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Offensive joke about a performance act From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"The Aristocrats" is a taboo-defying, off-color joke that has been told by numerous stand-up comedians and dates back to the vaudeville era.[1] It relates the story of a family trying to get an agent to book their stage act, which is remarkably vulgar and offensive. The punch line reveals that they incongruously bill themselves as "The Aristocrats".[2] When told to audiences who know the punch line, the joke's humor depends on the described outrageousness of the family act.[3][4] Because the objective of the joke is its transgressive content, it is most often told privately,[5] such as by comedians to other comedians.[6]
This joke typically has these elements—alternative versions may change this form.
While the exact origins are unknown, the joke originated from the late 19th century to early 20th century. Despite the lack of public retellings of the joke, it is very popular among comedians, including George Carlin, Chris Rock, and Robin Williams. It was Johnny Carson's favorite joke of all time.[7]
It came to wider public attention when Gilbert Gottfried told it during the Friars' Club roast of Hugh Hefner to recover after losing the crowd and eliciting "booing and hissing" with a joke about the 9/11 terrorist attacks, which had occurred just 18 days prior.[8] Bob Saget's retelling of the joke was also popular.[9]
It was the subject of a 2005 documentary film of the same name by Paul Provenza and Penn Jillette. Notably, this movie featured a scene in which South Park character Eric Cartman tells the joke, with the scene being animated and voiced by Trey Parker and Matt Stone as a contribution to the film. Rock band The Aristocrats named themselves after the joke[10]
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