Conan O’Brien described modern American politics as deeply dispiriting during a recent conversation at The New Yorker Festival, saying it increasingly rewards people willing to set aside personal principles. He called the current climate “the most nihilistic thing” he has ever seen.
Asked about comedy’s role in what an audience member called “this strange moment in American history,” O’Brien said comedians must decide for themselves what they can contribute. He said he respects political comedians but that direct political comedy was never his strength. Although his late-night shows took aim at figures including Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, he said his approach tended to focus on absurdity and psychology.
O’Brien said he was grateful he no longer had to look for jokes about current events every night, explaining that the political situation makes him “very angry and depressed.” Instead, he sees value in smaller, more personal moments, such as connecting with someone on the subway and making them laugh. He cited his recent appearance on Subway Takes as an example.
He also described having “a Soul” as having internal boundaries and a clear sense of what one will and will not do, rather than as a religious concept. Referring to a controversial campaign ad from Vivek Ramaswamy, O’Brien said he saw it as an example of behavior that showed a lack of those boundaries.
Comparing politicians to cars shaped for maximum efficiency in a wind tunnel, O’Brien argued that political figures can end up looking alike when they are optimized to move faster. “If you don’t have a soul, you’re more aerodynamic and you will go faster,” he said.
Sources: Consequence.