Jordan Klepper Follows Conspiracies to Their Satirical Extremes
*By Alyssa Caverley*
The world that comedian Jordan Klepper has created on his Comedy Central show might fold in on itself if not for the inherent tension keeping up all four walls of "The Opposition," a late-night political satire.
"I play this heightened character that satirizes the voices on the right and the far right," said Klepper in an interview with Cheddar. Think of Sean Hannity on Fox News, or the bombastic and conspiratorial Alex Jones of Infowars who inhabit a "world that doesn't believe in the mainstream, that's anti-mainstream, anti-facts, anti-reality."
Stephen Colbert's old Comedy Central character was based on a mainstream version of a conservative talk-show host, but as the political commentary has become more extreme, Klepper's comedy had to follow it to the fringes.
"We find the chaos and the thing that frustrates us and we try to expose it by looking at some of the tactics, looking at some of the motivations behind it and expanding it to such a degree that it just feels ridiculous and I think people need that in this day and age when it does feel so dark," Klepper said. "A little bit of laughter can break out of that fear bubble that we live in and hopefully provide a little bit of solace."
As the country's political discourse has grown more polarizing since Donald Trump was elected, Klepper said his show has a role to play in late-night comedy helping to synthesize and understand what is going on by tracing people's own fears and finding the absurdity.
The Comedy Central funnyman joked that many of the far-right talk show hosts he watches are a "bucket of inspiration," providing him with as many conspiracy theories to mock as they seem to feed Fox News and, ultimately, the White House.
Klepper said his show probably wouldn't have registered in quite the same way had Trump not won the 2016 presidential election. He would be talking more about issues than the "orange" man in charge, he said.
For the full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/jordan-klepper-calls-out-right-wing-conspiracy-theorists-on-satirical-talk-show).
Adam Johnson, Portfolio Manager at Adviser Investments, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he explains why he believes we saw markets jump during Wednesday's session, and adds that investors have already priced in 'every possible kind of bad news we could have.'
Jennifer Klein, the White House Gender Policy Council's co-chair and executive director, spoke to Cheddar News about the economic impact of the pandemic showing the need for a group like the Gender Policy Council, and the need to address issues that have affected women the most,
President Joe Biden on Wednesday signed a long-awaited executive order on cryptocurrencies, striking a careful balance between highlighting the risks of digital assets and touting their potential benefits.
McDonald’s said Tuesday it is temporarily closing all of its 850 restaurants in Russia in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine. The burger giant said it will continue paying its 62,000 employees in Russia.
The price of nickel, one of the key minerals needed to produce stainless steel and lithium-ion batteries, saw an unprecedented surge Tuesday amid fears that Western sanctions could cut off Russian supplies of the crucial commodity.
As Western companies cut ties with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, there's a possibility their Chinese rivals could move in and fill the void. Major corporations such as Apple, Samsung, Dell, and more have halted sales in Russia in hopes of encouraging Putin to back down, but now it seems those sanctions could be presenting a unique opportunity for China. Michael Friedson, Co-founder and Executive Editor of The Media Line News Agency, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss how these Western boycotts are reshaping geopolitical alignments, the global economy, and international trade.
Gas prices have reached their highest level since 2008, topping an average of $4 across the country. The surge comes as Russia's invasion of Ukraine triggers supply concerns in what was already an extremely tight oil market. Jay Hatfield, Chief Investment Officer at ICAP, breaks down why costs at the pump are so high right now, and just how high they could go.
President Joe Biden has announced that the U.S. will ban all Russian oil imports, toughening the toll on Russia’s economy in retaliation for its invasion of Ukraine.
If confirmed, judge Ketanji Brown Jackson could become the first black woman on the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court. Cheddar News speaks with Katie Barlow, Chief Legal Correspondent at Fox 5 to discuss the significance of the nomination.
The European Union is historically divided and slow when it comes to decision-making, but in the recent weeks, the 27 members have agreed upon several sanctions and decisions regarding foreign policy and defense. The EU has cut off Russian banks from the swift payment system, blocked Russian propaganda channels, and closed European skies for air travel to and from Russia. Germany, for example, who has refused to send any deadly weapons to conflict zones, has now agreed to send lethal weapons to Ukraine. Rupert Steiner, London Bureau Chief at Barron's, joins cheddar news to discuss.
