ABSTRACT
Since ancient times, political humor has enabled people to cope with the adversities of life as well as make fun of their leaders’ shortcomings. In recent decades, the late night comics of television have used a variety of formats to ridicule those who possess political authority. Be it the stumble-prone Gerald Ford, the aging Lothario Bill Clinton, the malapropisms of George W. Bush, the overly reserved demeanor of Barack Obama or the outrageous pronouncements of tweeter-in-chief Donald Trump, the White House consistently provides a rich source of humor in politics. The political humor examined here focuses on content from The Daily Show on Comedy Central, The Late Show on CBS, The Tonight Show on NBC, Jimmy Kimmel Live! on ABC, Full Frontal with Samantha Bee on TBS, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver on HBO, and Saturday Night Live on NBC. Together these programs provide a wide range of comic treatments of recent presidents.
