On the Doomscroll podcast, host Joshua Citarella sat down with comedian Gianmarco Soresi to talk about a trend that’s become increasingly hard to ignore: why some comedians appear to drift toward right-wing audiences over time.
Citarella framed the discussion around the idea of “negative polarization,” suggesting that the shift isn’t always intentional, but can happen almost by accident.
As he put it: “Is there some kind of like they call it negative polarization. Sometimes where people kind of accidentally back themselves up into a position where like, ‘Oh, left-wing people are like retweeting me and saying negative things. So now I think I’m a right-winger’ and then some big right-wing institution is like ‘Oh, we’ll pay for your next special’ and then people kind of like find themselves in these camps almost by accident it seems.”
Citarella also noted that most comedians don’t start with deeply entrenched political beliefs. “I don’t think a lot of comedians have these kind of firm ardent ideological positions,” he continued.
Soresi agreed and said that comedians’ material often evolves based on audience reaction and career circumstances.
He stated: “I think absolutely and it’s kind of up to the comedian to decide how much they indulge in it and how far they go. And I do think there’s some that one day looked out at their audience and said how the f**k did I get here?”
He went on to explain how these shifts can begin, sometimes from very specific, personal turning points.
Soresi mentioned: “I do know some comedians who have pivoted there and everyone has its own origin story of what got them there. I know one in particular where it was about the vaccine and they weren’t allowed in some venues in New York that they normally performed at because they didn’t get vaccinated.”
He then referenced comedian Matthew Broussard, adding: “Nothing radicalizes a comedian more than not being on TV for 12 years, which is very true. You get mad. You get mad at the world.”
According to Soresi, once that pivot begins, it tends to accelerate quickly due to the nature of comedy itself. “That right-wing turn starts coming in where suddenly other people are mad and suddenly the jokes, comedians are responders to what people are laughing at and ticket sales, and so suddenly more people agree with that one opinion and before you know it you’ve just gone further and further.”
He also pointed out that the ecosystem itself can reinforce the shift. “I think the right-wing turn it’s just like the map of it is so clear. The infrastructure of it is so clear. The different podcasts, the different shows.” For comedians seeking an audience and platform, that structure can make the transition easier to sustain.
At the same time, Soresi was critical of the kind of comedy that can come out of this evolution.
He said, “I would argue that sometimes some of it’s just tied to bad writing. Bad comedy writing where I feel like to my mind whether it be racism or homophobia or kind of these simple things where ultimately it’s like ew or get them out of here and the joke is just on that. There’s such a basic joke. So I think a lot of bad comedians or a lot of ones who are lazy gravitate towards that because they can find an audience that will laugh at you going like g*y.”
