Bones and All
Netflix · 2024 · 51 min
Twenty years of pitch-black one-liners and autobiographical stories.
Anthony Jeselnik returns to the stage with the cold, sociopathic persona he has spent two decades refining, but this time there is a slight shift in structure. Filmed at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the set marks his 20th anniversary in stand-up comedy. He opens with a calculated bit about trans people and pregnant women, establishing a provocative tone before leaning into his signature misdirection. Rather than simply delivering one-liners, Jeselnik uses the beginning of the set to explicitly explain the mechanics of gallows humor to his audience, as if justifying his focus on dark themes like child abuse and domestic murder. Notable setups include a neighbor who murdered his wife and a grim gender-reveal party involving a public bus. What makes this hour different from his previous specials is the final third, where Jeselnik breaks from his classic, robotic joke delivery to tell longer autobiographical stories. He reminisces about his time as a judge on Last Comic Standing and meeting Norm Macdonald, even retelling the very first joke that helped define his career. While critics praised the hour, placing it on several year-end best-of lists, some long-time fans felt the filmed delivery lacked the punch of his live tour. His styling for the taping, which featured a new haircut and wire-rimmed glasses, also earned him some mock comparisons to Milwaukee’s most infamous former resident.
The set list
-
A female friend asks him to be the sperm donor for her baby.
Jeselnik hesitates, noting it is a major life decision before asking how old the baby is.
-
Delivering a joke addressing the trans community as an opening bit.
After a patron called the routine problematic as a closer, he moved it to the opening gambit to prove a point, mocking the obligation to have a trans opinion before twisting the punchline onto another target.
-
Seeing a pregnant woman struck by a bus.
Referred to the accident as a 'gender-reveal party.'
-
Addressing audience reactions to an intense run of dark jokes 18 minutes into the set.
Meta-commentary on why he places an overwhelming flurry of child abuse and dead baby jokes right at the beginning.
-
Addressing fans of Joe Rogan's podcast.
Acknowledges Rogan as a friend and good guy, but tells anyone who listens to the podcast that they are a 'fucking loser.'
-
Taking the hosting job on NBC's 'Last Comic Standing' to meet Norm Macdonald.
A sincere reflection on working alongside his comedic idol and how Macdonald once pranked him.
How it plays
- Tone
- Pitch-black, razor-sharp, deadpan, and unapologetic.
- On stage
- An arrogant, coolly predatory 'heel' and supervillain of comedy characterized by amoral stances, effortless cruelty, and unapologetic gallows humor.
- Pace
- Deliberative, unusually slow cadence with extended multi-second pauses designed to let the crowd sit with discomfort.
- About
- gallows humor, parenting and pregnancy, child abuse, cancel culture and stand-up comedy peers, trans jokes and modern comedic tropes, career reflections
What the critics said
Widely praised by critics for razor-sharp misdirection, pitch-black humor, and the novel maturation of his persona through personal anecdotes and takedowns of hacky comedy tropes.
In the room: Rapturous room dynamic marked by extended laughing, cheering, and woos that occasionally prompted Jeselnik to check his watch onstage.
Backstory
Material honed over an 18-month world tour following a five-year hiatus after 2019's 'Fire in the Maternity Ward' that spanned the COVID-19 pandemic.
Details
- Released
- Taped
- Pabst Theater, Milwaukee
- Runtime
- 51 min
- Where
- Netflix
- Director
- Bill Benz
- Topics
- Before
- Fire in the Maternity Ward (2019)
More from Anthony Jeselnik
-
Fire in the Maternity Ward
Netflix
-
Thoughts and Prayers
Netflix
-
Caligula
Paramount+
If you liked this
-
Jimmy Carr Funny Business
Netflix
-
David Heti It Was OK
Stand Up! Records · Album
