Anne Kansiime
Last week, comedianne Anne Kansiime hosted her first show in a long time. Aptly titled, The Comedy Grill of Anne Kansiime had the tropes of an insult comedy show. Insult comedy is a style of comedy where comedians use insults as the primary way to provoke laughter.
It involves directly targeting another person and making fun of various aspects of that person, such as their behaviour or social status. This type of comedy may appear harsh and confrontational, yet many find it humorous due to the absurdity or exaggeration of the insults. This kind of comedy is allowed and legal. In fact, there are comedians who have made a name out of insult comedy.
Names such as Don Rickles, who has widely been referred to as a Merchant of Venom, is known for his quick wit and sharp insults. Until his death in 2017, Rickles was famous for being fearless. He humbled legends, from Denzel Washington to Robert De Niro.
Then there is Sarah Silverman, widely brilliant with dark comedy, she mixes insults in most of her acts and it always works. Ricky Gervias has made a name out of insulting Hollywood’s A-listers during award shows with his off the cuff jokes at events such as the Golden Globe awards where he has been a host a number of times.
But if there is a person who has made insult comedy work so well, it’s comedian Jeff Ross, a common fixture at most of the popular roasts from Justin Bieber, Charlie Sheen, Joan Rivers and Donald Trump among others. He is simply the best man for an insult. In fact, he has since earned the moniker, the Roast Master.
