In the initial week of U.S.-led airstrikes targeting Iranian officials, late-night talk show hosts delivered a multitude of jokes, with an overwhelming 94% focused on the U.S. and its allies rather than on Iran’s government.
Researchers analyzed 20 episodes from various shows, including ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show, NBC’s Seth Meyers’ Late Night, and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. During the period from March 2 to 5, 235 out of 250 jokes targeted the United States, while only 15 were aimed at Iran, according to a report from News Busters.
The analysis included a compilation of clips showcasing humor centered around the military operation against Iran, referred to as Epic Fury.
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A study conducted by the Media Research Center found that 94 percent of war-related jokes made by comedians focused on the U.S. and its allied nations involved in military actions.
News Busters defines war-related jokes as those linked to military activities, pointers from supportive commentators, past critiques by Iranian officials regarding earlier conflicts, or humorous takes on Iran’s future.
Breaking down the findings, the publication reported that the most frequently targeted figure for humor was identified 229 times, all related to the United States, with President Trump being the butt of jokes 152 times.
“Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth followed closely with 23 jokes, while Senator Markwayne Mullin (14), Congressional Republican (7), and Senator Lindsey Graham (6) rounded out the top five,” News Busters noted.
Seth Meyers reportedly had the highest proportion of jokes centered around America, with all of his quips directed at the U.S. at the age of 52.
Jimmy Fallon joked about the U.S. 36 out of 37 times (97%), whereas Jimmy Kimmel poked fun at the U.S. 51 out of 53 times (96%).
Stephen Colbert’s jokes also aimed at the U.S. 43 out of 48 times (90%), while Jon Stewart and Michael Costa made jokes about American and allied support in military efforts a combined 53 out of 60 times (88%).
News Busters highlighted that when it came to humor directed at Iran, the fate of Khamenei was only joked about on nine occasions.
Interestingly, while hosts have the freedom to criticize U.S. military actions in the Middle East, they rarely make humor at Iran’s expense.
The report noted that Mr. Stewart did joke about Iran’s attacks on neighboring countries, and Mr. Colbert humorously questioned whom Iran’s leaders would target next.
