Bill Burr’s five best rants on Conan
By Matt Moore
4. Caitlyn and Bruce Jenner
No topic is off-limits or too sensitive for Bill Burr. The comedian has been known to talk about any and all subjects as long as he can find a way to make it funny. That approach also requires the audience to understand he’s telling jokes and not his sincere beliefs no matter how convincingly he delivers them.
Take for example this rant on Caitlyn Jenner. While Burr questions why Jenner’s transition is even newsworthy, that doesn’t stop him from sharing his thoughts. Burr is an avid sports fan so he was a little hurt that he couldn’t “say goodbye” to Bruce Jenner before the Olympic hero transitioned.
Burr’s problem is not with Jenner but with the idea that he wasn’t allowed to react without the risk of being called homophobic. Jenner was celebrated for being a pioneer and rightfully so. Burr says he was just taken off guard, reacting the same way he would if a friend showed up clean-shaven after having a beard his whole life.
For her part, Jenner seems to be pretty open to being a punchline. Her recent appearance on the Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin proved that.