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Brick Wall Comedy
Brick Wall Comedy

The Skinny

Jim Gaffigan

Hulu · 2024 · 60 min

A slimmer Jim Gaffigan jokes about weight loss and parenting teenagers.

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Jim Gaffigan has built a multi-decade career on being the pale, doughy guy who is too tired to parent and too obsessed with bacon to stop eating, but in The Skinny, he walks onto the stage at Boston’s Wilbur Theater looking noticeably thinner in a tailored suit, having finally succumbed to the modern magic of weight-loss medication. Filmed for Hulu as the headliner to launch their “Hulu’s Laughing Now” stand-up initiative, the late 2024 special caught Gaffigan at a high-profile moment in his career, following a busy autumn playing vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz on Saturday Night Live and co-headlining arenas with Jerry Seinfeld. On stage, that momentum translates into a relaxed, confident performance where he mostly retires his signature high-pitched audience proxy voice in favor of a straightforward, dry delivery of his observations. While the weight-loss material gives the hour its title and its freshest angles—examining the weird social pressure of explaining his new frame and the sudden realization that he is now forced to eat like a normal human—Gaffigan eventually returns to his favorite well of domestic exhaustion. With his five children growing into teenagers, the parenting jokes have evolved to focus on the sheer exhaustion of sitting through fifteen years of terrible kids’ movies and raising teens who are entirely unimpressed by him. Critics generally received the hour as reliable comfort food, noting that while the marital material in the final stretch can feel slightly recycled, his polished delivery keeps the set moving beautifully.

The set list

6 bits

  1. Weight loss accusations and taking Mounjaro

    Defends against claims that taking weight-loss injections is cheating, explaining he is not on Ozempic but Mounjaro, and clarifying he is just a fat guy trying not to die while warning his closet of fat clothes is waiting for his return.

  2. Scientists stumbling upon drug side effects

    Re-enacts conversations among pharmaceutical researchers who accidentally solved erectile dysfunction while formulating blood-pressure pills, comparing it to diabetes drugs causing weight loss.

  3. Blind cultural acceptance and modern tech

    Examines how people blindly accept tech mandates, AI, complicated computer passwords, and apps listening to conversations, comparing it to accepting strangers touching your feet at shoe stores or Abraham following God's commands.

  4. Parenting teenagers and acting as the backup quarterback

    Riffs on parenting dynamics, comparing himself to an NFL backup quarterback who makes everyone nervous when called into duty, and running a series of 'you're not an adult parent' gags.

  5. Alcohol commercials

    Observes that alcohol ads always feature people laughing and having fun, expressing a desire to see an honest print ad of an expressionless dad sitting alone at a table with a bottle of booze.

  6. The closer (spoiler). Show it

    His wife's greatest challenge closer

    Recounts asking his wife Jeannie what her biggest challenge has been after all she has endured, to which she simply answers 'being married to you,' a response he takes pride in.

How it plays

Tone
Affable, self-deprecating, wry, and mostly clean with mid-range swears and no F-bombs.
On stage
An amiable, relaxed, and poised everyman narrator; jokes self-consciously and wryly about his newly lightweight body and newfound 'arrogance' while still remaining the butt of his own jokes.
Pace
Poised and naturalistic; noticeably departs from his previous specials by retiring or largely omitting his signature high-pitched, whispered inner-voice Greek chorus.
About
Appetite suppressants and dramatic weight loss, Parenting five children and teenagers, Artificial intelligence and computer passwords, Cultural unquestioning acceptance, Religion and Christianity, Marriage

What the critics said

Praised as reliable, comforting comedy from a seasoned veteran delivering dependable laughs, though critics noted that routines about family and children revisited well-worn, familiar comedic territory.

In the room: Consistently warm and laughing in the room, contrasting with polarized online reactions regarding his jokes about weight-loss medication.

Summed up from reviews, articles and listings. Sources: variety.com, metacritic.com, tv.apple.com, rottentomatoes.com, decider.com, bostonglobe.com, laughingplace.com, nytimes.com, en.wikipedia.org, jimgaffigan.com, latimes.com.

Backstory

Filmed following Gaffigan's noticeable dramatic weight loss from taking appetite suppressants (Mounjaro); also serves as the flagship debut title launching Hulu's monthly stand-up brand ('Hularious' / 'Hulu Laughing Now').

Details

Released
Taped
Wilbur Theater, Boston
Runtime
60 min
Where
Hulu
Director
Jim Gaffigan
Topics
Before
Dark Pale (2023)

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