At Liberty Podcast
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At Liberty Podcast

From The Joke Files: A Comedy and Censorship Roundtable

November 17, 2025

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We鈥檙e living through a moment where late night jokes are next-day news, and each opening monologue feels like a litmus test for our freedom of expression. But is this dynamic anything new? This week, comedian Dean Obeidallah and writer Kliph Nesteroff join Kamau to reflect on the history鈥攁nd present state鈥攐f censorship in comedy, and what makes this moment more than a callback.

This episode was recorded on Monday, November 10, in the lead-up to the New York Arab American Comedy Festival, which Dean co-founded more than two decades ago. Kliph鈥檚 insights are drawn from research that he conducted for his book Outrageous: A History of Showbiz and the Culture Wars.

In this episode

W. Kamau Bell

Artist Ambassador for Racial Justice and Host of At Liberty
A photo of W. Kamau Bell.
W. Kamau Bell

Dean Obeidallah

Writer, Radio Host and Comedian
Dean Obeidallah (a pale skinned man wearing a checkered blue and white button up shirt and headphones) sits in front of a microphone.
Dean Obeidallah

Kliph Nesteroff

Writer
Kliph Nesteroff (a white man with a red short beard wearing black framed glasses, a gray newspaper boy hat, a blue and black flannel button up shirt and a navy blue jacket) stands in front of a gray background.
Kliph Nesteroff

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