INTERVIEW: Jordan Klepper On Comedic Journalism, Engaging With Both Sides, New Comedy Special + More

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Breakfast Club Featuring Jordan Klepper

Episode Title: INTERVIEW: Jordan Klepper On Comedic Journalism, Engaging With Both Sides, New Comedy Special + More
Release Date: May 26, 2025
Hosts: DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious (Justina Valentine), Charlamagne Tha God
Guest: Jordan Klepper
Description: An in-depth conversation with comedian and former journalist Jordan Klepper, exploring his approach to comedic journalism, his experiences engaging with diverse audiences, particularly the younger generation of MAGA supporters, and insights into his latest comedy special.

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Introduction and Guest Welcome [02:06 - 02:25]

The episode kicks off with the vibrant energy characteristic of The Breakfast Club. DJ Envy introduces the guest, Jordan Klepper, setting the stage for a candid and engaging discussion.

• DJ Envy: "We got a special guest in the building."
• Jordan Klepper: "Yes, thanks for having me."

Height and Personal Anecdotes [02:16 - 03:31]

The hosts engage in light-hearted banter about Jordan's height and personal experiences, establishing a relaxed and personable atmosphere.

• Jordan Klepper: "I broke my sesamoid bone by standing on it for too long."
• Justina Valentine: "Wow."

Jordan Klepper’s New Comedy Special: "Fingers to Post. MAGA. The Next Generation." [03:38 - 05:06]

Jordan delves into his latest comedy special, discussing the motivations and experiences behind engaging with young MAGA supporters.

• Justina Valentine: "It's you talking to the younger... generation of MAGA because 15% of what, young men?"
• Jordan Klepper: "There was a shift right. From the entire youth generation... especially men... moving into the MAGA camp."

He explains the purpose of his special: to uncover the reasons behind this political shift, emphasizing that it's more about "vibes" and identity rather than deeply held conservative ideals.

• Jordan Klepper: "They see people finding success on TikTok and the social media space being conservative, and that gives them an identity."

The Importance of Engaging with Diverse Perspectives [05:06 - 07:39]

The conversation shifts to the significance of engaging with opposing viewpoints and the challenges that come with it.

• Justina Valentine: "I think it's a good exercise. I think more people should do that."
• DJ Envy: "You're not gonna get the answers you like, probably, and then you're probably gonna get threatened a lot."

Jordan shares his experiences of receiving threats and the physical dangers of covering politically charged events, particularly during the Trump era.

• Jordan Klepper: "We've been having threats on family members... It's sort of the new reality."

Experiences Covering January 6th [09:29 - 12:58]

Jordan recounts his firsthand experience covering the January 6th Capitol attack, highlighting both the chaos and unexpected moments of levity.

• Jordan Klepper: "We were like, where's the one place nobody is congregating? And it was outside the African American History Museum."

He narrates an encounter with a man swinging a pitchfork, which underscores the unpredictable nature of such events.

• Jordan Klepper: "We were talking to this guy swinging a pitchfork and he's ranting about revolution... another man comes up... he's yelling so loud that pitchfork man stops the interview."

The Role of Comedy in Journalism [13:15 - 17:43]

The discussion deepens as Jordan explores the blurred lines between comedy and journalism, advocating for the unique position comedians hold in addressing serious issues with humor.

• Justina Valentine: "You are probably some of the best journalists out there... because you do things like go and talk to the other side when other folks really don't."
• Jordan Klepper: "I don't see myself as a journalist, but I take going out and bringing back what we see to the show very seriously."

He emphasizes that while The Daily Show operates with a comedic lens, it remains committed to journalistic integrity by seeking out genuine stories and perspectives.

Satire and Its Place in Modern Media [19:33 - 25:35]

Jordan discusses the evolution of satire in today's fragmented media landscape, addressing whether audiences remain receptive or have become desensitized.

• Justina Valentine: "Where do you think satire fits in today's media landscape? Are people numb to it?"
• Jordan Klepper: "Satire is all about context, and that's hard if you're taking in seven-second chunks on like TikTok... satire is a boon. People are drawn to it."

He asserts that satire remains a powerful tool for uncovering truths but acknowledges the challenges posed by the rise of short-form content consumption.

Future of the MAGA Movement [25:35 - 27:58]

Turning to the future, Jordan speculates on the sustainability and evolution of the MAGA movement beyond Donald Trump.

• Jordan Klepper: "Trump is such a singular character... they think it can be passed on... Trump is going to try to build a cult of personality around him."
• Justina Valentine: "It's not even about the individual of Donald Trump. There's clearly a whole system that is perfectly okay with him doing everything that he's doing."

He expresses concern over the systemic support enabling the perpetuation of Trump's influence, highlighting the challenges in moving beyond a single charismatic leader.

Emotional Impact and Personal Reflections [28:10 - 30:06]

The conversation turns personal as Jordan shares the emotional toll of covering traumatic events like mass shootings and the systemic issues that prevent meaningful change.

• Jordan Klepper: "It's so heartbreaking... especially when I was hosting a show, we're like, what happened today? Well, the big news is there was another terrible shooting in a school."

He reflects on the frustration with governmental inaction and the personal impact of being a parent in such a charged environment.

Closing Remarks and Future Projects [30:14 - 30:21]

As the interview wraps up, Jordan shares where listeners can access his comedy special and hints at future endeavors.

• Jordan Klepper: "They can check it out on Paramount plus or YouTube. It's up on both those places right now."
• Justina Valentine: "Thank you so much for joining us."

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Notable Quotes

• Jordan Klepper [07:22]: "My job is to be able to talk to other people, and if I don't do my job, I don't have health insurance."
• Justina Valentine [07:39]: "People wake up every day and wait for other people to tell them how to think and feel about things."
• Jordan Klepper [22:36]: "Comedy is disarming... it cuts to the quick faster than trying to argue with somebody else."
• Justina Valentine [25:26]: "Where do you think satire fits in today's media landscape? Are people numb to it?"

---

Conclusion

This episode of The Breakfast Club offers a profound exploration of Jordan Klepper's unique approach to blending comedy with journalism. By engaging directly with the younger generation of MAGA supporters, Klepper not only highlights the complexities of political identity formation but also underscores the essential role of empathy and humor in bridging ideological divides. His reflections on the state of modern media, the enduring power of satire, and the systemic forces shaping political movements provide listeners with valuable insights into the current socio-political landscape.

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Listen to the full episode on iHeartPodcasts.

Transcript

[DJ Envy]

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[Charlamagne Tha God]

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[Justina Valentine]

Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club.

[DJ Envy]

Morning everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious. Charlamagne the guy we are the Breakfast Club. We got a special guest in the building.

[Justina Valentine]

Yes indeed, Jordan Klepper. Welcome.

[Jordan Klepper]

Yes, thanks for having me.

[DJ Envy]

How you feeling?

[Jordan Klepper]

I'm feeling real good.

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, I love the way you came in here already. Because I was joking. I was like you what? Six' four and then Charlamagne was like, really? You win. And you said, charlamagne must be around six'1. And I mean five one.

[Justina Valentine]

I didn't say that. He said five one.

[Jordan Klepper]

I said five'1. I said five'1. I was being generous head. I was like, I'll make a joke about 4, 6, but I'll give him a little bit more. I said five one. What did you say you were? Charlamagne.

[Justina Valentine]

I'm five six.

[DJ Envy]

That's a goddamn lie.

[Jordan Klepper]

You're five six. You are. No, five six.

[Justina Valentine]

Actually, five seven. But I just say five six to make people feel comfortable. Well, I feel whatever reason I say five seven, they argue with me. So I just say five, six.

[Jordan Klepper]

Yeah. And even though you said five six, I'm arguing with you right now. Right. Is that include the brim? If you put the brim way up, you're including the brim.

[Justina Valentine]

Right, but see, that's what I thought. With you, I'm like, with the hair, you might be six. I was thinking, like, six one.

[Jordan Klepper]

That is fair. The hair gives me an extra couple inches.

[DJ Envy]

Solomon is five six with heels on. That's when he's about five six.

[Justina Valentine]

Well, you wear heels. How tall are you when you actually wear them?

[DJ Envy]

Okay, I'm six five. Okay.

[Justina Valentine]

What happened to your foot, Jordan?

[Jordan Klepper]

I broke my sesamoid bone.

[Justina Valentine]

I haven't even heard of that.

[Jordan Klepper]

I didn't either. It's called. It's the kneecap of the toe.

[Justina Valentine]

Wow.

[Jordan Klepper]

I know. I got another. Let me tell you, if you want old man stories right now. I broke my sesamite bone by standing on it for too long.

[Justina Valentine]

I don't even know what that is.

[Jordan Klepper]

It's. It really. It's a tiny. I broke above my standing. I'm just. I'm that old now.

[Justina Valentine]

Wow.

[Jordan Klepper]

Yeah.

[Justina Valentine]

And I mean, see, that's a big deal for you because you are, you know, probably one of the best field journalists out here, if not the best.

[Jordan Klepper]

The best. 100% the best.

[Justina Valentine]

I think you're the best.

[Jordan Klepper]

I'll take it.

[Justina Valentine]

I do. And you have the new one. Fingers. Fingers. Fingers to post. Fingers to post. Maga. The next generation. That has to affect you.

[Jordan Klepper]

It does. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, I. I mean, literally, if you watch the special right now, you will see I'm only shot from, like, the halfway up. And if anything gets awry, like, I can't move or get away from people.

[Justina Valentine]

Also, it was broke during the special.

[Jordan Klepper]

It was broke during the special.

[Justina Valentine]

Oh, you can't do that when you're on The MAGA crowd, you just never know.

[Jordan Klepper]

Now, no offense to the MAGA crowd, but they're also slow movers too. So, you know, I can. I can usually outmaneuver them. I can use my privilege to lord it over them, or I use the four security guards to get between me and them if things get hairy.

[Justina Valentine]

I enjoyed the special. It's you talking to the younger, I guess, generation of MAGA because 15% of what, young men?

[Jordan Klepper]

Yeah, young men shifted right. This election. And there was a shift. There was a shift right. From the entire youth generation. Like, women shifted. Right. But men especially moved into the MAGA camp. And so we were curious why, like, what was it about that it doesn't feel like the cool thing on a campus to believe in, you know, anti abortion reproductive rights or, you know, essentially it's the anti hippie movement. But there was a movement. So we're like, let's get there. Let's go to a turning point event. Let's go to a UFC fight. Let's, like, talk to some of these kids.

[Justina Valentine]

I watched it and I. When I finished, I was like, I still didn't hear a logical reason. It just felt like vibes, I think.

[Jordan Klepper]

Yeah, I think it still is vibes. The large question was like, is there an ideology behind this shift? And I think the answer is no. I don't think you have a lot of kids who have conservative ideals. Some. There's some religion comes in or whatever those ideals are. But I think mostly they see people finding success on TikTok and the social media space being conservative, and that gives them an identity. They see it as a little bit punk. That gives it an identity. So I think, like, they're moving towards vibes, which I think for the left, they can get those vibes back, but they're just not engaging with that generation.

[DJ Envy]

Jordan, I would have to ask why, like, why did you want to waste your time and talk to Maga Youngings?

[Justina Valentine]

I don't think it's a waste of time. I think it's. I think it's a good exercise. I think more people should do that.

[DJ Envy]

The reason I say that is because it's. You're not gonna get the answers you like, probably, and then you're probably gonna get threatened a lot.

[Jordan Klepper]

Sure. Yes. I mean, the first answer, health insurance. My job is to be able to talk to other people, and if I don't do my job, I don't have health insurance.

[DJ Envy]

Correct.

[Jordan Klepper]

And I have weak bones. So we've established that for this 6 foot 9 frame, I need that health insurance. But I think what I like about it, I mean, I'm lucky. I get to go out there. I'm not a journalist, I'm a comedian. So I get to push, I get to ask follow ups, I get to cavort and try to find something that reveals. My job out there isn't to convince people of one way or the other. I think my job is to find something that is revealing. Like for this special, we talk to a kid and I always find it fascinating to go to a campus and just see like, what actually is happening. CNN will tell you one thing, but until you go to Texas A and M and talk to a kid, do you actually understand what it is? Like, we talked to a kid about like, why he was obsessed with Charlie Kirk and why he was, he was going to a Charlie Kirk event. What is it about this, this, this guy? And he literally articulated like, I have a hard time with my words. I like to listen to what he says, I like to memor. And then I have his words and his ideas. And it's like, it's comedic in the special, but I think above that, it's just revealing. Like when you're like, why do these people, why are they drawn to this? It's like that kid said it right there. He didn't even know that he's being somewhat comical, that you're just memorizing ideas so you can regurgitate it. But it's very human. It was like he feels lost without that. So for me, it's always compelling to go where the story is and to talk to folks about it.

[Justina Valentine]

That part in particular reinforce something that I truly believe. People wake up every day and wait for other people to tell them how to think and feel about things. Of course they have no opinion about nothing, but they'll go online, see their favorite person's opinion on something, and now that's their opinion.

[Jordan Klepper]

Man, I'm sure you guys feel this stress. Like, I remember when I was hosting a show before the Daily Show, I would wake up every morning and I'd grab my phone, I look at the news and I realized I was like, the first thoughts I have of the day are somebody else's.

[Justina Valentine]

That's right.

[Jordan Klepper]

It's somebody else's opinion, somebody else's take. It's like I've given no space to actually have an opinion on the world whatsoever. And I think that's very much the case. And in fact, you can't compete in a collegiate space without having some sort of social media presence or Connecting. So these kids aren't given space to figure out what the hell they want to think about first.

[DJ Envy]

I was gonna ask. Now the threatening part.

[Jordan Klepper]

Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

How many times have you been threatened? Whether it's calls, people in person, emails, texts, et cetera, et cetera.

[Jordan Klepper]

I mean, that happens a lot. The emails, the calls. There's been threats on family members, which is not super fun, I think, out in the field 10 years ago. I'm not going out there with security guards. You can go out there as a comedian, talk about politics, and not be afraid of getting punched. But Trump era comes in, people get more upset. Trump says, you're a patriot. Fight back. These are the enemy of the people. And it was during his first run for president that we went to a school board meeting and are having a conversation, and I get bum rushed by somebody who's just mad that we have a camera there. And since then, we keep adding security guards. I was there on January 6th, and that got hairy. We got a security guard. They got pushed. There's flashbangs going off. They're like, we can't stand here. We need to get on a train. Like, it's sort of the new reality. And most people I talk to are great. They want to talk. They are. They want to be on tv. They want to engage. But you have it now where people have been weaponized by the most powerful man on the planet who says, like, you can do something. You should fight back. These are the bad guys, and all it takes is a couple bad ideas for those guys to feel themselves and go after you.

[DJ Envy]

What's the crazy experience that you've had so far?

[Jordan Klepper]

I mean, J6 was pretty wild. I'm sure you was out there for J6. I was up there for J6. What the fuck?

[Justina Valentine]

I didn't know that.

[Jordan Klepper]

What was you talking about? I was working on J6. All right. Charlamagne. I was working there.

[DJ Envy]

I was out there.

[Jordan Klepper]

I was out there, cross the window. You know what the Funniest moment on J6 outside of the whole trying to overthrow the government and crapping on Nancy Pelosi's desk, Outside of that, I'm literally interviewing people. And we'd been there before, and we knew, sort of like, we don't want to get trapped on the onslaught, so let's stay outside of where everybody is. And quite frankly, we're like, where's the one place nobody is congregating? And it was outside the African American History Museum. Nobody was going there. So we were like, we will meet up here. And then we will go and find people to interview. We start walking, we find this guy swinging a pitchfork. And I go up to the man, I start talking to this man.

[DJ Envy]

Oh, that's the guy you want to talk to?

[Jordan Klepper]

That's the guy. I mean, the guy that's swinging the pitchfork. We got to make TV here, you know? And that guy's got a pitchfork. He's, he's throwing. Leave it.

[DJ Envy]

Blood.

[Jordan Klepper]

All right.

[Justina Valentine]

By the way, I still find hilarious that nobody was outside the African American Museum 100% before.

[Jordan Klepper]

You think, you know, where are we gonna go?

[DJ Envy]

Yeah, African American Museum.

[Jordan Klepper]

Nobody's going there. Do you want to engage with America's sins of the past? No, no, let's take a crap on the desk at the Capitol. What do you say? So we're talking to this guy swinging a pitchfork and he's ranting about revolution. And another man comes up. He sees the camera and he just starts. He's just swearing, he's just obscenity, man. And he's yelling so loud that pitchfork man stops the interview. He shushes him. And then he says, this man doesn't speak for me. Which then leaves me grateful to the more level headed man swinging a pitchfork. And he makes eye contact with me and he rolls his eyes as if to say like, can you believe this effing guy? And I was like, oh, yeah, that's it. Like, even this guy is like, these guys are too crazy for me. Can we just have a conversation? And you're like, right, we can actually find a little bit of common ground if there is that crazier person there.

[Justina Valentine]

Yo, refresh my memory. I don't. What the hell was happening on January 6th before the insurrection? What was everybody there for?

[Jordan Klepper]

Well, they were there to certify the vote.

[Justina Valentine]

Certify the vote.

[Jordan Klepper]

But Trump then preempts it by having a huge rally at 11 o' clock. And so everybody comes out, Rudy Giuliani's there, and so everybody comes to watch the giant Trump speech, but everybody leaves halfway through. Not everybody. Half the folks leave halfway through to start moving towards the Capitol, which then we saw, we saw the proud boys march on the Capitol. I mean, it was a wild day. It was not a surprise, though, as a, a cable comedy show, like, we knew to be at the Capitol. We were right there when they pushed in because we're like, this is where everybody's going. This is where they said they're going. There's going to be something happen here. We didn't expect them to get inside, but we knew they'd be there for.

[Justina Valentine]

The sake of content, for the sake of clicks. Did you think to yourself, hey, we should go in with them?

[Jordan Klepper]

Luckily, my inherent fear got in the way there. I think it was confusing as to what the rules were. I think even at the time, there was a small fence that got pushed in. And even as you're seeing this and you're watching this, and it's, again, it's half tragic, like, this is the capital, this is the seat of American governance. And I see all these people acting like generals going in there. And it's also completely absurd. I interviewed literally an old man on a Segway trying to go up the hill while it's happening. But I'm assuming they can't get in, right? You're like, they're going to get stopped at some point there. But the people just kept coming. And literally our security guards at one point were just like, we're hearing explosions. This is an uncontrolled situation. It's time to get out.

[Justina Valentine]

People at the Daily show, and you said it a little while ago, everybody at the Daily show always says something that I totally disagree with. Y' all say that y' all not. Y' all not journalists. Y' all are comedians. When the reality is y' all are probably some of the best journalists out, because you do things like go and talk to the other side when other folks really don't.

[Jordan Klepper]

Right.

[Justina Valentine]

So when do you ever interview people at these rallies? Well, first of all, do you think it's fair for y' all to be able to say y' all not journalists?

[Jordan Klepper]

Well, it's definitely a dodge, so, yeah, thanks for calling that out. You know, I mean, I think I say that in that the stories we get on the Daily show are stories that are brought to us by journalists putting in the work and so that I respect and they work by the code of journalism. I think what we have, we take it very seriously. I don't see myself as a journalist, but I take going out and bringing back what we see to the show very seriously. But I do want an audience to understand the bias that we have towards comedy and that we're making a show with that point of view. But I think all news has a bias. And I do think, like, in modern journalism, I don't think it should be a bunch of comedians going out there bringing the stories back. Far from it. But I do think they could probably loosen up some of the rules and the ways in which they engage with people, because sometimes you see people engaging with the old school rules. Of journalism, not pushing people past their conspiracies or their bs or they're weighing both sides where you're like, no, that's bs. You need to call that out. You need to use some other way to knock that person off their talking point so they can reveal something truthful there. And I think as comedians we have that ability and at its best it works that way. But we're working in conjunction with journalists who are actually bringing the story back.

[DJ Envy]

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[Justina Valentine]

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[Jordan Klepper]

We can have some commentary on it.

[Justina Valentine]

Comedy is disarming.

[Jordan Klepper]

It is.

[Justina Valentine]

That's the thing that a lot of the journalists don't have.

[Jordan Klepper]

100%. Yeah. And at its best, it cuts to the quick faster than trying to argue with somebody else.

[Justina Valentine]

You know, when you do something like the maga, the next generation, do you ever leave the rally thinking, damn, maybe I'm the one who doesn't get get it.

[Jordan Klepper]

I mean, I think I always leave it with a little bit more empathy towards the folks that I'm talking with. Because for every, you know, every five minutes on camera, there's two minutes off camera where you're talking about something that's not political and you connect with them and they're interesting, they're compelling. You find music that you both care about or something and I think like that that softens what you think about the people and the interactions that you have with those people. I think I usually feel pretty steadfast in my opinions. That being said, I do think like, no, nobody has the certainty that they pretend to have on camera at these rallies. Like, no, there's a lot of Complexity to many, many issues, but nobody has the guts or the vulnerability to be open about it, usually in front of a camera.

[DJ Envy]

Now, you said you want to bring peace and harmony.

[Jordan Klepper]

God, did I say that?

[DJ Envy]

Yes.

[Jordan Klepper]

Oh, really?

[DJ Envy]

Is that true?

[Jordan Klepper]

Oh, boy. What did I say? I want to bring peace and harmony.

[DJ Envy]

They said, you want to bring peace and harmony, but how was that when every time a MAGA member comes, you give them a little joke, you belittle them just a little bit?

[Jordan Klepper]

You know what? Yeah, I try to, through the lovely delivery mechanism of a joke. You know what? I'd love there to be some peace and harmony, but it is a constant balance of I want to empathize. I don't want to just be mean out there when I talk to other people. But also, I think life is pretty serious right now. And I think when I go to some of these MAGA events, you see Donald Trump playing to the masses in a way that emboldens him to do pretty cruel things. And so I don't mind pushing back hard in that direction. But I often think the people I talk to I have sympathy for because I think they're being weaponized by other people who are trying to manipulate them. So that's where my empathy tends to lie.

[Justina Valentine]

Do you ever struggle with where satire ends and responsibility begins?

[Jordan Klepper]

Yeah, I mean, I think, like, that activist conversation is a tough one. I don't love the hat. I do think, like, John is somebody who always says, like, you know, this is not activision. We are comedians. And I think, like, in some ways that is a safety net, but you also sort of need that to, like, not approach work every day to think of, like, what am I trying to change in the world? Like, I understand where that comes from, but it's like, the job of the show is to find comedy to follow, like, your passions, the things you care about, where you see bs, call it out, but also, like, find a way to make it funny and interesting and reformat it. I think that is the job you get to. You get in tough territory when you're like, I need to be an activist in that moment. I don't think that is the place. But I think you have to be honest with your desire to be a part of that conversation, but also be honest with what your skill set is and what your platform is.

[DJ Envy]

Have you ever spoke to somebody where you actually changed their mind by the things that you said and they understood what you were saying?

[Jordan Klepper]

No. Damn. I do tell a story, though. It doesn't happen in front of the camera. People don't change their minds in front of the camera. But off camera, it gets close. I was heckled at a rally by a man who was dressed in a brick suit, a suit that looked like Trump's wall. A bespoke suit. He had a handlebar mustache. He's known as the brick suit guy. Trump brings him up on stage at lots of his rallies. He's famous there. He trolled me at a rally. He livestreamed during our interviews to try to get people not to talk to us. He was a pain in the ass. We get snowed in and all of us have to fly out the next day after this rally on different flights. And I show up at the Green Bay airport, very tiny airport, alone. There's a three and a half hour delay, and brick suit guy is there.

[DJ Envy]

He's not in the bricksuit still.

[Jordan Klepper]

He's not in the brick suit. He's wearing a MAGA hat. He's got two extra hats on his case, but no brick suit, civilian clothes. And he's like, do you wanna talk? And of course I don't wanna talk. But we're there at an airport for three and a half hours and we get into it and I don't change his mind. He doesn't change my mind. But he is remarkably open about the things he's unsure about with Donald Trump. He's unsure. He wishes Donald Trump didn't go on and on about the 2020 election being stolen, which is a huge thing to show any kind of weakness. Like, I don't believe Trump was honest about that. In the MAGA movement. You can't say that in front of the camera. He says that to me off camera. He talks about, like, where he comes from. And frankly, he comes. He's like a libertarian guy who likes to troll people online. You'd like to think that the handlebar mustache guy who dresses in bespoke brick suits is an idiot. Not an idiot. Smart guy feels like a history buff. Like the kind of person who has too many, like, World War II books. But a smart guy has his own topics. Like, we literally. We laugh. Somebody recognizes me as we're talking and asks for a selfie and he takes the photo, which is like, he's open to all of this stuff. We talk all the way up until I get on the plane and I'm in an exit row and the woman who takes the ticket asks if I'm willing to accept the responsibilities of being an exit row. I say yes. And then I turn to him and I was like, I hope this fucking freaks you out, man. And he laughs and I'm like, that's it right there. Like, you're not intimidated by me? I'm not so offended that I made a joke. You laugh. It's humor, it's disarming. And it's for most of the people who I'm friends with, even who I disagree with, you find things you can laugh at. And that happens all off camera. And I'm not entering that conversation to try to change his mind. That's not gonna happen. But I'm entering it with an amount of uncertainty of like, here's the things that I' I'm unsure about what the left says, or here's things that I think are okay about what Trump does. And he's like, here's things that I doubt about what Trump does. And you're like, oh, there's the human behind that. Even in the caricature of a guy from the Daily show mixed with the caricature of a person from the Trump universe, they can talk, they can meet somewhere of an understanding, and usually it's fricking away from those cameras in a Green Bay airport.

[Justina Valentine]

You think you're a caricature?

[Jordan Klepper]

Well, in that moment, I think he sees me as a caricature. I bet he sees me as somebody who's like, you're on this show that I see as a progressive leaning show, as a, a comedy guy. But I think I have an agenda and I have a bias, as I think everybody should see people on their screens as having those things. And my agenda feels right to me. I'm looking for comedy and hypocrisy, but I'm sure he's like, oh, this guy is just gonna try to twist me into progressive loopholes.

[Justina Valentine]

I remember when you had your late night show, didn't they have you playing a character of a conservative right wing?

[Jordan Klepper]

I was playing an Alex Jones style right wing character. And so that was. And at that time too, it was like Infowars was so huge and big, and the conspiracy mindset, which thankfully has gone completely away, we don't see it anymore. But that was me playing a caricature to find humor in going over the top. Quite frankly, as comedy has evolved and the politics situation has evolved so much over the last 10 years, I think that's still a space to play in. There's still humor to be found. But I think audiences are so tired of, of extreme caricatures. You have one in the White House that, like, I think they're connecting more with comedians on a More authentic level. And so that's sort of, in some ways where the finger of the pulse stuff has come out of. Trevor was big on that. He was just like, go out there. You're not playing a parody of a journalist. You're yourself bringing your wits about you and your opinions. Find humor in that, but don't lean on the character.

[Justina Valentine]

Also, people are dumb, so they'll believe you. They'll be like, ugh, I didn't know you was playing a character. You know what I'm saying?

[Jordan Klepper]

Yeah, we had, we had at the opposition, we had Carter Page, who was a foreign adviser to Donald Trump, and it was the center of the news cycle at one point because people were wondering if he was a Russian asset because Russia had manipulated him in the past. He was working for the Trump administration, and he reached out to our show and took a meeting at our show because he wanted to work on our show as someone. He didn't see it as a satire. He saw it as an opportunity, which. Which was hard for us to swallow.

[Justina Valentine]

Where do you think satire fits in today's media landscape? Are people numb to it? Are they addicted? Are they still reachable? Do they understand it?

[Jordan Klepper]

I mean, I think what has shifted so much is like the formatting of it, all, right? I think, like, satire is all about context, and that's hard if you're taking in seven second chunks on like TikTok. I think it's easier if you have a 30 minute chunk, if you have an eight minute rant. I think people are drawn to comedy in many ways. It is like the language of. I mean, it's a language of humor, but I think it's the quickest way to get to a truth. So I do think, I think satire is in a boon. I think people are drawn. But that being said, the social media landscape has shifted the ways in which we consume all this stuff, and that has kind of like it has made for long form capabilities, long podcasts, and I think that has shifted where comedy lies and short form as well, which is more about those soundbites now.

[DJ Envy]

Speaking of future of Maga, what do you think the future of MAGA is gonna look like, especially in 2028?

[Jordan Klepper]

Oh, boy. I think that. I think Trump is such a singular character that they think it can be passed on and that we have seen no proof of that yet. Donald Trump has been famous his whole life. You know, he's referenced in rap songs when I was coming up in a way that was like, he is equated with wealth. And I think that is, nobody else has that. And so I think they're going to try to pass it off. Maybe that's to Tradie Vance, maybe it's to somebody who's even farther. Right. But right now, it's still a cult of personality that he's going to try to build around him. We'll see if that baton goes anywhere else.

[Justina Valentine]

It's interesting when people say that, though, because to me, it's not even about the individual of Donald Trump. There's clearly a whole system that is perfectly okay with him doing everything that he's doing. So that is what scares me. It's the system that is allowing him to exist because they will allow somebody else to exist in that same way.

[Jordan Klepper]

Yeah, they've attached a system and there's people behind it who have gotten good at understanding how to use Donald Trump. I think this project 2025, the world of Steve Bannon's like, okay, he's gonna come in here. He is a singular character in his ability to charm half a nation, 40 some odd percent of a nation. I think that is hard to pass off. But I think you have a conservative movement who has sort of lost any desire to make a moral argument and just found a way in which to like, attach. Attach their wants to somebody who will just bulldoze all the way through, who is about. I mean, the Trump Doctrine is he likes to make deals and he wants whatever is good for him.

[Charlamagne Tha God]

Yes.

[Jordan Klepper]

And if they can attach conservative things onto the things that are deals and good for him, that make him look successful and popular, then they will ride that. And he has no problem riding that.

[Justina Valentine]

What's the moment? I got a couple more questions. What's the moment that actually made you emotional while doing one of your man on the street segments?

[Jordan Klepper]

I mean, it's not to get dark about it all, but, like, we cover news day in and day out. And when I was hosting the show, specifically, like mass shootings. Yeah, yeah. Like, you're like, oh, how do you find humor in it? We find humor. But, like, when you are. When it's your responsibility, late night has shifted into a place where people come to it to feel like a connection to what has happened during the days. And we have such a mass shooting epidemic in this country. And especially when I was hosting a show, we're like, what happened today? Well, the big news is there was another terrible shooting in a school and we had people come on. And I've covered like the gun movement with specials and in the past as well, and I've Talked to parents and I've talked to students who are affected by all of this. And it's such emblematic of what is wrong with our country. Like most people just want safe basic guidelines to try to stop this. And there's such inaction on a federal level that it's constantly infuriating. And so as that keeps happening and continues to happen, like it's, it's, it's, it's so heartbreaking. Also, as someone who has a kid who's in school right now, it's so scary to think of that happening to parents. And beyond that, it's so infuriating. Cause it's like the system is broken when you have people who scream out from the rafters, 80 some odd percent of people are like, we just need basic stuff to try to help kids in schools. And yet you have like a system of government that can't respond to that. Like that always. It always pisses me off.

[Justina Valentine]

What's your dream Phil piece that you haven't gotten to do yet?

[Jordan Klepper]

Barbados. Send me to a nice place. Nice place on a beach. I'm in Pennsylvania all the time. At Trump rallies, in the heat, fighting with people about whether JFK Jr's still alive. And so like send me to someplace beautiful. Give me a puff piece.

[Justina Valentine]

So how do you decompress after a day of absorbing conspiracy theories in 90 degree heat?

[Jordan Klepper]

You know what? It's booze. Booze helps real quick. It's booze, the NBA and being a dad, I think that helps out. Yeah.

[DJ Envy]

Well, tell them how they can see this special.

[Jordan Klepper]

They can check it out on Paramount plus or YouTube. It's up on both those places right now.

[DJ Envy]

That's right, fingers the pulse. Maga, the next generation. On the Daily's YouTube, Jordan Klepper, Ladies Daily Shows.

[Justina Valentine]

YouTube.

[DJ Envy]

Thank you. Thank you so much for joining us.

[Jordan Klepper]

Thanks for having us. Guys.

[DJ Envy]

It's the Breakfast Club. It's Jordan Klepper.

[Justina Valentine]

Wake that ass up early in the morning. The Breakfast Club.

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