Satirical political humor has been around for as long as there have been people in power. You could travel back in time to ancient Egypt and find evidence of political satire. Political satirists existed during colonial times, but the topic did not become insanely popular until the invention of the penny press in the mid to late nineteenth century.
In Ancient Greece, the famous playwright Aristophanes wrote many satirical comedies. His plays and shows were full of shots taken at the leaders of Athens while the Peloponnesian war was unfolding. In the plays written by William Shakespeare, Elizabethan politics were mocked. Especially in his play, Richard II. Mark Twain was another evident political satirist of his time. One of his famous jabs at politicians- "Suppose you were an idiot and suppose you were a member of congress." Another is "fleas can be taught nearly anything that a congressman can." Gerald Gardner, a former speechwriter for Robert F. Kennedy and a historian of presidential humor says that political satire has "gotten a lot tougher and bloodier through the years." With the most recent presidential elections that took place, a lot of the political satirists had themselves a fantastic time with their comedy shows and skits. Some of the most popular political satirists and comedy shows that include political satire are- Bill Maher, Stephen Colbert, Jon Stewart, Family Guy, John Mulaney, Carson Daly, and people who have hosted and participated in the making, writing, and producing of the popular Saturday Night Live show.
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