#1033- Judd Apatow - Why Comedies Suck Now

Modern Wisdom

Chris Williamson

Health & Fitness, Society & Culture

4.7 • 4.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 December 2025

⏱️ 96 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Judd Apatow is a filmmaker, producer, comedian, and writer. The movies that shaped so many of us were unapologetically funny and often pushed boundaries. As the culture has changed and concerns around political correctness and cancellation have grown, how has that affected modern comedy, and what still feels possible? Expect to learn how to have gratitude for pain, how comedy saved Judd and why “you only learn by not being funny”, why bombing on stage is just R&D, how to keep your ego in check when being friends with someone whose career is suddenly outpacing your own, what it takes to harness more creativity, if the “comedy collective” model still works or if social media ended the long-table-read era, why comedy movies aren’t funny anymore and much more… Sponsors: See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom New pricing since recording: Function is now just $365, plus get $25 off at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Get a free bottle of D3K2, a Welcome Kit, Travel Packs, plus bonus gifts (US only) when you first subscribe at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/43hv6y59 #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: https://tinyurl.com/2rtz7avf #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/3ccn5vkp - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	You said your parents' divorce bought your house and cars.
0:03.8	That's true.
0:04.6	How so?
0:06.1	It's funny because when I first started doing stand-up, I remember writing in a notebook.
0:11.8	And this was years, actually years before I ever got on stage, some joke about how Richard
0:20.1	Pryor's, like, grandmother ran a brothel. Like, he grew up in a brothel.
0:26.8	And all I had to work with to be a comedian was my parents getting divorced. Like, it wasn't
0:31.8	enough to be a genius. It was just enough damage to get you in the game that I wished my grandmother ran a brothel and then maybe I would be more messed up.
0:42.3	You wanted more trauma.
0:43.2	I needed more trauma.
0:44.2	But it was enough.
0:45.2	It certainly was enough.
0:46.1	But back then when people got divorced in the early 80s, people just fought.
0:52.7	They like really like fought.
0:53.8	People weren't aware that you should keep it away from the kids.
0:58.7	Oh, it's all out in the open.
1:00.1	Yeah, too much involvement.
1:01.7	This was trench warfare and you were in the middle of it.
1:04.0	Exactly.
1:04.6	Too much of us knowing what was going on.
1:07.0	And we had really thin walls.
1:08.3	I remember I would hear them arguing.
	...

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