Susie Essman says comedy today is 'all politically correct' and 'it's boring'

The comedian plays Susie Greene on "Curb Your Enthusiasm" series.

January 24, 2020, 2:11 PM

Comedian Susie Essman thinks that politics have changed comedians' ability to do standup, and not in the best way.

The "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star didn't hold back on "The View" Friday morning, saying that comedians' efforts to be politically correct have stunted how they learn, grow and refine their skills.

Essman recalled her early comedy career when she and "The View" co-host Joy Behar, who are still close friends, would test out their material at comedy clubs around New York City.

"You'd be in these dark, dirty, comedy clubs, smokey at the time. We inhaled so much second-hand smoke. Nobody had phones and nobody had Twitter and you could say whatever," Essman said. "You could push the envelope. You could explore. You could go too far and then feel that little feeling up your spine and pull yourself back and create something that was edgy."

"You can't do that anymore. You just can't. It's all politically correct. It's boring," Essman continued, noting that the show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is often not politically correct and that show creator Larry David "couldn't care less."

"I don't think he worries about it at all," she said of the controversial cringe comedy show. "He's an equal opportunity offender. He offends everybody. And I think he enjoys that. I think he lives to offend."

Essman's character, Susie Greene, is known for her say-it-like-it-is personality and fiery temper. She often calls out David and her on-air husband Jeff Greene, played by Jeff Garlin, for their inappropriate behavior.

"If he feels as though somebody is alienated by his political stance or whatever, alienate away," Essman said. "I think if you're not offending somebody, you're not being funny in some way. What are we, jugglers?"

"If you're a comedian and your whole thing is to be likable, you're going to lose the audience," Essman said "You can't worry about it."

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