Tim Allen is back on stage doing his original love: stand-up comedy. The television icon is traveling the country entertaining crowds, but he’s noticed a few marked differences from before the pandemic. Allen has some valid concerns, and they strike at the heart of the future of comedy, indoor entertainment, and how we will respond to pandemics in the future.
Tim Allen On His Struggles With The Pandemic
“Last Man Standing,” Tim Allen’s most recent hit sitcom, endured a rocky landing as it wrapped up during the pandemic.
Allen admits he struggled with the show coming to an end. But at least he could go back on the road to do stand-up, right?
Unfortunately, the beloved funnyman experienced problems there, too.
Allen, typically known for comedy that is unafraid to poke fun at the modern world, said he felt hesitant to incorporate jokes about COVID-19 into his act. Especially given the effect the pandemic had on his own friends and family:
“It’s a tightrope. I have a family member that passed away. I have neighbors that have passed away. Then I’ve had hundreds of thousands of people, a lot of which I don’t know, that had [COVID-19] and didn’t know they had it. This [has] been a very difficult navigation for a comedian. Is it funny for me to do? I printed out hats for a while that just said F-Covid on it. I was so angry with how it was separating my family that I was mad at this virus. Then some people at a local store said, ‘You think this is funny?’ And I had to say, I laugh sometimes because I have nothing else to give. … Sometimes it’s not appropriate, and that’s OK too.”
He was also hesitant about audience response. Allen thought jokes were bombing before realizing that maybe he couldn’t hear their laughter because it was muffled by their masks.
Via Cinemablend:
“[It’s a] big difference for a comedian to hear that muffled laugh. It wasn’t satisfying because it seemed like people didn’t like it. ‘No,’ they said, ‘You got a standing ovation.'”
But with mask mandates dropping all over the place, can comedy be saved, or are we doomed to masked laughter for all eternity?
Speaking of Masks…
I currently live in Los Angeles and, even here, mask mandates are starting to lift.
Now, without going into the more political reasons for whether certain mask restrictions stay or go, I will say that I am just happy I don’t have to wear an N95 to go into a gas station anymore.
But even as mask mandates lift – will things ever be the same? Some people might elect to wear masks forever while others will never don another mask. I can help but worry the mask issue will continue to be a needless divide among Americans.
Read Also: Multiple Woke Celebrities Who Support Continued COVID-19 Restrictions Caught Maskless At Super Bowl
So how do we turn the tide? That answer is always mainstream messaging. What’s acceptable and what’s not … according to those with power and platforms.
The mainstream media engine is already hard at work and we’ve seen the first big signal of the cultural shift. But does that mean the once taboo topic is safe for comedians like Tim Allen, too?
Does SNL COVID Dinner Sketch Open Door For Comedians Like Tim Allen?
COVID-19, a subject that was up until very recently completely taboo, was the focus of a surprise Saturday Night Live sketch on February 26.
The SNL skit featured a couples dinner where they took turns confessing their innermost doubts about mask mandates, vaccines, and more. Questioning the science has been a big no-no in mainstream Hollywood and so this SNL skit certainly marked a big pivot.
If a mainstream show like SNL is able to joke about mask mandates and the science, does that mean Tim Allen can too?
You can watch the SNL “COVID Dinner Discussion” skit featuring Kenan Thompson, Kate McKinnon, Bowen Yang, Aidy Bryant, and Heidi Gardner in the view below. While what they say likely won’t shock you – you might be shocked to see such statements uttered on NBC.
At the end of the day, I think we’ve all had enough of talking about masks. So let’s watch some brilliant comedy by Tim Allen instead. Enjoy!
Would you go see Tim Allen stand up? Let us know in the comments below.
Read next: Tim Allen Returns To The Role Of Scott Calvin In New Disney+ Series “The Santa Clause”
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