Jason Zinoman

New York

Critic at Large at The New York Times

NYT critic at large. On comedy column. Books on David Letterman and 1970s horror. Podcast on Martin Amis.

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Articles

In 'The Studio,' the Powerful Are on Defense

6 days ago | nytimes.com | Jason Zinoman

Seth Rogen's cringe-y Hollywood honcho is well-intentioned but ineffectual. The actor's awkward laugh has never been put to better use. Matt Remick desperately wants to be considered important. His problem is that he's recently become a Hollywood mogul, which is like getting a job as a DEI consultant right now. The timing's not great.
10 Wild Clips to Help You Understand Andy Kaufman’s Greatness

1 month ago | flipboard.com | Jason Zinoman

1 hour agoStephen Colbert Trolls Marjorie Taylor Greene On How She Learned To Speak EnglishThe "Late Show" host mocked the conspiracy theorist lawmaker after hearings on PBS. “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert mocked Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for her “weird rant” against PBS for producing a documentary about trans youths.
10 Wild Clips to Help You Understand Andy Kaufman's Greatness

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jason Zinoman

The standup, who's the subject of a new documentary, expanded the ambition of comedy. These videos show how far ahead of his time he was. Andy Kaufman became one of the most influential comedians ever in a brief amount of time - really only a decade, from his from lung cancer in 1984 at 35.
Lionizing Mark Twain, Conan O’Brien subtly skewers Trump

1 month ago | sanjuandailystar.com | Jason Zinoman

By Jason ZinomanConan O’Brien faced a thorny question when accepting the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night. In the headlining speech for the most-high-profile event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since President Donald Trump purged Democrats from its board, cashiered its leaders and made himself chair, how political should he be?
Lionizing Mark Twain, Conan O’Brien Subtly Skewers Trump

1 month ago | businessandamerica.com | Jason Zinoman

Then he paused and spoke slowly about the staff at the Kennedy Center worried about their future. “My eternal thanks for their selfless devotion to the arts,” he said to a roar and a 25-second standing ovation. To which O’Brien joked: “That was plenty.”But the heart of his speech was an effusive and serious consideration of what Twain stood for. O’Brien said that Twain is “alive, vibrant and vitally relevant today, ” citing his novels as well as his career as a traveling performer.
Lionizing Mark Twain, Conan O'Brien Subtly Skewers Trump

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jason Zinoman

Conan O'Brien faced a thorny question when accepting the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night. In the headlining speech for the most-high-profile event at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts since President Trump purged Democrats from its board, cashiered its leaders and made himself chairman, how political should he be? Considering artists like Lin-Manuel Miranda and Issa Rae have said they are boycotting the Kennedy Center in protest, should he even show up?
Raise a Glass to the Messy, Cringey Wedding Toast

1 month ago | nytimes.com | Jason Zinoman

Some of the most dismally wrongheaded performances I have ever seen have been wedding toasts - and I used to review Off Off Broadway theater. There was the groomsman who made the toast all about himself and the bridesmaid whose anecdote about the married couple's first date included the bride's first impression about the groom's appearance that was too harsh to be laughed off. So many hack advice dispensers ("Never go to bed angry") and generic chin strokers ("Was it Shakespeare who said ...").
Bill Burr is about to hit Broadway. Broadway better duck.

2 months ago | sanjuandailystar.com | Jason Zinoman

By Jason ZinomanInside a spacious room on the West Side of Manhattan, rehearsal for the latest Broadway revival of David Mamet’s “Glengarry Glen Ross” was full of macho bluster and trash talk. And that was before the actors started running their scene. It was a Friday morning, and the show’s British director, Patrick Marber, back after being briefly out sick, approached two of his stars, Bill Burr and Michael McKean.
Is This British Flame Thrower the Comic Best Suited to Take on Trump?

2 months ago | flipboard.com | Jason Zinoman

4 hours agoAyesha Takia, a former Bollywood actress, has come forward to address an incident involving her husband, Abu Farhan Azmi, and their son, in Goa. The controversy erupted after a heated confrontation in Goa and, now, a legal case has been filed against Azmi following the altercation. Recently, Ayesha …
Nish Kumar and the State of Comedy on the Political Left

2 months ago | nytimes.com | Jason Zinoman

If ever there was a time ripe for angry progressive standup, with liberals feeling furious, disillusioned or even helpless watching the latest moves by the Trump administration, it would seem to be now. And yet, the most surprising thing about the current state of political comedy is the relatively moderate tone of the dissent. Enter Nish Kumar, a 39-year-old British comic who hosted a "Daily Show"-like program, emerging as one of the sharpest political comedians in England.