The Aristocrats
"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,
Format
This joke typically has these elements—alternative versions may change this form.
- Setup: A family act (or a representative, usually a head of household) goes in to see a talent agent about booking their act. The agent asks what their act consists of.
- Act: If the whole family is present, the act is performed for the agent; otherwise it is described, in as much detail as the teller prefers, typically are common themes.
- Punch line: The shocked (or intrigued) agent asks what the act is called, and the proud answer (sometimes delivered with a flourish) is: "The Aristocrats!"
See also
References
- ^ Gini, Al (2015). "Dirty Jokes, Tasteless, Jokes, Ethnic Jokes" (PDF). Florida Philosophical Review. XV (1): 50–65. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
- ^ Germain, David (2005-07-25). "Hilarious 'Aristocrats' gets the joke". Today. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ Seabaugh, Julie (2015-07-28). "One big joke". Nevada Public Radio. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- ^ Czajkowski, Elise (2012-08-15). "Diving Deep Into the Dirtiest Joke Ever in 'The Aristocrats'". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
- PMID 20804331.
- ^ The Aristocrats (Motion picture). Mighty Cheese Productions. 2005.
- ^ Fox, Jesse David (2019-09-09). "After a 9/11 Joke Bombed, Gilbert Gottfried Told the Dirtiest Joke in Comedy". Vulture. Retrieved 2020-07-19.