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Comedians

The Resume

    (December 11, 1981- )
    Born in Washington, District of Columbia
    Formed by Congressional staffers Bill Strauss and Elaina Newport
    Have 26 cast members and four pianists
    Albums include 'Thank God I'm a Contra Boy' (1987), 'Stand by Your Dan' (1990), 'Fools on the Hill' (1992), 'A Whole Newt World' (1995), 'Sixteen Scandals' (1997), 'The First Lady and the Tramp' (1998), 'Between Iraq and a Hard Place' (2003), 'Papa's Got a Brand New Baghdad' (2004) and 'Springtime for Liberals' (2007)

Why they might be annoying:

    Their name was inspired by a sex scandal in which Congressman John Jenrette had trysted with his wife Rita on the steps of the Capitol building.
    They avoided publicity their first few years, worrying press coverage of their comedy could jeopardize their jobs.
    They became professional comedians when Strauss and Newport lost their staff jobs because the Senator they worked for lost his re-election bid (1984).
    The Clinton White House stopped inviting them to perform because of their large number of Lewinsky jokes (1998).
    Their topical humor does not always age well.
    They recycle material, turning songs about Dan Quayle not being very bright into songs about George W. Bush not being very bright.

Why they might not be annoying:

    Although the founders were Republicans, they made a concerted effort to keep their shows bipartisan.
    At their first White House performance (1988), Ronald Reagan requested they only perform songs poking fun at him.
    Despite worrying that politics was no longer funny after 9/11, they resumed performing after only a month.
    They perform holiday shows on New Year's Eve, April Fool's Day, Independence Day and Halloween which are broadcast live on public radio.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 11 Votes: 18.18% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 8 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 9 Votes: 44.44% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 10 Votes: 60.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 6 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 8 Votes: 62.50% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 14 Votes: 78.57% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 11 Votes: 54.55% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 16 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 29 Votes: 62.07% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 29 Votes: 72.41% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 54 Votes: 62.96% Annoying