Can comedy thrive in a COVID-19 world? We asked Patton Oswalt

What’s funny right now? Some circumstances, surely. Some television shows and movies, yes. But can a stand-up deliver a solid set to viewers separated from them by thousands of miles and amorphous amounts of digital space? Even when we’re allowed to go back to comedy clubs, will half-capacity rooms feel the same, and will jokes land as heartily? It’s impossible to really know, but if anyone might, it could be Patton Oswalt. The longtime stand-up has a new special, Patton Oswalt: I Love Everything, coming to Netflix on May 19, and as part of a larger interview we did with him—coming next week!—we asked the comedian about trying to do jokes for an audience of basically no one. His thoughtful, kind response is above.