In a media landscape constantly grasping at one’s attention it is easy to come across someone playing a character or attempting to cash in on virality that exists in a window of time. Consequently in exchange what has been lost is sincerity, honesty, or wisdom of some kind. It has been said that the best kind of comedians punch up or expose contradictions in societies leaving an audience walking away not only having enjoyed a couple of laughs but with a fresh perspective on the world to think about for the drive home.
Over the years, the scene of comedy has evolved and the purpose comedy serves in our society has been called into question. An article published in “The Atlantic” titled “Comedians Only Care about Comedy” by James Parker, questions the sentiment that comedians are the truth tellers of our days and argues instead, “Comedians love comedy. They love it more than anything else: more than truth, or people, or the vision of a more just society. That’s what makes them comedians.” If this is the real fact of the matter, then comedian Josh Jonson has become the exception; showcasing his empathy and care for people and the world at large.
Always dressed in his signature grey hoodie, Johnson consistently puts out videos on his Youtube channel every week piecing and pulling apart the news and our current discourse for the humanity in it and in doing so allows the audience to reach for the humanity within themselves. From a young age Johnson always knew he wanted to do standup and was fascinated with history and how the world works. As a guest on a Youtube channel by the name of “LeBatardShow” in a video titled “Josh Johnson On Elon Musk, Billionaires in Space, Luigi Mangione, Diddy & Making a Comedy Community,” Johnson talks about his growing success, “This is something that’s been leading up to this moment of how I’ve always been mixed with what I’m really passionate about which is stand up and not necessarily just politics in general but the way that people are digesting the news and everything because I think that sometimes we don’t give ourselves credit that something is happening but it’s not really new and so you hear people go on and on about like a new development of a story but if you look at the wider context of history you see that, this is really, just a big part of it is cyclical and I think that one puts me a little bit at ease to joke about it but then also makes it so that hopefully I bring something a bit fresh to the idea.”
By posting to his Youtube channel Johsnon allows for easy accessibility and helps him foster a strong connection with his fanbase; which is something he cares about deeply. A video of Johnson’s titled “Why Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show is America” reached number 7 in the world on Youtube’s trending page. In response, Johnson posted to his fans, “I appreciate you all so much and I sincerely hope you got as much out of watching the set as I did writing and performing it. This path means more because you are all with me on it.” When Johnson is not posting on his Youtube channel one can find him working at the Daily Show, where he has been a writer since 2017 and a “Daily Show Correspondent” since February 2024. Currently, Johnson is traveling the country on “The Flowers Tour.” If interested one can check out dates and tickets on his website: Josh Johnson Comedy.
