Ana Gasteyer Wants "Unconventional Voices" To Resist Trump

Saturday Night Live alumna and all-around funny lady Ana Gasteyer attended Samantha Bee's Not The White House Correspondents' Dinner on Saturday and briefly spoke to Bustle about the importance of unconventional voices in the current political climate. When asked for her take on how the roles of comedians have changed in the world of politics since her SNL days, Gasteyer suggests that eras such as the one we're living through now inevitably ramp up the opportunities for comedians to speak the truth and "call out the bullsh*t."

"In the current administration,” she tells Bustle, “the more conservative and the more repressive an administration that we face, the more likely we have to see — the more call there is for unconventional voices to speak up and speak the truth, and that’s what comedians do, they call out bullsh*t."

When asked about the challenge comedians face in trying to not blur the line between normalizing and skewering their subjects, she suggests that the difference lies in how intriguing the tactics used to tackle topics are. "You know, it's funny," Gasteyer says. "People always ask you to dissect and analyze comedy, and the fact of the matter is, is that if you find it funny, you're usually striking some kind of a resonant cord. So if you're just writing a piece of comedy that's relevant and topical, that's probably where you're normalizing, but if you're actually called to a situation in a way that you find compelling, you're writing good comedy — if that makes any sense."

A Clinton supporter, Gasteyer publicly criticized Donald Trump on social media throughout the 2016 election and has continued to do so since his surprise victory. Last July, while on a trip to Canada, she published a photo on Instagram with the caption, "Every person I've met in Canada has volunteered what a snake oil salesman Trump is. Good to be among friends." On another occasion, she tweeted, "Just spent three minutes wondering if Trump knows or remembers how to drive a car."

During an appearance on Late Night with Seth Meyers last October, she performed the song "A Trump Kind of Christmas" — which, as expected, was filled with lyrics mocking Trump for his views on immigrants, treatment of women, narcissism, and friendly relationship with Putin — all while wearing a Nasty Woman shirt.

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