Mustang Daily Staff Report
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Political comedian Steven Crowder brought laughs to Cal Poly on Tuesday night, an event hosted by the Cal Poly College Republicans with the help of the Young America’s Foundation.
The 25-year-old performed his routine “American Idiots: An Evening Guide to Mainstream Liberalism” for audience members, followed by a Q&A.
“He is kind of new on the political scene, but he’s been doing film and TV and comedy for many, many years,” College Republicans President and graduate student Elena Reynolds said.
The conservative comedian is a Fox News contributor, but is also known for his viral videos, with one of his YouTube videos reaching more than 2 million views. His entertainment career began as a child in television and film, having voiced the character of “The Brain” on the children’s series “Arthur” at age 12. His stand-up comedy career began six years later.
College Republicans Vice President and political science sophomore Gabriel Bastomski said Crowder is a “pretty popular guy.”
“He’s an up-and-coming, young, very funny guy — very witty, conservative,” Bastomski said. “It’s nice to see because typically, you know, when people think of conservatives, you think of older people. He really just has this kind of unique style. He’ll just say what he wants and it’s really entertaining.”
Reynolds also sees another factor that differentiates Crowder from others.
“Most political comedians aren’t conservative, so I think right there, that sets him apart,” Reynolds said. “He’s very young and he’s very honest about what he feels and what he thinks.”
This time around, the club decided to bring someone to campus who was different from guests in years past.
“Over the past year, our club has brought some really intense speakers talking about some really intense topics,” Reynolds said. “We kind of wanted to do something to lighten the mood a little bit.”
The club has brought guests speaking on issues including race and gun control in previous years. This past year, the club brought conservative social and political commentator Ann Coulter, causing some backlash.
This year, the club chose to go with a political comedian.
At a Crowder performance, Reynolds said audience members can expect to have some good laughs.
“He’s also not just funny, but he’s informative too,” Reynolds said. “I think a lot of people think comedians are joking all the time, but he also has some serious things to say about current issues. He does it in a way that makes it humorous, not to make light of it, but to make us realize how ridiculous some things are that we take very seriously. It can be nice to have a good laugh now and then instead of having such intense speakers come.”
Kassi Luja contributed to this staff report.