Lou Perez: NO JOKES ALLOWED? Cancel Culture, Comedy, Free Speech | Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice
Is comedy becoming the last forbidden form of free speech?
On this episode of Dangerous Laughter, A.J. Rice sits down with comedian, producer, satirist, and author Lou Perez for a conversation about cancel culture, censorship, political correctness, and why comedy remains one of the most powerful tools for telling the truth.
Drawing from his acclaimed book, That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: On the Death and Rebirth of Comedy, Lou explains how today's cultural climate has changed stand-up comedy, entertainment, and public discourse—and why laughter continues to challenge power.
The discussion covers:
Cancel culture and the future of comedy
Free speech and the First Amendment
Political satire in modern America
George Carlin, Lenny Bruce & comedy history
Charlie Hebdo and the cost of speaking freely
Social media outrage and censorship
Why comedians are today's truth tellers
The rebirth of comedy
If you enjoy conversations about free speech, comedy, politics, culture, satire, the First Amendment, and cancel culture, this is an episode you won't want to miss.
⏱ Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:35 Is Comedy Still Allowed?
09:42 The Death of Comedy
19:58 Cancel Culture & Censorship
31:20 Why Humor Scares Authoritarians
44:15 The Rebirth of Comedy
57:10 Final Thoughts
🎙 Guest: Lou Perez
🌐 Official Website
https://www.thelouperez.com/
📚 That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore: On the Death and Rebirth of Comedy
https://www.thelouperez.com/ (Order page with links to Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, BAM!, Bookshop & IndieBound)
▶️ YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@TheLouPerez
𝕏 X (Twitter)
https://x.com/TheLouPerez
📸 Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/thelouperez/
🎙 The Lou Perez Podcast
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-lou-perez-podcast/id1535032081
📰 Substack
https://substack.com/@louperez
🎭 Dangerous Laughter with A.J. Rice
▶️ Subscribe on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/@DangerousLaughterShow
🌐 Official Website
https://dangerouslaughter.com
📚 Books by A.J. Rice
📖 The White Privilege Album
https://whiteprivilegealbum.com
📖 The Woking Dead
https://wokingdeadbook.com
📢 Publius PR
🌐 https://ajricepr.com
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