Why Satire Is No Laughing Matter

Oct 20, 2026 12:00 PM UTCNadav Kander for TIMEBaron Cohen is an actor and filmmaker; his new movie is 'Ali G: Who Iz I?' Oct 20, 2026 12:00 PM UTCThe first time I was introduced to satire, my jaw dropped—and not just because it was the first time I’d ever seen a naked woman.I was 8 when my older brothers snuck me into a London cinema to see Monty Python’s Life of Brian. Although my underdeveloped brain may not have fully grasped the critique of religion or inter­necine fights among political leftists, I loved the feeling of being surrounded by 300 people screaming with laughter.Over the next few years, I inhaled an array of comedy greats: Peter Sellers, Peter Cook, and Not the Nine O’Clock News, with its biting commentary on Thatcherite Britain. Then came a personal breakthrough. At the age of 20, I spent six months studying with an intimidating French clown.The late Philippe Gaulier was one of the all-time great teachers of clown and modern theater. Gaulier kept a drum handy while we were onstage, banging it to cut short a performance he considered “sh-t,” which was often. His goal, and greatest gift to us, was helping his students discover what he called their “inner idiot.”Gauli...