As we roll into the second year of pandemic life, it seems like there isn't a person on the planet whose life hasn't been turned upside down from the various restrictions, lockdowns, and curfews that have happened across the world. And that includes celebrities, too - just ask Jim Gaffigan.
Flashback to before the pandemic, Jim, his wife, and their five kids were taking life easy as they lived in a trendy area of New York City. But after the whirlwind hit that came in the spring of 2020, they quickly reevaluated priorities and switched gears. They ditched the city life for a private home in the upstate region and have lived in their little bubble since then. But according to Gaffigan, the added roaming space hasn't made COVID life any less of a roller coaster. "It's like describing the Fall of Saigon, you know, there's so many emotions," the comedian shared during a CNN interview.
But like so many of us, Jim has tried to focus on the humor and positives in the situation. And while it can't always be easy, being a comedian sure helps keep the jokes rolling. "I feel like it's a bit like watching an episode of Dateline," the Netflix standup laughed. "Like you think you're gonna find out information, and then it gets to that four-minute commercial junk, then there's a new variant when we get back. But while some people would find the pandemic's stretching timeline a drag, at the very least, it's fueled some new material, which can be heard in his recent special.
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"I didn't really write standup during the first year and a half," Gaffigan reflected. "You know, we're a household of seven, so it was kind of a round-robin of people losing their mind." But after a while, the creative juices returned, and Jim got to work. "It almost forced me to construct the jokes about the pandemic, where they were universal," the comedian explained. And clearly, the work paid off, as he got to enjoy audience laughter once again during the special's filming. "It's a luxury to go to a live show, you know?" he joked.
You can catch Jim's new special, Comedy Monster, on Netflix!
