Former ‘SNL’ Writer Talks About the Pathetic Culture War in Comedy

Rosebud Baker was part of the mass exodus at Saturday Night Live after Season 50. Her departure came after writing for the show for three years, but it was far from her only credit during that time. She was also a writer for That Damn Michael Che and Inside Amy Schumer and released a special on Netflix called The Mother Lode. Now, post SNL, she’s weighing in on the issues. 

During her recent appearance on Stavros Halkias’ podcast Stavvy’s World, Baker dove deep into one topic that’s been plaguing comedy from every direction: the culture war. Speaking about the differences between coming from generational wealth and starting poor, and the constant division being stoked in the U.S., Baker concluded that most people are only a few steps away from being unhoused. 

“We’re fucked right now just generally speaking because … you see all these people going like, ‘Oh, the left and the right, they’re both fucking crazy,’” Baker lamented. “It’s like this is all such a fucking distraction from the fact that we’re all going to be fucking homeless. Like we are all going to be fucking homeless.”

Halkias and Baker then got into the current Republican mission of vilifying trans people as a way to further stoke fear in their supporters, and how it’s an extension of a centuries-long playbook of furthering division in order to consolidate power. In reality, Baker reasoned that normal people aren’t spending the day whipping themselves into a fury about trans people. 

“I don’t think anyone is that fucking concerned with it. I don’t think anyone is like that,” she explained. “I was talking about it in Texas like last week. There was like one couple that came up to me afterwards, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I don’t think anybody’s like thinking about everyone’s genitals that much.’ And they both were Republicans. They were like, ‘Well, we are.’”

After that, Halkias and Baker discussed how it’s unavoidable to discuss politics these days because so many people have been saying such unethical things. Even on the matters they agree comedians should be weighing in on — like free speech — it’s become untenable to have any sort of productive dialogue.

This has all led to an embarrassing time for comedy. 

“They’ve basically ruined things for themselves and everyone else,” Baker concluded. “I just watch it, and I go, ‘It’s fucking embarrassing.’ Like when I watch comics doing it, I’m like, ‘Are you that fucking scared to be funny in a different way to like have to reach a little further?’”