Waiting for the Punchline

Matthew Philips

Matthew Philips is a senior writing comedy. He is also the wellness & outreach director for the Daily Trojan. His column, “Waiting for the Punchline,” typically ran every other Thursday.


Featured columns

Waiting for the Punchline: There is nuance in who gets the power to tell what jokes
One of the most obvious, if sometimes unfortunate, rules in stand up comedy is that half of a joke’s success depends upon who is telling it.


Waiting for the Punchline: Comedy is only getting darker and more extreme
Audiences are demanding more nuance and risk than ever, and it’s made for way better television.


Waiting for the Punchline: Comedy can be an incredible coping mechanism
We use genre as a reference point for new works, as well as a means of deciphering our own preferences.Comedy has always been a go-to coping mechanism for many — and for good reason.


Waiting for the Punchline: Sense of humor should be treated like genres
We use genre as a reference point for new works, as well as a means of deciphering our own preferences.


Waiting for the Punchline: Twitter memes and jokes breed comedic unoriginality
One could easily argue that humor is the best that the platform has to offer or that Twitter is the go-to forum for free entertainment nowadays.


Waiting for the Punchline: It’s tricky: ‘political correctness’ in comedy
Still, what’s missing from the conversation is that this idea of political correctness has existed long before the election of President Donald Trump.