Late-Night Comedians Turning on Obama
By Douglas J. Rowe Sun Oct 11, 11:49 AM PDT

"That's pretty amazing, winning the Nobel Peace Prize," Jay Leno said Friday night of President Barack Obama's latest accolade. "Ironically, his biggest accomplishment as president so far ... winning the Nobel Peace Prize."

That joke may be indicative of the TV comedy world sharpening its arrows a bit more when the current occupant of the White House is the target, The New York Times reports.

President Barack Obama Awarded Nobel Peace Prize

The Times quotes Bob Lichter, who has tracked themes in late-night humor for 21 years, as saying "it will be telling to see how the comedians treat" the president's winning the peace prize: Is there now a caricature taking hold of a man more celebrated than accomplished?

Lichter, of George Mason University's Center for Media and Public Affairs, said it was too soon to tell whether the Oct. 3 Saturday Night Live skit suggesting that Obama has accomplished nothing is a "harbinger" or not. "The danger is that Mr. Obama is going to be defined by inaction and not living up to expectations," he said.

SNL skit: Obama has done nothing

SNL this weekend joined in the jokes about Obama not deserving the prize just yet, suggesting that honors like People's Sexiest Man designation may soon go to children.

Last week Jon Stewart continued with the "done nothing" theme on The Daily Show, chiding Obama for not yet getting around to reversing the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy about gays. He cited Obama's "full plate" of business.

Stewart then acted apoplectic, displaying his exasperation. "All that stuff you've been putting on your plate?" he said. "It's [expletive] chow time, brother. That's how you get things off your plate."

Ric Keller, a former Republican congressman from Florida who once wrote jokes for former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, told the Times: "There have been some clear shots coming across the bow from the comic left."

But Jeff Nussbaum, a Democratic speech and joke writer, disagreed that late-night comedy is a leading indicator of the zeitgeist. "To use an economic term, it is more of a lagging indicator," he said.

Those old enough to remember Watergate might recall that it took Johnny Carson awhile to start making jokes about President Richard Nixon and his connection to the break-in. But once the Tonight show host did, it felt like the beginning of the end for the U.S. leader who eventually resigned.





I guess you know when you are really a president is when Leno and SNL make jokes about you huh????

I am ashamed of you

Oh I guess jokes are the thing, Lets joke about the one man that became President in a country that is as racist as racism will allow. Let all of the world see us as we really are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While I agree that we should all be known as "people" period, and deem any type of segregation, whether it be race, skin color, etc. extremely wrong, so is part of the statement you just made. What does "trailer park and ghetto" have to do with anything?

Laugh everybody President got a Nobel Peace Prize, that's so funny, that gives me stitches,
why they did to so many others, why him, that's so funny

wtf???? I posted this because Leno and SNL has made fun of every president so far. it's almost like not official until they make fun of someone.

did you feel this way when they made fun of others???????

where do you get this from????

why did they to????? huh?

as stated in other threads about this...I don't agree he deserved it or that anyone else deserves it without actions. that is my opinion....but you are taking it WAY off track.

Anyone that would feel that an achievement like that is a nothing or a joke is limited

That's not what I asked. I asked why you singled out...sort of like a parallel to racism...trailer park and ghetto children?


By the way, any type of racism, prejudice, or undue harassment of ANYONE is completely wrong in my book, and I don't watch SNL, partly due to some of it's content, but I also believe in to each their own, and don't condemn someone else for their beliefs...or lack thereof.

the list is limited to people with limited means and quite a few of us with limited means came from either a ghetto or a trailor park. I have lived many places and done many things and I do believe in live and let live, but we are in desperate times and we must pick what we preach to our children, the comedic pundits should not set the tone As for skin color who said skin color= station in life, you

Oh I guess jokes are the thing, Lets joke about the one man that became President in a country that is as racist as racism will allow. Let all of the world see us as we really are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I know, right? Talk about things being taken out of context.