I routinely watch a Netflix comedy special while doing cardio at the gym. Typically, I choose one of John Mulaney’s specials, which I know by heart. However, while scrolling through the comedy section, I noticed some other comedians who seemed a bit out of place.
I saw that Joe Rogan, who is known for spreading misinformation on his right-wing podcast, has not one, but three comedy specials on Netflix.
“Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats” was his most recent Netflix comedy special released in 2o24.
A viewer and fan of Rogan, user, bergy-97063 wrote, “I feel like Joe Rogan doesn’t actually do stand up, he just yells at the top of his lungs about all the subjects he discusses on his podcasts.”
Rogan’s 14.5 million podcast subscribers were the target audience for his comedy special and Netflix most likely saw this as a fast cash grab due to his loyal fans. However, even fans of Rogan explained that his comedy is not as entertaining as his podcast and his specials haven’t been received well by the public.
In addition to Rogan, Ellen DeGeneres was also awarded a comedy special.
“Ellen Degeneres: For Your Approval” was released in 2024 after her cancellation when she was exposed for promoting a hostile work environment on the set of her talk show.
Throughout the comedy special, DeGeneres plays the victim and makes remarks such as “I got kicked out of show business” and “You can’t be mean in show business.”
These comments are avoidant since DeGeneres constantly preached “to be kind to one another,” which was why the news of the mistreatment of her staff shocked the world.
Regardless of her previous behavior, Netflix released a one hour and 24-minute special consisting of DeGeneres mildly addressing her cancellation while attempting to gain sympathy from the audience.
Many viewers expected DeGeneres to address her recent cancellation and were curious as to what she had to say about the allegations of her hostile work environment.
However, DeGeneres carried an unapologetic tone throughout the special and never directly spoke about the rumors of inhospitality on set.
Netflix producers knew that this special would get a lot of views due to DeGeneres’s large following from her previous talk show. This special, however, provided a platform for DeGeneres to avoid any responsibility while undermining her previous workers.
In addition, Matt Rife also currently has two comedy specials on Netflix despite his controversial behavior.
The comedy special, “Matt Rife: Natural Selection,” features an opening joke about domestic violence.
“I feel like if she could cook, she wouldn’t have that black eye,” Rife said.
Hearing Rife say this joke was shocking and I was surprised that Netflix would include a controversial joke like this to be in the final cut of Rife’s comedy special.
To make matters worse, Rife posted an “apology” on his Instagram story. His story read “If you’ve ever been offended by a joke I’ve told — here’s a link to my official apology.” The link led to a website that sold special needs helmets for children.
Despite the backlash Rife received, he was given another special, “Matt Rife: Lucid.” This comedy special received a rating of 6.4/10 by over 1500 users.
Comedians like Rife should not experience the benefits from having a Netflix comedy special since he is profiting off of jokes about domestic abuse.
Netflix needs to highlight less mainstream comedians that don’t have controversial pasts. Platforming celebrities with problematic personalities might get more views, however, it allows these comedians to undermine marginalized groups while promoting their mediocre jokes.
