Sometimes the freedom and openness of comedy allows it to respond to world events more effectively than traditional news media. Consider South Park’s chaotic, over-the-top, and visually jarring portrayals of Donald Trump—most recently, showing him cheating on Satan (who is pregnant with his child) with J.D. Vance in the White House. That’s fair game: creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have long owned this kind of satire.
But there’s no inherent reason why satirical TV programs like The Daily Show should have to step into the roles of news provider, investigative journalist, and critic. Yet, over the past thirty years, the failure of U.S. corporate media to adequately cover the country’s broken politics has pushed figures like Jon Stewart into filling that void.
This problem was identified as early as 2000 by economist Paul Krugman. He criticized the press for being “fanatically determined to seem even-handed,” to the point of refusing to call out blatant falsehoods. “If a presidential candidate were to declare that the Earth is flat,” Krugman wrote, “you would be sure to see a news analysis under the headline Shape of the Planet: Both Sides Have a Point.”
It was this environment that fueled American satire’s cathartic rise in the early 21st century. The Daily Show began conducting tougher interviews than most primetime TV programs. Stephen Colbert gained fame by playing a fake conservative talk show host, openly parodying Bill O’Reilly’s mid-2000s Fox News show. Then John Oliver pioneered “investigative comedy,” often breaking scandalous stories more effectively than the news programs he was mocking.
As two researchers from the Universities of Innsbruck and Groningen noted in a paper last summer, “affective shifts” among the public allow late-night comedians to build trust with their audience, “which ultimately allows political comedy to act as a form of opinionated journalism.”
A new generation of stand-up comedians seems to understand this power instinctively. “Comedians don’t have to play by the same rules, so they can point out the glaringly obvious—so obvious it feels subjective,” Parisian journalist and stand-up comedian Charles Pellegrin told me. Meanwhile, Safia Benyahia, who runs a Paris-based comedy production company, said stand-up has grown in popularity “because everything is more political and divisive. People are walking on eggshells, and they trust comedy to engage difficult topics in a safe way.”
But the lines have become increasingly blurred. From the absurd official statements issued by the White House to comedy writers struggling to satirize serious and horrific events, political news has come close to breaking comedy itself.
“Trump gave us so much material that you could only approach it superficially, and a lot of viewers, I think, felt like: you’re just recounting the day,” millennial American stand-up star Gianmarco Soresi told me. Comedy at its best, he continued, “is trying to blow things up. Comedy should question power, and the second that comedy becomes power, it’s lost its efficacy. That’s why it was so offensive when comedians kind of saddled up to Trump.”
However, Soresi was also quick to note that comedy cannot replace politics—its power has limits. “Do I think we can create a space for relief? Yes. Do I think it can create a space for reflection? Yes. Do I think—as an American Jew—it can poke holes in Israel’s geopolitical agenda? Yes,” says Soresi. “Do I think it can build a political movement that takes down Netanyahu? No.”
I attend a fair amount of stand-up comedy in Parisian basement bars, where the scene Pellegrin and Benyahia are part of is thriving. I’ve laughed my way through the latest season of South Park, and I know that figures like Stewart, Oliver, and Colbert regularly help preserve the sanity of my American friends. But there is a danger in what we’re…We are asking comedy to take on journalism’s responsibility to inform the public and to serve as a public forum—but without any of journalism’s institutional safeguards.
When I first moved to France in 2012, I wondered why French TV didn’t seem to have the same abundance of satirical political comedy shows as in the US. I gradually realized it was because the news media there were doing their job properly. The evening politics show Des Paroles et Des Actes on France 2 featured live fact-checking of guests’ claims. Presidential debates were more than just a series of 30-second soundbites: moderators pressed candidates, sometimes repeatedly, and fairness was maintained by tracking each speaker’s time.
Over the past fifteen years, however, the French media landscape has also declined. In particular, two right-wing billionaires have bought up television stations, radio stations, and newspapers. CNews has styled itself as a French version of Fox News, trust in the media has fallen, and disinformation has gained ground. At the same time, French society feels more polarized, and the far right has improved its electoral results.
I fear France is heading down the same path as the US, where traditional news media grow weaker and more partisan, politics becomes a farce, and comedy steps in to fill the void. Consider, for example, the satire site Le Gorafi exposing Sarkozy over his absurd prison memoir—published after just three weeks behind bars.
Anti-politics flourishes where anti-media has taken root, leaving comedy to serve as both catharsis and cause. I don’t know if this trend can be reversed, but I do know we must try. Whatever the cost, the long-term payoff will be far greater. Without that effort, we risk turning the comedian’s stage into our most important public forum. That is dangerous for society, and it is also the opposite of what comedy should be.
Alexander Hurst is a Guardian Europe columnist. His memoir, Generation Desperation, will be published in January 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs Satire Democracy and the Modern Political Climate
BeginnerLevel Questions
1 What is this articles main point about satire and democracy
The article argues that while political satire is incredibly important for critiquing power and speaking truth we cannot rely on it alone to save or protect democratic institutions Its a tool for awareness not a political solution
2 Why does satire feel more essential than ever in the age of Trump
Satire thrives on highlighting absurdity hypocrisy and contradictions A political style often characterized by these traits provides rich material In such an environment satire can cut through noise factcheck through humor and provide a shared language for critique
3 What does it mean that we shouldnt count on it to rescue democracy
It means satires job is to criticize mock and expose problemsnot to vote pass laws organize movements or run for office Saving democracy requires active realworld civic participation beyond just commentary
4 Can you give an example of satire from this era
Shows like Saturday Night Live The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and websites like The Onion are prime examples that dissect current events through humor
5 What are the benefits of political satire
It can simplify complex issues engage people who might avoid news foster a sense of shared understanding hold the powerful accountable by mocking their failings and serve as a pressure valve for public frustration
Advanced Practical Questions
6 What are the limitations or dangers of relying on satire
Preaching to the Choir It often reinforces the views of those who already agree rather than persuading opponents
Normalization Constant satire can make extreme statements or behavior seem mundane or even acceptable
Cynicism Disengagement It can lead to a feeling that everything is a joke which may discourage serious political action
Misinterpretation Satire can be taken literally or weaponized out of context by bad actors
7 How has the relationship between satire and power changed recently
Some argue that when power itself adopts a performative exaggerated or posttruth style it can become sat
