians are insecure, and insecurety lashes out and tears down.

[@noizetank6122]

It's not that, it's in the same vein as Black Comedy/Gallows Humor. Men verbally punch eachother to improve or challenge eachother's thick skin and wit. It's not cruel, it's well intentioned bullying meant to improve your character.

[@seanrcollier]

@@noizetank6122 Interesting theory, but I don't find it persuasive. Most comics are not manly, competitive people. They're like the weird kid in school. In the past two weeks I've seen two interviews about two different comics each of which said "he had a tough childhood and/or relationship with his dad." Jerry Seinfeld didn't seem to have this, but in his latest long-form interview he hints at how much being critical and expressing his frustration with things in life that just don't "square" (my word) is important to his humor.

[@noizetank6122]

@@seanrcollier Fair point there. Cheers mate!

[@sashal.latysheva9377]

kinda crazy to attribute the quote to Mulaney when it was said by Sona ...

[@eccreedon]

FOR REAL 🤦🏻‍♀️

[@wackywankavator]

Not be mean. Comedians need to be clever. The problem is "clever" is irrespective of the feelings of others. We funny people need to be clever. And we need to share the clever thing we just created.

[@steveflor9942]

Oh, heck yeah... Jiminy Glick was the funniest mean guy characterI I have ever seen. Sooo entertaining to see how his guests handled the subtle and not so subtle jabs.

[@dielaughing73]

Martin Short's best work

[@biegebythesea6775]

@@dielaughing73 no that's clifford.

[@statman64]

That Bargatze story is so good. I love when comedians shout out each other for the same bits and jokes that we all enjoy

[@myswagobsession]

My sister is like this, she’s not a comedian but probably the funniest person I know. There is not a soul on earth she would spare when it comes to a joke. 😂😂😂

[@fred_fred_fred]

There is no way Mitch Hedberg was a mean person. I rest my case your honor.

[@audibletapehiss3764]

Comedy, like music, is something that the whole world mistakenly believes they are capable of doing now.

[@personwholiveshere]

So true.

[@mymusicaljesus]

Proving once again that the only people who actually enjoy Martin Short are well established comedians in Hollywood. People only THINK they enjoy Martin Short.

[@Glxdiatorr]

I am a dude and yes you can see stains in navy blue....

[@Klay_Dubya]

There are good clean comedians though?? Not every joke is about pointing out things about people, some of them are general situations or "people we all know" kinda thing. Bad take

[@Stillnothereanymore]

“Isn’t everyone mean” is just an excuse mean people use to live with themselves.

[@whodis5438]

nah i think Sona maybe didn’t quite fully express what she meant by that with the word “mean”. it’s a comic’s observational nature to notice, say, a character flaw, and it’s part of the comedian’s instinct to go for the joke - in fact the balance between gall and tact is part of the meta. especially if you’re hanging with other comics, then it’s like a roast competition for the sport of it. but good-natured comedy will still find some levity in that observation by re-contextualizing or offering a salve. Sona means to be a “good” comic you have to have that razor wit. Mulaney catches her drift and better reframes it with the Bargatze quote. Jokes can be “mean” - sure - but if you can’t at least appreciate the construction or cadence of the joke then you’re evaluating it by different criteria than they are entirely.

[@cece8095]

Someone I have to say who actually does not fit this is Amy Poehler or Maya Rudolph. Or Jim Gaffigan. Those kinda people. You don’t have to be mean to be funny. I do think that being mean is lazy comedy. It’s a shortcut & it’s not creative & it’s just cut downs for no reason. Either you’re funny or you’re not. But if you have to tear others down even as a joke, then to me that just shows you’re 1. Not very funny & 2. Probably not the most pleasant or happy person. Theres fun bantering & hen there’s just being mean. I think of people like Julia Louis Dreyfus, she just doesn’t seem very nice & she incorporates that in her humor. It’s just not necessary.

[@AntonVanDerSar]

PUT PADDING UNDER YOUR MICs For the love of god!!!!!!!!!

[@prilljazzatlanta5070]

And thats the difference between a comdian and your buddy whos a funny guy

[@renniemeyers3045]

You should add the name of the female comic who actually said the quote in your clip description…

[@kiwirooks7299]

I hate that i can tell how rich a person is entirely based on physical traits. Palpatine eye bags on every single one of these people.

[@kalaacko]

Funny because Mulaney is kind of a piece of shit for what he did to his ex wife. Im sure she would agree comedians have two sides, and if he is denial about himself being mean, then that is concerning.

[@JamesGannon-iz7yh]

If you have to say, "they don't know I'm a comedian" then what you're saying wasn't that funny

[@donaldgraham6414]

Rita Rudner is not mean. Neither is Steven Wright. Nor was Jonathan Winters.

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

If you want to see rhe best expression of what "mean" means here, go watch Jimini Glick interviews. They are Martin Short at his satirical best.

[@natantataii8195]

Not mean for a second. Fantastic character. As long as the jokes are on the public persona, mean has little with it to do

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

​@@natantataii8195Right. Not mean as in cruel. Mean as in pushing the boundary of polite and honest with maby just a degree too much of the latter.

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

​@@natantataii8195Right. Not mean as in cruel. Mean as in pushing the boundary of polite and honest with maby just a degree too much of the latter.

[@PressuredSpeechBand]

@@InformationIsTheEdge Right. Not mean as in cruel. Mean as in pushing the boundary of polite and honest with maby just a degree too much of the latter.

[@InformationIsTheEdge]

@@PressuredSpeechBand Could not have stated that better myself!

[@Bullroarer1750]

God she’s beautiful

[@J.Millhouse]

Yeah Sona’s a stunner and I suspect she always will be

[@biegebythesea6775]

stop it

[@biegebythesea6775]

@@J.Millhouse weird comment. always? why is that important?

[@J.Millhouse]

@@biegebythesea6775 Meh I guess it isn't, but I think some people lose their spark as they age and life piles on, and feel like Sona will always be Sona. It's more her personality than anything, but I do realize my tone might've sounded creepy over the internet

[@bazzfromthebackground3696]

As long as the joke is still punching up, or at least across.

[@econojon]

Mulaney needs to host the Oscars!

[@raywalsh9152]

Slow clap starts here ...

[@mattpytlak]

I’m sure he could if he wanted to but it’s a notoriously terrible gig.

[@evanhoover2447]

John Mullaney ages more and more into Rick Astley every year.

[@jdprettynails]

Martin Short mean and gossipy? I’ve never heard this about him.

[@justinsibley3389]

Nate Bargatze isn't mean. And he's funny.

[@Simpson17866]

"Why should I have to visit my wife's parents? It's her fault they divorced, not mine!"

[@ryonlyon]

"Comedians" today just make fun of people. They don't know how to write jokes or comedy.

[@personwholiveshere]

Exactly! very hard to come by a great one, even just good 😊

[@Axs_Nice_Hair]

The legendary table at the comedy cellar was the personification of mean.

[@kobaltkween]

That sounds like a description of every gathering of black people I've been to, including my family. Done competitively it's called the dozens, as in playing the dozens. It's generally meant to be friendly.

[@Nobody-w8n4s]

Paul Moony (cough cough)

[@doubles7533]

There's a difference between mean and racist..

[@PoolesReviews]

The nature of humor is that: You have to be laughing AT something. Even if "something" is existence or an object. You're still, in essence, mocking something. And being mean.

[@bodyofhope]

My parents always said we had to follow the 10 Commandments.... Unless it was funny. Then God would forgive us.

[@nardclip6317]

Funny murder

[@dandoohan7223]

Letting comedians talk about what they do was a mistake

[@jasonjackson5696]

Sona is way too woke for me ….

[@alexweissman6972]

Someone said they saw Conan beat up a homeless man 😭😭😭

[@tobynsaunders]

I'm reminded of Bo Burnham addressing hecklers back when his career was getting going. He became so verbally abusive towards these people, and I thought, Yep, that's how you get famous in showbiz... you fight your way to the top.

[@hobbssha]

I mean, if ur literally asking for it by fucking with the comedian u dont really have room to cry about them being "mean" when they snap back 😂 i love seeing hecklers put in their place and then escorted out for being a bummer and a nuisance.

[@jonvia]

Its amazing Conan still has that hair

[@quatreraberbawinner2628]

I love when you can annoy someone or piss them off while still making them laugh its one of my favorite things in the world

[@aliceflanagan3672]

Sona is my very favorite!

[@adriantrusca1245]

Why? Overpaid lazy bum.

[@RemySchrader]

Comedians: mean with consent Politicians: mean regardless 🍇

[@wilhelmina8843]

This is from Conan Needs A Friend podcast. Very funny.

[@thohangst]

It's fun to see nice guy non-cusser Bargatze getting love out there, by being funny rather than inducing cringe sweat obligation laughter.

[@LS-sg8rb]

I like that Mulaney caught himself mansplaining and immediately turned it back to her. That was cool!

[@bumpygumpson]

Asking clarification questions is 'avoiding mansplaining' now?? 😵‍💫

[@IlliniDog01]

​@@bumpygumpsonhe could have easily talked over her, and many guests would have, but he let her completely make her point.

[@biegebythesea6775]

@@bumpygumpson don't be sensitive

[@QuasiMonkey]

@@bumpygumpson Don't be manquestioning the mansplaining.

[@jvdas]

My thought exactly

[@prosen8966]

John Mulaney is one of the few comedians I think of as NOT mean. I used to speak of him as a Bob Newhart type of comedian (the highest compliment I could give, and now the sweetest and truest compliment in the world… RIP BN. You were the nicest, truest, sweetest, kindest, funniest comedian I ever listened to and I listened to you thru [most] of your life. As somebody brilliantly said yesterday, you now make Heaven a funnier place! 🕊️😇⭐️🌙) 🥰

[@steveconn]

Comedians have to be truth-tellers, but unless they're Rickles or heckled there's no reason to be mean to people.

[@MorganHyde-ie5ru]

I'll never forget reading the quote "the heart of humor is malice." That seems to be true and really fits here.

[@things_i_say5951]

Real mean comedy is pointing out what you don't like and calling it a flaw. (Bullying.) Pretend mean comedy is pointing out someone's flaws and showing you love them for it. (Bonding.)

[@mhm92267]

My experience with comedians is that they suffer from depression and making people laugh is their form of self medicating.

[@deannad9105]

That's why I laughed when people were shocked that Ellen was "mean". She's a comedian, so I already assumed that🤷‍♀️😂

[@rayneozier]

There’s a “butt” of every joke, right? So yeah, in a way comedy is inherently “mean”.

[@Prizm17]

Yes because… comedy is comedy the only thing that matters is the laugh, if I hurt your feeling but make Ted laugh, teds laugh is more important to the comedian. Is that wrong? Probably is that fact in and of itself funny? YES 😂😂😂

[@MerijnH]

This is very American stand up tho. Here in the Netherlands our "cabaret" is much more Political and musical than American stand-up.

[@silentdecay]

Why is this women, that I've seen before but am forgetful, FUCKING *NOT* named in the Fucking TITLE.

[@Jessie-w5f]

We’re not professional comedians but I and a small group of friends write (punch doctors) for indie directors who just want to have a bit more sass in their already written comedies. And we have been called mean at times. I personally look at it as extremely sarcastic but all for the sake of laughter. You just can’t beat funny at times. If it makes you laugh, it’s funny! It just might not make EVERYONE laugh….

[@jeremypayne5078]

Martin Short was mentioned, and I feel obligated to comment how great he is in 'Only Murders in the Building' 😂

[@coccrocc]

As someone who likes to make people laugh. The worst feeling is when u went too far. Usually cause of info I didn’t know till after. The trick is to not make it personal and make yourself seem more stupid the more mean it is. “Bro can’t even poop straight”. After he crashes. It’s so stupid u almost can’t get mad

[@sergios680]

The feeling I remember is being at a restaurant and my funny friend makes a sexual joke about my younger sister. And we just got out of there.

[@impishlyit9780]

When I finished the eighth grade, I was the class Valedictorian. (Stupid thing to have, I think, but whatever.) I cracked some jokes in my speech and got like 90% of the audience to laugh. The principal found the written version of my speech and read it after the graduation, then proceeded to put out an all-call (how we refer to automated calling of all parents of a class) to apologize for my words. It's kinda hilarious looking back on it, but she obviously just wasn't in on the joke I guess.

[@PaddyLeggBass]

Humour & wittiness is a type of aggression (if I’m remember right from Sociology A-Level 😂)

[@nessy9022]

it definitely feels like an American cultural predilection. Which isn't to say other countries don't produce "mean" comedians, just that it's not such a lauded attribute that a comment like "aren't all comedians mean" would be so readily agreed about, eg see stand up by Eddie Izzard, Rowan Atkinson, Jim Carrey. blame Don Rickles 😂

[@morsumbra9692]

Cuz comedy is just the cool fun side of social swaggering and dominance. You can either take over a room by being the biggest muscles there. Being the most charismatic one there. Or being the subject matter expert. Comedy is saying the intrusive thoughts, noticing of "the other", or pointing out dicotomy or brokedness within a structure. But in a funny kinda borderline acceptable way 😂😂 This is why people with "the tisms" can be the funniest people alive. Cuz they see n deal with those three things mentioned above ALL the time, and if they get down delivery to where strangers get it quick. Thats a 40yr career of laughs right there!

[@phalen444]

I know it would never happen, but I'd love to see a pod with Tosh and John Mulaney

[@brettlevelmidnight5599]

“Opportunistically rude” is how I would put it. It isn’t mean-spirited, but it’s not how you would expect someone to act in other environments.

[@absoluteego]

john mulaney is so boring and lame.

[@BradleySherlock-n4x]

You forgot closeted as well.

[@ShootinMyWayOut]

I think that's a great observation. Basically, to word it differently, socially, we don't joke at others expenses. Comedians do because well it's their job. That's where the mean comes from. 2 comedians will go abck and forth with this. Then comes the cruelty discussed. Cruel is when the comedian makes the joke, it was clearly very hurtful to the person, and they keep going. Yeah, sure you can make anything funny, but you're being a blatant asshole seeing someone *socially* hurt and continuing on. Because your social setting isn't the public. Your material in the public is fair game because it's for anyone to view at their choosing. But being in front of someone and making jokes at their expense they are clearly being hurt by is just bullying in its truest form. How funny a joke is doesn't matter above your social interactions, it matter for your public presentation. "Mean" in this context is saying the joke that *is* funny but not the most polite in a standard social setting, which comedians will do, and we non-comedians refrain from because it's usually rude. This doesn't mean comedians are actual assholes, just that the humor is their first thought, and typically how they communicate initially. Because their profession is always the funny coming first. But a comedian isn't inherently mean in a literal sense, as kind people who are also comedians, will lay off the joke, as they value the social bond over some laughs.

[@Ring0--]

The word they're struggling for is "INSULTING".

[@AmberORand]

It works for someone like Martin Short to be mean because you can tell he doesn’t have a genuinely mean bone in his body. He wouldn’t be so beloved by everyone who knows him (including people who seem genuinely kind themselves) if he were actually mean. There is a real art to that kind of humor.

[@spenser9908]

Look at Mulaney suddenly shit himself that he was about to get cancelled for mansplaining that Armenian chick 😂

[@mneugent7658]

The joke always comes first. (And my nickname is...)

[@CorporationSKY]

..I didnt say it to be mean, I said it because I thought Id be funny...- D. Chappelle some shut sticks, most dont land, thats the gamble...but its never to be mean. War for the general profit of elite familes while people are getting kidnapped and unalived at an alarming rate is "mean".

[@MickLoud999]

One comedian who is so unique is the late Mitch Hedberg. He was just one liners etc. He was never racist or mean and never swore. I also never saw anyone heckle him because he seemed to be universally loved.

[@XFATALxERRORXPRO]

Mean? You mean understanding reality? And not giving that fake reality bs most people in the world do?

[@radtech21]

Not cruel, but satirical or cutting. Often too blunt. This is what I love about comedians, because I communicate in much the same fashion.

[@linjicakonikon7666]

Martin Short is a very dark person. Hes NEVER just joking.

[@Yutapong-w9x]

To a comedian not sharing a good joke is like a journalist spreading disinformation.