Recent numbers released by Netflix show that the platform’s most popular comedy specials are primarily from its most politically incorrect comedians.
Comedians Matt Rife, Tom Segura and Shane Gillis had the most streamed stand-up comedy specials on Netflix in the second half of 2023, capitalizing on what many feel is a return to uncensored comedy.
Rife has been particularly successful since “Matt Rife: Natural Selection” took streaming by storm, garnering a total of 13.5 million hours watched on Netflix. variety The show reportedly garnered over 10 million views in its first few weeks and was in the top 10 on Netflix in 42 countries.
This was expanded into two further comedy specials on the Life platform, deadlineHe has a sitcom in development. Netflix.
Rife previously faced cancellation for a joke about leaving a Baltimore waitress with a bruised eye. After media attempts to re-educate him, Rife posted an image from the stand-up special to his social media pages, commenting, “If I was ever offended by a joke I told, here is a link to my public apology.”
The link said “Tap to solve your problem” and took users to a website selling “special needs helmets.”
“It seems to me that there’s always oversight and guardrails in comedy.”
Coming in second among Netflix’s stand-up viewers was Segura’s “Sledgehammer,” with 12.2 million hours watched.
Segura has had several successful specials and two Top 50 Besides his comedy podcast, Segura also brings his unique ideas to life on the road. Along with fellow athletes and comedians, Segura recentlyPunt, pass, kick“An event that blurs the lines between comedy and live entertainment”
The comedian capitalized on the occasion by hosting a football-themed event during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas, and also did promotional work with MGM, hosted blackjack tournaments and performed stand-up shows.
While Segura is rarely seen as aggressive, he certainly doesn’t play by the rules, and his circle of friends, which includes Bert Kreischer, Joe Rogan and others, isn’t exactly one to appeal to the woke audience, either.
The same can’t be said for Gillis’ “Beautiful Dogs,” the No. 3 special on Netflix.
The words “mentally disabled” and “gay” as well as Donald Trump impersonations are typical of Gillis’ shows, including his February 2024 appearance as host of “Saturday Night Live.”
Gillis explained that he kept some of his choice of words secret in rehearsals, but added that “the right people” knew what he would say. The explosive appearance has earned him a new special on Netflix, and the platform plans to premiere his show, “Tires,” in May 2024.
The highest-rated comedy special ever was closed by a surprise offering from former Comedy Central host Trevor Noah called “Where Was I,” which garnered 6.3 million hours of viewership.
But Ricky Gervais’ “Armageddon” and Dave Chappelle’s “The Dreamer” weren’t such surprises.
The viewership figures for these two specials were truly impressive, considering Gervais’ special was released on Christmas Day 2023, and Chappelle’s was released just a few days later on New Year’s Eve. By the end of 2023, the specials had garnered 8.4 million and 2.1 million viewing hours, respectively.
Gervais, who has always been opposed to political correctness, recently said he feels like the left is positioning itself as the arbiter of comedy.
“It seems to me that there’s always oversight and guardrails in comedy,” he said. Fox News“The difference is that before, it felt like the right was policing it. Now it feels like the left is policing it and allowing the right to be the arbiter of free speech. That feels like a pretty big change.”
Like Blaze News? Bypass the censorship and sign up for our newsletter to get stories like this directly to your inbox. Register here!
