Jokes

Whitney Cummings aims for a lighter, less polarizing hour with her fifth special. Rather than lean into political or cultural debates, she focuses on finding common ground through nostalgic comedy. She contrasts the unsupervised era of 1980s parenting with today’s protective rules, arguing that smartphones might actually be the best babysitters we have.\n\nFilmed at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark, New Jersey, the 59-minute show represents a pivot for Cummings, who self-funded the production to maintain ownership rights before licensing it to Netflix. Having spent much of 2021 and 2022 on her Touch Me theater tour, she brought a collection of personal material to the stage that ranges from dating younger men to sex injuries and an online photo leak. She even mocks her own previous onstage messaging, poking fun at how a past bit about body positivity collapsed the moment she caught a glimpse of her chest from a low camera angle.