Steve Harvey says ‘political correctness has killed comedy’
Harvey went on to explain that he has no plans on having a comedy special of his own until he stops performing because it would, 'end his television career'
During a recent appearance at the Television Critics Association press tour, Steve Harvey spoke out against “cancel culture,” saying, “political correctness has killed comedy.”
Cancel culture and its effect (or lack thereof) on the entertainment industry has been a hot debate for years now. Comedians, who are often the most vulnerable of performers due to the nature of stand-up, have had plenty to say about the matter.
Now, Harvey is chiming in as well while promoting his new series Judge Steve Harvey on ABC.
Soul Train Awards: 5 best performances
Speaking to whether or not Harvey will do a stand-up special anytime soon, he explained, “The only way I can do one more special is if it’s at the end of my television career because it will end my television career. We’re in the cancel culture now. No stand-up that is sponsor-driven can say anything he wants to.”
He went on to add, “Chris Rock can’t. Kevin Hart can’t. Cedric the Entertainer can’t. D.L. Hughley can’t. I can go down the list. The only person that can say what they want to say on stage is Dave Chappelle because he’s not sponsor-driven. He’s subscription-driven…if I had tried to continue as a stand-up, there’s no way I could maintain it.”
“Political correctness has killed comedy,” he continued. “Every joke you tell now, it hurts somebody’s feelings. But what people don’t understand about comedians is that a joke has to be about something. It has to be about somebody. We can’t write jokes about puppies all the time. The joke can’t be about bushes all the time. Some of these jokes will have to be about people, because that’s the most interesting topic. So if I come back, I’ll have to wait until I’m done. And I’m not done. I want to do one more. I’ll probably have to call it ‘This Is It.'”
Chappelle recently came under fire after his latest Netflix special, in which he spent a lot of it addressing trans women and the LGBTQ+ community, theGrio previously reported. During a screening of his new documentary in October, Chappelle addressed the controversy and cancel culture, saying, “If this is what being canceled is like, I love it.”
Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Acting Up”? Download our newest episodes now!
TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!
