If you listen to any comedian speak about the state of comedy nowadays, the topic of political correctness is likely right around the corner. From Jerry Seinfeld, to Dave Chappelle, to Mel Brooks, more and more comics seemingly feel as if their material is held to a different standard today. Modern audiences are just too sensitive and too easily offended, some say. Well, Seth Rogen doesn’t buy it.
In Esquire’s latest cover story, which features Rogen, the actor spoke at length about the state of comedy.”The complaint that comedy’s harder than it used to be is not a valid complaint,” he says. “Maybe it was too easy before. And why should it be? Why shouldn’t it be hard? I like that my job is hard, because I’m trying to do something that requires a huge amount of resources and people’s time and energy.”
Rogen, of course, had a hand in a staggering amount of this century’s funniest films, including This Is the End, Knocked Up, The Night Before, The Interview, and Funny People. Now, he’s currently preparing to launch his new Apple TV+ comedy, The Studio, in which he plays a movie studio executive struggling to keep his projects afloat. The series is packed to the brim with guests stars and smart comedy.
“What do you wish you could say?” Rogen asks his fellow comedians. “What do you feel has been taken from you? It’s always funny when people are like: Oh, they could never made the Diversity Day episode of The Office today. You can still watch it.”
Speaking of great comedies that you can still watch today, Rogen’s Superbad still holds up. He wrote it with his writing partner, Evan Goldberg, when they were both teenagers. “I’m constantly meeting teenagers who love Superbad and who think it holds up,” Rogen adds. “None of them are like: How fucking dare you have said that?”