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Jordan Klepper has had quite the evolution on Comedy Central over the past five years.
The Oppositions run on Comedy Central was a short one, but thankfully the turd blossom has returned.
(That last topic resulted in Klepper getting hisvery own mug shot and TMZ article.)
So,Klepperis a big departure from your last show.
Thats not the case in Killeen, Texas, as we quickly found out.
Yeah.But honestly, its been great.
So Ive been fortunate enough to get to see it up close, and I liked that.
It was what I needed.
The new show covers a pretty interesting variety of topics.
We wanted to experience something, and not it just be a retelling.
Could I get in the boat?
Could I be under the table thats collapsing?
Could I help the congresswoman pack and get to D.C.?
So that kind of started to dictate the types of stories that we invested in.
Was there one story in particular that evolved in a way that surprised you?For sure.
I would say the one that was in the bayou with the pipeline protesters definitely evolved for us.
We went down there, and it was a very different situation than what we thought.
It was more tense, you know?
So what was it like bringing that asshole out?
I do believe that comes through in the show.
And I hope you take that as a compliment.I appreciate that.
Thats a very kind thing for you to say.
That asshole doesnt like camping.
That asshole is grumpy.
It doesnt mean that I dont care.
We kept talking about,All right, I want it to be authentic.
But what if we strip those tools away?And to be quite honest, it was scary.
But when I went down, one of the first things we filmed was the story about deported veterans.
And it was … it was an awakening.
We filmed some stuff and we tried it.
It injected quips, but it took away from story.
Can you even do that kind of comedy nowadays?
It feels like that scene is definitely not new or fresh anymore.Well, right?
We talked a lot about this.
Yeah.Lets fast-forward a few years later.
It felt like it was this adrenaline rush of hyperbole at times that was maybe not as compelling anymore.
Can I take that?
So its been a weird four years.
Right.Which, you know, in this fucking climate?
Exactly.Who knew it would just strip all down?
Had you been arrested before?That was my first time.
Wow.Yeah, it was a very unique experience.
I want to be up close and see what youre doing, but itsyourstory.
Ill be the person whos next to it.
Its more important to show the people who are there in the trenches.
But this kind of organically came up.
I was really inspired by these students [and] the story that they told.
I think that does feel right.
So I feel like I got a little bit of a … And of course the mug shots a really good promo picture for the show.
Lets be honest.You know, this is where Comedy Central is just so goddamned cheap.
We dont have to pay for makeup or wardrobe or anything.
Well just throw it on a subway ad!
Let me tell ya.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
