John Mulaney sure was ageist in his SNL monologue the last time he hosted

TheWrap

In his last appearance in October 2020, "Mulaney joked about silencing his grandmother because of her age," recalls David Gittens. "He said older people should not be listened to because they’re “about to leave the restaurant.” He then told us how close he was to his grandmother — only to then dismiss her wish for a new driver’s license photograph. And that was funny because it’s laughable for older people to experience vanity, desires and emotions — you know, like real people. If Mulaney had told someone to shut up just because she was a woman, or because she was Jewish or Black, we would know he’s a bigot and no one would have laughed. But he only dismissed her because she was old. And in the current climate for comedy, that’s OK and everyone laughed." He adds: "So, to John Mulaney, Lorne Michaels and everyone associated with SNL: Yes, we get these are jokes. Yes, we get your intentions are not serious. But the consequences are. Ageism is a systematic prejudice exerted on a diverse group of people based on the sole shared characteristic of age. Ageism is the empowered abusing the disempowered. It’s bullying."