Reddit Sleuths Are Attempting to Uncover Which Stand-Up Comedians Are Paid to Make Russian Propaganda
The Biden administration announced this week that it’s taking broad actions to stop Russian schemes designed to influence the 2024 elections. As part of the effort, it’s shutting down a company called Social Design Agency, “which the Treasury Department previously sanctioned for allegedly running fake news sites in Europe on behalf of the Russian government.”
The government released Social Design Agency internal documents that detail its plans to influence the election, including spreading disinformation in swing states and monitoring the accounts of people it considers “influencers,” including comedians. That caught the attention of Redditor cannonfunk who posed a question to the r/StandUpComedy subreddit: “The Russians are actively targeting comedians who might be easily bribed to spread their propaganda. Who do you think was on the list?”
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Here are the most likely candidates — at least according to the number of r/StandUpComedy upvotes received for each nomination. A reminder that this is all completely conjecture, but what’s a little uninformed speculation among comedy fans?
Russell Brand
8MAC nominated Brand, as well as “all the comedians who took a sudden turn to radicalism.”
“Yep, Brand immediately came to my mind too,” replied cannonfunk, the thread’s OP. “The guy seems beyond desperate for money and attention now.”
Joe Rogan, Er, Rob Schneider
“My thoughts immediately went to Rob Schneider, but I bet you’re right!” wrote cannonfunk when someone nominated the popular podcaster. “Rogan is the biggest and dumbest fish in the comedy sea.”
For some reason, the Rogan nomination set off a barrage of support for Schneider. “Rob is probably doing all that without being paid,” wrote ExplosiveDiarrhetic. “Which is definitely more pathetic.”
“Rob Schneider took the stage at an Adam Sandler show I was at. Start(ed) spouting some ‘jokes’ aimed at right-wing conservative echo chambers,” said BlueShift42. “Quickly lost any appeal he may have had.”
But Rogan voters had their say as well. “I’m a liberal leaning person that will still (try to) listen to his podcast every once in a while because he still gets really good guests,” wrote Czarchitect. “But half the time I have to turn it off halfway through because Rogan is constantly bootstrapping right wing political talking points into conversations that have nothing to do with politics. Its a shame because IMO his show used to be pretty consistently interesting and entertaining but ever since covid he has gone full alex jones right wing conspiracy nutjob.”
“Honestly I wonder about the whole crew,” added submit_2_my_toast. “I stopped listening to Tom Segura because he kept defending and platforming people like Andrew Tate and Louis C.K. while also parroting Jordan Peterson, and Kreischer (sp?) has a Trump flag he pulls out ‘ironically,’ so who knows?”
Jim Breuer
“That dude has lost the plot completely,” said tofurulz.
“I enjoyed some moments of his early standup, but the guy got consumed with hate and resentment as the years went on,” agreed cannonfunk. “Now his standup is barely coherent, and that’s not hyperbole.”
Dennis Miller
“Dennis Miller got super weird from around 9/11 onward,” wrote SaccharineHuxley. “It’s really been shit to watch. Dennis Miller Live was one of my favourite shows as a teenager so it’s a bummer.”
“Yeah, I have to agree with this take,” said u/cannonfunk. “Miller got bitter and weird long before Trump rode down the escalator.”
Yakov Smirnoff
“In Soviet Russia,” writes Sonder_Monster, “government bribe you!”
