Comedians lament lack of material under Clinton Administration

NEW YORK—  At a time when President Hillary Rodham Clinton’s approval ratings are hovering around 70 percent, one segment of the New York coastal elite increasingly wishes that the election had gone the other way: Comedians, who, in retrospect, say they miss the insanity of failed presidential candidate Donald J. Trump. 

“So much stuff was left on the table,” bemoaned a SNL writer who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation in notoriously blue Hollywood.

"Clinton's doing a great job for the country. But a successful progressive presidency is the last thing we need right now," he said.

While satire is coming back in vogue, comics say these days, the stand-up comedian has found their “comedic table” unusually bare.

Lorne Michaels, Saturday Night Live creator and producer, explained his take on this phenomena in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter: “You have to understand, during the campaign, we all woke up each morning just dying to see what nonsense Donald had been up to the previous night. It was a comedian’s dream!”

Michaels ruefully observed that, “it’s a different world now. Trump isn't a threat to the democracy. He’s kind of just a pathetic loser now.”

Mr. Michaels also regrets how this may adversely effect some of SNLs upcoming special guests. “Not only did we have lots of plans for Alec (Baldwin), but we had an entire series of special guests lined up to do impersonations of the Trump administrative staff and cabinet members. There was just so much left on the table.”

He said some careers may never recover, pointing to the actress Melissa McCarthy. "She'll probably never work again," he said.

On the bright side, satirical publications are back in business.

CEO Mike McAvoy of The Onion notes that satire during the Trump’ campaign was extremely difficult. “No matter how crazy you tried to be, it just didn’t seem very farfetched at all”, states Mr. McAvoy. “Thankfully, things are back to normal now, and absurdist humor and reality no longer share the same address!”