Overview
- In an Oxford Union talk, O’Brien said comics who default to saying “F Trump” have been “co‑opted” by anger and have set aside their most effective tool of being funny.
- He argued Trump’s outlandish, unpredictable behavior makes satire structurally harder, saying “comedy needs a straight line” that no longer exists.
- A short clip posted by The Daily Caller spread quickly through right‑leaning media, where it was framed as a broad condemnation of modern late night.
- Longer context shows O’Brien also praised Jimmy Kimmel and Stephen Colbert for continuing to do strong work during Trump’s presidency.
- O’Brien further alleged that the FCC’s Brendan Carr “put his hand on the scale” ahead of Kimmel’s brief removal from broadcast last year.