Rob Schneider's comedy routine reportedly too "raunchy" for Republican event

Rob Schneider’s journey from Saturday Night Live star to Adam Sandler stooge to conservative conspiracy theory comedy has been well documented. A simple scroll through his Twitter/X profile reveals the kind of political content Schneider is consuming and regurgitating (reposting far-right account Libs of TikTok, for example). His alignment with the Republican-leaning infotainment ecosystem extends to his last stand-up special, Rob Schneider: Woke Up In America airing on the Fox News streaming service Fox Nation. But it turns out his brand of comedy may be too extreme for even some of the niche conservative audience he’s been cultivating.

According to Politico, Schneider was cut off ten minutes into a half-hour comedy set at a Republican networking holiday event last year because his material was too offensive. His material was reportedly “raunchy” and racist, with jokes “aimed at Asian people” including one about “Korean whore-houses.” It was so “gross and vulgar” that Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith walked out of the performance: “She didn’t have to listen to it and so she got up and left,” her spokesperson told the outlet.

All 150 attendees (“which included more than 40 Senate chiefs of staff”) received an apology from organizers the next day which read, “While we do our best to ensure every aspect of our program is professional, courteous, and appropriate, we sincerely regret that the entertainment at last night’s program fell short of that goal.” The Senate Working Group, the networking organization that held the event, claimed that Schneider broke a verbal agreement “to keep his set relatively clean.” Schneider has not returned The A.V. Club’s request for comment.

The GOP organizers were clearly banking on the kind of anti-woke, “liberals are losers” kind of comedy that apparently characterizes the Woke Up In America special. Unfortunately, you get what you pay for, and Schneider’s comedy was never really PC even before his descent into questionable political comedy. He also doesn’t necessarily have any loyalty to Republican leadership; he has endorsed fellow conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who is running as an Independent, for president. Schneider performed at an RFK Jr. campaign fundraising event in February; he either learned his lesson from the previous event or cared more about RFK Jr.’s audience, as that event seems to have gone ahead without a hitch.