Comedian Pete Davidson said he would no longer do stand-up on college campuses because he is fearful that hypersensitive students will be offended.
Davidson, who is a Saturday Night Live cast member, claimed comedy is “getting destroyed” because outraged listeners target comedians for offensive jokes, costing them money, and limiting the topics of their comedy. He experienced this firsthand when the University of Central Florida scolded him following a show because he used “abusive language.”
In an interview with Paper, Davidson explained that he believes comedians are setting themselves up for failure by speaking to sensitive crowds, such as college students.
“It makes doing college [shows] really hard. I refuse to do a college after this year ’cause it’s like, you’re just setting yourself up for trouble … Comedy is just, like, getting destroyed,” Davidson said. “Stand-up’s about to be about, like, sneakers. Like, ‘Hey, everyone like sneakers?’ You can’t talk about anything. You can’t.”
He noted that comedians are concerned about their bottom line and don’t want to take the costly risk of offending the wrong audience.
“The second you open your mouth and have an opinion, you lose money today,” Davidson said, adding, “And I don’t think that’s a safe place to live in.”
Several other comedians have made the same argument as Davidson, noting that “woke culture” limits the topics comedians can joke about.
Davidson, 26, sparked a nationwide controversy after he joked about Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw’s use of an eye patch as a result of injuries sustained when he was deployed.
