In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter about the upcoming movie Ghostbusters: Afterlife, actor Dan Aykroyd spoke in favor of censorship in comedy.
“There is enough range in humor where you don’t have to go scatological and you don’t have to go pulling any divisive cards to get a laugh. There is so much in the world to comment on that is outside the realm of offensiveness,” he said.
He continued: “As a writer, you can go to other areas and have successful creative endeavors. Scatological humor is fun. It’s easy laughs. But there is more intelligent writing that can happen if you stay away from the offensive material that should be rightly canceled for its hurtfulness. Who can be the subject of an impression today? That’s an area of discussion. Can I do my James Brown imitation? He was one of my best friends. I do his voice pretty good. But maybe I shouldn’t anymore.”
Aykroyd’s comments also contradict the current trend of denouncing cancel culture among comedians. Comedians such as John Cleese, Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and Rowan Atkinson have warned that cancel culture is negatively affecting comedy. Even Aykroyd’s co-star in Trading Places Eddie Murphy has said he should not have to apologize for jokes he made in the past.
Perhaps the most notable is Dave Chappelle, as he has repeatedly defied the online mob who have relentlessly tried to ruin his career.
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