Clean comedy is a

comedy genre Comedy can be divided into multiple genres based on the source of humor, the method of delivery, and the context in which it is delivered. These classifications overlap, and most comedians can fit into multiple genres. For example, deadpan Deadp ...

that is generally free of

ribaldry Ribaldry or blue comedy is humorous entertainment that ranges from bordering on indelicacy to indecency. Blue comedy is also referred to as "bawdiness" or being "bawdy". Like any humour, ribaldry may be read as conventional or subversive. Ribald ...

: explicitly sexual content,

profanity Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, is the usage of notionally word taboo, offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion (such a ...

, politically or racially controversial jokes,

toilet humor Toilet humour or potty humour is a type of off-colour humour dealing with: defecation (including diarrhea and constipation), in which case it is called scatological humour (compare scatology); urination; flatulence, in which case it is called fla ...

, and similarly objectionable material. Comedians may try to circumvent clean-comedy restrictions by using

innuendo An innuendo is a wikt:hint, hint, wikt:insinuation, insinuation or wikt:intimation, intimation about a person or thing, especially of a denigrating or derogatory nature. It can also be a remark or question, typically disparaging (also called in ...

euphemism A euphemism ( ) is when an expression that could offend or imply something unpleasant is replaced with one that is agreeable or inoffensive. Some euphemisms are intended to amuse, while others use bland, inoffensive terms for concepts that the u ...

doublespeak Doublespeak is language that deliberately obscures, disguises, distorts, or reverses the meaning of words. Doublespeak may take the form of euphemisms (e.g., "downsizing" for layoffs and "servicing the target" for bombing), in which case it is ...

double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, one of which is typically obvious, and the other often conveys a message that would be too socially unacc ...

s, and

gender-neutral language Gender-neutral language or gender-inclusive language is language that avoids reference towards a particular sex or gender. In English, this includes use of nouns that are not gender-specific to refer to roles or professions, formation of phrases i ...

. Clean comedy is not necessarily unprovocative. Clean comedy is considered by some to be a higher form of comedy than bits that rely on the shock of

or sexual content to elicit laughs.

Bob Newhart George Robert Newhart (September 5, 1929 – July 18, 2024) was an American comedian and actor. Newhart was known for his deadpan and stammering delivery style. Beginning his career as a stand-up comedian, he transitioned his career to acting in ...

said in a ''

Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...

'' interview that getting laughs from clean material "is harder. It's just harder... I got a certain satisfaction out of getting a response from the audience and knowing I'd done something that may be harder."

David Brenner David Norris Brenner (February 4, 1936 – March 15, 2014) was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author. The most frequent guest on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' in the 1970s and 1980s, Brenner "was a pioneer of observ ...

said "Many who rely on dirty humor do so because vulgar language helps sell weak jokes."

History

Some early comedies, such as the ancient Greek ''

Lysistrata ''Lysistrata'' ( or ; Attic Greek: , ''Lysistrátē'', ) is an ancient Greek comedy by Aristophanes, originally performed in classical Athens in 411 BC. It is a comic account of a woman's mission to end the Peloponnesian War between Greek city ...

'' and some of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's plays, could be considered raw and bawdy. The rise of the

mass media Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...

led to a focus on keeping comedy free from objectionable content to appeal to the largest audience and to advertisers. Comedians such as

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American retired comedian, actor, and media personality. Often cited as a trailblazer for African Americans in the entertainment industry, Cosby was a film, television, and stand-up comedy ...

and

were known for clean routines and attracted a wide audience. In the United States, the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

's rules against obscenity on broadcast television caused clean comedy to flourish. The rise of

cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with bro ...

and loosening of public attitudes towards the end of the 20th century allowed comedians to be more "edgy" or "filthy" and led to the rise of

blue comedy Ribaldry or blue comedy is humorous entertainment that ranges from bordering on indelicacy to indecency. Blue comedy is also referred to as "bawdiness" or being "bawdy". Like any humour, ribaldry may be read as conventional or subversive. Ribal ...

and media personalities like

Howard Stern Howard Allan Stern (born January 12, 1954) is an American broadcaster and media personality. He is best known for his radio show, ''The Howard Stern Show'', which gained popularity when it was nationally syndicated on terrestrial radio from 1 ...

who rely heavily on profanity and sexual content.

Resurgence

Clean comedy experienced a resurgence in the U.S. in the 2000s and 2010s, partly as a reaction against decades of blue comedy. Brian Regan, a comic who decided to turn to clean comedy, said in 2006, "Blue comedy is so commonplace, it's no longer counterculture." He added that while

baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the demographic cohort preceded by the Silent Generation and followed by Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964 during the mid-20th century baby boom that ...

might be jazzed by hearing the

seven dirty words The seven dirty words are seven English language profanity words that American comedian George Carlin first listed in his 1972 "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television" monologue. The words, in the order Carlin listed them, are: " shit", " ...

, young people in the 21st century were so used to hearing profane language that "The fact that something is dirty isn't the enticing part. It also has to be funny."

Jim Gaffigan James Christopher Gaffigan (born July 7, 1966) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and producer. His material often addresses fatherhood, laziness, food, religion, and general observations. He is regarded as a "clean" comic, using l ...

became very successful in the 2010s on a reputation for being clean, focusing his bits on everyday things like food and raising five children. Corporate conferences, cruise ships, non-profit organizations, schools and churches, and other organizations wanting family-friendly entertainment have also fueled a resurgence in clean comedy.

Nate Bargatze Nathanael Bargatze ( ; born March 25, 1979)Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'', with over a million tickets sold across his shows. A number of outlets have grown to support clean comedy. CleanComedians.com markets a roster of dozens of clean comics for events. Dry Bar Comedy was started in 2017 as an online television series of clean comedy routines and has attracted a large social media following.

Studio C ''Studio C'' is an American sketch comedy television show originally created by Matt Meese and Jared Shores. Produced by BYUtv, the show aims to be a clean, family-oriented comedy for a national audience. The show traces its roots to the Bri ...

racked up over 3 billion views on its YouTube channel as of November 2024 with clean comedy sketches.

References

{{Comedy footer Comedy genres Stand-up comedy

History

Resurgence

See also

References