Don Rickles‘s comedic genius transcends time and generations. He broke a lot of rules as the father of insult comedy. Zach Galifianakis, from the new generation of comedians, sat down with the legendary comic to discuss how it all began. As you can imagine, Rickles was both genuine and brutal!
Rickles was politically incorrect before it was cool. He dove right into using stereotypes when others wouldn’t. While his insults and ethnic slurs might have torpedoed anyone else’s career, everyone knew Mr. Warmth actually had a heart of gold. He used it to celebrate our differences in a rather untraditional manner. There was nothing divisive or mean-spirited about it.
Galifianakis’s show “Between Two Ferns” is the perfect venue for these two to talk about the origins of insult comedy – if you aren’t familiar, Galifinakis insults and mocks the guests he brings on. He even went after Hillary Clinton in epic fashion during her failed presidential campaign. (As you can imagine, the embattled former Secretary of State was not thrilled about it, especially since there was a Trump ad in the middle of the show.)
When Rickles and Galifianakis chatted over lunch, nobody was safe from insults. They skewered everyone from Jewish farmers to Puerto Rican cooks. There also were clips of Rickles roasting people over the years.
Galifianakis is thrilled to break bread with Don Rickles and chat about the past. He was sitting down with the man who created his preferred brand of comedy. You can tell he really enjoyed being the target of Rickles’s insults as well.
WATCH:
What a legend! Don Rickles didn’t let his politics get in the way of his comedy. He was a lifelong Democrat, but he performed at the Inaugurations of President Reagan and President George HW Bush. There wasn’t such a drastic political divide at that time. It was an honor to perform for the President, period! Don Rickles understood that. He thought out differences made us better.
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