The quote, “I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say,” is in jeopardy. There have been unfortunate events that have put the humor and comedians in danger. Tinseltown is still rippling with the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscar altercation. This month, a young individual, Isaiah Lee tackled Dave Chappelle during his comedy special at Hollywood Bowl in Las Vegas.
However, these attacks on comedians and free speech do not deter the comedians from speaking in the microphone. In an event converted into a comedy special on Netflix, many legendary names in the comedy arena were inducted at the National Comedy Center in Jamestown, New York. During the event, John Mulaney honored the Dead Poets Society actor Robin Williams.
John Mulaney Had A Teary Segue-Way While Reading The Letter Of Robin Williams’ Daughter
Netflix has dropped a new comedy special titled The Hall: Honoring The Great Of Stand-Up. During the special induction ceremony, the SNL writer and comic John Mulaney commemorated the legendary Good Will Hunting actor Robin Williams.
He began his set by talking about what distinguished the late comic from the others. John said, “There is no footage of Robin Williams phoning it in. There exists no recorded moment when he wasn’t giving his all.” praising Williams’ philanthropy and dedication towards comedy.
Mulaney revisited some of the cinematic highlights like the first classroom scene in “Good Morning, Vietnam,” as well as smaller roles in films like “Nine Months.” He claimed that The Fisher King was the best performance of a comic actor to date. The stand-up comedian then delved into the darkness that ensues in the comedy profession.
John said, “Being a comedian is not a psychiatric condition. Are many of us also very f**ked up, myself included? Yes, But whatever. Some depressed people don’t even have the decency to be great comedians, why don’t you pick on them for a change?”
The most heart-wrenching moment of the piece was when he read Robin Williams’ daughter Zelda Williams’ letter. He read, “In my eyes, so much of what Dad wanted to do was to brighten people’s lives. Especially those he thought may need it the most. In that way, I think his drive had much less to do with his own sadness, and much more to do with lifting the world’s.”
The other comedians who received the honor of induction were George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Joan Rivers. Dave Chappelle, Jon Stewart, and Chelsea Handler also honored the legendary comics.
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