Comedian Andrew Santino Calls Out Disney For Censoring 'Disney Adult' Jokes In New Comedy Special
Santino claims that the company 'changed' his jokes
The phenomenon of Disney adults is rich fodder for joke writing, but one place it won't be appreciated? On a Disney-owned streaming platform.
Comedian Andrew Santino says he found this out the hard way in an interview with Variety about his new special White Noise, which will premiere on Hulu on Friday.
The outlet asked about a bit of his that had to do with Disney adults — grown-ups who are fans of Disney and its parks.
Now, I like going to Disney World to grab a bite to eat, get some steps, and maybe ride a ride. I suppose that makes me at least "Disney Adult adjacent."
But let's be real, Disney adults are objectively hilarious to goof on.
Santino certainly isn't the first to do it, but he might be the first to come to blows with the House of Mouse over it.
"Immediately," Santino said when asked how soon Disney contacted him about the bit in question after he shot the special. "They couldn’t wait to trim the fat on those jokes. Candidly, we went back and forth, and they didn’t really enjoy having that stuff in there. We found a happy medium, and I was able to keep the jokes in there, but [the jokes] were manipulated. I’m not going to lie: They definitely changed the jokes.
"I was not stoked about that. We got into a little bit of a war. They did not want those jokes in there. My argument was: I joke about a lot of other stuff in the special that’s controversial. I don’t think joking about people who like Disney as grown-ups is a controversial take, but they disagreed."
This is so lame on Disney's part… but, to a degree, I get it… sort of…
Andrew Santino says Disney forced edits to his Hulu special after jokes about adult superfans hit too close to home. (Getty Images)
If You're Afraid Jokes Could Cut Into Business, Why Put Out Comedy Specials?
Do you know what a bad business strategy is? Alienating the folks who line your pockets. Ask Bud Light, Target, and Cracker Barrel how this pans out.
But, having said this, if you're gun-shy about what a comic might joke about, why did you get into producing and releasing comedy specials? There's no point in a stand-up special if you're going to water it down.
Notice that Santino didn't say that the bit was cut; instead, the jokes were changed. That's worse. If the bit was cut, it would be lame of Disney, but you wouldn't notice the absence of a bit.
But they instead edited, which means they made it worse. Santino even said that, later in the interview, the jokes were "funnier" before they were messed with.
That's something viewers will notice.
It has to make you wonder if any more comics will want to do specials with Hulu. The prospect of having your bits mutilated after the fact will be a no-go for many.
Although something tells me a big enough check would make those concerns go away.