Here’s Why Bill Burr Never Regrets Jokes

As a young comic, Bill Burr would make jokes about his dating troubles, not wanting to get married to some “psycho robot” who planned his days for him. Today, Burr knows two things: 1) Those jokes were about his own insecurities, not about women; and 2) he wouldn’t make those same jokes today.

Is that Burr canceling himself? 

Nope, he’s just in a different place now, he told Jesse David Fox on the Good One podcast. And to be clear, he doesn’t regret a single punchline. “I don’t because it was honest,” Burr explained. “It was where I was.” 

Sure, Burr has played around with ridiculous, over-the-top punchlines, but in the moment, he means what he says. Talking about failed relationships with women was “where I was, and if I didn’t do that, then what you’re seeing me do now wouldn’t have this nice arc to it,” he said. “And I feel like somebody who came up like I did can watch the whole thing and see a way out, hopefully.”

Burr went on to clarify his definition of regret. If he made a Super Bowl bet on the Kansas City Chiefs before the Philadelphia Eagles destroyed them, of course he would “regret” the dumb decision to lose those dollars. 

“But you can’t beat yourself up for being human,” he explained. “That was the dumb thing when they would do those witch hunts. ‘I went back three years in your fucking Twitter account and found out that you said something!’”

Burr shrugged his shoulders. “Oh, did I make a mistake? Was I in a bad mood that day? And you went back three years? That’s a pretty good run!”

Jokes that don’t age well? Chalk them up to figuring out how to be a comedian. “I was learning, and I’m still learning,” he told Fox. “I was also learning the skill of pushing people past what they wanted to hear, getting them to still listen, and then landing it somewhere that wasn't, ‘Oh my god, this is going to be the most ignorant thing ever.’ Landing it somewhere else.”

When you’re watching an old comedy special, Burr says, know that not all specials are created equal. In some, you’re catching comedians mid-stride on their way to new places. That’s why he’s excited about the new hour that he’s writing. “My worldview is apolitical, and it’s trying to bring people together. I’m trying to do the opposite of what’s going on out there because it’s really disturbing to me that states don’t like states. Like we’re going to have a civil war if we’re not careful here.”

The new material might be just another stepping stone for Burr on his way to his next iteration as a comic. If that’s how it turns out, he’ll have no regrets — he’s just being honest about where he is.