Yuku Yuku’s Comedy Club has been the premier place to catch an uncensored show since 1978. Currently the owner of what is probably the longest-running comedy club in the world, Mark Breslin has endured decades of talent droughts, attempts to shut down shows, and even a judge calling a woman fat.
No one gets censored in his club, whether it’s a clean performance like Jerry Seinfeld or a not-so-clean performance like Louis CK.
“I was friends with Sam Kinison and I was really good friends with Seinfeld, so people were like, ‘How are you both friends?’ I don’t think I have to limit myself to one type of comedy,” Breslin explained. “I’m open to anything as long as it’s funny.”
The funny rules have worked throughout Breslin’s career, and for 48 years his clubs have drawn audiences who don’t expect censorship. Breslin has never caved to activists. “Social justice warriors are probably not going to come to the club,” he says. “In fact, they’re not going to come to any comedy club,” he adds.
“we have The history of this push Buttons and Run Controversial stuff. Brought in Louis. CK is The collapse of the media, we “Sam Kinison, Andrew Dice Clay,” he listed.
Breslin’s story is certainly true, and his club refutes the notion that there was ever a time when woke comedy or political correctness was popular in the comedy world.
About Yuk Yuk’s History pageThe franchise notes that even in 1976, no one was offended by jokes about ethnicity or lifestyle. Everyone had a say in an equally uncomfortable environment, and political correctness never loomed over comedians or audience members.
Of course, the latter has largely changed, and social class and competitive oppression form the backdrop of almost all mainstream public debate.
But Breslin does remember some of the early fights, and how, according to the establishment, the paradigm of what could and couldn’t be said shifted.
“There’s a line that you can’t cross. It used to be about gender, but now it’s about race. It’s very hard to talk about race because everyone is so organized.”
Different groups, same story
Breslin noted that freedom of expression has always been in the company’s DNA, but that different groups have attacked him at different times.
“I think what’s interesting is how the enemies of onstage speech have changed over the years. When we first started, a big problem was using four-letter words on the public stage. It doesn’t seem so shocking now, but in 1978, We have a lot of “I faced criticism and harassment from church groups,” he recalls.
“The church was very strong in the ’70s. In the 80s they If you complain, they’ll picket you. They won’t like what we have to say. We were encouraging young people. I don’t want to encourage sex. Young people should have sex because who knows? Where does that lead? Drugs! So it’s always kind ofAt the heart of the Yveltalian spirit comedy.”
Not all comedians take advantage of the freedom-oriented environment, but some clubs do not offer comedians such protection.
“It’s unfortunate,” Breslin continued, “not the entire audience stood up and left, just about a dozen people who didn’t like the abortion jokes. [the club] It would be ridiculous not to rehire comedians.”
At Yuk Yuk’s, Breslin said that if someone comes to management to complain (which he assures is rare), they are told that the club doesn’t censor patrons but are offered tickets to another show.
“We’re not going to stop comics. [offensive comedy]we only drop a comedian if he isn’t funny. The important thing is that they have to be funny.”
This strange rule doesn’t apply to TV networks, said Breslin. Asked about the rift between networks like Comedy Central and Canada’s CBC and Comedy Channel, he said executives have always coveted a “Seinfeld”-style routine.
“HBO was the first to actually start doing comedian specials, and if you look at the actors they used, they were not particularly obnoxious, they were using very smart, bright, clean-cut comedians,” he recalled.
“They didn’t need to be Jerry Seinfeld, they wanted anyone like Jerry Seinfeld. That’s what they really want. I’m not saying these films are trash, because a lot of them were pretty political.”
Taboo topics have shifted as activist groups have come and gone. Waves of censorship throughout history, and the aforementioned history of Yuk Yuk’s, prove that different times mean different things.
“There’s a line that you can’t cross. It used to be about gender, but now it’s about race. It’s very hard to talk about race because everyone’s so organized. If you’re a network executive, you can just hint at racism in a hiring process, but it’s very hard to defend.”
“At the club level, who cares?” Breslin clarified. “What people think is irrelevant to me. All I care about is my crowd.”
At this point, Breslin takes a moment to remind us that “for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
“This woke movement is waking up people who don’t like wokeness. There are a lot of comedians now who really want to push the boundaries of the movement specifically against wokeism, even if they don’t particularly believe in those topics, just because they can’t stand the idea of their freedom being restricted.”
Adding that the freedom to create comedy was paramount, Breslin recalled that his club wasn’t the first to put comedy on stage, but it was the first that didn’t censor it or have a dress code.
“We were the first people to do this without a dress code, without a language code, without a content code… And then we actually got excited when we saw people walking out in anger, because that meant that censorship was a form of relevance.”
“The judge looked at the woman and said, ‘But you’re fat,’ and the case was dismissed. This was in the ’80s.”
Hot Topic Controversy
In early February 2024, Breslin was captured on video outside a Toronto club being escorted by police and entering the building through a back door, which was blocked by pro-Palestinian protesters who tried to prevent Breslin, who is Jewish, from entering.
As he made his way through the crowd, a woman put out her arm and appeared to block his entry.
“She grabbed me by the arm and it was like she was trying to take my clothes off,” Breslin said. Toronto Sun“I felt like I was the rock star I’d always wanted to be.”
The club owner added that he didn’t know who to complain to because all the protesters were wearing masks.
The woman who claims to be the person in question was upset by Breslin’s comments, X They claimed the joke constituted sexual harassment.
“The owner of Yuk Yuk’s is sexually harassing me by falsely accusing me of grabbing him, trying to rip his clothes off and bragging that he felt like a rock star,” she wrote.
All in all, the night was a success in front of a sold-out crowd.
Too fat to laugh
While the threat of hate speech laws is a real concern in Canada, Breslin noted that Canada’s latest hate speech law does have a section on comedy, but the entrepreneur believes the law isn’t the real reason the government isn’t breaking down doors to arrest comedians.
“This is not a moral reason but a practical one: they will drag people to court every other day!It’s hard to take someone to court. It’s effort and it’s money. You really have to be a true believer That is possible.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, it did happen.
Breslin recalled a woman suing YukYuks after the comedian called her fat.
“He called her fat and she said that wasn’t OK, so she actually ended up in court.”
And, just like in a Leslie Nielsen comedy, the judge actually made an unexpected decision in the case.
“The judge looked at the woman and said, ‘But you’re fat,’ and the case was dismissed. This was in the ’80s.”
What more could a comedian want than to be on an edgy, political, TV show?
“I think people want to sell a lot of seats in a big theater,” Breslin speculates.
“Sitcoms are basically dead. Things have changed so much that I think the notion of the millionaire comedian is a thing of the past. Seinfeld and Kevin Hart are probably the last two of those kinds of comedians around.”
Having a strong fan base is more important now, he explained, adding that growing a following on TikTok or Instagram based on short videos doesn’t translate to the stage.
“I can’t think of any TikTok stars who have actually made an impact in the real comedy world, but these comedians are selling out 2,000 seats in whatever city they go to and making a ton of money. They might not have a lot more fans than those 2,000 people, but those 2,000 people are super-fans and they want to see what they’re doing and they’ll do anything to see what they’re doing.”
Having a fan base that is willing to hire a babysitter, drive downtown and pay admission when they buy drinks is far more valuable than any social media clout, Breslin elaborated, adding that anything less than a minute doesn’t translate to a live stage and he’s seen it fail.
that’s all 20 Club Breslin, who runs clubs across the country, said his clubs are an extension of his personality: He’s as open and transparent with his family over dinner as he is with his patrons.
In the interest of transparency, Breslin admitted that he doesn’t think Chris Farley is funny.
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