Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special

Jeff Dunham converts his ventriloquism act into a holiday variety show, leaning heavily into the cultural grievances of the late 2000s. Rather than just putting Santa hats on his usual lineup, he builds the hour around a rejection of political correctness, spending a significant portion of the set complaining about the phrase “Happy Holidays”. To back up the rhetoric, he brings out his familiar rotation of characters for Christmas-themed musical numbers, tapping Brian Haner as an onstage guitarist to provide a live backing track.

Filmed at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee in June 2008, the release arrived right as the comic reached the absolute peak of his commercial dominance. Fresh off the viral internet success of his 2007 hour, he brings back the Achmed the Dead Terrorist puppet to sing “Jingle Bombs,” while Bubba J performs “Roadkill Christmas” and the grumpy veteran Walter takes audience questions dressed as Santa Claus. The anti-PC holiday angle resonated with exactly the audience he aimed for, drawing 6.6 million viewers to become Comedy Central’s highest-rated telecast of all time.