Into It with Sam Sanders

Get new episodes every Tuesday and Friday.

Save this article to read it later.

Find this story in your accountsSaved for Latersection.

Article image

Also, its harder to shame people into seeing what theyre doing.

To have jokes that act as a true salve, we must ask, are the jokes as soothing?

Do they work like they used to?

Its like when you were a kid and you only needed one Tylenol.

Then you became an adult.

You have real problems now.

The jokes really got to kick you in the teeth to really make you laugh and let go.

How much harder has that made your job as a comedian?

I can offer jokes from a different perspective.

And Im like, Go after them and then what?

Are they going to resign the next day?

If he aint resigned by now, hes never leaving.Exactly.

How much of your Correspondents Dinner set is just Clarence Thomas jokes?

Say two-thirds or more.

Thats what I want.I could joke about Clarence Thomas getting flown around the country like an Instagram model.

Theres some DeSantis versus Trump we need to get into.

Theres some Democrats filibustering, the Republicans police-reform bill we need to get into.

And thats the thing; theres questions to explore, but then you have to wonder,Okay.

They often ask you to do both, and its hard.

How Black do you think you could be on that microphone?Its not about can be.

Its about what I should be.

I think the role of Correspondents speaker is to verify that you are doing right by the constituents.

Who are your constituents for this?

The room, America, what?Nobody in that room is my ally.

Im for the people.

Comedians are for the people.

Make no bones about it.

I wasnt hired to give no speech, but I was hired to give a little bit of truth.

Im not Dick Gregory.

I dont have the ability to oscillate between humor and anger effortlessly in indignation.

I dont think I possess that, but I think theres a way to talk about the Black experience.

I do know that well have a conversation about reparations somewhere up in there.

Who else will have the opportunity to have the undivided attention of lawmakers?

But you are excited about the gig.

I mean, it seems like a lot.

Are you excited about it, at least?Yeah.

I could do that with my eyes closed now.

But this, yes, I will be walking through the National Mall sweating.