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Woke Up In America

Rob Schneider

Fox Nation · 2023 · 78 min

Rob Schneider brings his anti-establishment grievances to Florida.

Rob Schneider trades the mainstream streaming ecosystem for the friendly confines of Fox Nation, leaning heavily into cultural grievances and anti-establishment skepticism. Filmed at the Tampa Theatre in Florida, the set targets trans issues, government vaccine policies, and identity politics, anchoring them to his signature brand of physical delivery. It is an hour of comedy designed specifically for viewers who feel the modern world has left common sense behind.

Following his 2020 Netflix release, Schneider’s shift to a conservative platform in 2023 aligned with his increasingly public political commentary. The performance ranges from traditional marriage gags and a bit about his own vasectomy to an anecdote about his past interactions with Donald Trump. He also targets gender-neutral terminology and “chest feeders,” delivering a crowd-pleasing punchline that defines a woman as someone who remembers mistakes from years ago. While conservative publications praised his willingness to bypass progressive gatekeepers, critics dismissed the material as an unoriginal retread of standard talk-radio talking points.

The set list

6 bits
  1. Blue-state residents moving to Florida

    Schneider jokes that people from California and New York are 'foreigners' invading Florida with vegan diets, yoga pants, and dietary intolerances to gluten and cheese, admitting he is one of them.

  2. Redefining womanhood and pronouns

    Blasts terminology like 'chest feeders,' claims a woman is 'someone who gets mad at you for something you did three years ago,' and quips that his pronouns are 'hee and haw.'

  3. Diversity hiring at United Airlines

    Mocks the airline's recruitment policies by performing an impression of an unqualified Puerto Rican little person pilot in the cockpit.

  4. Past interactions with Donald Trump

    Reflects on working with Trump during 'Home Alone 2', guesting together on Jay Leno's Tonight Show in 1999, and judging the 2008 Miss USA pageant.

  5. Joe Biden's cognitive and physical state

    Briefly quips that 'If Biden was a dog you'd put him down.'

  6. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    Taking his daughter to meet Paul McCartney backstage closer

    Recounts bringing his young daughter to a Paul McCartney concert and meeting him backstage right after she contracted COVID-19, joking he couldn't afford the bad press of being the guy who killed Paul McCartney.

How it plays

Tone
Unfiltered, politically charged, provocative, and conversational with R-rated family and observational material.
On stage
Self-described 'traditional liberal' taking jabs at modern woke culture, deploying character voices, accents, and physical mannerisms alongside nostalgic callbacks to his movie catchphrases.
Pace
Described as slow-paced by detractors, featuring a slightly huskier voice and deliberate physical body language that spices up bits.
About
culture wars, woke culture and identity politics, COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and government overreach, transgender issues and defining womanhood, encounters with Donald Trump, Joe Biden

What the critics said

Sharply divided along cultural lines: Decider called it skippable red meat tailored primarily for older Fox Nation subscribers, whereas Hollywood in Toto called it Schneider's best set in years and potentially the best special of 2023 for fearlessly tackling taboo subjects.

In the room: The Tampa theater audience responded warmly with hearty laughs, cheers, and spontaneous shouts of his signature catchphrase 'You can do it!!!'.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: tvinsider.com, fox.com, imdb.com, thewrap.com, decider.com, hollywoodintoto.com, whatthemovie.com, thefutoncritic.com.

Backstory

Released on FOX Nation following Roseanne Barr's 'Cancel This!', leaning into cultural grievances, free speech debates, pandemic responses, and transgender issues.

Details

Released
Taped
Tampa Theatre
Runtime
78 min
Where
Fox Nation
Director
Tim Owens
Topics
Before
Asian Momma, Mexican Kids (2020)

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