Howie Mandel Says Being A Comedian Is Scary You Re Not Allowed To Kid Anymore

Comedian, actor, and television host Howie Mandel has observed the struggles comedians face these days with the policing that’s been done to what comics should or shouldn’t be allowed to say on stage. Of course, this has been exacerbated in recent months with Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at the Oscars over a joke. Dave Chappelle has also generated tremendous controversy with the material in his Netflix comedy specials, prompting calls to have them removed from the streamer.

In 2022, this has been a pretty divisive issue with many arguing their point from both sides of the coin. As a veteran funnyman, Mandel had a lot to say about the state of comedy these days in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter. Mandel, who hosts the Netflix game show Bullsh*t, spoke about how much he appreciates the streamer for giving him and other talents complete creative freedom. He explains how it’s “scary” to him that Netflix has become one of the few outlets where comedians can joke freely without the worry of censorship or negative consequences.

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It’s no surprise that Mandel doesn’t believe in the “too soon” mantra, given his close friendship with the late Gilbert Gottfried, aka the “King of Too Soon.” Here’s what Mandel said when asked why stand-up comedy is changing so dramatically.

Howie Mandel

     Netflix  

Howie Mandel also touched on how spectators getting angry with comedians has led to violence. That includes the Oscars slap involving Will Smith and Chris Rock, as well as the recent incident at Netflix is a Joke: The Festival where someone tackled Dave Chappelle on stage. No matter how far a comedian may be pushing any joke, Mandel finds it wrong to ever resort to violence, be it for that or any other situation.

At the end of the day, the change in comedy these days has Mandel feeling like comedians just aren’t allowed to kid around anymore, a big difference from years before where joking seemed to be much more permissible in most circumstances.

You can watch Mandel’s new series Bullsh*t now streaming on Netflix.