Is Cancel Culture Killing Comedy? Comedian Jeff Dye Weighs In

Jeff Dye attends the 2018 NBCUniversal Winter Press Tour at The Langham Huntington in Pasadena, Calif., on Jan. 9, 2018. (Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

Comedian Jeff Dye is opening up about the effect cancel culture has had on the landscape of comedy.

Specifically, the 41-year-old veteran comedian, who’s been doing stand-up comedy since 2005, has lamented the blowback that comics face whenever they attempt to freely express their views.

“Political correctness used to mean that you needed to behave and talk in a way that is professional and doesn’t offend,” Mr. Dye told The Epoch Times via email. Now, the comedian says it means you have to submit to liberal views. “To me that is insane and poison to comedy,” he declared.

“I think no matter how you think or feel—if you are a comedian, it is your job to speak the truth,” he added. “Now, your interpretation of truth is a different conversation, but comics should be making people laugh or think, and—if you’re really good—both.”

Throughout his time on stage, Mr. Dye, who grew up in a Christian home, hasn’t shied away from pushing the envelope. Known for his unfiltered comedy, he infuses humor into the logical fallacies present in modern-day America, regularly touching upon trigger topics such as the transgender movement and other ideologies.

The Washington state native, who now resides in Los Angeles, worked with leading networks such as NBC, ABC, and MTV early in his career. However, as he noted during a recent episode of Robert Kelly’s “You Know What Dude!” podcast, his earlier comedy sketches largely erred on the side of caution because he was contractually unable to make jokes that referenced his political views.

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“I was bought,” he explained on the podcast. “They say, ‘OK, you’re not going to say this, you’re not going to say this, and you will say this.’ If I was there now, which I’m not, you know, they would be saying, like, ‘Hey, you need to shut up about not being vaccinated.’”

“They expect you to conduct yourself in a way, and I’m thinking, like, ‘Well this is why we don’t work in offices as comedians,’” he continued.

Although he’s become more outspoken about his outlook on politics, he noted that his opinions have always remained the same. “The world’s changed; I haven’t changed any of my views,” he told Mr. Kelly. “I joke about this: I am a 2001 liberal, which is just a Republican now.”

“I’ve changed no views,” he reiterated. “But all of a sudden, I’m this outlaw that needs to be censored ‘cause I don’t think men can have their periods. Like, that’s insane. That’s how much it’s shifted.”

Mr. Dye—who co-hosts several podcasts of his own, including “Everybody’s Got a Price” with stand-up comic Josh Nelson and “Wrestling with Freddie” alongside actor Freddie Prinze Jr.—was adamant that comedians should be allowed to be funny while still being able to tell the truth.

Comedians and Cancel Culture

During the podcast, Mr. Kelly and Mr. Dye criticized the canceling of comics, such as Shane Gillis and Louis C.K., the latter of whom was ousted from the entertainment sphere in 2017 after sexual misconduct allegations emerged stemming from the mid-1990s to the mid-aughts, per The New York Times. The comedian returned to comedy a year later, winning his third Grammy in 2022 after he earned the “Best Comedy Album” award for his 2020 stand-up show “Sincerely Louis C.K.”

Mr. Gillis, star of the Netflix comedy special “Beautiful Dogs,” was hired and subsequently fired from hosting NBC’s Saturday Night Live (SNL) in 2019 after recordings surfaced of him allegedly using racial and homophobic slurs. Mr. Gillis later made a gallant return to 30 Rock to host the sketch comedy series on Feb. 24.

“Shane Gillis is doing SNL because you guys canceled him but we didn’t,” Mr. Kelly remarked.

Mr. Dye was clear that there are people “who deserve to be in trouble for the way they behave,” but with the caveat that discretion should be used.

However, he questioned why those in entertainment were often held to a different standard. “Why can regular people be allowed to miss and we aren’t? We’re just taking swings. Why when I miss is it such a problem?” the comedian queried.

‘The Last Cowboy in LA’

Overall, Mr. Dye believes that it’s easy to be labeled an “edgy” comic in today’s climate of cancel culture. However, he doesn’t necessarily believe that it’s a bad thing.

“I’ve found that the world getting more sensitive and annoyed about whatever subject ... has helped comedy,” he told The Epoch Times.

“It’s been easier to make people feel,” he continued. “When someone is upset or ’triggered' about a subject or joke, it means they are listening and thinking—which are the cornerstones of comedy.”

In early February, the stand-up comic, who is currently on tour, taped his newest special, “The Last Cowboy in LA,” in Nashville, Tennessee. He drew inspiration for the title from the mass exodus of people moving out of California to red cities and states.

California’s population shrank drastically amid the pandemic, with most residents moving to states such as Texas, Nevada, and Arizona, per a 2023 report by the Public Policy Institute of California. A study released that same year by the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research indicated that more than 400,000 people left California from July 2021 to July 2022 alone.

“They say California is crazy and they’re leaving, but I don’t find it heroic to leave something bad,” Mr. Dye explained.

“I think it’s our job to change things that are bad, not leave them,” he continued. “I’m a Republican who loves Jesus ... and I live in LA. I’m not going anywhere.”