Jay Leno argues modern comedy can’t match today’s ‘outrageous’ society

Comedian and late-night legend Jay Leno said in an interview Saturday that modern comedy has been overshadowed by the “ugly” society we live in, especially under President Donald Trump.

“You know, people always say, ‘Oh, I’m sure you missed Trump becoming president.’ No, not really. It’s like shooting a fish in a barrel.” Leno told Maria Shriver Theme “Life Above Noise”” podcast. “You know, you kind of do that, psychologists used to say the punchline of the joke would be, ‘this is like the president looks like a stripper.’ Okay, now the president is with the strippers.”

Shriver asked the comedian if he was jealous of today’s night’s scene or if he was happy not to be a part of it.

“I mean, you can’t – we live in a society where there’s nothing you can call that outrageous, because comedy comes from conservatism. You start with a kind of moral high ground,” he said.

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To make his point, Leno told an anecdote about performing in prison.

“I had a thing about meeting women. You know, I said, when you see a girl, you’re not sure how to approach her. And this guy yells, ‘Just punch her in the face and fuck her,’ and they all cheer. And I said, ‘Okay, I’m playing the prison.’ The idea of ​​approaching and being present just made me laugh because the cultural traditions in prison are really not the same as what I’m dealing with here,” Leno said.

What was once forbidden is now real, what was shocking is now “everyday,” Shriver said.

“That’s why it’s fun to go the other way,” Leno replied. “I like working clean because it requires a little more thought and that makes the job a little more challenging.”

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Jay Leno hosts “The Tonight Show.” (Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

He said it’s harder to work with clean material because you have to please every audience.

“We live in a society now where people, no matter what you’re interested in, there’s an audience for it. And you’re just playing that audience,” he said.

Leno said in a November interview that he removed politics from his stand-up show entirely.

The veteran comedian told NBC’s “Today” show that ticket sales have increased since the change because he did not alienate a third of his audience with political jokes.

Leno told co-host Hoda Kotb: “I’m on the road a lot. I’ve completely left politics out of it. I know ticket sales are up 20, 30 percent because no one wants to take classes.”

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The former host of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” said comics can take political risks on their own shows, but they often tone it down when they tour around the country — especially in red states.