Andrew Santino Says Hulu Changed His Jokes About Disney Adults

Andrew Santino isn’t afraid of the Mouse that feeds him.

Despite the fact that his upcoming comedy special, White Noise, airs on Hulu, a streamer owned by Disney, the comic included an extended bit about Disney adults — i.e., those grown-up fans of the Disney theme parks whose obsession with Walt’s creations borders on cultish. But the corporate powers ultimately won comedy concessions.

“They couldn’t wait to trim the fat on those jokes,” Santino told Variety. “Candidly, we went back and forth, and they didn’t really enjoy having that stuff in there. We found a happy medium, and I was able to keep the jokes in there, but (punchlines) were manipulated. I’m not going to lie: They definitely changed the jokes.”

Santino, who has nearly complete autonomy on his podcasts like Bad Friends with Bobby Lee, “was not stoked about that. We got into a little bit of a war. They did not want those jokes in there.”

The comic argued that his special contained plenty of jokes about other hot-button topics that could prove even more controversial, including beginning the special by asking, “Is it racist…?”  In comparison, “I don’t think joking about people who like Disney as grown-ups is a controversial take,” he insisted. “But they disagreed.”

The changes came at the expense of laughs, in Santino’s opinion. “It was funnier,” he explained about the pre-censored jokes. “It peeled open a little bit more than what you saw, on people going to Disney without kids and adults who wear Disney clothing.”

But Disney played hardball, telling Santino, “If you want it on here, this is how we want it. Otherwise, we won’t be able to air the special. We have to cut the jokes.” 

So the comedian and the conglomerate found a middle way, jerry-rigging the jokes so that they sorta worked for both parties. Of course, neither the company nor the comic was completely happy. Disney “got kind of what they wanted, and I tried to get the best of what I wanted,” Santino said. “This is compromise in the modern world of media.”

The comic says it’s the first time a streamer has pushed back on his material — and why so many comedians have gravitated to podcasts as their medium of choice. “We got sick of being told, ‘You’re not supposed to say that,’” he said. “Quite frankly, it’s bullshit, because that’s not how people think and talk in the real world. Nobody cares. People speak their mind all the time, and they love when comics are able to say the things people don’t talk about much because they’re afraid to. That’s our job, to bring up the uncomfortable and talk about the topics people wince at. That’s the best part of the business.”