Laughter is key to Impact

Look, we could all use a good laugh right about now. But humor isn't just about escaping reality—it's one of our most powerful tools for changing it. From late-night TV to YouTube satire, from stand-up specials to editorial cartoons, comedy keeps finding ways to sneak past our defenses and make us think while we're busy laughing.

And here's the thing: U.S. politics has gotten so absurd that reality now makes HBO's Veep look like a documentary. That show used to feel like exaggerated satire. Now? It feels almost tame.

Why Comedy Matters More Than Ever

Good comedy doesn't just make us laugh—it opens doors to conversations we'd otherwise avoid. It builds bridges between people who disagree. And in a world that feels increasingly fractured, those shared moments of laughter remind us we're all human.

Comedy as Resistance Around the Globe

In Bogotá, Daniel Samper Ospina's NotiDanny delivers satirical news summaries that help Colombians cope with their country's political circus. We've seen his live show twice, and watching him lampoon corruption and political absurdity while the audience roars with recognition is something special. Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef created Al Bernameg, which became the most-watched show in Middle Eastern TV history—30 million weekly viewers—before he was forced into exile. He recently made a comeback to Egyptian state TV in October 2025 after more than a decade.

Over in Washington, D.C., The Capitol Steps spent 39 years turning congressional staffers into song-parody satirists before closing shop in 2020. I loved catching their shows every few years—there was nothing quite like watching them skewer politicians through musical comedy, turning C-SPAN moments into Broadway-style numbers that made you laugh so hard you forgot how depressing the news actually was.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Kimmel mixes heartfelt stories about health care access with absurdist takes on political hypocrisy. In the UK, Jonathan Pie—a fictional news reporter created by comedian Tom Walker—delivers viral rants about British, American, and global politics, warning about threats to free speech on both sides of the Atlantic.

Germany's heute-show turns parliamentary missteps into prime-time comedy gold. In Nigeria, Basketmouth and Ali Baba use humor to mock politicians and expose dysfunction, giving frustrated citizens a way to laugh at absurdity instead of just crying about it.

Editorial Cartoons: Cartoon Movement

Cartoon Movement proves that sometimes a single image says more than a thousand words. Based in The Hague, this platform brings together over 220 editorial cartoonists from more than 80 countries, creating visual commentary on climate justice, refugee rights, and corruption that cuts across language barriers.

Female Comedians Leading the Charge

Women are absolutely crushing it in political comedy right now. Wanda Sykes has been speaking truth to power for decades, from her White House Correspondents' Dinner performance to her Netflix specials that tackle everything from LGBTQ+ rights to police violence. Her recent advice to President Trump on improving his approval rating? "Resign!"

Samantha Bee hosted Full Frontal from 2016 to 2022, becoming the only woman hosting a late-night political talk show in the U.S. at the time. She didn't pull punches—she went after corruption, inequality, and political absurdity with surgical precision while raising over a million dollars for causes like Planned Parenthood.

Michelle Wolf made headlines for weeks after her 2018 White House Correspondents' Dinner set, where she held nothing back in critiquing power and the media that covers it.

Tig Notaro turned her breast cancer diagnosis into a legendary 2012 set that subverted expectations about illness and femininity, showing how vulnerability and honesty can be revolutionary.

Global Voices

In Australia, Hannah Gadsby redefined comedy itself with Nanette, a special that deconstructed the art form while addressing trauma, identity, and power—earning a Peabody Award and an Emmy.

South Africa's Trevor Noah brought his experience growing up under apartheid to The Daily Show, bridging cultures and continents with humor that makes complex issues accessible.

Indian comedian Vir Das delivered his iconic "Two Indias" monologue at the Kennedy Center, becoming the first Indian comic with his own Netflix stand-up show. Fellow Indian comedian Varun Grover co-created "Aisi Taisi Democracy," a political satire musical tackling privilege and power.

Pakistani-American Hasan Minhaj created Patriot Act, the first weekly U.S. talk show hosted by an Indian American, which ran from 2018 to 2020 and won an Emmy and a Peabody Award while tackling topics from global obesity to Indian elections to mental health.

Malaysian-born Ronny Chieng serves as a senior correspondent on The Daily Show while touring with stand-up that dissects politics and generational divides.

In Africa, comedians like Tumi Morake in South Africa and Khanyisa Bunu—one of Africa's "queens of comedy"—are breaking barriers in male-dominated spaces. Urzila Carlson, who calls herself "Token African," brings South African perspectives to global stages.

Five Ways Humor Changes Things

1. Opens Difficult Conversations – Jokes create safe space to discuss race, gender, corruption, and injustice without immediate defensiveness.

2. Builds Real Empathy – When diverse audiences laugh together in Bogotá, Berlin, Cairo, or Mumbai, those barriers between "us" and "them" start crumbling.

3. Chooses Hope Over Fear – Optimistic humor motivates sustained action better than doom-and-gloom ever could.

4. Sticks in Your Brain – A well-crafted joke lingers way longer than statistics or lectures.

5. Goes Viral – One local comedian's bit can become a global movement overnight thanks to social media.

When Comedy Goes Wrong

But let's be honest—comedy can absolutely backfire. It can reinforce stereotypes, dehumanize vulnerable people, or get weaponized to whitewash atrocities.

Take Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Comedy Festival in September-October 2025. The dates included the seventh anniversary of journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder. Performers like Dave Chappelle, Kevin Hart, and Bill Burr faced serious backlash for lending legitimacy to a regime with a brutal human rights record. Marc Maron called out performers for getting paid by "the same guy that bonesaw-ed Khashoggi." Human Rights Watch refused donations from festival performers, saying the event was designed to whitewash abuses.

Even targeting powerful figures can backfire. When late-night hosts roast President Trump, they sometimes end up rallying his base rather than changing minds—deepening divides instead of bridging them.

A Few Jokes Worth Remembering

• A Colombian YouTuber: "Our traffic laws are like polite Fortnite rules—everyone ignores them until there's a real crash."

• Jimmy Kimmel: "They cut my taxes so much I thought they fixed them—until I saw my bill for pothole repairs."

• Bassem Youssef during the Arab Spring: "We had a revolution to get rid of one dictator, and now we have thousands of mini-dictators on social media."

Where to Find Great Comedy

• NotiDanny (Colombia) – Daniel Samper Ospina's satirical news on YouTube

• Bassem Youssef – Egypt's pioneering satirist, "Jon Stewart of the Arab World"

• Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC, USA) – Late-night comedy with social commentary

• Jonathan Pie (UK) – Viral satirical news reporter character

• heute-show (ZDF, Germany) – Weekly satirical news with Oliver Welke

• Cartoon Movement – Global platform for editorial cartoons and comics journalism

• The Bugle (Podcast, Global) – Trans-global satirical news hosted by Andy Zaltzman

• Vir Das (India) – Netflix stand-up specials including "Two Indias" monologue

• Ronny Chieng – Daily Show correspondent and stand-up comedian

• AfroComedy – Platform showcasing African comedians driving social change

• Center for Media & Social Impact – Research on comedy's role in social change

• Open Society Foundations: Jokes & Justice in Latin America – Video featuring Latin American comedy activists

Social Impact Opportunities