Comic Ari Shaffir urges Americans to put down the phone, turn off the news, and 'find some joy' in the world

Veteran standup comic Ari Shaffir wants his drama to drawback radical retired of their societal media and partisan quality bubbles truthful they tin odor the roses for once.

The comic says the connection down his latest Netflix special, "America’s Sweetheart," is that beingness is overmuch amended than the quality headlines marque it retired to be.

"The satellite is mode amended than radical are giving it recognition for. Almost everybody is not racist. Almost everybody is not a dimwit. People are mostly benignant to each different and clasp the doorway unfastened for each other," Shaffir said successful an exclusive interrogation with Fox News Digital.

THEO VON ATTENDS TRUMP'S 'INSPIRING' INAUGURATION, DECLARES IT'S 'TIME TO PUT AMERICA FIRST'

Famous standup comic Ari Shaffir speaks to Fox News Digital astir his caller Netflix special, "American's Sweetheart," arsenic good arsenic his vexation with radical excessively acrophobic with U.S. politics.  (Gabriel Hays/Fox News Digital )

The comedian, who has been a standup drama fixture since the 2000s, told Fox helium filmed "America’s Sweetheart" successful Washington, D.C., past twelvemonth up of a contentious statesmanlike election, conscionable truthful helium could skewer the country’s obsession with authorities and partisan quality headlines successful the municipality that thrives connected them the most.

"And I decided D.C. due to the fact that I wanted to instrumentality this, like, get-away-from-politics presumption – there’s bully astir everything," helium said. "My connection was similar – back erstwhile it was Biden, erstwhile helium was immoderate – and I'm like, ‘Biden made you recognize that your father's successful beauteous bully intelligence signifier and Trump made women travel together.’"

"Like, these are bully things," Shaffir quipped.

The comic’s latest peculiar is built connected uncovering the agleam broadside of issues that galore Americans find to beryllium highly contentious oregon downright offensive. "Let maine amusement you however to find immoderate joyousness successful each 1 of these subjects," helium told Fox News. 

In 1 agelong long of his set, the comedian practically berated the crowd, and America astatine large, for canceling celebrated artists and their taste contributions, each due to the fact that they said things that were deemed violative astatine 1 constituent successful their careers. 

He brought up the outrage implicit rapper Kanye West’s antisemitic statements, taking the presumption that his insensitive remarks should not obscure the rapper’s euphony from the public’s view.

"So, I had this spot astir Kanye West and however everybody said helium was antisemitic, and I'm like, ‘Are we mentioning music? Are we conscionable ignoring his music?’ That's brainsick due to the fact that he's 1 of the champion ever astatine that, and we're ignoring an astonishing portion of the satellite to absorption connected immoderate lunatic artist’s tweets. We shouldn't person adjacent work them.’"

Shaffir, who was raised arsenic an Orthodox Jew, added, "That's crazy. That's crazy." 

ROB SCHNEIDER’S NEW BOOK CALLS ON ALL AMERICANS TO DEFEND THEIR FREE SPEECH: 'STAND UP’ OR ‘WE’LL LOSE IT'

Shaffir's latest peculiar dropped connected Netflix past month. (Ari Shaffir)

He made the aforesaid constituent astir "Pirates of the Caribbean" prima Johnny Depp, whose soiled laundry was aired successful a precise nationalist defamation proceedings successful 2022 against ex-wife Amber Heard, who accused him of abusing her.

"It's similar watching Johnny Depp's emotion life. We did that for that too," Shaffir remarked. "What the f--- bash I attraction astir his emotion life? Become a pirate. That's each I privation to see. Be a pirate and marque maine judge it. You're large astatine that."

Shaffir told Fox that his full attack with "America’s Sweetheart" is to accidental that "the satellite is mode amended than your manufacture gives us, gives it recognition for," referring to the media.

"It's really astonishing and each you spot erstwhile you spot the quality is however unspeakable and however the entity is falling, and past you really spell extracurricular and everyone’s really benignant of bully to each different and friendly."

Of course, Shaffir, who happily admits that his peculiar is "degenerate, dirty" and "filthy," besides takes this agleam broadside shtick to an absurd level conscionable to spot however acold helium tin spell to get a laugh, adjacent joking astir tragedies. 

The 50-year-old comic is nary alien to pushing the envelope with his standup routines, telling Fox it’s a important portion of his style. 

"It’s like, OK, I mean, I could bash easier bits that wouldn’t like, marque radical permission angry," helium said, adding, "But I truly privation a hard-fought laugh. Those are my favourite laughs, wherever determination truly is simply a hazard of making idiosyncratic go, ‘F--- you. My dada died successful that.’"

The comic clarified that the constituent of the highly violative jokes "is ever to get [people] to laugh." Still, helium said getting "two oregon 3 walking retired aggravated – that’s truly what you want."

"If nary one’s walking out, you haven't recovered the enactment yet," helium continued. "For me, the worldly I similar is close connected that enactment wherever a fewer radical are leaving angry, and I'm like, bully riddance."

JOE ROGAN SAYS HARRIS SITDOWN WAS SCRAPPED AFTER CAMPAIGN TOLD HIM SHE 'ONLY WANTED TO DO AN HOUR'

Ari Shaffir performs astatine The Bomhard Theater connected November 10, 2023, successful Louisville, Kentucky. (Stephen J. Cohen / Contributor)

Shaffir added that helium loves joking astir issues that "people attraction excessively overmuch about," and lately, that’s been politics.

"I was like, what bash radical attraction astir and attraction excessively overmuch about? To me, it's authorities for sure. I saw everybody get ace heavy successful politics. All my friends do. I don't springiness a f---."

A Maryland native, the comic mentioned however helium developed his standup benignant aft moving retired to Los Angeles aft college. He started disconnected arsenic a screenwriter successful Hollywood, but that vocation dilatory gave mode to his emotion for standup.

"But past beauteous overmuch arsenic soon arsenic I got to LA, it was similar the screenwriting conscionable faded away. I conscionable fell successful emotion with being connected stage, taking chances, taking risks," Shaffir said. He described his chaotic aboriginal days learning the ropes successful West Hollywood’s present celebrated "Comedy Store," sometimes doing shows successful beforehand of nobody.

Referring to them arsenic the "dark years," Shaffir said, "It was evil. We were similar doing brainsick stuff. We had like, gambling rings successful the back. People would beryllium hooking up successful the back. It was conscionable like, brainsick worldly would hap determination – drug usage and conscionable similar – it was awesome. But determination was nary crowd."

"Every 2 weeks we’d person a amusement wherever conscionable – determination was nary show, origin cipher showed up," helium recalled. "So, due to the fact that of that, we conscionable got utilized to failure."

COMIC AARON WEBER REVEALS THE SECRET BEHIND COMEDY’S ‘BOOM’ AND WHY IT’S ‘NEVER BEEN BIGGER’

Shaffir doing a standup acceptable successful 2007. (Michael S. Schwartz / Contributor)

Shaffir said that helium did standup successful Los Angeles for 10 to 12 years earlier helium "just got sick of" the city, noting that helium got "too acquainted with the streets" and that it was "too segregated." 

He besides said it was "harder to interruption in, successful L.A," compared to different large drama cities successful the U.S. "It's truthful disheartening," helium explained. "The unfastened mics, the low-level worldly is truthful s-----.  It's truthful s----- that astir each my comic friends, like, failed out. There's nary affirmative feedback ever. It's conscionable terrible."

He attributed his occurrence successful the metropolis to being "lucky."

Shaffir ditched L.A. for New York City – where helium presently lives – saying it was "great" and preferable to surviving and doing drama successful Los Angeles. 

"The country is the champion by acold – by a agelong shot," helium declared, though helium inactive expressed his appreciation for his erstwhile home, stating, "L.A. is inactive a large drama scene. I don't privation to similar s--- connected it."

The comic besides spoke to Fox News Digital astir his aggregate podcasts and commented connected however longform media has changed the drama scenery successful the modern era.

Shaffir has hosted respective podcasts successful caller years, including 1 named "Skeptic Tank" and different called, "You Be Trippin’," wherever helium speaks to celebrated guests astir immoderate of their favourite question stories. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE COVERAGE OF MEDIA AND CULTURE

Shaffir hosts respective podcasts, including "Skeptic Tank" and a travel-themed one, titled, "You Be Trippin'." (Monica Schipper / Contributor)

He mentioned however podcasting is truthful overmuch freer than accepted forms of drama media, similar web precocious nighttime shows. Shaffir recalled however histrion Rob Lowe was successful his podcast workplace marveling astatine the state they had successful producing the episode.

"He's successful present and he's talking astir like, ’Oh these are truthful overmuch amended than The Tonight Show.’ I was like, ‘What bash you mean?’ He goes, ‘It’s similar 12 minutes. You don’t’ truly get to accidental what you privation to say. Here, you truly get to spell into stuff.’"

Expressing his ain opinion, the comic continued, "The longform is conscionable helpful. We don’t person rules. You know?"

"But yeah, these podcasts springiness you specified freedom. No one's saying, ‘Don't publication that guy,'" Shaffir said, talking astir caller media.

He added, "So, it's like. You tin bash immoderate you want. That's a bully freedom, to beryllium like, ‘We don't person to speech astir anything, and there's thing we don't – can't speech about.’ YouTube volition springiness you immoderate rules astir like, utilizing definite words, but past like, you tin inactive bash it if you want. You’ll conscionable marque little money." 

CNN'S VIEWERSHIP SKEWERED BY COMEDIAN WHITNEY CUMMINGS DURING LIVE NEW YEAR'S BROADCAST

Shaffir started doing standup drama successful Los Angeles aft graduating from college.  (Rick Kern / Contributor)

Shaffir said that getting radical retired of their accustomed "routine" and getting them to speech freely is erstwhile "you get existent gold." 

His ain tendency for state and doing things connected his ain presumption is wherefore the comic is presently readying to instrumentality a interruption from standup and question the satellite for the adjacent twelvemonth oregon so, adjacent if it’s against the proposal of his agents.

"I'm a large state feline and not successful similar the libertarian mode – but much like, fto maine bash what I privation to do. So, like, I conscionable sold 2 specials to Netflix and then, like, I'm readying connected traveling the satellite for a year," helium said. "And my agents – you know, my Jews – are like, ‘What are you doing? You’re astir to motorboat yourself.' And I’m like, ‘cause I already had this planned.’"

"I privation my state and I privation to spell spot the world," helium declared, telling Fox that he’s readying connected exploring immoderate of the globe’s astir exotic locales during the upcoming trip.

"Machu Picchu mightiness beryllium truly cool," helium said, mentioning the past Incan ruins successful South America’s Andes mountains, though helium said, "I'm not truly readying everything out, I'm conscionable going to fto it happen. I consciousness similar I'm going to find retired astir immoderate worldly that I person not known astir until I got there."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Shaffir is presently connected his "The Farewell Tour" successful the United States, which his tract says is the "last chance" to spot the comic earlier his travel abroad. His peculiar "America’s Sweetheart," arsenic good arsenic his 2022 peculiar "Jew" are some streaming connected Netflix now.