Who is popular today?

The streamer’s latest remarkably laugh-free comedy special is another procession of eye-rolling jokes about cancel culture and LGBTQ+ peopleHe’s the guy from Fear Factor, right? That would be the just and normal response to hearing the name “Joe Rogan” in 2024. Even Rogan himself seems to think so; on his new standup special Burn the Boats, he does a whole bit about the Fear Factor segment that got the show canceled – that is, actually canceled, as in when a show is taken off the air, like a fading reality show or a great five-season sitcom (RIP, Newsradio!). This is distinct from the Joe Rogan type of canceled, which is where you command an audience of millions, a salary of millions, and a Netflix standup special where you joke about being repeatedly “canceled” for your supposedly harmless antics – presumably also in front of millions.This is a remarkable trajectory for someone who hosted a second-tier reality show 20 years ago. Hell, it’s a remarkable trajectory for someone who was reliably amusing on Newsradio. It’s hard to imagine Dave Foley, Andy Dick, or Vicki Lewis receiving 60-plus minutes on Netflix to say whatever’s on their mind. Continue reading...