Greg Gutfeld chuckled as he started his segment on the teleprompter.

“Delta’s DEI officer has eliminated the phrase ‘ladies and gentlemen’ from airport announcements” he quipped. Then he delivered the punchline: “It’s now ‘Dear customers of all gender identities, your flight has been canceled, and your stewardess is equipped with a d***,” he declared, using a vulgar reference.

The audience in studio responded with loud laughter and applause at the remarks from the Fox News commentator turned late-night host.

This kind of humor is reminiscent of the jokes that filled 1980s and 90s shows like “Saturday Night Live” or stand-up specials like Eddie Murphy’s “Delirious.”

However, as cultural attitudes shift and political divisions deepen, not everyone finds it amusing. Comedy viewership is increasingly split along partisan lines.

A new breed of anti-establishment comedians is tapping into a growing conservative audience. While these performers often claim their humor isn’t political, they primarily cater to right-leaning audiences seeking a break from political correctness.

In recent years, this segment’s viewership has surged.

Emerging figures include Joe Rogan, Theo Von, and Gutfeld, who has maintained his position as the top late-night comedian in America since 2021, outpacing other big names like Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, and Jimmy Fallon.

This rise indicates a burgeoning conservative cultural movement that is capturing the attention of GOP politicians and commentators.

In late August, former President Donald Trump stirred interest by appearing on Von’s podcast, “This Past Week,” and made headlines with his guest spot on Gutfeld! in mid-September, marking his first late-night appearance since 2016. Trump has also expressed interest in joining Rogan’s podcast, which is the top show on Spotify.

As Trump and the GOP strive to expand their audience, especially among younger males, these unconventional and popular comedic voices could be crucial in reaching that demographic.

Filling the Gap

The rise of conservative comedy in recent years resembles the emergence of left-leaning satirists like Jon Stewart in the early 2000s.

Stewart, who hosted Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” gained fame for lampooning former President George W. Bush and his administration. He criticized both major political parties and the media, but Republicans often became the focus of his humor.

Stewart’s youthful audience predominantly leaned liberal, and many considered him a news source. A 2004 Pew Research poll indicated that 21% of 18 to 29-year-olds regularly turned to “The Daily Show” and similar comedy shows for election coverage.

Similar to today’s conservative comedians, Stewart didn’t see his show as purely ideological. He admitted his bias but, in a 2005 interview with the Guardian, emphasized that his main goal was to entertain.

When Stewart stepped down from “The Daily Show” a decade later, his influence on comedy was clear. Alumni like Jon Oliver, Stephen Colbert, and Samantha Bee became prominent figures in late-night television.

Many of these late-night programs began embracing liberal perspectives in their content. However, few mainstream comedians addressed the millions of Republican viewers in the country.

Recent surveys, like a YouGov poll from earlier this year, show that more Democrats than Republicans watch late-night comedy. About half of Republicans feel these shows are overly political, and 57% view them as too liberal, while only 10% of Democrats share this sentiment.

Nick Marx and Matt Sienkiewicz, who wrote “That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them,” suggest that the absence of traditional comedy paved the way for comedians like Gutfeld and Rogan to emerge.

Marx, a film and media studies professor at Colorado State University, noted, “Many of them rightly recognized that there was a demand for comedy with a right-leaning perspective. Whether they were genuinely convinced or not, they fully embraced it and have found considerable success.”

Political undertones

These comedians generally do not see themselves as overtly political.

Tom Connor, the executive producer of Gutfeld!, mentioned that although the late-night show is broadcast on Fox News, a channel often linked with conservative views, it is not specifically targeted at a particular political party.

“It’s simply what we find funny,” Connor explained. “If others label it as ‘conservative comedy,’ that’s not necessarily how we define it.”

According to Nielsen MRI Fusion data from July, “Gutfeld!” attracts more Democratic viewers compared to other late-night shows, like those hosted by Fallon and Kimmel. However, his audience predominantly identifies as Republican, with fewer than 600,000 Democrats tuning in, contrasting with 1.3 million Republicans.

Much like Jon Stewart, who is known for his liberal stance, Greg Gutfeld presents a conservative perspective. Sometimes, his political views emerge during the show. For example, when Trump appeared as a guest, Gutfeld referred to him as both the 45th and 47th president, even though Trump is currently in a competitive run to reclaim the title.

Similarly, Rogan, who has had a long career, often jokes about and supports politicians from both parties. He tries to maintain a delicate balance by labeling his humor as more politically incorrect rather than obviously partisan.

Despite that, since 2020, he has featured many more right-leaning politicians and commentators on his podcast compared to left-leaning figures. His guests have included politicians like Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-TX, Tulsi Gabbard, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., all of whom have endorsed Trump, as well as conservative figures like Ben Shapiro, Tucker Carlson, and Matt Walsh.

While hosting Tucker Carlson, Rogan rationalized why far-right radio host Alex Jones propagated conspiracy theories regarding the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting. Rogan referred to Jones as a “friend for more than 20 years.”

He suggested that Jones’ incorrect statements about the incident, which resulted in a multi-million-dollar settlement to the victims’ families, were rooted in mental health struggles—something he asserted some people are “praised” for discussing openly.

“Alex has faced real challenges. One reason for his struggles is that he dives into terrifying truths on a daily basis,” Rogan explained about Jones’ conspiracy theories. “When you’re bombarded with lies, propaganda, and various psychological operations aimed at the public, you might start perceiving them where they actually do not exist.”

Rogan has frequently echoed pro-Trump narratives and false information concerning Kamala Harris on his podcast. In a discussion with conservative writer Matt Walsh, he promoted an unfounded conspiracy which alleged that Harris’ pearl earrings during a recent presidential debate were hidden Bluetooth devices. He later expressed skepticism regarding the legitimacy of Trump’s 34 felony counts from the New York hush-money case.

“Sure, he’s now labeled a convicted felon, but does that really make sense? Not at all,” Rogan remarked.

Marx and Sienkiewicz contend that regardless of Rogan’s personal beliefs, the guests he features and the language he employs are tailored to resonate with his conservative-leaning audience. While his own political convictions may not be straightforward, Sienkiewicz noted that “what his demographic clearly indicates is a different story.”

“The Joe Rogan Experience” has dominated the podcast scene in the U.S. for the last five years and boasts over 17 million subscribers on YouTube.

A significant portion of his listeners are young males, with nearly half identifying as Republican, based on a 2022 study by Morning Consult. Many of these fans share the views that Rogan discusses on his show.

Only 12% of Rogan listeners in a 2022 YouGov poll trusted newspapers to present the truth, compared to 27% of the general public.

Rogan represents just a small fraction of the broader trend of conservative and libertarian-oriented media rising in prominence.