![](https://theconservativetake.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/sebastian-cover-300x192-1.jpg)
Chappelle. Burr. Gervais. Cleese. Rogan. Maniscalco?
The first five comedians have scorched the woke handcuffs placed on stand-up in recent years, demanding a return to free expression.
Joe Rogan blamed woke restrictions for âkillingâ the big-screen comedy.
Sebastian Maniscalco is different.
The Chicago native, 49, uses his stand-up to X-ray societal norms through the prism of his Italian heritage. Heâs also one of the most expressive comics alive, using his body language to hammer home punch lines.
The result? Heâs sold out Madison Square Garden four times and recently performed at director Martin Scorseseâs 80th birthday bash.
Maniscalco isnât looking to inflame the culture wars, though, or make political statements from either stand-up stages or âThe Pete & Sebastian Showâ podcast.
His new Netflix special, âIs It Me?â might change all that.
Maniscalco Has No Topics Off Limits
The material hits familiar targets, from marital disagreements to the folly of school pick-up zones. The comedian also slams woke culture early and often, even mocking audience members too afraid to laugh at the âwrongâ joke.
It started with Maniscalco sharing what itâs like to be a dad in Los Angeles. His daughterâs school has a child who thinks heâs a lion. The tyke dresses (and roars) accordingly. The school tolerates the fantasy, as do some fellow parents.
Hereâs how one dad reacted when Maniscalco brought up âRory,â the lion in question.
ââI know? Isnât that fabulous?ââ
âAnd I just floated away from that guy. Iâm not gonna be talking to that guy for the rest of the semester,â Maniscalco vowed.
The comic might as well put on a MAGA hat to some observers. But he wasnât finished.
He lamented how society had become ultra-sensitive in recent years, to the point that simply describing someone by their ethnic heritage became âproblematic.â Thatâs not derogatory, he insisted. Thatâs just one tool in a comedianâs kit, a way to shape a joke or set the scene.
âYou got people looking up going, âWhat does it matter?ââ the comic said in an effeminate tone. âIt matters. At the end of the story, youâre gonna find out why I said, âAsian guy.â Loosen up your hole. Itâs ok.â
The star of the upcoming âAbout My Fatherâ with Robert De Niro also blasted the new real estate rules. He didnât mention how the profession nixed the âmaster bedroomâ designation because âmasterâ has slave-era connotations.
He did torch the removal of âwalk-in closetsâ as a home descriptor, with the fear that a small percentage of home buyers may require wheelchairs to navigate the room.
The Reviews Are In
âIs It Me?â hasnât generated many reviews from professional critics. Still, both the Chicago Sun-Times and Decider.com, the latter a reliably liberal news site, praised the special.
Thatâs surprising. Critics often recoil at comedians for attacking the woke status quo or telling jokes that donât align with Cancel Culture guardrails. Dave Chappelleâs infamous 2021 special, âThe Closer,â got roasted by critics, for example.
Netflix caught serious heat for airing Chappelleâs special teeming with jokes about the trans community. Yet when Ricky Gervais hit similar topics earlier this year, via âSuperNature,â there was little to no outrage.
Now, one of the most mainstream comics in the business is blasting away at woke pieties, and even progressive critics canât muster outrage over the material.
Mocking woke restrictions may become the new normal thanks, in part, to Maniscalco.
The post Sebastian Maniscalco Torches Woke Snowflakes appeared first on OutKick.