Political comedy, the combination of politics and entertainment, was extremely popular during this past election season. Clips from outlets like The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Saturday Night Live, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver circulated across the Internet with incredible speed, sometimes gaining more than one million views in a single night. This satirical media often seems nothing more than a humorous take on the often disturbing world of politics. However, political comedy does far more than just elicit laughs.
The research of Amy Bree Becker, assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Loyola University Maryland, focuses on how political comedy and entertainment affects public opinion. Her research has shown that perhaps the most significant impact of political comedy is that it can influence the way people perceive a certain candidate or political figure. More often than not, political comedy zeroes in on the personality of political figures, more than their policies or political beliefs. Take Sarah Palin, for example. The former Alaskan governor and the running mate of John McCain in the 2008 presidential election was the target of much ridicule, particularly an SNL skit that aired in September of 2008. Palin was played by actress Tina Fey, who bore a striking resemblance to the governor. The highlight undoubtedly came when Fey, playing Palin, exclaimed from the podium, “I can see Russia from my house!” The SNL piece was a huge hit. Years later, political scientists Jody Baumgardner, Jonathan Morris and Natasha Walth looked into this SNL clip and found that “those who watched the SNL clip had a 45.4 percent probability of saying that Palin’s nomination made them less likely to vote for McCain.” They found that the video did not have much of an effect on Democrats, who for the most already disapproved of Palin and the McCain campaign. However, for Republicans and Independents, the video made them feel that Palin was inexperienced and overly rural and made them think twice about voting for McCain. They dubbed this phenomenon the “Fey Effect.”
Besides for political impact, the educational value of these shows, though perhaps not what leaps out to the viewer when tuning in, is a major part of how satirical media outlets have positively impacted the political scene. To understand this phenomenon a simple realization must be had: these shows make politics vastly more accessible when compared to traditional media outlets (like Fox or CNN). Just on a basic level, the average modern American would much rather be entertained than sit through a news report, and because of this heightened viewership important issues, though perhaps delivered in a non-orthodox manner, can reach a wider range of people. But on subtler note, with viewership dwindling and a demand for profit, traditional media channels often feel obligated to portray politics dramatically, highlighting the stories that will entertain but all too frequently shoving dry, less captive news under the rug, even though the issue may be important. In contrast, because political satire chooses to report based on comedic value, details tend not to be downplayed but rather accentuated. Though superficially this is done just to get a laugh, it also serves to educate viewers about topics traditional stations might never have even made them aware of. Finally, these shows manage to, unobtrusively, elicit educated discussion from their audience. Because of the creative ways in which the topics are presented, viewers often, on their own accord, look further into the topics touched upon so as to better understand them. For a country considered by many to be “hesitant to exert any unnecessary energy” (lazy), this is quite the accomplishment.
While strange, most researchers are in agreement (see article) that political comedy, as a whole, has managed to keep politics prevalent in the mind’s of modern Americans, even with competing distractions. However, it is still unclear whether political comedy actually has the power to sway voters’ decisions. Which brings us to the election of Donald J. Trump. Trump has been a godsend for political comedians, providing “you-can’t-make-this-stuff-up” material on an almost daily basis. Almost every late-night political comedian came out strongly against Trump (John Oliver, Stephen Colbert, Trevor Noah, Seth Meyers, and Samantha Bee are just a few examples). Their efforts proved fruitless, however, as Trump pulled off an upset win and secured the presidency. Yet Trump’s victory may be very beneficial for the careers of these comedians. The Trump campaign was a steady supply of humor and material that practically made fun of itself. Assuming this pattern continues, political comedians will have a lot to talk about for the next four years.