American comedians performing at the Edinburgh fringe have spoken about the growing threat to freedom of speech in the era of Donald Trump. Jena Friedman, a veteran of The Daily Show, described a tense encounter with US border control in Vancouver, where an officer repeatedly asked what she jokes about. ‘It did feel like a scene out of The Handmaid’s Tale,’ she said, noting that the incident made her freeze.
Friedman incorporated the experience into her new show, Motherf*cker, which explores grief and parenthood while remaining political. She is among several US comics with roots in topical comedy appearing at this year’s fringe, including Michelle Wolf and Sam Jay. Wolf, who gained notoriety for roasting Trump at the 2018 White House Correspondents’ Dinner, now lives in Barcelona but returns to the US regularly. She said she is ‘keeping an eye on’ reports of green card holders and citizens being detained at borders.
Other comedians have left the US entirely. Rosie O’Donnell has written a show about moving to Ireland, while Ellen DeGeneres has settled in England. Wolf said she believes political comedy will thrive until there is an ‘impetus to go’ such as restrictions on what can be said. Meanwhile, the cancellation of Stephen Colbert’s Late Show after 33 years has raised concerns. Colbert had criticised his network’s parent company for settling a lawsuit with Trump. Fellow host Jon Stewart pointed to a ‘chilling effect’ across the industry, saying many projects are killed before they begin.
